The Conversion Bureau: The Other Side of the Spectrum (The Original)

by Sledge115

Rating: mature
Tags: Princess Celestia, Crossover, Sex, Tragedy, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Human, Sad, Lyra, Original Character
Length: 660538

When a magical portal spits out a enraged being, Twilight Sparkle and her friends discover a world being attacked by... them? Now Equestria must go to war and save humanity and its allies before it's too late.

Originally written by Redskin122004 and hosted on his account. You can find the reboot here, titled Spectrum

~Sledge

A wondrous portal of light and colors open in Ponyville, one would think it brought good tidings.

They were wrong.

A human, pushed to the brink of madness and misery, attacks the Elements of Harmony.
A war, unknown and uncomprehending, being waged for the survival of one species.
A power hungry Alicorn setting her sights on new lands.

Now all of Equestria and her people find themselves teetering on the edge of war, war so uncompromising and ruthless against an enemy they all know.

Themselves.

Darkness begins to settle across the entire world, old enemies setting aside their differences for mutual survival.

Now is the time to fight...
Now is the time to show the mad so called goddess that they will not bow to her...
Now is the time to show Harmony as it is meant to be seen...

The Tyrant has no idea what she has unleashed...
But then again...
Neither do they.

Authored by Redskin122004
Editors....Uh...Various... Like a lot.:twilightblush: Mostly Drawdex and Beyond the Horizon
TV Tropes page link!

Canon side stories:
Starvation
Europe
Asia
Multiverse Journey
Case Files
Calm Before the Storm
The King's Speech
Last Train from Oblivion
The Light Despondent
Shades of the Unsung
Adrift
Joy to the Worlds
Harmonious Stronghold
Many Faces of Mankind
Once More Unto The Breach

And the Timeline.

Hello, all who see this, it is my displeasure to inform you that RedSkin has resigned from Spectrum and, as a part of an agreement, the original version is here for everyone to see unaltered. We, the remaining members of the Spectrum crew, are going to continue things in a new version that will be coming soon.

Please be patient with us as we try to adjust to this period.

Update all, here is the link to the new version SPECTRUM.

Published 2012-08-04 06:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2018-08-09 08:45:01 UTC

Harmony and Hegemony

CHAPTER THREE: HARMONY AND HEGEMONY

"Even though a hedgehog may want to become close to another hedgehog, the closer they get the more they injure each other with their spines. It's the same with some humans."

– Neon Genesis Evangelion

“You’ve gotta share! You’ve gotta care!”

– Pinkie Pie

New York City, 2023 Anno Dominae

The title ‘UN/PHL Joint Task Force Regional Headquarters’ conjured up images of vast military bases filled with drilling soldiers and sympathetic ponies. Once upon a time, that might have been the case. Pegasai might have flown alongside the best aviators humanity could produce, while Unicorns and the scientific crème-de-la-crème poured their collective intellects into reverse engineering the principals of magic.

It was a nice fantasy, but what with the current state of the Union, besieged and terrorised, over-populated and under-fed, collapsing under an ever-growing swarm of refugees, just a fantasy.

The nuking of Washington DC had not helped either.

So now, New York’s remaining Special Forces and Ponies for Human Life had taken control of a former Cold War bunker, a compact warren of tunnels and subterranean galleys planned back when the worst-case scenario was mere atomic annihilation.

Deep in the old fallout shelter, one mare stood slightly apart, a bulky flak jacket protecting most of her barrel, chest and forelegs. Her burgundy coat had faded somewhat away from the light of day, and her mane had been tied back in an efficient braid, but the three flowers emblazoned on her flank still smiled brightly.

“Any time now...” Cheerilee said softly, gazing at a map of continental North America. A series of curved lines had been drawn over it like contours, expanding out from the direction of Europe. The first few, curving down across Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, had been filled in with solid pink, marking the advance of the Barrier since landfall.

“...word from further up in New England is that people are fleeing south across the border...” murmured a man standing beside her, his arms folded in a tight crush of muscle. “The Narrows are crammed with ships that got out of Halifax before it was swallowed.”

“And if what they say is true, then Celestia’s forces are getting more...proactive...” Cheerliee, acknowledged, directing her attention towards a series of photographs littering the chart table. One was taken just before what could charitably called ‘the Battle of Halifax’, and depicted the Barrier advancing on that city’s Angus MacDonald suspension bridge. More worrying however, was the colossal airship slowly emerging from the dimensional void, a seven-hundred-foot long cigar of hot air, fabric and enchanted clouds.

“I always wanted to travel in a skyliner...” she said wistfully, one hoof touching against the image. “Flying the friendly skies. But now...”

“...now they’ve learned a few tricks from human history,” the man finished for her.

“Yes” Cheerliee nodded, slowly turning through the remaining photographs. The pictures depicted squadrons of pegasai disgorging from the airships, hurling glass phials of Ponification Potion into the streets below. In response, anti-aircraft fire poured up into the air, only to explode harmlessly against a shimmering field of purple energy shrouding the airborne leviathan.

Something seemed to catch in Cheerliee’s throat, and slowly the former schoolmare sank to her knees, sobbing painfully.

“It’s so wrong! How did we go so...so wrong!?”

“Shush-shush” the main said soothingly, dropping into a crouch so that he could comfort her. “It’s not your fault Cher, any more than its Spitfire or Zecora’s.

“We should have done more!” she howled. “Campaigned harder, spoken out more vehemently against Celestia, back before she began to push the barrier out.”

“Mad gods caring not then...” someone, or somepony, interrupted, their voice a discordant mess of tangled syntax and lilting tones. “Now we’re truthing seer of her.”

Cheerilee paused in sniffling and looked up, as did the man who was holding her tight. “Hi, Bon Bon.”

“Bonnie...” the human greeted, a note of shame creeping into his voice. “How are you holding up?”

“Will being fine, concordant concern contrasting....” the creamy Earth pony replied. She was standing in a pool of shadows, appearing to almost glow slightly with some inner luminescence. Slowly, she began to trot towards them, face screwed up in concentration. Something about her was...wrong, something about how she moved, like a drunken marionette, her legs working against each other.

And then there was that thing about her eyes...both Cheerilee and the human had lived around Derpy Hooves for years, so were used to the idea of a lazy eye. But Bon Bon’s condition was...different, and it went deeper than just strabismus. Both moved independently of the other, focusing on other things...and other times.

Strapped to her side, in a modified bandolier, she was carrying a dusty, slightly battered lyre.

“Is being daymare bad...” she forced out, jaw muscles chattering in an attempt to formulate syllables. “But amfine-amfine-AMFINE!”

Shaking slightly, the mare began to weep out of her right eye, the left instead focusing on something only she could see. Such was the fate of Bon-Bon, ever since the PHL had rescued her from her own execution, but moments too late to save Lyra. Doctor Whooves had sadly diagnosed her suffering as chronological lobular desync disorder, an emergency crossing of the time-dimensional barrier causing Bon-Bon’s already damaged psyche to crack wide open.

In simple words, she had suffered a temporal stroke, leaving the two halves of her brain in separate time zones. One was always in the present, while the other...wandered.

Sometimes she babbled about events that had yet to happen, or screamingly re-experience past horrors, not just from her own life, but of Eldritch nightmares from eons before Equestria’s founding.

It was a painful, debilitating and humiliating fate. But at times, the ability to experience the future before it happened was extremely useful.

“Soon...” Bon Bon said, managing to co-ordinate her facial muscles enough to smile sadly. “Hurts, but soon, promising...”

Her head turned jerkily, so that one eye could catch sight of the lyre she took everywhere, and the small smile grew in its melancholy. “Not me...her and me...gone away, neverwhen again.”

Now her left eye glistened with tears, the right narrowing in wrathful indignation. Slowly, Cheerilee broke away from the man who held her and moved to embrace Bon Bon.

“Oh Bonnie, I’m so sorry...” she said, before her tone grew firmer. “Bon Bon, I need you to focus. Listen to my voice, you’re here, you’re now, with us...and if you’re seeing something, something important, then you have to tell us what that is...”

The former chocolatier’s eyes rolled, one side of her body shaking as if being dragged around by invisible hands, then she managed a shuddering breath and stared straight at Cheerilee.

“Equestria, is, coming...” she said in short gasps, throat and lungs clenching. “Celestia...will...fight.”

“What!” the human started. “She’s going to fight on the front lines?”

“Noes!” Bon Bon cut him off, struggling to be understood, before a beatific smile spread across her muzzle. “Not...Tyrant, Celestia! Celestia, Luna, fight, with, us!”

Her head lolled to one side and both of her eyes converged on him.

“Fight with you too...” she said, voice half laughing, half groaning. “In Equestria, silly foals...say hello, to Lyra, and me...”

Her shoulders twitched like a beam engine, and then she began to giggle and sob, vaulting between the two like a tennis ball hurled back and forth across a net. Cheerilee held her tight, whispering gentle words, while the human simply turned and stared at the map.

“Fight with me, in Equestria? What does she mean.”

Any further time for thought was cut short however. With a sharp knock on the door, another figure entered, the light glinting on the tribal jewellery adorning her neck and forehooves.

“Dearest friends, forgive me, I plea

But deeds are afoot of the gravest degree.

Ill news I bring from the refugee train,

The Barrier has passed through New Brunswick, to Maine!”

*

Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville, 2nd Year Anno Harmonia

In between everything that had happened, everything that had been called into question, one thing remained constant: when in doubt, Twilight Sparkle turned to books for the answers she sought.

But as she cautiously circumnavigated the library, one eye trained on the huge figure resting in the corner, Twilight would never have imagined that she would ever be searching for information on the demi-mythic creatures known as humans. That information was more the terrain of eccentrics and fantasists like Lyra...

...yeah, she was going to drop that train of thought, with a vengeance.

The human shifted slightly, resuming the same pose after moving to another section of the library; one from where his view of Twilight would not be blocked by any shelves.

Her friends, having been roused, were now sitting in a cautious ring at the center of the candle-lit room. The curtains had been drawn and the ‘CLOSED’ sign was planted outside like a talisman intended to ward off any unwarranted attention. Lyra was with them, talking in a rapid murmur and trying her best to allay their fears. So far, none of them had made a move against him, though that might have had more to do with their memories of their last encounter than any success on her part at diplomacy.

She only hoped that no-one pointed out the absence of Spike; the young drake, having woken and declared that he had to ‘go potty’, had left for the bathroom while she had been putting the finishing touches on her letter to Celestia, before everything had gone wrong. The human, despite his familiarity with the rest of her closest circle of friends, seemed unaware of Spike’s existence, having not demanded that she produce him or even questioned the scent of sulphur that faintly permeated the air (a sure sign that ‘Past Spike’ had eaten something that disagreed with him, which ‘Present Spike’ was now paying for).

Now Twilight could only pray that ‘Present Spike’ was keeping hidden upstairs, and that ‘Now Or The Near Future Spike’ had the sense to put out an SOS to Canterlot, while she made a show of going along with Lyra and the human’s demands...

The human suddenly made a movement, reaching out with his club to gently push one of the curtains aside and peek out of the venerable old treehouse. Dimly, Twilight could hear the sound of familiar voices and hooves trotting past. Trying to see who he was spying on, she got a decent view of his ‘club’, and shivered slightly in disgust when she realised that it was in fact the limb of a dead Timberwolf.

It made her worry as to what he was carrying around in the sling that hung from one of his shoulders.

“The Whooves family...” she heard him grunt in surprise, before he lowered the curtain back into its normal place. Then he turned to them and made a curious observation: “Dinky’s missing her cutie mark.”

“What in the hay!” exclaimed Applejack. “Derpy and Time Turner’s lil’ filly, that Dinky? She ain’t missin’ a cutie-mark, she simply ain’t found her special talent yet!”

“Her special talent is empathic perception” he replied bluntly. “Her cutie-mark is five golden sparkles, one for herself, each member of her family and her coltfriend.”

“My good sir, kindly keep your perversions at bay!” Rarity said haughtily. “A young filly is hardly of an age to be seeing boys!”

“When a colt and a filly help one another through a warzone and back to their families, I consider it perfectly acceptable for them to forge a relationship,” he replied coldly. “Dinky and Pip have been dating for over a year.”

Cautiously he drew the curtain aside again, watching the lavender filly happily bouncing around her mother, step-father and adoptive sister, Sparkler. “We had a cutecenera for her in New York nine months ago...or we will do – this Dinky looks younger, and Sparkler’s not had her ear pierced yet.”

He turned slowly towards the gathered ponies and glowered deeply. “...did I go back in time? Is this Equestria before contact was made with Earth?”

After a long moment he seemed to realise the foolishness of his question and coughed deeply. “Forget I said anything...”

Twilight nervously shifted to grab a hold of one library book with her teeth: when she had first tried to retrieve one with her magic he had threatened to rip off her horn. The most horrible thing was, she felt he meant it. The weight of his gaze was heavy on her, promising judgement and condemnation for crimes allegedly committed. Turning towards her slightly she once again shuddered at the cold depths of his eyes. If she could compare Fluttershy's Stare to the human’s, there would be no contest. Fluttershy's gaze overwhelmed and cowed, stripping away lies and excuses and forcing the offender to feel her sheer outrage at their actions.

On the other hoof, the Human's Stare promised only pain and suffering. Lot and lots of pain and suffering. And Twilight knew that he could break her and her friends with just a bit of effort. She doubted she could get away with throwing him through a wall twice. It was amazing that he had been able to get back up after that, let alone attempt to take his own life, and then fight and struggle through all the hospital’s attempts at magical sedation. Any other creature should have been barely able to walk, let alone fight, not after that amount of punishment.

And still the mystery of his origin presented itself. That he knew them, in some manner, was impossible to deny. His reaction to Dinky and the Whooves was also one of concerned familiarity, unless it was all part of a superb act.

‘Is he right? – has he come back in time, from a point after some terrible catastrophe hurled his world and ours together...’ she pondered as she retrieved the last reference book. Her own experiences with time-travel had led her to not discount the possibility, but the implications were catastrophic, to say the least.

“Here”, she announced, transferring the book in her mouth to the small stack on the table. “Everything I have on humans is contained in these volumes.”

It was an eclectic collection, to say the least, ranging from renowned texts like ‘Unmagical Beasts and Where to Find Them’ and several anthologies of ‘The Royal Canterlot Archaeological Society Gazette’, to far-side quackery like ‘Ponyland: Fact or Fable?’ and ‘The Dream Valley Conspiracy: What They’ll Never Tell Us’. From the date stamps inside, Twilight had seen that all of them had at some point been loaned out by Lyra, and now the mint-green unicorn fell on them like old friends.

“Oh!” she said excitedly, flicking through the pages. “The Archaeological Society thought Doctor Waggoner had gone off the deep-end, but he was right! And all these years, I knew that someday I would prove him right!”

Twilight glanced over her shoulder, and saw that the human was not approaching, instead remaining in a position where he could see all of them at once. Gauging his reaction, she slowly stepped closer to Lyra. He growled slightly in warning, but made no effort to approach them.

“Lyra...are you alright?” she asked. “Did he hurt you?”

“No...he just...just told me a lot of things.” Lyra stated as she searched through the books.

“How did you even find him? And where is the pony he foalnapped yesterday?” Twilight hissed, her eyes narrowed on the bipedal interloper.

“Foalnapped?” Lyra asked in confusion, before a look of understanding crossed her face and she beamed. “Oh...yeah, that was me!”

“What?!” Twilight replied. “You were the doctor from Canterlot!?”

“He he...” Lyra said, bashfully scratching the back of her head. “Er...surprise?”

“Lyra...” Twilight sighed, one frustrated hoof pawing her own forehead.

“Look, I'm sorry, okay?” Lyra sniped back. “I come back from visiting my parents in Manehattan, and what’s everyone in town talking about the second I get off the train? Only that Twilight Sparkle & Company picked a fight with a dangerous creature that called itself a human! So I...”

She trailed off, hooves clopping together nervously.

“...I kinda hid outside the library and eavesdropped on your conversation. Very sorry! Hugs and kisses make better?”

“I...I just...argh!” Twilight exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to bop Lyra on the snout like she often had back in school.

This time the human acted, crossing the room in two strides and hefting Twilight up by the tail so that she dangled from his hand like a mad piñata.

“Do, not, touch, her...” he said gravely, voice growling and rumbling like an avalanche in birth.

“Lyra, this guy is dangerous!” Twilight shrieked, even as she hung upside-down from his powerful grip.

“Only to my enemies,” the human muttered, before looking towards Lyra with a strange expression on his face, uncertainty laced with disquiet. Lyra nodded, her eyes beseeching, and slowly the human lowered Twilight back onto her hooves.

“Fine” he grunted. “I'll play nice. But only because Lyra convinced me you six are possibly not the monsters I know. At least, not yet...but make no mistake, I am watching you, Sparkle.”

Twilight’s friends, who had all jumped to their hooves when he made his move, now slowly settled back into various seating positions. The tension in the room deflated with an almost audible sigh, but still it lingered in the background. Like the human’s stare, it was laced with threat.

The scholarly unicorn was now pleading with the universe that reinforcements would soon arrive from Canterlot. ‘Please please please Spike, please have called for help!’

“Right...” Lyra said, making placating gestures with one foreleg. “We’ll all nice, everypony, and every...human. Hrm...is ‘everyhuman’ the right word?”

“Everyone.”

“Right, everyone. Now, if we could all, nice and easy, gather around the table, and then we’ll have a friendly little chat...”

“Lyra...” Rainbow Dash snorted. “We’re not in some Mobpony Movie, so stop talking as if we’re about to get pie-bombed.”

“Yes darling...” Rarity put in. “This is our home, not the Blizzard Conference...”

“Princess Platinium!” the human exclaimed. “That’s it, I knew you reminded me of someone from Lyra’s pony history lessons! Both of you are stuck-up bitches!”

Rarity might have lashed back in outrage if Lyra had not made a pleading expression, and with a little more cajoling, the seven mares and one human gathered around the table.

“This...” Lyra began, smugly holding up one book so they could see the image of an elder unicorn stallion printed inside. “Was Doctor Howie Waggoner, the pony who led the KV62 Party to a distant corner of the Griffin Kingdoms, a place called ‘Dream Valley’.”

“A party!” Pinkie exclaimed, only for Applejack to cut her off by clamping the party pony’s mouth shut with both hooves.

“She means an’ ecsphedision, Pinkie, not candy and games.”

“Right” Lyra continued. “Based on stories passed around by Griffin traders, they were searching for evidence of possible pony habitation, from tribes who might have fled Equestria during the Discordian era...”

“Lyra...please don’t go down this path again...” Twilight groaned. “Doctor Waggoner was unfairly maligned by his peers, but there’s never been any evidence to lend credence to his theories. I mean it’s not like magical trans-dimensional portals...pop into existence...every...single...day. Oh.”

She trailed off, slowly looking towards her unusual ‘houseguest’, before turning her attention back to Lyra, affected cheer dripping from her words. “Right, please continue Lyra, full steam ahead!”

The anthropologist’s grin grew even wider, and she did a little victory dance as she began to hold up more and more exhibits cribbed from the various texts. “Waggoner’s digs in Dream Valley unearthed signs that yes, at some point ponies had indeed inhabited the site, before they were forced to leave by what is believed to be an eruption of a nearby volcano, what the Griffins called ‘Mount Gloom’. Buried beneath layers of ossified mud floes, the expedition found an empty but perfectly preserved pony castle, with most of its contents protected by the smoozy goop that had covered it. The best part however, was that many of those ponies had kept records...”

She leaned forward, trying to adopt a spooky tone of voice. “...records that spoke of ‘humans’, powerful friends and allies from a distant land, a land ‘beyond the Rainbow Bridge’...”

She closed the book with a snap. “Now tell me Twilight, if that does not sound like a metaphorical description of a portal!”

“Yes Lyra...” Twilight sighed, looking about as gleeful as if she was about to receive one of Colgate’s root canals. “But Doctor Waggoner claimed his ‘evidence’ was lost at sea en-route home to Equestria. All he had to prove his alleged ‘findings’ were his own words!”

“But look at us Twilight!” Lyra exclaimed. “There’s a human standing right next to you – one who must have come from the same place, somewhere beyond the rainbow!”

“Way up high...” the human added in a deadpan tone. “In a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby...”

The librarian’s face scrunched up, and then Lyra cocked her head, smiling winsomely.

“Look, Twi. Do you have a map or globe of the world?”

“Huh?” Twilight was confused by her question, before turning back to the human and a look of understanding appeared on her face. “Oh, it’s just over there...”

“Uh uh.” the human pointed his stick at Twilight, shaking his head at her. “A globe’s too big for one pony to carry, and I’m not having you using magic, Sparkle. Let Lyra grab it.”

Twilight huffed again, but directed Lyra towards the appropriate door. A few seconds later, Lyra pulled out a globe of Equus, and placed it in front of the human. He scowled darkly and gave it a quick turn before, turning back to Twilight.

“It’s all wrong...” he started to say, before Lyra cut him off:

“Twilight, is this an up to date globe?”

“Of course it is,” Twilight responded, an insulted note creeping into her voice at the accusation that she would allow substandard research materials into her home.

“Right...” Lyra turned back to the human, and gave him a long, hard look. “Show her your cutie mark.”

Eyes narrowed in suspiscion, the human complied, hitching up his tattered poncho to reveal one of his upper forelegs...arms, Twilight corrected herself. Anatomic accuracy went out of her mind though when she caught a glimpse of the complex image emblazoned on his strangely hairless skin.

‘How...’ she wondered, glancing back at her own flank, and at how her cutie mark was indelibly marked in her fur. ‘Is it some magical change in his skin pigmentation?’

“It’s not a cutie mark,” he grunted abruptly, his eyes flickering sternly towards Lyra. “S’ a tattoo...”

Twilight momentarily recoiled, realising he was describing a form of self-mutilation, the barbaric practice of injecting foreign dyes into the skin, but to her surprise she heard Rarity make a sound of understanding.

“Ah, like the zebras practise, Zecora told me all about it...oh settle down Twilight, dear, it’s just a custom among his people, I’m sure.”

“Okay then...” Twilight replied, making a mental note at how the human’s face had flashed in recognition when Rarity had invoked the name of Ponyville’s resident shaman herbalist. Then she slowly trotted forward at Lyra’s prompting, keeping her eyes carefully fixed on the human as she approached him. He gave a single, heavy nod of permission, and the bookish unicorn carefully leaned in to examine the half-hemisphere emblazoned on his shoulder.

As she examined the strange pair of continents, turning her head from side to side in an attempt to reconcile it with any part of the geography of Equus, she heard Applejack speak up.

“Alrigh’ ten bucko. If that ain’t yer cutie mark, then wher’ is it, or are you like em’ poor mules and donkeys, wit’ no magic to speak of?”

Twilight heard the human make a braying snort which she realised was some sort of broken laugh, and cautiously backpedalled as he answered Applejack.

“No magic on Earth; just fairy-tale stories, until Equestria manifested...”

‘Manifested?’ Twilight shook her head in confusion, before turning back towards the minty unicorn who was somehow at the heart of all this.

“Well Twilight?” Lyra asked, expression serious. “That there on his arm is a map of part of his world. Does it in any way match with ours?”

“No...” Twilight answered at length, and she saw Lyra direct her gaze at the human, as if trying to convey some kind of point. Beseechingly, Twilight extended a hoof towards her former classmate, desperate for answers, or at least a context.

“Lyra, what’s happening here? Please, what’s going on?”

The other unicorn simply inclined her head thoughtfully, and in her golden eyes Twilight suddenly felt a little spark of Princess Celestia, coaxing her towards finding the answer to a difficult problem on her own.

“Twilight, how much magic will it take to displace a being or object to another location, trans-dimensionally?” Lyra asked rhetorically.

“Lyra, you know about this...” Twilight began, only to trail off when she saw Lyra's jab her snout pointedly towards the human. Case in point.

“Alright then...” she sighed and slowly massaged her forehead, particularly the sensitive sinuses and nerve clusters around the base of her horn, trying to recall what she had felt yesterday when their guest had arrived in Ponyville. “A lot – I mean a crazy lot. Transmat spells require gigathaums of magic potenia, focused and directed with extreme precision. Put simply, you take a basic teleportation spell (which, I might add, not a lot of unicorns can cast anyway) and then invert it, trying to create a junction between two places so that mass can be shunted between them. But what you’re suggesting is...look, a transmat spell is unstable enough as it is, but to pierce the dimensional veils would require a massive amount of arcane energy to stabilise the wormhole’s boundary radius, otherwise the event horizon would just collapse in a burst of Squawking radiation. This is the kind of magic that is beyond the practical, or the theoretical...”

“Alright, so that’s the initial connection” Lyra interrupted. “Massive power. And what then? Would there be a limit on what you could send through that portal?”

Despite the growing headache Twilight decided to let Lyra continue leading with questions. “Yes, that would have an effect. It would be dependent on the volume, mass, and number of objects being teleported. And then there are distance factors, once you account for relative dimensions in time and space...”

“How much to move a single house?” Lyra asked, and Twilight balked, giving out a short croak of laughter.

“Don’t you remember Hearts and Hooves Day!? When Big Mac dragged Berry Punch’s house off its foundations and all the way to Rarity’s boutique!? It took the magic of every unicorn in Ponyville, including yourself I might add, just to teleport it five hundred yards back to where it should have been!”

“Ah...yeah, point taken...” Lyra blushed. In the corner of her eye Twilight could see Rarity wincing, and she felt herself reciprocate the motion. Having acted as the nexus for the spell to relocate Berry’s house, guiding and shaping the raw magic supplied by Rarity, Lyra, Colgate and all the others, she had been bed-ridden for a week afterwards from magical over-exertion. The other unicorns had not fared so well either.

“At the level you’re describing, Lyra, it depends on whether the unicorn wants to be alive or not after they try to force it.” Twilight said at last “I could do it, possibly. But it would damage me, badly. I’d spend months recovering, assuming I didn’t shear my horn off, mummify my magical tissues, or give myself an aneurism in the process.”

All the other ponies, and the human, were now paying rapt attention, sensing that this conversation was nearing its peak. Lyra slowly trotted in place, a nervous tick Twilight had seen before, swallowed, and then raised her head.

“So, if that’s just one house, then how about all of Equestria, all the way to our borders, and the ground beneath our hooves.”

Twilight stared at Lyra, mouth hanging open, and then she felt her expression harden.

“No...that’s just not possible. Not even Celestia could bend reality like that.”

“But...” Lyra began, only for the now severely frustrated Twilight to cut her off, storming along in a full rant.

“Is that what you’re saying? That somepony popped Equestria out of our reality and crashed it onto his? How’s that even meant to work? Several trillion tons of continent does not make a gentle impact on another world, not without mega-tsunamis and earthquakes that would level entire cities, followed by a dust cloud that would blanket the world in an artificial winter lasting decades! And what about the world we leave behind, what about Equus? Would it just carry on spinning without a care, despite having a hole several-thousand-miles-across gouged out of the planet’s crust? Even if you didn’t breach the mantle, creating a supervolcano that would pull the planet inside-out, the change in mass and absence of the Princesses would throw the sun and moon out of their orbits, causing them to collide, or even worse, to impact with Equus itself!  Anypony – anything, left behind would die, horribly! Every griffon, every dragon, zebra, reindeer, whatever!”

Everyone just stared as Twilight continued to vent, now pacing in a tight circle.

“And even if you could safely do something like that, without killing every being and creature at both ends of the exchange, what then? What about the social factors, the political, the economic! There’d be a revolt, an uprising, collapse of society even, especially if, and this is a very big if, it was revealed that the Princess had something to do with this, and don’t try to tell me that you’re not accusing her of this, because I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES!”

Chest heaving, eyes huge and glaring, Twilight suddenly fell backwards and landed on her haunches with an exhausted sigh. The shocked silence was broken only when she curled up into a small, fuzzy ball and began to weep softly.

“But why...none of this happened, or has yet to happen, I don’t know which. But why, why, why would anypony do something like that?”

Even as her friends moved to comfort her with soft nuzzles and embraces, Twilight stared up at the two figures standing across the room, silently begging them for answers; a small unicorn staring self-consciously at her hooves, and a huge, imposing figure who somehow, now, seemed a little ashamed at having made her cry, and not a little surprised to see how tenderly the six ponies were embracing one another.

Then, something changed in his face. The brief flash of compassion, perhaps even a tender appreciation of friendship in its most primal, nurturing state, suddenly collapsed under a storm of rage, and he swung his arm in an arc and punched the wall.

“WHO ARE YOU PONIES!” he roared, and even Lyra took a step back. From across the room, despite their injuries, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and surprisingly enough, Fluttershy, moved to put themselves between him and their friends.

“We’re the Elements of Harmony, buck...” the farm pony said resolutely. “We take care of one another...”

“No!” he responded, a righteous fury seizing him. “You’re meant to be monsters, lording your supposed ‘harmony’ over us like a mandate for our destruction. Argh!”

The fight seemed to purge from his system as quickly as it came, and he raised a hand in a gesture of ‘wait’, which the other pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Right, just...keep away. You’re NOT the ponies I know, knew, you to be but...stay back. You have no idea what kind of shit I’ve been through since Equestria first made contact.”

He turned and peered towards the fireplace, seeming to find a moment of peace in the dancing flames.

“The last time we all met, we were at war. Applejack pinned me down so that Twilight could administer the potion, promising to make me ‘perfect’...a perfect pony...”

“Ponies ain’t perfect, bub!” Applejack snorted grimly. “Anyone tells you otherwise don’t know their flank from their face...”

“A-hum...” Fluttershy nodded. “Ponies can be mean, and cruel...but also kind...”

“Yeah!” added Rainbow Dash, proudly thrusting her chest out. “Look at me. I mean, I am kinda awesome but well, I can be a jerk some of the time...a lot of the time...”

Her ears fell flat at the self admission, only to perk up when Rarity stepped up and gave the cyan Pegasus a friendly nuzzle.

The human watched them both, a wan smile playing on his lips.

“I never thought I’d see the day...ponies used to seem like the biggest hypocrites to have ever lived, going on about harmony, friendship, love and tolerance while they did...all that...”

He shook his head, expression darkening as he turned back to deep contemplations in the fire.

“Potion...” someone said, and the circle of friends opened up slightly so that Twilight could rise unsteadily to her feet. “You mentioned it in the hospital, and again just now. Ponification Potion. What is it?”

“Exactly what it says on the can” he murmured absently, continuing to gaze at the writhing fireplace. “Rewrites a person into a pony...changes their body, their mind, binds their soul in chains...”

He leaned forward to rest his forehead against the chimney. “...takes them away from you.”

As he stood there his shoulders suddenly twitched, and he made a low whimpering sound, gritting his teeth like an animal in pain. Then the ponies saw a thin line trace itself down his cheek, glowing gold in the firelight.

He was crying.

“...I...” Twilight said, moving to try and comfort him, even as her mind tried to twist itself around what he was saying, but Applejack raised a foreleg to block her path, allowing Lyra to instead come up to the huge, bear-like biped. Carefully, the unicorn reared back on her hindlegs and leaned against him, embracing him in a hug. Even teetering on her hooves as she was, she barely came up to his chest, but after a moment, he brought up his hand and slowly began to tousle her shaggy mane.

“...the Princess, did that?” Twilight said at last, hating to break the moment. “She, tried to make you into ponies?”

“Tried, and succeeded” he said at last. “I think something between one third and half of the planet’s population has either ‘gone pony’ or died, by now. Several billion lives, either snuffed out or disfigured into something else.”

“I...I don’t understand...” someone said, their voice low and saddened. The ponies turned and realised, to their surprise, that it was Pinkie. “Why wouldn’t ponies and...people, want to be friends. If there was a potion to become a pony, then there must be an antidote that could make a pony into a human – that would be so much fun, to transform and change shape like that.”

Her mane, hanging limply around her, seemed to regain a little vibrancy for a second. “The parties would be amazing! I’d love to be a griffin for a little while, or to have fingers like yours.”

Lyra, still buried in the human’s embrace, gave a little laugh that went all but unnoticed.

“There are spells that allow for temporary transformation...” Twilight said slowly. “Remember when I gave Rarity wings, or allowed the rest of us to walk on clouds? But they’re never meant to last. All of them use Starswirl the Bearded’s Amiomorphic Spell as a base, and he himself said that...”

“That true transformation, permanent metamorphosis, would require the ensorcelling of the subject’s soul...” the human said dully. “Like I said, putting the victims of the potion in spiritual chains...”

“But why would Celestia do such a thing” Twilight all but wailed. “Changing ponies...sorry, people to another form is against everything she ever taught me. Friendship, Magic, Harmony. Equestria itself, since the day of its founding, has always been about working together in spite of our differences, not trying to make everyone the same! That’s not Harmony, that’s Hegemony!”

“It was an accident...” the human said slowly. “Our worlds making contact was not intended, or at least, that’s what we think.”

Six sets of eyes slowly traveled towards him, and he swallowed, before straightening up, allowing Lyra to drop back down onto all four hooves.

“There is...was, a place on Earth, my world, called CERN, where they did advanced, experimental science, trying to understand the mysteries of life...the first principles of the universe. Bits of matter would be collided into one another at high speed in their laboratories, and they would study what was left afterwards...”

Twilight nodded softly, eyes now aglow with familiar curiosity. Even when broken down, her inquisitive intelligence shone through.

“Bashing rocks together to make a spark...” she said softly. “Like when our ancestors first discovered fire...”

He nodded, the two of them seemingly finding a common cultural touchstone, before continuing. “One day, I don’t remember the date, something happened. CERN was on the other side of the world from my own homeland, but the news spread fast. Somehow, during an attempt to track and identify tachyon particles, they breached the fabric of reality...”

The human paused, remembering something deeply personal. “I can remember the first photographs released of it...the portal. It was pink, and ‘self-sustaining’, that was the words they used to describe it – even after they cut the power to the experiment, it remained open. Any attempts to send a probe or camera through failed, the materials simply disintegrated. One scientist attempted to put his hand through, and lost his arm for it...then, about two days after the initial event, with the entire world watching, ‘she’ came through...”

The weight in his words left no doubt as to who he meant.

“She said that only ponies could pass through the portal’s barrier – through the ‘door’, as it were. That creatures without magic, like humans, could not survive in Equestria. Ponification Potion, and the Conversion Bureaus that administered it, were at first presented as a diplomatic measure, a necessary means for dignitaries and potential immigrants to enter into Equestria.”

He rubbed at his face, fingers leaving deep tracks in the ash and filth worked into his sweat.

“Then, about a month after the Bureaus opened, the portal’s event horizon began to expand, swallowing CERN, then the nation of Switzerland, and so on...” he looked towards Twilight. “Equestria never collided with Earth, or physically made contact. The two realities are still separated, but Earth is being terraformed, transformed into...‘another’ Equus, one with a magical climate and ecosystem, and the nature of the barrier means that nothing man-made survives the transition. From what other ponies in Lyra’s PHL told us, inside the barrier newfoals and Equestrian natives are colonizing the lands Celestia has claimed, moving back and forth between the two worlds through portal stations.”

Bitterly he glared down at them, and even with her friends around her, Twilight suddenly felt afraid. Not of the human, as such, but from the blazing sincerity in his eyes. Impossible as it seemed, what he was describing felt truthful.

Which meant that somewhere, deep down inside of herself, she had the capacity to be the murdering monster he described her, the ‘other’ her, to be. That terrified her, but not so much as the fear of what that could mean for everypony she knew and loved. He friends, her family, even her beloved teacher...

“For a while” the human continued, “we simply thought that Celestia had panicked, that she was trying to protect her subjects from a potentially dangerous race...”

“No...” Twilight whimpered, putting her hooves over her ears. “I don’t want to hear this!”

“But if that was the case, diplomacy would surely have made her see reason, that we wanted co-existence on mutually agreeable terms...”

“Please, stop...” she all but begged, tears now welling from her eyes. Not the Princess, not Celestia, the pony who she all but thought of as family, a second mother...

“But when Lyra showed us the truth, that Celestia was building an Equestrian Empire, we realised that she was just the latest in a long line of despots and dictators, a mad god trampling down on everyone and everpony.”

“STOP!” Twilight screamed in anguish, at the same time as the library door was blown in from the outside. The human spun on his heel, face contorting into a hideous snarl at the regal figure standing in the doorway.

“Step, away, from my subjects!” Princess Celestia hissed, her barrel and chest clad in shining golden armour. The Solar Alicorn’s head was bowed slightly, so that her horn was directed straight at the human’s chest, while her wings were spread in a show of dominance.  Quickly, her eyes darted between the sobbing Twilight and the huge figure standing dark against the fireplace, and then the rosy orbs narrowed into diamond-hard slits, hinting at the warrior-queen who had led Equestria to victory innumerable times in centuries past. “I won’t ask a second time.”

“Oh, this is bad! Very bad!” Lyra muttered, seeing the human slowly straighten into an erect posture, arms handing loosely at his side but gripping tightly to his improvised club. “Not good at all!”

With a sudden crack of midnight energy, a second Alicorn teleported into the room, positioning herself in a defensive position between the human and the ponies. Luna, Regent of the Moon, her starfield mane crackling with controlled rage and body clad in gunmetal war-barding, was every inch as imposing a sight as her sister, perhaps even moreso from the calmly measured look of battle-readiness on her face. It was a reminder that it was not a single Princess that ended the Discordian era, but two, united.

“My little ponies” she said over her shoulder, voice dark and deep as a forest pond at night. “You must escape while you can. My sister and I shall protect you...”

Even the sight of Spike seated on Luna’s back was not enough to rob the moment of its sheer majesty and terror. He had clearly not only sent a message for help, but had convinced the princesses themselves to lead the charge.

“Twilight, let’s go!” he shouted, jumping off his royal steed and wrapping his stubby arms around his adoptive big sister. “The whole Royal Guard will be here soon!”

“C’mon ladies...” Applejack said sternly, backing away and trying to herd her friends around the perimeter of the room. “You heard the Princesses, things are bout’ to get ugly in here.”

“No” Lyra said suddenly. Head held high and proud, the small unicorn rushed with a surprising burst of speed into the center of the room, positioning herself in the very centre of the impending cross-fire.

“Highnesses!” she called, sweat beading on her brow. “This creature is not the enemy!”

“He is dangerous, Madam Heartstrings” Luna interrupted. “Not of this world, not of our kith or kin. His very essence breathes the stench of Discord...”

“Leave the way you came, trespasser” Celestia intoned in turn. “Or we shall forcibly return you there.”

“Please!” Lyra begged, teetering on her hindlegs and spreading her forehooves out as if in an attempt to keep the three apart. “He didn’t come by choice; somepony sent him here!”

“Oh?” Luna replied, eyes still narrowed with suspicion. “And what force, pray tell, could pluck the strings of reality with such skill? Transit between worlds was an arcane myth when our royal self was sealed away a millennium ago, and I have seen little evidence that it has become commonplace in the interim.”

“Ponies!” Lyra shouted, on the verge of panic. “Ponies did it! His world is being invaded by another Equestria, a fallen Equestria, and an attempt to teleport him into captivity went wrong. I said that he’s not the enemy, and that’s because we are!”

Both of Equestria’s rulers took a startled step back, though neither for a moment relaxed their posture, limbs tense and magical reserves coiled, ready to strike.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Luna suddenly exclaimed, as the unicorn in question suddenly leapt to Lyra’s side, tear-streaked face set with a sudden resolve. Even the human seemed surprised, especially when Twilight put her back to him, hiked her legs and lowered her horn straight back at her teacher, mentor, friend and ruler.

“Twilight!” Celestia said in shock, voice cracking momentarily. “I don’t know what’s happened here, but you need to get to safety, right now.”

“No Princess...” Twilight’s tiny chest heaved and her throat was dry, even as she willed herself to speak. “You need to hear what he has to say, because I think he’s telling the truth. I’ve gone over every possibility in my mind, and what everything is telling me is that he’s right!”

“This is madness you speak, Twilight Sparkle” Luna decried, though her eyes were soft with concern. “Step aside now and we shall have time to discuss your concerns once we have dealt with this invader...”

“We’re the invaders!” Twilight yelled back. “Not him! Somewhere, somewhen, another Equestria touched with his world, and from that jumping-off point we ponies devolved into monsters worse than any of our tribal ancestors. But when someone attempted to teleport him in the future, he ended up here! He’s a sign of what we could become if we make the same mistakes!”

Her words trailed away into the ominous hum of the two Royal Pony Sisters’ magic. Then, the sound of laughter filled the room, as the human’s shoulders slowly heaved in large, broken chuckles.

“Too long, didn’t read...” he said, fighting to get the words out between his deranged laughs. “Going by what I’ve seen and felt, I was simply knocked back in time. So that would make this the past, the prelude to the Conversion Bureaus!”

“No!” Twilight tried to say. “That’s not what I said...”

“I DON’T CARE!” he barked, before slowly pushing forward, forcing himself between Twilight and Lyra with surprising gentleness, but expression still steely as he faced Celestia. “From what I’ve seen since I got here, I’ve got no quarrel with you, much as it pains me to say, Twilight Sparkle. But YOU, Celestia, I’ve got plenty of beef with!”

The Solar Alicorn’s hoof, shod in a razor-edged battle shoe, pawed once at the ground. The human slowly drew his club and presented it like a sword.

“Celestia, Binarch of Equestria and Regent of the Sun. I am Marcus Renee, formerly of the United States Marine Corps, now acting Co-Commander of the United Nations/Ponies for Human Life Joint Task Force. Though you are not yet the Solar Tyrant you are destined to become, I speak now for the billions of lives you shall shortly hurl into the abyss of history, and bequest a single boon of you.”

“Very well...” Celestia said guardedly. “Speak it, Marcus Renee.”

“Kindly DIE!” the human, Marcus, spat, before hurling himself forward with a bellowing war-cry, swinging the club in an arc that would surely connect with Celestia’s head.

“Princess!” Twilight shrieked, before Celestia abruptly ducked her head beneath the club. ‘Marcus’, expecting an impact to cushion his swing, was pulled off balance by his own momentum and forced to shift his weight, giving the Princess enough time to snap open one wing under his chin, primary feathers coiled in a bludgeoning punch. Features contorted into an expression of divine rage that Twilight had never seen before, and never wished to see again, Celestia then hurled herself forward, forehooves raised in an attempt to pin the attacker down.

They never connected with their targets. Instead the human crossed his arms in front of his face and the air flashed with a sudden release of magical energy.

Time froze for a moment, then Twilight regained her senses, shaking off the sudden disorientation, and saw that Celestia’s strike had been blocked by a shimmering field of protective magic.

“What the!” she heard Pinkie exclaim. “He has magic!? How can he have magic!? Hax, I’M CALLING HAX!”

Hax or not, it was unexpected. Twilight could see energy shimmering on the human’s skin in arcane patterns, as if it had been etched into his flesh.

‘Like a magic tattoo’ she realised, suddenly feeling sick.

“Runic Magic!?” Celestia exclaimed in disbelief, and the human’s grin grew wider, secure behind his shield.

“You can thank Sparkler and Zecora for that! How’s that for the magic of true friendship! Didn’t have the strength left to use this when I first arrived. Good thing too, or I’d have probably made mush out of a bunch of innocents. But I doubt you’ve ever been an innocent Celestia, past, present, or quasi-trans-dimensional-demi-goddess-future-tense. Now please, as I said before, die with dignity, and spare both our worlds your madness!”

More glyphs flared into life across his skin as the shield collapsed, and with a titanic surge of strength he threw himself up off the floor and onto Celestia, forcing the huge Alicorn to the ground, where he began to pound into her face with the same primal fury Twilight had witnessed only yesterday.

But this time, his blows were strengthened with thaumic power, perversely drawing on Equestria’s own ambient magics as he attempted to break Celestia.

Twilight, mind a shattered mess of jumbled thoughts, could only sit slumped in horror, before she was suddenly bowled over by the blurred form of Princess Luna rushing to her sister’s aid.

“THOU SHALL NOT PREVAIL, ABASED CUR!”

Before the human who called himself ‘Marcus’ could throw up another shield, the dusky blue mare collided forcibly into him, bowling him over and launching into her own vicious series of jabs and pounding downthrusts in an apparent attempt to stick him like vegetables on a kebab skewer.

“Twilight!” Celestia yelled, even as she staggered to her knees and readied herself to return to the fray. “Please, I’m begging you, get away, get yourself and your friends to safety!”

Her words were dull, ringing soundlessly in Twilight’s ears as everything played out in front of her. Celestia’s shimmering mane was streaked with dust, and velvety blood dribbled from her lips with each word. Within moments the wounds began to heal, driven by her semi-divine nature, but the look of fearful desperation in Celestia’s eyes pierced Twilight to the core worse than any wound.

Suddenly, the Princess looked frightened, and ready to lash out.

“Twi, yer’ heard her there, we’ve gotta get out NOW!” Applejack insisted, using a not-so-gentle headbut to Twilight’s flank to shake the unicorn back to reality. The rest of her friends were gathered around the door, ready to flee but unwilling to leave without her, and all strangely captivated by the ferocious death match being played out before them.

With a screeching, animalistic whinny, Luna suddenly reared up, legs flailing and eyes blazing with magic.

“I WILL NOT FAIL MY SUBJECTS AGAIN!” she roared, the Royal Canterlot Voice in full effect, but the words strangely flanged, twisting towards the doom-laden cadence of Nightmare Moon. “YOU SHALL NOT STAND AGAINST THEM, OR US!”

Powerful forelegs lashed out and struck the human in the chest, a blow that should have reduced him to so much strawberry jam. Instead, his entire body lit up with blazing glyphs, shielding him so that Luna’s blow simply slammed him back through several free-standing bookcases and into a wall.

Kill, Twilight realised. Luna had struck to kill.

“It’s happening...” she heard someone say, the words ringing clear as a bell through all the madness. “We’re slipping down the same slope as...as the other Equestria did.”

Twilight turned to see Lyra, sitting morosely in a similar position to herself, just a few feet away. Fluttershy had stepped up and laid a comforting hoof on her back, but the green unicorn seemed inconsolable.

“Is it true Twilight. Did his coming back in time simply set us all up to fall? Is this how we start down the road to...to Conversion Bureaus and an Equestrian Empire?”

“Twi! Move! Now, or I’m gonna lasso you and drag you outa here!” Applejack demanded.

“No!” Twilight said, suddenly rising to her feet, not quite sure whether her answer was meant for Lyra, Applejack, or both of them.

She shook her head, and suddenly found focus. “This is wrong, this isn’t pre-destination at work, just something getting out of hand.”

“Getting out of hand Twilight?” Rarity exclaimed, aghast. “They’re practically tearing the library apart!”

“That’s what I mean!” Twilight replied. “This is like three foals squabbling, just much larger. He’s not strong enough to hurt the Princesses, and they’re not going to do anything so powerful as to damage us or Ponyville, which means that THIS FIGHT IS ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS!”

Those last words were delivered in a reasonable facsimile of the Royal Canterlot Voice, a trick she had picked up from Luna, and it was enough to momentarily break the three-way struggle.

“Girls...” Twilight said firmly. “Let’s go.”

Before any of the three combatants could protest, Twilight had galloped forward and thrown herself onto Celestia’s back, where she held on tightly in a death-hug.

“Twilight, what is...” Celestia began, but before she could finish her statement Pinkie had joined her friend.

“Yeah, Princess, this is kinda not fun anymore, and you are Luna are turning into a pair of meany pants! Okay, he’s not much better, but Lyra’s going to set him right, right?”

Sure enough, Lyra had thrown herself back onto the human, pinning him down while embracing him, and one by one, the other Elements of Harmony joined the group, putting themselves right in harm’s way so as to force a stalemate.

“Set...me right?” the human growled, bloodshot eyes locking onto Lyra’s.

“Please Princess, we have to stop this...” Twilight pleaded. “If we keep this going, we’re just going to fall into the same trap as the other Equestria...”

“The...other...Equestria?” the human replied, his words coming in between heavy gasps, but hands curling into tight fists.

“That’s what she was trying to tell you earlier, idiot!” Lyra said sternly, prodding him firmly in the chest with one forehoof. “Say it again Twilight.”

“Gladly, Ms Heartstrings...” Twilight beamed, before turning serious again. “According to my own experiences and Time Turner’s Theory of Temporal Dynamics, time travel does not work the way you believed, Mr Marcus. Time is closed, a sealed loop where any attempts to change the past either fail, or cause the event-loop that led to you going back in the past in the first place. The world you described, the one that invaded your Earth, is another Equestria, one that runs parallel to our own, just a few years out of sync...”

“Time Turner...Doc Whooves?” the human murmured.

“Twilight...” Celestia began, her words lacking some of their previous conviction. “Even if what you say is true, he still attacked us without provocation.”

“And I’m not trying to make excuses for him” Twilight said firmly. “But from what he and Lyra have said, he comes from a world where we...our counterparts, have done him so much harm, that he saw this as a chance to avoid all that...”

Celestia’s face twisted in momentary confusion, until Luna abruptly spoke up.

“Perhaps she speaks wisdom, sister. After all, would that you could travel back in time and petrify Discord in his youth, before the depredations of his rule, would you not do so?”

The Solar Alicorn closed her eyes, as if waging some deep inner conflict, and then she slowly gave a nod, opening them again and bathing Twilight with a smile that was full of affection and pride.

“Well done, our Elements of Harmony, and especially you, my faithful student, and teacher...”

Twilight’s ears flattened in response, a bashful blush rising to her face, before Celestia’s expression grew cold, and hard, the expression of a mare of state ready to argue for the soul of her nation.

“Commander Marcus Renee...one of my dearest, most trusted subjects has asked me to give you the benefit of the doubt. She says you come from a world where ponies have waged brutal, deplorable war against your kind. But, before I commit to a response, I ask for proof of your accusations. What say you?”

The human did not move for a very long time, simply returning Celestia’s stare with a level gaze, as if trying to weigh her measure.

“Are you...offering us your help?” he said at last.

“That is correct,” Celestia replied. By any scale, she certainly made a proud and warlike sight in her battle regalia. “These are crimes of a nature intolerable, and neither we nor Equestria shall stand for it...”

“No,” he replied, cutting her off. “Not now, not ever...I don’t care what you say, or do, I will never believe that this isn’t simply a trick...”

“Please, believe us!” Lyra practically begged, her hooves pressed tight against his chest. “You’ve got to!”

He looked back at her, and she suddenly shivered, not seeing the warmth he had previously regarded her with, but hurt and anger.

“If what Sparkle says is a lie, then this is all a ruse, that’s the Solar Tyrant in front of me, and you’re just a mindless drone, a mockery of Lyra Heartstrings. If what she says is true, then you’re not my Lyra, the mare who died quoting the Great Dictator, spitting in Celestia’s eye!”

He reached forward as if to caress her cheek, and then suddenly threw his weight sideways, knocking her off him and onto the floor, allowing him to roll back onto his feet.

“And that means I’ve nothing to lose!” he roared, spinning around and hurling something heavy, round and wet out of the sling he wore underarm, straight at Luna. The Lunar Alicorn, momentarily shocked into inaction by the sight of a decapitated Timberwolf’s head flying straight at her, took the mass of wood and sap straight to the forehead, knocking her back in a dizzy swoon. Celestia, encumbered by Twilight’s weight on her back, was unable to do anything but rear up as the maddened being hurled himself at her, fists and forehooves locking together in a combination of pony magic and dextrous fingers, the two combatants vying to force the other down. Runes on Marcus’ arms and chest flared brightly, energy sizzling across his flesh like fat in a pan, while Celestia’s horn burned like a fiery sworn as she summoned her own strength.

“You enter our borders without invitation....” she hissed. “You kidnap my subjects, win their trust only to betray it, and turn down an offer of parley! What is wrong with you, ‘Marcus Renee’!?”

“Nothing that wasn’t your doing!” he seethed, teeth gritted. “You, or some counterpart, or future iteration! You think I enjoy this, and you know what, I do, and that sickens me! This is what you’ve reduced me too, your highness, a madman straddling the line between justice and murder! So if there’s even the slightest chance that striking you down will enable me to win this war of worlds before it even kicks off, and spare future me, or another me, and everyone else, pony and human alike, all that hurt and pain, then that’s a chance I’m going to take!”

His grin, gritty and full of teeth, had grown by now into an almost deranged rictus, and his hands, magically strengthened and reinforced, clenched around Celestia’s hooves even tighter, fingertips digging deep into her flesh.

“Your restraint is admirable,” Celestia replied, her eyes narrowed. “But I too know the secret of self control, otherwise you and everypony in this room would be reduced to nothing but ash. And the reason that I am keeping myself in check, is because I care, Marcus Renee. For my little ponies, for all life, including yourself, if you would but let me-AH!”

Her words ended in a shocked gasp as pinpricks of thick fluid suddenly rose out of where his fingers had dug like knives into the flesh above her hooves, the dripping substance coloured a deep, almost impossibly rich burgundy. The Solar Alicorn blinked in disbelief, as if the sight of her own blood was an old, almost forgotten friend. Responding to the same development, the human’s grin grew even more manic.

“Compassion is a strength, but only when you’re willing to die for the ones you love. I’m ready, Celestia. Are you?”

He twisted his arms roughly sideways, and Celestia’s ankles snapped like kindling.

After a horrified moment’s silence, the Regent of the Sun screamed, the keening wail piercing deep into the mind of everypony present. Luna, just getting back onto her feet, took it worst, clutching at her ears and howling in pained harmony, as if magically sharing in Celestia’s agony.

“That is ENOUGH!” a third voice shouted, as a almost-forgotten lavender unicorn hurled herself off Celestia’s back, a furious nexus of magic boiling at the tip of her horn as she sailed over the heads of both the human and the alicorn. As she released the spell, student and teacher looked eyes, and shared a moment of understanding.

“Well done, Twilight...”

And then both Celestia and Marcus were engulfed in a flash of indigo magic, and slumped to the floor, unconscious. Twilight hit the ground awkwardly at the same time, ending up on her side, badly winded.

“Ow-ow-ow! That’s gonna leave a bruise!”

*

Elsewhen, neverwhere, someplace far away, yet near at hand...

Marcus groaned as he staggered upright, his footsteps rattling on a metal surface. With one hand pressed against his throbbing temple, he forced his eyes open and saw that he was standing in the centre of a busy street, atop a sewer hatch. The words ‘Ville De Paris: Service Des Egouts’ were cast into the metal. Slowly he looked up.

Traffic rushed past on either side of him, cars and buses streaming by with the insanity that could only come from rush hour in Paris. He knew it well; the French capital had been his first posting when he transferred into the Marine Corps Embassy Guard, years before First Contact with Equestria. And this was the Champs Elysses, just a hundred yards over from ‘4 Avenue Gabriel’, the American Embassy. Patting himself down he realised he was in his old dress uniform; every crease of the black tunic and navy-blue pants ironed to a razor-edge, and his chin was smooth and free of stubble.

“How...” he muttered, peering along towards the Louvre. “Paris was wiped out years ago...”

Then he turned and gasped. At the far end of the street, through the open centre of the Arc D’Triomphe, he could see New York’s Freedom Tower glinting in the sun, the giant crystalline shard seeming to pierce the vault of the heavens. Spinning on his heel he could see the Statue of Liberty rising out of the centre of the River Seine, dwarfed from behind by Tokyo Tower. In the distance he could hear Big Ben striking the hour.

“So beautiful...” a hated voice gasped in wonder, just from behind his shoulder. “Is this your home city?”

“Celestia...” he hissed, slowly turning around. “None of this is real, is it? You’re raping my mind, trying to break me o...open...”

His words died in his mouth. The mare standing in front of him was without a doubt Celestia, but smaller and apparently younger, her swan-like features less pronounced and her proportions a little rounder and chubbier. Her mane, instead of flowing in a sheet of myriad colours, was instead a uniform pink waterfall that fell almost to her hooves.

“This is as real as we wish it to be,” she answered plainly. “Here, we are our truest selves.”

Then, after a long moment, the rosy-haired alicorn knelt, wings tucked in and chin almost brushing the asphalt.

“My apologies for intruding,” she said, holding the submissive pose. “No-one’s innermost space should ever be invaded like this.”

Marcus clenched a white-gloved fist, and the traffic around them immediately vanished, evaporating like apparitions at dawn’s first light.

“Get up! You’re a colossus acting meek before a insect. It’s sickening. If you’re going to split my psyche open, then at least lend me some dignity in my final moments.”

The buildings trembled, and then began to crumble. Some burst into flames, while others simply collapsed in on themselves. In a distance, a huge wall of pink energy climbed over the horizon, advancing rapidly on them.

“This is your own innerspace, Marcus Renee. Here, you are rightful Lord and Master, and I am an unwanted intruder. Magical strength counts for nothing here, in the very throne of your soul.”

“I said get up, your highness...” Marcus said in disgust. “First rule of being inside my head; no bullshitting!”

“By your command...” Celestia replied, before rising back to her own feet, looking up just in time to see the facsimile of the barrier racing towards them. She visibly shivered, ears drooping in dismay as it overtook the growing ruination, and roared past, leaving just the two of them standing in the midst of a featureless white void.

“Your pet, Sparkle, she cast a Mindshare spell, didn’t she?” Marcus said, arms folded and feet spread slightly apart. “Vinyl Scratch used them for post-mission debriefs back home. But Sparkle’s forced the two of us into a little psychic time-out, where you could force my compliance without fear of hurting any of your precious little ponies.”

“Yes to the first, and no to the second...” Celestia said at last, looking around, voice conveying more than a little shame. “You know how to shield your thoughts and feelings I see. Thank you for that; partaking of somepony else’s hopes and memories against their will is...a violation that I’ve never enjoyed.”

Her eyes met with his, conviction flashing in the air between them.

“Strike me...” she said calmly. “Beat me, bruise me, break me. Show me what has filled you with such rage, and I will carry that burden. I won’t resist, I promise. Show me proof of ‘Equestria’s’ crimes, and I promise you that the armies of Equus will soon descend upon your foes with great and wrathful justice.”

“I said cut the bullshit!” Marcus roared. “I know you Celestia, you don’t care about anything about morals or scruples, just chasing the dragon of a little ponified utopia!”

As he shouted, Celestia flinched, and with a *flash*, the Void was suddenly filled with sight and sound. Pegasai whirled and dived in the air, hurling potion-bombs down into the midst of panicked people crowded onto the pitching, tossing decks of several passenger ferries. Other flying ponies were whipping up a storm, trying to drive the fleet of evacuation ships back towards shore with driving rain and micro-hurricanes. Wind and voices screamed together as the panic rose, before several people staggered across the deck, their clothes and hair matted with viscous potion. As they screeched in fear, denial and pain, their limbs began to twist and deform, fingers fusing and joints cracking, forcing them onto all fours...

Then, everything snapped back into serene white. Marcus’s chest heaved, while Celestia, eyes dilated, staggered back several paces.

“You told the truth!” she gasped in horrified disbelief. “My little ponies, they did that!?”

“Stop playing dumb!” Marcus bellowed, taking a stride towards her.

Another *flash*, of smiling newfoals, their expressions glassy and vacant, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for Equestria’s grace.

“Please...” Celestia groaned, flopping weakly onto her side. “Share your pain!”

“Shut up!” Marcus unbuttoned his gloves and flung them down, the white garments striking the ground with a retort like thunder.

**Flash. The A.S. Great Equestrian, largest skyliner ever built, loomed over the skyline of Boston like an angel of death, disgorging chariots from which unicorn mages began to fire down bolts of lethal magic.

“Show me more!” Celestia begged, teeth gritred and tears weeping from her clenched eyes. “All of it, I can take it!”

His jacket came off, the Void roiling like an earthquake where he dropped it.

**Flash.* Marcus was lying in a mound of rubble, trying to shield a child with his body. As a pearly white unicorn wearing tinted shades and a harness-mounted mini-gun shouted for him to fall back as six familiar silhouettes trotted into view through a wall of fire.*

Celestia’s eyes flew open. “NO! I don’t want to see that!”

Marcus grabbed hold of her throat and dragged her up as she began to struggle. “STOP, MESSING!”

**Flash.* Vinyl Scratch was knocked aside by a bludgeoning wave of magic, before the same force dragged the injured child from Marcus’s arms. Six pairs of eyes and six famous cutie-marks shone in the firelight.*

“Not the Elements!” Celestia howled, limbs flailing like those of a frightened foal. “Not the girls!”

Marcus reared back, muscles straining. “WITH, MY!”

**Flash.* A horn shimmered with beautiful sparkles of indigio magic, levitating a bottle of purple goop into view and forcing it down the child’s throat. Within seconds the girl’s feebly struggling arms fell limply to the ground, sedatives entwining her nervous system even as the potion went to work. Flesh began to flow like water...*

“Not, not my Twilight...”

His fist flew forward. “HEAD!”

**Flash. Smiling victorious over her transforming prey, eyes aglow with purpose, Twilight Sparkle unstoppered a second flask of potion and pushed it towards Marcus with her magic. “Trust me, soon you’ll see everything in a new light.”

The punch connected squarely, snapping Celestia’s head to one side. Then, like two particles colliding, an explosion of light and memories erupted between the two of them, throwing the Marine and the Princess apart.

Childhood, foalhood. Clover the Clever’s nurturing smile, Megan Renee cradling a bruised boy in her arms, kissing his playground wounds better.

Adulthood. A mare grown, fearfully regarding her immortal future. A young man, head newly shaved, nervously trying to sleep on the first night of boot camp.

War, Peace. Discord’s reign blurred into the carnage of counter-insurgency warfare, Canterlot fusing with Baghdad. Then came the ponies, rising up under Celestia and Luna to cast out the Chaos God, simultaneously swooping down to subjugate Earth.

Beloved siblings fell, consumed and twisted into mockeries of themselves. Nightmare Moon’s cold laughter burst from the mouth of the pony that had been Marcus’ kid brother, now fighting for the glory of Celestia. Tears and exiles and the snapping of necks tangled up in an almighty mess.

Faster and faster, flashes of two lives, two worlds, roaring around in a cyclone of raw emotion. Faces, places, victories, losses.

And in the eye of the storm, tearing and thrashing one another, a pony and a human, an Alicorn and a Marine, fighting one another even as they shared their most intimate memories, screaming and weeping, grief and rage burning in their souls as they mercilessly beat one another in an attempt to expunge the pain they felt.

“I’M SORRY!” they screamed together, both of them ragged wrecks, exhausted but unable to stop, fuelled by the raw power of feeling coursing through them. “I’M SO SORRY!”

A final supernova, of love and hate, life and death, crammed so tightly together that they overlapped, fused and reacted in a cataclysmic swell of rainbow-tinted light.

Then darkness.

*

The two bodies were tangled together in the centre of the library. Twilight and Luna had dragged the two of them together to strengthen the spell’s connection, and now the tip of Celestia’s horn rested in the furrow between the human’s brows, looking as if she was about to confer a knighthood.

Since Twilight had cast the spell, the two of them had remained unconscious, locked so deep in the exchange of minds that they barely moved, except for the rhythm of their breathing and the flickering of their eyelids. Twilight was trying to follow the magic at work with her own thaumic sense, but the information bouncing back and forth between the two participants was moving too fast for her to process.

“How did he do it?” she suddenly heard Rainbow Dash say, and she looked across to see the Pegasus examining the human...‘Marcus’ closely, with a little touch of what seemed to be envy. “How did he use magic?”

“Runic Magicks, dear Rainbow Dash...” Luna replied solemnly. “Trust me when I say, you should not covet this gift. It is an art that draws on deep, turbulent forces, and one that in times past, before we or Equestria were born, almost led to the world’s end.”

The Lunar Alicorn closed her eyes in deep thought, and then gave an almost foolish pout and a snort. “However, we too are mystified as to how runic power was anchored to a being with no magical reserves of his own to speak of.”

That was something that had bothered Twilight too, but before she could hazard a guess, Rarity suddenly gave a prim cough and stepped forward.

“I believe I can field that question. Pinkie, hat please.”

In response, Pinkie produced from nowhere a deerstalker cap, famed accessory of the great literary detective Sherclop Pones, and handed it over without a word.

“Lovely” Rarity preened as the piece of headgear settled over her carefully coiffed locks. “Now, if you’ll recall, he did say that he owes his magical skills to Zecora and Sparkler, by which I assume he means Amethyst Star, elder daughter of the Whooves clan.”

“There’s that family’s name coming up again,” Rainbow muttered. “I swear, there’s something weird about those ponies.”

Rarity abruptly shushed Rainbow before continuing. “Now some months ago, when I noticed Sparkler had three cut gems as a cutie-mark, I assumed her special talent was jewellery and approached her with the goal of commissioning a piece to match a new ensemble. To my embarrassment however, I found Sparkler’s skill as a unicorn mage is not the crafting of gems, but the ensorcelling of them.

Twilight nodded; the enchantment of gems to act as warding talismans or magical tools was a treasured unicorn skill; Sparkler had recently opened up a small gemsmithy in Ponyville to cater to that market, and the pretty young unicorn had proved herself gifted in the art.

Her own horn lighting up, Rarity cautiously approached the human and Celestia, still engaged in their two-way mental link, and touched the tip of her horn to one of the burnt runic aftermarks on his skin. It lit up for a moment with a shimmer that Twilight recognised as Rarity’s gemstone-locating spell, and after a moment faded.

Everything suddenly fell into place in Twilight’s mind, and she felt her jaw fall open with such force that half expected to hear the trill of a cash register nearby.

“As I thought!” Rarity said in delight. “Zecora, naturally given how much she cherishes her culture, would be a skilled tattooist. All she need do is create a solution of finely ground gemstones – gemdust almost, and tattoo it into his skin in the shape of the necessary runes. Sparkler then enchants them with her gift for gemstone magecraft and viola! One magically-endowed warrior.”

The various ponies all made sounds of understanding, even Luna pursing her lips to demonstrate how impressed she was.

“My, my...” Rarity blushed. “I do seem to have a knack for this ‘deductive reasoning’ lark, don’t I?”

“Yeah...don’t oversell yourself sugacube...” Applejack said lightly, cautiously approaching the human to marvel alongside her. “Hoot golly. It musta hurt but he’s got some gumption to go through wit’ that. Worked too, guy was strong enough to beat me in a fight before, but with them there fancy letters burnin’ bright, why I reckon he could take on Big Mac in a wrassle and win’.”

“He was fast too...” Rainbow added, pausing to regard her own damaged wings. “I wonder if...”

“Don’t go there kid!” Luna said, momentarily lapsing out of her usual formal speech, before pausing , abashed. “Ahem. Yes, as I said before, runic magic is not to be toyed with, but I must confess an admiration in how a combination of unicorn and zebra skill, and this human’s will, have managed to produce a form of magic never seen or practised before...quite remarkable....”

“Yeah, real sweet!” Lyra said bitterly, and Twilight glanced sympathetically towards her old classmate, who had not stirred from the corner of the room since the end of the fight, forehooves folded sullenly.

“Oh, the poor thing’s hurting so bad...” Fluttershy said softly, drawing Twilight’s attention away from Lyra. The empathic pegasus’s face was contorted in sympathy, and seconds later panic when Pinkie perkily bound up beside her as if trying to both set her at ease and frighten her half to death.

“Aw he’ll be fine, he’s a real tough cookie that guy!”

“Um, actually, I wasn’t referring to the...ah, human,” Fluttershy said meekly, trying to cover behind her mane. “I actually, meant, ah, Princess Celestia...”

“What!?” was the collective response, and with her heart sinking Twilight turned to see Celestia’s face was indeed screwed up with pain, tears weeping from behind her tightly closed eyes.

“Oh, Sister, my sister...” Luna said, one hoof coming to her mouth in a sudden expression of horror. “What is he showing you?”

Droplets of sweat were now trickling all across the Solar Alicorn’s body, beading on her armour and war-harness. The lights seemed to dim slightly as she gritted her teeth and moaned in pain.

“No...don’t, hurt them...keep away from me...HELP!”

Celestia’s eyes suddenly flew open, the pupils collapsing into terrified pinpricks as she broke the link and staggered back, weaving about on her feet as if uncertain of where the floor was.

“Sister, pray tell us what...” Luna began, only to suddenly step backwards as Celestia made a disgusting retching sound and emptied her stomach contents all over the floor. Bits of chocolate gateau pooled around the feet of the two alicorns. Then, still groaning pitifully, Celestia sank down onto her knees, uncaring of the fact that she was sinking into a foul-smelling goop that had not long ago been a tasty piece of confectionary.

“Celestia!” Luna cried, throwing herself down beside her sibling and bringing their heads together. Celestia was sobbing, chest and voice catching in repeat bursts. “Dearest sister, what didst thou see?”

“Mon...” Celestia struggled, looking pitifully up at her younger sister in a strange reversal of past positions. “Mons...”

“Princess Celestia...” Twilight implored, and the Princess’s tear-stained eyes flickered in the purple unicorn’s direction, only to collapse into terrified pinpricks as she sighted the Elements of Harmony.

“MONSTERS!” the Solar Alicorn screamed, scrambling to her feet in a frenzied panic. Then, before anyone could act, her horn alit with brilliant light, and in a instinctive act of self-preservation, Celestia teleported away in a thunderous crack of magic.

As the smell of ozone settled over the shocked ponies, another voice spoke up, sounding strangely groggy.

“Luna...”

The night mare turned in further surprise as a hand suddenly landed on her forehead, fingers rustling through the silken strands of midnight sky that made up her mane.

Then Marcus tousled her. Still propped up against the wall, he was at just the right height to reach her, and was smiling with a strange mix of pain, affection, exhaustion and delirium.

“She loves you so much...” he smiled wearily. “But she’s so afraid of hurting your feelings again...”

He laughed, not a broken cackle but a deep, warm belly laugh.

“I’d heard from Lyra that she had a sister, but never really got to know you in person...” he said, eyes fluttering drowsily. “You’ve got...beautiful eyes. Nowhere near as pretty as my Cher’s though...”

His hand fell away from her brow and he slowly slumped sideways, a smile of contentment plastered across his face.

“...I really like your mane,” he muttered, before sleep took him. From the look on his face, it was perhaps the most restful slumber he had gotten in years.

There was a slight tapping of hooves, and then Lyra, eyes still showing her hurt but smiling bravely, trotted to his side and lay down beside him in a protective position.

“Right on!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in approval.

“Twilight Sparkle...” Luna said at last, tone firm and commanding as she crossed to the library’s front door. “I leave things here in the capable hooves of thyself and the Elements of Harmony. Guard our guest well until we return.”

“But, Princess, where are you going?”

“To find our sister. I cannot imagine what horrors she has witnessed, but I can surmise one thing...somewhere, out there in the animate vastness of worlds and possibilities, a terrible crime is being committed. My Sister spoke truly, Equestria cannot stand idle which such sins against Harmony are revealed to us...”

The Lunar Regent’s head, previously held proud and high, dipped slightly as she stood at the threshold.

“I’m sorry my little ponies, but it is my fear that we are to go to war.”

Then, with a great sweep of her wings, Luna vanished up into the peaceful skies.

Monsters

CHAPTER FOUR: MONSTERS

"Seeing my malevolent face in the mirror, my benevolent soul shrinks back"

Mason Cooley

"I wasn't prepared for this"

Twilight Sparkle

Canterlot, the Citadel of Equestria, founded upon the flank of the mighty Canterhorn. It was said that in ages past, before Discord, before even the Princesses, the Peace of the Three Tribes had been struck here, on the first ever Hearthswarming Night. Drawing on this, romanticists liked to say that there was nowhere else on the planet quite so magical.

They were right, though in a far more literal way than they might have realized. The mountain was the very heart of Equestria’s magic, a million-ton lodestone of living iron and gemstone, anchoring together the leylines that spread out across all of Equus.

And Canterlot itself  was a conduit of that magic. The city was sculpted from gleaming marble, on foundations rooted deep in the core of the mountain; like water drawn into a sponge, the magicks welled up out of the mountain, flowing through the veins of quartz and iron that were part of the capital’s fabric. The ponies living here were mostly unaware of it, even as the ever-present force weaved around them, lending them strength and health.

But the young alicorn standing on one of the palace balconies could feel it, like a tingle that suffused her from hoof to hairtip, setting feathers and fur on end.

It scared her, as much as it amazed her. Moments like this were frighteningly common nowadays, where she suddenly ‘perceived’ things with a depth of understanding that bordered on the divine. Just minutes ago she had glanced at her breakfast (a daisy muffin) and had somehow known its entire life story, from where the flowers had bloomed to which bakery had produced the confection (for the record, Sugar Cube Corner, who had a clandestine agreement to supply the palace with treats too ‘low brow’ for the distinguished chefs in the kitchens to behoove themselves to prepare).

So now, to take her mind off things, with her husband out leading a complement of the Royal Guard to Ponyville on an urgent, clandestine mission, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was attempting to fly.

“Alright…just breathe…” the Princess (though she preferred simply to be called ‘Cadence’) whispered to herself, nervously kicking off her golden regalia and ruffling her wings as the morning breeze tickled her mane. “Like Aunt Celestia said…just spread your wings, and let instinct guide you…”

The balcony projected out over the roaring waterfalls that poured down from the city terraces. If she did fall, it would take a long while to reach the bottom…

Cautiously, the last scion of the lost Crystal Empire, and presumptive Crystal Princess, trotted to the balustrade and rested her forelegs on it, hooves dangling over the yawing abyss.

Again, she tentatively fluttered her wings, pausing to glance over her shoulder at their powerful build and wide spread, before turning to gaze back over the rail at the void below. It almost seemed hungry, mouth open, ready to swallow her whole…

“You’re not some crippled little groundling anymore Cadence!” she hissed to herself. “You’re an Alicorn now, and have been for months. You belong in the sky just as much as any Pegasus! What would happen if the Crystal Empire returned right now and you couldn't even fly, let alone claim a throne and a kingdom!”

But years of life on the ground led weight to fears that she would simply fall out of the sky. Despite being of royal blood, for most of her life Cadance had simply thought of herself as a unicorn who happened to have a pair of vestigial wings. ‘Pegacorns’ were a genetic fluke that traced back hundreds of years, manifesting at random intervals like herself. Winged unicorns incapable of flight, or horned pegasai unable to cast even a basic spell.

That perception of herself changed on the last Hearths-Warming Night. As a pony whose special talent was literally ‘love’, she had always enjoyed just walking through the streets on that particular night, basking in the special ‘glow’ she felt radiating off everypony. This year though, the glow had become a blazing heat striking through her, filling her with pain and fire until she passed out. When she had woken, she had found herself in the Royal Infirmary at Canterlot Palace, with no less than two Princesses watching over her with expressions mingling concern with pride.

Cadance found that she had been changed…transformed. Her first reaction upon seeing her own reflection was a blushing awareness of just how ‘attractive’ she had become, her proportions and frame longer, more elegant, swan-like. Like the Princesses.

But the shift went deeper than just appearance; she’d immediately been aware of a force, a warmth way down inside of her, as if she was carrying around a fire within her breast. It wasn’t the soothing, familiar tingle of her magic, or the passionate heat of a fireside snuggle with her then-coltfriend Shining Armor. No, it was deeper, stronger, and all the more alien.

‘Ascension’ was the term Luna had used to describe what had happened to her, though Celestia, smiling knowingly, had suggested the more egalitarian word ‘Awoken’. Apparently the two of them had been waiting for eons for a moment like this, and Cadence’s mind had swum when she had heard why.  Her world had suddenly been opened up, the two elder Alicorns entrusting her with knowledge kept secret for centuries.

The Crystal Empire, King Sombra, and so much more, a birthright now claimed for her by force. It meant she was no longer just a princess in name alone, the heir to a forgotten crown. No, apparently now she was a key player in a long-fought campaign for the very soul of Equestria. More than anything, it was not so much humbling, as terrifying.

They were still unsure of what the full ramifications of the change were however. Cadence had found herself to be stronger, faster, more confident in her abilities and capable of vast feats of physical and magical exertion for extended periods of time, but it was still uncertain as to whether or not she now ranked among the immortals.

More than any of the recent changes, that prospect, of eternal life, scared her most; of not only outliving Shining Armor, but outlasting him, of continuing on through centuries until her brave stallion’s life and legacy was just a memory. It had been Luna who had broken that concern to her, the Lunar Regent speaking from a long-scarred-over wound deep in her heart, of how she had loved, and lost, of how she had raised a family, and saw them all succumb to old age while she remained young, an eternal rock in the sea of time.

Her potential immortality was something Cadance had no control over though, and so she had put it out of her mind, hoping it would never present itself as a problem. She was perhaps the only mare in the world who looked forward to one day finding grey hairs in her mane.

Perhaps that was why she and Shining had rushed into the wedding, to bind themselves together before any doubts could tear them apart. Maybe, yes maybe…

This though, flight, was another matter. She had flown once before, on the day of Chrysalis’s invasion, and although that was just a brief glide, the sensation of soaring through the air had awoken something deep inside, centuries-old yearnings once buried deep. Even as much as she feared it, a primal part of her now longed to be in the sky, to claim her birthright as a creature of the air.

“Right…” she said, steeling her features. “Here we go…”

Closing her eyes and holding her chin high she stepped up onto the rail, flaring her wings so that they caught the breeze, and brought her hooves together, ready to push off.

Then she made the mistake of taking a quick peek, saw the mile-high precipice she was poised over, and toppled back onto the balcony with a panicking whinny, hyperventilating as her vision swam.

‘I must be the only alicorn to have ever had vertigo!’ she seethed, pounding the floor in frustration. It had only been meant as a light blow, but her hoof shattered the marble, leaving a six-inch-deep cavity in the stone.

‘Another sign of just how much I’ve changed’ she thought glumly as she tried to push chips of tilework back into the hole in a pathetic attempt to infill the damage. ‘Just when I thought I was getting the hang of all thi-AH!’

“MONSTERS!”

Somewhere, far away, someone screamed, and Cadence sprang to her knees, somehow knowing that a kindred soul was crying out in fathomless pain. Whipping her head around her ears twitched as she gazed out southwards towards Ponyville. The magical field that permeated Canterlot was flaring, surging in time to the scream, but below, on the terraces, she could see the citizenry going about their daily routine without a care in the world.

Magic, she realized. Deep, primordial magic was at work here, and somehow only she, it seemed, could perceive it.

Fear vanished in a second, drowned out by concern, and a sudden, indescribable sense of being called to action, to duty.

Instincts finally took over, and the Alicorn of Love drew herself up and coiled her hindlegs, before hurling herself in a powerful leap out over the balustrade into thin air. Her wings snapped open and with an ear-shattering *CRACK* they swept back, hurling her through the air at near sonic-speeds in the direction of the cry that had summoned her.

As first flights go, it was not a bad show at all.

*

Celestia fled, not caring in which direction she was headed in a mad attempt to outrun the memories now pouring into her mind. Far below, the ground sped past, at speeds that would make a certain rainbow-maned pegasus blaze with envy. Information parsed from the mind of Marcus Renee informed in that the human term for her current velocity was ‘Mach 3’, and that at this speed and altitude, the skin should have been flayed from her bones. But physics bowed before immortal biology, and Celestia was not only surviving, but crying, tears flowing over her cheeks to be ripped away and cast off into her slipstream like scattered ice crystals.

More information poured through her mind, memories and knowledge ripping through her pscyche. Suddenly a particularly vivid memory slammed into her mind, sending spiraling into a screaming tailspin as she lost control of her body.

*

Paris, France, 2019 Anno Dominae

**“I'm sorry....”* Cheerilee had wailed. “Twilight...She...she turned him, Marcus!”*

Marcus stood still, head bowed and fists clenched in grief as he read a brief message addressed to ‘Next of Kin’.

JACOB ALLEN RENEE: b1991, p2019

His brother, Jacob, forcibly ponified by one Twilight Sparkle in Equestria’s assault against the White House. Jacob had been part of the First Family’s Secret Service detail, chosen for his skills and service in Serbia. The fact that he was young, personable and had qualified in child psychology (riding on a military scholarship) had seen him appointed as personal guard to the President’s fifteen-year-old daughter.

Details of the assault on the White House were still sketchy, but it was fairly clear that several PER cells and a squadron of Equestria’s Royal Guard had attempted to convert the President and his core staff. Marine One however was known to have safely evacuated the First Family, Jacob having forcible thrown the First Daughter onto the helicopter before slamming the door shut and screaming for the pilot to take off.

Jacob had last been seen trying to rescue a group of interns pinned down in the West Wing. The pony wearing his name however, had appeared on television not an hour later, praising his new bondage and flirting with Twilight Sparkle in the Oval Office. It had torn Marcus’ heart to see the creature speaking with Jacob’s voice planting a grateful kiss on Sparkle’s cheek.

It was only one of multiple simultaneous attacks around the world, all focused on heads of state. Equestria had attempting to cripple human resistance by cutting off the head of their national governments.

The results had been…mixed. Few world leaders had been converted, but more had been killed resisting. Japan’s Prime Minister Rokubungi, a former commando in that nation’s Strategic Self Defense Forces, had managed to fell several of his attackers before taking his own life so as to deny them any semblance of victory. The more outlandish rumors said he had died half-ponified, using a severed unicorn’s horn to commit ritual seppuku.

Most notable among the dead however was Queen Elizabeth the Second. The ninety-four year old monarch had been residing in Balmoral Castle in Scotland at time of the attack, which had come too suddenly for an evacuation. With the roads off the remote estate blocked, and helicopters unable to arrive in time, the PER had streamed the final assault live over the internet in a moment of triumphal arrogance.

They were perhaps not expecting for the venerable castle to have been rigged with demolition charges. The Queen’s final words, broadcast to the world, had become a rallying cry in nations far beyond her former Empire.

“You think you can come into MY palace, MY country, and destroy the will of MY people! I may be old and decrepit, but I. WILL. NOT. STAND FOR THIS INSULT!”

“Potion the bitch!”

“I think not. Say goodbye to the world, and may God Almighty show you the mercy I withhold!”

BOOM!

People were already calling it the Balmoral Address. Such sentiments did nothing to assuage Marcus’ own grief however.

“I'm....sorry...” Cheerilee whimpered as she approached him at the memorial, only for Marcus to fall to his knees and embrace in a hug. “I'm sorry....”

‘Jacob’ had died two months later when the Marines recaptured the White House. He had taken to calling himself ‘Stalwart Heart’ by then.

*

Celestia slammed into the ground, gouging a several-hundred yard furrow into the earth before skidding into a lake. Several thousand gallons of water, suddenly superheated by the impact, erupted skyward in a pillar of steam, and after a long moment several dozen dead fish rose to the surface, killed by the shockwave. Any other being would have soon joined them in death, but the Solar Alicorn was made of tougher stuff. Her body was sore, cuts and welts adorn her body as she laid on the ground, crying her eyes out as the memories played on.

*

London, England, 2020 Anno Dominae

“Sir, we’re getting massacred here!” a soldier yelled as he rushed up to Marcus, ducking a high-flying bolt of magic as he slid behind the cover of a uprooted chunk of roadway.

“Tell me something that isn’t obvious!” Marcus growled as he leveled his AA-12 shotgun, swung around the edge of their cover, and let loose a burst of buckshot, a form of ammunition ironically designed for game-hunting. The unicorn before him tried to keep his barrier up, but the precision needed to stop multiple pellets was too much for him, and the field collapsed with a flicker of wasted potential. Marcus already had a second round chambered, and once again he ducked out of cover, leveled the shotgun and pulled the trigger. The weapon jerked in his hands, and the unicorn splattered into a gory mess.

“They can still die, private! Just keep firing on them! We got to give those French troops time to pull the last civilians out!” Marcus yelled at them.

“Is this a right time for a joke about the French retreating?” the soldier answered, managing a sickly grin. Marcus only shook his head, not even finding a flicker of black humor in their situation.

“Just keep your head down and your cover on!” he snapped back, before everything went to hell. One moment, he was staring at the private, reaching out to tighten the rookie’s helmet straps, the next, a rainbow-colored blur dashed past, tackling the younger man and catapulting him down the street. Marcus whirled around to see the kid land in a tangle of broken bones, screaming in pain, before his flying attacker looped back and hurled a fragile phial of potion into the screeching mound of flesh. Immediate exposure to his internal organs must have sped the transformation, because after just a few seconds of horrified howls, Marcus saw a weeping newfoal stagger to his hooves, helped by his now-landed midwife who had ‘birthed’ him, a rainbow-maned Pegasus recognized from the news.

“Welcome to the herd kid…” he saw her say, giving the newly-minted pony a quick hug, before directing a mocking grin back in his direction in a perversion of friendship.

“RAINBOW DASH! YOU FUCKING ANIMAL!” Marcus screamed, rage cascading throughout his entire being.

Before he could do anything other than scream impotently, Dash had taken back off; her new recruit carried between her and another Pegasus.

“Renee!” Marcus’s radio crackled. “Last civilians are out! Recover Ambassador Heartstrings and Bon-Bon, then fall back to Heathrow Airport, now! We’re pulling out of the country!”

“Acknowledged…” he answered, bloodshot eyes fixated on the three figures vanishing beyond the wall of the advancing barrier.

*

Celestia struggled to her hooves and limped out of the lake. The impact, although severe enough to tear every piece of armor from her body, had not hurt her near as much as what was going on inside her head. Gritting her teeth she tried to hold back another memory surfacing in her mind, but prying open cracks in her mind it forced its way through.

*

Mexico City, 2021 Anno Dominae

“Corre!” Marcus barked in Spanish. While not entirely confident in his syntax and pronunciation, he knew enough of the language to get a point across, and following his orders, a father and his son fled by him as he laid down covering fire for their escape. The father gave him a nod of thanks as he passed, shielding the boy with his body and carrying a tiny revolver for protection. Overhead, helicopters were dueling with flying chariots in a howling maelstrom of steel, fur, feathers and blood.

Mexico, in the post-Convergence economy, had become a major provider of military hardware, the country’s auto plants quickly refitted to churn out armored vehicles and support trucks. It had also made it a major target for the PER, the self-styled ‘liberators of the Earth’ using Equestrian magic and reinforcements to try and take out vital cities in the supply chain, along with sowing indiscriminate carnage in an attempt to crush morale. Marcus had found himself unfortunate enough to have been in the country inspecting a growing weapons stockpile when one such attack had been launched.

“Mi hijo!” Marcus turned around to see the father drag his son into an alley. Seconds later, to his horror, Marcus heard the familiar ‘fw-WHORP!’ of an opening portal, and the child screaming.

“Hold this position!” he shouted to the few soldiers he had under his command, before charging round the corner and into the alley, just in time to see the father charge an orange coated-pony, howling in grief.

“Ah think you should take seat pardner,” the cowpony said bluntly, pivoting on her forehooves to buck the enraged man, the impact shattering his kneecaps.

‘No! Where’s the child!’ Marcus thought, before he noticed two Royal Guards pinning down a writhin figure behind several fallen trashcans. He fired, and one was hurled back, his neck a bloody ruin. The other threw himself onto Applejack and triggered some kind of talisman, throwing up a protective domed shield around them. Enraged, Marcus advanced, pouring full-auto fire into the micro-barrier before something causing him to stop on horror.

From behind the trashcans, a small pony had just stood up, a literal new foal, a smiling colt.

“No! Dios mio, NO!” the father wailed!

“Papá! Está bien! Yo sé mejor ahora! Únete a mí papá y nos-” the tiny creature said, dancing on his hooftips in elation, before a sharp crack snapped through the alley and the newfoal slumped to the ground, a hole in his head, eyes darkened forever. Marcus and the ponies alike turned in shock to look at the downed father, the revolver shaking in his hands as he bled out from the knees.

“You darn monster!” Applejack screamed, hurling one hoof against the inside of her shield. “That was your colt! We helped him! Made him pure and good, like us! Ayh’d have done the same for you too you ungrateful varmint!”

“Perdóname Padre, porque he pecado ...” the broken man stammered, before words began to tumble rapidly from his mouth in a final prayer. “Santa Maria, Madre de Dios, rezar por los pecadores somos, ahora y en la hora de nuestra murte!”

He pressed the gun to his own temple, glaring balefully at Applejack. He wanted her to see this.

“Amen!”

Marcus closed his eyes and turned away as the hammer came down.

*

Celestia could do nothing but weep openly as the memories of the human, Marcus, seared in her mind, sizzling with raw emotion, each one stronger than the last. Injustices heaping atop abominations and massacres. Even in her long years, fighting against enemies as diverse as Discord, King Sombra and Nightmare Moon, Celestia had never encountered war as total and uncompromising, and the sudden loss of that innocence was agonizing.

*

Heathrow Airport, 2020 Anno Dominae

“Get the King out of here! Get him on the jet!” Marcus roared as a Landrover screeched to a halt on a jetway, disgorging the new monarch of the United Kingdom and his family. King William himself was armed, one arm wrapped protectively around his wife’s shoulders as troops hustled them and their children towards the largest plane in the jam awaiting takeoff, a British Airways Airbus A380.

“Speedbird 1!” the radio clipped to his belt crackled as the control tower issued orders to the Airbus’s pilot. “As soon as the King’s onboard, takeoff!”

“How, the runway’s jammed with other planes in the queue!”

“Ignore them! Turn around and takeoff across the jetpad if you have to, ASAP! We’re giving you emergency clearance to get off the ground by any means necessary!”

As the jet’s captain acknowledged the call, Marcus turned to regard his own protectees.

“Lyra, Bon-Bon. You’re going too! This might be the last flight out and we need you to get-”

“STOP!” someone demanded, and Marcus turned to find himself staring into the eyes of a small yellow pegasus.

“Fluttershy…” he heard Bon-Bon say softly, but the words seemed like they were coming from a million miles away as he faced down the twin aqua pools boring into his soul, overwhelming pressure bearing down on his mind. Dimly he perceived other soldiers caught in the legendary ‘Stare’s’ field-of-fire had frozen too, unable to move.

“Now, put your weapons, DOWN.”

Body twisting against his will, Marcus slowly placed his gun on the ground, even as he mentally screamed with every fiber in his being to blast Fluttershy out of existance. But he couldn't/

“Now then...I want all of you to take these potions here, and DRINK,” the pegasus said, wearing a kind smile that failed to reach her eyes. The soldiers nodded stiffly, before shuffling forward like marionette puppets to take from a satchel of potion bottles Fluttershy had placed on the ground in front of her. None of them broke her fearful gaze until after they had swallowed, at which point they collapsed sideways, retching and gagging. One tried to force his hand down his throat in an effort to vomit up the purple goop, only for his fingers to fuse into a hoof too large to force past his lips.

All of them were screaming.

All of them expect Marcus, who had not drunk, or moved from his initial position, still staring down Fluttershy and jerking spasmodically as two wills fought for dominance.

The screaming voices had fallen silent now.

“Oh, you poor thing…” Fluttershy crooned, the pressure on Marcus’s mind intensifying as she slowly spread her wings and lifted off the ground, coming up to his eye level and almost pressing their faces together so that her huge eyes filled his entire field of vision.

She smelt of hay and wildflowers, and her mane, brushing against his cheek, was soft and warm and soothing as an embrace. Every Freudian notion Marcus had ever considered was screaming at him to embrace her like a mother and join her in gleeful ponydom, to gallop through endless fields as a joyous member of the herd. But the air of soothing compassion she projected was offset by the cold depths of her eyes. He was meat to her, not a real person until he walked on all fours and sung her praises. His real mother’s love had been unconditional.

“Would you please take this potion...”

Marcus only glared, jaw clenched so tight that blood was seeping from between his lips. His body was jerking, every muscle straining against the conflicting desires. Unless something happened soon, he was going to tear several ligaments, and that would be the end of him.

“Please, I am asking nicel-AIIIIE!” The buttery pegasus shrieked as a bullet ripped through one of her wingtips, and she whipped her head sideways as she struggled to stay up in the air, breaking the stare. Once again master of his own body, Marcus instinctively bellowed and threw his head forward, headbutting her in the temple with all the strength he could muster, before he collapsed in exhaustion. His head was ringing from the massive blow, but the pressure was gone. Knocked unconscious, Fluttershy hit the ground hard, and he heard a satisfying snap as at least one bone broke.

Chest heaving, he rolled sideways to see who had saved him, and to his shock saw Lyra standing just a few feet away, a discarded pistol held awkwardly in her mouth. She must have used her tongue to pull the trigger. Like him, blood was trickling from her jaws where the recoil of the weapon had cracked several teeth, but despite the immense pain she must have felt, Lyra stood frozen in shock at what she had done, trembling like a tree just before a gale downed it. Tears were beading in her eyes, and Marcus suddenly understood; although she had only clipped Fluttershy’s wing, her intent had been to kill the buttery pegasus.

“Lyra…” he whispered in sympathy, knowing the horror she must have felt, the same as he had felt after his first ‘kill’. Taking lives got easier with time, but to cross that line for the first time was to permanently brand one’s soul with a mark that ran deep

Bon-Bon was just behind her marefriend, mouth open and aghast. “Lyra, what have you DONE!? YOU SHOT FLUTTERSHY!”

Before Lyra could answer, the former Ambassador was tackled by one of the newfoals, a turquoise unicorn who minutes before had been a Royal Marine..

“Traitor!” he screamed, one hoof coming down on Lyra’s snout with a blistering ‘crack’! “Monster! Meanie-pants!”

The unicorn raised his hoof to knock her out, when he suddenly gurgled, looking down at where a bayonet blade was embedded in his barrel. Then he looked up to see that his killer was Bon-Bon, the blade’s hilt grasped in her teeth. Like Lyra, tears were flowing from her eyes.

“But…why…” the newfoal spluttered, before slowly collapsing onto his side, life ebbing away. “We’re…we’re ponies…”

The bayonet had pulled away from him as he fell, leaving it hanging from Bon-Bon’s mouth, the blade covered in blood. Her grip slackened, and it clattered to the ground. The creamy mare stared at it in mute silence, before shuddering and sniffling. Her marefriend did the same, and moments later the two ponies had pulled one another into an embrace, howling together at the loss of something that had been a fundamental part of their identities.

Still lying on the ground, limbs burning from his duel of wills with Fluttershy, Marcus watched the two of them mourn the loss of their innocence, tears trickling from his own eyes.

Rapid footfalls heralded the arrival of King William, who threw himself down next to the mortally wounded unicorn, dragged off his jacket and pressed it to the knife-wound. “Get this man a doctor, or a vet, whatever, RIGHT NOW!”

“Your Majesty…” someone stuttered. “That’s…that’s the enemy!”

“This ‘enemy’ was one of my subjects two minutes ago, and God help me he still will be come the end of all this! MEDIC!”

The rest was all a blurr. Equestrian Royal Guards came crashing in ahead of the Barrier to recover Fluttershy and the other newfoals, and a running gunfight had ensued as Lyra, Bon-Bon and Marcus were lifted or dragged to the Airbus, the King carrying the feebly struggling newfoal in his arms.

“Speedbird 1” the tower yelled over the radio. “All VIPs are aboard, takeoff now!”

“But what about you…”

“GO NOW! DON’T WORRY ABOUT US! GODSPEED AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU AL-OH GOD!”

Rocking on its landing gear, the Airbus’ engines roared, and then the mammoth aircraft made a power-turn off the taxi-ramp and accelerated across the jetpad as the Barrier swallowed the airport, the shockwaves of its approach felling the control tower. Just as it reached takeoff speed, the superjumbo dropped roughly off the asphalt and onto grass, almost bogging down before air caught under the wings and it soared upwards, buffeting wildly as it caught the turbulence of other aircraft.

“HOLD ON TIGHT!” someone yelled over the cabin address system, and several hundred evacuees crammed aboard shrieked as the pilot rolled the jet onto its side to avoid other aircraft taking off in a panic. Marcus had been thrown against a window, and stared straight down in horror as he saw two Boeing 747s collide in mid-air just five hundred feet below them. The shockwave almost swatted the Airbus down, but somehow it stayed aloft as the burning wreckage of the two entwined jets fell away beneath them. Marcus watched in silent horror as the entangled aircraft plunged onto Windsor Castle, an immense fireball marking the funeral pyre of countless lives.

As the Airbus banked away to the North, he briefly caught a glimpse back towards London. The city was gone, and all that could be seen was the Barrier, advancing down the runaways of Heathrow. When it reached the ruins of Windsor, it would wipe everything away. The jets, the castle, the bodies. There would be no funeral or grave for the dead, and for a moment fiery rage consumed him, before he was suddenly drowned in grief and weariness.

Perhaps the dead were the fortunate ones; their troubles, after all, were over now. It was the living that had to suffer on.

“Damn them…damn us…” he heard someone whisper, and as the plane leveled out he weakly looked sideways to see King William cradling the lifeless body of the newfoal he had tried to save. Somewhere else in the cabin he could still hear Lyra and Bon-Bon crying together, their pained whinnies standing out amid a rising chorus of tears and cries as the plane gained altitude.

The King closed the dead pony’s eyes, shoulders twitching. “So much loss, so much death and pain and suffering and rape of innocence…”

Marcus nodded in understanding.

“We’ll all go to the Devil for this.”

*

Celestia managed to drag herself to the lake, and began to drink earnestly. Sighing, she looked down to see her reflection gazing back at her…

…and smirking!

*

Le Havre, France, 2020 Anno Dominae

Marcus’ stomach growled painfully; with the exception of some near-expired MREs, he hadn’t eaten all day.

The Normandy shoreline stretched away into the rain, buildings dark monoliths in the gloom, deprived of light and power, crouching on the leaden edge of the English Channel. Tens of ships had already fled, carrying away as many refugees as could climb aboard them for the relative safety of Britain, but even more remained, waiting for the next round of evacuation and hoping to escape before the barrier claimed them. Turning he took in the few dozen people he was shepherding through the outskirts of Le Havre. They looked tired, exhausted even, which confused the Marine greatly; the civilians he could understand, but even his own troops looked haggard, despite today’s evac having been a cakewalk compared to the previous week’s litany of running gunfights. They’d even been able to salvage some stale pastries from the back of an abandoned patisserie, though Marcus had foregone his share in favor of leaving more for the rest; he’d eat when they got to the ships.

It was almost suspiciously quiet, like something unseen was gathering breath, preparing to shout.

“What the hell is going on with you people?” he demanded.

“I...I don't know Sir...”a lance corporal beside him heaved, a donated bomber-jacket hanging off his shoulders. “I just fell…so heavy...”

“Get it off me!” a voice suddenly shrieked from the back of the group, where one man was struggling with his coat.

“What’s wrong!” Marcus grabbed the man, who was tearing at the sleeves of the trenchcoat, another piece of clothing scavenged during the long hike to the coast.

“Too tight!” the man cried out “It won’t come off!”

“Don’t talk shit, it’s just-DAMN!” Marcus jumped back as the collar suddenly zippered itself shut and a button-up flap snapped shut across the throat, buckling tight.

“Help…me!” the man gasped, choking for air. Suddenly portions of the jacket tore open and thick straps flew out from hidden compartments in the lining, wrapping around him and pinning his arms in place. Unbalanced, the man tipped onto the ground, panting in panicked, shallow breaths heralding the onset of unconsciousness.

“Ensorcelled fabric!” Marcus shouted in sudden understanding, before spinning and yelling back towards the rest of the group. “Knife! I need a kni..”

The order died in his throat. More than half of the people under his care had just as abruptly found themselves prisoners in their own clothes. Most were already prone on the ground, while a few struggled willfully against the enchanted garments. One woman had managed to pull off most of her sweater, but the item had latched onto her arm like some extra-terrestrial parasite, a free sleeve lashing out like a tentacle to bind her other arm in place, before it pulled her into a submission bind with such force that he heard the bones in her arms snap like twigs, and the unfortunate refugee passed out from shock.

“Quick! Get them free before…what’s wrong with you all!” he shouted, trying to rally some action out of those still on their feet, but they just regarded him dully, eyes unfocused and faces blank, almost like the gaze of a cow.

Then, like puppets jerked by a string, they all turned to face a flyover that carried the Route Nationale 29 over this part of the docks.

“Oh my…the plan went wonderfully!” a voice called out from the bridge. “Now you wait right there my dears, and you’ll be all right in just a minute.”

Instinctively Marcus rolled into the cover of a railroad wagon parked on a dockside siding. Unshouldering the grenade launcher he carried on his back, a German-made Neo-Panzerfaust, he used the stock to carefully knock through a rusting panel in the side of the empty coal hopper, and peering through he saw two ponies standing on the edge of the highway span.

One was a vibrant pink Earth Pony, her mane a mess of candyfloss curls. The other was a prim unicorn, from whose back a pair of gossamer-like butterfly wings projected. Pinkie Pie and Rarity, he understood their names to be. Two of the so-called ‘Elements’, or Celestia’s personal cadre of advisors, generals, puppets, whatever.

Carefully he aimed the Neo-Panzerfaust, lining the two up in his sights. If he could use the inbuilt rangefinder to detonate the grenade just as it passed them, the explosion should take the both of them out…

“Well Pinkie…” the elegant alabaster mare said, turning to her companion. “I was dubious about your leaving drugged food supplies out for them to take, but it worked just as well as my bindwear. I guess I owe you that cupcake after all. All the same, isn’t it wonderful when they so willingly accept the gifts of our generosity?”

“Yuperoony!” The pink one bounced, before, to Marcus’ horror, turning to point straight in his direction just as he brought his finger to rest on the trigger. “Except that one! He didn't eat anything this morning. We should catch him!”

“Allow me Darling,” the white unicorn replied, fluttering up on her butterfly wings, her horn lighting up. Without time to program the rangefinder on the grenade, Marcus squeezed the trigger, and the Neo-Panzerfaust spit out a high velocity grenade riding on a jet of flame. Whirling aside on her wings, the white unicorn caught the offending object, and nonchalantly threw it down onto the bridge.

“Really, there’s no need to be so crud-AH!”

Even without the rangefinder set, the grenade was still live, and tossing it onto the roadbed was enough to light it off. The shockwave from the blast was enough to swat Rarity from the sky, tossing her into the shipping channel, and as for her companion…

…where had Pinkie gone? She had been standing right where the grenade had landed…

“Hi there!” said pony chirped in his ear, and Marcus spun to see Pinkie’s head protruding from the clenched fist of the railroad car’s coupler-knuckle. How had she…

“You’re not very nice are you?” the offending mare continued, pulling herself free of the coupler as Marcus struggled to reholster the Neo-Panzerfaust and draw his pistol. “Maybe that’s because you’re so hungry. ANypony can be pretty mean on an upset stomach. Here, have a cupcake!”

From somewhere unseen she suddenly produced a small piece of confectionary, the icing patterned with rainbow-stripes, and hurled it at Marcus like a cartoon bomb.

Time slowed down as it hurtled straight for his face. It could be more drugs, or even laced with potion…if a few drops got in his mouth, or even made contact with his skin…

A burst of gunfire snapped him out of his fugue, bullets shredding the cupcake in mid-air before it could reach him. Pinkie yelped and dived back into some nether-realm within the four walls of the railroad car, and Marcus spun to see a troupe of people in haphazard military gear storming up the docks towards them. Some soldiers, but quite likely a lot of angry civilians with rifles too.

“Quickly!” one of them, a woman, shouted in French. “Grab those people and get them to the ships.”

The deep breath truly did preface the plunge, because just as they reached the drugged or incapacitated ponies, a wing of Pegasai shock-troopers dropped out of the leaden sky, hurling rounds of potion. The stationary people who had fallen prey to Pinkie and Rarity’s ‘generosity’ were almost all hit, and a few of the rescuers too before the remainder routed the skybourne ponies with strafes of full-auto fire.

When ingested, the Potion contained a sedative that knocked out the subject until the process was complete. If absorbed through the skin however, they felt everything, and the pain was enough to wake the unconscious and snap the drugged victims out of their stupor.

Their screams were mercifully brief. Struggling to tune them out by taking action, Marcus had managed to grab the woman whose arms had been shattered by the bindwear, and carried her in a fireman’s hold to the first evac ship he came to. But the damage to her limbs had resulted in several blot-clots, and one had eventually broken free and reached her heart…

She was buried at sea, her frail body committed for a while to the deep as the pink wall of death slowly advanced over the horizon, consuming the last of Le Harve…

*

‘Ah, there you are. So, Twilight Sparkle really did throw that poor animal into another Equestria. We did wonder…’

Celestia stared at the image before her. This wasn’t her reflection, dirty and beaten, tears bleeding from her eyes. No, its bearing was prim and proper, a small smile gracing her face and flickers of magic flowing up and down her horn.

‘Oh, don’t cry for them, it doesn’t become a Goddess. We’re only doing what is best for them after all...' the reflection spoke.

The afternoon air fell strangely silent, as birds and creatures of the forest, even the insects that swarmed by night, sensed something terrible stirring and fled in terror. Fish that had survived the Princess’s dive into the lake shot downstream as Celestia’s gaze hardened, her eyes quickly drying. “You are her…the Solar Tyrant...”

‘I am you Celestia, and you are I, though a lesser shadow…I am you fulfilled, made complete, the you that is destined to bring perfect Harmony to entire worlds…’

“Don’t even say the word Harmony!” Celestia suddenly snapped, a mote of rage blooming in her chest. “What you’re doing is nothing of the sort!”

'You poor thing. Has he really filled your mind with such delusion in so little time. They’re just misguided, resisting because they don't know the Harmony we can bring them...'

“I Said To Not Abuse That Word!” Celestia intoned, the Royal Canterlot Voice looming as a threat at the edge of her voice. “This is not what Clover, or Starswirl, or even the Scribe taught us of the ways of Harmony. You bring naught but disaster and destruction...”

'They need to change, it is their salvation...'

“You are destroying them....killing them...”

'Monsters need to be killed...' the doppelganger said, her face composed and full of righteous conviction. Seeing it triggered another surge of borrowed memories, and Celestia gritted her teeth as the wave broke over her…

*

Bern, Switzerland, 2019 Anno Dominae

“What did you say...” a reporter said in numb shock.

“While it is in my power to stop the barrier...I morally cannot.” Celestia smiled benignly down at the human reporters gathered before her in Equestria’s Swiss embassy. “Your world is too dear, your lives too precious, for me to do otherwise. To allow you to continue as you are would be a crime.”

She was happy to see several ponies in the room as well, though that brought to mind a sour note as counterpoint; she understood that the London Embassy was refusing to acknowledge her instructions to go into lockdown – once this was done she should go speak with Ambassador Heartstrings and clear up this little misunderstanding.

“The barrier is expanding, and the only way to survive is to change,” she continued, seeking to ease their evident confusion and misbegot fear. “The Conversion Bureaus were set up precisely for that reason, to rid you from the violence and chaos that so perverts your inner equines, to set you gloriously free as prosperous, happy ponies, truly alive and aware of the magic arou-”

“What if we don't want to change!?” A reporter from NBC shouted in anger, the interruption throwing Celestia’s train-of-thought off the rails and into the cornfields. No-one had questioned her in centuries, no-one except for Luna…no, no, that was a memory too raw and recent to remember.

“We cannot allow you to not change…” she said, drawing on that lingering hurt from their recent fight and channeling it into resolve. “In our recent war with the revived Crystal Empire, Equestria has seen the hurt and suffering that comes with allowing chaos and evil to reign free. You are just as much slaves to your inner demons and destructive technology as my dear ponies were slaves to King Sombra. I regret having to kill him, but I shall not kill a single one of you. Instead, we shall save you, one and all!”

She had hoped they would accept her words with shouts of thanks, but instead the reporters were beginning to back away from her, as if she was a dangerous animal. How dare they! Some attempted to flee to the doors, only to run into the Royal Guard and an assortment of smiling newfoals, recently the human members of the embassy staff. Seeing the beaming faces of her new little ponies lit a fire in Celestia’s breast, and he drew herself up proudly upright, committing history to its new Course.

“You here will be the first, and the whole world will see and rejoice with you in your salvation.”

“You can't do this!” screamed a young female reporter as the Guards began to advance, corralling them. Celestia only smiled at her, shaking her head in amusement.

“I can and I must. There is nothing in this world that can stop me, for your very world itself calls out to me to rescue you from yourselves...”

She nodded towards the newfoals, and bowing briefly to her they then pushed open a set of doors and revealed racks of potion stored in thin glass phials, which they began to toss into the crowd, who were roaring with fear and anger. Then they began to scream, and Celestia felt her eye twitch involuntarily. Curious…perhaps she was wrong to do….

The first peals of laughter shattered that fragile voice of dissent, and as her newborn ponies awoke to discover the delight of their new bodies she felt the fire within burn all the more hotter, like a loving blaze crying to be set loose on the world, to consume everything in Harmony.

“We are the harbingers of your perfection…” she said kindly, turning to face the television cameras. “And there is no force in this world that can stop the barrier....accept your fate, and join us.”

The world watched in horror at what was being broadcasted live to across any country with a television set. Before the keys of billions, the God-Empress of Ponykind pronounced mankind as unfit to live, and transformed the gathered reporters against their will.

And so it was that Princess Celestia declared war against humanity.

And she did it with a smile.

*

“No!” Celestia declared, all tears and grief forgotten now, a hoof stamping down in the reflection’s face not out of spite, but out of conviction. “You are the monster, an affront to all life!”

As the lake rippled around her hoof the other her flickered on the surface of the water, jumbled and broken, but her eyes sad and pitying.

‘So you refuse this truth…I’m so sorry for you, Little Princess…if you can’t accept it, then why not let me show you what awaits you if you proceed down this path.’

Once again Celestia felt her mind succumb to an external, or internal force, and opened her eyes to find herself back in an open white void, bound and shackled in a kneeling posture, stripped of her crown and regalia. The same human, Marcus, stood before her. He was dressed in faded fatigues, with pouches of various sizes adorn his body armor. Around his neck he wore a necklace of unicorn horns, and a pegasai wing was clipped to his belt as a bloody trophy. He was holding a weapon, what she knew was called an ‘M4 assault rifle’ in his hands, aiming straight at her skull, and hatred was burning in his eyes.

Celestia lowered her eyes, as if in acceptance of her fate, and began to chuckle softly.

'You poor, deluded little thing…you know absolutely nothing of this man-RARGH!'

Rearing back she roared with strength, and the bounds and shackles and the Void itself shattered into nothing, leaving her standing back on the shores of the lake, eyes blazing with incandescent energy.

‘What!’ shrieked the reflection of the Solar Tyrant. ‘How can you deny what I showed you, how can you ignore that they only want to kill us all!’

“Because he shared his innermost self with me, all of his memories!” Celestia said, one hoof coming down in a stomp that broke no argument. “And as well as the bad, I saw the good!”

‘There is no good in them!’ the Tyrant seethed, her own eyes crackling with force from across the dimensional veil. ‘Only a twisted parody of virtue, subsumed beneath everything that makes them imperfect. It is our destiny to make that spark manifest, but burning away the rot!’

“Your mind is small, worm of the wastes, your heart shriveled by fear and distrust” Celestia said, her voice booming with the rage of an entire world and horn roaring with fiery white plasma. “Let me show you the truth of HARMONY!”

With one sweep of her wings she ascended high over the lake and released a brilliant surge of purest Memory…

*

A limping Marcus staggers into the New York bunker. Cheerilee is waiting for him, and before he can even raise a hand in greeting she gallops straight at him and envelops him in a passionate hug, knocking the two of them to the floor. There are no words, only love.

Derpy Whooves, brave, strange, dizty and misunderstood Derpy, soaring through enemy formations, dodging, weaving and looping erratically to evade Pegasai warriors, a saddlebag stuffed with medical supplies hanging from her side and a first aid kit clenched in her teeth. Suddenly she dives and plummets in a controlled stall, before swooping behind a mound of rubble where two wounded soldiers are awaiting rescue.

A woman, the French commando, tossing little Dinky in the air, the lavender filly shrieking with laughter as they celebrate her new cutie-mark.

Vinyl Scratch and her cousin Allie Way, ‘the Blue Belles’, galloping through the streets of Boston. Vinyl, the legendary DJ-Pon3, is bobbing her head to a selection of the greatest rock hits of all time, an MP3 player strapped to her forehoof. Allie, a bowling prodigy with an eagle eye for ballistics, is wearing a holographic HUD visor. Three unicorn mages suddenly lunge into view, and Vinyl stops and hits a switch on her other hoof. Twin loudspeakers mounted on her battle-saddle blare solid walls of sound that break the ambusher’s line. Allie, an auto-aiming turret carried on her own back, fires tear gas grenades into their midst to keep them down, before the two-pony-team continue on their way, weaving between the battle-lines, delivering vital intelligence.

Spitfire lying prone on a street, downed in an attack, one wing broken. Suddenly a solider throws himself over her to shield her from harm. Two hurled spears embed themselves in the adamantine plates of his flak jacket. She looks up, her eyes narrow in shock, and she rears up and throws him off, before hurling herself onto his chest, shielding him in turn from a potion phial that shatters harmlessly across her flank. They bop foreheads together in mutual thanks and share an adrenaline-fueled grin.

Lyra and Bon Bon cuddling on a couch, watching a movie with Marcus, Cheerilee and the rest of the humans. Marcus is scratching his ‘Cher’ behind the ears when tiny Pipsqueak, a war orphan, trots in, sees the two couples, and mimicks vomiting in disgust. Everyone just laughs back at him in good humour, all aware of how the young colt’s eyes are always flicking towards the younger daughter of the Whooves clan.

Zecora calmly tattooing tribal markings on the back of another zebra, laughing as she shares a joke with a Kenyan soldier recently recruited from the Mombasa Resistance.

Doctor Whooves and his daughter Sparkler, working on a small piece of metal, Marcus hovers behind them, an expression of wonder on his face as he watches them craft.

*

“These precious memories destroy the lies you have built to shield your conscience!” Celestia boomed, her entire body burning with power. “This Is Unity! This Is Love! THIS IS HARMONY!”

Below her the image of the solar tyrant had swollen to fill the entire surface of the lake, glaring balefully up at her.

‘There can be no peace, no compromise, no accord between Us and Them. You have seen his memories, how they poisoned their world, incited violence and murder, turned our own ponies against us!’

“And you have done just the same, or even worse!” Celestia roared back down, the reflection rippling at the force of her shout. “You have corrupted your Equestria, tainted the souls of precious ponies with cruelty and malice, and drawn two realities into a war of endless death and atrocity! Harmony, true harmony, transcends species and worlds – it is the finding of common ground despite differences, the nurturing of love between all! You would create a desolation and name it Peace!”

The Tyrant moved to retort, when the surface of the lake on which her image was cast exploded in a mountain of foam. Celestia’s armor, called from where it had fallen in the her crash, roared out of the depths and flew to its mistress. Golden plate, bucklers, pauldrons and mail all wrapped around her as the warrior princess readied herself for the fight once more, head bowed and gaze turned inward. Finally a last fragment of gold shot out from the lake, a familiar crown set with a single amethyst gem. As its weight settled once again on her brow Celestia opened her eyes, which now glared down at her other self with a quiet focus.

“I will not allow some Tyrant rule with an iron hoof,” she said, in what was almost a whisper.

The air wavered from intense heat. On the shore of the lake, a bush burst into flames, sparks and embers spreading the blaze to nearby trees.

“I will not allow an entire species to die quietly and fade into the darkness.”

The entire lake was boiling. The forest around it was being swallowed in the growing conflagration.

“I will not stand to see the rape of innocence and innocents alike, of the peaceful being forced to take up bloody arms, and the grotesque being violated in mind, body and soul!”

The Tyrant glared back at her, her face roiling like some ghostly image on the turbulent surface of the lake.

“Equestria, all of Equus, will rise against you! We will fight.”

Celestia's wings snapped open in a battle-stance, leaving her suspended in the air by magic alone.

“We will turn this darkness away, and come to the rescue of all you have subjugated, Pony and Human, Earthborn and Equestrian alike.”

Her entire body filled with a gold light.

“We will cast you down, and cast you out!”

Screaming in rage, Celestia dived like a golden sunbolt, broke the sound barrier in less than a second, and impacted into the very center of the Tyrant’s face The resulting explosion lit up the surrounding hills and mountains as the entire contents of the lake flash-boiled into steam. After a long moment the particles of air were seized by an immense magical field that pulled them back into condensation, hot rain that poured down on the ruined valley, extinguishing the burning trees.

In the punchbowl crater that had been the lake, Celestia stood firm, cracks radiating out from where her hooves were embedded in the stone exposed by her rage. The falling rain did not faze or even touch her, boiling back into steam the moment it touched her luminescent coat or glowing, superheated armor.

“In Harmony’s name, I swear it.”

*

Luna flew as quickly as she could over the rolling countryside, homing in on the beacon of energy that was her sister. But despite flying at just above the speed of sound, she knew she would not reach where Celestia had landed for several more minutes; for her all skill and speed as a flier, when possessed of deep emotion an Alicorn’s power transcended the physical realm – Celestia, in the depths of the pain and grief inflicting her soul, and flown away with a speed that had not been seen in all of Luna’s many centuries.

‘Princess Luna!’ she heard a familiar voice cry out in her mind, and rolling onto her back she blinked with surprise to see a pastel-coloured dot soaring along in her slipstream. A moment’s time for her eyes to focus revealed her pursuer to be Princess Cadence, several miles behind and struggling to catch up, even as the younger alicorn’s wings blurred with preternatural strength.

“Cadence!” she cried out, before righting herself and easing back a little, allowing the Alicorn of Love to come alongside as she spared her great-descendant a momentary smile of pride. “One sees that we are not alone out flying today…it is good to see you are here as well…but tell, me, how didst thou come to be at our side?”

“I…I was on a balcony outside Canterlot Castle, when I felt someone scream…I…I think it was Aunt Celestia…” Cadence said slowly, the words hitching in her throat. “I was like a call, a call that only I could hear and muster. I had to come.”

“And we are most glad to see you…” Luna said kindly, reaching out with one hoof to lightly touch Cadence in a gesture of comfort. “Please my dear, there’s no need to address me by my title; are we not family?”

“Oh?” Cadence replied, a touch of youthful bravado making itself shown. “Well, there’s about fifty generations between us, but would ‘Grandmother’ do?”

Luna spluttered and almost fell out of the air, giving Cadence momentary fears of banishment and exile at the hooves of the warlike mare clad in midnight battle armor. But to the young princess’s relief, when the Lunar Alicorn recovered her flight, she was laughing.

“Grandmother? Haha! Oh it’s been many, many years since anyone honored me with that name, but no my dear. Appropriate as it may be, I’d rather think of us as sisters of a sort; equals, not merely ancestor and descendant. We are alicorns, a rare and lonely breed, too few to treat as anything less than the closest of kin. Please, call me Luna…”

Cadence blushed at the show of kinship, before her ears twitched and she felt a pull in her chest drawing her on, and from some unknown inner source of strength she surged forward, keeping pace with the now somber Luna as they powered over valleys and mountains, far beyond Equestria’s borders and into the wild lands that covered most of Equus, wooded wastes home only to the fey creatures that thrived beyond the light of ‘civilization’.

“…I fear family is one of the few things we have left to cherish in this new and turbulent time…” the Princess of the Night added darkly.

“What happened, Luna?” Cadence enquired, unable to keep a nervous note out of her voice. “Have the Crystal Empire and King Sombra returned as you predicted they soon would?”

“No, dear Crystal Princess…” Luna replied, a slightly sad smile gracing her face. “Your own time of trial is not yet upon us. No, if anything all Equestria now faces a test and a threat unlike any other – ourselves.”

When Cadence made no show of understanding, Luna explained further. “You understand that Shining Armor was called away on a secret mission this morning. Celestia and I voyaged to Ponyville on the same business, after receiving a missive of distress from master Spike, squire and assistant to thy sister-in-law…”

“Twilight’s in danger!?” Cadence cried out, ready to tip her wings and bank back towards Ponyville, until Luna gave a gentle telekinetic tug to keep her on course.

“Twilight Sparkle and her good friends are safe, I assure you Cadence, though at first we had reason to believe they were under attack from a dangerous animal” Luna said, indicating with a wince her bruised ribs. “It did not go well.”

“What kind of beast could wound you like that?” Cadence asked. “And where’s Aunt Celestia?”

“No beast could be so fierce while knowing any touch of pity,” Luna answered her. “It is a being, a sentient mind and heart as surely as we or any pony, griffin or dragon. Its’ species is called ‘human’, and the example we met was very powerful indeed, with advanced runic markings on its body to enhance its abilities. Such work has not been seen since the creation of the Crystal Ponies, as it is a long art we decreed should be forgotten.”

“And Aunt Celestia?” Cadence twisted and gave Luna a look over. “Is she okay?”

“I do not know,” Luna said quietly. “The creature claimed to be from another world, cast into ours by a fluke of arcane magic. She tried to pry into his mind, to see for herself the veracity of his words. It back fired on her. She fled in terror, and had we tried to contain her, I fear she would have attacked myself and the Elements of Harmony. It is her grief that you feel within you, her mind reaching out to all she considers her kin, begging for comfort.”

Again Cadence felt a warm glow at being thought of as family to such long-lived and powerful beings, another reminder of how much she had changed, even as a subtle sense of horror began to dawn upon her.

“What…what did she see?” Cadence she finally inquired, made fearful by the implication that the Solar Regent, Equestria’s eternal champion, could be reduced to such a low by a single mind. “What nightmare world did he come from to frighten her so?”

“As you say, a nightmare world” Luna answered, her voice low and guarded. “It seems that the realm of humans is under attack, driven to a grim and terrible war of survival. We shall know soon enough – Celestia stopped running away some time ago, and if my senses are still as keen as they once were, she lies just beyond the next ridge. Then we shall have our answer-”

The sentence remained unfinished, because as the two of them ascended to fly over the crest of the wooded ridge, pillar of light appeared in the distance, stretching to the heavens.

“BRACE YOURSELF!” Luna yelled, a second before grabbing hold of Cadance and spinning around to shield the younger princess’s body with her own as the shockwave hit. Tornado force winds smashed the two of them out of the air, and Luna ploughed straight through several trees, shattering them like matchsticks as she kept herself curled around Cadence in a protective embrace until...

*CRASH!*

…a final blast of heat and pressure leveled the forest as far as the brow of the rise, laying the trees flat. The same current of air threw the two fliers back into the air before they struck the ground, and Luna released her hold on Cadence, allowing the pair of them to catch sky under their wings and recover their previous course and altitude.

“That…that…” Cadence gasped in shock.

“That was not bad for one’s first flight…” Luna smiled gently, before her expression grew stern. “But if you are to someday ascend to the Crystal Throne, you must hone your body as much as your mind and spirit. In times of peace a monarch must juggle naught but the niceties of politics, but when war arises, it is to us that our warriors look for leadership in battle…”

“But, I’m not a soldier, I’m not even…” Cadence began, before slowly looking back at the burning remnants of the forest, a conflagration hot enough to crack and shatter solid stone, brought on by an explosion that had leveled thousands of trees. Yet it had not left so much as a scratch on her, or singed the tips of her mane’s hairs.

“You are you…” Luna said softly, but not unkindly. “And you are kin, with all that entails, precious one. I think that someday, you shall make a great Princess and ruler. But today, we are called to fight, if what I see before me is true.”

She pointed forward to what must have been the epicenter of the blast, a rising column of fume and steam. “We have gone far beyond charted Equestria, into the far reaches of Sibearia. This valley was once called Ponguska, and that was, until a moment ago, Lake Kowbel. COME! THIS WAY!”

With that she dropped forward and dove down towards the bottom of the Ponguska valley. Cadence followed, gasping as she took in what had once been a lake. Now there was a large circle of dark glass almost half a mile across. No trees or stones, just a deathly smooth depression. The edge of the circle was wreathed with flames as what few combustibles remained shouldered. Buffeted by turbulent updrafts from the rising steam, Cadence matched Luna’s course towards the center of the circle, a small white dot on an irregular island of charred stone. As they did, she felt the air around her tingle with the familiar trill of Celestia’s magic, before the choking mass of vapor was siphoned up into an immense cumulus that began to rain condensation down on them. Instinctively she cast a shielding spell, and the rainfall bend around her.

‘When did I learn how to do that?’ she wondered for a moment, before trying to put the unnerving thought out of her mind, repressing a shiver as they came in for an ungraceful landing beside the far more composed Luna.

“I swear it…” she heard Celestia speak aloud, the Solar Alicorn’s entire form glowing with ethereal light.

“Sister!” she heard Luna cry out, punctuating it with her own shout of “Aunt Celestia!”

Celestia turned to face them with a surprised start, her eyes momentarily loosing focus…

*

Reykjavik, Iceland, 2021 Anno Dominae

Continental Europe had all but fallen. Britain and Ireland were gone as well, and the Barrier now touched on two more landmasses, Asia and Africa, reaching as far in various directions as the Black Sea, Morocco, and the Faroe Islands. The only consolation was that it had slowed down somewhat once it hit the Atlantic.

The island nation of Iceland would fall within six months, by all projections, which begged questions of why Marcus was in that country’s capital city, accompanied only by Lyra and two volunteers as bodyguards. One carried a video-camera, recording whatever would transpire.

“Are you sure this pony’s on the level?” he asked for what seemed the thousandth time, breath forming white clouds in the crisp night air. “Because asking me to come virtually alone, without even giving me the name of our contact, makes me question my faith in even you Lyra.”

“I guess asking you to just trust me then isn’t going to help?” Lyra smirked, her hooves trotting lightly on the ground as they moved through the city’s industrial district. “There’s no need anyway; there she is.”

At her nod the two guards spun, directing gun-mounted flashlights into a patch of shadows, which suddenly gained mass and texture, forming into a quadrupedal form. Marcus blinked, even as his hands hung by his twin holsters, ready to draw if necessary.

Like detail fading in, the mass of shadows slowly coalesced into the form of a large pony, a dark blue in colour, except for her mane, which was pale as powder.

“Oh, Princess!” Lyra gasped, one hoof flying to her mouth in shock. “What happened to your mane?”

Marcus however had only heard the word ‘princess’ before his eyes darted between the horn on the newcomer’s forehead and the wings projecting from her back…

“It’s the Solar Tyrant in disguise!” one of the guards shouted, before Lyra threw herself forward.

“Wait! No, she’s not…she’s…”

“Princess Luna, Alicorn of the Night, Regent of the Moon…” Marcus said evenly, before tipping forward in a courtly bow he had learnt during his Embassy service, keeping on his best behavior and aware of how the video camera would record his every word and move for posterity. “It is a pleasure, milady.”

“Please, I am but Luna,” the dark alicorn replied, kneeling in turn. “I come before you stripped of my crown and throne, and were all Equestria to beg me to take up either once more I would say ‘nay’. I present myself to you as a willing exile.”

“On the contrary, I see nothing but true royalty here, your highness,” Marcus replied, smiling kindly. “We are glad to recognize one of Equestria’s leaders, if she comes in peace.”

“I do indeed, but not in any regal capacity. I am as I said, an exile. My sister has long embarked on a course of madness, and now that I have openly tried to move against her, to oppose her crimes against humankind, I find myself once more unwelcome in the nation whose founding I witnessed as a foal. I and my companion come now seeking asylum, and offering what help we can…it’s safe to come out now Cadence.”

From behind a warehouse a second figure meekly trotted into view, and Lyra suddenly gave a gasp and galloped forward to greet her.

“Cadence! It really is you!”

Marcus cupped a hand to his mouth to mask a smile as the two began to do some sort of greeting dance involving sunshine and ladybugs – this must have been the foalsitter Lyra remembered from her childhood, the one who had also done the same for Twilight Sparkle. Cadence, a young pink unicorn, was about the same size as Lyra in build, if a few years older, but otherwise unremarkable.

Then he noticed the pair of wings on her back, and he gave a low whistle that drew Luna’s attention. Like him, the alicorn had been smiling wistfully watching the two old friends reunite.

“So, ah…is she like you, your highness?” he enquired, tapping first his forehead and then his back.

“An alicorn? No, though for a while we had hopes…” Luna sighed, before explaining. “Cadence is a pegacorn, a rare condition where a pony is born with vestigial traits from another race. Your friend Ms Heartstrings is one if I recall – a unicorn who can walk on clouds, but I digress. Cadence herself is my great-great-descendant – another long story – and heir to the throne of the Crystal Empire.”

Marcus nodded, having learned of that debacle through Lyra’s lessons on Pony history. The Empire, a long and almost-forgotten city-state, had reappeared after a thousand-and-then-some-year ‘absence’ not long before Equestria and Earth had made contact. With it had come its tyrannical ruler, King Sombra, who had quickly re-established his throne despite the intervention of the Elements of Harmony, resulting in a war between Equestria and the Crystal Empire that had not concluded until after First Contact with Earth, just weeks before Celestia had announced to the world her plan for the forcible ponyfiction of all Earth. He had wondered a bit about the convenient timing, but had eventually decided that having got Equestria onto a war footing, Celestia had decided to turn those same forces immediately against Earth.

“We had every confidence that the Empire’s reappearance would be heralded by an Ascension,” Luna continued. “The transformation of a suitable member of the Crystal Bloodline into an Alicorn who would act as a nexus and focus for the love and unity that flowed from the Crystal Ponies. Cadence was a very likely candidate, but nothing ever came of it. Looking back now, I realize that I should have seen that as a sign of a rot spreading though into Equestria, a rot that had first touched Celestia, and spread through her and the Element Bearers. Alas, that I had not seen it sooner, but in those brief, happy days I was simply so glad to be home and loved once more to question things that seened ‘off’ to me. In the wake of Sombra’s defeat I suggested establishing Cadence as the Crystal Princess, but by that point relations between myself and Celestia had…soured, and my suggestion was met with hostility. Celestia by that time had come to regard herself as rightful holder of the Crystal Throne. Cadence would at best have been a puppet on a throne, dancing to Celestia’s whim.”

Marcus stared in silence, enraptured. When Luna finished, he finally spoke. “Would you be willing to testify to that, not just to me, but to both worlds.”

“You have the means to do this?”

“Yes.”

“As I had hoped. Yes, we would be glad to spread the truth of Celestia’s madness, along with other secrets that illuminate the depths she has fallen too.”

Before Marcus could ask further, he heard Lyra, who until now had been happily talking with Cadence, take on a curious and worried tone.

“Cadence, where’s Shining Armor. He wouldn’t let you come here without him, the two of you love each other too much.”

Marcus turned to see Cadence’s smile gradually collapse into a frown, and finally noticed telltale signs of weariness and exhaustion; lines around the eyes and mouth that spoke of nights spent crying into a pillow.

“That is another matter of which I wish to speak…” Luna intoned. “Much as how Celestia’s potions compel the love and loyalty of all touched by them, she has violated the will of the entire Royal Guard by invoking a Geis upon them.”

“A what?”

“A Geis…” Cadence spoke up, addressing Marcus for the first time. “A Tynged, or magical vow. When anypony is inducted into the Royal Guard, they swear an oath of loyalty to Equestria, with one hoof placed upon the Charter of the Guard. Celestia has enchanted the Charter so as to compel everypony who swore on it to obey her without question. If she gives them an order, they will not carry it out without a word. Jump off a cliff, potion-bomb children…” she gave a sniff. “…or betray their loved ones...”

“No…” Lyra gasped. “Not Shining Armor. Cadence, he loved you too much for Celestia to be able to break that!”

“She did!” Cadence snapped. “My special talent is Love, Lyra, I can sense its flow and currents. Even before me and Shiny were married, I could feel something worming its way through Equestria, subtle at first, then stronger and more insidious once Celestia took the Crystal Throne. At least when Sombra was on it, it only incited rage and hate, but now…” she shuddered, looking a little green around the face. “Now those same emotions flow through Equestria, but hiding behind the mask of Love…a love that sickens and poisons all others, spreading a taint that flows deep into hearts and souls and relationships, turning ponies towards Celestia and away from compromise or compassion for humanity.”

She swallowed hard and looked up at Marcus, eyes hard, and for a moment he saw a flicker in them, as if for a moment they had flashed like crystalline facets. Suddenly he felt a great deal of potential in this mare, a pressure-drum waiting to burst.

“So…” he replied, standing up. “She’s brainwashing and ensorcelling her own citizens. Is that how the potions compel the obiedience of the newfoals as well?”

“No.” Luna answered, her eyes gaining a haunted air. “There is a deeper, darker secret to the potion, wherin my sister has courted with powers dark and magicks vile.”

Marcus shivered at the way Luna was eying him. “Yes, on some level you understand what I’m saying, even if you don’t have the words to describe it. I…I didn't want to believe it when Celestia first promoted the potion. I believed that her heart was pure, that she had found a way to safely bypass the limits of the Amiomorphic spell, but she has not changed the foundational principles, and has even turned those flaws to her advantage. The newfoals, the barrier, and their obedience are all bound together in a pact Celestia has wrought, a triumvate of power-exchange made possible by her us of…of…”

Marcus waited eagerly as Luna trailed off, slowly turning her head away towards the city, ears held high and pupils shrinking into pinpricks. “She’s here!”

She spun on her hooves, teeth bared in a scream. “You must leave, now! She’s looking for me, and if she finds you all, she’ll force the change upon you all. You, who have killed so many, and helped a brave few turn their efforts to a common good, she will rejoice in your conversion, and take notes as you gladly spill every secret of your organization to her!”

Pirouetting again she thrust a hoof at Cadence and Lyra. “And you two! All she’ll have for you is a knowing smile and a show trail before death by petrifaction! Any truths you have to say will be discarded as the pitiful insults of traitors in the dock! This cannot be allowed to happen!”

Marcus crouched to look her in the eye. “You’re going to sacrifice yourself, aren’t you? To stay behind and draw her attention while we escape.”

“Indeed,” Luna nodded, her mane bouncing like silvery threads.

“I can’t let you do that, your highness. Your life and loyalty and love for our cause is too great to loose.”

“You fool…” she chuckled softly. “There is nothing else you can do but let me show my love and loyalty by giving myself for this cause. Though it might help if you left me that…” she added, pointing to the still-recording camera.

“We’ve fought ponies before…” Marcus growled, standing proud with his guards. “We’ll fight them now.”

“Don’t fool yourself, Marcus Renee,” Luna answered back. “You’ve fought thralls, slaves and the Elements of Harmony! My sister is none of these!”

To illustrate her point she suddenly hurtled around in a whirlwind kick, balancing on her forehooves to deliver a powerful buck into a shipping container, sending the entire multi-ton object flying into the harbor. “I have fought time and again for Equestria, and am a combatant of rare skill and power, but Celestia has had a thousand years more to perfect her skills.”

“Technology can remedy that…” was Marcus’ reply, brandishing the same trusty Neo-Panzerfaust that had saved him in Le Havre. “I’d like to see her swallow a rocket-propelled-grena-HEY!”

With a burst of telekinesis Luna had snatched one of his holstered pistols and tossed it in the air. As it fell she grabbed hold of it again, flipped the barrel to face her and clicked off the safety. Before anyone had time to shield themselves she magically pulled the trigger, and pony and human like shouted as the pressure wave kicked them in the ears. The guard with the camera dropped the precious device as he fell to his knees, hands pressed to the sides of his head.

Blinking, Marcus looked towards where he expected Luna’s body to lie, only to see the Lunar alicorn standing proud, the bullet embedded in her forehead like a second, stubby horn. For a few moments the wound wept blood, and then the bullet fell out and tinkled onto the ground, revealing a glimpse of Luna’s skull, as adamant and whole as tank armor.

There was a moment’s stunned quiet as Luna trotted over to the video camera and gripped it curiously between her hooves, before lifting it to film her grotesque wound.

“We two are cursed lives, not born or begotten but conjured into being by ancient spells, souls spawned artificially from Equestria itself…it is impossible to fight beings such as we, not without magic of your own” she said woefully, the words resounding in Marcus’ mind despite the ringing in his ears. “We cannot be killed by mortal means; the cold of steel or the heat of flame do not pierce or burn us, and only magicks most powerful may wound us for a while. Celestia and I exist until Equestria itself wills us to die, and the tainted spirit of the land has so far only turned against me, sapping my life and power and strength, yet even as weak as I am I stood here with one of your bullets embedded in my skull and did not die. Now run!”

Suppurating sickly, the bullet-wound closed back up, flesh and fur knitting together to leave Luna’s head as blemish-free as it was before she had shot herself.

“Run!” she said again, turning her gaze from the unblinking eye of the camera’s lens.

His hearing still tinny, Marcus did not hear the familiar sucking ‘push’ of a portal opening, but Luna did, glancing behind her as a pink mote of light danced into being on the street behind them, rapidly swelling in size and girth.

“RUN!” she screamed, physically and telepathically, and without question Marcus grabbed Lyra in both arms and fled, one of the other guards scooping up Candence. Then they were gone, giving Luna a moments peace.

“Now, how does this contraption work?” she said to herself, considering the camera she still held with her magic. “All the battles I’ve ever fought and it might be Luna Vs. ‘Samsung’ that defines my life. Ha!”

Quickly she expanded the zoom and determined the best orientation, leaving the camcorder discretely positioned in the shadow of a steel drum as she trotted out into the center of the street. It patiently recorded all that followed, and when Marcus returned the next day, was still where she had left it, battery flat but hard-drive intact and full of valuable footage;

“I see I been betrayed.” a soothing voice preceded Celestia’s appearance.

“It is you who is the betrayer, sister...” Luna said, before planting her hooves firmly on the ground and summoning a speck of magic to the tip of her horn. “Do you not deny all you have done, all the holy promises and vows you have defiled, the lives and minds you have raped?”

“A mere bagatelle Luna, necessary for the glory that will be accomplished…” Celestia replied, finally stepping into view, the soft light she cast mired only by the dark shadow of a canvas bag she wore round her neck, convulsing softly like a beating heart. “You mean to fight me?”

“Forever and a day, for our little ponies, and the humans too.”

“Don’t force my hoof against you again Luna…” Celestia said sternly. “I will not lose you again dear sister, but I will not allow you to pervert the destiny of this world.”

“You lost me Celestia” Luna replied, smiling through her tears. “When you lost yourself. If there is any of Equestria’s noble ruler left, the one who led our ponies, our people into a thousand years of peace, then please, let us be sisters again, and bring true light to both these worlds, and recompense and truce.”

“No Luna…” Celestia decreed. “There will be no truce, only a final peace, and a perfect kingdom that spans two worlds, a kingdom that will last another thousand years, and beyond.”

“So be it…” Luna wept, rearing back on her hooves. “I love you, Celly.”

Luna cast her spell, and the bolt of light flew straight and true, until, with her own power, Celestia bent the magical shot around in an arc and back at the Lunar Alicorn.

Luna staggered, and then with remarkable swiftness, turned to stone, the effect flowing up from her hooves to encompass her head. In the final moment, with a swirl of venting magic, her mane exploded into a gorgeous starfield, billowing for just an instant before it too was frozen, a stone corona framing her peaceful expression.

Celestia slowly trotted up to the new statue, neck bent as if the weight of the back she carried was too much to bear. Then, hooves staggering, she fell against her petrified sibling and sobbed pitiably.

“And I love you, Lulu.”

*

Luna and Cadence both jumped in surprise as Celestia, after her moment’s hesitation, hurled herself forward with a single swoop of her wings and held them both close. “My dear, dear girls”, she said softly, before stepping back and bowing low. “Brave and true Princesses of Equestria, I kneel before your wisdom and compassion.”

Cadence blushed, and Luna cocked her head. “Well, that’s somewhat unexpected.”

“Oh Lulu…” Celestia smiled softly, rising to her feet. “I’ve seen so much, the highs to which we can aspire…and the lows to which we might sink…”

“I…I don’t understand…” Cadence murmured, before Luna shushed her by pressing a wingtip to her lips.

“Is what the human claimed true, Celestia. His world is under attack by an Equestria not so different to our own.”

“Yes…he speaks truth… the human, Marcus, has arrived from a war torn plane of existence where the enemy is myself.”

“What?!” Cadence stared at her Aunt in confusion.

“The enemy was my alter-ego, the Solar Tyrant, and her corrupted Elements of Harmony,” Celestia answered, spreading her wings to take flight, with Luna and Cadence following after her. “An alternate dimension where, for whatever reason, I took upon myself to forcibly change an entire species against their will, and worse yet to Equestria.”

“How so?” pressed Luna, and Celestia’s head drooped with shame, before she turned back to gaze at them. “This Tyrant, this me, has perverted her rule, claimed the Crystal Throne, and now foolishly wields a power she has no understanding of. We have to stop her.”

“So the time has come?” Luna’s eyes widened. “You mean to use the Concordia Maxima and summon all nations and armies to our side?”

“Yes, but first, I need to speak to someone else who might have insight. An old friend who makes a hobby of pulling apart my psyche. Perhaps he can throw light on things.”

Realization dawned on Luna with devastating force.

“No!” the Alicorn of the Night all but jumped on Celestia’s back to draw her attention. “He is dangerous beyond compare; not even Sombra can compare to his mastery of trickery and deceit!”

“And I’m willing to risk that Luna!” Celestia replied. “Please, trust me on this! For once, we actually need Discord’s help!”

“Discord, the Draconequus?” Cadence said, shock pouring through her words. “Isn’t he the Elder God of Chaos itself!?”

“Yes…” Celestia admitted. “But we now face a weapon even more devastating than even his guiles and magic.”

“What!” Luna demanded.

Celestia paused in mid-air, and the other two alicorns came to a halt in turn. Wings beating nervously, Celestia drew her sister in and touched their horns together in embrace, before giving Cadence a hug that spoke of boundless pride and trust. Then, and only then did she look Luna directly in the eye, her words silencing all of the Night Princesses’ arguments.

“The Solar Tyrant now wears the Bag of Tirek round her neck…her dominion is built upon its power, the power of the Rainbow of Darkness.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

(A/N: And done. As you can see....its not dead yet! TB3 and myself worked hard to give you something and here is the results of that work.

Please leave a review and tell us what you think!

One more thing....

Its only the beginning

Interlude: A Different View

INTERLUDE: A DIFFERENT VIEW

New York City, 2023 Anno Dominae

“Shit, Sparkler!” Marcus winced, hissing acidly as he pressed a wad of cloth to his upper arm. “Zecora’s brilliant, but having powdered gems tattooed into your flesh is always going to fucking hurt!”

“Oh stop whining” the young unicorn mare sighed in exasperation, giving him a forceful jab of her horn as he moved to remove the wad and glance at his arm. “And don’t pick at it!”

“Yes Mam’,” Marcus grumbled back. The cloth, actually one of Zecora’s magical surplices, impregnated with esoteric herbs and liniments was a little something designed to speed along healing after his sessions ‘under the runic needle’.

“And besides!” Sparkler pouted. “If Zecora’s brilliant, what does that make me?”

“Sorry kid,” he smiled fondly, unable to resist the sheer adorableness of the elder Whooves daughter. “You’re a genius. Crazy, unlicensed and uncertified, but definitely a genius.”

“That’s better!” the pony also known as Amethyst Star smiled, before levitating a small tuning fork out one of her jacket’s many pockets (which, in defiance of Euclidian geometries,  were considerably larger on the inside). “Right, you know the drill Renee! Hold still.”

Marcus obliged as she spun the instrument in her magic, until it hummed softly in cadence with her thaumic field. Then, she held it close to Marcus’ arm, listening for the telltale ‘ring’ of magic at work. Finally, after several long minutes, she nodded in approval.

“Excellent!” she said briskly, turning away to examine a wall diagram depicting a stylised human outline, one covered in multiple esoteric markings. “The final graft held. Which means there’s nothing left except to put you TO THE TEST!”

Abruptly bucking herself off the chart with her forehooves, Sparkler flipped back in the air and cracked her head in a neat arc, firing off a bolt of offensive magic. Marcus yelped and thrust out one arm in self-defence, fingers sprayed and eyes squeezed shut as he awaited the impact...

...it never came. Instead, he gradually became aware of a faint, almost pleasant tingling in his fingers, and slowly opened his eyes.

“Well...that’s something...”

He had caught Sparkler’s spell in the palm of his hand. Curling his arm around, he stared in silent awe at the flickering ball of energy now floating in his grasp like a magical baseball. The runes now permanently etched into his skin, normally invisible, now shimmered softly in tune with the ebb and flow of the caged spell. Curious and more than a little awestruck, Marcus’ eyes drifted to where he had just been holding Zecora’s suplice to his arm. Now exposed, the skin underneath, previously raw and red from the tattooist’s work, was knitting back together before his eyes. It didn’t even hurt beyond a gentle tickling.

“Congratulations,” Sparkler beamed, trotting beside him, affecting a gruff British accent. “Y’er a wizard, Marcus.”

Against his will, Marcus felt an involuntary grin stretch across his face; one of a childhood dream realised.

“Expelliarmus!” he shouted, thrusting his arm out and ‘firing’ the spell off at Sparkler’s examination table...

...which promptly burst into flames.

“Wha...but...that’s...” Marcus stammered, before slowly turning to regard Sparkler with a somewhat horrified expression. "You cast an INCINERATION SPELL at me!?”

“And I had every confidence you’d be just fine,” Sparkler beamed, before abruptly pulling a bag of gelatin-free marshmallows from another infinitely-deep pocket and skewering them on the tines of her magical tuning-fork. “Who’d have thought that table would make such a good bonfire.”

Marcus could only shake his head. Adopted or not, this mare was still the scion of the Whooves clan. Lateral thinking seemed to come with the name.

“Ah, excooze me...” someone broke in, their young voice layered with what sounded very much like a Brooklyn accent. “But weez got some dispatches fer’ yers.”

Marcus turned to where an orange-and-pink mare, a filly just into her teens, had stuck her head in through the door, two saddlebags strapped to her stocky barrel and an opening seed proudly emblazoned on her flank.

“Hey Babs...” Sparkler greeted cheerfully. “Want a smore?”

“Sorry Sparks,” Babs Seed replied tersely. “I’ve got important news for Mr Renee.”

“I said before Babs, you might be my Adjunct, but you’re also my friend, and that mean’s it’s just ‘Marcus’...” the man in question said gently, to which the Manehattan-born filly simply bashfully ducked down behind the cover of her fringe. “Anyway, what’s the story?”

At that, Babs abruptly straightened up and nimbly pulled several sheets from her saddlebags with her teeth, which she handed to him.

“Mz Zecora and Cadenz say they’re ready to move out and prep tings’ in Boston. Dem books from Miskatonic Univoosity came in real’ handy with tracin’ Earth’s old leylines. They reckon well be gud to deploy their Trench-Spell once the Barrier hits.”

The report was supplemented by several photographs, depicting a now infamous vessel hanging in the sky.

“However, te’ ‘Great Equestrian’ has been making forayz ahead o’ the Barrier. Spitfire’z askin’ if we can send the modified jets up against it in a field-test?”

“No, keep them in reserve for now...” Marcus said, half to himself. “They and the other runic weapons are our ace-in-the-hole. Use them now and we’d just be showing the Tyrant our hand. What about on the home-front? How’s everyone been while I’ve been recovering?”

“Everyone’z fine...” Babs replied, nervously turning her attention towards the floor. “Well, mostly, like...”

“Babs...” Sparkler said softly. “How is Scootaloo?”

When the orange filly looked up, her green eyes were glistening with tears. She sniffed, and then managed to strike a tone of resolve.

“The doctors say her wings have to be amputated...if they ain’t, then the necrosis is gonna infect her whole body.”

Marcus grimaced in sympathy. “How’d she take the news?”

“Like a Cutie Mark Croosada of course!” Babs answered, defiant pride now lacing her voice, despite the tears and emotional pain she felt for her loyalest friend. “She’s volunteered to go unda’ anaesthesia and let the docs do a biopsy on her wings while they amputate. Let dem’ understand pony physiologies better. Nopony can doubt that Scoots ain’t got moxie!”

“Brave little filly...” Sparkler whispered, and Marcus agreed wholeheartedly. “Rainbow Dash never deserved her adoration.”

“Mz Wildfire’ promised Scoots that once out, she’s getting a motorized scoota all her own. She’s got Doc Whooves workin’ on modifyin’ a Vespa right now! And there’z more good news!”

With a triumphant flourish, Babs pulled an entire folder stuffed with documentation out of her saddlebag. “You know how yooze said you wanted all the world’s best soliders here’ afore’ we duke it out in Boston? Well we’z gotten an answer from a real legend! The Knight o’ Germania himself!”

“That guy?” Marcus said in disbelief as he opened the folder. “The man whose unit stormed the Bundestag when Equestria targeted the German Chanellor. Hell yes!”

Sparkler edged in closer, chewing on a smore. The examination table continued to smoulder cheerfully. “There was some real tough fighting on the European front, wasn’t there?”

“All too right. I didn’t get into combat until the Barrier was impinging on France. Before that though, in the earlier days...well, it was hell. This guy went through it all. I remember meeting him once....feels like a long time ago."

“Ida’ thought youz two would be best buddies,” Babs smirked, all shyness and hero-worship forgotten in a chance to show off a little Marehatten snark. “Two hard-fighting badazzes wid a combined kill-count higher dan’ Mz Spitfire’s flight ceiling.”

“Like I said, our paths rarely crossed...” Marcus murmured, stroking one of his older scars thoughtfully. “Though there was this was this one sparring bout...but that’s neither here nor there.”

“Has anyone passed this news along to our ‘Blue Spy’ yet?” Sparkler interjected. “I thought the two of them were longstanding partners-in-crime? It’d be good to reunite them before we move on Boston...”

“Yeah...” Marcus replied absently, before his expression hardened. Standing he grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the remains of the table in retardant foam. “We’ve got work to do. Anyone and anypony who’s combat-ready needs to prep for Boston. That’s were we’ll make our stand. Babs, I’m trusting you to personally respond to the Knight of Germania. Radio, magic, carrier-pigeon, courier, dragonfyre, whatever we’ve got. Tell him we accept his offer and forward co-ordinates so he and his crew can link up with several units under our command, I need the best of the best..."

"...and I need them damn soon."

The Conversion Bureau: The Other Side of the Spectrum, Side story: Europe

The Answer (Part 1)

The Answer, Part 1

Written by TB3 and Redskin122004

Guest Writer: Proudtobe

"Only a mind free of impediments is capable of grasping the chaotic beauty of the world. This is our greatest asset."

―Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

“It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.”

―Sun Tzu

Canterlot, Equestria, 6th Year Anno Harmonia

“Sign up today!” recruiters called from podiums and platforms. “Join the Salvation Army and bring about a more perfect peace!”

“Extry, extry!” newscolts shouted, hawking copies of the ‘Equestria Daily’ and the ‘Equestria Enquirer’. “Queen Celestia appoints new Minister for Newfoal Affairs! Thrilling reports from Boston, Nairobi and New Delhi! Ponydom’s noble battle to save Earth from itself!”

In the heart of the city, not too far from Scootaloo Station, one pony was giving a soapbox oration at the foot of a statue depicting a rearing stallion. The statue’s face was composed in a look of selfless determination, while the speaker expressed the beaming, unnerving joy of a newfoal; his smile was just a little too wide and his eyes large as saucers, bright yet slightly glassy, as if focused on something that nopony else could see.

“Stalwart Heart was the embodiment of the pony ideal!” he cried, one hoof laid in reverence against the bronze effigy. “A human who, despite at first resisting our glorious herd, embraced it with all his mighty heart after transcending his flawed flesh; he was a loyal soldier, a fiery patriot, and a loving fiancée, to no less than the beauteous Twilight Sparkle; it is not just she, but all of us who grieve for the loss of the stallion she loved, murdered at the hands of the ape that once called him brother. Can anything else show just how broken humankind is; that they should murder their once-and-former kin, rather than join with them in perfect bliss? When I walked on two legs I called myself a King, and was arrogant and proud enough to assume myself to stand above all peers. Now I am humbled, and have embraced that humility as one limb in the glorious body of Equestria, serving gladly as a subject of the One True Monarch, She who brings us the sun and the moon and lights a fire of love and harmony within all out hearts…”

As he continued to preach, to a crowd mostly comprised of newfoals like himself, a lone unicorn mare made her way alone through the back of the rally, growling softly to herself and holding her head high as if above such plebian nonsense; with her forest green mane expertly coiffed, and her tail tucked up beneath a flowing dress that made her the desire of of any princeling, she was the very image of aloof Canterlot nobility…

…the truth was something else entirely.

As she attempted to circumnavigate the growing crowd of newfoals adulating the pony speaking from the Stalwart Heart memorial, she felt her lip curl involuntarily, and as she brushed against the flank of one mare her fur stood on end, as if a thousand spiders were crawling over her body. Newfoals more than just unnerved her; they sickened her in a way that was deeply personal, and almost spiritual.

'Damn that Commander Renee! Damn Cheerilee! Damn all these stupid broken baboons!' The mare growled mentally. 'I shouldn't be here! I should be by my partner, helping him in Boston!'

She gave a quiet sigh as she stopped, her head hanging in sadness. 'No....my mission is important...Perhaps Ste-'

Caught up in her thoughts, she misplaced one step, fumbled for a foothold, and then tripped snout-first into the back of the crowd. Almost immediately the bystanders all but leapt to help her up, and she found herself assaulted with more of those bright smiles and bulging eyes, hooves and magic and dexterous wings touching her all over as she was lifted up and put back on her hooves.

“Are you alright?” countless voices asked. “So sorry, my fault…can we do anything for you? Praise Celestia you’re not hurt.”

And again, that sense of wrongness, of insects swarming up and down her spine, and her horn resonating in such a way that she almost swooned in a faint. The magical aura of all the newfoals was just like their words and expressions; forcefully strong and bright and sickly sweet, like milk on the verge of curdling.

She couldn't stand it.

“Get back!” she shouted at last, hooves clopping into a rapid backtrack. “Keep away from me! I don’t need your help, I don’t need anypony’s help!”

At those words, the newfoals obligingly parted to let her out from her midst; the majority still beaming as if she had responded to their cloying helpfulness with fulsome praise. Only a scant few showed even the slightest signs of hurt or disquiet.

“Miss, you really shouldn’t talk to them like that!” somepony snapped, and she turned to see a punch-pink Earth Pony trotting towards her, expression dark and eyes narrowed. A cluster of grapes and berries adorned her flank, and she carried both an eager-looking unicorn filly on her back, and a determined expression on her face; no-doubt that this was a native Equestrian, not one of the little golems Celestia had transmuted out of the monkeys…

“I can talk to them as I wish,” the unicorn mare replied haughtily, a seething hiss edging her words. “And I wish to draw everyone’s attention to the fact that these are NOT ponies, just aliens molded into an equine likeness…”

“How dare you!” the plum-colored Earth Pony made a gesture as if to slap her across the face, but restrained herself. Both herself and her unicorn daughter wore sashes that proclaimed them to be members of PETN; Ponies for the Ethical Treatment of Newfoals. “Yes the newfoals can seem a little…strange at first, but that’s just as a result of the world shift they’ve gone through. Can you understand how much it hurts to be like they were; addicts, slaves to a condition, only to be instantly set free, reborn with a new purpose and focus? Of course they’re going to take time to naturalize…”

Her words had the tone of a true believer, and the upper-class mare felt a sudden rush of unwanted empathy. Despite everything that had changed in the past few years in Equestria, some things remained the same; the kindness of strangers had been a balm to herself not so long ago…

…then she noticed how the PETN mare’s daughter had no cutie-mark, despite being well into her teens, and felt a little sliver curl off her heart, hardening her tone and voice.

“Naturalize? Look at that thing up there…” she glowered, waving one hoof in the direction of the proletysing newfoal up on the Stalwart Heart memorial. “He’s been a pony for, what…three years now. Does he even look remotely naturalized? No, he looks just the same as any newfoal fresh out of the bottle. They, are sick…and whatever disease they’re a symptom of, it’s spreading…”

“Princess Celestia tells us that…”

“Look at your daughter!” she growled. “She’s practically fully grown! Where’s her cutie mark? And if those animals that trot on four hooves and smile truly are ponies, then where are their cutie marks? All of them, to the last, are blank-flanks! Explain that to me, and then explain how all of this doesn’t terrify you!?”

The mare glared furiously back as she put a protective hoof around her now sniffling daughter and held her close. “Experimentation by the Royal University assures us that the Dearth is just a passing phase, a result of Equestria’s magic being spread thin in expanding the barrier. Once Earth is wholly ponified, they predict we’ll see a Second Magical Renaissance, and I can’t wait for that day!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” the unicorn replied absently, shuddering as a passing newfoal brushed against her. “Ugh, unclean animals…”

“Look at you…” the PETN activist said, he tone now more sad than angry. “You rant about the newfoals being broken, but they’re the ones being persecuted by ponies like you. Feared by some, abused by others, despite Celestia’s words that we’re all just ponies. Despite all that, they keep smiling and keep on working to make Equestria a better place. That’s love and courage beyond compare. Their example gave me the strength to drag myself out the of the depths of a bottle. What have you done for anypony? You’re practically a traitor!”

With a flick of her head she turned, bit hold of something in her saddlebags, and threw a sheaf of pamphlets at the green unicorn’s feet. “Come on Ruby. This mare’s got her hatred for company…”

Turning, the two of them turned away, though the mother momentarily paused at stared back, as if commiting the angry mare’s face and features to memory. Said unicorn felt a little shiver run down her spine, and glancing down she angrily trod a hoof into the PETN literature that had been literally pounded into her…

…when she looked up, she saw the two activists having a spirited conversation with a nearby Guardspony, and gesturing in her direction. No doubt words such as ‘dissention’ and ‘objectionist’ were being used. When he nodded and began to trot towards her, the mare immediately bolted back into the crowd, cursing her actions.

‘Dammit dammit, dammit. I got worked up again, nearly blew myself! They taught me better than that! Now I’ve got to change outfits!’

Pushing through the heart of the rally, her horn shimmered, and as she flitted between oblivious newfoals her appearance began to flow like water. Her mane restyled itself into a set of slicked-back spike while her dress unraveled into a simple work-harness, and her horn appeared to wither into her skull as a trim pare of wings formed, tucked tightly against her barrel. A wash of fresh colors finalized the job, and as the Guardspony continued to hunt through the crowd for a forest-green lady-in-waiting, a creamy young Pegasus labormare walked straight past him in the opposite direction, heading out of the square and deeper into the city.

'Next time....Go as an old crone.' she muttered to herself. ‘There’s so many beggars around nowadays that no-one would notice one more…’

Finally, she reached her destination on the corner of Moon Drive and Sunset Blvd, where a lowly flower shop overlooked the mouth of the four-track railway tunnel connecting Canon Street and Scootaloo Stations. She dimly remembered that it had been a single-track bore until increased military-traffic had resulted in it doubling-out during the Crystal Empire affair. And then just a few years later two more tracks had been added. Entire streets of houses had been knocked down so that the cutting could be widened. Looking down, she suddenly realized that one of now-destroyed dwellings had been a flophouse where she’d been taken in after that…unpleasantness in Ponyville, and felt a pang of…well not so much sadness, for it had been a flea-infested dive that she had fled within days, but loss.

‘The first shock of a great earthquake had, just at that period, rent the whole neighbourhood to its centre’ she suddenly thought, quoting a line from Dickens, something that Stephan had once read her during the long days and nights of the European campaign. ‘The yet unfinished and unopened Railroad was in progress; and, from the very core of all this dire disorder, trailed smoothly away, upon its mighty course of civilisation and improvement.'

For the first time, she could feel the cynical derision that seeped deep into the prose. As she approached the door of the flower shop, down below street level a whistling locomotive erupted from the tunnel mouth in a broiling cloud of steam, hauling behind it an endless string of wagons laden heavily with coal. The pony who resembled a hardy laborer of the skies watched it, her eyes narrowed, as with a scream of brakes the black steam engine checked the speed of its heavy train and started to descend the long gradient into the valley below, where huge, fuming factories awaited an unending supply of war materiel…

The squeal of steel wheels on worn rails was suddenly drawn out by a roar from above, and cracking her head back she saw two pegasai rocket by in perfect formation, trailing a pair of distinctive contrails as they shot towards Canterlot Palace. One was the rainbow-maned Captain of the Wonderbolts, while the other was her loyal (and some said, loving) lightning-fast second-in-command. Within seconds, both had disappeared within the gleaming spires of the citadel, and from the fact that they had been flying supersonic over the capital, the implication was that they bore urgent news.

‘Suddenly I think now’s a bad time to be a strange mare out on her own…’ she thought to herself, and sure enough, just seconds after that realization, a scream of primal anger erupted out of the not-so-distant castle, amplified by what could only be Royal rage and might. Everypony in sight immediately spun in the direction of the howl, like weathercocks turning to the wind, their confused voices filling the void it left with babbling discussion.

“What was that?”

“Sounded like the Queen.”

“She doesn't really sound happy.”

“Oh no, did something happen with the Rescue Fleet?!”

Ignoring them, the mare took advantage of the sudden distraction and entered the flower shop, her eyes wandering over the many assorted blooms before spotting before a single one that stood out amid the storm of color.

A White Rose.

“Oh what a beautiful rose! What an exquisite color!” She chimed, gaining the attention of the vendor, a sturdily-build unicorn stallion, his pearl-white coat brushed to a shine and mane hidden behind a bandana that kept the sweat out of his eyes.

“Really now?” he asked, turning towards her, a smile on his face as he plucked the rose with his magic and presented it to her. “And does the fair lady want to buy such a beauty?”

“Oh yes, yes!” The mare nodded her head rapidly. Then she frowned. “Do you have anymore? I understand that they are awfully hard to grow around this time of the year.”

“Well...” the stallion said as if unsure, tapping his chin and thinking hard. “I do have a fresh batch inside the cellar.”

“How is that possible?” the mare looked at him in feigned astonishment. However, if any pony got close enough, they would of seen her left eye twitch somewhat, a tell that spoke of he frustration with this necessary charade of codes and pass-phrases.

“Trade secret,” he smiled wearily, his eyes gaining a look of understanding.

“I'll take a dozen,” the mare quickly answered, and the vendor chuckled and waved for her to follow him.

“Then follow me please, Madame.”

As they passed the three mares that actually did the work of running the flower-shop as a cover-business, the vendor spoke up; “Daisy, Lily, Roseluck. I have a special customer my dears. Please take care of the shop until we get back.”

“Of course,” they answered softly, exchanging a few wry looks as the door slammed shut behind the exiting pair.

“FINALLY!” the mare cried out once they were in the secretive dark of the cellar, her magical disguise shimmering and melting away to reveal a blue unicorn whose eyes were hidden behind a delicate domino mask. Her powder-blue mane was tied back in a pony tail, and where a cutie mark normally would have been showed only a blank flank. “Sweet Luna, how corny did all of that sound?”

The stallion removed his bandanna, to reveal an elegant parted gunmetal-blue mane “I think we did all right, Blue Spy.”

“So says you, Trade Secret...or should I say Fancy Pants,” the ‘Blue Spy’ smirked as the stallion placed a monocle on his left eye, before she bowed in a slightly mocking curtsey. “It’s an honor to be called before Equestria’s Prime Minister.”

“Former Prime Minister…” Fancy Pants corrected, though not without both a chuckle and a slightly pained grimace. “Still, Trade Secret is my cover name, and I trust you to keep that secret.”

“Understood,” Spy answered curtly. “Now, why am I even here? I should be back on Earth, fighting with the others.”

“The Battle of Boston is over my dear,” Fancy replied, his eyes scanning over several sheets of paper filled with names. “Or at least the first day’s worth of fighting. Our intelligence indicates that both sides formed up lines and dug themselves in some hours ago, once the new front established itself.”

Spy blinked several times before a look of worry began to creep across her face. “And...and who gained the upper hand?”

“Well, a stalemate would normally imply any ‘victory’ would be a nominal one.” Fancy replied, telekinetically removing his monocle and wiping it clean with the bandana that previously had been used to tie up his mane. “However, it appears that the Ponies for Human Life and the United Forces have turned a major milestone on its side. So far as we can tell, the Barrier has indeed stopped.”

He looked towards Spy as if expecting some verbal response, but all she could muster was an astounded squeak and a slight smile.

“I understand your surprise,” he continued, and despite his reserve, momentarily fumbled with his magic, dropping the monocle. “So it stands to reason that all our prayers are answered, at least for a little while. No doubt word of that was what resulted in our radiant monarch’s little ‘proclamation’ a few minutes ago. I doubt Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust particularly enjoyed having to drop such news at her hooves.”

After a moment’s pause he picked up the dropped monocle, now cracked from where it had hit the floor, and gave a dismissive little snort. “Pity.”

As Spy waited for further elaboration he returned the damaged piece of eyeware to its perch atop his snout, before trotting around to face her, expression now stern and more than a little concerned. “However...we should not get ahead of ourselves. Celestia was not expecting the level of resistance encountered at Halifax and learned her lesson. So far as we can ascertain, at Boston she finally played her trump card; the Elements of Harmony…”

“What happened?” Spy demanded, putting one hoof forward and her voice catching, all the while mentally promising great and terrible retribution against Twilight Sparkle if that nag so much as touched one hair on her friends’ heads...

“We’re…not entirely sure,” Fancy Pants admitted, ducking his head in what humans would call a shrug. “It certainly produced no result that anyone predicted; the elements did not cause a mass ponification, or backfire on their wielders as one might have hoped. No…Twilight Sparkle pulled all her forces back to lure the defenders forward, and when Commander Renee exposed himself, she and the other Element Bearers tried to force their ‘Harmony’ upon him…at the moment he’s MIA.”

“You don't think…”

“No.” Fancy answered before the question fully formed. “Were he captured or ponified the Queen would no doubt have been ecstatic. No time would have been wasted in presenting him to the world, cheerily renouncing his past loyalties and spilling every secret he had to offer.  Did that scream from earlier sound like one of happiness?”

“I guess not...so...where is he?” Spy asked as she simmered down. “You don’t think he could be…dead, do you?”

“In all honesty I have no idea.” Fancy said, withdrawing several documents from a filing cabinet and walking back to her. “From the tone of young Ms Seed’s dispatches, no-one is entirely sure of what transpired. All we know is that whatever happened caused considerable distress to Twilight Sparkle and the other Element Bearers, and they immediately fled back past the Barrier. The ever-capable Lady Cheerilee has stepped up to take command of the PHL in the Commander’s place, and I’ve no doubt that the best minds on both sides will be attempting to identify his fate as we speak.”

“Oh....”

“Yes, indeed, ‘oh’. But that is neither here nor there. We can worry about the esteemed Commander Renee later on, but right now we have business to attend to,” Fancy concluded, throwing down a bio sheet before the spy and sometime assassin. “This here is Green Fields, a recently-retired captain of the Royal Guard and veteran of the Crystal Campaign. I believe he may have info on our missing pony...or should I say, ‘our missing drake’?”

Spy grimaced. “If this Fields is a member of the guard, retired or not, then he’s going to be under the effects of Celestia’s Geas; he won’t divulge information even if he wanted to.”

“Ah, but is that not the specialty of our magically-gifted Blue Spy, to retrieve precious intel despite the obstructions of might and magic?” Fancy beamed. “Even someone under the influence of the Charter of the Guard will run their mouth, if they believe they are in the company of a friend…remember, the Geas compels loyalty and obedience, not intelligence…”

“Humph…” the Spy snorted. “You clearly have a ‘high’ opinion of the plat-de-jour. What else can you tell me about him? Why should he know anything about the dragon?”

“Because the good Captain cannot handle his cider very well.” Fancy grinned. “In addition, he has attempted to mitigate the boredom of retirement by taking up several good causes, such as supporting the Ponies for the Ethical Treatment of Newfoals…”

Spy’s head whipped up, eyes narrowed. “Your wife’s little circle of do-gooders? Does she even know what you do behind her back?”

She waved one hoof in an arc to indicate the shop, and Fancy’s expression fluctuated from anger to shame and then affection in just a few seconds.

“No…no she does not. My darling Fleur is a true-hearted mare, but she is loyal to the Crown. Yet despite all that, she is very much an advocate for the wellbeing of those poor, damaged Newfoals, and for that I cannot help but love her all the more…regardless!” he continued. “I happened to be in the presence of the former Captain Fields at a PETN fundraiser recently, and made sure that I was the one buying all the drinks. Let us say that after a while his lips loosened and he began to rant at all those ‘traitors’ and ‘subversives’ who are evidently to blame for Equestria’s current predicament, and eventually told a story that very much intrigued me…”

Spy tilted her head, waiting to hear more.

“As it so happens, the Good Captain Fields last assignment before retirement was a mission, entrusted personally to him by the Queen herself, to rescue the Element of Generosity from the clutches of an…ahem, ‘evil dragon’, which I take to mean ‘find those traitors and drag them back to my hooves before they can do any damage’…”

“Rarity and Spike…” Spy gasped, despite the bad taste both names left on her tongue. “So it is true that the two of them attempted to flee Equestria in the early days of the war?”

“Yes indeed, and they were not alone; you were not here at the time, but before Celestia magically closed all of Equestria’s borders, quite a large number of ponies escaped, and well done them…anyhow, Fields tracked said dragon and pony to a boat heading towards the Gryphon Lands. From that point on the tale became increasingly disjointed and no-doubt, drunkenly elaborated, but Fields described himself and thirty other guardsponies clashing with the beast in a near fight-to-the-death.”

“Wait, hold up. That doesn't make sense...” Spy argued, “The dragon we are looking for is a baby dragon, an infant drake...”

“Fields described a maturing young buck, fully armored in deep purple scales, with razor-sharp green spines, large wings and a powerful tail. This dragon’s fire glowed a deep emerald green and all but incinerated anypony foolish enough to stay in its path.” Fancy stated, his eyes expressing not the slightest doubt. “It is arcane knowledge, but dragons have been known to undergo accelerated growth rates under specific directions. Dragons who nurture their inner greed, are apparently the most dangerous, but I’m sure there are other scenarios that would allow for our young drake to grow up quickly...as for his fate beyond that encounter, I do not know; Fields by that point in the story was several drinks under the table and fell asleep. What we do know is that he succeeded in returning Rarity to Canterlot, and she duly reappeared as a Lady of the Court, fully supportive of the Earth Campaign, and whatever Celestia did to coerce or compel her loyalty makes me shudder just to contemplate...”

Spy stayed silent for a few moments, deep in thought. As she did, Fancy stood up and walked towards where his coat hung on a rack, his horn glowing as he retrieved a small something from the pocket; a nautilus shell set on a length of cord so that it resembled a simple necklace.

“A little magical something the Whooves family cobbled together…” he explained as Spy’s attention shifted to the shell. “It’s made entirely by pony craft using natural materials, so can be smuggled through the Barrier easily enough; it functions as a two-way speaking device and beacon.”

He quickly demonstrated how to use it, and then held the bell-end of the shell up to his mouth and spoke into it. “Trade Secret to New York, come in New York?”

“Yo Trade! Whatz da Newz?” the familiar voice of Babs Seed answered, and Spy held back a whinny of disapproval at the rambunctious young mare, who was shouting to make herself heard over the sound of shouting voices and metalwork.

“The news my dear” Fancy chuckled. “Is that Blue Spy is with me at the moment, I am passing the device to her now, and will then proceed to sterilize my operation, as agreed.”

“Undastood. We’z got good newz of our own. Doc Whoovez has fineuly’ got his new machine runnin’, so if Spy needs extraction, he’z ready to pick her up in an instant.” Babs answered, gaining a smile from Fancy. “Good luck on your end. New York out.”

“Trade Secret out…” Fancy replied, before handing over the nautilus necklace to Spy. “Excellent young mare that, a little rough around the edges, but stalwart-hearted and true. We’ll need peoples of such caliber in the days to come.”

“Yes, yes, enough praise and adulation,” Spy responded as she strung the cord around her neck, even though she would have gladly soaked up and encouraged any compliments directed at her. “What do you mean by ‘sterilizing your operation’.”

Fancy’s face fell slightly, before being replaced by a familiar sad, but loving smile. “You may have heard outside that our dear Tyrant has named a new Minister for Newfoal Affairs. It’s Fleur that she’s asked to join her cabinet, and that makes me too much of a risk, both to our cause, and my darling wife…I won’t endanger either of them to further danger. This will likely be the last you see of me until all this unpleasantness is ended.”

“So you’re going to…”

“Burn the house down, so to speak…” Fancy answered curtly, levitating a set of matches from his desk. “So dangerous, oil lanterns. So easy to knock over…Every piece of intelligence I’ve ever gathered is safely duplicated and hidden in caches across Equestria, but this shop and everything in it has to be reduced to ash. Trade Secret might be a pony that exists only on paper, but I won’t risk things tracing back to Fleur and myself in the event that this shop is ever exposed as a cover, not now that she’s a cabinet member. Before, I might have been able to escape with her in secret, but now that she’s accepted a government position it’s going to be impossible for me to be anything except her supporting husband.”

Spy nodded, and then in a move that surprised even her, trotted forward and embraced him in a hug. “Good luck Fancy. Stay safe, and I’ll see you on the other side.”

“It was my pleasure, ‘Blue Spy’. You’ll find Green Fields’ residence at 34 Celestial Lane. Now go, hurry…”

“Alright,” she answered, straightening her new necklace and summoning up a new disguise, before trotting back up the stairs and into daylight. By the time she was several streets away, she could already smell smoke and hear the clatter of fire-chariots rushing to the burning flower shop. No doubt Fancy would have made himself scarce and the three mares that ran the mock-business would be putting on a nice show for the fire-stallions.

The horror, the horror…

Fields Manor

For the retired Captain Green Fields, life was reaching its peak. His family was growing, his grandfilly was about to start school, and although his body was too frail for him to still serve in Equestria’s glorious armies, he could still do good work in the name of Celestia by helping out those poor newfoals that so many otherwise-decent ponies seemed to find unsettling.

Being able to enjoy a hot cup of tea whilst smoking his pipe, with a good book for company, was just the cherry on top of the well-frosted (if slightly bloody) cake that was his life.

“All is well”, he sighed, closing the book and placing his tea back on the table beside him. Perhaps this evening some of his friends still serving in the forces would pop round for a friendly chat, bringing word from the frontlines. It was his greatest regret that the blasted dragon had left him too lame to take part in the Earth campaign, but living vicariously through his colleagues in the comfort of his own home was ample substitute.

‘Only a few more months now…’ he thought sleepily, as yet unaware of events transpiring in a city known as Boston. ‘Then that ‘Earth’ place will be pony, and all Equestria can look on in pride of a job well done. So many more newfoals too, might be useful to train some of them up, turn a few battalions loose against the gryphons and zebras, damn weak-stomached backstabbers. Why not make them pony too…all happy and bright-smilin’.

Yes, all was well.

Warm and comfortable in his thoughts of Perpetual Ponydom, Fields was just drifting off to sleep when the creaking sound of a door opening startled him awake.

“Uh!? Wha?! Satin Glove, is that you?” he called, expecting it to be his newfoal valet, only to turn and see the door leading into this private study swinging slowly on its hinges.

“Stupid door, always got to open on its own,” he growled, stomping over to shut it, before throwing himself back into his comfy chair and draining the rest of his tea. Then, smacking his lips he glanced down at the empty cup, wondering why the dregs had tasted somewhat sweeter than usual. Strange, but nevertheless a pleasant taste. He’d have to go down to the kitchens and…and…make some…some more…

Something was wrong…the whole room seemed to be tilting sideways…

“Hel-help..” he managed weakly, before stumbling and collapsing onto his side, eyes wide as he sluggishly attempted to get back on his feet, thoughts turning to slush. “Wha...what’s wrong with meeeeeee...”

“You should really lock your doors,” a mare's voice echoed, seemingly from miles above him, even though he could now see her standing just in front of him. Squinting, he tried to identify her, but his vision was beginning to blur, colours and shadows swirling together. “You never know who might come in....”

Darkness claimed him.

*SMACK*

Fields was startled awake, and found himself blindfolded, legs trussed beneath him and lying on his side. Unable to see but perfectly capable of hearing his ears flicked to attention, taking in the distant sound of terrible industry and labor. There were not a few screams and cries comingled in the roar of smithies and machinery, and everything had an echoing, reverberating quality, as if he were deep underground.

He felt the distinct clip-clop of hoofbeats approaching and stiffened, old battlefield training coming back to him with a will.

“Captain Green Fields, Equestrian Armed forces, 33rd Royal Guard, Retired! Stallion-number UE33/7921!” he barked out. Name, rank, posting, and serial number. Give nothing else.

That resolve melted slightly when he felt the tingle of unicorn magic tug away his blindfold, and as his eyes adjusted he realized to his horror that he was no longer in Canerlot…

…in fact, he doubted he was in Equestria.

“Welcome to New York, Captain Fields”, the Great and Powerful Trixie announced…

To Be Continued…

A/N: Now, normally I would of used that niffy Author's note on the bottom, but I have more to show all of you!

Now introducing to the scene! Blue Spy! Her Bio and Picture are just below!

Name: Trixie Lulamoon

Aliases: Blue Spy

Age: Not your business

Classification: Spy, Assassin, Saboteur

Prefer Weapons of Choice:

Illusion Magics= Invisibility, Chameleon, Changling Make-up, Flares, Fireworks

Offensive Magic= Bolts, Levitation, Push

Defensive Magic= Shields, Home Made Talismans

Physical Offensive Weapons= Robert Klaas Kissing Crane Stiletto (Equestrian Made/Modified), Explosives (Both Modified and not), hooves

Physical Defensive Weapons= Flash Bangs, Smoke bombs, Pepper Bombs

Bio: Trained under the watchful eye of the Knight of Germania, Trixie has long since made her own weapons in the war against the Tyrant. While Front line fighter she is not, like her partner, her skills in illusion magic has made life easier for those she is paired with on the battle field, plus her ability to make life hell for the enemy has been spread out through out the Tyrant Armies.

She was contacted by the PHL after Battle of ThunderChild, and since ponies were the only ones that can go through the barrier, she was asked to perform several missions for the PHL.

Since then, she don the infamous name Blue Spy, which initially started as a joke from her partner's comrades. He has been using that nickname for her ever since.

Both to place fear into their enemies and to hide her true identity.

The name has now spread through dozens of Tyrant controlled bases on Earth. How this single mare can lay waste to 200 hundred strong, with out a single word of warning being sent out before they find the base in ruins.

At each ruined base, a single note would be left behind following words and picture:

She is one of the top ten most wanted beings on Earth. Taking the number 7 spot on the list, with her partner, the Knight of Germania, taking number 2 respectively.

Bounty- Alive: 1.5 million bits/ Dead: 1 million bits

The Answer (Part 2)

****Warning****

You must read Proudtobe's story TCB: Spectrum, Side Story.

The last Chapter: United in Diversity holds a lot of information important to this chapter, as it deals with characters written by him and their history. Will be somewhat lost if you don't.

Please read and rate it before reading this chapter.

Thank you.

United in Diversity

The Answer

Part 2

Writers:

Redskin122004

TB3

Proudtobe

Editor:

Drawdex

*Dedication to the Victims of the Boston Bombings:

A million words would not bring you back, I know because I've tried.

Neither would a million tears, I know because I've cried.*

In war, resolution; in defeat, defiance; in victory, magnanimity.

Winston Churchill

War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left.

Bertrand Russell

Secrets and lies! It's all secrets and lies with those ponies!

-Pinkie Pie

New York City, New York; NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital; 2023 Anno Dominae

“Okay, so, before we start, the purpose of this record is for future reference, and academic interest. Documenting today’s procedure are Senior Airman James Johnstone, USAF, and Photo Finish, PHL. I am Doctor Catherine Sheffield, International Degree in Reconstructive Microsurgery, and assisting me is Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Maya Akagi, and Nurses Redheart and Barry Romero. Our patient is this brave young lady…”

“Um, hey there…”

“Name, Scootaloo. Adolescent female Equestrian, Pegasus Subgroup. She is afflicted with a magipomp developmental disorder known as Juvenile D/H Necrosis, focused on the alicornial tissue structures of her wings, which require amputation. In this first session, we will be surgically removing the metacarpal bones of both wings, and associated musculature and tissue. Further amputations and reconstructive surgery will follow in subsequent sessions…”

“Enough talk already Cath! The more time you waste chatting to the camera, the more harm she’s in from the necrosis spreading!”

“Just one minute Fire’….ahem. Scootaloo has graciously allowed for these sessions to be recorded, improving our understanding of magical anatomy and biology. Due to the healing physiomagical qualities of positive emotional states in Equestrians, also known as the ‘Harmony Effect’, she will be accompanied through the procedure by her nomi-legal guardian, Wildfire, and her fillyfriend, Babs Seed. The current time is 10.04pm, and we are about to begin pre-op anesthesia. Are you ready to go Scootaloo?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be Doc…’…I’m sorry, I guess I should be cooler about this?”

“Watcha’ talking bout’ Scoots? Youze not loosing ya wings, youze gaining a place in history. Ain’t nopony gonna forget whatyer’ doin’ here.”

“Th…thanks Babs…Wildfire…guys…please don’t go?”

“Never honey…never…”

“I…love you... both…”

“And we love you…”

“…there, she’s sedated now. Wildfire, Babs, if you just remain close to the head end of the table, and we’ll keep to the back and sides. Feel free to sing or talk to her if you think it helps…right, I am now commencing the primary incision…”

*

Love. Four letters representing an emotional state brought on by mere hormones and stimulated neuro-emitters, but capable of so much.

Cadance knew that better than most. The…‘unconventional’ mentor that the PHL had produced for her to study under had taught her that much.

‘Chrysalis was right; you really can almost touch it…wherever the old monster has gone to now, I hope she’s at peace…’

Even separated from the Operating Theatre by thick glass observation windows, she could feel the spectrum of feelings radiating from inside. Wildfire and Babs practically radiated with affection, devotion and concern, whilst the staff attending to Scootaloo were shaded in softer tones of compassion and care. Now, soaking up those disparate feelings that could all be classified under ‘love’, Cadance felt strong, in body and spirit. As Wildfire leaned in to nuzzle her young ward, the mare who would have been the Crystal Princess felt an involuntary shiver run through her, and her emaciated wings gave an involuntary, vestigial flutter. She was beginning to see where the Changelings had crossed the line into emotional addiction…

“Cadance?” a voice interrupted, and with a shamefaced flush on her face, Cadance trotted around to see Cheerilee standing in the observation gallery’s doorway. The burgundy mare had more lines around her eyes nowadays, and her forelegs were wrapped in bandages from where she had volunteered to go under Sparkler’s runic needle, becoming a unicorn in all but name and horn…

“Trixie’s got the prisoner secured,” Cheerilee continued. “She’s ready to receive you now.”

“Alright”, the young pegacorn nodded. She could feel a low wave of concerned love emanating from Cheerilee and paused to embrace the older mare. “Don’t worry Cheerilee; they will find Marcus, I know they will.”

The acting commander of the PHL did not answer, but instead loosely returned the hug. “I hope so Cadance, I really do.”

Then, her magical batteries fully charged from bathing in the emotions pouring out of the operating theatre, Cadance left with her head held high, ready to prove a point.

That when Power was confronted with Love, Love would win…

It HAD to win. For her Shiny’s sake, and the sake of everyone and everypony else…

*

“Who...what is going on!?” Fields managed, outrage fighting hoof-to-hoof with fear.

“Tsk tsk, Captain Fields” the blue mare that had evidently captured him tutted, slowly pacing back and forth before him with brazen cheek. “Wouldn’t a seasoned soldier know an interrogation when he sees one?”

Fields returned a hostile glare, a swell of righteous indignation punching straight through his rising dread. “You’re the Blue Spy?”

He managed a derisive snort. “The fabled Blue Spy is really the Oh-So- Great and Powerful Trixie? Ha! A failed mountebank, a carnival showmare now turned traitor! How very pathetic.”

“Ho-hum” Trixie replied, rolling her shoulders with affected nonchalance. Her horn shimmered as she telekinetically tossed a small knife in the air. Momentarily it landed on her nose and she gave it a casual flick, vaulting it over her back where it was caught in a deft flick of the tail.

“So is this it?” Fields hissed, trying to push a possible advantage. “Is this dingy cellar all the fabled Human Resistance can muster? Is this the final squalid bastion where you will cower from the Rescue Fleet and the Salvation Army.”

“Hmm? Oh them. No we’re well behind the front lines – it might surprise you to know that the Battle of Boston has stretched out into a bit of a stalemate, and so far as I know, the Rescue Fleet was all but destroyed. I’ll show you the video of the Great Equestrian crashing into the Hancock Tower when we’re done; you might find it quite entertaining. And the Salvation Army out of Stalliongrad has been reduced in numbers by over a third.” Trixie said nonchalantly, her horn glowing as she unfolded the switchblade. “No, the reason we’re down in the bottom of the bunker network is so that the others can’t hear you screaming. The PHL has quite a few bright young mares and colts under their wings, and we don’t want to scar them for life.”

With a sudden flick she thrust the blade into Field’s face, hovering it an inch from one of the older pony’s eyes.

“This is a Robert Klaas Kissing Crane Stiletto. The company that makes them has been around for nearly two centuries now. They started with penknives, and eventually produced a wide variety of interest variants, all designed for a specific purpose.”

The knife slowly crept closer, until the tip was lightly pressing against the soft cartilage at the base of Field’s horn.

“This particular blade is made for stabbing, and the ‘carnival showmare’ now holding it has used it plenty of times to put hundreds of unaware monsters...oh...I'm sorry, I mean new foals, out of their misery. This is what Equestria did to me, Captain Fields, forced me to find a better cause than myself, and drive me to shed a lot of blood for that cause. My blood, and the blood of others, so much until I practically bathed in it. Like some vampiric tyrant of old.” The mare leaned in close, her eyes narrowing upon him. “I’m hardly a pony anymore, but at least I can say that my mind, my soul, my heart are my own, as are those of the humans and ponies that I care for. Can you say that, Captain Fields, slave of a fallen Queen, child of a perverted nation, wannabe champion of a genocide that defies all that was good and right about Equestria?”

“Go to Tartarus!” Fields shouted, “Whatever info you want, you can spill as much of my blood as you want. And you’re no pony, you’re one of those…those human things! You might trot on four hooves, but you’re the very image of what Equestria needs to stomp on, squash out, crush underhoof until nothing is left! YOU, ARE, AN, ANIMAL!”

“She is loved, and loves in return, truly and honestly,” a new voice butted in, and from the corner of his eye Fields saw another mare trot into view. Pegacorn, pink, slightly above average build, from a royal house most likely because of the withered wings. But the eyes…oh he had seen eyes like that on the faces of troops back from the front. Trixie, the Blue Spy, hid her emotions quite well, but this mare let it all show. So much pain…

“What is the measure of a person Captain?” Trixie pushed. “I might kill, I might be a depraved perversion of the pony ideal, but I can say I am a free pony. You, are not, and we’re going to help you see that.”

The pink pegacorn stepped closer, her horn lighting up, and Fields felt a sudden twitch deep inside him. She radiated…something, something that made him think of…

/Childhood/mother/adoration/compassion. Older, Celestia, not Queen, true Princess/right/honest/true. Swearing in, oath of trust/brokenBROKENbetrayed…/

“Stop!” he screamed, trying to roll away. Something inside him was twisting, coiling around his very life. Such thoughts were…wrong…comparing the Queen to how she used to be was-/FORBIDDEN-FORBIDDEN-FORBIDDEN-DONOTTHINKDONOTREMEMBER-OATHOATHOATH!/

Blue Spy smiled, something that put Green Field on edge. “You have spunk, Captain. I’m pretty sure that if you could choose, you’d be on our side. Sadly, that choice has been stolen from you, your very will and identity violated. You’re no new foal, but you stand with those ideals, and you don’t know why....do it Cadance…go deep”

She stepped aside, and Green Field's stomach dropped the pink mare, Cadance….(one of the minor princesses?)…lowered her horn as if ready to joust and pressed closer, her horn radiant and her very fibre tingling with that same terrible force that had touched him just now.

“I’m sorry to do this, Captain Fields, but you will thank me for it,” she said, her tone mournful but determined. “But you will thank me for it. Now, what do you treasure the most? WHO do you treasure the most?”

/QUEEN CELESTIA…no, how could he think that? /DUTY OBEY!/His family, his beloved daughter and granddaught-/CELESTIA! NO OTHER HIGHER LOVE…CONFORM-OBEY-SERVE!/

“Focus on that Captain!” Cadance shrilled. “Family, your own blood, the daughter and grandfilly you love so much. Hold onto that, not what Celestia’s Geas compels you!”

Family-kith/kin-somuch-love-COMFORM OR DIE, CONFORM OR DIE-nonono-two small foals he’d held when they were infants-GLORY/INCARNATE/RADIANT/PERFECT/WORSHIP AND OBEY! OBEY OR DIE!/

“Yes, think of that Captain…” Trixie hissed into his ear, lips curled in a smirk. “Think of them tied to a chair, my knife dancing in front of their eyes…that’s what will happen unless you yield…after all, who said I had to draw your blood to hurt you?”

/Protectforever/never let them be hurt/on his life-/ON YOURSOUL!!!! OBEY! OBEY! SERVE FOREVER! LOVE HER FOREVER!/

“STOP!” he screamed, the force in his chest now a vice crushing that which was his most inviolate self. “YOU’RE KILLING ME!”

But still the Pink mare forced on, forcing up memories: wife, friends, family-/SERVE SLAVE! YOU ARE PROPERTY! YOU ARE THE LIMB OF OUR WILL!/

“She’s not doing anything Fields, much less killing you. That’s all dear Celly’s work. But I will kill your daughter and grandchild, and my work will not be quick and merciful, but slow…

“NOOOOOOOOOO!” he screeched, back arcing involuntarily.

“You can save them…simply tell me what I want to know…tell me about the dragon, Spike…”

Field’s mouth slammed shut /SLAVE! OBEY/SPEAKNOT, and he struggled for breath.

“I…can’t!”

“Why not…don’t you love them? Does he, Cadance…”

“Deeply and truly Trix…come on Captain, you can feel what’s been done to you. FIGHT IT!”

/YOU-ARE-SLAVE/THING/INSTRUMENT/TOY-SERVE AND LOVE US! LOVE ME DO!/

“I…CAN’T! It…won’t let me!”

“What won’t? Just say it, defy the spell. Scream the name of your oppressor.”

“IT-SHE! ARGHHHHHHH!”

“Fight soldier! Do your duty to those that deserve it most, your family. As a Princess of Equestria, as the Scion of the Crystal Empire, I am ordering you to fight it, in the name of Highest Love and Harmony!”

/YOU-ARE-OURS/

“What would be best, Fields? Should I start with your granddaughter, and make her mother watch? Or would it be better to make the child watch as I mutilate her mother?”

/I love you daddy./ His baby girl, all grown up, watching as she gave him a warm smile full of love.

/SERVE US!/

/I love you too grandpa./ His granddaughter, her young face full of laughter and life.

/OBEY US!/

/Buck up Green,getting tired you old stallion? Ha! Don’t you worry about it, I can handle everything for the both of us./ His loving wife, their twilight years flashing before his eyes, the happiest he had ever been.

/LOVE US!!!!!REVERE US!!!!!ADORE US!!!!/

“Oh...looks like daddy doesn't care, Sweety. Don't worry; your grandfilly will get a share.” Blue Spy, taunted, the words tripping out in a demented lullaby.

“I…she…the Queen!” Field’s mouth babbled, seizing shut and releasing in spasms, froth and spittle flowing over his chops. Whatever was wrapped around his soul was screaming in tune with him, like a snake that had been skewered but refused to die.

“Do it Captain!” Cadance shouted, horn a column of blue fire and sweat pouring down her face from the strain. “You’re almost at the summit soldier! Just defy her once, and you’ll raise the flag of love forevermore! Love, Captain, USE YOUR LOVE!”

“I…am….your loyal…Captain, PRINCESS CADANCE….” Fields roared suddenly. “SHE DID IT! CELESTIA DID THIS TO ME, TO ALL OF US! OH SWEET MERCY, WHY!?”

Something snapped inside of him, and for a second Fields felt a numbing cold wash over him, and knew that his heart had stopped.

‘So this is it. All those battles, and this is how it feels to die. And here comes the Pale Mare to take me away…hello old friend, we meet at last…’

‘Oh buck up Green you sappy old romantic…’ The ghostly unicorn that filled his vision laughed softly. ‘You’re not dead yet, just very exhausted.’

No, it wasn’t the Pale Mare…that build, that face, those loving eyes…his wife?

‘Maybelle…but, you’re dead…long dead…don’t go, stay with me, please…’

‘You fought well my darling, through your hardest battle yet…but we’re not destined to be reunited just yet. Go…our family needs you…’

‘I’ll do it, May…I’ll fight again, for them, for everyone. Oh powers, I am so sorry…’

‘Hush, hush…what was done to you through the Charter of the Guard wasn’t your fault, but overcoming Celestia’s Bind was certainly your triumph…and I never left your side…I’ll always be here…’

Something lurched inside his chest and Fields felt feeling come surging back with a sickening gasp. Every part of him ached, and yet somehow, he felt lighter…lighter than he had in years. Free…

Slowly, he opened his eyes. He had fallen into the embrace of the most-assuredly Great and Powerful Trixie, who was slowly stroking his mane with mechanical precision. Princess Cadance was slumped a few feet away, happy tears running down her face.

“It worked… love won, love…; love can win again…”

“Yeah…” Trixie said numbly, as an exhausted Fields breathed heavily in her forearms. “Love…”

Slowly she looked over to the princess, who was now repeatedly sobbing her husband’s name.

“Cadence…what has this war done to us? What are we going to be when it’s done? Heroes, criminals, monsters worse those than those we’ve fought…or, something else altogether…it scares me Cadence. It scares me…”

*

“So, Spike’s being held in the Everfree…” Cheerilee mused, a pen tucked behind one ear and a veritable library’s worth of digital reports carefully arranged across one of her office’s four e-walls, separated into categories: Boston, Intelligence, R&D, Black-Ops, Internal, on and on. At the center of it all, trying to assimilate everything, separate the chaff from the wheat, the curd from the cream, Ponyville’s former schoolteacher trotted back and forth, warily levitating a notepad beside her with her newly-applied magic.

“That’s right…” Cadance confirmed, wings tucked in and hooves together as she stood at attention (Cheerilee neither asked for or demanded parade-ground formality, but having spent enough time in the company of soldiers and guardsponies, Cadence felt it respectful and appropriate). “Fields gladly shared everything he knew once we shattered the Geas acting on him. After he and his troops subdued Spike over Equestria’s Eastern Ocean, he was escorted under armed guard to the Castle of the Two Royal Sisters.

Cheerilee paused and attempted to magically draw the pen from behind her ear, but instead fumbled the object and dropped it: right before it hit the floor, Cadence caught it in her own blue field of magic, holding it still for Cheerilee to recover.

“Thank you Cadence…and I thought learning how to write without my mouth was hard…” Cheerilee acknowledged, before reverting her attention back to the incoming reports projected on the wall, gesturing with the pen for emphasis.

“We’re holding Boston for now, but can’t maintain it forever. Zecora’s spell depends on Earth’s own neglected magic to hold back the barrier, and the Miskatonic leyline won’t last much longer before Equestria’s magical might is focused to overpower it. Now we’ve got border incursions all down Massachusetts and New Hampshire as the Solar Guard attempt to drive a spear in our flanks and rear. But we’ve gained an important metaphorical victory, in that we’ve halted a previously unstoppable advance, and forced them to change tactics…who knows what results a few more upsets to Celestia’s applecarts may yield…”

“Such as a high-ranking Captain of the Royal Guard defecting?” Cadence suggested, and Cheerliee wondered if she meant Green Fields or was suggesting abducting and ‘turning’ Shining Armor. Both had merit.

“Yes…or a dragon joining our campaign,” she answered. “The PHL and the UN forces could certainly use some draconic support, and from what we now know, Spike has grown into a powerful young drake, so he would be a valuable asset. Better yet, he could easily pass through the barrier at will, and come out the other side still armed with his natural fire; a few quick strikes in and out of Equestria would certainly make more ponies question ‘Celly’s’ invulnerability and assurances of invincibility…”

Cadence nodded, even as the two of them shared a weary and slightly strained expression.

“You feel it too, huh?” Cheerilee asked, and Cadence nodded.

“We’re both committed to all this, but the fact that it had to come to this just feels wrong. I can’t help but imagine what could have been if First Contact had not descended into…well everything that we’ve lived through.”

“Yeah…we’ve lost a lot, but learned a lot too…” Cheerilee levitated over a handkerchief to wipe down her face (levitation and basic spellwork came easier to her than it had Marcus, but the lack of a horn to act as a natural magical focus made even rudimentary magic demanded a lot of focus). “When this is all done, I’d just like to settle down somewhere with Marcus, build a home, and then…we'll, try to rebuild the world…lots of children are going to need foster parents, billions will need proper homes, the newfoals are going to need so much therapy…and time, we’re all going to need time…”

Cheerilee sighed, and once again fumbled the pen. This time, Cadence was too emotionally drawn to catch it, and it clattered onto the floor.

“Trixie’s already gone after Spike…” Cadence said softly. “I think she needs to keep moving to keep her mind off of all this…”

“She’s not alone Cadence…if I don’t keep working, all I can think about is Marcus, and wherever he might be now. Is it the same for you and Shining Armor?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I get the feeling that we’ll be moving into the endgame of the war soon…and hopefully we’ll have both of our loved ones back to help us endure the peace that comes next…because it’s probably going to be worse than anything we’ve suffered yet…”

Cheerilee’s voice trailed off, and a long silence prevailed. Reports clicked in and out on the e-walls, bouncing away into the digital ether, until finally Cadence managed a sorrowful smile.

“But at least we won’t be alone, and will have homes to go home to at the end of the day. Hooves and arms to be held in, friends and family to share our pain; that’s more than many will have, and we should treasure that.”

The pen lay on the floor, forgotten. Printed down the side were a faded Union Jack and the words ‘A Present from Historic London’…

*

Everfree Forest, Castle of Two Sisters

“Dammit!” Trixie…no, Blue Spy again, cursed to herself as she ducked beneath a low branch. “Its’ times like this that I wish I had enough power to Teleport. That trip took too long! Stupid forest, stupid dragon, stupid train, stupid newfoals and stupider baboons!”

Some might have seen this as a nascence of a split personality. Blue Spy was not one of those people.

“Come on, Tr-Uh...I mean Spy, let’s go!” a cheerful voice echoed in front of her, the words touched by a musical tone.

“Shut up!” Spy hissed at the young mare who was leading the way. “Do you want to give us away!?”

“Sorry...”The teen whispered. Spy simply shook her head.

“How much further Sweetie Bell?” she sighed, and the youth paused at the forest around her. Again, some might have observed this and assumed Sweetie Bell was lost: in truth, she was simply assessing which of the several routes available to them best avoided the ‘enthusiastic’ life indigenous to the Everfree. Taking up residence in Zecora’s old hut did that to a filly. It was also why Spy had sought her out to guide her through the forest. Finally, Sweetie pointed ahead of her and slightly to the left.

“That way, and that way alone: veer more than fifty years off that bearing and you’ll find quicksand on one side and manticore territory on the other.”

“Manticores? You’re sending me past their territory!?”

“Well you could try taking the path through the chupacabra burrows, but I wouldn’t recommend it; the manticores are migrating between nests at this time of year, so the various packs are more likely to be paying attention to one another than you.”

With a sharp buck, Sweetie Bell tossed two small phials out of her saddlebag, balancing them on her forehead and snout. Spy’s eyes narrowed, suddenly noticing how much more…well, graceful Sweetie Bell had become since moving into the Forest. Did she always have that leanly muscled, athletic build and…was…was that a machete sticking out of the pack!?

“The pink phial is hydra hormones, highly concentrated” Sweetie said cheerfully. “Spread it on your knife and it should induce fairly quick cardiac arrest in anything you cut it with; useful when fighting off the larger carnivores.”

“What’s the yellow one?” Spy asked, not wanting to know how the clean, fresh-faced, and frighteningly well-prepared young mare had obtained these supplies. She didn’t exactly look feral but…well; she did live in the Everfree, alone…

“Hydra urine…keep it uncorked and the scent will do a better job of deterring anything than trying to fight them.”

Nose wrinkling in disgust but nodding, Spy ignited her horn and made to seize the phials, before Sweetie Bell unexpectedly slapped her across the nose, a move that might have earned her a stiletto in the jugular, were it not for the unexpectedness of it all.

“No! No magic! The parasprites have been reproducing out of control since Celestia took the Crystal Throne, and they’re drawn to strong sources of magic; and where parasprites go, scavengers follow!”

Sweetie shook her head, muttering about ‘moronic townsponies’ and turned to point into the undergrowth.

“Now, after half a mile you’ll hit the old Royal Road; it’s a stream-bed now, which is why almost no-one knows it still exists. Follow it downstream, keep quiet, and don’t make eye contact with anything with scales or feathers, especially if it’s got scales and feathers, and eventually you’ll reach the gorge: the bridge is just up from where the stream pours off. You’ll see the castle on the other side.” Sweetie Bell spouted off.

“Alright…” Spy nodded, before shooting a quick glance at the youth. Despite everything, Sweetie Bell was still a blank-flank; she seriously hoped it was due to Equestria’s spreading sickness, because from how scarily good she was at playing survivalist, the world might be in danger when Sweetie discovered her special talent.

“What about you? Don't you need a guide?” Sweetie asked

“Don't need one; I have a ride waiting for me.” Spy answered, and Sweetie smiled.

"Doctor?"

"Doctor."

“Alright, well, be careful.”

“Thank you Bell…” Spy said curtly, taking two steps forward before pausing and turning, ears flicking as if embarrassed. “Look, it’s going to get tough in Equestria soon. Go to Golden Harvest Ranch; Carrot Top can get you out into New York. You’d be safe there, and Seedling and the Chicken could do from seeing you about.”

“Oh no, I’ll be fine” Sweetie smiled, showing slightly more teeth than might be expected. “Besides, how else would Zecora make all those magical lotions for you, Scoots, Babs and the rest without me gathering supplies from the Everfree? Now vamoose ya varmit!”

With that, Sweetie pulled the machete (yes, it was indeed just that) out of her saddlebag and, with it clenched firmly in her jaws, trotted off into the gloom of the jungle, softly humming a lullaby as she went.

Watching her melt away as if she was part of the Everfree itself, Spy felt a shiver run through her; then she stomped it out with a huff, before smirking.

“Okay, so you’ll be fine. But what about me?” she muttered, carefully treating her blade with the hydra solution as directed, before uncorking the phial of urine; then, with it tucked into an open pocket on her combat harness, she slowly slunk forward into the forest, careful not to make a single sound.

That is not to say that she did not go unnoticed. Just before reaching the old Royal Road she had a run-in with an adolescent manticore, most likely a rogue male which had been driven out of one of the migrating packs. It had been dining on…well, what was once a lost guardspony. A few thrusts of the drugged blade had put it into cardiac shock before it could do any damage to her, and Spy had for good measure run another knife through the venom sacks in its tail, making sure to work the stuff into the blade’s serrated teeth: double protection. She even got a decent, if slightly punctured chest-plate off the dead guard (it momentarily occurred to her that The Great & Powerful Trixie would have most likely run screaming and then become another entrée for the predatory chimera, but that moment passed quite quickly)

Eventually however, she hit the gorge. The Castle was evidently occupied, from the partly-restored structure and the new prison wings built onto it (in concrete, she noted, evidently a concept that Equestria had borrowed off humanity). Traitor’s Walk, the highway that connected the fortress to Ponyville and, thence, Canterlot, followed the gorge out through the forest in the opposite direction, but there was still a bridge, albeit a modern suspension span wrought in steel.

As she approached, the sound of hooves on the deck of the bridge prompted her to sidle into hiding behind a large rock. Two guards trotted past, muttering lowly to one another.

“Did you hear?” the larger of the two said. “The Recovery Fleet’s surge into America was thwarted!”

“No way, those humans don't have the ability to do that!” protested his colleague. “The Great Equestrian-”

“-was destroyed too! Didn’t you read today’s circular? Something halted the barrier in Boston and the Salvation Army was portaged through from Stalliongrad to sweep for the cause of it.”

“What happened?”

“The humans deployed some kind of magical flying-machine and took out the portal station, cutting off the supply-line from Stalliongrad. The troops committed found themselves lured into a sack and were forced to dig in, carrying only the supplies needed for the fast-strike, not an extended campaign. About sixty percent of them have fallen back through the Barrier to Base Shadowfax in Nova Scoltia, but the remainder is still entrenched along the new front.”

“What!? No! You lie! The Salvation Army is nearly a million strong! That means four-hundred THOUSAND ponies are trapped in…that dirty place.”

“Oh, they’ll overwhelm the humans through sheer force of numbers, but after all this, Her Majesty will demand heads roll for this insult. Good riddance too!”

They both spat on the ground in agreement, and Spy rolled her eyes. They weren’t newfoals, just average Pony-Joe guards under the influence of the Geis, but still…who, other than an ideologically-enforced zombie, talked like that? On the other hoof, interesting Intel on Boston; she’d have to pass on the tidbit about Equestrian troop commitments and supply-lines to Cheerilee when she got back.

The two troops were following what appeared to be a predetermined patrol, and keeping well back she followed them, using a featherstep charm to silence her hoofsteps and listening intently; one interesting thing was that, with Equestria itself so remote from the fighting, no-one had seemed to grasp the concept of ‘careless talk costs lives’; even Celestia’s Geis did not stop the two from trading what would otherwise be intelligence gold, only colored their emotional response: they were gleeful at victories, furious at defeats, and rabidly xenophobic and brutal when imagining the fate of humans and ‘traitors’, but never actually questioned the orders that had resulted in such a tactical nightmare. Curious.

As she listened in, she began to assemble a little picture puzzle from what the two were discussing: rumors of humans behind drenched in potion but remaining unchanged, shielded by a new form of heavy armor that also deflected or absorbed all but the most powerful of spells. PHL ponies and UN troops charging through Equestrian lines led by a huge figure wielding a claymore, and aircraft that for the first time showed magical shielding resilient to the tactics that had previously given pegasai control of Earth’s skies. Minor victories and defeats, skirmishes and strikes. Altogether the disparate factlets spoke of two armies suddenly thrown into a new theatre, one where magic was no longer solely on the side of those who walked on hooves.

‘Oh brave new world, that has such creatures in it…’ she marveled, before shaking off the shiver of joy that was running down her spine; here and now, she had to retain a professional cool.

Then however, the conversation took a more disturbing turn.

“But now we’ll strike back!” the two guards agreed, creepily appearing to think in unison, as if telepathically sharing in some grand strategy (was that even possible?). “The monkeys might have stolen themselves some magic, but they can't stand against us all! The Salvation Army has gauged their strength, seen their new tricks, and will soon respond, with fresh troops and supplies!”

Exulting in brutal joy, the guards finally returned to the bridge, their patrol ended. “Even the humans and their savage technology cannot resist the harmonious might of several million ponies! As the Queen has decreed it, so shall it be!”

‘Several, million?’ Spy processed in horror, her heart seizing monetarily. 'Shit on a spit!'

Again she resisted the lure of emotion; now was no time for a panic. Cheerilee and the human generals had committed to fighting in Boston to try and throw Celestia off-balance. A moment’s self-doubt would translate into entire days that Equestrian troops would be held back, giving time for Earth’s United Forces to either fortify Boston or withdraw…but now, it seemed that ‘Dear Sweet Celly’ had pulled several hundred extra divisions out of her flaming asshole, and had such confidence in pony-kind’s martial strength that she was willing to commit them…but where had she gotten such a swell of horsepower from?

‘The newfoals…’ she realized in a flash. ‘She’s got to be weaponizingthe newfoals; reprogramming their base emotional configuration to make them more war-like…there’s practically billions of them to draw on, an infinite well of reserves that she can spend like loose change…cannon fodder!’

Even with all the reservations she had for the newfoals, the disgust they invoked in her, now she just felt saddened and dismayed…troops rushed through basic training in just a few weeks, untested in combat, sent smiling to the front lines…that was just sick.

She shook her head, pushing those depressing thoughts into a mental folder and shutting it away in a filing cabinet deep in the basement of her psyche (it had a sign on it warning ‘beware of the leopard’). Time was increasingly of the essence – she had to move fast.

The guards she had been stalking had now re-entered the castle, leaving a second pair to guard the bridge. Now, how should the Sneaky and Deadly Spy take care of these fools…oh, she really had to stop doing that.

Something clicked in her bag, and she glanced down at the knife she had doused in Manticore venom. She thought back to the dead animal she had left in the forest, no-doubt an outcast that had challenged one of the clan males. Sweetie had said this was their migratory season…

After a moment of thought, a small smile graced her face.

"Perfect."

It took a while; several minutes backtracking, and then the unwelcome task of bottling the dead runt’s urine, and then even more effort to locate one of the migrating Manticore packs. But then, all it had taken was a spritz of musk and…

"HELP!"

The two Earth ponies guarding the bridge jumped at the sounds, and looking towards the bridge over the gorge they saw a green unicorn mare fleeing towards them.

"Halt! Do not- what the buck?!" One guard started, only to trail off in horror as a massive Manticore charged into view, apparently chasing the fleeing mare.

"Ah! It’s going to eat me!" the mare shrieked as she ran across the bridge. The Manticore followed, leaping the gorge with one swoop of its powerful wings. "I don’t want to be an appetizer! Save me!"

“Have no fear mam’, Manticores always turn at the sight of steel!” the larger guard said, hefting his spear, right before she splashed him with a pale yellow liquid. “Wha…what was that?”

“Tag, you’re it!” the mare laughed, before retreating up against the castle door, a twisted grin on her face.

The guards blinked. It would be the last thing they would ever do.

Ponies stationed at the Castle of the Two Sisters were, indeed trained to know that Manticores would flee at the sight of a raised spear. What they were not trained to do was fight off an enraged and very hormonal tom who now thought you were that runt bastard male he had chased off his territory two days ago…

The result was a very bloody and savage evisceration. Spy, protected by a few good splashes of ‘Eau-du-Hyrda-Piss’ watched with a dispassionate curiosity, only blinking when a severed eyeball glanced off her snout. Finally, once she was convinced the two guards were dead, she magically raised his spear and skewered the manticore through the eye. Simples.

Of course, it was impossible for no-one inside the castle to have not overheard the screams, snarls, and assorted interesting sounds a body made when being rent limb-from-limb, but by the time they had raised the portcullis and come rushing out in a futile rescue, all they found was a pair of dead bodies, and a trembling, traumatized guardsmare who had bravely slain the monster that had attacked and murdered their brave friends and colleagues. From the huge dent in her breastplate, it had nearly gotten her as well…

…in the rush to get her into the infirmary, it never occurred to any of the garrison that they had never seen the mare in question before in their lives…

Twenty minutes later, as soon as the medic had gone to report on her condition to the Prison Warden, Spy had abruptly stopped gibbering, sweating and chewing on the blankets, and gotten out of bed. Two more minutes work quickly secured her a full suit of armor from the adjacent locker room, and a quick dash of Changeling magic had reconfigured her appearance into that of a trim young Pegasus guardsmare with a white coat and an elegantly-coiffed mane of purple and lavender curls (it seemed right to pay a little tribute to Sweetie Bell). Now she could walk around quite unmolested, and the helmet let her keep her horn out without having to hide it…

…of course, locating Spike depended on access to someone with knowledge on where he was secured, and for that, the best target was of course the Warden himself. Thankfully, the medic, a unicorn with a propensity for levitating a notepad wherever he went, had left a magical signature a mile-long, one that a skilled sorceress could track with her eyes shut and her ears plugged.

Ten minutes after leaving her bed (quite against Doctor’s orders, but that couldn’t be helped), Spy was in the corridor outside the Warden’s office, standing at attention as if guarding the door (no-one ever paid attention to a guard standing outside a door), putting out a few magical probes to perceive what was going on inside…

“What in the blue blazes is going on Purple Heart!?” a furious voice demanded, loud enough that she hardly needed magic to listen in. “The last I heard, two of my best guards were dead, and another has gone mad!”

“I’m sorry to say that is true. Grave Sight and Drum Green were attacked by a Manticore from the Everfree. I’m not familiar with the mare, probably one of the newfoal recruits, but she acquitted herself marvelously it seems. Still, it seems she wasn’t ready to take a life; even that of an animal’s…she’s showing all the signs of breaking down, like first earlier newfoal recruits did.”

“Crab apples, we were assured the latest conscripts had more spine than that!” the warden cursed, and Spy rolled her eyes in disbelief.

'You know....humans are right...Our curses does sound stupid.'

Suddenly the office door slammed open, and the Warden, a unicorn, stormed out and bellowed down the corridor.

“Focus Ray!” he barked. “Get up here!”

True to form, he paid no attention to the dignified young pegasus mare guarding his door, except perhaps to give her shapely flank a quick glance as he ducked back inside his office. Again, pretty much as she had expected. Despite all of Equestria’s efforts, the majority of ponies were not cut-out for sustained war, and magically trying to compel that just seemed to dim other mental faculties, such as the ability to ask ‘who the buck are you?’

After a few seconds another unicorn, a Lieutenant who was presumably ‘Focus Ray’, rushed up from the lower levels and charged into the office.

“Sir!”

Spy could practically hear him salute.

“I need you to go into Ponyville and report to the barracks that we’re now three bodies short of a full garrison,” the warden ordered. “Also, we’re going to need the legal team round to initiate next-of-kin proceedings for Grave Sight and Drum Green, and a newfoal liaison to drag our third casualty back to sanity.”

“Yes Warden Star!” Focus Ray snapped back, and Spy heard him trot around as if to exit the office.

“Ahem, Focus Ray....” the Warden sighed, as if exasperated. “Your key?”

“Oh! Sorry Sir!” the lieutenant stuttered, and Spy heard something clatter onto the Warden’s desk. She tilted her head quizzically. 'Key?'

Before she could cogitate further however, Focus Ray exited the office, nodding curtly towards her as he went. Well, at least he hadn’t been checking out her…military assets. In fact, from the slightly distracted, narrow-focus aspect, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was a newfoal…

Back inside the office however, she could now hear the Medic, Purple Heart, pacing around curiously.

“Is that…”

“Yes, this is it…” Warden Star answered, a note of smug pride lacing his voice, and Spy ‘felt’ the telepresent twinge of something being levitated. “One of the seven keygems that secure our…honoured guest in his – haha – penthouse suite.”

“A dragon…” Purple Heart marveled. “A real live dragon... It must be quite the responsibility.”

“Yes indeed…I keep my own one of the seven on my person at all times. Here it is…”

Another magical shimmer, and a long pause…

“A maturing dragon at my mercy…buck me Heart, but if that isn’t something…”

Spy resisted the urge to put a hoof through her own forehead. ‘Idiots! If you’re going to brag, at least close the office door! Ray left it standing wide open when he left…who knows what dangerous enemy agents could be standing outside listening in…oh yeah, haha, Me…’

She rolled her neck, feeling a satisfying crack as she loosened her muscles, and then with a magical gesture, grabbed hold of her eavesdropping spell and pulled it inside-out. Now, instead of hearing everything that went on inside the office, she had soundproofed it…

Then, with a quick turn and a kick of the hooves, she entered the office and slammed the door shut behind her. Warden Star and Purple Heart looked at her in surprise.

Fifteen seconds of meticulous (and utterly silent) violence ensued.

‘Two down, five to go…’

*

It stood to reason that Star would have distributed the seven keys to the highest ranking officers under his command, but to Trixie’s surprise, the prison’s now-sadly-deceased commander had shown a flair of creativity by sharing them out among a random selection of staff members.

Of course, he had then gone and written it all down in the event of him forgetting, though to be fair, he had probably never expected anyone else to have been going through his own personal files, which made for very interesting reading…

Right now, Star was lying on the desk, head impaled through a metal spike on which he had previously skewered paperwork. He looked faintly surprised. Purple Heart, who had not put up a fight, was simply unconscious.

Humming softly Spy flipped open one of her saddlebag’s pockets and dumped every piece of documentation she could find into it, for later analysis. Sparkler Hooves had personally assured her that the enchantment on it rendered the pocket roughly the size of a small cottage. In the event that she was ever on the verge of capture, Spy had considered hiding herself inside it…

But that was not here or now…having sacked the office, she donned the Sweetie-Bell inspired disguise (which she was starting to think of as ‘Guardspony Tulip Bell’, a fresh young Cloudsdale mare who had enlisted with the ‘horn-heads and mud-ponies’ so as to defy her oppressively traditional pegasus family) and checked Star’s list of staff trusted enough to hold onto Spike’s key.

“Okay, so, first we have Quartermaster Vegan Stalks…”

*

Stalks, it had turned out, was a glorified cook-slash-janitor, and not a very good one; in fact, ‘Tulip’ was not sure if the large black cauldron she had half-drowned him in was meant to be a mop-bucket or tonight’s dinner. Ultimately she had decided it was meant to be a soup of some sort, and turning the heat down to a low simmer, she had pocketed Stalks key and rotated him so that he could breath, with the amazing visual effect that he appeared to be bathing in the goop. Just before he had passed out he had wet himself from terror – she wondered if it would improve the flavor…

*

Next on her list was ‘Warrant Officer Bright Spark’ – true to his name however he was no fool (or at least, not the garden variety of such), and quickly recognized that Tulip was not on the payroll. She had presented herself as behind a greenhorn fresh off the boat and, instead of batting her eyes, had affected an air of desperately eager professionalism, which seemed to win him over, and before Tulip knew it, he was giving her a guided tour of the staff facilities as he oversaw her induction into the staff. Ah well, so long as it took her to the last three keys…

Sergeant Lucky Card was, it turned out, taking a nap in her bunk when Spark showed Tulip the mares’ barracks. Tulip had quickly produced Spy’s stiletto, and, while Spark was finding an empty bunk for her to take up residence in, slammed it through Card’s skull, killing her instantly, before she pocketed the next key. As they left, Spark waved good-bye to the corpse, not realizing what had happened.

“Card’s an alright sort…” he said softly. “But she has trouble sleeping through to due to stress from the European Front…asked for a backwater posting to get some peace. She’s a bloody hero though, so we tolerate her cat-naps so long as she gets some proper rest…”

Tulip felt a moment’s pang, and wondered if she’d have enjoyed serving under Card. Well, she had given her the peace she wanted…

Spark was nothing if not efficient, and after assigning her a bunk took her straight down to the armory to get her armor properly fitted (“It’s hanging off you like you stole it from someone else!” he had chastised).

Garrison Armorer Cold Steel was working at his forge as they entered. Spark gave him a passing glance, while Tulip simply cast a telekinetic shove, knocking Steel off his hooves and into the forge. Worse than his screams had been the smell…

Feigning shock, Tulip had screamed, and Spark had rushed forward to pull Steel off the gridiron, hollering for water. She obliged, and after dousing Steel had used the empty bucket to brain Spark across the back of his skull, knocking him out. Two more keys acquired cleanly; Spark was simply out cold, and Steel had passed out from shock, his wounds neatly cauterized and sealed by the same heat which had caused them. A quick sanitizing spell ensured he’d not catch an infection…Trixie and Blue Spy did not give a damn, but Tulip could never stand the sight of burnt flesh, not since she was a little filly and her father had scaled himself by accident…

…before she left, she had taken Spark’s advice and fitted herself with properly sized armor. Not only might it come in useful for Spy sometime in the future, but if Guardspony Tulip Bell was going to defy her family by joining the ground-pounders’ armed forces, then she was going to do it with style…

It would be the last name on her list that gave her some trouble. As in find a way to get him away from view, given how he was fluttering about in the sky over the prison’s exercise yard! If only her wings were real, and not just a pair of illusions with all the substance of morning mist.

“Associate Warden Sir Frozen Blades!” she saluted, shouting up to the pale pegasus who held the last key. “I’m Private Tulip Bell, late of Cloudsdale, with an urgent message!”

Blades, a rare member of the Pegasus Aristocracy, touched down and returned the salute. “At ease, daughter of Cloudsdale. What’s the problem?”

“Sir! Warden Star has told me that Queen Celestia is en-route to speak with our…uh…’esteemed guest’…”

Blades’ wings had gone abruptly rigid and his eyes were wide as saucers. “Impossible…any request for access to the dragon would have come through the proper channels!”

His tone turned both suspicious and angry. “What game do you think you’re playing, Private!?”

Tulip had felt tears coming, and struggled hard to hold them back. “Sir…it’s no game…hic-hic-sob. The Warden, Warden said to give you these…”

Carefully, she turned, and with her mouth opened her saddlebag to show the six gems. Blade’s alabaster coat became if anything, even whiter. He believed her now.

“What exactly did Warden Star say?” he hissed, eyes narrowed.

“He said…hic…that Her Highness was coming immediately, that she had a way to…to turn the Dragon to our True Harmony…”

Tulip’s mind settled on that thought, and a comfortably savage glow settled in her stomach, and she grinned toothily, shedding the last tears.

“…she’s going to turn the Dragon on all of Equestria’s enemies! Warden Star wants you to prepare to release our new Knight while he welcomes Her Highness. He says that this night will guarantee victory for Equestria…”

It was all a lie of course that a single dragon could turn the war, but some part of Tulip believed it, so Blades believed it as well.

“This way Private – bring the gems and keep silent!”

Frozen Blades led her down the hall, showing her straight to wherever Spike was located. Tulip was quite pleased with that little accomplishment, as Warden Star had not written down where exactly the drake was contained in the refurbished fortress. She was a little sad though, because she could feel herself slipping away, and Blue Spy coming back to the surface...ah well, no-doubt she’d get to come out and play again soon.

It had been, Tulip decided, a nice birthday…

Blades had been ranting joyously about what horrors would befall all the traitors and monkeys throughout this little persona-transition, and had not noticed the mare beside him gradually shifting her posture and gait; head held higher and prouder, steps more confident and assured, and a small smirk crawling onto her face. Ah well, it would not have done him any good if he had.

Finally, the two of them came to a halt before an unobtrusive door. Blue Spy, now wholly herself again, glanced at it in some disbelief.

“The Mares’ Restroom?”

“Yes…” Blades smirked, opening the door for her. “Rather cunning, isn’t it?”

Spy wondered if he was aware of how somepony had evidently lifted the idea from the Harry Potter novels. How very curious, and human…

With the two of them inside and the door bolted shut, Blades he had triggered a secret trapdoor which opened out and down into the depths of Equus.

“The Dragon Dungeon…” he said with some pride. “Here we keep the most deadly creature ever to threaten pony kind, and soon our greatest weapon!”

Spy gave a grateful nod. “Thank You Sir Blades. Equestria and Earth thank you for your service…”

Blades barely had time to cock an eyebrow before he found himself lifted and thrown through the air. Unable to fly in the confined space he slammed hard into the washroom mirror, shattering it and the sink below as he fell. Groaning he struggled to pick himself up, but with a flick of her horn Spy hurled him into the toilet stalls, before levitated up dozens of sharp shards of glass, wood and porcelain. Frozen barely had time to look up before she brought them down with vicious force.

He didn’t even scream. Somewhere in the back of Spy’s mind however, she could hear newborn Tulip whimpering, and the Great and Powerful Trixie scowling with distaste. Foals, what did they know?

Trotting up to the corpse, her hooves carefully hoofing around spreading blood, Spy found the final key. Pocketing it with its fellows she smiled in triumph, before producing the Nautilus shell Fancy Pants had gifted her back in Canterlot. Time for the Endgame act, and then she’d perhaps be able to rest for a while. Let Trixie run things up front…hearts and hooves but she felt so tired…

“Doctor, are you there?” she hissed into the mouth of the disguised communicator, ignoring the smell of blood that was filling the room.

“I'm here.” Doctor Whooves answered. “You my dear have got to move, our contacts in Ponyville told me that a Lieutenant from the Prison arrived half an hour ago.”

“Hrm, that would be Focus Ray…” she tutted, picking up a shard of glass and checking her mane. Maybe she should cut it short….no, that was Trixie thinking, focus Spy, focus…

“Yes, well Lieutenant Ray is already heading back towards you, and from the look of it, in quite a rush, and he’s bringing reinforcements!”

“Damn...understood. Lock on to my signal then, I will get inside and take care of freeing Spike.”

“You have ten minutes, Spy. Anymore and we will be pushing it.”

“Got it, Blue Spy out,” she signed off, before trotting to the lip of the dungeon. Cautiously, she descended into the bowels of the fortress, and eventually into a vast open space hewn from rough rock…from the look of it she was deep below even the foundations. The viaduct staircase descending into the chamber was old, but the dozens of spears lining the wall, facing in like tank-traps were most certainly new…

…not that they were necessary. The creature chained down in the center of the room was far too big to escape through the tiny staircase…either he was much smaller when he arrived, or teleportation magic was used to transport him into this very…very large cell.

At the sight, Spy’s resolve wavered…

“Oh, Spike,” Trixie whispered.

Spike had grown, drastically. When she had last been in Ponyville (and admittedly, not on good terms with anyone), Trixie had observed a small, foal-sized reptile that was blatantly crushing on the Element of Generosity.

Now…he had grown. More than twice as long as a man was tall, and sheathed in deep purple scales that, although dirty, still reflected the torchlight with a dull luster. From his back swept two muscular wings, these had been savagely pierced to allow for two manacles to clamp around the supporting bones.

Slowly Trixie circled him, coming round towards his face. He lay on his side, fore and hind limbs shackled together, and his neck and tail bound just as tight to the floor. A steel muzzle was riveted around his mouth.

Slowly, she counted; a lock for each wing, two for the paired-off legs, one each for his neck, tail and mouth. Seven locks, seven keys.

It was brutal, painful and humiliating, but it was not the worst of it. Spike had been mutilated; deep scars crisscrossed his face, and the tips of his wings had been nailed to the walls! As a final insult, iron shafts an inch across had been forced THROUGH his hands and feet, rooting him to the ground. Thick, burgundy-colored blood was splattered all over his limbs and the ground, along with far older, crusty, long-dried stuff, and he was covered in a mixture of dirt and his own excrement…

…except for around his eyes, where the filth had been washed clean by tears.

Trixie’s legs suddenly felt as soft as rubber, and she sat with a horrified gasp. Wet tears of her own ran down her face. This was worse than the newfoals, worse than the war. This was a life brutalized and tortured, by Equestria…

Equestria. Loving and tolerant...

Equestria. Peaceful and forgiving…

Equestria no more…

The resolve of Blue Spy was not enough. With her, Tulip, the pegasus workmare, the Canterlot snob and a dozen other personas all grieving inside of her, Trixie sobbed uncontrollably. Crying for Spike, crying for a homeland degraded beyond recognition, for lives lost (how many had she killed and maimed today alone), and crying for her own battle-torn, fractured psyche…

Spike, who it seemed had long ago retreated into some inner mental refuge, did not respond to her howls, except to cry a little harder himself; huge, smoking tears ran down his elegant snout and steamed on the dungeon floor.

Something flitted past Trixie’s vision, something white and dart-shaped. It landed at her hooves; a paper…no, a parchment aeroplane. Senses dull, mind uncomprehending, she unfolded it and read the words scribbled on the surface.

TO ALL GARRISONS. THE BLUE SPY IS IN EQUESTRIA. BE ON ALERT FOR STRANGE OR UNFAMILIAR MARES. IF ENCOUNTERED, DESTROY AT ONCE!

She felt a magical ‘zing’ behind her and instinctively rolled to one side as a massive spear embedded itself in the ground where she had just been sitting. Blue Spy…she HAD to be Blue Spy right now, threw up a shielding spell, and another spear shattered against it.

“Oh great…” she scowled. “The newfoal.”

Lieutenant Focus Ray magically hefted another spear out of the wall and poised with it. Spy strengthened her shield, gazing at him through the translucent field of magical force.

“Attention All Hoofs!” he bellowed aloud, a gem on his armor taking up the shout and amplifying it across the whole castle.“This is Acting Warden Focus Ray! We have been infiltrated by an Earthling spy; all guards are to form on me in the Dragon Dungeon immediately to subdue the race-traitor; all other staff shall prepare to receive reinforcements from the Ponyville Regiment at the Main Gate!”

Orders given, Ray squatted back on his haunches and steadied his position on the stairs, blocking Spy’s only visible path of retreat. To his credit, he did not gloat or brag; but maintained a steely cool quite different to his earlier Newfoalish eagerness. Spy wondered if it was military conditioning, or a trace of his fettered personality shining through.

Ah, it didn’t matter anyway. Dropping her shield for a second, Spy rolled sideways behind the bulk of Spike’s body. Ray, his unicorn magic giving him precision control over his spear, loosed it in a curving arc that bent behind the dragon and impacted into the ground with a solid ‘thunk’…

“Missed-me!” a multitude of voices, all Spy’s, chorused, and Ray blinked as the chamber suddenly filled with no less than a dozen illusionary duplicates of the saboteur; parading in formation around and on top of the comatose dragon. His horn flared with combat-disciplined magic, and a hoof-full of gravel swept off the floor in a wave, dowsing the illusions. A coating of dust would easily show up the real traitor…

…every one of them vanished from sight. Another trick.

Then, from out of the shadows a bolt of magic fired past Ray’s head. The magical blast spattered itself on the roof of the tunnel leading up to the rest of the castle, plasma clicking on the naked rock.

“You missed” Ray said softly, even as he hurled his fresh spear wordlessly towards her location. Pulling a very impressive backflip, Spy launched herself out of the dark and dodged almost certain impalement.

“No, no I didn’t,” she laughed, voice echoing off the worlds. Blinking, and suddenly aware of a sinister sizzling sound, Ray turned to look behind him, and saw that Spy’s burst of magic had in fact been very carefully aimed…

…to ignite the fuses on several orange tubules glued to the arch of the tunnel.

He threw himself down the stairs just as the first detonated, triggering the rest in a sympathetic reaction and collapsing the tunnel. The blast wave picked him up and hurled him down to the floor of the cavern. Recovering in a roll he managed to recover his stance. Then, seizing a pair of spears he held them tight to his barrel and turned, surveying the chamber around him.

He did not notice a lone figure, her coat dimmed to the dusky tones of the cave’s walls and floor, hidden in the patch of flickering shadow between two of the guttering torches. Slowly, keeping her magic dim, she levitated out her two best blades; the stiletto treated with hydra steroids, and the machete impregnated with manticore venom. Her magic tensed, the two knives drew back as if tensed on the strings of an invisible bow, and then, she let them fly!

TWHACK!

The machete, doused in manticore venom, hurled straight into the shaft of one of Ray’s spears: he had thrown it up at the last second. The stiletto however struck his helmet with enough force to knock it off.

“Buck!” Ray hissed, blinking away a rivulet of blood trickling into one of his eyes and using his own magic to arm himself with the machete. As her magic yanked the stiletto back to her, Spy briefly examined the edge of the blade and saw no trace of red – none of the steroid had gotten into his bloodstream!

“SPY!” Ray roared, and this time he did not bother with spears but instead, with the machete hovering beside him, charged straight down the stairs and engaged her in single combat.

“Come on sir, let’s begin!” she smirked, hefting her stiletto as he closed on her, the machete swinging around in a furious arc.

Hoot met hoof. Envenomed blade met steroid-coated blade in a frenzy of steel and violence that would have done Hamlet and Laertes proud. Each swooped and dived the others blows, bucking and punching as the two knives blocked and feinted around them.

Then, Spy spun around in a whirlwind kick she learned from a Castilian acrobat-turned-mercenary and got a solid punch on Ray’s snout. As he staggered, she leapt in, grabbed the stiletto out of the air with her teeth and snapped her head up from left-to-right, driving the tip of the knife into the sensitive tissue exposed around his amour’s foreleg openings.

‘Hamlet, Hamlet, thou art slain…’

Ray shrieked in pain as the blade buried deep in his barrel, and Spy slipped behind him and bucked into his back with all the strength she could muster. There was a sickening snap, and he slumped sideways onto the cobblestones. Weakly he tried to raise himself, only to realize his hind legs were numb. And inside him, he could feel his heart beginning to race…

“How…” he groaned. “How dare you…you smuggle human blades and death-sticks into Equestria! How…the barrier should have, kept us pure…”

Something was tossed in his direction, bouncing off his snout with a dull thump. Opening his eyes he saw another of the little explosive devices that had brought down the tunnel roof – it was a mixture of what looked like wet wood-pulp, stuffed into a hollowed-out carrot.

“Entirely home-grown materials; this little toy was made here, just like me,” he heard Spy say disdainfully, before she slowly trotted back around to his front. “Sawdust soaked with a distillation of pine-oil that’s been processed with aqua fortis, spirit of niter and sodium sulphide. The result, before impregnation into the sawdust, is a substance Equestria has used to color clothing for decades. They call it ‘Yellow Dye #6’, but in your last life, you would have known it as ‘trinitrotoluene’ – TNT. It’s amazing what timid little Carrot Top learned to do with an over-the-counter alchemy set.”

Ray coughed, and rolled the device over with his snout, examining it curiously as sweat beaded on his head and his breathing accelerated. Healing spells and charms on his body and armor were working overtime to purify his bloodstream, but the Hydra steroids were already settling into the tissues of his heart…

“A carrot-stick-of-dynamite. Ha!” he laughed. “Crude, but effective. Monkey-me used to stuff pipe-bombs with this stuff back in the Real IRA…” he gave a horrified little shudder as his heart flailed, and then focused himself again. “What did you use for a firing cap?”

“The core of a retail firework…” Spy said, voice now cold. “When I want a remote detonation, a gemstone enchanted as a Spark Talisman does just as well.”

She was now poised right in front of him, her disguise melting away to reveal a blue mare in a domino mask and a stolen suit of armor. For all the chill of her words, the anger radiating off her was almost blisteringly.

“So,a real IRA?” she seethed. “I learned about you during the European Exodus. Fought alongside some of them, and killed more than a few too. You guys sacrificed lives and love for Irish independence, but now you’re kowtowing to a Monarch that has destroyed Ireland and Britain alike! I might be a traitor to the monster that calls itself Equestria, but I’m still loyal to what it once stood for. You’re a miserable wretch who has abandoned his entire species!”

Ray managed a little laugh, ignoring her as his limbs began to shudder.

“Oh I used to be very good at killing, but I’m all better now; I save lives, and I’m going to save you too, Blue Spy!”

Slowly he dipped his head so that his horn was resting inside the tip of the improvised explosive device, right where the firing cap would go. With a great effort he got his breathing under control, even as his heart continued to thunder away inside him…

“So all I need to do to set this off is…visualize a magical spark?” he said, the honeyed tones in his voice layered with steel.

Spy froze, cursing herself at a foolish error, no-doubt from that egotistical bragard Trixie’s need to gloat. She should have just snapped Ray’s neck and been done with it.

“Sit down,” Ray ordered calmly. “No movements, and no magic, or I’ll blow you to Tartarus, and myself to the Goddess’s loving embrace.”

Caught in a bind, Spy warily sat her plot down. From above could be heard the shouts of frantic labor as the castle’s guards, and no doubt the reinforcements from Ponyville, struggled furiously to clear the tunnel.

“We’re going to talk until they get down here,” Ray said gently, soothingly, as if talking to a foal. “And when they do, you’re going to happily come with us to be made better.”

“I’m fine!” Spy replied haughtily. “It’s you who needs help.”

“No,” he replied simply, with the conviction of a true believer. “I know that’s not true, otherwise how else would I be at peace? Back…back then, I was angry, so angry, and hurting. Driving my rage into bombings and attacks, and then weeping and praying for those innocents I’d killed in the name of Freedom. Just an animal lashing out and then curling up to lick its wounds. Full of doubt, uncertainty, and questions no-one could answer, not even the false god I prayed too. Now, I’m truly me, and I feel none of that pain. Right and wrong are so clear and perfect, and I bask in the love of the One True Goddess every second. I have certainty, purpose, and peace, and I know you do too. After all, it’s in our nature as ponies…”

“You’re nothing of the sort!” Spy snapped, lowering her head to look eye-to-eye with him across the carrot-bomb. “No sentient being lives free of fears, hopes, dreams and doubts, not without some serious brainwashing or sheer self-delusion. You, with you sanctimonious serenity, are just a golem programmed to not question its’ masters, hardcoded to get a positive emotional kick every time you obey unthinkingly. True ponies, true individuals, are free to question their lives, free to fear, free to doubt, and free to find their own purpose.”

“True ponies are gentle, and honest, and sweet…” he said with insufferable kindness. “You’ve just caught a little of the madness that once infected me, but you’ll be alright soon.”

“Um, hello, have you met my alter-ego? She’s called Trixie Lulamoon, lived her entire life in Equestria, and was an insufferable ass long before that Bitch with the large flank fucked reality with her horn!”

“She is a Goddess! She is your Holy Mother!” Ray shrieked, his eyes shrinking to pinpricks, and Spy felt a mental sigh of relief; for a minute his conviction had actually scared her, but seeing his hardwired emotional outburst neatly put a pin in that moment’s doubt. Looking at it from another angle, it was possible to take that as confirmation that she was truly free…after all, when you couldn’t feel the pain, you could only be dead…

…and it made her wonder, just how much else was hard-coded into Ray. Summoning her courage, she rose to her hooves.

“So yeah…I’m just going to stand here and goad you until you take your horn out of that carrot in a moment of impassioned stupidity.”

“Sit down!” Ray shouted, driving his horn almost into the carrot-stick-of-dynamite’s core. “I’m warning you, I’ll destroy us both!”

“No, you won’t” Spy said haughtily. “You’ve decided that I’m worth saving, and I think that means, in the convoluted web of spellcraft that governs your mind, you’re not allowed to kill me. It’s all about the parameters. If I was a human you’d want to ‘potion’ me, or in a pinch, maybe kill me. Pony traitors, fighting against you in a field of combat, might also be valid targets. The Geis you’re bound too under the charter of the guard might be potent enough to override it, if couched in the right words, but that sheet of parchment said to destroy me on sight, yet here we are having a friendly chat. Here, here in perfect Equestria, we’re just two ponies having an argument that will ultimately be solved by the Power of Friendship; or at least, that is what your subconscious is telling you.”

She trotted around him in a circle, eyeing his mangled spine before coming back to his face. “Celly’s a raging hormonal bitch, did that do anything for you? No? Okay, what if I called her a sociopathic, genocidal psychotic dictator, whose actual ability to empathize with her subjects, let alone genuinely care for them, withers more and more every day?”

Ray’s face was twitching, expression fluctuating as if caught in a seizure. It was nothing like when she and Cadence had deprogrammed Green Fields; that had been a pony’s true nature rebelling against a bond that had been placed upon him. This, this was software fighting itself, a decision-making-schematic on the verge of collapsing, even as his body succumbed to the toxins polluting it. She almost expected to see the Blue Screen of Death flash up in his eyes, but his willpower was extraordinary.

“She’s good! She’s PERFECT! She’s loving and SWEET and HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST! GLORIA! GLORIA! GLORIA IN EXCELSIS!”

Focus Ray was frothing at the mouth now, his screams becoming pained howls.

“Laudámus te, benedícimus te, adorámus te, glorificámus te, grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam!”

The babbled words were Latin, a prayer that once he must have learned as a boy attending Mass. Except then, with a manic gleam in his eye, Ray twisted the message on its head.

“Domine CELESTIA, Regina Caelestis! CELESTIA Matris Omnipotens! WE PRAISE THEE, WE BLESS THEE, AND WE GIVE THANKS TO CELESTIA FOR HER GREAT GLORY!!!”

With an agonised scream, he threw himself at her, and the carrot-bomb went flying. Armoured hooves thrown forward, Ray drove them into her neck with larynx-crushing force...

...and went straight through her.

As the illusionary mare dissipated, Spy, the real Spy, caught the hurled bomb with her magic and stepped out from the shadows. Ray meanwhile, landed hard, the impact folding his body weight up and around, shattering what might have remained of his spine.  Screaming and howling like a broken beast his hooves pawing at the ground as if feeling for the stick of dynamite.

“Where is it?Where is it?!...mother, I’ve failed you...Mother, MOTHER!”

The pain in the words was heart-wrenchingly real, and Spy wondered if it was a scream from the golem that thought it was a pony, or the horror of a man pleading for deliverance from the nightmare he was living. She shivered in horror...

...and Trixie took over. Trixie who, for all her faults, was indeed a good soul at heart, but who still had only the most basic idea of how to support and comfort someone. Slowly she knelt by Ray and stroked his mane, a simple and almost worthless gesture; just like the one she had offered Green Fields.

‘Stoppit Lulamoon!’ Spy hissed sibilant. ‘He’s dying anyway; what good does comforting him do?’

‘We could help him,’ Tulip suggested. ‘Take him back to New York, keep him alive; fix him, like you fixed Green Fields.’

‘That was a pony! This is an animal that only loves the Tyrant that forced it into life, let it inhabit someone’s transfigured corpse!’

‘He’s human inside!’

‘He’s an ensorcelled shocktrooper, all the way down! If he had children as a man, he’d give them over to be ponyfied, with a smile! And what would he do to us if he could?’

‘You don’t know…’

‘I know, Guardspony Bell! You’re not a day old, even if you have our memories! I’ve fought him, and creatures just like him! They have no compassion for humanity, or its allies! They would feed Stephan that purple potion, disfigure him, and then order him to kill us, and he would do it, because he’d just be another one of THEM! Another smiling, happy, xenophobic ZOMBIE!’

Tulip sobbed softly as Spy directed the full force of her ‘thoughts’ back at Trixie.

‘Snap his neck. trample on it and put the beast out of its misery. Do it now, do it now!’

“No…” Trixie answered, levitating a small stone out of her saddlebag. “I won’t be like them…I’ll give him mercy if I can. If he’s going to die, then I’ll comfort him; but if he can be saved, if just one of them can be saved, then I’ll move Equus and Earth to do it!”

The stone was a bezoar, a gall-stone taken from a Chinese ox, treated by Zecora to bring out its ancient alchemical properties; the ability to nullify all poisons and toxins. She hoped it would work on the hormonal excretions of mythological creatures as well.

…she noticed something, she felt... a prick no worse than a bee sting… slowly she looked down, and saw Ray, eyes crazed and wide with his veins pulsing with every heartbeat, had taken up her machete with his faltering magic, and slowly pressed its tip into her chest.

‘I am dead, Horatio…’

Ray’s body was on the verge of death, his magic so weak that he’d only been able to get a half-inch of the knife into her chest, and yet, that was enough…the machete was doused with Hydra venom; she had seen to that herself.

‘See! You’re an idiot!’Spy seethed, and taking momentary control she lashed out with her free hoof and crushed Ray’s horn into a mess of shattered cartilage and alicornial tissue. The pain must have been blinding, and his screams once again jolted Trixie back into control, even as she felt the cold death of the venom spreading through her…

The bezoar had fallen on the floor. She tried to pick it up with her magic, but the venom was already affecting her nervous system, and her horn could only spark feebly. Beside her Ray had gone into convulsions as the steroids finally accelerated his heart to bursting point; Limbs heavy, Trixie bent down and picked up the magical purative with her teeth…

‘Swallow! Quickly!’Spy shrieked.‘If you die all of us in here check out with you! What about Steph-No! What are you doing!’

Ignoring her, Trixie had dropped the bezoar into Ray’s mouth and slumped forward so that her hooves rested around his mouth, forcing his jaws shut and prompting him to swallow…

…he gave a shuddering lurch, and then relaxed, eyes still wide and rolling, but limbs still…it had worked.

‘You foal! You should have taken it yourself! Now we’re all going to die here because of you!’

‘Oh shut up!’ Tulip snapped back. ‘Help’s coming for us, and they’ll be bringing medics to help Spike! Trixie’s a good and honest pony, and she’s going to be just fine!’

“You’re going to get better, Lieutenant…” Trixie said, the words hesitant. “There’s good ponies, good people who’ll mend your back, and free your soul…”

The sounds of the tunnel being cleared were coming closer. A particularly large boulder tumbled down the staircase, and a pinprick beam of light shone in from above.

“You’ll never escape…” Ray chuckled brokenly. “We’ll win…we always win, because She wills it so…”

Trixie shook her head, a wry smile playing on her lips as she felt an unseen force ripple through the cave.

“No…we’re leaving here, right now.”

A sudden sizzling sound filled the room, and she looked up just a glowing column of energy zapped down from the ceiling, quickly coalescing into a freestanding metal structure, an old New York City phone booth Dinky Whooves had scavenged out of a junkyard. Other than an illuminated panel across the door-jamb declaring ‘Phone’, the only markings it bore was the graffitied assertion that ‘Wyld Stallyns R Xellent!’ As Trixie sighed in relief, the phone booth’s shutter-doors banged open, releasing a large quantity of smoke and an Earth Pony stallion.

“Well, not quite the perfect maiden flight for the new TARDIS, but reasonable enough. The new girl’s breaking in quite well. Oh, hello Trixie, Spy not at the wheel right now?” said Doctor Whooves, an easy-going smirk tugging at his lips.

Then his eyes slid to the broken creature in Trixie’s forelegs, and the immense, brutalized dragon looming behind them.

“Gallopfrey and Zarquon! My poor boy, what have they done to you?” he hissed, before spinning his head around and shouting into the phone-booth. “Redheart, Tenderheart, Med-Team, QUICK!”

Shapes, comfortingly familiar ponies poured out of the doors, and Trixie sighed in relief, allowing herself to rest. Somepony rushed up to her, and she managed to gasp out the word ‘poison’. Another bezoar was forced down her throat, and instantly she felt her magic flare to life and the creeping numbness dissipate from her limbs. Take THAT Blue Spy...

Ray was still fighting weakly in her grasp, and as she tried to pull him into a recovery position she saw his eyes alight on Doctor Whooves.

“Time Turner…Most Wanted Stallion Number One!” he said mechanically, and Trixie had no time to react before he bucked her off.

‘And now Lulamoon?Will you let mego?’

‘…yes.’

“Doctor!” Spy shouted as she rolled into a battle stance. “Retreat, now!”

Too late. Despite his shattered horn, Ray’s magic, strengthened by his will and burning bright enough to blind, seized hold of one of the spears embedded in the wall and hurled it straight through the tawny stallion’s shoulder. Ponyville’s lord of all things timey-wimey fell to the ground, eyes staring in disbelief at the shaft piercing him.

“Oh my…” he said, and the shock hit him hard enough to knock him out before he could even scream.

“Hey! Arsehole…” Spy shouted before anyone else could be skewered, pulling a new disguise on, one that would almost certainly grab Ray’s attention; her mane trimmed itself and her build slimmed, as her palette shifted to two-tone green…

“…eyes on me!” ‘Lyra Heartstrings’ finished defiantly, parading herself in a charcoal stab-vest, the PHL crest proudly printed on one sleeve and a golden harp resplendent on her flank. “I’m the one you want!”

Like a moth to a flame, Ray’s maddened focus slid straight to her, as did his attacks. ‘Lyra’ glanced sideways and saw that trusty, sturdy Sparkler Whooves had sprinted out of the TARDIS and thrown her own magical shield up, protecting Spike and everyone around him in an amethyst skein of magic. She felt a fond smile tug at her lips, and then she was jumping, dodging and flipping as Ray hurled spear after spear in her direction, plasma arcing from his ruined horn and stirring up a storm of wild magic; rocks, gravel, stalactites and anything else lying around getting sucked into his whirlwind of death.

“We are kin!” Ray roared, his voice laced with authority, assertion, and more of that same smug, unwavering sense of righteousness. “We are Ponies! We shouldn't be fighting one another! We should be fighting the humans!”

“WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE!” ‘Lyra’ screamed, her horn blazing with rage. “YOU SPEAK AS IF YOU’VE BEEN A PONY ALL YOUR LIFE! YOU ARE JUST ONE BROKEN SOUL AMONGTHE MILLIONS THAT WERE CONVERTED! THE GRIFFONS ARE MORE KIN TO ME THAN YOU ARE!”

“So be it!” Ray screamed.

‘Oh Shit’, ‘Lyra’, Spy, Trixie and Tulip thought as one, as with a blaze of magical strength, Ray’s focused magic summoned every spear in the room, and assimilated them into a single colossal weapon.

“DIE AND EMBRACE TARTARUS, RACE TRAITOR!”

The mega-spear fired forward, driven at the back by a magical impeller not so different to a rocket. ‘Lyra’ felt time slow down as it thundered towards her eyes…

‘Bon-Bon…’ she thought, an alien affection invading her mind, prompting a reflex transformation…

“Stephan…” Trixie whispered, ears drooping as she embraced her death…

Then something huge, scaly, and purple filled her vision, and she blinked…time smashed back into normal speed, and the air was filled with a bellowing, animalistic roar…and raining fragments of wood, all the size of a splinter.

Trixie swallowed, and trotted back two paces, before falling on her butt. Spike, who until this point had done nothing but silently cry, had ripped his hands and feet free from the nails anchoring him to the floor, stretched his restraints to their utmost give, and thrown himself into the path of the spear…

…which had shattered into splinters on impact with his draconic hide.

There was a long moment where all Trixie could do was breathe, but then someone was shaking her, asking her to break the magical locks still manacling Spike’s limbs and extremities. She had wordlessly levitated the gems out of her saddlebag, and within a minute chains and locks began to fall to the ground. Where magic did not work, oxy-acetylene cutting torches did.

Finally she looked around. Two medi-ponies were dragging Doctor Whooves (bleeding and unconscious, but still alive) into the TARDIS, while Spike simply lay limp on his side, chest heaving. Beyond, past him, she could hear Focus Ray wailing in despair.

Slowly, she trotted around to Spike’s far side. Ray, tears pouring down his face and horn sparking, was desperately trying to grab hold of the particles of wood and metal that lay everywhere, trying to form some weapon, to carry out his programming. It was not funny, nor was it sad.

It was downright heartbreaking. Unseen, unnoticed by the maddened stallion who was once a terrorist, Trixie came beside him and cast a sleeping spell. His mutterings and cries broke off mid-sentence, and he fell peacefully to the ground. In the back of her mind, Blue Spy still screamed for her to stamp on his neck and give him true peace, but Trixie ignored her. She was tired of listening to Spy’s rage and pain, and for a moment, just wanted to care…without anypony getting hurt this time.

“Your fight is over, rest now. I don’t know how long it will take, but we will help you. You, and everypony…everyone…that this war has touched.”

She bit back tears. Maybe, at the end of it all, she could get some help for herself. What was happening to her?

Composing herself, but keeping Spy firmly under wraps, she turned and looked towards Spike. The med team was working on him, pony medics trying to stem blood flowing from reopened wounds, injecting antibiotics through needles designed to tranquilize full-grown elephants. Another team, unicorn technicians mostly, were jacking his limbs up with a portable car-lift, so as to slide him onto a wheeled flatbed trolley, while Redheart and Tenderheart were gathered around his face, gently trying to rouse him.

“Spike!...Spike dear...Open your ey-” Redheart started, before crying out when she saw he was nearly missing an eye. “Please Spike, wake up.”

The mighty being twitched at the voices, groaning as his single good eye opened, its coloration a brilliant emerald green that glowed deep with inner fire. “Re...Red Heart?”

As he focused on the mare standing before him, he looked away, trying to flee but too weak to do so, he was still resisting against whatever tried to break him. “N-no...Leave me alone....I will never....join Celestia’s....armies...”

“Spike?” a new, familiar voice called, and Derpy Whooves glided out of the TARDIS’s doors, backlit like an angel, and touched down gently next to him, her expression the definition of kindness and gentility.

“Derpy?” the distraught Redheart pressed. “What about your husband? He’s hurt, he needs you.”

“The Doctor will be fine Reddy,” Derpy said softly. “He’s survived worse than a spear through the leg; much worse…”

Then the grey mare walked up to Spike and embraced his snout, googley gold eyes peering into emerald green. “It’s really us Spikey. Remember me? Derpy? You know my whole family; Sparkler used to give you leftover gems from her business?”

“Illusions...”He whispered, his eye closing once more. “Nothing more...”

“Hmph!” Trixie forced her way forward, her horn glowing to rip off her domino mask and hairtie, allowing her powder-blue mane to fall around her face in a silvery waterfall. “I am hardly an illusion, ‘Number One Assistant’. Tell me, is the Great and Powerful Trixie a mare so weak-willed as to fall prey to Celly’s feeble magicks!”

“Wha-what?” His eye opened wide. “Tr...Trixie?”

Then, softly, he chuckled. “Oh you’re real…no-one else could imitate that blowhard ego…oh heavens…it was all real…”

His immense chest heaved in a sulphurous covered sob, and several of the ponies embraced his huge snout, stroking and comforting as he was finally hoisted onto the gurney and rolled slowly towards the open doors of the TARDIS.

“It’s us Spike....all of us, it’s really us.” Redheart cried, tears of joy falling from her eyes. “We’ve been searching for you for these past three years...we’re so sorry...”

“Spike,” Derpy said softly. “What happened to bring you here? Was it Twilight who sealed you away, or Rarity? We thought at first one of them was protecting you, but then Trixie learned of you and Rarity’s attempted escape.”

Spike snorted, then gave a painful laugh. “Rarity…Twilight. The both of them were so good, all of them were so good; before Celestia took them ‘into her confidence’. I should have seen it coming with Twilight, but when Rarity was taken, I knew…”

Confusion was worn on all the faces of the ponies in the room. “What...What do you mean?”

“Rarity fought tooth and nail to escape Equestria, plotted and schemed and traded away everything she had to protect me. Sent Sweetie-Belle into hiding and wiped her own memories so that she could never betray her little sister. On the boat, when they came for us, she promised me that they’d never change her heart…but then, they brought her to visit me here…brought the THING they’d made of her, and all the Elements of Harmony. They saw me hear, heard my cries, and laughed…Fluttershy threw me crumbs of bread while tittering at how ‘spunky’ I was…they weren’t my…family, they were perversions, victims that had been…” he shuddered, fresh tears flowing. “…violated…”

“What happened Spike?” Trixie demanded. “What was done to them?”

He couldn’t answer. Instead, his huge muscles heaved and he began to shake violently, whistling jets of flame venting through his teeth and nostrils.

“He’s going into Hypovolemic shock!” Tender Heart shouted. “He’s too weak to contain his inner fire! Derpy, we need to get him into surgery within minutes! Now!”

“Double time everyone!” Trixie shouted, hustling them forward as ponies and humans alike wrestled Spike’s immense bulk through the phone booth’s doors. As they did however, a deep resounding gong resounded from the depths of the arcane time-machine.

“That’s the Cloister Bell!” Derpy shouted. “Something’s resonating with the TARDIS’ power supply, the Eye of Harmony!”

“What does that mean?” Trixie answered, shouting to be heard over the resounding booms of the Cloister Bell.

“It’s like a Master Alarm, warning that something BIG is happening, or coming!”

At that moment, the debris blocking the tunnel to the surface exploded downwards, obliterated by the force of an immense fiery bird of fire, a Phoenix in flight.

“Philomena!” Spike shuddered through his spasms. “That’s it…the herald before the storm. CELESTIA IS COMING!”

Troops were pouring in now, and several trained PHL members answered in force, covering everyone’s retreat with their modified saddle weapons. A well-placed flash-bang brought down Philomena, just as Redheart and Tenderheart forced Spike’s serpentine tail through the doors of the TARDIS.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Trixie shouted, urging that everyone fall back. Then, her eyes alit on Focus Ray, unconscious and broken in the corner…

…she did it without thinking, throwing herself forward and triggering another disguise, one that was fresh and young and full of courageous defiance.

In just two steps, Trixie Lulamoon gave way to Tulip Bell, who spread her wings and flew.

Ponies, both PHL and Royal Guards alike, moved out of the way as she swooped, rolled, pirouetting around spell-fire and hurled projectiles, scattering carrot-bombs from her saddlebags and impaling them into the walls. Then, suddenly, she rebounded with all four hooves off the ceiling, dived hard onto Ray, and pulled up at the last second, hooking him underarm and soaring like a bolt into the TARDIS…

 …and as everyone knew, was much larger on the inside, large enough to hold a dragon, Trixie, Focus Ray, seven medic-ponies, several PHL soldiers, and the extended Whooves clan. Time Turner. The Doctor, was lying sedated on a gurney, while his and Derpy’s two bright-minded daughters were gathered around the central control panel, above which an immense hourglass was tumbling end-over-end in a vertical glass column. Dinky quickly calling out for Pipsqueak from the new armory to help them set up.

“Launch it Muffins!” Derpy shouted, slamming the door shut behind the last pony in and throwing her weight against them to hold them shut. “Launch now!”

Bright-eyed Sparkler nodded and danced her hooves over the control panel, while tiny Dinky and her coltfriend Pipsqueak shouted out pertinent data from their own side of the column.

“Time Circuits on! Status Dinks?”

“1.21 Gigthaums of power flowing from the Eye of Harmony.”

“Time-tunnel opening, we’re right on the vortex!”

“RTTP set and locked!”

“Tachyons and Minovsky Particles fluxing!”

“Red Mercury flowing! Capacitors primed!”

“Timeframe locked. Pip, set vanes for thirty-degree slide bubble!”

“Vanes set, approaching Infinite Improbability!”

“Hourglass revolutions accelerating to 88 revs per second!”

“Spin-point achieved, hold it there Sparky!”

“Schwarzschild Radius contracting; we have a singularity, go-go-go!”

“Vee-One! Rotate!”

The three youths threw their combined weight onto the main lever, the spinning hourglass roared into an omniscient blur, and the entire cabin lurched as space bent according to the Brown-Schaeffer-Cooper-Hofstadter principle of Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.

The sound the time-machine made was biblical, the sound of the universe itself. Tulip (-no-Trixe-no-Spy-no-Lyra!) could only compare it to a million voices trying to hum an entire rock symphony aloud as she sat in stunned silence on the floor, slowly flexing her wings. She had flown…these were real wings, with feathers and muscles and an urge to preen kicking in, not just an illusion. What was she becoming?

Around them the TARDIS thundered, rocked and screamed, until, with abrupt silence, the engines halted, the doors slid open, and they poured out into what had once been a hangar at JFK airport.

The backwashing energy from dimensional transition must have broken through the sedation spell Trixie had cast on Focus Ray, because his eyes slowly flitted open in time to the doors, laying the first glimpse on the world that had once been his home.

It would be his last sight, as the second he saw paramedics running in to stabilize Spike and the Doctor, his eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth in a feral snarl.

“DESTROY AND CONVERT ALL HUMANS!”

The words had no sooner left his lips, before Blue Spy drove her stiletto into his neck, and with one single, merciful stab divided his spinal cord in two. He died instantly.

“He couldn’t be saved Trixie”, she said softly. “Not easily at least, not without too much effort that would divert our attention from winning this war. If we’re going to save the rest of them, we can’t get distracted along the way…”

Trixie and Tulip were silent, too exhausted and stunned to argue.

Levitating Focus Ray’s body beside her, and with activity flurrying all around her, she slowly trotted out into the grey, drizzly light of a New York morning.

They were home.

Most Excellent.

*

From the perspective of the guardsponies in the cave, all that happened was that, with a strange grinding noise that suggested urgent need of oil, the TARDIS had faded out of view.

Ten seconds later, they all bent their heads in supplication as the Solar Sovereign teleported into their midst, eyes narrowed on the slightly smoking spot that the time machine had just launched from

“Doctor...” She hissed in anger, ready to storm out when one of the guards called to her.

“My Queen, they left a note.”

She cocked an eye, then delicately lifted the roll of parchment from the floor and broke the seal. Focused on the message inside, she did not notice a small gem roll out from the tube of paper and land on the floor, beeping quietly.

To Fat Flank Bitch

Have a nice Day.

With Love,

Blue Spy, and the Ponies for Human Life

P.S.

3....2....1

The Mare who would be Queen opened her mouth, but got no further, as all the carrot-bombs Tulip had scattered detonated simultaneously, and she and every guard in the chamber found themselves in the middle of an explosion.

No one could have known that the Dragon Dungeon (which had been opened out from a natural cave) actually bisected a small fault-line. Plate Tectonics were a relatively unknown science on Equestria (even on Earth only being taken seriously in the mid-to-late twentieth century), and so no-one had known this when the castle was built above centuries ago.

Now, lubricated by the shockwaves of the explosion, the fault shifted, hit a momentary resistance caused by the castle’s foundations, and then sheared parallel to them…

With slow, unstoppable force, the ground cracked along the front of the Castle of the Two Sisters, then the promontory crumbled and slid off into the bottom of the gorge, the bridge that connected it to Traitor’s Walk fluttering down after it. Only the prison itself was left, perched precariously on the edge of the new cliff-face. Ponies standing on the battlements gaped in disbelief, and then roared in jubilation as a blazing fireball erupted from the steaming ruin.

Queen Celestia ascended, seemingly carrying aloft on the cheers of her subjects (strangely, no-one seemed too concerned about the several dozen guards lying crushed and shattered in the imploded cave). Her face was bloody and her wings were bent at odd angles, but otherwise she appeared unharmed as she landed gracefully and walked among her subjects, passing out a cursory nuzzle or word of kindness...

Physically, she was fine.

Her pride on the other hoof had taken a severe beating with everything that has happen so far, and mentally she let out a scream of frustration that carried far and wide, until it finally reached Canterlot, where it re-vibrated through the petrified and ossified neural pathways of the statue that had once been Princess Luna.

“This is not over!”

The statue could not smile. But if it could, it would have.

*

John F Kennedy Airport, NYC; Emergency Medical Facility

“Several life threatening injuries.” Tender Heart relayed to the attending surgeons, almost unable to handle what happen to the once cute dragon; adorable in his youth, now older and half dead. “We need to stabilize him, and then operate to expose his plasma-gullet and control the Flame within!”

The human doctor quickly cut away hastily applied field dressings, and swore in disgust.

“My God! There’s a hole through his entire claw!”

“Same here.”

“Same on the feet. What the hell?! Did they crucify him or something?”

“We’ll need fire-retardants to control his Flame; borates, hydroxides, polymer gels – someone find all the chemical fire extinguishers; there must be some over in the fuel depot!”

“Got same signs of rotting on his waist, neck, and tail area.”

“He is already in the first stage of Coagulative Necrosis, we need to cut away all the dead flesh, someone get me a scalpel- scratch that, give me the powersaw with runes inscribed on the blade.”

“Doctor, he lost a lot of blood, he is not going to make it through the surgery if we don't get him some replenishing potions from Zecora's wares.”

“Shit. Derpy – your husband’s stable, but outta it,  so please get the TARDIS over to Boston and drag Zecora’s striped butt over here, pronto!”

“Gotcha, come on girls, Pip!”

“Allon-sy Ms Derpy!”

No expense or consideration had been spared in preparing for Spike’s rescue. With air traffic all  grounded due to the dangers of pegasus attacks on airliners, many of America’s larger airports had been transformed into emergency facilities. JFK, with its huge hangers and cavernous terminal buildings, had become one of the largest field hospitals in existence, a necessity considering the millions fleeing ahead of the barrier every day. Grounded jets became bunkrooms, runways parade grounds for assembling vast amounts of military hardware.

Despite all of that, it had been possible to reserve an entire hanger for the care and accommodation of what many hoped would be a trump-card for the United Forces; a living, fire-breathing dragon.

From high above, in what had once been a maintenance office, ‘Lyra’ watched down as Spike was wheeled into a pre-prepared mega-scale medical facility; vets, doctors, and pony mages all working together to stabilize the enervated drake. It was heartening, and inspiring, and completely failed to reach her.

Quietly, she focused, feeling the tingle of magic, spread a pair of graceful wings as her horn withered away into her skull. Yet she could still feel her magic, waiting until it could be used. Then, just as slowly, she retracted the wings and felt her body grow a little stockier and stronger, limbs toughened with Earth Pony grit and muscle. Finally, with another thought, she flowed back to being a dusky blue unicorn, the Once and Former Trixie.

She shook a little on her hooves, and began to weep, memories of several missions tangling up. But dominant were the faces of Spike, Green Fields, and Focus Ray, all of them in pain; some of it, a lot of it; pain of her own making.

At the back of her consciousness, Blue Spy sneered.

In the past few weeks, ever since Chrysalis had died, leaving her training in Changeling magic unfinished, Trixie had feared she was losing her mind. She had long ‘compartmentalized’, envisioning Blue Spy as somepony tougher and stronger than little Trixie Lulamoon, but now her disguises were taking on actual personas, with fake memories and emotions of their own. It scared her.

And now she was losing control of her body too…

“Trixie?” a deep voice called to her, and she looked up to see her partner, her caretaker, her love. “Is something wrong?”

“I...I don't know Stephan...” She whispered, tears falling down her face. “I don't know....I...tortured before...heard their screams, but didn't think of it...but...but seeing Spike...seeing him like the way we found him.”

The human kneeled down and holds her chin between two fingers to make her look at him and took out a handkerchief to clean her cheeks.

“It’s different when you know them, right?” he asked softly.

Trixie closed her eyes and nod weakly. “Y-yes...”

“You’re a compassionate mare Trixie; I’d expect nothing else.”

She gasped as strong arms took her in a hug and she felt her face press against his warm chest. She breathed slowly, listening to his heartbeat.

“In fact I’m glad you’re this torn up,” he whispered.

She looked up with confused eyes. “Why? Why are you glad that I’m crying?”

He smiled at her. It was that kind of smile he used to make her feel warm in her chest. “Because that means you’re still Trixie, the mare I love, and not just a cold, ruthless assassin.”

She shook her head. “You, don’t know half of it...”

Gently she pushed at his chest, and he set her down.

“I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, always for a good cause…but I think it’s…it’s damaged me…”

She closed her eyes and flipped a switch in her mind, letting Tulip out to play. Stephen watched on in pride as her mane, coat and eyes shifted, and a pair of wings spread…

But when ‘Tulip’ took off and, hovering, bopped him playfully on the nose, he fell back in shock.

“Hi there sir; I’m Tulip Bell, and it’s an honor to meet the man of Spy and Trixie’s dreams!”

“Trix-Trixie…”

“Not quite, but I can get her for you…”

Touching down, Tulip’s form and mind slid smoothly, transitioning in just a moment from a cheerful, brave and sometimes dangerous pegasus youth to a weeping, stumbling unicorn mare.

“How…how can I be your Trixie, when I’m not anymore…there’s so many of them in my head, like parts of me branching off…I don’t know how Chrysalis could hold onto herself through it…”

“Mein Liebe…my love” he said quietly, and she looked up. Sitting cross legged Stephen opened his arms, and without hesitation she flew into his embrace.

“You are afraid you are losing your identity. I don’t know magic, but I do know a little about post-battle stress, and I know you can hold onto yourself.”

She looked up at him. Again she felt his strong hands resting on her coat and she pressed a little tighter. “How?”

“You can because you are a strong mare. You can do it because you know who you are, and you know right from wrong. All those times you’ve kept yourself in check, kept ‘Blue Spy’ in check show that you’re stronger than her. And because...”

Holding her close he rested their foreheads together, before giving her a quick peck on the tip of her snout. “...because you know that I’m always there for you when you need someone. Just like how you were there for me in the beginning, helping me in my time of crisis.”

She blushed a bit and nuzzled his neck. “Thank you.”

Pressed to him she could feel his calm but strong heart. It was calming her own, soothing its anguish until they seemed to beat in sync. He always had that effect... she don’t know how to describe it. But she just wanted to be with him the entire time. Like this in his arms and her head on his warm chest.

Maybe, someday, she could take this transformational magic to the point where she could stand on two feet beside him, and hold his hand with her own…yes, that would be perfect.

“I have to go soon”, he said gently. “A lot happened while you are away and I have to assist Cheerilee in planning the next stage

Trixie nodded and smiled at him. “Yes. Okay. I will do what I can too. But please, can we just stay like this for a little longer.”

“But of course, mein liebe…”

She smiled, and suddenly understood how Chrysalis and her brood might have held onto their minds. Love…given, taken or stolen, directed at another or selfishly focused on oneself, love was a powerful force…

And right now, she felt like the strongest mare in the world.

‘For love…for our loves, we will do anything’, her disparate personalities agreed.

Hidden Truths

Hidden Truths

Written by:

TB3

Redskin122004

Guest Writer:

Proudtobe

Editor:

DrawDex

All war is deception.

―Sun Tzu

He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.

―Albert Einstein

"MOVE!"

“WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!” The building was shifted dangerously to a side, the two men ran as fast as they could. Anywhere was a better place to be.

“GET DOWN!!”

“MOVE, DOWN THE STAIRS, DOWN THE STAIRS!” They noticed that the stairs were cracked dangerously as they descended, some steps even made the cracks that they so desperately avoided, any step could be their last.

Salvation in front of them, in the form of a wooden door. The one with heavy armor ran to the door and tackled it with his shoulder.

“THE STUPID DOOR WON'T BUDGE!!”

He tackled a busted solid *metal** door.*

“DON’T YOU HAVE SOMETHING LEFT!!!” Yelled the man with light armor.

“I’M ALL OUT!!!” Yelled back the one banging the door.

"التحرك وتا الطريق!!" A yell came from behind them, only the one of the two screaming men not occupied was able to turn. A man with a huge rock over his head moved towards them.

“HOLY FUCK, WHO’S THAT?!!!!” As if to answer him, the man threw the immense rock over them  into the door. It banged the door, breaking it easily.

“THE DOOR'S OPEN, MOVE MOVE!!!!”

“قد علاء حماية روحي الخال!”

The explosion resounded throughout the city, both men were barely able to move out of the doorway, the blast of fire and force rushing through the windows causing cracks to form on the walls.

"Damn... poor scary bastard." The light armored man grumbled as he dusted himself off.

The other coughed, clearing his lungs of dust. " That man just sacrifice his life for us."

"He could’ve just run with us out but *no*, he needed to go all hero.” The other spat, looking back up at the flaming room they just vacated "I think he thought we were just tag alongs in his quest for Heaven's holy wrath, you know, when he was screaming allah, I heared that one clearly."

"I believe that was the warning." The heavy armored said dryly, standing and stretching his legs.

"Some warning."

With their bodies in one piece and their lungs full of dust, the two men moved into the nearest place they could think to be safe. They were sure that a large ground force would be making its way towards them, so the smart thing was to hide in a building and watch the events unfold before them. Until they could leave.

The building was easy to ascend, their eyes kept looking down to check for cracks, they arrived at the second floor breathing heavily. Noticing a amateurly barricaded window with one slap open for vision, both men moved towards it.

“Renee, status.” Said the man of armor as he made sure there was no rupture in between his articulations.

“I’ll be fine, are you checking to see if there’s anything between your plates Stephan?” Renee replied as he checked his back and legs runes.

“I’m already on it.” Said Stephan, checking if anything he was carrying before had in some moment dropped.

There was a low hum in the air.

Both Renee and Stephan froze in place.

The hum became louder, making it easy to tell that it wasn’t a hum.

That was flapping.

Like a cloud the street was covered in a layer of shadow, the sound went into a creciendo as the flapping became easily noticeable now. Both Stephan and Renee slowly moved their heads down to have an angle to confirm their hypothesis’.

A damn ‘flight pack’. They were usually a prelude to a large group of ground troops.

The couple dozen of pegasi moved in a swarm like way, it was wondrous how they didn’t crash against each other. Renee peeked out into an upper angle to see where they were heading, some of them were checking the building they had the pleasure of not being in.

The ground shook slightly as the rest of new foals arrived. The large amount of ponies sicken Renee greatly, at least a dozen of them had no armor whatsoever, meaning they were human just a few short hours ago.

Looking closely to the left side of his vision Renee saw what seemed to be a tank, M1A3 Abrams model, driving towards the inside of the city. Some soldiers on the manning machines on top, there was one in particular that had his- correction her long hair flapping in the wind. The sordenong sound stopped for a second.

This became the horde's target. Almost as one, they turn and rushed at the single tank, smiling faces and sounds of multiple voices echoing out false promises of freedom and adoration from an insane leader.

Their answer came in the form of a fifty caliber round tearing through their ranks, the female soldier's heavy machine gun roaring out quickly.

The tank fired rounds at the approaching horde. The woman manning the machine unleashed death in droves, but did nothing to deter the zealots in their quest. The female soldier swore loudly before ducking back into the tank as horde of new foals swarmed over it, covering it completely.

Stephan muttered a curse as he watched several unicorns step up and blasted the tank with magic, attempting it to force it open. "We should help them!" He hissed at Renee.

Renee only smirked. "Give it a minute..." He muttered. The new foal army seemed to stop their outreach of a moment, they looked at the tank with confusion.

The tank suddenly glowed brightly with runes, painting the tank in a strangely haunting light. "Hey,” yelled a new foal,  “What are runes doing-"

The tank seemingly blew itself up, taking the horde of new foals with it. The force of the blast sent both men onto their rears, Renee laughing insanely at the blast.

"Whoa! That was terrific!"

"Are you insane?! Those soldiers are dead!" Stephan scrambled back to the window, horror covered his features, only to have his jaw slack with surprise as the tank rumbled out of the smoke without scratch.

The Abram rolled over the dead and dying without care, the runes on its armor slowly vanishing from sight, moving on to the next target location.

"But..." Stephan looked on in confusion, words failing him at the moment.

"Yeah, don't worry too much about." Renee patted his shoulder, getting up and moving out of their hiding spot. "I take it you just skimmed over the heavy armor protection notes Sparkler handed to you?"

Stephan only nodded once, shaking his head at the absurd American before him.

"Yeah, me too. Just told her to tell me plainly, like explaining to a small child." Renee looked over his shoulder, the mask covering his lower face did nothing to hide the smile he had plastered. He raised his hands making 'quoting' gesture "Pretty writing glow, big boom, no stand close."

Before Stephan could utter a response, the sound of a missile could be heard flying overhead. Both men look out of the window to see a vapor trail of said missile, then another passed by, then another, until their entire view, if only for a second, was filled with missiles.

"Holy..." Renee watched as the last missile race out of sight, the sound multiple explosives ringing out, the force could be felt in their chest.

"Someone* pissed off Admiral Chirkov badly." Stephan finally muttered out loud.*

"Part of me wants to feel sorry for the poor bastards." Renee shook his head, chuckling somewhat as he stepped across the room to exit, Stephan trailing behind him, "Another part of me *really** hopes that someone recorded it to show me later."*

The earth shook, the missiles surely responsible, some of the boards on the windows broke off letting light fill the dim room.

“Tell me again why couldn’t we wait for the others?” Stephan asked, the new light in the room showed his entire appearance which resembled that of an ancient knight, but with the addition of modernized hardened material instead of metal which made less sound when moving, additions into usually exploitable defects in the joints and modern weapons ammo slot spaces, and with *all** this he walked about as if he was naked. His HK417 in his grip tightened as he quickly swung his weapon and searched for enemies down the hall.*

“One, it would've taken too long for them to go back and work our way through the city with a group.” Renee stated, unlike his companion he was lightly armored; a simple digital printed armor vest covered his torso, his face covered with goggles, and a mask covered his mouth and nose. He was carrying a M240 Light machine gun in his arms and a Neo-Panzerfaust launcher on his back.

“Two, we are faster on our own, you with your armor and me with my runes. Three...” Renee fell silent, he turn and began to look for the exit.

Renee didn’t give him time to speak as he motioned Stephan towards the streets, a silent gesture that Stephan understood perfectly.

They moved fast and silently, the stairs made no sound as they descended to the streets. Stephan looked outside, his armor was a perfect camouflage for the gray streets. Looking at all the possible directions including the sky, he motioned Renee to move. They moved to the closest intersection, away from the direction of the used missiles.

“You will not lose her, Renee.” The armored man stated, giving the other a confident look, struggling to catch up.

“Thanks Stephan. And it’s Marcus.” Marcus lightly corrected him, but slowed down all the same. Both men reached an intersection, both of them separating and placing their backs to the wall, their weapons aimed down the street opposite of them. Marcus shook his head to Stephan, indicating that the street was cleared, but Stephan immediately ducked behind a car, causing Marcus to grimace.

“Damn it.” He muttered under his breath, waiting for Stephan to make his way to him.

“Um Gottes willen...” Stephan growled as he slided up to Marcus. “I thought we had the city evacuated.”

“You know damn well that most people will ignore it and stay to defend their homes, Americans being the worst offenders.” Marcus gave a quiet sigh. “How many?”

"At least ten.” Stephan answered, “How do you want to do this?”

“It will take too long to try and go around... Fuck. Go with a bang.” Marcus placed his M240 to his side on a special clip just for the ocation, he reached back and pulled his Neo-Panzerfaust out. “How many meters?”

“Fifteen.”

“Shit that is close...” Marcus shook his head, setting the grenade before setting himself up.

“I was truly fortunate enough not to be seen.” Stephan agreed.

“Well, like the old saying goes...” Marcus grinned darkly as he stepped out from around the corner, startling the new foals with his appearance. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!”

The grenade went flying into the group, detonating in mid-air and catching all the new foals with the blast. Stephan stepped around Marcus, his HK417 sweeped the area before he lowered it, realizing it was clear. He turned to Marcus and cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“‘Die Hard’ reference?”

“Too much?” Marcus asked, holstering his Neo-Panzerfaust and bringing out his M240.

"I think you tried too hard.” Stephan answered, causing Marcus’s shoulder to slump a little. “Sounded cool though.”

Marcus grunted in responce, “Come on, we still got to get to Cheerilee’s group.”

Both men began to run once more, making it down the street only to slow as they reached the end of the intercection, and finally to a stop when the saw a Potioneer ship float over the building ahead of them.

“Look! Humans off the portside! Ready Potions!” A happy cry floated from the deck, the Potioneer Ship slowly turn to them, making its way to the two men.

Marcus scowled at the ship, “You have got to be shit-” He never finished his thought. The side of the ship exploded, its shield taking the brunt of the attack, while the force nearly knocked Marcus and Stephan off their feet.

“Verdammt!” Stephan swore as he looked up to see an American F-22 Raptor and a Chinese FC-1 Xiaolong quickly turning away from the ship. Both men barely had time to take a couple of steps back when the sound of 30 mm guns going off from two Apache Helicopters made themselves present.

The Potioneer ship attempted to use the buildings to help shield itself, but the attack helicopters simply readjusted their machines above the ship and continued their onslaught, the shield failed to stop the powerful rounds as they ripped into the enchanted fabric and deck. Both helicopters fired several salvos of missiles at the defenseless ship, the missiles slamming into the top deck and exploded, taking everything out...

Including the pilot.

“Scheiße/Crap!” Both men cursed at the same time, they watched as the now pilotless and deck-less ship quickly make its way towards them. The ropes holding the ship and balloon together were the barely holding it as the ship gained speed as the enchanted clouds leaked out of the fabric that held it. The ship slammed into the ground, shoving aside cars, lampposts, and mailboxes as it quickly tore a path towards them.

“Book it!” Marcus shouted, running back down the street, Stephan quickly followed.

Marcus turn back to see the ship quickly making its way towards them.

He would make it... but Stephan wouldn’t.

The enchanted armor was extremely good at maintaining the wearer. Able to help stave off poison, improve the wearer's health and stamina, it even gives them a small barrier for protection. But it could only do so much.

Marcus looked to the side and saw a small H&R Block, clear glass windows beckoning to him. He stop and turn back to Stephan.

“What are-!?” Stephan only got as far as that before Marcus quickly grabbed Stephan, lifted the cursing German and throwed him through the window before jumping through himself. Seconds later, the entire wall of the building was brushed aside and crumpled as the ship slide its way through.

Stephan and Marcus picked themselves up off the floor and watched as the ship finally slowed to a stop, but unfortunately it stopped with them still trapped in the building itself.

“Great, is there an exit?” Stephan asked, shaking his head at what used to be the front of the building. He then turn and punched Marcus in shoulder.

“OW! What was that for?”

“That didn’t hurt, you big baby.” Stephan growled. “You could've at least told me to throw myself into the building, not physically pick me up and chunk me!”

“Sorry, I was just trying to save your life.” Marcus smirked a bit, looking around a bit before sighing. “And to answer your first question, no, there is no exit.”

“Terrific.” Stephan growled.

‘Marcus?’ The radio in his ear buzzed to life, Marcus was quick to answer the call.

“Cher? Are you okay?”

‘We’re fine Marcus, don’t worry. Vinyl showed up along with a dozen fresh troops and supplies. Everything is fine now.’

“Oh thank god.” Marcus leaned against the counter, stress and a small mist could be seen leaving his body. “I’m-”

‘Don’t you dare start that! I know you will be trying your hardest to get here, but the entire city is under siege. I don’t expect you to appear before me when I asked.’

Marcus only smiled at this, giving a small chuckle. “Fine fine. You win. Are you and the others going to be fine?”

‘We...We will be. We lost a couple of soldiers and some of the civilians here. I am beginning to understand the term ‘Zergling Rush’ better now. But with Vinyl and the armor tank now here, we should be fine.’

Stephan got on his radio and linked up with the frequency. “Cheerliee? It’s me, Stephan. Did you hear anything about Alica and Daniel? Did they make it to you?”

There was a short pause while Cheerliee figured that out.“Yes, they are here. And they said you should work and stop worrying about them.”

Stephan let out a sigh. “Yup, that’s them. Thank you.” Marcus let out light snigger of amusement, which Stephan responded with a glare.

“Doesn’t work too well with that bucket on your head.” Marcus chided slightly, laughing somewhat before returning to the radio. “Be safe Cher...I love you.”

[size=7]“What do you say sister?”[/size]

“I love you too, Marcus. Get back to your group. We still have a battle to win.”

Marcus beamed at his. “Yes, Ma’am!”

“Problem!” Stephan decided to butt in. “We don’t have a way out.”

“Sure we do! Just use that sword of yours to cut a hole through the wall.” Marcus explained, Stephan’s armor head shift to the wall close to him and lightly tapped it with his fist. Small amounts of debris and dust quickly fell to the floor, covering them.

“That is why.” Stephan said as he shook his head, waving his hand to clear the dust. “With the ship taking out a good portion of the wall, this entire building, or at least this section, is in danger of collapsing. If I even so much pierce the wall, the entire section would kill us...Or maybe pin us, not sure if the armor or your runes will stand up to the weight though.”

Marcus scowled at that, looking around before his eyes settled on the ship’s wooden hull. He quickly walked up to it slowly brought his hands up, hovering over the ship.

“What are you doing?” Stephan asked, looking on in confusion.

“Gauging how much magic is still within the hull. Don’t want to drain too much or I will be forced to expel it before we get out.” Marcus frown a bit before he clapped his hands together and rubbed them quickly. “Its not a lot, but it is really complex, and those tend to be a bit of hassle in draining. Alright, give me some time to drain this puppy.”

Stephan leaned against a table, watching as the runes in Marcus’s arms glowed dimly as he began to drain the hull, a frown hidden underneath his armor mask. “Tell me something, Marcus.”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you not wear armor, or at least some sort of cover?”

Marcus look back, his smile hidden beneath his mask. “What are you talking about? I do have cover, see this mask and goggles?”

Stephan only stared at Marcus, his arms crossed as he tapped his finger against his arm, Marcus winced internally, Stephan wasn’t playing around. “Jesus, fine. I only know the basics, got to ask Sparkler if you want the technical part of it. All I know is that I have 3 different runic shielding.”

“Three?” Stephan stared, shocked by that statement.

“Yup,” Marcus said, his eyes narrowed as he saw some of his runes slowly grow brighter. “The first one is called Runic Shield, I have to activate it myself with my will. It more or less a basic shield you will expect from unicorns, only powered by runes.”

Marcus rolled his shoulders a bit, and Stephan saw the glow travel from his back to his legs before disappearing. “The Second one is called Runic Armor, it...well the best way of saying is that secondary shield appears over the skin, like a backup shield. Real magic consuming though, but it works in keeping my body in shape. It’s also the ones that have all the other runes tied in, like healing, draining, or strengthen runes. Real pain in the ass, literally in my case when they put it on.”

Stephan watched as Marcus smiled and take a step back, nodding his head. “Alright, good to go!”

“And the third?” Stephan looked at him, Marcus only sighed a bit before answering.

“The third protects me from the potion.” There was a moment of silence before Stephan stomped over to Marcus, glaring at him through his helmet.

“And why hasn't this been passed out to the other troops?” Stephan hissed in anger, coming close to punching the man before him. Anger that this man was taking something for himself rather than sharing with everyone else that could be protected.

Marcus shook his head, waving the man off of him. “It’s not that simple, there is a reason for the goggles and mask. I can still change if I get some into my eyes or mouth. And before you start, no, it’s not perfect either. I have to wipe off the potion before it drains me of what magic I do have. Whatever is in the stuff, it makes the runes react badly and viciously at the same time. I got maybe 5 minutes top to wipe the stuff off before I either change or my runes activate to kill me. The reason why I got several canteens filled with water.”

Stephan stared at Marcus in surprise. “So...”

“Yeah, I can still change if I am not fast enough...or I will die.”

“How?”

“If I can’t wipe the stuff off in time? The runes on my head will fry my brain. If I am taken down and forced to drink the potion with a butt ton of magic still in me? My entire body becomes a IED.” Marcus murmured, shaking his head. “Cher was against it from the beginning, but I demanded it...I...”

“You didn’t want to hurt her...” Stephan finished for him. “In case the Tyrant attempted to use you to destroy her will or everyone else. Believe me...I know the feeling, I have enough C4 strapped in the chest plate to level a two story building.”

Marcus stared at Stephan for a moment before opening his mouth. “Damn! You don’t hold back do you?”

Stephan only rub his head, shrugging a bit. Marcus nodded his head, smiling somewhat, “Yeah... so, I can still change, it’s just takes longer if I am not careful. It might make the troops last a bit longer, but it will also force them to keep getting hit with spells and such. It also takes a long time to put on. It took several weeks just for me and Cher. Even worse is that Humans lack magic, so we have to rely on friendly unicorns or the enemy in charging us. Ponies don’t have that problem, they have their own magic to work with through the runes. Whatever I got, is all I have until some idiot decides to hit me with a big spell or something.”

Marcus stared at the hull for a moment longer before stepping aside and waving his hand towards the hull. “Enough chit chat, go on Mister Knight, do your stuff.”

“Gladly.” Stephan stepped forward, taking out his machete and staring at the small pendent on the end. “Hm...7 charges left for quick swipes, 3 at the minimum. Better make this count.”

Stephan activated the blade, the machete glowed a bright blue, elongating to the size of a claymore, even hinting at the shape of it. Stephan grunted once, swing the blade diagonally downwards, then swiping horizontally, then finally diagonally upwards for the last time. The magical claymore slowly morphed away, and Stephan took a step back, nodding once.

“Viola, an opening!” Stephan said smiling, and pushed...

The triangle shape hull that refused to budge.

Stephan grunted once, then twice, then began to throw himself at the cut out shape in an attempt to move it. “Was zum Teufel!” Stephan growled taking a step back before a hand rested on his shoulder.

“Let me handle this. Your armor is good, but my runes are better.” Marcus smiled at Stephan, who only step aside to allow him room.

Marcus hefted his M240, a smirk adorning his masked face. He walked up to the door, his runes glowing brightly on his legs. “Knock, Knock!”

The hull flew inward, a single cry escaping before it was violently cut off from the piece of flying timber. Marcus pointed his weapon through the hole, slowly sweeping the small room before entering, soon followed by Stephan.

[size=8]“Sister...Did you hear me?”[/size]

“Poor bastard.” Marcus muttered, looking at the the heavy piece of hull on top of an injured Royal guard, his neck snapped from the force of the blow.

“No time for that now, we should-!” The building they were just in collapsed, filling the hole with debris and stone. “No going back now.”

“Not like we were going back anyways.” Marcus muttered. “Take point?”

“Of course. I am the one with the armor after all, not the neat runes.” Stephan chuckled, both men taking either side of the door.

“End of the line from my view, ends at a wall.” Marcus relayed.

“Got a hallway, ready?”

“Go!” Stephan step forward, his entire form taking up most of the hall, Marcus quickly pushing his back to him. “No openings or doorways, dead end, moving to your left flank”

Marcus quickly position himself next to Stephan, nodding once before both men slowly move forward. The sounds of setting wood and muffled battle slowly filling the silence.

“Two open doors.” Stephan muttered, Marcus nodding once and both men slowly rotated as the moved forward, the backs touching one another as the crossed the openings.

“Closet. Door fell off.” Stephan said out loud.

“Looks like a bathroom.” Marcus stated, he slowly lowered him near the ground, check to see if any new foal or guard was hiding. “Got a corpse inside in one of the stalls.”

“You sure?”

“Unless he is trying to pull off the Exorcist chick, I doubt he is still alive...” Marcus trailed off, tensed for a moment, his runes buzzing slightly.

“Marcus?” Stephan turn to look at him, before a spear bathed in magic shot from down the hall, hitting Stephan in the pauldron, taking the hit with ease. “Scheiße! Contact Front!”

“Suppressing!” Marcus unleashed his M240, the sound of the LMG roaring filled the hallway, quickly swallowed the sounds of cries of pain and death. A bolt of magic slammed into Marcus’s face, causing him to curse in anger and pull back into the bathroom. “Stephan? You alright?”

Only silence met his call. “Stephan?”

A single cry echoed out from down the hall and Marcus peeked out to see Stephan stabbing the pony in his hands, pinning the pony to the wall for a moment before he retrieved his blade. The pony slumped to the ground, his heart shredded from the machete.

“How the hell did you get over there?” Marcus walked down the hall, clearly confused. Stephan pointed back to the closet he hid behind earlier. “There was an opening in the wall, tight fit, but I managed.”

“Lucky you.” Marcus growled. “I got hit the face with a stun spell. You know how much that shit stings?”

Stephan only laughed, taking point once more. “Come Commander, don’t tell me you are getting soft on me.”

“I can still kick your ass! Even without the runes!”

“I remember it being a draw the last time we spared.”

“Don’t play smart on me Stephan. I clearly remember going through a dozen guys before you decided to take a shot!”

“Going through a dozen guys sounds kind of-”

“I am going to kick your ass, and I am going to feel nothing but joy when I do.” The sound of laughter echoed down through the hallway before they found a way out. Marcus took one step into the opening, and was suddenly hit with a dozen different spells.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” He roared as his runes burned, he brought up one hand, unleashing the excess magic from his palm, flinging charging Earth ponies away, ducking into cover as another volley of spells raced through where he once stood. Stephan quickly leaned out, sending out a few rounds before ducking back inside.

“You okay?” Stephan asked as he watch Marcus growled in pain, his runes glowing brightly.

“I fucking hate it when the runes begin to overload.” Marcus look outside, and saw a small motorcycle sitting in an alleyway, spared from the Potioneer ship’s path of destruction. He focused on the two wheeler, his runes activating to heed his command. Everything around him drown out; the fighting, the brightly colored spells, even the very gun in his hands went numb. He slowly leaned out, ignoring the few spells hitting him, focusing on the a small group of unicorns shielding a large rack of potions, some of the new foals attempting to gather some to throw at the two warriors.

“Oh no you don’t.” Marcus growled, swiping his hand to the side and the motorcycle, a 1988 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail, in surprising good condition went flying. A small thought flitted by his mind, wondering why the bike was still here, including how his father would've killed him if he knew what his son was doing.

‘Sorry Pops... this is more important right now.’ he thought, although he did think his father would probably still beat the crap out of him anyways, bringing a small grin to his face.

The motorcycle flew through the air, taking out several pegasi before it finally impacted the shield, the massive frame and heavy weight caught all of them off guard, easily breaking through and smashing the rack filled with potions, along with a few other ponies.

Stephan quickly loaded a grenade on his under-barrel and fired at the recently formed mess, easily igniting the gas tank, and sending the motorcycle into the beyond.

Stephan leaned back against the wall, before taking in the look of shock on Marcus’s face.

“What?”

“Did you really have to blow it up!?”

“You threw the damn thing!”

“Yeah, but it could've been saved!”

“It’s just a bike.”

“JUST A BIKE!”

“I am not the one who threw it in the first place! You are as much to blame, in fact, even more to blame than me!”

“You-I-....GAH! FUCK ALL OF YOU!!!” Marcus roared, pulling the trigger on his LMG and sending death in waves. Stephan rolled his eyes before leaning out and firing his weapon once more.

Marcus gave the scorch mark a longing look before the click of his weapon telling him he was dry. Stephan had also stop firing and was attempting to reload his own. The Royal Army appear to take this as a sign of good things as they came out of cover, yelling out the same cheer that was heard in Europe and in the Middle East.

“JOIN THE HERD!”

A single Earth pony attempted to tackle Marcus, only to kicked in the face for his troubles, his neck snapping from the runic enhanced kick. Marcus swung the M240, batting a pegasus from the air as he attempted to grab him. “FUCK YOUR HERD! YOU ASS WIPES MADE ME COMMIT SIN!”

Stephan watch in shock as Marcus threw his weapon to the side and punched another Earth pony in the face, he felt a sense of nausea as he saw the pony’s head cave in from the blow. Shaking his head to rid the image in his mind, he pulled out his machete and started to attack from behind.

The next few minutes was complete hell for the two men.

Marcus slowly calming down, realizing his error in judgment, although it would've been worse off if he tried to reload his weapon with this many ponies surrounding him. Marcus’s runes glowed with power, his eyes narrow as he took off to the left, racing up to the nearest Earth pony, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him into the air. Said pony would never breath again as Marcus crushed his windpipe and then slammed him into the concrete road, causing the spine to snap from the move. A spell slammed into his side, this one indicating it should of shocked him, but he simply reached out and grab the next pony, transfer the spell power to the pony instead.

He then kicked out, catching another pony in the face, breaking his jaw from the blow. The unicorn was barely starting to cry out when Marcus grabbed him by the head and swung him with a quick motion, snapping his neck. His now dead weapon slammed into a flying pegasus, catching her with the swing and crushing her between the body and a piece of the hull standing in the street, she barely squeaked out a protest before he simply snapped her neck, finally turning to the single unicorn that was left on his side of the battle field.

He walked forward, ignoring the spells hitting him, the New foal eyes widen in shock as Marcus simply lifted his palm up to his face, a frown manifesting in Marcus’s face. A magic burst forward, which Marcus aptly named ‘Force Push’ as a joke, although it would not be so dissimilar to be called otherwise. At that range and amount of power Marcus put into the spell, it might as well be called a cannon. The pony’s head explode, sending bits of brain matter and bone flying everywhere. Marcus shook his hand and sighed in relief, the excess magic he had gather was really bothering him.

Stephan watched as Marcus took off, gathering a group of ponies for him to fight off, leaving Stephan to fight the rest. He pulled out his back up pistol, firing several rounds, killing several Royal Army New foals before they started to surround him.

His machete sliced through their throats and hides, spilling blood everywhere. Stephan gritted his teeth as an Earth pony attempted to grab him, but he caught her by the throat, lifting and shoving his blade into her heart. He heard the sounds of galloping and saw another two Earth ponies rushing towards him, along with a Unicorn tailing behind them. He scowled, gripping his machete tightly before meeting their charge head on, but before the ponies could attack, he activated the blade, magically transforming the machete into a claymore and swinging it forcefully, beheading the shocked Earth ponies.

He continued his spin; seeing a unicorn attempting to throw a spell at him, he changed his direction slightly and used all the built up momentum above the unicorn's head and slamming the claymore through the unicorns skull, slicing the head into two and into the ground itself.

Stephan deactivate the blade and walked away from his pile of corpses, seeing Marcus lifting his hand and levitating his weapon back to him. “You alright?” as he clamped a hand on his shoulder.

Stephan jumped slightly as Marcus’s cursed loudly, the weapon falling short of his arms. “God damn it, still not good at this magic shit.”

“Sorry.” Stephan apologized.

“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Marcus waved him off, bending down to retrieve his weapon.

[size=8]“Sister?”[/size]

“Marcus!” a voice called out over the radio, the sound of gunfire, shouting, and heavy techno music echoing in the background.

“What is it, Cher?” Marcus calmly raised his weapon up for inspection, glad to find it still in one piece and functioning properly.

“Where are you-Vinyl don’t-!” Marcus winced as the radio filled with static for a moment, in the distance to the west of him, he saw a flash of light and a low thrumming sound before it slowly died off. He shook his head in amusement, leave it to Vinyl to weaponized a bass speaker.

“You okay, Cher?” Marcus asked, a quick spell hit him in the chest, ignoring it completely; he raised his weapon and made the stubborn unicorn new foal into red paste.

“VINYL!” Marcus chuckled as he heard Cheerilee roared in anger at one Vinyl Scratch, a small ‘What?’ could be heard in the background along with some cheering. “Marcus, where are you?”

“I am in the Theater District, near the park with Stephan-” He was about to continue but he heard a thump from behind him, he quickly turned to see a cloaked pony behind him, on top of a new foal pegasus who was just introduced to her hidden blades. He smiled at her, nodding his thanks once before continuing on. “Also, Spitfire is here with me.”

“Marcus! Get out of there! The Great Equestrian is doing something!” Marcus frowned, before taking a couple of steps to get a clear view from the building and looked up. He saw the Great Equestrian floating up high, shields flaring as it several missiles from jets and ships in the harbor. He watched as several ports open, large pipes slowly extending from the flying ship.

Slowly and menacingly, what appeared to be purple clouds began to spew from the ship.

“Potion Clouds..” Stephan whispered, his voice filled with despair and anger, his fist clenching tightly to his weapon. Marcus grimaced a bit at the news, Stephan had seen first hand what it did, and now the Great Equestrian was throwing this stuff out here; time to up the ante.

“Sister? Are you well?”

Marcus was about to give an order, before another voice jumped onto the line. “Heads up people! They set up a temp-portal in the Jeffries-Point Airport!”

“WHAT?!” Marucs roared, “What happen to the defenses there?”

“They had to evac, Sir! They were getting overrun and we lost at least 100 personnel in trying to hold it.”

“Damn it! Blow the tunnels leading to Boston, make them go around and-”

“Holy shit! Pegasi! A shit load of them!  Fire! Fire!” Marcus cursed, turning towards the building he rushed inside, taking to the stairs as quickly as he could before getting to the roof. Looking to the East he saw what appeared to be an entire flock of pegasi which were swarming the airport and quickly making their way towards the ships in the harbor and to the city. They would be overrun by the pegasi alone with those numbers. He heard Stephan whispered a small prayer, things were getting worse now that they had a foothold.

A static echoed through Stephan’s radio followed by the worried voice of Müller. “Verdammte Scheiße! Stephan, do you hear me?”

“Yes, I hear you. What is the situation?”

“Bad, really bad! We have almost no ammo left for the AA weapons and that giant cloud of pegasi will swarm us when we don’t get help soon!”

Stephan bit his teeth together, fear gripping his heart as his old friend’s life was now on the line. He looked at Marcus, pleading behind his mask for him to do something, anything at all. Marcus scowled, nodding to himself once. It was time to bring out the big one.

“Cher! Get me Admiral Chirkov, now!”

“Patching you through!” For a moment there was static, which quickly cleaned for a deep voice that echoed out. “Commander? Is it time?”

“Time has come and gone, and you are late to the party.” Marcus grumbled, raising his weapon and firing a short burst to a lone Pegasus attempting to capture him, which he thought was completely idiotic of him, given that there was three of them on the roof, two of them with ballistic weapons and another trained in flight battle. “I need the Fujin Missile in the air now, or we lose everything.”

“As you order, Commander. Let see if the Japaneses’ weapon is a powerful as they say it is.”

“Sister!”

Marcus looked towards the Boston Harbor, filled with dozens of warships of every kind from around the world, the biggest further out to sea, the USS Gerald R. Ford, launching all of its air units to stem the tide of pegasi.

From harbor itself, a missile flew from the water, its aim straight above the city of Boston itself, dozens of Potioneer and Fortress ships attempted to bring down the missile, unknowingly enhancing the weapon with their very own magic with the runes inscribed on it. The jet engine burn hotter, pushing it even faster, and with the inner workings of the missile itself, the payload, it grew exponentially more powerful.

Dozens of spells were launched, and in the end, it ignored them. Marcus looked up, smirking before a familiar voice blared through the radio.

“Everyone, this is the Doctor! Get underground now! Or secure yourself inside one of the buildings! All flight groups get out of the city now!”

“Doc?”

“The missile absorbed too much magic, it’s not just going to suck up the clouds anymore!”

Marcus looked up as the missile flew faster than any missile he had ever seen before. “It’s going to make a class 5 tornado look like it threw fit, it’s equal to a level two hurricane of two hundred  radius caught in a concentrated radius of two miles,GET UNDER COVER NOW!”

The missile exploded.

Silence took over.

The sun seemed to dim.

And missile's target seemed to change places with a small white sun.

“SISTER!”

Celestia was snapped out of her trance in a memory relapse, her eyes widened as she realized that she was flying back to Canterlot. She flushed, embarrassed that she fell into another memory. “Luna?”

“Sister, We asked thou a question, but were...Inattentive.” Luna looked at her sister with concern.

“I am fine, Luna. Just...Experiencing human Warfare from a first person view.” Celestia answered, shaking her head. “The Mind Link spell was rather... Intense.”

“Will you be fine?” Luna looked back to the open skies, her eyes narrowing as she thought back on her question.

“I will be.” Celestia sighed. “I will tell you this, humans are not to be trifled with in any form.” Celestia looked back to gauge Cadance, her eyes having a faraway look to them, a clear indication that she was thinking.

Cadance was indeed in deep thought as the three Alicorns flew back to Equestria proper; she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that there was another world almost equal to Equestria in every way.

Except the obvious fact that it took the word Harmony and raped the very meaning of it to suit their twisted concept of perfect utopia.

She still shivered at her aunt’s explanation about everything involved with the Sun Tyrant, that lingered in her mind, how she came to the world of Humanity, bearing gifts and good tidings, all the while planning to subjugate them and erase their very existence from their world. How she offered a ‘would be’ miracle cure; it cured diseases, cancers, gave sight to the blinded, hearing to the deaf, grew legs that allowed those without limbs to walk once more, and so much more.

But those that took it... lost everything in return, and when the time was right, when Humanity began to learn of the side effects of the Potion, she struck.

She made a barrier grow outside the portal, destroying everything in its path.

PER members, humans that had all but cast off their humanity to ponydom in attempt to 'share' the light the Tyrant brought in, struck against the human leaders with such precision and brutally that most of them were too late to do anything about it, many falling within the first hour.

Humanity fought back with everything short of their most powerful weapons. Weapons that her aunt described in full detail that even rivaled her own magical powers… even surpassed it.

Marcus, the human that was in Ponyville, was a leader of the UN forces. Elected due to his skills and leadership to a flailing UN, he had teamed with PHL, Ponies for Human Life, in an attempt to

find a way to break the barrier, or in their case, try and survive outside it.

He gathered most of the worlds' armies to at least strengthen themselves for

protection....

Or what was left of them.

Her aunt described that most military members banded together across the world when they realized that no one could take on the Tyrant and her armies alone, they shared intelligence, weapons and tactics.

But still being pushed back until they lost Europe, a continent that had dozens of countries within it; millions displaced, millions dead, millions ponyified.

Luna interrupted Candance’s thought by asking a question that was burning in her mind as well. “Why didn’t PHL teleport humans across the barrier?”

“Because the Sun Tyrant said the biggest lie of all, her trump card, the real reason why she was

winning.” Celestia answered, narrowing her eyes as she focused on the memory.

“She proclaimed that the magical aura would kill them.” Celestia said as her face twisted in disgust. “That,   he large amount of magic in the very air and ground of Equestria would kill them.”

“But that doesn’t-”

“She teleported a human across the barrier.” Celestia interrupted Luna, she flinched as the memory flashed before her eyes.“The human began to melt, literally, broadcasted across the world, before the eyes of humanity he melted, but before he could die she ‘helped’ him.” Celestia paused; she had a hard time controlling how ‘vivid’ the memories were. “The Tyrant lied to them to ensure that whatever hope humanity had of simply bypassing the barrier would fall before it started.”

There was a moment of silence before Cadance summed up all three Alicorns' thoughts. “She is a monster.”

“Indeed...” Luna whispered, breathing slowly as anger swelled in her chest. “On a scale, no

pony... Nay! No being on Equus had ever heard of such a thing!”

Celestia focused ahead of her, “She had the nerve to contact me here, in our Equestria, make excuses for her actions, and attempt to force me into giving the Commander to her.”

Luna grinned “We saw your answer, Sister.” Gesturing with her head where they just came from and Cadance giggled, Celestia looked away, somewhat ashamed of her actions.

‘If it had been in a populated area...’ Celestia shook her head at the thought.

“Still...I believe we may have gone to war either way...” Celestia answered as they flew

past Cloudsdale.

“What do you mean?” Cadance looked at her in shock and confusion.

“Had any of the other corrupted Elements arrived instead of the Commander, and found a way back to their world...” Celestia started, an ache starting within her heart. “The Tyrant would come after us after she finished Earth.”

“Why?” Luna asked, concerned.

“She will see our world as....Imperfect.” Celestia grimaced, almost unsure of what she felt about what she heard. “When she spoke to me, she called me a shade, an incomplete ruler, an alicorn who refuses to raise her status to a Goddess. I could see it in her eyes, how she was utterly glad to not just find where the Commander went, but another Equestria. An ‘impure’ Equestria”

Celestia looked at Cadance and Luna, making sure they were understanding so far, at a quiet nod from both she continued.

“Due to Marcus's memories, I can tell how she gathered her power,” Celestia looked at Luna “by taking power away from the other Luna,” And then she looked at Cadance, “and forcing a bond between herself and the Crystal Kingdom.”

Both Luna’s and Cadance’s stared at Celestia for a while, their eyes slowly got wide as their ears slowly moved back. Cadance was the first to speak.

“H-how...exactly?” Cadance whispered to Celestia, hoping she had an answer.

“I don't know... Nor do I want to…” Celestia acknowledged, “But what I want to know is how she gained Tirek's bag.” Celestia growled.

“Who...Who is Tirek?” Cadance had never heard of this name before, but when she heard it, an instinctive chill ran down her spine.

“A very dangerous being...” Celestia told her as they landed near the Garden Maze.

“A long time ago, before even we were born, a being born from the darkness of the rulers of this land came to life.”

“The First Alicorns.” Luna clarified for Cadance. “Rulers of all Equus, their strength and magic that dwarfed even our powers when they were at their strongest; In an attempt to purge the darkness within themselves, whether in a moment of vanity or simply wanting to cleanse their souls of taint, a monster was

created.”

“Thus began the fall of the Alicorns...” Celestia whispered mostly to herself.

Ponyville

Seeing a large contingent of Royal Guards descending onto the town wasn't new to the residents of Ponyville. Due to their location near the EverFree Forest and being the home of the Elements of Harmony, the residents of Ponyville slowly became accustomed to the rather hectic disasters and mishaps that  affected the small town.

So fictitious was it, that if there wasn't an incident during the week, the citizens would begin to board up their doors and windows to weather the upcoming disaster that was bound to happen.

No pony has had the heart to tell the Elements about this, figuring ignorance was bliss.

Shining Armor watched as the citizens simply moved aside to allow them passage, not even batting an eye at the guards as they carried on with their business.

'What a strange little town...' Shining thought to himself. He turned around to give the thirty or so ponies under his command their orders.

“Alright Guards, listen up!” Shining shouted. “I want several of you to search the hospital, question witnesses and try to find out where that thing headed. The half of the remaining of us will secure the town, make sure that this monster doesn't get back in and foalnap’s more of our ponies, the rest, search every inch of this town for that thing, don’t leave a rock unturned!”

“Sir!” The guards barked, saluting their Captain.

“You have your orders!” Shining waved his hoof outwards. “Move out!”

And with that the Royal Guards trotted off, a few of them making their way towards the hospital and out borders of the town, while others began to scour clean the town in search of the monster.

Nodding to himself, Shining began to make way towards his sister’s home.

Golden Oaks Library

“What…in the hay happen in here....” Shining said, as he stared in utter shock at the

state the Library was in. A complete and utter mess.

No scratch that, the Library was short of being decommissioned.

He watched as Spike picked up several books, examining them closely before either setting it aside or toss them into the air and setting them ablaze if they were simply too damaged to fix.

Applejack and Rarity were pushing aside several destroyed bookcases, most had a rather large hole in them, like something was thrown through them.

Twilight and Pinkie were standing off to the side, the latter attempting to reassure the former.

“It’s okay Twilight. I am sure you can get new books for the Library.” Pinkie smiled

at her. “We can even throw a party for them!”

Twilight’s sullen look slowly morphed with a small smile. “That’s alright Pinkie. You don't need to do that.” She said quietly, before the face melted away to concern. “We have bigger issues to deal

with though than some books.”

Shining felt shock run through him as he heard those words, completely missing how Pinkie's hair seemingly deflate to half its normal volume, a quiet sigh escaping her.

“What’s more important than books?” Shining asked, causing Twilight to jump up in

surprise at his question.

“BBBFF!” Twilight cried out, rushing in and hugging him, he returned it with as much

care as he could.

“Twily.” He held her close, worry and doubt slowly ebbing away. When he heard that the Elements got attacked by an unknown being, he nearly set out to Ponyville in irrational panic. It didn't help that he receive the notice while he was visiting his parents, who both nearly had fainted when they learn that several of Twilight's friends were hospitalized.

Princess Celestia did state that the thing was caught and sedated, and a group of guards would set out in the morning to bring the beast to Canterlot for questioning. However, sometime around the evening, the beast escaped, foalnapping a specialist. (Who later turn out to be a phony, as said specialist was still waiting for a train that would never come. Protocol states that the guards were to shut down the train in case somepony or thing tried to take it and disappeared into the night.)

“Twily....” Shining started, holding her close, “What happen in here? Did the beast show up?”

Twilight grimaced at the question, unsure how to begin or even how explain the situation to her protective brother.

Another thought crossed her mind, the voice sounding similar to Princess Luna, as she looked into Shining’s eyes.

'I’m sorry my little ponies, but it is my fear that we are to go to war.'

Shining Armor was the Captain of the Royal Guard.

He led his stallions in the defense of the Equestria itself.

And if need was called...

He would go to war as well…

Twilight froze, staring at her brother, fear beginning to fill her as she saw images of her brother fighting against other ponies, ponies that took Harmony and destroyed the very meaning of it for a mad Queen.

“TwilUH?” Shining unintentionally squeaked, stunned as Twilight hugged him even harder, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. After several seconds Shining finally was able to speak, “Twi, Twily what’s wrong?”

“Everything is changing...” Twilight said between sobs, fear now holding on to her very soul. “I...I don't know what to do anymore.”

“Twily?”

“Shining, I-” Twilight started, before several guards rushed through the door, startling everyone inside.

“Sir! The Beast is inside the library!” The guard called out. “Guardspony Air spotted the creature when he passed by. It’s in a bedroom!”

“What?!”Shining pulled away from Twilight in surprise, before looking to his sister in shock. “You captured it?!”

“What?! No! It’s a misunderstanding!” Twilight tried to calm them, but his brother's eyes narrowed and raced up the stairs, along with the guards. “Stop Shining!”

“Hey!”

“What the-?”

“Eek!”

“Stop!Leave him alone!”

Twilight acting quickly teleported to her room, and there was a scene unfolding; her friends were standing before Marcus's prone form, Lyra stood in front of Shining, standing on her rear legs and spreading her forelegs open to bar them passage, Rainbow standing next to her, glaring at the other Pegasus guard floating overhead, and Fluttershy was hiding underneath her bed, scared out of her mind.

“Move aside.” Shining ordered them, but Lyra and Rainbow didn’t budge.

“No.” Lyra growled. “Listen, what happen yesterday-”

“Will never happen again.” Shining growled, interrupting her, causing Twilight to flinch at the tone her brother used. “This...This beast is going to be locked up and thrown onto the moon for the rest of its life if I have any say about it.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow took a step forward, ignoring the snorts coming from the other guards. “And you think you are going to make this guy stay still long enough for that to happen?”

“I am the Captain of Guard for a reason, Rainbow Dash.” Shining replied, eying her wings. “It seems to me you are still suffering from the wounds he inflicted on you yesterday.”

“This?” Rainbow smirked a bit, wincing slightly as she spread her wings as to show off. “He just popped them out of their sockets, no biggie.”

“Shining...” Twilight walked up to her brother, her eyes wide and pleading. “Please... leave him alone. It was... it’s something that you must speak to the Princesses about. I don't think he will enjoy waking up in a cell.”

“That is his problem, not mine.” Shining retorted, “My problem is that he attacked my little sister and her friends for no reason. That alone is worthy of being thrown into the dungeon. Trying to murder the Elements of Harmony is another thing entirely.”

Shining leaned in close, his eyes gaining a harsh light within, causing the mares before him to shiver in fear. “Move. Now.”

Rainbow swallowed nervously, before she narrowed her eyes puffed out her chest. “No.” She took pleasure from the rather shocked looks on the guards and Shining Armor's face.

“I don't like the fact this guy tried to rip my wings off my back...but I understand why he did it. I don't like it, but I understand why he did what he did.” Rainbow striated her back, feeling an air of superiority,  for she knew she was right, “But you listen here buster! Just because you are the Captain of the Royal Guards, doesn't mean he isn't going to like being chained up and dragged off to the dungeon for a misunderstanding!”

Shining huffed at Rainbow, trying to move passed her, but she cut him off and continued.

“And believe me when I say this… he is going to wipe the floor with you guys,” She stated almost in a joking tone “What he did to me and the girls, was him weak and helpless.”

Shining's horn glowed. “Your warning has been noted.” His horn burst with magic and the mares found themselves behind a magical shield.

“Hey! Let us out!” Lyra pounded on the shield with her hooves. “You’re making a big

mistake!”

“What in the Sam hill is goin’ on up here?” Applejack asked as she and Rarity walked up the stairs from the commotion they hear, only to see two guards standing guard at the top, barring passage into

the room. “What the hay?”

“Stand back, citizen.” One guard said, looking behind him to see several guards surrounding the human on the bed. “We will take this beast back to Canterlot and let the Princesses decided his fate.”

“Beast?” Rarity asked as she blinked in confusion, before her pupils shrunk in surprise and fear. “Oh dear, Applejack, I believe it is prudent that we get out of the way for now.” Both guards smiled at the first common sense that was heard in the library.

Until Rarity finished her thought.

“We don’t want to be in the way when the Commander wakes up and decided to go into a runic rage.” Rarity simply said as she held her head up as and walked down the stairs, Applejack rolled her eyes

and followed. “Twilight dear, I really do hope your brother may still be able to hear when this is over, I would like to give him a piece of my mind on hearing those who know more than him.”

“Thanks Rarity.” Twilight said, with obvious irritation in her voice, as she stared deadpanned at her brother.

Shining ignored them as the guards attempted to raise the beast with their magic to chain him up, but found it nearly impossible. “What’s wrong?” Shining asked.

“Sir, our magic is...uh...slipping off or something.” The Unicorn guard muttered. “I think it’s immune or resistant to magic.”

Shining tap his chin in thought, ignoring Lyra growling a correction. “That ‘it’ is a he, you leave him alone!” Shining ignored her, as he looked upon the blanket that the beast was lying upon, he

smiled.

“Wrap him up in the blanket.” Shining said triumphantly, “And do it quickly, I get the feeling that your magic is not going to hold it for very long.”

“Twilight!” Lyra turn to her friend but saw the rather bland expression on her face. “Do something, anything!”

“I can’t Lyra.” Twilight shook her head. “He may be my brother, but he is a member of the Royal Guard. If we try to interfere, they would arrest us too.”

“Your own brother would arrest you?” Rainbow looked at Twilight in surprise.

“He is just doing his job.” Twilight sighed,“Even if what he is doing is wrong.”

The mares watched as Marcus was rolled up in Twilight’s blanket, the human groaning as he woke up from all the movement.

“Quick! Chain him up!” Shining barked, as the guards sat Marcus on the ground and begun to wrap him up in chains.

“Wha...?” Marcus blinked in confusion, seeing himself surrounded by Royal Guard members. They had just finished placing the locks on the chains when Marcus finally tried speaking.“Uh...Where-”

“Silence!” Shining Armor growled, nearly raising his hoof to hit the human, but restrained himself. “You are charged with foalnapping and attempted murder of several citizens of Equestria, all of them being the Elements of Harmony, one being the student of Princess Celestia which also happens to be my little sister.” Shining growled at the now fully awake and fully pissed off human.

Calm...Peace, Marcus, no need to fight. The voice flashed through his mind like lighting, a warm feeling spread through his mind, calming his rising anger.

‘What? Who...Celestia?’

The voice vanished from his mind, a frown on his face, completely ignoring Shining Armor in the process as he tried to figure out what was going on.

“Hey, are you listening to a word I am saying?” Shining growled, getting into Marcus’s face. Twilight only face-hoofed at the issue before her.

“Shut up.” Marcus muttered, not noticing the look of surprise on Shining’s face. “I’m thinking here.”

“Why you-!” Shining growled, attempting to force the human to look at him, only to backpedal when the human flexed his arms, his runes hidden by the blanket but were still very functional, absorbing the magic in the chains and breaking apart when Marcus gathered the necessary strength to break them. Marcus quickly stood up, only to see the end point of 12 spears in his face.

He frown a bit, staring at the spears with little amusement. “Cute, out of the way.”

“Listen here beast!” Shining roared at him, his horn flaring to life. “I don’t care who you think you are! But the Royal Guard will take you down before you even take a step outside this library!”

Marcus raised an eyebrow at the list, before his eyes drifted to Twilight and the others. “He doesn’t know about the fight between me and the Princesses?”

Twilight face-hoofed harder, Shining’s face looked like it was going to explode in anger. “YOU WHAT?!”

“Listen Mr. California, unless your pretty wife wants to come home to a mummy, you will get the hell out of my face.” Marcus growled, his runes glowing brightly. “And I just got out of a tussle with your leaders, both of them. Do not test me.”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight teleported out of the shield, appearing between Shining and Marcus. “Shining, stand down! I don’t want my bedroom destroyed because you wanted to pick a fight.”

“But-”

“But nothing!” Twilight seethed, before turning to Marcus. “Please Commander, don’t pay attention to my brother, for now. I’m sure you two will get along soon enough.”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed, “Last time I even met Shining Armor, he attempted to subdue his wife and drag her to the Tyrant with a smile.”

To say Shining was confused was an understatement, “What?!”

Twilight however talked over him. “And you now know that you are not in your world right now. This Shining Armor will not betray his wife, alright? Please... there... there’s too much going on and more fighting will just extend the issue.”

Marcus crossed his arms, his eyes closed before sighing once. “Fine... I was getting hungry anyways. Kitchen?”

“Downstairs, the entrance is next to the magazine catalogs.” Twilight answered him, Marcus nodded once before moving forward, only to get a spear to the chest to stop him. The Earth pony glared at him, with Marcus glaring right back at him.

“Get it out of the way or you are going to find it shoved up your ass, pointy end first.” Marcus growled, Twilight immediately ripped the weapon from the guard’s hold and threw it into the wall, embedding it deeply. Marcus just walked passed them ignoring the glares, once he got downstairs and out of sight, they were directed towards Twilight.

Shining Armor was the first to speak, “Explain”

Twilight’s ears flatten against her skull, the morning started out so well too...

Royal Garden

“Here, a bit of rest before I tell the story, if only to gather my wit before my talk with Discord at least.” Celestia laid up the grass, sighing blissfully as she rested her wings. Luna had taken up next to her sister, gathering her thoughts as well.

“So...” Cadence started, a bit nervous at what her aunts will about to tell her. “The First Alicorns were...”

“Killed. Yes.” Luna answered bluntly. “Though the fault was partially their own, they could of not known the results of their quest for inner peace. Nor that one of their own would betray them."

“Our teacher and mother, who is known as The Scribe, showed Luna and myself what had happen; to understand the world we now live in and our future was to insure its survival from their terrible mistake.” Celestia told Cadence, her eyes never wavering from her. “Prepare Cadence, for what you see is only the beginning of their trip into Tartarus.”

Celestia's horn glowed and a single plane square imaged appeared before them.

"4,000 years ago, the Alicorns ruled the land, they did so through peace, but held onto it through their incredible magic."

Several outlines of alicorns appeared, looking mighty and powerful, their shadows making them appear even bigger than normal.

"As peace reign through Equus, the alicorns began shepherding the younger races to enlightenment, but one alicorn stood above the rest"

A single Alicorn, her coat pristine ivory, her mane similar to a rose in bloom, her eyes filled with wisdom and inner strength.

"Faust was an alicorn of considerable strength in magic, her knowledge and inventive skills allowed a new era of magic and technology."

Dozens of ideas flowed from Faust's mind, runes and machines coming to life.

"However... not all Alicorns were appreciated of her skills and might."

The image slowly melted away from Faust, revealing a male alicorn, large in size and stature. His mane was pitch black, his coat dark grey of a summer thunderstorm. He glared fiercely at Faust behind her back, forgotten by the other alicorns that surrounded Faust.

"Tirek was formerly Head Mage of their society, but Faust's ideas and magic slowly casted him out of the position."

The imaged changed to show the alicorn now known as Tirek appearing to be shouting at several alicorns, none of them looking pleased with his outburst.

"All but one of them shoved him aside. Faust attempted to lend a hoof to the former Head Mage."

Faust appeared, leaning out with a hoof, a kind smile on her face to Tirek, who was covered in shadows.

"He did not accept her generosity."

Tirek lashed out, striking the hoof held out to him, screaming in rage, Faust pulling away from him, scared and hurt by his words.

"He vanished for several years, leaving Faust to bring in a new age. Sadly, the age will not last for long."

The image change once more to show Tirek once more, a smile on his face as he talked to a large group of Alicorns.

"Tirek return, proclaiming that he found a way to enlighten their people beyond what they knew now. A spell he worked on for the last few years to regain his standing among them."

Faust appeared in the back of the group, a look of worry upon her face. She appeared before Tirek, talking to him while he smiled down at her.

"Faust attempted many times to talk to Tirek, to try and make sense of his spell he intended to teach the alicorns."

Tirek simply lift his head and walked away, smiling as he did so.

"She was refused."

Thousands of alicorns stood in a pack stadium, all of them looking excited beyond belief.

"Tirek explained to them that they had to sacrifice a piece of their own magic to expel their inner darkness, but the results would be well worth it."

All the alicorns' horn glowed with magic, their eyes closed in concentration, all except one. Faust saw Tirek pull a small bag and hung it around his neck, his smile became much more sinister.

"As one, they cast the spell, all expect for Faust herself. They casted out the inner darkness and negative magic to be free from evil."

Tirek was covered in thick clouds of magic, all of it covering him, with a crazed look in his eyes and laughing uproariously before he vanished entirely from sight.

"Instead, they created a monster."

The cloud of magic vanish, and where Tirek the Alicorn once stood, Tirek the Abomination was born. The giant centaur was looking down at his form with utmost glee. He then raised his newly form hands and unleashed his ill-gotten magic.

"Faust did not stay idle for long."

Magical shield appeared before the stunned Alicorns, taking the brunt of the attack. Faust appear in a flash of light, her eyes filled in anger. Her horn glowed with power before unleashing it on Tirek, sending him flying through a wall.

"The ensuing battle was horrific, causing a once majestic city to fall into ruin. The death toll unimaginable..."

A large city, once beautiful and majestic, laid in ruins. Various species could be seen fleeing, others remain where they are, their eyes vacant and unseeing, lost in their grief.

"Faust and Tirek's battle was long and hard, neither side giving in to the other."

Tirek stood tall, the wounds on his body healing quickly, his insane grin still on his face as he look up to Faust. Faust herself floated overhead, her face filled remorse as she tried to plead with him. Tirek only cocked his head back and laughed, with a wave of his newly form arms, he formed a portal to take him away from the area. Before he step through, he looked back at alicorn one last time, smirking once before speaking.

"You foolish little foal, I planned this moment for years. All of this glorious death and destruction was simply aim to hurt You. No more will I be cast aside and forgotten, the world will bow to me and my rule. The name Tirek will last for an eternity."

"For the next century, all Equus knew was war. Alicorns, once the most powerful beings in existence, now only held as much power as a talented unicorn."

The image changed to show a war-torn field, several corpses of various races laid on the bloody ground, Faust herself looking battered beyond belief, Tirek slowly walking away, laughing as he did so.

"Tirek insured Faust's survival at every meeting, to see the destruction and death, to break her will to fight. He took dozens of Alicorns, crippled from the fighting and vanishing from sight. When he return to fight once more he showed his new growing army to Faust."

Tirek stood before the Equus army, all of them looking terrified at the monsters at Tirek's command. Pitch black scales and monstrous appearance, never seen before in the land. A single alicorn was dragged before Tirek, who was grinning at Faust with malicious glee.

"He showed Faust where he got his army, and demonstrated for Faust. The bag that held..."

Cadance and Luna turn to look at Celestia she trailed off, her eyes were wide as something was just revealed to her.

"No... She wouldn't..." Celestia whispered. Cadance turn back to look at image, showing the bag unleashing dark purple magic at the Alicorn, who screamed in fright and pain, slowly transforming into a hideous beast.

"Sister?" Luna lean close to Celestia, gently nuzzling her sister in an attempt to get her attention. Celestia's horn flickered, the image shifted to a different memory.

Humans, all of them armed with weapons and gear for battle. The image shift views, Cadance realizing that she was looking at a human's view point, looking down into his hands to his weapon. Cocking it once, a shout was sounded once and the human ran outside the room they were in.

Chaos was the only word for it. Humans, young and old, civilians and soldiers attempting to stop what appear to be an attack from all sides.

By ponies.

They threw bottles of purple vials at every human they saw. Cadance covered her mouth with hoof in disgust and horror, while Luna's eyes narrowed into slits of anger. Humans scream in agony before they shifted and changed, not too dissimilar to what Tirek did.

It hit Cadance and Luna like a runaway wagon when they realize what Celestia stumbled upon.

"She...she..." Cadance stammered out, unable to finish, her stomach attempting to void itself from disgust.

"The Sun Tyrant is using the bag's magic for the potion." Luna whispered, lowering her head to look away from the images.

'She uses the bag! She uses an ancient evil to subdue us! She will kill us all in her insanity!' The voice ripped through her mind.

'Marcus?'

Nothing answered her prodding. Celestia shivered, attempting to calm her mind of the revelation.  "We will discuss the issue at another time. Perhaps asking the Scribe, if she grants us her audience, in a way to defeat this."

"But Aunt Celestia-"

"At the moment, there nothing we can do. We must gather all knowledge we can. Perhaps the teachings of the Scribe will reveal an answer to us."

"But-!"

"Believe me, my niece." Celestia trying to give Cadance a confidant look, but failing to do so. "I feel your pain for the humans, but going in blindly will help nopony. I feel their pain much more than you think. These memories and teachings may hold our answer to stopping the Tyrant."

"Then continue Sister." Luna pushed. "The answer may lay within and a third party may give insight to anything we miss."

Celestia nodded her head, the image shifting away from the horrible scene, much to Cadance's relief. The image showing Faust working in a lab of some sort, similar to Twilight's in many regards.

"Faust work day and night, looking for answers that may led to Tirek's defeat."

Faust appear to step back in shock, revealing a silhouette of a familiar god of chaos.

"Some were not as beneficial as they could of been."

Battles become bigger, entire landscapes and continents were reformed near the end of the war.

"It reached a point where Faust and Tirek unleashed their largest magical attack at one another."

Tirek screamed in pain, his body flailing in agony from Faust attack. The lightly colored rainbow swirling around him before dissipating. Faust wasn't looking any better, but she gave a small smile as she saw the look of fear on Tirek's face.

"However, the spells that clashed forever changed Equus into what was known today."

The image changed, stars filled the sky, worlds that Cadance had never seen before spiral around a massive sun. The image slowly shifted to a single world, half dead from the war. A single bright light appeared, and the world shuddering as a response. Cadance didn’t notice at first, but the world was slowly moving away from the giant sun, the distance became wider each hour, as if the spell disbalanced some major order of the planets existence.

From Faust’s perspective, the once great sphere in the sky became smaller, too little to notice, but enough to be an issue. Gigantic storms rushed throughout the sky, the earth vibration seemed to become more violent each passing second. Gigantic waves devoured complete cities, even if the moon followed its brothers fate into the emptiness, it became too close for its presence not to affect the planet.

True chaos.

The world would finally turn dark and cold when the light of the sun was too far away from the planet.

"Then what happen?" Cadance whispered.

"Once, we were similar to Earth, spinning through space around a sun, but the magical attack from Faust and Tirek force the planet off course, killing the world even quicker."

Dozens of spheres lights appear the darkening planet, shields created by Faust to protect Equus from the lack of light and extreme cold, she even tried to hold the planets small brother at a distance that wouldn’t cause harm. But all of them required magic. Magic she didn’t have. One by one, the artificial magic stars vanished into the darkness.

"Faust realized that a sacrifice needed to be made. She poured so much magic into that one spell, which still failed to stop Tirek completely, but she needed more to stop him permanently. She came to the conclusion that she need more power, and the only thing she had left to offer, her very soul."

Faust stood before an image of herself, a small grimace on her face.

"Scribe, I need you to create beings able to move the small star and moon. Use Equus natural magic to do so. It is the only chance Equus has at life returning to normal."

"It will take several centuries, Ms Faust. A total of two would be needed to control the solar and lunar revolutions. Until then, I will kept the machines in check, however there is no way for me to fix the machines if they break down."

"Worry not, Scribe. I have taken care of that issue."

"Of course."

The final battle appeared, a dying world stood between them. Tirek stood uncaring of the world around him, while Faust stood without regret, a small smile on her face. Tirek roared out charging at Faust, Faust only closed her eyes, her body glowing with inner light.

"The final battle was quick, a battle neither Tirek nor Faust walked away from."

Faust body glowed with magic, pouring her very soul into the spell. Tirek's eyes widen in surprise as Faust unleashed a very familiar spell.

"The Elements of Harmony." Cadance whispered, staring at the image before her. "She...she created the Elements."

"At the cost of her life." Luna closed her eyes in sadness.

Tirek screamed as the attack slammed into him, swirling around him in a colorful light. A black void appear above him, Tirek slowly turning in golden specks of light, screaming in agony and pain as he broke apart. The golden light poured into the void before the last speck vanished and the portal into the void sealed itself shut. Faust took a single step before collapsing. She flailed a bit before falling still.

Cadance took note that Faust was saying something, but was unable to hear what she was saying.

Faust closed her eyes, and the world exploded into color. The imaged shift to Equus, a small sun appearing above the world, the moon shifting back into place, water and forests springing from the dead world.

Life was returning back to Equus and it was beautiful.

The spell ended, and Equus remain whole once more.

The image vanished and Celestia sighed. "It appears we may need the Elements to stop the Tyrant. However, in doing so, we put them in great risk."

"She has an entire army at her command, millions upon millions willing to sacrifice themselves for her." Luna muttered darkly as she stood up. "Just facing against that will be nearly impossible alone with our own troops. All of Equus could unite and not still wouldn't be enough."

"Twilight and the others could be killed before they even reached the Tyrant." Cadance shook her head, trying to shake away the tears forming in her eyes. "There must be a way to stop this madness."

Celestia trotted forward, looking back at the two. "Then we ask Madness himself. He may be able to give us insight, perhaps a plan of attack."

"Or he may just join the Tyrant in her mad quest." Luna growled. "It is a mistake to ask him of all ponies, Sister."

"What choice do we have?" Celestia asked, turning into the small clearing that held Discord. "Its either asking him or go...at..."

Celestia froze, along with the two other alicorns, as they stare at the pedestal that held Discord.

Discord stared right back at them, a small grin on his face as he enjoyed their shocked faces.

"Hello Celestia. Lulu." Discord gave them a small wave. He looked at Cadance before smirking somewhat. "Oh, a natural born eh? Finally start coming around. Took you long enough."

He leapt off the pedestal and walked to the three, his arms waving open wide and a smile on his face.

"Oh I do so love a good story telling." Discord stated, walking around the three with a casual air surrounding him, his eyes, however, were slowly filling with anger. "Celestia gives too much credit to Mother however. She also leaves out a lot of missing scenes. After all, it was me that saved the world from utter darkness."

"What?!" Cadance looked at Discord with surprise.

"A little secret that Celestia doesn't want to share with anypony. After all, it wouldn't do if the monster save the world." Discord jumped up and floated around them, before settling in front of Celestia. "Wouldn't it, Fake?"

Celestia flinched at the name, causing Luna growling at Discord. Before either of them could say a word, Discord turn around and walked back to the pedestal. His entire form slowly changing from an air of uncaring to unbridle anger.

"But you are not here about that, are you?" His voice was low, a sinister quality that made Cadance hide behind Celestia. "You are here about your insane twin and how to stop her."

He held up his eagle claw, glowing with power. He turn back to them, unmasked rage covering his face. He slammed the claw into the stone pedestal, the stone warping under his power before it shattered into dust.

"You kill her, simple as that." He growled.

"How..." Celestia whispered, terrified at this Discord before her. She could feel his power, all of it being push directly at her person.

All of his hate and rage. It just so potent that it nearly knocked her off her hooves. She had never felt this before, even when they fought, he just exclude an insane sanity about himself.

"How am I free?" Discord said quickly shifting back to uncaring, throwing Cadance off from his inconsistent personality. "Well, let's just thank my own ‘evil’ Twin for that. He was only able to help me..."

He looked back at the three, staring directly into Celestia's eyes.

"Because your ever loving twin killed him."

Clearing History

Clearing History

Written by:

Redskin122004

DrawDex

Editors:

TB3

Rush

“Your past is always your past. Even if you forget it, it remembers you.”

― Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”

― Winston Churchill

"Once upon a time; long before the peaceful reign of Celestia, and before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know Harmony."

― Spike

Canterlot, The Royal Gardens, 2nd Year Anno Harmonia

Celestia stared at Discord, unable to believe what he had just said, her thoughts racing as the words bounced around in her skull.

"Impossible!" Luna interjected, glaring at the Spirit of Chaos. "As much as we would love to see you gone, killing you is beyond anything we could accomplish. Even the Elements could not do such a task!"

"Like they ever would, or could..." Discord muttered under his breath. Walking towards Celestia, he wrapped his arm around the stunned solar princess and gently knocked his lion paw on her head, "Don't be so sure of yourself Lulu. Celestia here seems to believe me. Then again, she and the human knocked more than their heads together, so she might be a tad loopier than usual."

"How do you even know this?" Celestia whispered, turning to look him straight in the eyes. So far as she could tell, Discord wasn't playing his usual tricks, and the last few minutes alone threw everything Celestia knew about him out the metaphorical window.

Discord chuckled, giving the alicorns a sense of wariness, especially since his amusement failed to reach his eyes, which instead seemed to gleam with a silent hatred that begged to be released. "Oh it is quite easy to witness one's own death, especially for multidimensional entities such as we here."

"Tell us Demon!" Luna demanded, putting one hoof forward, the bold action bringing a forced smirk to Discord's warped features. He clapped his paw and claw together and released an exaggerated breath of air. "Story time kiddies! But we are going to make this short and nasty, since some of us want to move on from here."

"What?" Cadance looked at him with even more confusion at the exchange. "What was that about multidimensional?"

"Ah, so young, just trembling on the cusp of immortality. You'll learn, Crystal Princess, through the long tenure of eternity," Discord answered, condescendingly patting her on the head before whipping out a pair of hand-puppets..

"It all started when my handsome and oh-so-smexy twin was freed from his prison," Discord started his tale, illustrating his tale with the puppets. Celestia watched as the familiar scene unfolded before her, a supporting cast of shadow-puppets depicting her and the Element-Bearers entering the vault that held the Elements of Harmony.

"Sadly for my twin, the Celestia he once knew... was no more."

The three Alicorns watched as the puppet-show ballooned into hyper-realism, and the other worldly Discord made his stage debut in stained glass, oblivious of the menacing glow around his Celestia's horn. Either that or he simply didn't care.

This Discord found out the hard way that Celestia was not herself. Her magic slammed him into the glass ejecting the Draconequus and hurling him into one of the castle's towers. 'Celestia' flew after him with vicious force.

"They did not know, nor comprehend," Luna murmured, taking note of the Elements Bearers' surprise at this turn of events.

Celestia watched as her twin shattered the tower's foundations and brought it down on top of Discord, feeling sick to her stomach as the upper minaret sheared off and tumbled into a busy street below. The feeling only intensified when she realized her counterpart had just collapsed the Palace Servant Quarters, at a time of day when the entire night shift would be resting within.

With the tower destroyed and rubble and blood spread across the garden, the other Celestia touched down in the dust and gore, patiently waiting for something. After a couple of seconds the lingering dust cleared as a large piece of rubble was lifted off and thrown aside.

It revealed Discord, who was looking at Celestia with surprise. What caught the observing alicorns off guard was a large amount of ponies; maids, butlers and porters, huddling all around and underneath Discord, most in bad condition but sheltered by his magic, before they vanished in a flash of light as he teleported them away with a snap of his claw. Then he was pounded into the ground by a powerful spell.

Celestia sat numbly, watching as Discord faced off against her twin, a fight which he was losing. Of all of the battles flashing in her mind, not once did she ever remember gaining an upper hoof against him, even when she had her sister and all the armies of Equus at her side. Only the Elements of Harmony had ever given them an upper-edge over his raw, unbridled chaos.

'She is stronger than me...'

Celestia felt the chills running up and down her spine as the other world Discord was thrown into a mountain, and then drilled even further into it as the other Celestia bodily tackled him, a smile plastered on her face.

Silently, Luna and Cadence reached out a wing to support and comfort the trembling immortal.

The image began to darken, the other Discord weakly attempted to get back onto his feet, before he was forcefully thrown into the side of the Canterhorn. As shadows swum around her, 'Celestia' lightly raised her Royal Halter from her breast and replaced it with a familiar canvas bag.

"Tirek's nifty bundle of darkness and hate." Discord stated, his eyes glued on the bag, lost in his memories. "I have only seen it once before, weilded by the Centaur himself, and the horrors it can work at terrible and sublime. The source of his power and life, completely indestructible by any known ways, including my own power; that time, I was unable to so much as tear it. Then again...I was only a child defending his mother."

"Discord..." Celestia turned to him, a question on the tip of her lips. Discord stopped her.

"I'm sorry Celestia... I have no answers to give in regards to the whereabouts or history of the bag. It slipped out of history centuries ago, only for that mockery of you to dredge it up out of some unknown hole..." Discord muttered, glaring at the bag. "The only thing I can truly tell you that anypony who finds it should not touch it, physically or magically, but instead open a hole beneath it, the deepest darkest hole you can make, and bury it deep. Preferably they should then toss a mountain on top. After that, simply hope and pray that no creature ever finds it."

The other Celestia smiled as the bag glowed, it's deep sickly, purple aura surrounding her. Her smile became much more deranged, and she gave off a small titter of laughter. "Oh, I have big plans for you, my... little... draconequus..."

Then...

Darkness...

*

A blood curdling cry filled the garden, emanating from the illusory recording before Discord cut it off. The floating screen on which the entire battle had played out vanished, leaving Discord alone again with the three Princesses.

"Believe me, the next two years were not easy," he murmured grimly, idly toying with his tiny sock-puppet doppelganger.

"I..." Celestia didn't know what to say. "Did... she torture you?"

"No, not really." Discord answered. conjuring up another image, one showing dozens of crystals surrounding the beaten Discord. All of them brimming with stolen magic, his magic. In the center was the Draconequus himself, chains encasing his body and holding him upright, his eyes tired and exhausted. "Simply drained me of everything I had."

"How? Your magic is too-" Luna started but was cut short as Discord rounded on her and stormed up to her face, his deranged form towering over her smaller frame. Neither Celestia nor Cadence dared move.

"Don’t you tell me..." He hissed, his eyes flaring in rage and disgust. "What can and can not be done. I am currently suffering almost two years of Tartarus pits of borrowed memory, and five more years inside the mind of an Element Bearer who lost more than her mind."

"Discord!" Celestia pushed herself between the two, shoving the enraged being back. "Enough! Please!"

"Your Highness...Aunty," Cadence ventured. "Can we really trust him?"

"We must." Celestia spoke with authority, her eyes hardened as she looked at Luna and Discord's little deadlock, neither of the two eldritch beings backing down. "Discord is giving us what we need and is helping us in his own way, without mind games or jokes."

"I can see he's suffering..." Cadance spoke out, her voice soft as she looked up at the chaos god. That single sentence was enough to break Discord's attention, and he turned towards the youngest alicorn with surprise written across his face.

"Luna..." Cadence continued. "He just said he's been burdened with almost seven years of new memories, the first two alone would have crippled anyone of us. Even Auntie Celestia is still reeling from the memories of the human, and she has more than she is contend with."

"Bah!" Discord waved away at Cadance's concern. "They don't care, they never care. All they care about is their precious kingdom, tea and crumpets being disturbed."

"Discord-" Celestia started, and he glared back, causing her to lose her voice.

"If you two fillies had only stayed out of the lives of all the beings on this world, none of this would be happening." Discord said, his tone final. "No world jumping humans, no genocidal alicorns, none of it."

"We could not allow the ponies to fall into disarray, it was our duty," Celestia argued but her voice was drowned by Discord’s as he roared out in anger.

"YOUR DUTY CONSISTS OF MOVING THE BLOODY BALL OF FIRE ACROSS THE SKY AND NOTHING MORE!" Discord scowled at her, his chest heaving from the shout. "Scribe wrote you and Luna into being solely to make sure the sun and moon were properly adjusted to sustain life, not lead ponies into stagnation and the 'perfect life'. She wanted you to lead happy lives in the shadows, not step forward to rule empires!"

"WE HAD TO AFTER YOU WENT INSANE!" Celestia roared back, the Royal Canterlot Voice in full reign. "YOUR LITTLE RAMPAGE FORCED OUR HOOVES AND BOUND US IN CHAINS OF STATE! DO YOU THINK I'D EVER FORGIVE YOU FOR ENTHRONING US, FOR TAKING LUNA FROM ME, FOR TWISTING PRINCE SOMBRA TO MADNESS AND STEALING CADANCE OF HER HOMELAND AND BIRTHRIGHT! ALL OF THAT TRACES BACK TO YOUR EGOMANIA DISCORD!"

The two beings stared at one another, both channeling eons of rage, Cadance was shocked but forged ahead, now was not the time to get cold hooves...even though both being could probably banish her to the moon with little thought.

"This....argument sounds like it has happen before... Many times in fact. But we need to get back on track." She said aloud, head held high as she placed herself right between the two of them. "More is at stake here than epic grudges best left buried in history."

The words of reason seemed to linger a little in the air, the two beings held themselves for a moment taking it in, but continued to stare at each other with a frown, each with a different emotion. After what felt like an eternity, Luna spoke.

"Cadance is right." Luna said, cautiously placing herself between the two. Discord snorted once before taking a step back and waving his claw.

The image return, Discord in the image was glaring at Celestia, who smiled kindly at the chained prisoner. Standing behind her, the Elements of Harmony stood by, their own smiles plastered on their faces.

Celestia shivered in disgust, their smiles seem fake and held false kindness within their eyes. She couldn't help but welcome a warm feeling of rage blooming deep within herself, as it covered the unsettling coldness of fear that threatened to overwhelm her. The only thing that seem off was the fact that one of the Elements was missing. Rarity was not seen at all.

"What do you want, Celestia?" Discord cough up, his tired eyes looking at her with contempt.

"It is Queen Celestia, Discord." Celestia gently chide him, which he responded with a snorted. "Such insolence... no matter. Soon you will usher in a new order and Harmony."

"Yeah? How exactly you going to make me do that?" Discord chuckled, looking at her with amusement.

Celestia leaned in close to him, her voice soft and lyrical. "You are going to open a portal to another world and let me spread my rule to humankind."

Discord look at her with confusion, his face quickly morphing to one of pleasant outlook. "You are a bigger fool than I thought. You, bring order to a group of beings that thrive on chaos and order with a mix bag of general insanity? I have seen them, long ago before you were even a speck in Mother's mind. They are powerful and will destroy you and all your ponies the moment they feel threatened."

Celestia gently tapped him on the nose, causing him to try and take a bite off her hoof. She merely smiled and giggled, "Discord...I have not been wasting away my time with foolish ideas. No...I will share with them the chance of ponydom, to make them perfect beings and a new life under my care and rule."

Discord look directly into Celestia's eyes, his narrowing into slits. "I will not help your cause nor can you make me."

Celestia smile became even bigger, a hint of madness glinting in her eyes. "That is where you are wrong, my little draconequus. You will help...even if you are not around to witness it."

Discord's eyes widened in shock as Celestia simply turned around and walked back to the others. He struggled with his restraints, attempting to break free from his prison. His eyes desperately looking for a way to escape while Celestia's horn glowed with power.

Almost immediately, his face quickly to the form of acceptance and relief. Celestia smiled at this. "This is good Discord. Your sacrifice will usher in a new era."

"I'm not smiling due to your stupid plan." Discord said simply, his smile became much more mischievous, putting Celestia on guard. "Just hoping I can take the look on your face into the great beyond after I do this."

"Do-!" Celestia reared back as Discord open his mouth wide spat out a large yellow ball of magic and sent it careening towards the Elements, mainly one Twilight Sparkle. Twilight yelped as she was sent tumbling end over end. The view wavering and distorting during this before it finally stabilized to be centered on the small unicorn. Celestia turn and glared at the exhausted looking draconequus who held a weak smirk. But it didn’t last as he screamed in agony by Celestia who unleashed her spell.

Discord withered, his body spasmed making the three alicorns sick, Cadance nearly vomiting as Discord slowly became thinner and thinner, before his screams finally ended and his body simply hung in the chains before finally crumbling into dust.

"So ends chaos." Celestia whispered before looking back to Twilight. "Twilight, are you alright?"

Twilight checked herself over, before she looked up and smiled"Just a last shot, nothing more."

Before she could speak further, a swirling vortex of magic formed before a letter appeared before Celestia, which she open to read its contents. A beaming smile appeared on her face.

"Whatcha get oh great and powerful Queenie!?" Pinkie jumped up and down in excitement.

Celestia chuckled and rolled the scroll up. "It appears my guards finally tracked down our wayward Element of Generosity. They are bringing her in now. Come, Elements, we have a long lost friend to greet."

"And Spike?" Twilight asked, her face impassive as she looked to her leader.

Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "The foolish dragon will still needs time, perhaps punishment for defying my rule and stealing an Element will correct his mind... Maybe he will join us once he is properly adjusted to Harmony?"

Celestia whimpered as Discord waved his paw through the image of the smiling queen, wiping it away. "So there you have it.  My twin being gank and a small piece of him is within the mind of one corrupted Twilight Sparkle. We should really thank him, if it wasn't for him, we would never seen Marcus or even know about any of this... ‘Conversion Bureau’ nonsense." Discord's shoulders slumped forward, his face full of mock despair. "Thanks Me, you are a real pal."

"I feel sick." Cadance muttered before she walked to the nearest bush and voided her stomach.

"Weak stomach, that one has." Discord commented, as frown appeared on his face. "We only began to fall down the hole full of horrors and sins, so start kicking and screaming, kid. It's only going to get worse."

"Discord...enough." Celestia pleaded. "Even somepony of your strength has fallen to her madness. What we have to do is prepare..."

"What we need to do," Luna interjected "is to gather our army, all of Equus’ armies and face against this threat. We tallied too long already."

"Lulu is right." Discord said, promptly ignoring the scowl on Luna's face at the nickname."You need to take the horn and give it a toot to call everyone here. This doesn't just involve ponies, this will involve everybody on this world. Here, catch."

Celestia almost didn't catch the ancient horn, almost unconsciously used her magic to catch it. Concordia Maxima, the same horn given to her by the Scribe herself.

"Discord! That is an ancient relic given to us by the Scribe!" Luna yelled at Discord, who was covering his ears and glaring back at her, for his treatment of the ancient horn. The Royal Canterlot Voice echoed through out the Royal Garden Maze. "It was given to us- WHAT ARE YOU DOING! STOP THAT NOW!"

Discord had taken the horn back from Celestia and was now using it to hit stone buttress, vaguely looking like a certain blue alicorn and hitting it as hard as he can. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! MY EARDRUMS ARE RUPTURED FROM A PARTICULARLY LOUD HAG AND I AM UTTERLY CONFUSED RIGHT NOW! MAYBE HITTING THESE STONE STATUES WILL HELP OUT, I WILL DO SO WITH THIS-Hey!"

Celestia yanked the horn out of Discord's grasp, her wings spread before taking off to the tallest tower. Cadance open her mouth to say something but Celestia was long gone. Discord rubbed his claws while he watched Celestia fly off. "Hmph, pushy. Hmm?"

He turned to see Luna glaring up at him. "Something you need, you’re Royal Megaphone?"

Luna glare deepened, her eyes searched him a little before she leaned in closer. "You're hiding something from us." She said finally after a minute of silence.

Discord shrugged his shoulders, "Indeed I am." he claimed. Cadance, hearing the two discussing, turned to the scene behind her.

"Well....what is it?" Luna demanded, stomping her hoof to prove a point. Discord eyes gained a faraway look, his face grimacing at the knowledge.

"Let's just say that the event at the north where dear old Celestia made a mile circumference of glass and a dozen miles of destroyed forest will be a petty marker of anguish if I had told her what I know." Discord said softly, Luna's eyes narrowed at that. "I doubt she would withhold her rage and grief if I told her here and now, after all that has happened."

Discord turned to look at Cadance before looking back to Luna "I wasn't lying when I said the story gets darker from here on. We are on the edge of Tartarus itself and we are pushing the beings of this world to jump head first to save those still struggling to survive."

"I...see." Luna whispered.

"No you don't." Discord snapped. "You couldn't imagine the horrors that humanity was forced to do to survive. The Changelings are dead, as well as the Minotaurs and dragons. The griffons are barely hanging on with food shortages, and the zebras are all but counting the days until Equestria turn their sights on them. No one has even seen the Reindeers for years, but I got the feeling the Tyrant paid them a visit to 'check up' on them. Probably nothing but burnt corpses now."

Discord snorted once before turning. "You would go mad with grief and anger if you knew what I knew. Pray that you never do... It’ll haunt you for the rest of your life."

Luna gave him one last look before sighing, she opened her wings and took flight. Discord turned to stare into the sky, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Discord? I... I have a question."  Cadance asked meekly, her head low as she approach the draconequus. Discord said nothing, ignoring her entirely. Cadance took a breath, steeling herself before asking away. "What happen between you and Celestia?"

There was a moment of silence, and then another, time seem at a slow as Cadance waited for his reaction. But even the princess of love has her limit as her eyes narrowed in irritation. "Hey! You can at least give me a no, ignoring me is not going to make me go away."

She growled as Discord continued to ignore her. She moved closer, trotted up to him and jabbed at his back. "Hey! I'm talking to-!"

Discord wobbled to and fro before collapsing forward. Cadance held her breath for a single seconds and then she let it out in frustration. "Really Discord? A cardboard cut out? How childish....”She sighed” I guess I can help Luna and Auntie Celestia...but I will find you."

She took flight and left the maze, yellow eyes watching her leave before they closed, melting back into the bush.

Canterlot Castle, highest tower

Two guards jumped in surprise when Celestia landed before them. "Princess!"

Celestia ignored them as they bowed, lifting the horn to her lips before blowing. The horn's single note blasted clear from the ancient relic, the guards looked in surprise as the horn began to glow, ancient runes forming in the air around the horn before gathering above Celestia and the guards.

They watched in shock as the single note grew louder, the ancient runes growing brighter before they flashed once before they shot off in different directions. The single note being carried with them far across the land.

"Princess?" One of the guards hesitantly spoke up, gaining Celestia attention. "W..what was that?"

Celestia gave her guards a sad smile before looking to the distance, specifically Ponyville. "A call to war, my little ponies, a call to war...."

Her answer caused the guards to freeze in shock, but were stung even more when she continued on. "A war that will test all of Equus...and not only our survival, but of an entire species rest within our hooves. Prepare yourselves, my Royal Guards, because after today, Equestria marches to war."

Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library

Spike glared at the back of the human in their kitchen, using their food, after he almost maimed and kill Twilight and their friends. He was glaring as hard as he could to get the human's attention, but was ignored ultimately by the human's uncaring attitude.

It didn't help that Pinkie was helping him too.

Pinkie occasionally looked back at Spike, shivered a bit before going back to help Marcus gather what he needed to make himself something to eat. She didn't say anything to Marcus, feeling that taking it slow was a better way in gaining his respect and friendship than loudly forcing herself to become his friend. Her flank still ached somewhat from the light scratch he gave her, as well as her bruised cheek. She had the feeling Marcus wouldn't appreciate if she tried to force them to become friends. After all....

Her counterpart was a giant meanie.

"Sorry" Marcus muttered to her as he watched her wince as she moved to the side.

"Hmm?" Pinkie looked up at him in confusion, before giving him a warm smile, which caused her to wince, which caused her smile to look forced.

"For punching you in the face." Marcus stated as he chopped the potatoes into slices.

"Oh! It no big deal! I get hurt all the time!" Pinkie laughed, before yelping a bit and tenderly rub her cheeks. But she was all smiles again soon after.

"That's it!" Spike growled as he stomped up to the human. Marcus quirked an eyebrow before he turn back to his potatoes. Spike glared at him before grabbing a chair and hopping up onto the counter.

Pinkie gasped "Spike! You know you are not supposed to be on the counter! It's unhealthy! Who knows where your feet has been!?"

This stopped Spike and Marcus, who were now staring at the pink earth pony in confusion. Marcus opened his mouth. "Don't you use your hooves to eat?"

"Well duh!" Pinkie simply stated, completely ignoring the fact that she just finish bringing Marcus some blueberries from outside using said hooves to get them.

"Okay....moving on." Marcus muttered. "What's your beef, little man?"

"Beef? The heck is beef?" Spike looked at him in confusion.

"Slaughtered cow." Marcus answer bluntly. "Good eating too."

Both Pinkie and Spike looked a little green at his answer, but Marcus only rolled his eyes. "It’s another way of saying 'What is your deal or issue'. Don't ask me who made it up, I don't know."

"Obviously somepony that hates cows." Pinkie muttered darkly.

“Or a human...” Spike muttered to himself before shaking his head, he returned to give the most efficient death dealing glare he could at Marcus. Marcus simply rolled his eyes.

"Work on the glare kid. I’ve seen terrorists with more ‘oomph’ than what you're packing." Marcus said as he placed the sliced potatoes in a strainer and began to wash them out.

"Yeah? Can they breathe fire?" Spike countered as his mouth actually began to drip green flames onto the countertop, which startled Pinkie as she quickly slap out the flames with a towel. Turning off the flames she sighed in relief, only to stare in utter surprise as the towel was now on fire. Marcus only snorted once at Spike’s threat.

"They can blow themselves up." Marcus replied as he gave Spike a small amuse look before pouring the potatoes slices into a boiling pot of vegetable oil. Pinkie's eyes searched for a means to put out the flaming towel. Throwing said towel in front of the kitchen door she grabbed a bucket and slammed it on top of the burning fabric, trying to snuff out the flame...

She used a wooden bucket.

Pinkie’s eyes grew wide; her jaw dropped in utter horror as the bucket was now on fire. She quickly rushed to the cupboard and found a pitcher and began to quickly fill it with water.

"You attacked Twilight and our friends!" Spike growled. "You tried to kill them!"

"Yes, yes I did.” Marcus confirmed as he poured in some flour, eggs, and some milk into a bowl he picked from the side of the sink. He attempted to grab a fork, but Pinkie slapped a whisker in front of him, she smiled nervously before running off with a pitcher of water.

Pinkie dumped the water on the burning bucket, which was slowly beginning to eat away at the floor. She gave a sigh of relief when the fire went out, she wiped her foreleg across her forehead.

The bucket promptly burst back into flames...even bigger than before.

Pinkie yelped, her hooves holding the sides of her head, the look of panic plastered on her face, before rushing out the backdoor.

"Well, what are you going to do about it!?" Spike demanded, baring his teeth, his anger slowly boiling.

"The hell do you want me to say? 'Sorry I tried to kill you, you just look like the sworn enemy of mankind, my bad?'" Marcus rolled his eyes as he took two pans and placed them on the stove.

"Yes!" Spike yelled as he pointed his claw at him in anger.

"Do you know how stupid that sounds?"

Pinkie rushed back in, a water hose in her hooves and a firepony hat on her head. She gave the growing flame a wicked grin before dosing it with the water hose. Pinkie smiled as the flames drowned in the torrents of water, and cried out as the roaring green flame burst out and completely ignored the water spray.

She looked about before she rushed into the library. Leaving the two arguing males in the kitchen with the growing flames.

"That's not the issue is it?" Marcus placed two hay strips on one pan, while the other he placed two large spoonful of butter. Spike only growled, his eye began to twitch as Marcus still continued to make his meal. "You feel this is unresolved...at least in your eyes."

"No duh! Suddenly we are all buddy buddy with you, even Rarity and Fluttershy are after you tried to kill them." Spike jabbed his claw into Marcus's shoulder, which Marcus reacted by sending the small dragon a look of warning.

Pinkie dragged Fluttershy and Rainbow into the kitchen, pointing at the growing flames. Fluttershy simply squeak in fear while Rainbow balked and grabbed Fluttershy, dragging her outside and pointing to the sky. Fluttershy nodded and flew up to the clouds.

Spike couldn't help to finally slap the human in the shoulder to get Marcus to look at him. Marcus eyes hardened a bit, glaring at the small dragon. "Kid, you're pushing your luck."

"Then leave, and don't come back!" Spike shouted at him. "I don't like you! You hurt my friends! You hurt Princess Celestia! You destroyed our home! Go back to your world!"

Fluttershy had pushed a particularly heavy rain cloud through the door, Rainbow scrambling it inside and onto it with Pinkie's help, Pinkie pushed Rainbow not the cloud. Fluttershy position the cloud over the green flames and both pegasi began to jump up and down, letting out a downpour of rain. The green flames slowly dwindle down.

"Sure Barney, I will just pull a portal out of my ass and jump through..." Marcus said annoyed of the familiarly colored dragon, he whisked the combination of eggs, milk and flour in the bowl making sure it was well mixed as the pans heated up.

“At least you would be gone..." Spike says under his breath, grinding his teeth. But what Spike considered under his breath was actually at hearing intensity as Marcus stopped whisking the bowl. Spike looked on, hopeful that the human would now pay attention to him.

Marcus then added blueberries to the mix. Spike left eye twitched as Marcus continued on unabated.

The green flame sparked once before it roared out, Rainbow and Fluttershy dived off the cloud as it evaporated due to the growing inferno. Pinkie cried out, which prompted Rarity and Applejack to find out what was happening.

"What is goin on in- Holy Celestia!" Applejack stared in shock at the growing green flames.

"It's the Beautiful Green Wild Beast!" Pinkie cried out. "It demands a worthy opponent to be its offering!"

Pinkie picked up a wooden chair and held it over her head. "Please accept this chair made of dense Maple, Oh Eternal Beast of Youth! It shall be a worthy opponent for your Will of Fire!"

Pinkie tried to throw the chair, but was yanked out of her grip by Rarity. "Pinkie Pie! Stop feeding the fire!" Rarity scorned the pink pony.

"I'm sorry! Nothing else works!" Pinkie cried as tears pour from her eyes. Marcus eyes wandered off behind Spike, to the ensuing chaos happening behind them.

Spike groaned as his frustration overloaded out of the peak and finally yelled, “Stop with the cooking!”

Marcus stopped.

Marcus moved his entire body to face Spike, Spike prepared to eat the human alive with his words. But Marcus was not looking at the dragon but at the ponies attempt put out the green fire with little success. He only sighed and turn back to the pans. "Your fire is out of control." Marcus said blandly as he pour some pancake mix in the sizzling pan.

"What?" Spike blinked at the sudden change of topic. Marcus reached up with a single hand and grabbed the dragon by the head. Spike yelped as Marcus lifted him off his feet and set him down a second later...

Staring directly into a large green wave of fire that was about to consume half the kitchen.

"Good job Barney, you truly can make a fire.” Marcus stated as he flipped the recently formed pancake, ignoring Spike's yelp.

"Ah! Fire!" Spike yelled, picking one of the near wooden buckets he tried to throw water on fruitlessly.

"Oh...man, if I only had a camera..." Marcus chuckled. Spike glared at him, gnashing his teeth at already taxed nerves.

"Why aren't you helping?! You'll burn too!"

Marcus only smiled, his form gently lighting up. Speaking up, his voice carrying a strange accent. "Magic Runes, Laddie." Before setting his first batch of pancakes down. "Why don't you just Will it away."

"It a FIRE, not a bad dream!" Spike cried out, throwing pitchers of water onto the flame.

“Yeah a magical fire ‘you’ started, you should be able to control it, like any unicorn with his magic. Calm yourself.”

“B-but I-” Spike couldn’t continue, he watched desperately as his friends tried frantically to control the fierce flames. What else could he do?

Spike swallowed hard, his rage to Marcus, fear to his friends safety and recent scares for his ‘sisters’ life have made his emotions and mind go out of control. It was not easy to draw down.

The flames have reached the already dark ceiling, the tree was sure to burst into flames any second now.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” Spike murmured repeatedly as the flames grew his mind was lingering with what would happen if it didn’t. He couldn’t stop the flames with his mind! The human was poking fun at him with the all the-

“What’s going on down there? Am I smelling smoke?” Twilight’s voice was heard asking from the second floor. Spikes heart stopped.

“Quickly Twilight you should really come down... here and... help?” Pinkie Pie began saying urgently but ended confused as the flames basically disappeared from the spot it once was with only the burned floor and ceiling as proof that it was ever there.

“N-noting Twilight, it’s j-just the human making something in the kitchen, I’ll tell him about the s-smoke.” Spike said out loud from his paralyzed and frightened spot near the kitchen door.

“Hey! Twigirl! Someone should clean all the magic burns in the walls and floor from my thing with the princesses, it just looks wrong!” Marcus yelled behind Spike making the dragon make a double take.

“Spike could you take care of that?”

“Yeah! ... yeah I’ll... take care of it.” Spike ended saying, his small heart beating a mile a minute. He turned to the human with a very clear question on his face. The ponies in the living room couldn’t be more confused at the situation. They were so caught up in the vanishing of the flame that they didn’t hear Spike’s or Marcus’ lie.

“What?” Marcus asked as he took two plates from the side of the sink and placed them at the side of the stove.

"How did you know that would work?!"Spike yelled, in which he immediately covered his mouth praying that Twilight didn’t hear. Marcus chuckled and said.

"I didn't."

Spike fell to his knees staring at the human as he continued with his cooking, breathing heavy. Spike’s mind reared ‘What in tartarus just happened, I was just mad and... and...‘

“I simply told you to try and it work. Good job kid.” Marcus said as Spike continued in his mind bugling mind twist.

“Uh, Pinkie? What just happened?” Asked Rainbow Dash, looking at the spot the un-turn-offable flame once resided.

“What? How should I know?” Pinkie replied looking at Rainbow with confusion, already in the place the flame once was, she was jumping in a circle confirming that there was no heat whatsoever.

“Well... I’m used to asking you in, uhh, things like these, yeah that.” Rainbow Dash finished with a forced smile as Pinkie now was rubbing her face with the floor. It weirded Rainbow out.

“Eh, sugarcube, what are you doing?” Applejack asked, Pinkie was now rolling on the burned spot. ‘That pony can only go so weird.’

“Umm, Pinkie, like Applejack just asked I am too, curious, as to why you are now trying to cover your impeccable fur with as much burned wood as possible?” Rarity asked a little disturbed at the now dark coal coated pony in front of her.

“I feel fine, that’s weird.” Pinkie answered as she coughed a bit of the dust and ash that had reached her mouth.

“There’s always something weird around you,” Rarity muttered under her breath, which everypony except Pinkie heard and nodded to, “Pinkie, you just need to let me help you clean your coat, and mane and... just come with me.” Rarity asked desperately, the dark ash on Pinkie’s coat was driving her crazy.

“There’s no 'hot' here.” Pinkie said cryptically.

"Well, obviously,” Rainbow added, she spread her wings, which would have made a better effect if it wasn’t for one of them being injured, “the fire got down because of our awesome responding, right Fluttershy?”

“*Cough* Well, I-”

“Not that Dashie, the fire was hot and it made everything around it also hot, especially when we tried to turn it off, but everything around wanted to be cold which the fire didn’t let because it was hot, and so everything around was then hot, but now... it looks like if it was never here.” Pinkie pondered, her hoof reaching her face only to retract remembering that it was in pain. No pony in the room understood what she meant.

“Hey, umm, hi?” A new voice added itself to the mix, everypony which wasn’t discussing with Pinkie about her coat, basicly everypony except Rarity and Pinkie herself, noticed Lyra coming down the stairs.

“Hey Lyra you there?” Marcus’ voice yelled from the kitchen.

“Oh, yeah I’m here!” Lyra responded back, she looked nervous as she passed the very dirty, almost burned, looking ponies. ‘What happened here,’ she thought as she looked back at them before proceeding to the kitchen, stopping before the entrance, taking a breath before heading in.

“There was a racket down here, what... happened?” Lyra, as she entered the kitchen now noticed the burned ceiling and floor as well as the half burned bucket and towel lingering next to the kitchen door.

"I tried to do a flambé and as you can see, didn't turn out so well." Marcus said, laughing at his own joke. Lyra looked worried at Marcus before looking at Spike, said dragon simply lowered his view, still on his knees pondering.

“I made ya something, what do you think?” Marcus asked as he turned to the unicorn two plates entered her view. There were two pancakes, over easy eggs in the middle of them, slathered in syrup, some fried potatoes slices and hay strips at the side.

“Wow, that looks great!” Lyra look at the plate with surprise clear in her voice, not expecting an incredibly well done meal waiting for her.

“It should be,” Marcus said as he moved the ‘chair’ that was in his side of the table, adding as he sat, “it’s your favorite.”

At that, Lyra stopped her eying the food at looked at it closely, it was her favorite. Something in her mind stringed slightly, ‘How much did Marcus knew about me. Were we an...item?' Lyra blushed fiercely at the thought, her eyes quickly train themselves on his hands.

“But sit Lyra I would like to talk to you about something.’ Lyra snapped out her thoughts at Marcus’ intermission, she shook her head softly making sure to ask the question once Marcus finished what he wanted to say.

“Sure,” Lyra said placing herself in the stool that was on her side of the table, Marcus didn’t touch his plate, apparently waiting for her to join before he even looked at his plate.

The silence of the room was noticeable due to the clarity of the discussions happening outside the kitchen and on the second floor. Spike, Lyra and Marcus remained silent. Lyra was beginning to get uncomfortable with all the quietness.

“Sooo... what did you want to talk about Marcus?” Lyra said cheekily very aware that whatever the human was to say it was of some importance due to his seriousness that she only had seen the moment they meet.

By this point Spike had moved next to the table, eyes in thought he picked up some cleaning materials and tools and directed himself towards the burned floor and ceiling leaving Lyra to be very conscious of the silence and Marcus’ blank stare, which seemed focus on Spike.

Lyra open her mouth to ask if Marcus was alright when he finally spoke up. "I didn't know that about them...huh. Lucky guess."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lyra looked at Marcus with a questionable glance as she used her magic to begin to cut into her pancakes.

"Nothing... nothing. Just thinking out loud about something else." Marcus answered, taking his own fork and began to cut into his own meal. Once more the silence rang out, the only noise was coming from the next room.

Marcus was just getting a drink from his cup of milk when Lyra decided to pop a question. "Were we together, like lovers?"

Marcus twisted his head and spat out his drink in reflex, coughing violently as he slapped his chest several times to clear his throat.

"Aw crude." Spike wiped his face from Marcus' spit, before walking to the sink to wash off, grumbling under his breath.

"Um...I take that as a no?" Lyra gave off a nervous chuckle as Marcus gave Lyra a look of surprise and shock.

"Jeez, you would think I would be use to your antics by now." Marcus muttered, before sighing a bit. "Then again..."

Lyra flinched a bit at the tone. 'Oh...right. I'm dead in his world.' As she remember what Marcus told her about her counterpart.

Before Marcus could say anything, Pinkie came tumbling in, her mane wrapped up in a towel and Rarity speaking as she trailed after Pinkie.

“Well, darling the only thing left for you is a nice dryer for your curls, a good brush for your fur and we can be out of our way to clea-”

"No time! Spike! We need to solve the mysterious vanishing green flames!" Pinkie exclaimed, Rarity gave a frustrated sigh as she muttered under her breath, “Oh what I have to go through to help you Pinkie.”

"Sugercube, Ah think you need to let it go." Applejack said as she leaned against the entrance way. Rainbow scoffed as she walked inside, gently pushing her way through, followed by Fluttershy.

"Knowing Pinkie, half the town would be questioned before she even entertains the thought of 'giving up'." Rainbow eye the meal Lyra had before her, attempting to grab the hay strips before a golden dome appeared around the plate. "Aw...please?"

"*cough* Um...Pinkie, why are you asking for Spike's help?" Fluttershy murmured quietly, she gently rubbed her throat and Marcus shoulders dropped a bit. Pinkie's explanation was quickly tuned out by Marcus as his mind simply retreated into itself, but still kept track of everything happening around him

Marcus watched them all interact with each other, his eyes jumping between the mares as they spoke to one another. "They're the same... but so different at the same time." Marcus muttered out loud.

Lyra turn to Marcus as she heard his words. "Marcus?"

"I guess fate was on your side yesterday." Marcus continued on, his eyes look far away, like he wasn't even in the kitchen anymore. His words gaining everyone's attention.

"Lyra? Is he alright?" Applejack ask, looking nervous as Marcus continued his muttering.

"I.... I don't know?" Lyra ask as she move to gently shake him. Marcus reacted the moment she touched him, squeaking as his hand grabbed her hoof in a steel grip. His eyes burning into Lyra's.

"I could've of killed them all yesterday." Marcus stated, every-pony in the room flinch at this, completely unnerved by his calm declaration. "If the event happen earlier, when I still had my runes in good condition... I would’ve done it. I would've left a bloody trail of corpses and sing praises of their death as I marched to Canterlot with their heads in a bag."

Applejack took a step back, she was unsure what to feel about the human now that everything was said and done. But here he was, talking like he was simply discussing the weather and not about their horrible mutilation by his own hands. But she suspected that it was due to the growing amount of guilt. She couldn't blame him either, given the circumstances surrounding the entire event.

It struck Applejack that he was now just realizing that he could've killed a bunch of innocent ponies simply because they looked alike as the ones that hunt him down, basically twins actually. Not that any of her friends would blame him. If she was in the same situation, she would be sure she would have a similar reaction, not on the level he showed that’s for sure, but was understandable in some form.

Not that it would stop other ponies from seeking justice for Marcus crimes with their deaths.

"H-hey! You could give us some credit! We... we could’ve..." Rainbow tried to defend themselves that it would turn out okay in the end. But even she couldn't lie to herself on that level. Memories of todays fight flashing before her mind, forcing her to be silent.

Marcus going toe to hoof with not only Celestia, but Luna as well, at the same time. Injuring them and forcing the Princesses to perform more dangerous magic and skills. And Marcus just kept coming, taking the hits and returning them with equal force.

Facing off against the changelings, outnumbered almost 15 to 1, and not only putting more than a dent in their numbers, something that Royal Guards had trouble dealing with (Along with Shining Armor drilling the guards into the ground for weeks afterwards), made them believe they could take on anything. True, they still were captured, but they did so of their own volition when they were too tired to fight and the numbers simply too overwhelming.

They believed they could take on anything if they work together to overcome any obstacle. Marcus came in and crushed that train of thought with a vengeance. They won that fight against a single opponent, but barely so with casualties on their end. And even then, their opponent was still fighting while restrained, not looking worse or weared off in any way.

To see him go against the Princesses after a single night of rest was terrifying.  To watch the fight happen before their eyes, to now realize the scope of how lucky they truly were. Paste was an accurate description of what would have happen to them if Marcus came through ready for a fight, not the exhausted and weaken form in which he was in.

"Its over Marcus... you don't have to worry about that anymore." Lyra said as she gently tugged her hoof free from Marcus's grip. Marcus shook his head in denial however.

"No, its not. I almost killed a bunch of innocent people. I injured their leader... Your Princess in such a way. She was so sure that it was just a giant misunderstanding. But I showed her the truth...and she found herself all in utter disbelief."  Marcus voice lower to a whisper. "But when she saw all six of you coming for me... She didn't want to see anymore... But I forced her to watch... I forced her to watch versions of you perform something so wrong and tragic, all with smiles on your faces while doing so.” Marcus leaned in his seat, he stared at the ceiling.

“For all I know... I drove your Princess into complete and utter madness. She could be out there, mind utterly broken and resentful of all ponies, looking at all of you like ticking time bombs waiting to go off."

"I don't think so."

Twilight's voice startled everyone in the room. Twilight walked in, Shining Armor trailing in after her glaring daggers at Marcus.

"I believe Princess Celestia will be okay. She has Princess Luna back to keep an eye on her and help her back to her hooves." Twilight said with a slight smile, she turn to Marcus and gave him the biggest and warmest smile she could muster. "And I forgive you. I truly mean that, from the bottom of my heart. We all do."

All the ponies nod their heads (aside from a big brother and dragon) in agreement with Twilight, beaming smiles at Marcus to show him their united support.

Marcus almost had his breath taken away from this declaration, he seen it before, dozens of times, with the ponies of the PHL, but he was never on a receiving end of their fame forgiveness and heart warming smiles.

'Very good, Twilight.'

Marcus' eyes snapped into focus, startling the ponies with the intensity they showed. Marcus' mind raced, using the training methods he was taught by his Lyra to throw off mental compulsions and invaders to corrupt his mind and turn him into a double agent, he felt numb.

Weeks of mental training, hours of fending off dozens of spells aimed at corrupting or invading human minds, all for the single chance to survive against the unicorns' mental magic. Marcus and thousands of others trained hard to look for signs of magical tampering within their own mental psyche.

And now he knew there was something wrong.

Each person's mind was their temple and retreat. Some may have it as an old family home, or an area that they feel comfortable in like a library or mall.

Marcus's was in Paris, the good french capital, a place where he found a small sort of peace after his tours. With bits of various places he had been to, places of importance or something that held some fond memories of, seemingly form into the beautiful city, giving it an allure of majestic beauty and innovation of mankind itself.

Marcus looked at the familiar street before him, following the signs that directed him to various parts of his mind.

Childhood

Youth

Adulthood

Jacob

Dad

Mom

Iraq

Cheerilee

????

"There." Marcus thought/said as he glared at the sign, following the direction for what seemed like a second before finally arrived very far from his initial position at something he had never seen before within his mind.

Giant double doors barred passage, set within the wall of stone within Central Park, a place of fond memories of his father when he was a child. Standing before the doors, sounds of childlike laughter echoing around him.

"Come on Dad! Throw the ball!"

"Careful Marcus, I don't need your mother breathing down my neck because you trip and fell!"

"Hah! Got it."

"Good job Marcus. Come on, time to go. Let go see if your mother needsany help with Jacob."

"Can we come back here after you are done with your deployment?"

"Of course, we will come here to celebrate my glorious return! Ha Ha!"

Marcus pushed the memories back, fighting the happy memory before they led to him to a darker time of his life. He growled and focused on the door, attempting to push through, only to be refused when he tried to force them open.

"Open this door, Celestia."Marcus demanded, his teeth grinding against one another. "I may believe in forgiveness, but you making a back door into my own mind is low, even for you."

"It's not a back door." A voice resounded as the doors slowly open, the small figure of Celestia slowly walked out, gently closing the door behind her. Marcus looked at the little version of Celestia warily, it was the same young, swan-like version he had seen in his first mental encounter with Celestia. It was strange indeed, but he was in no mood for games.

"They're memories.” The small Celestia said, now Marcus noticed the most obvious difference, this Celestia seemed ten times as bold. “Celestia's memories, and I am their caretaker."

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "So Celestia placed her memories in my mind?"

"No." The small alicorn looked at Marcus with annoyance. "You did. You forced the connection between yourselves, even when she tried to pull out. Your will was much stronger than what Celestia believed, or was used to. You changed the spell's parameters. I have no doubt there is some small Marcus running amok in Celestia’s mind."

Marcus looked grim at the news, "So....you exist because of me? Anyway to get rid of you? I like to have my own voice in my head, thank you."

The Celestia copy only rolled her eyes, Marcus wasn't liking her attitude of ‘I’m better than thou’. "Unless you fancy being a vegetable, I am not going anywhere. I am the only thing holding back over a millennium worth of memories. Even Celestia would be bedridden for days, maybe even weeks, from absorbing over 20 years of knowledge, customs, and languages. Unless your copy is a sadist, which I somewhat fear, it might just throw everything at Celestia out of spite until it figures out what happened."

Marcus frowned. "You certainly don't speak like her."

"That is because I am a mix of personalities at the moment." The copy stated, looking somewhat embarrassed, the key word in ‘somewhat’. "Your emotions run strong, far stronger than any other species that I have knowledge of. A few more hours should give me enough time to stabilize myself."

Marcus sighed, rubbing his face before looking at the copy. "Fine. Just...just don't touch anything. Okay?"

"I can't touch your memories." The copy stated, rubbing her face as well as she looked at Marcus with exasperation on her face. "Only Celestia's. The best I can do is see them, and talk to you, give insight on political scene once all this is over."

"Political scene?"

"Your world will be very different after everything is said and done, Marcus." The copy gave him a small smile, turning to open the doors to proceed inside.

"You make it sound like we already won? What gives?" Marcus couldn't help but look as the copy paused at the door. She look back, giving a small smile and winking at him.

"Because human kind is too stubborn to give up...plus, you and a scant dozen others are the light in the darkness. Leading your people, having them believe in Hope and a chance to stand against the Tyrant."

"I'm just a soldier." Marcus waved his hand before him, attempting to place himself as a normal grunt.

"A soldier who leads millions of others into a fight? A soldier who form a union of ponies who stand against their mad Queen? A soldier who opened his arms to other species of Equus into the alliance? A soldier who managed to convince various foreign militaries to defend one of the last few bastions of safety and military power? No Marcus Renee, you are no mere soldier... "

She trotted inside, giving him one last look before the doors closed on him.

"You are a hero. And it is time you raise yourself to the pedestal by the very people who built it for you, but deny yourself as one. You are a symbol of Hope and Humanity, one that the Tyrant would destroy the moment she has a chance."

Marcus blinked, looking at the assorted ponies and dragon before him, a look of worry on their faces. (Aside from one stallion, who look like he was ready for a fight). 'What do I call you?'

'Tia will be fine. Now, you have an apology to give, do you not?'

'Yeah yeah.'

"Marcus? Are you alright?" Lyra leaned in close, her golden eyes taking up his view. He chuckled slightly, gently pushing her away.

"I'm fine, Lyra. Just learned that Twilight's spell may have....unforeseen consequences." Marcus rubbed his head in slight annoyance, not thinking any further than that.

Twilight on the other hand...

"Oh no! Did I cast the spell wrong! “She gasped,”that means that the Princess may be affected too!" Twilight began to rush about the library in a panic. Marcus raised an eyebrow at the small unicorn antics, looking to her friends for help.

"Uh...you guys going to do something about this?"

"No."

"Nope."

"Nah."

*cough*

"We learn to just let it run its course, my dear Commander. Last time we tried to convince Twilight that nothing was wrong, she blew it completely out of proportion and half the town running amok." Rarity stated, giving a soft sigh as Twilight grabbed a dozen of scrolls and quills and began to mark down her steps when she cast the spell. "As long as she stays in the Library, she should be fine."

"At least she is not fortifying herself within a book fort." Shining muttered under his breath, watching as Twilight closed her eyes and began to retrace her steps.  Marcus rubbed his face before getting up from the table and walking towards Twilight. The ponies opened a path for him.

"Twilight, it’s fine." Marcus said gently, but Twilight completely ignored him. His eye twitch slightly, before trying again, slightly raising his voice. "Twilight I said its fine."

"No time, Spike." Twilight said to him, causing Marcus to stare at the unicorn dumbfounded.

'Did she just call me Spike?'

By this point, all the ponies, except for Lyra, Spike and Rainbow Dash exited the kitchen to watch Marcus try and fail to speak to Twilight properly.

"I need to go through the step by step process of the Mind Share spell. If there was an issue with what I casted, there could be dire consequences!" Twilight muttered as she walked away from Marcus.

Marcus only shook his head before turning back to the kitchen, giving up on trying to snap Twilight out of her panic state.  "Hey, Lyra...come here."

Lyra looked up from her meal, fending off Rainbow from her attempts at getting her hay strips. She grabbed the strips and pop them into her mouth, much to Rainbow's irritation, and quickly trotted up to him.  "Hey-*squeak*!"

Marcus took a knee and wrapped his arms around the startled unicorn, hugging her gently. He smirked a bit at her involuntary squeaks, but held his chuckles. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I cast you aside like trash and didn't think anything more of it. I know nothing I can say can really take back all what I said, but I like to start trying to get back into your good graces."

Lyra stood still, shock by his apology. He was right though, he did throw her aside the moment he found out that she wasn't 'his' Lyra. It hurt so much to be just cast away, but she long ago thought that was due to high strung emotions and even poorer choice of words. She closed her eyes and returned the hug, smiling a bit before pulling away. "You owe me a month of breakfast meals."

"Deal." Marcus chuckled before standing up. "Now, let's get back to eat-"

The Library door blasted open startling everyone in the room. Marcus, by reflex of several years of ambushes and training, reacted immediately by grabbing the closes living persons near him.

Lyra and Fluttershy yelped in shock as Marcus wrapped his arms around them before throwing himself into the kitchen, all within seconds of the door opening.

"COMMANDER RENEE!" Luna's voice boomed into the library, nearly deafening everyone still in the room.

"Jesus fucking Christ lady!" Marcus roared in anger from the kitchen, his head poking through the doorway, glaring at the alicorn with barely veiled spite. "Do you think you can yell louder I don't think the people in the next county fucking heard you!"

Luna blinked at the cursing human, there was a pause, surely of her trying to understand what he meant and in another second her face flushed in embarrassment when she realized she reverted back to the RCV. "Oh...I...I apologize, Commander."

"What the fuck was that all about?!" Marcus glared, shaking his head before checking over Lyra and Fluttershy, giving a quick apology for his rough grab and tumble.

"I apologize for startling you, all of you." Luna said as she looked over all of them with a blush on her face. "But we must not tarry any longer. Shining Armor, gather your Guards and report back to Canterlot for debriefing."

Shining Armor saluted Luna, he couldn’t hide the slight confusion of his face as he nodded once before giving the human one last glare before heading out to gather his men.

Twilight was still trying to calm her racing heart when Luna walked up to her. Her ears immediately flatten against her skull, preparing for another round of ringing ears. "Twilight Sparkle. You and the other Elements are needed at the Castle as well. My sister should be calling all the leaders of Equus soon. Commander Renee, we need to escort you to Canterlot and prepare our troops for battle."

Marcus grimace a bit, hearing the name of the city still caused him to flinch, nodding his head before walking to stand before Luna, "By the time you manage to gather the force needed, even if the other leaders are willing to help, it might be too late to help."

Luna lowered her head, conceding to Marcus' point. "What other choice do we have?"

Marcus nodded his head, taking a step to the blasted door, and suddenly stopped. He snapped his fingers and rushed back into the kitchen. He quickly walked back out, his plate in his hands, scarfing the food down quickly. "Let's go!" He managed out from his stuffed mouth.

Marcus had barely taken a step outside, when the lone note of a horn echoed all around him. Marcus barely had time to wonder what it was before his runes flares to life without his knowledge and with no warning.

Only a slight hiss of warning was to hear, but in the end, all the ponies stood in shock as a golden orb slammed into Marcus' face, who couldn’t protect himself properly due to the plate in his hands, and was sent flipping over once onto his belly, into the cold world that is unconsciousness.

Canterlot, Main Hall

Discord had just finished whipping up himself an expensive chocolate milk, much to the shock of the head chef of the kitchen, as Discord used Celestia's private stocks of chocolate to do so.

He was just about to walk out to the private garden when he heard his name being called out.

"Discord!"

Discord flinched, looking back to see Princess Cadance trotting up to him. Two Royal Guard accompanying her, both glaring at the chaos creature with contempt.

"Ah...drat. Thought I lost you at the maze." Discord muttered out loud.

Cadance said nothing to this, turning to the guards. "Go, you have your orders."

"Yes Mam." Both guards salute once before trotting away. Cadance turned back to see the draconequus slipping inside. Cadance sighed a bit at his current avoiding nature before following him inside. She looked around for a moment, her ears flicking back and forth before she made a beeline to a tree.

Cadance looked up to see Discord hanging from a branch with his tail, sipping on his extra expensive chocolate milk.

"You're tenacious, I give you that." Discord call out from a tree. "What do you need, I'm busy being a pain here."

"What happened between you and Celestia?" Cadance asked, her thoughts on their argument quickly filling her mind. "Why was it important that she stayed out of the way of pony kind?"

Discord dropped to the ground, standing at full height as he stretch his body. "Tell you what. If you answer my question, then I will answer yours in full detail; no tricks, no games, just the blunt truth, how about it?"

Cadance look at him with a frown. "And if I get it wrong?"

"Then I don't answer the question, obviously." Discord picked at his ear, flicking a ball of ear wax away.

"Fine. Ask your question." Cadance replied, steeling herself.

"Just to warn you, not even StarSwirl or his protégée got this little riddle right." Discord said with a smile. "Ready?"

Cadance nod her head and Discord beamed. "Life always moves forever forward, but what must be done to insure that we do move forward in our lives?"

Cadance balked at the small dittle, it was the type of question that could hold many answers. No doubt Discord chose it because it held a deeper meaning that what most ponies think about.

Discord chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Take your time Princess, no doubt that you are going to spend a long time to come up with the right answer. I'll be waiting for your response." Discord turn to proceed further into the private garden.

"We must live through and beyond our past." Cadance answer echoed out, causing Discord to stop. "To make sure we don't make the same mistakes that led us to them and grow beyond it."

Discord turned back, his stunned look caused Cadance to beam at him. "Very good Princess. StarSwirls' answer was 'Live for today and worry about tomorrow later.' What an idiot. Clover's answer was closer than he thought. 'The journey through life is one filled with mistakes, I just have to make better ones tomorrow.' Close, but no cigar for him." Discord walked up to Cadance and sat before her.

"So I was right?" Cadance asked, unsure if she was being yank along.

"Oh, you are right, Spot on actually." Discord scratched his beard, looking thoughtful at the alicorn before him before he started laughing. "Remember them, but never re-live them. That would bring anypony into madness. Hahahaha!"

Discord patted the ground next to him, which became a very comfortable chair. The spirit of chaos sat in nothing and Cadance took the seat next to the draconequus. Discord smiled a bit, before he began to recall the true history and the 'Royal' sisters part of Equus to the young Alicorn.

Canterlot, Throne Room, 2023 Anno Dominae

The Queen sat on her throne, glaring at nothing at that particular moment, reviewing the last few hours that passed with growing ire.

First was the stunning fact that the lowly humans had managed to put a pause on the expanding barrier. How, she did not know, but decided to leave it be, since the barrier was still maintaining itself and ever so slowly overcoming whatever the humans did.

Why waste precious magic if it will simply bowl over it eventually.

The Second was much more severe. The Rescue Fleet and Salvation Army were torn asunder.

The Rescue Fleet, along with the Great Equestrian was made up of over forty airships and thousands of her warriors. To hear every single one of those ships was gone was a blow she did not see coming.

The Salvation Army was the follow up blow, four hundred thousand of her brave ponies were stuck in the Americas. At least ten thousand of them were taking cover in the Boston airport, but was quickly getting pounded into the dirt by missiles, artillery fire, and bullets. Even worse was the portal station in Nova Scotia was recently taken out by a band of Griffons, Diamond Dogs, and to her shock, a Minotaur.

Celestia was so sure she destroyed all of them.

The Third blow came from the Blue Spy. She did not only managed to sneak into Canterlot, given that a report of a pony shifting into a different pony was called to the guards, she also managed to free the dragon from his prison.

She also blew the entire prison apart, making it collapse on top of her.

Finally was the simple fact that she lost the chance to utterly destroy humanity's leading champion. Colonel Marcus Renee, the 'Commander' of the UN forces and the main reason why the PHL existed and its continuous thorn in her side. She growled, frustration morphing on her face. The Elements attempt to turn all the humans into stone failed utterly, and while they did separate the Commander from his forces, the Elements chose to send him away, against their ‘masters' wishes.

And to add more insult to injury, she managed to find him, using the late draconequus of chaos power to figure out where he was sent. She found him and her lesser counterpart, she attempted to show her the light of humanity's sins.

She was cast out and since then, been unable to glean into their world.

(Music-right click and open new tab for fun!:D)

She stomped her hoof, cracking the dais with her strength. She quickly got up and made her way out of the room. She ventured deeper into the castle, passing Starswirl the Bearded's hall, where Twilight was busy working on a new spell, hoping to figure out a way to bypass the new defenses of humanity. She moved forward, ignoring all the ponies that bowed to her before finally reaching the bottom section of the Castle.

She smiled as her horn glowed and the doors quietly swung open. She quickly trotted inside, her smile grew bigger as she watch the source of the Barrier hum with power.

The room was made of crystals, covering the ceiling, all around the walls and surrounding the floor. The energy they brought made the room feel overwhelming for anypony who dared to see the beautiful sight. And in its center, its purpose.

The machine made little sense, but it worked, and that is all Celestia cared for. The large spiral of crystal was composed of a large crystal in the center, stones keeping it in place as smaller crystals floated by, coming out of the larger crystal and spinning out for a couple of seconds before stopping in random spot and reentering the behemoth, all in a sequence. There was a dull sheen of copper right in front of the massive thing, which contained the massive power within. It pulsed once before humming out loud and shooting a bolt of lightning to one of the spinning crystals.

Celestia quickly made her way to a small hatch on the main body of the copper block in front of the crystal body, opening the copper case and giggling as she pulled out the Bag of Tirek from its container.

"A minor setback, nothing more. Soon, they will see the error of their ways..."

The bag glowed, gently covering the Alicorn with its power, causing her to moan at the energy that caressed her. Her eyes snapped into focus, her smile becoming much more deranged as she placed the bag back.

She tested her power, flicking her horn eyes glowing white. The room seemed to tremble, all the crystals began to remove themselves from the walls and flowed aimlessly around the powered Queen, spinning in an endless circle. The Queen laughed sinisterly.

"Or they will be crushed under my hoof in the process, no matter, they will realize that they can never beat a goddess."

Consequences of Conflict

A/N: Science detailed in this chapter is just the rambling of a mad author who is desperate to look cool..... AM I COOL YET!?!

Consequences of Conflict

Written by

Redskin122004

Editors

Drawdex

Beyond the Horizon

TB3

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” -Edmund Burke

"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy, Hope." - Winston Churchill

Golden red light reflected from the glass and steel towers that lay before her. The sounds of millions people moving through the city, either fleeing the barrier and just passing through or patrolling the city to ensure its safety.

Millions of souls depended on her to be strong and lead her forces for their safety.

New York. Oh great New York.

The massive city glowed in the darkened sky, its. A bright light managed to outshine the menacing pink glow to the east. It was one of humanity's largest cities in the world. A literal melting pot of culture, races, and lifestyles. It has seen it all, starting from its humble beginning in the year of 1624 as a simple trading post.

From the arrival of thousands of immigrants into its ports as they cross the sea for a new start in their lives...

To the death of thousands with attacks that not only forever shatter an iconic view of New York, but has made its citizens mourn the loss of those lives taken away.

It has seen much, experienced much, and the people that reside within itself have pushed through, both good and bad.

Now, instead of citizens and foreign travelers walking its streets, refugees and soldiers call it their home.

Many New Yorkers had remained behind when the military established themselves a year ago; opening their doors to soldiers and fleeing refugees, helping the city become something more defendable. Every building had anti-air defenses, every corner had a machine gun nest, every window was boarded and the streets were blocked off. The city was no longer a cultural melting pot...

It was fortress. A giant door leading to the rest of the country...

A door with so many barrels poking through it, one had to be a bloody fool to go knocking with wicked intentions at its door.

Cheerilee leaned against the barrier that prevented her from falling off the edge of Freedom Tower, sighing as she watched the glowing light from the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. So many thoughts filtered through her mind, and yet the one prevailing thought was based on a certain human.

"Where are you Marcus?" Cheerilee whispered, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall.

The sound of footsteps crunching on the rooftop gravel brought her out of her mental musing. She turned to see a young teen standing by, rifle in hand as he walked up to her. 'Maybe about sixteen... no... Fifteen. Too young to fight... but we are getting low on willing fighters.'

"Ma'am." The teen soldier nodded his head to her, his eyes glued on the scene before him.

"Yes?" She turned back to the city, the inner city glowed brightly, while the outskirts show soldiers and military vehicles moving about in their patrols.

"You're needed in the conference room, the meeting you called is about to begin. Captain Spitfire, Doctor Whooves and Ms. Scratch are waiting." The teen relayed to her. But one of the names cause Cheerilee blink in confusion.

"Doctor? But he is supposed to be resting, he was injured not even an hour ago." Cheerilee looked at the teen with confusion.

The teen only smiled and shrugged. "Don't know Ma'am, but he is waiting for you."

"Darn that stubborn stallion, how Derpy puts up with his antics I'll never know." Cheerilee muttered as she got up from her perch. The teen only smiled and followed her as they walked back inside.

As they reached the elevator, the teen gave a small cough before speaking. "Ma'am. Is there any sign of Commander Renee?"

Cheerilee only lowered her head, her ears flattening against her skull. The elevator doors opened and she stepped through before finally answering the young man's query. "No."

"Oh."

"I wish I had more to say." Cheerilee clarified, rubbing her head with her right hoof as the doors closed and the elevator began its descent. "At the moment, we should be thankful that Marcus is not in the Tyrant's disgusting hooves."

"Just MIA." The young man snorted, shaking his head. The elevator quietly rang a soft tune before the doors opened, allowing the two to continue on. "The latest reports-"

"I know what the reports say." Cheerilee cut him off with a terse reply, her voice sounding more like a disproving teacher than a commanding officer. It still ended up with the same results however, the teen froze up involuntarily. "I know that he went missing when the Elements attacked Commander Renee. Vinyl and Captain Spitfire were both there, and both saw with their own eyes that he vanished into a portal similar to the portals used by the Tyrant's Army. We have our own ponies looking for any sign of him on Equus."

For a moment, the two walked in silence before finally reaching their destination, a double door. Cheerilee reached up to push one of the doors open, but the next question caused her to pause.

"But will he still be alive... after all this time?" The teen lowered his head at his question. "We all have seen what happens when a human is introduced to an extremely magical environment. We start doing the Wicked Witch routine the moment we are in. Magic is fine to perform on us in small doses but... too much and we literally begin to melt."

Cheerilee said nothing, the only response was to flatten her ears against her skull. She was afraid that the teen was right, afraid at what the implications meant. Afraid that all they would find of him would be his liquefied remains.

The Runes protected him, allowing a large quantity of magic to reside safely within him, with no signs of discomfort or pain. However, she wasn't sure if they could protect him in an environment like Equus. No human wanted to test any theory that a pony could think up that could protect them from magic prevalent in Equus, and no pony had the heart to put them in such a position in case it failed.

Time was running out...

In more ways than one.

She turned back and looked at the teen before her, and all she saw was a young man struggling to breathe, ash covering his form as he reached out to her, his eyes begging her to save him.

"Ma'am?" Cheerilee shook her head, banishing the image from her mind.

"He's alive, I can feel it, but I don't think he wants us worrying about him right now. We need to focus on the Tyrant and her armies advancing." Cheerilee said with conviction. She turned and gave a big warm smile, causing the teen to give one in return.

"Yeah, of course you're right. Besides, those zombies don't have the ability to get reinforcements now. Every new foal killed is one that won't get replaced so easily now, not by a portal or by potion." The teen exclaimed happily. "We can stop this, I know we can."

Cheerilee nodded her head before finally pushing the door open and proceeded inside. She stopped and turned back to smile at him again. "That's the spirit. Thank you for escorting me to the Conference Room..."

The teen smiled, snickering as Cheerilee struggled with the name on his coat, but given where her head was located near his waist, it nearly was impossible for her to read it unless she was several steps away. "Private Adrian Shepard, ma'am."

"Thank you Private Shepard. My that was embarrassing." Cheerilee flushed slightly, but she was happy to cause some level of joy in this bleak period of time.

"You’re welcome Ma'am." The teen saluted her, one that she gave in return before he turned and walked away. Cheerilee nodded her head before turning to enter the conference room.

The place was in average in appearance; ten chairs were neatly cleaned and organized, though the round table was filled with paperwork and reports from various foreign nation forces. The place was of great importance, since all information that was vital to the PHL is known to pass into this very room, before it was known by anypony else. Several large plasma TV were aligned in the length of the walls, two were dedicated to the Blue Force Tracker, or BFT in Military lingo, showing current movements of military personnels and enemy positions, along with various surviving news networks or information on the internet.

The room was empty, and that confused Cheerilee. It seemed that the information on the waiting time was a little exaggerated. But before she could fully show her displeasure at being forced to wait, a voice popped up from behind her, nearly scaring the fur off of her.

"No child should ever become a soldier," Doctor Whooves said quietly, watching the teen walk away before turning to her. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."

“You should be resting, you know that right?” Cheerilee spoke, a hoof in her chest as she made sure her heart was still in its position.

“Of course I do. Why do you think I’m doing this now? The faster this is done the more rest I’ll get when it’s all over.” The obnoxious pony replied as if it was the obvious conclusion. Cheerilee simply sighed.

"And does Derpy approve of this way of thinking?" Cheerilee asked, giving the Doctor a sidelong look.

"Of course she does! It’s how we’ve always done things." Doctor happily answered, his eyes showing nothing but mirth.

"So she approves of you being outside of a medical facility when you just recently got impaled by a spear?" Cheerilee couldn't help but feel a small amount of vindication when Doctor's ears folded themselves against his skull, a small glint of fear beginning to show in his eyes.

Doctor rubbed the back of his skull, chuckling nervously while he looked at everything but Cheerilee. "Ah...well, it’s a bit of a matter of perspective really-"

"Whatever Doc." Vinyl’s voice echoed out from behind him. The mare leaned against the door frame with a mischievous look on her face, her shades propped up on her horn. "You’re in trouble and you know it."

"I have to agree with her Doctor." Spitfire trotted up to them, giving him a slight poke on his wounded shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. "Derpy loves you with all of her heart, but she will bring Luna's wrath on your head once she finds you missing."

Doctor lowered his head, a feebly grin on his face, causing Cheerilee to roll her eyes as she made her way into the room. "I guess Tiger-lilly muffins would be a the best 'I'm sorry I am an Idiot' apology gift that would get me in the clear?"

The three mares looked at one another before answering. "Yes."

"With chocolates."

"And her favorite movie."

"And a hoof massage."

Doctor only hung his head as the mares gave a small scatter of giggles, but he was smiling at the small jabs being made at him. He limped his way to the table before sitting down and giving them a hurt look. "Ladies, you wound me so. Like right here, on the shoulder." The small joke was all the indication they needed that he’d be fine, causing them to all chuckle along with him.

"Oh, quiet you." Cheerilee laughed at him, enjoying the atmosphere before reality began its descent on to her mind. "I miss this." She whispered quietly after the laughter subsided, the positive air slowly dwindling away.

All the ponies heard her statement, but refused to make her clarify. They knew what she was talking about, and they felt the same thing.

The war had taken a lot from them.

Vinyl jumped onto her seat, spinning several times before finally stopping with a slam of the hooves on the table. "Alright, let's get this over with, I left a lot of my stuff in Boston and I don't want anypony touching it."

Cheerilee was more demurred in sitting in her chair, scoffing slightly at Vinyl’s urge to make haste. "Vinyl, you are the only pony that can use said gear. Part of me is glad you blew out your subwoofers to force you back to using the the proper weapons."

"Hey! All my speakers are awesome, you should've seen some of those humans fighting when my speakers are cranked up to 15!" Vinyl jab a hoof at Cheerilee, Spitfire only shook her head.

"Can we get back on track please?" Spitfire’s calm voice shattered the argument, causing the two ponies to look abashed at their conduct.

"Of course. Vinyl, how are ground forces? Anything I should be worried about?" Cheerilee adopted a calm and calculating look. It was the same look she had taken when she spoke out against Lyra's initial plan to have a sit down protest in Canterlot.

She has seen and experienced first hoof what the New Foals did to ponies who went against the Tyrant, and the few protests that began before Lyra's PHL group were nasty. It was thanks to her they protested in Fillydelphia instead, where the New Foal numbers were slim, and where production of airships was located at. It opened the eyes of many ponies to see the New Foals turned violent on them when they didn’t agree with the Tyrant and her policies..

Sadly, those protests dwindled to nothing when more and more ponies got hurt, if not by the New Foals, then by the corrupted guards. This gave rise to the PHL that everypony knew: A group dedicated in bringing down the Tyrant, freeing Luna from her unjust imprisonment, and protecting humanity from her deranged ideals.

"We got a dozen injuries." Vinyl scowled as she reported to Cheerilee. "Many of them won't be walking, but it could've been a lot worse if we didn't have the enchanted and runic armor."

PHL wasn't a group just for ponies either...

"What about Iron Will and his group?" Cheerilee closed her eyes, saddened by the injuries, but pushed on. She needed to be strong. For Lyra's memories, her strength, her passion in defending humanity, and true pony ideals.

"Lyra! This is insane! We need you here with us!"

"What we need is a distraction, and right now all those New Foals have a hard on for me. I'm taking this ship, sailing it into the pegasi made storm, and I'm going to be that distraction. You get my stuff, all my ideas for the runes, and you get everyone outta of here Cheerilee! We already have this entire island ready to go up in flames, but we weren't expecting this attack. I did the best I could for the refugee ships and so far its working like a charm, but now is the time for action, I need to be out there.

"Not alone you’re not."

"Sorry Captain, but you need to get all the sailors-"

"I'm sorry Miss Heartstring, but I follow His Royal Majesty’s orders, not yours. I will not allow HMS Thunder Child, the most advance Frigate in His Majesty's Navy, be under control of a unicorn. No. She will sail with human hands, and she will let loose the dogs of war before she falls. You need a distraction and you need my ship. You get us and the ship is yours."

"Lyra..."

"Take care of them Cheerilee, take care of them and make sure we win. They won't break me if they capture me and Marcus will lead his own people to victory if we help out."

"Lyra!"

"Come on Captain, we have ship to sail and a statement to make!"

Cheerilee focused herself back on the present. She hated it when found herself thinking of the past, it often led to bad and hurtful memories.

"Will says he and his group are ready to go at anytime. He also received news that another group of soldiers managed to sneak through the portal and are on their way to Boston, straight from the Griffon Kingdom. Tsumerai at that." Vinyl said with a rather feral grin.

The rest of the room blink in shock. Tsumerai were essentially the Delta Force or Spetsnaz of the Griffon military. The translation literally meant 'Talon Warriors' and was no joke in terms of their abilites. They not only defended the current ruler, but faced off against Greed or rogue Dragons on a monthly basis (though not anymore due to the Dragon Purge led by the Tyrant), due to how close they were to dragon territory. To have a single Tsumerai in their ranks would be a huge boon to not only the Iron Will's group, but to the PHL as a whole.

They're heavily armored, armed to the beak, and extremely skilled in both magical and physical combat. Their swords, the Katana, were their main weapons, forged by the best and trained by the best in utilizing them. However, their numbers were small due to the high death tolls, both by the grueling training and by battle. They also utilized many other weapons as well, such as magic for those gifted with the skill of using them.

The Tsumerai were so gifted in combat that they opened a fighting arena so they could find more talent to bolster their ranks with.

The Dragon Tourney was open to all and cemented itself as a world class arena in a few short years of it being introduced. The tournament became extremely popular due to the dozens of spells fitted in the arena itself to insure the combatants survival while still maintaining the freedom of the fighters.

After all, there was no sense in killing off soldiers and talented fighters.

It was a place for all species to test their mettle against one another. The best of the Tourney then faced off against a Tsumerai warrior, with a chance to win their prized blades.

The last winner was over a decade ago, a unicorn with the stage name 'Five Blade Fancy'. The only unicorn to use magic and physical skills to win. He was also the only pony to actually use five separate blades of various styles and make, not swinging like a madpony, but with actual skill and tactics.

Hence the name Five Blade and how graceful he was in utilizing them.

Cheerilee shook her head for the random info-memory, a light blush on her face as she remembered her younger years in wanting to know the dashing unicorn.

There were a few reasons for a Tsumerai, or apparently a group of them, to come now.

The Griffon Kingdom was suing for war was one of them.

With the Queen's mysterious death five years earlier, Equestria cutting off trade and bringing weather ponies back from the Kingdom, it has all but left the griffons floundering down a river without a boat. A thousand years of peaceful but vital trade and weather control had left the Griffon Kingdom without the means to take care of themselves. Lyra had suspected that the Tyrant had done something to Queen Hedwig, to destabilize the kingdom and gone further by cutting off trade that griffons relied on. Due to the mountainous region they inhabited, it was impossible to farm regularly, and so they depended on outside trade for food.

Gilda, Iron Will's second in command, described it as a slowly crumbling society on the verge of complete anarchy. Chicks were going hungry, even when older griffons were sacrificing their meals, only eating once a day or even a bite at all, anything for their future generations. There was simply too many beaks to feed and so little food to go around.

She also reported the first of many deaths due to starvation, many of the chicks no older than the fillies and colts in Cheerilee's former school teacher days.

King Tobias was struggling to keep his people together to survive this dark period last time Gilda been in her country, almost two years ago last time she checked, getting news from the Griffon Kingdom has all but been impossible to obtain since then.

"Well..." Doctor couldn't help but chuckle a bit, looking somewhat off at the info present. "There’s little doubt in my mind they're going to cut down anyone who gets in their way. Better let the pegasi patrol group know, Captain. We don't want a misunderstanding to happen." Spitfire nodded her head and pressed the collar on her neck, speaking softly so she will not interrupt the meeting. "Should also let the Navy know as well, no doubt they will cut them down with their anti-air."

"How many?" Cheerilee asked, willing to try and get some Tsumerai into the main fighting force, maybe train a few in human weaponry.

"Heh…” Vinyl suddenly looked very excited, which caused Cheerilee to look at her with confusion.

"Vinyl?"

"All of them." Vinyl quickly responded. Doctor's eyes open wide at the information with a flabbergasted look.

"All of them?! That's over one hundred trained warriors that make the Royal Army look like foals playing make believe! Why in the world- Oh!" The sudden stop cause all the mares to look at the eccentric stallion in confusion. The look of realization plastered on his face grew before it morphed into one of utter disbelief and sadness.

"Doctor?" Spitfire leaned towards him, about to shake him. "What is it?"

"They're here for Gilda." He said slowly. "Oh no, the poor girl. She’s going to be devastated."

"Wait, hold on!" Cheerilee snapped at him. "What are you talking about? Why are they here for Gilda?"

"Cause she’s the new Queen of the Griffon Kingdom. She is the youngest of the Stormwing Clan and a rightful heir to the throne." Doctor explained, his eyes full of sorrow. "And her entire family is dead."

"What!?" The three mares cried out in shock.

"What are you talking about Doc?" Vinyl exclaimed. "How do you know about this anyways?"

"I met Queen Hedwig when I accidently took Derpy and the girls to Stormwing Castle. I was shooting for Windy Heights but the old Tardis took us there instead. " Doctor explain, with a small sad smile as he thought back on the memory. "The next thing I know, she is boarding the Tardis along with her youngest granddaughter Gilda and two very confused Tsumerai guards. She hadn’t been to Windy Heights in a long while and wanted to spend time with her youngest grandchild."

Doctor sighed, rubbing his face with his hoof. "She explained to me that her duties kept her from enjoying family experiences, and teach Gilda as much as she can to enjoy her freedom, so much so that she was willing to send her to Equestria and be far away from the Royal Courts. While Gilda is not in any shape or form to be the next Queen, she is still Royalty, and many would make a pass at her for the chance to have it." Doctor remembered Hedwig staring into the distant mountains as she explained why she wanted be there, a young Gilda playing with Dinky and Sparkler in the background with Derpy and the two Tsmerai guards watching them.

"Poor Gilda." Spitfire whispered quietly. "All the others are excited to hear that so many Tsumerai are heading this way, and all she sees is bad news about to hit her in the beak."

"Vinyl, I want you to check up on her when the meeting is over." Cheerilee ordered, her eyes set on Vinyl who nodded her head. "I can't even begin to guess what she is thinking right now, but it can't be pretty. You and Will keep an eye her."

"Got it Cheer." Vinyl accepted the order and gave a small nod. Cheerilee sighed before turning to Doctor.

"Doctor, before you were injured, did you manage to get the latest numbers of our allies heavy machinery and vehicles?" Cheerilee watched as the Doctor closed his eyes, his good hoof gently tapping his skull.

"Ninety percent of all grounded military vehicles are runically enhanced, Fifty six of all air units are runical enhanced as well and all Naval units aside from the submarines are done. Those that are finished and ready are loaded up and heading to Boston." Doctor reported in a slightly monotone voice. It was no secret that he hated what was happening, but for the life of her, she never understood why. He almost never fought. True, he went into battle to help, but never really to fight. He was the puzzle nopony except Derpy could figure out.

He detested weapons of all sorts, even if said weapon saved his life. He was an oddity in the current day and age, and yet he had a body count higher than all of them combined. After all...

He brought down an entire prison filled with guards to their end after they captured Derpy and hurt her.

"The losses in Boston were minor at best. Both in machine and manpower. The Royal Army couldn't hurt any of the UN’s air units, so there was no loss there, but we had to dig out several of our tanks that were trapped within some holes that the Royal Army managed to dig out to trap them. We lost several light armor units, but those are easily replaced for the time being." Doctor finished his report, nodding to Cheerilee.

"Alright, Captain, how's our flying aces?" Cheerilee turned to the former stunt flier. She knew she was going to receive some bad news with the way Spitfire looked.

"As of this moment, I have ten ponies in the field hospital, minor injuries ranging from clipped wings to broken ribs." Spitfire closed her eyes and shooked her head, which caused Cheerilee to hold her breath. "One of them is in critical condition. They're not sure she's going to make it through the night."

"Who?" Cheerilee ask quietly, causing Spitfire to hesitate in answering. Cheerilee had a sinking feeling that she knew the pony, and Spitfire knew it too.

"Cloudchaser." Cheerilee felt like she was bucked in the gut by Applejack. She remembered when Cloudchaser, her sister Flitter, and several others had joined up with them. They all looked like they were badly roughed up when they turned themselves into the nearest human military. They, along with a large population of Ponyville, confronted Twilight and the others when they returned. News of the barrier had begun to spread and information began to leak into Equestria about what the Tyrant was doing.

While Twilight was able to calm most of the citizens and send them home, many of them didn't believe her, which included Cloudchaser. Cloudchaser demanded to know what right that Celestia had to force her will on another species.

“The humans are a disorganized mess, they’ve damaged their planet with how reckless they’ve been with their industrialization and technology. They need Queen Celestia’s help to guide them back on the proper path. After all, they don’t have any idea how to work in harmony with nature, they just recklessly destroy it whenever they encounter it.” Twilight gently chided the group of ponies before her, her friends smiling at her answer as if it was the perfect one.

"That doesn't give Queen Celestia the right to change them." Cloudchaser argued, glaring daggers at Twilight. Snowflake nod his head, agreeing with his marefriend, alongside her sister and Thunderlane. "I met humans, Twilight. I know they aren't perfect, but no pony is."

Twilight open her mouth to argue her point, but Cloudchaser talk over her. "Yeah, they haven't really taken care of their world, but they're trying to fix it. I seen many of their documentaries in ways in fixing their mistakes. They don't have magic, their world is one giant EverFree Forest, but look at them. Really look at them! They’ve done more than ponykind has ever accomplished! In less than ten years of saying it, they managed to land a human on the moon! With technology only somewhat more advanced than ours at the time! What really got me wondering though, is why you aren’t going gaga over it? You love this kind of stuff, Twilight!”

"Human technology is what led us to the mess of a planet called Earth." A young voice called out from behind Twilight and the others. A dark navy blue unicorn, his voice filled with false cheer as he voiced his opinion. Didn't take long for Cloudchaser to figure out he was a New Foal.

"Exactly. How can humanity hope to survive without Queen Celestina's guidance?" Twilight gave Stalwart Heart a large smile. "Perhaps you were so ensorcelled by the pretty pictures the human-made science threw out, that you failed to see the damage it was causing. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about 'real' science, I'll even use pretty pictures to make a- Argh!"

Cloudchaser made her answer known by bucking Twilight in the face.

The fight was short, but brutal as the native Equestrians were jumped by New Foals, being led by none other than Stalwart Heart himself. Formerly known as Marcus's kid brother, Secret Service Agent Jacob Renee.

Only thanks to Snowflake's rather brutish strength did they escape and made their way back to Earth.

"Flitter and Snowflake?" Cheerilee wearily asked about Cloudchaser's sister and her coltfriend.

"Flitter cried herself to sleep. Snowflake hasn't said a word and been by her side the entire time. No one has been able to move him and I don't think anyone can, short of his little brother Featherweight that’s for sure."

"We can't risk sending Doctor to pick him up in Ponyville, not so soon after what Blue Spy did to the Tyrant and her prison for Spike. No doubt she has increased the spell area into locating the Tardis whenever it arrives. I'm not going to risk my former students' lives." Cheerilee shot the plan down quickly. Featherweight, Applebloom, and a few others of her former students were the eyes and ears in Ponyville.

Applebloom found it hard to accept the fact that her sister had all but changed into a monster, but with Cheerilee and Lyra showing images and videos of her sister 'helping' the humans, Applebloom finally believed them. It also helped that Big Macintosh side with them as well, giving Applebloom support she needed to face her sister everyday without giving themselves away. The fact that Applejack still trust her sister and brother had been instrumental in defending key areas due to Applejack running her mouth whenever Applebloom or Big Mac ask a question about what was going on in the castle or on Earth.

At least Applejack hasn't change that much, and the PHL were milking that source for all its worth.

"What happened?" Cheerilee eyes fully focused on Spitfire, steeling herself for the answer.

"I don't have the full details. Thunderlane was leading Bravo Team to Fenway Park to give the arriving resupply helicopters some cover." Spitfire grimaced as she remembered Thunderlane's hooves covered in Cloudchaser's blood as he reported directly to her on what had happened. "They were jumped by surviving Royal Pegasi Guards. Several spears were thrown at Snowflake, but Cloudchaser jumped in the way."

"Cloudchaser will pull through." Vinyl voice was confident in her proclamation. "She's too stubborn to die like that, and she won't leave Snowflake behind."

"Snowflake has gotten better at managing his anger thanks to Cloudchaser. I fear that her death might push him over the edge. Whether into mind numbing rage or crippling depression is unknown." Doctor muttered out loud.

Cheerilee nodded her head at his assessment. "Keep Flitter and Snowflake near Cloudchaser. I don't want her to be alone, she is going to need all the care we can give her and taking away her support is not an option. Bring up the reserves to replace our lost number, Captain."

"Already done, Cheerilee." Spitfire answered.

"Is the meeting over now?" Vinyl was about to jump off her chair, but Cheerilee's glare left her flank in place. "So, that's a no?"

Cheerilee nod her head before taking a deep breath before speaking. "Right. As of now, the barrier is stopped, for how long is anypony’s guess. The trench spell Zecora and Princess Cadance casted on the Miskatonic Leyline has held up the barrier, a first for all of us, but we can't be sure if it will hold. Zecora says... ugh... how did it go again? Ah! The ground and sky unite, Earth will hold with all her might, but her strength wanes to and fro, the barrier's strength will surely grow."

"Oh that’s not ominous at all." Doctor shook his head, muttering under his breath. "And I gave her that Rosetta Stone packet to help with her speech. She's fine speaking Swahili, but when it comes to English, she has to rhyme, and she makes it sound like you are going on a ultimate quest when asking for directions to the local grocery store."

"That didn't tell us how much time we have." Spitfire grimaced, looking to Cheerilee for any additional information.

"Yeah, I asked for how much time we had before it starts moving again." Cheerilee rubbed her head, attempting to sooth the growing headache. "We have two weeks, more or less."

There was a moment of silence. After some time the Doctor finally broke it.

"New York is going to have to be evacuated." Doctor said quietly.

"That's not going to happen." Vinyl growled in anger, looking at all of them. "These people are going to fight tooth and nail to keep this city from falling, and even when the barrier is wiping it out, they are going to become more fatalistic in the process. This city is one of the few places in the world that don't have any remaining PER and its people are damn proud of themselves. Hell, the Sleepy Hollow Bureau may still around, but with that many guns pointed right at it, it might as well be a prison."

"They're New Yorkers." Doctor gave a dry chuckle as he added his two bits. "These people have survived too many threats, both against themselves and abroad. They would die defending this city."

"They're not going to leave, Cheerilee. Neither the people or the soldiers. If this city falls, it’s opening the floodgates to the rest of the country and South America." Spitfire closed her eyes, folding her forelegs across her chest.

"I know... which is why I have worse news to give out." Cheerilee began, giving each of them a forlorn look before picking up a datapad from the table with her magic. "We need to stop that barrier permanently... or the consequences will be dire."

"What is that? What's on it?" Doctor look closely at the floating pad with scrutiny.

"Project AshStorm. I wanted to tell you, but this information was given to Marcus and a few leaders just before the invasion." Cheerilee explained, her face was filled with disgust at the datapad.

"Let me take a look." Doctor fish out his glasses as Cheerilee practically threw the pad, no longer wanting to see or touch it.

"As far as I know, this... this horrible plan was pushed to President Davis, and he caved in to the plan." Cheerilee face was filled with fury as she remembered the utterly blank look on President Jack Davis’ face as he explained the plan to the leaders of various military outfits. "The plan consists of blowing up the Yellowstone Caldera, to take out both themselves and the Tyrant's New Foals."

"Were there any other options on the table?" Spitfire asked, giving the Doctor a rather long look as he grumble under his breath as he continue his reading. From where she is sitting, she can see various plans and blueprints on the pad.

"The only other options were surrendering to the Tyrant, allowing the barrier to consume them while fighting off hordes of New Foals, unleashing their entire nuclear arsenal upon the barrier, pray that somehow break the barrier and hope that a nuclear winter is not made in the process, or try and build a feasible space ship and somehow survive with limited sources and atmosphere, all with a prayer that there isn't any intervention from the New Foals in the process." Cheerilee hung her head, options were limited and anything they thought lead to completely dead ends in every sense of the word.

"Of course they choose the option to take everyone with them." Doctor mutter quietly, but did not raise his eyes from the pad, but a small glint of shock was in his eyes.

"So, that's it? They're giving up?" Vinyl gave them a second to understand what she said before she slammed her hooves on the table. "I call bullshit!"

"Vinyl!"

"Stick it up your tail hole, Cheerilee! If we lose Boston, they're just blowing everything up and killing everyone just to make sure that Tyrant doesn't get any more humans?" Vinyl yelled at her, angry beyond belief.

"Yes."

All the mares slowly turned at the Doctor. He was slowly placed his glasses away as he continued. "'Better even to die free, than to live as a slave' Frederick Douglass; March 2 ,1864. Right here in New York city during the American Civil War when the call to arms was directed to the colored people of the North. This saying has been passed down, and became a hallmark saying for many. Now it’s being put to the ultimate test, one I believe they will succeed if push came to shove."

"Well, how come they don't just throw their missiles at the Barrier?" Vinyl seethed in anger, not willing to believe that they would just throw their lives away.

"Vinyl, before all this, if you had asked me if it was possible to breach a dimensional wall separating all of reality from each other, I would've said no. Even after the fluke I went through to get to Equestria, I still would've still said no." Doctor’s voice was filled with despair. "Believe me when I say that if could, I would've done it in a heartbeat to save a friend trapped in another world in a different dimension. It took the power of a supernova to just send a message. And that was with a small gap in the dimensional wall that was closing on me."

Vinyl and the others stare at the Doctor in shock as he explained a small part of his mysterious past.

"Whatever the Tyrant is using to power the Portals and the Barrier is many times more powerful. No amount of Nuclear Holocaust is going to breach that. And even then, it wouldn't work." Doctor gritted his teeth in displeasure. "She has been planning this for ages, or at least a few years. Because as well thought out the ‘Yellowstone’ plan is, the Barrier is something else entirely, perhaps a small extension of her will in a roundabout way."

"How do you know?" Cheerilee looked at Doctor with questioning eyes.

"Look what's happening to Earth." Doctor growled, his eyes harden as he quickly made his way to one of the plasma screens, pulling out his 'sonic screwdriver' and began to pull up multiple pictures of converted lands. "Really look. What do you see?"

"A color I’m beginning to hate a lot lately." Vinyl mutter under breath.

"Look, really look at it. The barrier managed to wipe away entire cities almost down to the trees and animals. Entire cities filled with tons of metal, stone, plastics, and process wood. Gone." Doctor pace before the screen before standing on his hindlegs. "Where did it go?"

Cheerilee blinked before looking back at the pictures of the 'cleanse' land. Her jaw clench and mind strained as she tried to figure out where it all went to.

"I don't know Doc, why does it matter? The barrier dissolves anything that isn't natural." Vinyl shrugged, uncaring of where he is going with the idea.

"No, if it was dissolving, then there should be dunes of sand, metals, and wood. Along with whatever the plastic was once made of. Especially for major cities, but there’s nothing there. " Doctor stopped and stared at the screen. "No, another is the fact the case, even though she stated that anything unnatural like refine iron or cement was to be wiped away. The Pyramid of Giza, which is nothing more that giant stone blocks made of natural limestone, was destroyed."

"Doctor, why is this bothering you more than the suicide plan?" Spitfire couldn't help to be put off with how focused the stallion was on the barrier rather than the plan to kill billions.

"Cause it is on par with humanity. Nothing changed there." Doctor waved his hoof.

"Maybe its Discord's power?" Cheerilee offered, giving Doctor a long look. "After all, he has the ability to change reality on a whim from old reports. And we did learn that Tyrant did something to him before we made contact with Earth, so maybe she is using his chaos powers with the barrier and portals?"

"Well that's just....ahhh hmm... you know, I never checked the dimension walls when I first got here, maybe the walls are weaker here in this section of the multiverse? Connecting the two worlds would be easier than in my old one. Discord's abilities were known to be reality breaking, so maybe that has something to do with it?" Doctor frowned as he thought back on his past. "Maybe his powers are also connected to the barrier as well, I better get some tests done on the barrier when I have time."

"Your old one?" Cheerilee raised an eyebrow at his choice of words in the middle of the his ramble, but he simply waved her away.

"An old life I would rather have remain buried." Doctor turn and gave her small blank look before returning back to the television. His sonic screwdriver buzz once more before bring up a map of Yellowstone. "Back to the suicide plan. Personally speaking, I absolutely despise it. Scientifically it is both ingenious in its simplistic form and outright horrifying at how simple the setup is. So simple a deranged terrorist could set it up himself with enough time and resources."

His screwdriver hummed, dozens of green dots spreaded across the entire park, most clustered around the Caldera itself. Three points of interest blinked to the east of the park.

"Right, as simple as it is, it still takes a large amount of manpower to pull this off, but it appears that President Davis is not taking any chances. As of now, they are beginning to dig holes in the park in key locations and tossing the nukes in. Hence all the points you see scattered around the park." Doctor explained in layman terms for the mares. The look of utter shock on their faces as the realized what those points represents.

"There are several dozen points on the map Doc." Vinyl point out weakly, which Doctor only nod his head in confirmation.

"And they are going to need all of them if they want this to go off. Each nuke is buried deep enough to cause crack in the crust when it goes off, this many nukes is a sure fire way to make the Yellowstone Caldera to explode prematurely. Each location has a wire running down to the nuke with a receiver antenna on the ground. These antenna receive special codes from one of the three buildings east of the park. Each one is disguised as a power junction box." Doctor explained as the mares watched him highlight several areas and plans. A line with pink made its way across the map before touching the first box.

"The first box is constantly sending out a signal to the receivers, the moment the signal stops, the nukes are primed and ready." The first box vanish and all the green dots turn yellow. "The second box is the "safety" box, just in case the first box suffered from malfunction. This box can shut down all nukes if necessary, but requires a special voice pass code."

"What's the code?" Vinyl ask, and Doctor rolled his eyes.

"'Celestia is a cock loving whore.'" Doctor deadpanned, Vinyl paused for a brief second before she fell off her chair laughing.

"No New Foal would be able to say it!" Vinyl laughed out loud, "Genius."

"Crude, but smart." Doctor agreed before pressing on. "The final box is the 'Kill' box. This is the final safety net for the nukes. A signal is sent to disarm all the nukes in case of an emergency disarm or another viable plan has come up. It is also the 'Dead Man Switch'. The moment this last box is destroyed, the nukes are on a 1 minute countdown. There literally nothing on this world that can stop it."

The pink line moved an inch forward before the entire map turn red, a yellow warning box appeared indicating that the explosives payload went off. Cheerilee took note that the red also went beyond the barrier line, easily taking a portion of the already captured land.

"The nukes' radiation will no doubt be stopped by the barrier, but the blast, heat, and ash will pass through relatively unmolested. You may ask, ‘what of the explosion from the volcano?’ Well, let's just say that the barrier will not be an issue as it will no doubt erupt from within the barrier as well."

For an instant, none of the mares said a word. Cheerilee narrowed her eyes at the map with contempt. "There's more, isn't there."

Doctor whirled around, his sonic screwdriver buzzing loudly as the map shrunk to show all of Earth. "Yes. Much more, in fact something this big will have consequences of apocalyptic proportions."

The map focused on the Pacific, and the entire West coast of North America began to glow red. "The entire west coast,  from Baja California Peninsula to Canadian Southern Region is in danger of completely erupting as well. Either by massive land mass sinking and being submerge in the Pacific, or erupting into dozens of new volcanoes."

Vinyl raised her eyebrows in surprise, shrinking a little in horror at what Doctor explain to them. Vinyl had visited the California coast before everything went downhill. She visited the sites and nightclubs, hundreds of cities lined the coast of California alone. Millions made it their home...

It'd be worse once humanity had been pushed to edge by the barrier.

"Its not over is it?" Vinyl's voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it might as well have been as loud as a crack of gunfire.

"Not even close.”Doctor said as he looked at the screen, watching as several of the blue lines slowly spread from various points across the Pacific Ocean. “With the entire west coast erupting or sinking, they would produce massive waves of water, sending them across the Pacific."

Cheerilee observed as the lines moved across ocean, dozens of small islands vanished as the blue lines distributed before finally impacting the mainland of China, the island of Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.

"Tsunamis up to size of a five story building, or maybe even bigger, is a guarantee." Doctor alleged as he inspected the screen, shaking his head at the scene. "Millions will die within the first few days, and that’s only within Pacific region. The other side of the world will have earthquakes, landslides, and scores of other problems. Let’s not forget, the once dormant volcanoes across the world will awaken and spew ash and fire once more."

Doctor gazed at the map of Earth, watching as the entire map quickly fill with dark grey clouds, either forming from the Americas, or from other regions of the world. The entire map bursting before it finally blackout, Doctor sighed already looking back to the mares.

"Ladies, we are expecting a Class four planetary extinction event. Everything bigger than a roach will die." Doctor lowered his head as he finished the Human's suicidal plan.

For a moment, none of the mares could say anything, Spitfire coughed and stood up, placing her hooves on the table.

"So what do we do?"

"We... run away~!" Doctor perked up, smiling as if it most obvious, and best, answer in the world.

"Huh?!" Almost completely caught off guard by the cheeky answer, Spitfire almost slipped from the table she was leaning against.

"Obviously a complete ecological disaster is not beneficial to one's own health." Doctor clarified, his screwdriver buzzing rapidly as various images began to post on the TV, Vinyl opened her mouth to say something but Doctor beat her to it. "So we run as far away as possible."

"How and where?" Cheerilee grind her teeth together in growing ire at the Doctor, her runes glowing softly through her coat. If the Doctor was nervous of this development, he didn't show any signs of acknowledging it.

"Here."

The image transformed to show a world. A world filled with mountainous regions, expansive forests’ that spread across entire continents, and vast beautiful blue oceans. The northern section of the biosphere showed a stunning Aurora Borealis taking place, thousands of colors could be seen from space itself. Cheerilee could only wonder how fantastic it is see it from the ground.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

"Wh-..." Cheerilee lost her voice at seeing such a primeval world, it took a moment before she tried again. "Where is this?"

"Epsilon Eridani System." Doctor’s answer was soft, he too was admiring the planet. "A little more than ten light years from Earth. No name, uninhabited by any sentient creatures, and far away from Earth. I knew a part of me couldn't accept the death of billions when I could do something about it, so I went searching whenever I could. I found this jewel in the sea of stars, just waiting for someone to embrace her."

"Can your Tardis take us there?" Cheerilee’s appearance was full with renewed hope; hope that they could endure this awful moment in history; hope that they can safely hide away and rebuild their strength; hope that they just might find a new home far away from the hooves of the Solar Tyrant.

"Yes, but she’s still working out her kinks. Nor is she as fast as she used to be either."  Doctor vanished the image, a map of Earth replacing the beautiful world. "Plus she is not as big as before the botched rescue attempt for Lyra. I could've fit over a hundred thousand souls in my old Tardis, but the new one can only fit a couple thousand now. It will be some time before she is back to her old self again."

"So what do we do then?" Vinyl tilted her head to the side with a questioning expression, letting her mane fall over her left eye.

Doctor's eyes converted into a much more serious tone, and a small glint in them caused the mares to shiver slightly.

They were so cold...

His screwdriver buzzed once, causing the map to focus in on New York region. Words popped up, indicating it was the Sleepy Hollow area.

"As we know, the remaining Royal forces are trapped between our forces and the Atlantic with their small piece of land of Nova Scotia. The barrier is the only thing left to protect them from the large military force waiting outside of it. Waiting them out would've worked but they're slowly being resupplied by the Sleepy Hollow Bureau, if the readings I am getting is any indications." Doctor growled as he glared at the runically enhanced building, one of a few in the world.

"Teleporting." Cheerilee mumbled as she scowled at the screen. "If the flashes at the we have sighted at the Jeffries-Point Airport are them, then they have been getting resupplied or evacuating."

"Why haven't they destroyed it yet?" Vinyl sneered at the map, the lone building with over one hundred and fifty yards of 'no pony land' surrounding it. Corpses laid across the double doors and several yards away from it, most of them old but there were some quite fresh.

"Because the runes laid within the building walls and roof keeping it from being destroyed, now that we have the means to overwhelm it, I request that they hold off on the attack and--” Doctor stopped speaking confusing the group, rotating quickly to face the exit and hurried up to the door he rapidly opens to reveal Derpy behind it. Her eyes of pure fury, straightened and glaring daggers at the stallion. "Hello Muffin."

"Doctor! I should-" Derpy's bombast was cut off as Doctor leaned in and gave her a rather deep kiss, causing the other mares to blush softly at the affectionate display before them. By the time he pulled away, Derpy's eyes reverted back to 'normal', a goofy smile on her face. She leaned in herself and nuzzle him, her cheeks burning at his public display he just performed.

"That's cheating." She murmured quietly, gently biting his ears. "Using your brain like that. I'm still mad at you. You're in so much trouble when this wears off."

"But of course." Doctor's smiling face showed no sign of worry, although the twitching of his tail may have given himself away. He turned back to the group, his eyes hardening as he looked at them. "The only way I see off this sinking rock is through a portal of our own. So we take the one in the Sleepy Hollow Bureau and study it and use it for ourselves."

Vinyl beamed at the news, while Spitfire only bowed her head momentarily in agreement. Cheerilee closed her eyes, gradually going over the information before opening them.

"Can we do it? Can we breach the walls of a runically enhanced building?" Cheerilee frowned as she gave Doctor a rather severe look.

The Doctor's smile became even more frosty, almost giving him a rather dangerous look. "My dear, give the humans a target  which they hate with all their being, and they will do everything they possibly can to destroy them. Give them a challenge to overcome and they will do everything in their power to get it done. This is just a rather large gift wrapped present that they have been staring at longingly under the tree. Trust me..."

"That portal station is good as ours."

"I like it when you talk like that. Mmm... maybe I won't stay mad at you if you come to bed. I'll make you feel so much better."

"Not in front of other people, Muffin. Perhaps I should use this technique more often?"

Sanguine Meetings and Bloodied Past

Sanguine Meetings and Bloodied Past

Author: Redskin122004

Editors:

DrawDex

Beyond The Horizon

ThatClosetBrony

The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant.

Salvador Dali.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin.

Canterlot, Equestria; 2nd Year Anno Harmonia; 1 week after the Portal Event

If one were to look upon Princess Celestia at the current moment, someone that knew her well, they would wonder who was the alicorn before them.

Celestia had lost almost all of the colors in her mane, reverting back to its natural pink, if only a shade lighter than normal. Her coat, once a pristine white, was now a shade of its former self. Eyes shut tightly in pain as screams, gunfire, and the chanting of the same phrase over and over again echoed through her mind.

J̻͉̟o̢̝̣͓̞i̜͓̠͎͈͉̯n̞̻̳̺̬ͅͅ ̰u̩̘̯̘̦̮̕s̥̩̜͕̭͍!

̜̹̥͇̺͕̺J͔̤̻͍͉̜ͅo͉ị̡͙͙n͇͉͕̜̥̬ ̦̼̗̦̰͝t̢̝̠̬̰h͚͞e͖͉ ̞͇͖̲̣͎h̛e̠̳r̛d̗͙͔̕!̹͡

͝B͎͡ḛ͕̣ͅc̘͎̰̰̫͔o̦̠̣̘m͏e̩̣͢ ͍͈͎̞͚p̷͖̪͍e̸̹̝̗̦̹̭r͓̝͉͎͇̣̻f̗̠͇e͉̥͚͍͎͔̣c͍̬̩̩͖̲ț̺̯͖͚!

̶̻͖̳̹̠͍̤Y̦̺̝̙̣͇̙o͡u͈̘̙̕ ̣̞w̬͈ͅil͕̹̺̻͎͇̖͞l҉ ͏͍̣̙̭̟̞f̛̖͓̲̠i̦̻͉̝͖̠͇nàlḽ͡y҉ ̷̲h͙̥͡a͔v̯̜ḙ̫̺̠ͅ ̲̮ͅą̮ ̪̲̪͚ͅs̳͓̰͢ơ͇͕̣̞͖̺u̟̙ͅl͈̱̳̮͎͞!̪

̩͓̻̮͍̣̖J̼̼͖̫̠o̸̯̰̲ͅi̶̤̹̟͖̺͓̗n̳̞͈̯ ̬̻̪̻̯͡u̠̹ş̠̤͖̮̹͙̤!̨͚͚̥̟͓̟̫

̳̦̙̞J͜o͓̙̼i͕̩͜ṇ͍̪͡ ̤͔̞̞t̺̳h̡͇͎̰̝̺̺e̮ ̱̯̺́h҉͍͍̝̖͉̟̜e̗̘r̨d̹̱͚̟!̼͝

͚̤͚̺̻͙J͎͇O̸̞͓̰̺̬͔͖IN̞̭̹ ̴̭̫̻͈Ṷ̵͙̮̰͕S̴̪͚!̲̦̦͍̣͎̹

͇̯͎̯̭̝͢B̤̥ȨC̖O̫͟M͙͖̩E͚ ̞͈̼P͎̲͕̤̞̣̹E̪̼̹͉̯ͅR̬͕̫̻̜ͅͅF̳̞̩̰͕͎E̟̺̬ͅC̜T͟!̯͘

̛͓̙̩J̶Ò̦̘̝Ḭ̧̙͈͙̠͙̱N̳̮͚̖ ̟͇̻̞͇̰͡T̪̫͕̞H̗̭͙͝E̵̝̮̼͇̹ ̯H̜̹̳͉̼̠̬͟E̞̻̳̫̱͓͖R̺̞̣͕D̟̞̲̼͈̘!̴̤ͅ

"SILENCE!" Celestia’s voice roared through her bedroom chamber, her Royal Canterlot Voice tearing through the room, shattering glass and blowing the doors open with the force of her cry.

"Silence...please..."

Celestia let out a whimper as a shadow fell over her, she barely had time to react when an eagle claw grasped her head, magic pouring through. "Sleep, Celestia. The voices will trouble you no more."

Celestia felt peace wash over, the sounds of chanting and fighting slowly drawing to a quiet note, her eyes gradually closed, her mind shutting down to enjoy the silence and sleep peacefully.

"Why does she suffer? My memories should be but a drop of water in her ocean of memories." One voice filtered through her ears, becoming more muffled as sleep claimed her.

"She may have more memories, a millennia or two more, but yours are far more powerful and emotional. Her mind doesn’t have the same upbringing and nature your’s does. Your memories are intermingling with her own, but you are hardened by nature, you have seen death as an everyday occurrence, and take it lightly." A second voice answered. Even with her mind slowly shutting down she was still able to hear. "And she doesn't have a guardian to hold back those memories either."

"I don't take death lightly."

"But do you not see it as an everyday thing, something that constantly surrounds you and your kind?"

"Yeah, it’s part of life. Been a part of our lives for centuries really. 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.' It’s in one of our religious texts.”

"It does comes with a price, now that everything is going down the drain."

"Don't I know it."

"Celestia here grew up in a world where everything can be controlled. Death was something to be avoided as much as possible. Fighting was a completely last resort, to cause death was even more so. This world...Is ‘Perfect’.”

“Sounds like you hate it.”

“They still use spears as a main weapon for Mother’s sake! How are they suppose to fight against the Tyrant’s armies like this?!”

“With a lot of prayer.” Celestia could barely hear the final sentence before her mind fully embraced the darkness.

*5 Days Earlier*

Celestia watched in silent vigil over the unconscious Commander with a worried look on her face.

“Why did the call go out to you? Why did it react the way it did?” Celestia muttered to herself, grimacing as stab of pain rushed through her mind. “Curse the screaming, broken minds of the Tyrant.”

Celestia eyes wandered over to a few items the were confiscated from Marcus when he arrived at the hospital.

A form fitting vest rested on the nightstand, its digital patterns strangely blending into the shadows of the moonlight. Celestia had no doubt that the vest would work in any environment, more so in darkness than in the light. The vest itself was filled with pouches, various names like 'magazine' or 'canteen' labeling themselves within her mind.

The one thing that stood out was the weapon still lodged in its holster. Celestia knew it was a weapon due to the memories she gained from Marcus, but she doubted the doctors or nurses had a clue what it was.

A 'Colt' M1911 pistol.

Modified to a certain degree thanks to Zecora adding something to the gunpowder for more power, an enlarged magazine for more rounds to be fire, and runes etched into the gun itself using 'normal' means. Which meant special ink was used to coat the gun, and not a large amount of crushed crystals.

The use of crystals were used solely for heavy machinery and the defenses.

The gun still retained a large amount of resistance, absorbed magic, and if Celestia was correct in reading the runes, the gun could use said magic to 'enhance' the bullet further by adding a magic coating to the round. This one added pure magic, one that was completely unstable. Which basically meant it exploded once it was destabilized.

Mostly once it hit a target.

She grimaced as a quick image of a new foal’s head exploding from the round flashed before her vision, before shaking it off. She moved onto the third object sitting next to the vest, a pair of necklaces.

Correction. A necklace and 'Dogtags'.

Celestia carefully picked up the tags, reading the words written in the tarnished metal.

Renee

Marcus D      AB Neg

277141984

USMC       L

No preference

Renee

Jacob A     A Neg

585251974

USMC     M

No preference

Renee

David S     AB Neg

586131975

USMC      L

Christian

Celestia mused quietly on the information. She knew Marcus was proud member of his country's military, given the simple point that his father's side of the family had a long and extensive military background. The fact that he carried not only his own, but his brother and father’s as well showed how much he cared for them.

It wasn’t proper doctrine, but she doubted most would care nowadays given that the ‘corpses’ tended to get back up in different forms.

She turned to the bright red locket, frowning as she set down the tags and brought the jewelry closer for examination. She wasn’t sure why…

But this locket was important.

But for whatever reason, she was unsure on why it was important. It looked like any other locket, perhaps a bit old, and it seemed to have been damaged from something directly hitting it in the center, but the way Marcus still carried it around with him showed the importance of it. She opened the locket up, and felt a wave of disappointment flow through her.

Is...is that it?Celestia thought to herself, she was confused on why she was disappointed when nothing happen. Is there something I am missing?

What am I doing? Celestia shook her head, a small amount of guilt rising in her chest. I'm invading his personal space and privacy, his own treasures he keeps close. Perhaps I should ask him more once he awakens, if he allows it.

Celestia gave a small sigh as she closed the locket, but it appeared to be not her day. The locket broke as it closed, startling Celestia. Oh darn. Celestia did her best to reassemble the pieces that had fallen as she moved the bigger parts together to enter the screws that had dropped, but as she did, the two pictures embedded within caught her eyes.

On the right was a picture of a man, who looked very similar to Marcus himself in some ways. He was wearing the same uniform that Marcus wore when she was attempting to calm him down and figure out what was happening. The uniform was clean and looked very sharp, his face was filled with a beaming smile as he held the woman in his arms for the picture.

The woman was wearing a white dress, a wedding gown, her sun kissed blonde hair hanging off to the side, her bright blue eyes showing nothing but joy as she smiled, hugging her husband close to her.

His mother and father. Celestia thought sadly, before she gasped as another memory forced its way into her mind.

“Marcus.” The blond woman held something in her hands, her clothes looking very dirty and rumpled as if she was working outside.

“Yeah Mom?” Marcus looked up from his studies on the couch, Jacob playing with his green soldiers at his feet, using said feet as ‘Forts’ for the green ‘Marine’ men. “Need any help with the horses?”

Marcus watch as his mother look at him, a small smile on her face as she rub the locket somewhat before giving it to him. “No, I have it in hand, don’t you worry about your dear old mother. I just want you to have this.”

“Your special locket?” Marcus grasped the precious locket within his hands. His mother told him that her special friends had given it to her when she was younger, and that she treasured it greatly.

“Yeah, its really special to me, and I want you to take care of it.”

“Okay...But why mom?” Marcus couldn’t help but look utterly confused at his mother for this.

“I just think its time for me to pass it on. I’ll know you will take good care of it.”

Celestia gave a breath of relief, this memory wasn’t painful or sickening. A small reprieve in the growing horror that Marcus was fighting against. She turned to the second photo, showing two boys in the photo. Marcus looked about nineteen, his right arm wrapped around his younger brother Jacob in a headlock, a look of elder sibling superiority for all to see. The fifteen year old Jacob looked far from amused, but he was smiling nonetheless at the camera. His dirty blond hair looked far from combed, no thanks to Marcus tousling it from before.

Celestia continued to look upon Jacob in the picture, tears threatened to pour from her eyes as crushing guilt and sadness slammed into her. She tried to breath, but all that came out was a choking gasp. She could feel it, the memory roaring out from the depths of her mind as she tried to keep it buried, but the emotions that came with it were powerful and crippling.

Celestia barely had a chance to whimper before the memory overtook her.

Washington, DC 2021 Anno Domini

Marcus growled as he pushed himself through his exhaustion as he fought like a rabid animal to defend himself. Ever since the fiasco in Mexico City, the PER had been pushing like mad to try and cripple the US military.

They had been failing spectacularly up until now.

DC was being overrun by New Foals, and the White House was one of the few areas left that was still fighting to survive. A CIA agent that was in the meeting had reported that the PER were taking the homeless off the streets from across the country, though it was unknown what they were doing with them.

Until the reports were coming from all over the city that ponies were attacking DC once again.

That was over twenty hours ago.

To think he came here with Cheerilee, the second of command of the PHL, so she could give the PHL a more combat role in the fight against the Tyrant’s new foals.

Well, they got it. The few PHL ponies that were with them had been vital in the defence, but the enemy’s numbers were slowly swallowing them whole.

“Marcus!” His head snapped to Cheerilee, who giving him a bright smile. “Doctor is on his way! He’ll be here in about ten minutes!”

“Why ten minutes?!” Marcus growled out as his AA-12 barked out several rounds in rapid succession, giving the hallway they were defending a new coat of blood.

“He says there’s something interfering with the Tardis! He thinks it’s some kind of prototype spell or something the Tyrant cooked up to stop him from interfering. Lyra is getting a squad ready to meet us once he breaks through the interference.” Cheerilee shook her head, tightening the tourniquet on an FBI agent who had his arm blown off from the elbow down thanks to Marcus. The rather brutal move had actually kept him from turning into a pony. His entire hand was coated in potion and Marcus lacked something sharp to lob it off cleanly. “He was rather insulted by it.”

Marcus turned to give a sarcastic response before the wall at the end of the hall exploded, causing the Marcus and the others to duck down to avoid the flying debris. Marcus turned back to the hall, leveling his weapon up before a navy blue unicorn stepped through, smiling at him and opening his mouth to speak. Marcus was already in the process of pulling the trigger when he heard the voice.

“Hello, Marcus.”

Marcus jerked the weapon away on instinct, unloading a trail of buckshot into the walls, his eyes widened in shock. “Jacob…”

“It’s Stalwart Heart now.” Marcus’ ponified brother ‘corrected’ him before his horn started to glow. Marcus was in a complete trance, he didn’t even hear the correction. He got up from cover and slowly walked out, the AA-12 hanging limply from his grasp.

But Marcus would have none of that.

He reached out for him, ignoring the cries from the others as he walked forwards with a dumbfounded expression. It was his brother, he knew he was changed into a New Foal, but to see Jacob before him had all but caused him to forget everything around him. His brother was here, he could save him, take him back to the PHL site and try to-

Marcus never finished the train of thought before his entire world was flipped around. He felt weightless until his body crashed into the far wall. Darkness attempted to claim him, but his body fought against it.

He blinked in confusion, feeling himself being carried away, sounds of fighting and cries for help or the calls of orders all around him.

Blink. A different ceiling. Defenders passing weapons and ammo, PHL members quickly setting up defensive measures.

**Blink. Bodies everywhere. Ponies and humans littered the floors, some not even fully changed, looking more like a mad scientist went postal on everyone. They were strewn amongst each other in tangled masses. Survivors were praying, others were just glaring at the blood soaked doors.

Blink.

Marcus looked about as he found himself in the Oval Office, groggily watching Cheerilee as she tried to keep the door shut, placing her body against it to keep out the monsters.

The door exploded open, sending the earth pony tumbling end over end. She barely gave a soft whine of pain before she was dragged across the debris filled floor.  She was lifted off the ground, the magic surrounding her throat as it picked her up like a bastard child.

“Why do you fight?”

‘Jacob.’

“Why do you fight against us. We are kin, we are ponies.” Stalwart Heart explain patiently as Cheerilee kicked out feebly to him, struggling to breath.

“Because. .  you are. .  sick!” Cheerilee managed to cough out, her eyes shut closed in pain before they sprung back open as Stalwart Heart tightened his grip on her.

“We are not sick! I haven’t felt better in my entire life! The potion cured me of my humanity, and gave me Harmony!” Stalwart growled as he slammed Cheerilee into the nearest wall. She gave a small cry before Stalwart Heart set her before him once more.

Marcus felt the blood pumping into his head, his emotions battling against one another. His own brother was hurting someone he was beginning to care for.

It took a long time for him to see her that way. Ever since he saved her in the school in France, she was a constant source strength in his eyes. When they were searching the school for survivors, they found her held up against a door, her breathing ragged and unconscious. He was about to put a bullet in her skull when the cries came from behind the very door she was leaning against. He looked up to the window to see children staring back at him horror and fear.

An entire class room filled with unchange children.

The children were quick to defend her once they move her out of the way, surrounding her with their bodies to protect her from them.

She nearly died several times fighting against the New Foals in her rescue attempts. She defended them against a growing amount of New Foals, never wavering once in her duties.

When she awoke and questioned on why she defend the children from the New Foals, her only response was an inspiring testament to her job and students.

**“When a parent leaves their future in our hooves, we not only shape them, but protect them from harm. Not just from themselves, but to anypony wishing to hurt them. They are my children, every single one of them. And it is my duty to protect them. Even from monsters.”**

Marcus roared out, scrambling to his feet and charging at Stalwart. Cheerilee dropped to the ground, coughing out as Marcus blaze past her, tackling the unicorn to the ground and began to subdue him.

“Leave her alone!” Marcus shifted his position as Stalwart tried buck him off, landing behind him and snaking his arms around his neck. Stalwart attempted a spell, only to groan out in pain as Marcus punched him several times in the face. “Cheerilee, find the others, get us a ride out of here!”

Cheerilee gave him a hesitant look, unsure if she should leave him here. But Marcus simply gave her a small nod, which she quickly turn and rush through another door to find help.

“Marcus! Stop, join me-ack!?” Stalwart tried to speak out, only for Marcus to tighten his hold on his neck.

“Shut up Jacob. I promise Mom I’d take care of you, and I will do just that!” Marcus growled as Stalwart continue his efforts to free himself.

“I don’t need to be taken care of!” Stalwart managed out, his voice strained as Marcus continue his efforts to knock him out, but a pony body was much more robust than a human. “You need to be taken care of! Together we can help this world be better!”

“Shut up, Jacob. You need to sleep!” Marcus barely avoided getting his eye impaled as Stalwart attempt to jam it his skull.

“My name…” Stalwart clenched his teeth as his horn glowed, ignoring the punches Marcus laid into his skull. “IS STALWART HEART!”

Marcus found himself flying once more, fortunately it wasn’t powerful enough for him to hit a wall. Marcus landed on his back, sliding a few feet before executing a kip up, landing quickly back on his feet and launching himself once more at his brother.

Stalwart barely had time to get back on his hooves before Marcus decked him with right hook, sending him tumbling onto the ground.

“Your name is Jacob Allen Renee! You’re a Marine who was so damn good at his job that you were called up to be a part of the Secret Service!” Marcus roared as he lifted his little brother and threw him to the wall, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Your mother’s name is Megan Renee, she went into labor for nineteen hours because you were too stubborn to get out!” He grab him by the mane and punched him back into the ground.

“Your father’s name is David Shale Renee, a proud Marine who gave his life to save his comrades from death from Republican Guards!” Marcus kicked Stalwart in the barrel, sending him rolling across the ground.

Marcus was livid, anger incarnated if anyone were to look upon him now. However, his rant was cut short as Stalwart’s horn glow before launching the spell at Marcus’ chest, sending him soaring into a wall.

“THAT HUMAN IS DEAD!” Stalwart seethed in anger as Marcus stumbled to his feet. “MY NAME IS STALWART HEART! I AM THE HUSBAND OF TWILIGHT SPARKLE, STUDENT OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND CARING SUN, QUEEN CELESTIA. ACCEPT YOUR FATE, BROTHER!”

“M-marcus?” Both pony and human look to the door see Cheerilee standing at the door, her eyes wide in surprise. Stalwart turn his attention to Cheerilee, while Marcus rushed him as fast as he could.

“No!”

Marcus grabbed Stalwart by the horn and jaw, slightly twisting them in an attempt to get Cheerilee out of his line of sight, but was far too late.

“Ah?!” Cheerilee’s entire head covered in a bubble shield, her eyes wide in fright as she tried to break it, but failed to do so.

“Let her go, Jacob!” Marcus yanked hard to break his concentration, but the bubble remained.

“I think not!” Stalwart proclaimed, his smile a little too large for whatever plan he has for the mare. “Release me and accept defeat, or she will die within five minutes of suffocation.”

“Release her!”

“I will not.” Stalwart chuckled as Marcus looked at Cheerilee in desperation. It did not escape Stalwart’s notice.

“What’s this? Compassion? For a pony?” Stalwart grunted and Marcus punched him in the ribs. He gave him a long look as Marcus continue to stare at Cheerilee, who was slowly sinking to the ground. She was looking around in a panic, trying to breath but air was becoming less and less.

“Shut up!” Marcus sneered at him before looking back at the former teacher-turned-rebel fighter.

“You like her.” Stalwart chuckled out loud  after a moment of contemplation, shaking his head at the insanity before soon giving out a cold laugh. “Amazing how much of a hypocrite you are.”

“Shut up!”

“You can have her, just join me, and I will make sure she will be taken care.” Stalwart smiled at him, one lacking any sort of compassion whatsoever. “She just needs to be... ‘Re-educated’ on the fundamentals of pony life. She will be perfect for you once Queen Celestia is finished.”

Marcus looked on, watching as Cheerilee began choke on nothing, her eyes filled with tears  as she began to suffocate. Her hooves feebly scratching at the bubble with weakening strength.

“Join me Marcus, and everything will be perfect.”

Marcus began to shake, watching as someone he had come to care for was being killed before his eyes.

“Join me.”

And the one doing it was within his own hands.

“You will have a soul and finally know peace.”

He looked down to the pony in his hands who only looked up at him with a cold smile and promises of a better life.

It was almost as if Lucifer himself was standing before him and offering up a deal to him and not the kid brother that he looked after for so long.

“I can save her.”

“Yeah…” Marcus agreed with him, a single tear rolling down his cheeks. “Yeah you can.”

“I’m glad you see-”Stalwart Heart would never finish his sentence, as Marcus gripped his horn and neck tightly, before twisting his head violently, snapping his neck.

Cheerilee gave a small gasp as the bubble vanished, her eyes wide and tears running down her face. She coughed several times, clearing out her lungs of the carbon dioxide.

“Marcus…” She managed out before reverting back to coughing fits. She looked up to see Marcus clutching the body tightly, hugging it close to his chest, shaking violently as Marcus came to terms with what he had just done. "Marcus…”

Marcus weakly got up, struggling to his feet. Cheerilee attempted to help him, but was ignored. He stumbled over to the American flag, its colors calling out to him before he finally grasped the cloth and ripped it from the post.

Gathering the flag, he made his way back the corpse. He fell to his knees and slowly began to wrap the body, tears slowly falling from his eyes.

The sound of boots rushing to his position reached his ears, but he made no move to look up from his work. He had just finished wrapping the body when a pair boots stood before him.

"Colonel Renee!" A marine stood at attention, looking exhausted beyond anything Marcus had seen before. "We need evac now, sir!"

"What's going on?" Marcus rasped out, uncaring if anyone saw him like this at the moment.

"The President has just ordered a 'Burn House' Protocol." The marine gave a shiver of fear. "We have twenty minutes to evac."

It was then the sound of grinding gears began to fill the room.

"Don't worry..." Marcus stated, no emotions showing on his face as he picked up the wrapped corpse. "Our ride is here."

A blue police box slowly appeared in view, the doors opening to reveal Doctor Whooves and Derpy. Doctor attempted to say something, but Marcus pushed passed him, he didn't care what the pony had to say. He just wanted to secure his brother.

Marcus had barely managed to get beyond the middle of the room before he fell to knees, tears freely falling from his eyes. His body shook as guilt and sorrow filled him, thoughts on what his mother would think of him, his father, his entire family.

He was alone now.

All alone.

The last of his family was finally dead, a walking corpse ended by his own hands. He let out a choked sob, gripping the body much more tightly. Marcus felt warm forelegs wrap around his body, Cheerilee sniffing as she hug him from behind.

"Its okay, Marcus..." Cheerilee whispered, nuzzling his neck as she held him. "Just let it out, just...let it out."

Marcus clutched the body tighter, small gasps escaping his throat as he attempted to control himself, but failed in the end. He let out a scream of despair and guilt, filling the entire ship with his cries.

Celestia’s eyes snapped open. A rather curious looking Marcus was staring at her from his bed.

“Uh….What’s going on? Why are- WHAT THE HELL?!” Marcus rolled off the bed as Celestia launched herself at him, just barely escaping from her bear hug. He had just managed to grab his vest off the stand, yanking out his pistol from its holster and taking aim. “Why the hell are you trying to hug me?!”

“I... thought... what was I thinking?” Celestia answered, knowing nothing of what to think, she sniffed and wiped her snout with the blankets, blinking away tears and reigning in her wild emotions. “I must apologize, Commander…Or is it Colonel?”

“Aha…” Marcus seem a little put off by how Celestia was acting would be an understatement. “I...Kind of gave up when people insisted on calling me Commander instead of Colonel. They said it had a nicer ring to it.”

“I see.” Celestia mused to herself, climbing off the bed and standing before Marcus, who still had his weapon pointed at her. “You can relax Commander Rene, I apologize for my behavior, it was...Uncouth of me to throw myself at you like an over emotional trollop.”

“Yeah. No.” Marcus took a couple of steps away from Celestia. “That’s what they always say before they try again.”

“Your weapon is not loaded. You ran out of ammunition halfway through the battle.”  Celestia said with a warm smile as she stepped closer, causing Marcus to swallow somewhat, now completely unbalanced on what was happening. “And you know that I am not the Tyrant.”

“Yeah, but I only allow one mare to throw herself at me.” Marcus gulped as he hit the wall. Celestia gave a soft sigh in annoyance before reaching up and hugging, causing him to stiffen up with this action.

“I’m sorry.” Celestia voice was filled with conviction and sorrow. “I’m sorry for what is happening to your people. I’m sorry I attacked you without cause.” Marcus attempted to open his mouth, but Celestia continues on. “I know you attacked me, you had every right to-”

Marcus pushed her away, grimacing a bit at the thought of being hugged by the Alicorn, unable to get rid of the image of the insane being from his world. “Hold up there. What I did wasn’t right. If I tried that anywhere else, the Marine Corp would’ve kicked me out, arrested me, and buried me in the deepest hole they could find. And that is only if they didn’t shoot me first.”

“Given the circumstances.” Celestia took several steps away. “I believe you can be forgiven.”

“But-”

“Commander.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed at him, realizing that the human, no, a full blooded Marine would refuse to accept anything unless he was ordered to. While she couldn’t order him around, she could make him see sense. If not, she could be stubborn as well. “I forgive you. There is nothing more to be said.”

Marcus fumed in anger, gritting his teeth in annoyance at the mare before him. “I almost killed you! Your sister! Your subjects! How can you forgive me for those crimes?!”

“Because I have seen what you have seen, experienced what you gone through, felt all the terrible darkness this war has brought to you, your friends, your family, and your comrades.” Celestia lowered her head, closing her eyes as the silent screams echoed through her mind.

“After seeing just a small portion, I realized just how easy my ponies and I… No, all of Equus truly have it. You are a good person Marcus Renee, a good man doing what he can for his people and forced to make decisions that would cripple anypony else in this world.”

Marcus fell silent, eyes wide in surprise as Princess Celestia bowed to him, a small amount of tears being shed from her eyes. “Those memories will forever stay with me.”

“Get up.” Marcus’ voice was soft, but firm as he knelt down to help her back to her hooves. “Someone of your position shouldn’t be bowing to a lowly jarhead like me.”

Celestia only gave him a smile, but nodded her head as she stood up. "Very well, but it will not change my stance on the matter. Besides, an apology is in order, not just for attacking you, but because of this."

Celestia took hold of the broken locket and place it into Marcus’ waiting hands. Marcus grimace slightly as he took a hold of it.

“Don’t worry about it. This thing broke so many times that I lost count. Still, I try really hard to keep it in one piece, so no worries. Thing’s outer covering is tough as nails though, not really sure what it is made of, but it stays in one piece... Or two pieces in this case.” Marcus chuckled as he gently patted the pocket.

Marcus gave a tired smirk before looking around. "Anyways, where am I? What the hell-"

The door to the clinic burst open, two guards rushing through before quickly bowing to Celestia "Princess!"

Celestia blinked in surprise at the guards, they looked as if they had seen a monster coming to devour them. "Yes?"

"Changelings! Coming up the pass to the city! They are heading straight for Canterlot!" One of the guards reported, the other nodding with him to confirm the report.

Celestia’s eyes widened before she turned, threw the windows open, and flew off the main city gates. The guards turned to look at Marcus as he coughed. "You boys mind escorting me down to gate? I’d rather not risk jumping out a window. Not up to speed yet."

The guards look to one another, blinking once before turning back to him with confusion.

Celestia flew over Canterlot, the early night sky filled with the sounds of the wailing of alarms. Many of the ponies enjoying the nightlife found themselves rushing to their homes or businesses to heed the alarms. Celestia closed her eyes, giving a sigh of relief as she watched the ponies clear the streets, and as the guards rushed through to secure several locations throughout the city. She banked to her left, heading straight for the city gates, and dived down to the land.

Celestia had barely landed when Luna appears beside her, dark blue magic shifting and forming into the Alicorn. Celestia shook her head at the rather disturbing display, ‘And Luna always wondered why ponies felt uneasy around her.’

"Sister, the guards have informed Us of the situation." Luna tilted her head quickly, a soft pop echoing from her neck indicating that she was loosening herself up for a fight. “After today’s mess, We have a need to put somepony into the ground rather forcibly.”

Celestia sighed a bit at Luna’s rather aggressive stance. Today had not been a good day. She frowned as she turned to the one of the guards, slightly surprised to see Shining Armor standing beside her in full armor. “Prince-Captain Armor, what numbers are we expecting?”

Shining frown somewhat and turn to a guard on the battlements. “Clever Ace! How many are coming up the road!”

The guard saluted once before disappearing from view, returning a short moment later, looking somewhat put off. “I count only thirty, Captain.”

“Thirty?” Shining growled before directing several guards away from the gate. “Watch Canterlot, patrol the streets, anypony still outside of mandatory lockdown is to be detained until further orders.”

“A ruse perhaps?” Luna turned to her sister. “Come from the front and strike from behind?”

“I don’t know.” Celestia murmured quietly, her horn glowing before cutting out quickly, hissing in pain as dozens of defensible ideas, plans, and counter attacks rushed through her mind.

“Sister?” Luna laided a wing on Celestia’s back, leaning in close so Celestia wouldn’t topple over. “Is something wrong?”

“Memories… Ideas.” Celestia clenched her teeth together and forced back the pain. “Cadance was right. I should not be up and about.”

“A grand time for the changelings to make a move now.” Luna seethed before turning back to the gates. “We and the guards will hold the gates, Sister. Take rest and come only when We truly call for it. We can handle it for now, for the Night is Our domain, none shall use it to their advantage."

Celestia couldn’t help but give Luna some ribbing for her speech. “And all this We and Us has me confused, Luna. Am I taking part of this or not?" Celestia teased Luna somewhat. " Have you not been working on your speech?”

Luna’s ears flattened against her skull, her face flushed with embarrassment. “*I* have been working on it, Sister, but you cannot expect me to change dialects and speech so fast.”

Celestia only giggled in reply, before turning back to the gate. She frowned a bit at the changelings arrival and the implications of it. It was only after a few moments before she realized why they were here. ‘The call.’

She took several steps forward, her horn glowing as it grasped the closed gates and opened them wide.

“P-p-princess?!” Shining stood in shock. Princess Celestia ignored him and stood before the open gates of Canterlot, Luna quickly moving to stand next to her sister.

“Sister?” Luna turned to give Celestia a questioning look, but the blank face on Celestia yielded nothing to her prodding. The changelings coming up the pass were in standard formation, guards surrounding a rather ornate chariot, one that was heavily armored.

These changelings looked like they made a gym their home and decided they might as well run around the border of Equestria just for kicks. Large and imposing, most of them had fierce looks upon their faces, all but waiting for anypony foalish enough to attack them. They carried not only spears, but swords and cross bolts, made from their own materials from the jet black shine on them.

“Hold, my guards.” Celestia called out, watching as several guards gulped at the imposing show of force. Only a scant few of them showed nothing, the tightening grip on their spears or shields was the only indications nerves.

As the group made their way through the gates, Celestia held up a hoof. “That is far enough. You, in the chariot, state your business on why you all have come to Canterlot."

The door swung open, a hole ridden hoof stepping out from the darkness, the changeling seem to flow out of the chariot than merely stepping, her stunning green mane hanging down in forest green locks, and a small dainty crown adorning her head. Although, Celestia was not quite sure it was a crown to begin with, or a piece of herself.

Celestia blinked once before she found herself standing in a small room, a much more sophisticated monitor system standing next to a bed, monitoring the being laying within... She couldn’t help but stare down at the occupant that was resting in the bed.

“Chrysalis…” Celestia’s breath was taken away from her. This was not the prideful changeling she faced off against several months ago. No, this Chrysalis was a shade of her of former glory. Gone was the deep ebony fur and lustrous green chitin that protected her barrel, now only a pale gray cover her from horn to hole ridden hooves.

The once flowing green mane now a stark whitish gray...or whatever was left of it from her apparent baldness. Her eyes no longer held a deep emerald green that could entice males with their supernatural glow, now she appeared to be all but blind.

Unseeing eyes looked about, her ears swiveling as she took note that she was not alone in her room. The blind eyes finally zeroed in on Celestia, the dying changeling queen gave a small weak smile.

“Checking up on me again, Colonel? How kind of you-”

“-to ‘invite’ me to Canterlot.” Chrysalis smiled at the alicorn pair, ignoring the blank look on Celestia’s face and the scowling one on Luna’s. “A wonder to be here once more.”

Celestia shook her head, clearing the image from her mind. She had barely opened her mouth when a wall of magic sprang up between the two groups. Shining Armor growling as he place himself before the changeling Queen.

“What are you doing here, Monster?” Shining bared his teeth at her, his horn glowing brightly in the night.

Chrysalis couldn’t help make a kissy face at the angry unicorn. “Oh Shiny, is this how you repay me for the short few nights we shared together in bed before the wedding?”

Shining Armor paled instantly, before his entire form shook in a combination of disgust and anger. “You RAPED me!”

Chrysalis scoffed at this, rolling her eyes at the fuming stallion. “I did no such thing.”

“YOU LIE! YOU RUINED MY WEDDING AND PLAYED THE PART OF MY WIFE FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG!”

“Yes, I shared a bed with you.” Chrysalis held up a hoof, which flare with green magic, converting it into a minotaur hand, ticking off several points. Many of the Royal Guards became extremely uncomfortable seeing something that should not have been on a pony-like body suddenly appear there. “Yes, we had a heavy kissing and petting before the wedding, all three days of it. Yes, I did mentally shut you down during the wedding. And yes, I did ruin your wedding. But never once did I ‘share’ myself with you.”

“But- but!” Shining spluttered at this, his eyes wide at what she said. “But the night before the wedding!?”

“A nice dinner, a large amount of high class wine, and a nifty little spell.” Chrysalis couldn’t help but give a small laugh at the look on Shining’s face. “I have standards Captain. You should be fortunate that I am not like changelings of old.”

Shining spat in her direction, ignoring the hissing anger of the changelings behind their Queen. “Why have you come here? Trying to stop me from booting out your changelings from Equestrian soil?”

“Please, Shiny. You couldn’t find a changeling even if they were right in front of you.” Chrysalis taunted him, giggling at his fuming face. “In fact, let me show you how idiotic and pointless your ‘Search for changelings’ has been.”

Before Shining Armor could react, Clever Ace landed before him, his wings flaring out as he stood before Shining Armor. Shining open his mouth to speak, but died in his throat as Clever was consume in changeling magic, revealing Clever to be a changeling all along. Shouts of surprise raised from behind him as he turn to see several changelings rising from the ranks of his soldiers and make their way to their Queen.

Shining Armor opened and closed his mouth several times, his eyes wide in utter shock at what was revealed to him, along with Celestia and Luna. Chrysalis looked down upon her people that stood before her, giving them a sad smile before turning back to Shining Armor.

“There, you see. You missed quite a few.” Chrysalis waved her hoof at the changelings, mocking the newly crowned prince. Shining however, was completely focused on the Changeling before him.

“Where is he?” Shining hissed at the changeling. The only thing the changeling did was tilt his head in confusion.

“Who?”

“Clever Ace, the guards, the ponies you taken and impersonated!” Shining roared at him, his eyes blazing.

The outed changelings look to one another in confusion before looking to the changeling before Shining Armor. He gave a quiet sigh before turning back to Shining. “Captain Armor, *I am* Clever Ace.”

“No! I’ve known Clever Ace since we joined the guard! He-”

“Was your Guardmate, shared stories of his childhood and what our futures would be like, even traded cards and played O&O with 8-bit and Gaffer with you in bunks after dark.” The changeling answered, then turned and looked slightly embarrassed and scratch the back of his head. “That was only after Point Dexter dressed up as trashpony and snuck into the camp to give us the stuff.”

Shining stared long and hard at him, his face taking the appearance of a rock or an emotionless mask. “No, it’s impossible. I saw Clever Ace at the wedding, he wasn’t blasted by the magic Cadance and I cast.”

Chrysalis only gave a huff of annoyance before gently tugging Clever Ace behind her with her magic. “Clever Ace, stay behind me while I educate a buffoon.” Chrysalis said before standing before Shining. “Listen here dunce. A changeling can look the part, act the part, even play the part, but we can not just take a memory of a pony at ease. Most changelings would’ve fallen from the mental strain of too many memories within their minds if it was taken from ponies. So we make up a persona, start off young so the younglings can understand how to act around others. They are all but pony, one that gathers and harvest all the positive emotions being thrown out.”

Chrysalis gave him a long look before sharing a rather baleful smile “As ‘Great and Powerful’ as you and your pretty wife’s magic claims to be, it is not all knowing, especially if the magic was geared towards hostile ponies.”

Shining opened his mouth, but Chrysalis kept going, her voice becoming haughty as she spoke. “The shield was impressive, but after finding out that my changelings living within the city remained where they were stationed at, I realized that it was only geared toward those that were actively attacking others or had malicious intent towards the citizens of Canterlot. The changelings living in the city had no desire to harm or enslave, only to keep their heads down until my foalishness was over and done with.”

Chrysalis turned her head away from him, opening a single eye to look at him in a rather condescending way. “You should also rethink you and your wife’s strategy in using love as a power source against a group of beings that eat it like candy. I managed to siphon off a large portion of the power before I was launched. Could of ended pretty badly for you-Ouch!” Something had come flying from the chariot, soundly hitting Chrysalis in the back of the skull. The object had enough force to rebound off, bounce against the wall of magic, and hit her a second time in the snout. Chrysalis yelped and fell on her haunches, rubbing her snout from the impromptu attack.

Everypony watched as a small chalice rolled across the ground before finally coming to a rest against the shield Shining Armor has summoned.

All the ponies blinked in surprise as a rather decrepit old changeling stepped out from chariot, huffing in annoyance at the Queen sitting on the ground. “Chrysalis, stop trying to antagonize the poor fool. I can’t believe I came all the way from the Badlands to see what you were up to. You are such a fool sometimes! You wanted to help the Hive?! You caused anarchy instead!”

“Mythuselon!” Chrysalis rounded on him, only to get poked in the snout rather roughly.

“Quiet you. You already cause enough trouble as it is.” The newly revealed Mythuselon shook his head, unintelligible mumbling coming from his mouth.

“I was trying to help my people!” Chrysalis hissed in anger, baring her fangs at the elder Changeling, whose only response was to slap her across the face, causing her to whine in pain.

“I am five hundred and sixty-seven years old, Chrysalis. I have seen your Great grandmother give birth to your entire line. I was called forth to watch each rising queen, take care of them, guide them, and if so, stop them from making a foal of themselves. So when reports of you being hit with an unknown spell was reported to the Hive, I had to expel a large amount of magic just to displace to your location.” Mythuselon grumbled, sitting front of the larger Changeling queen and starting to reprimand her on the spot, in front of dozens of ponies holding weapons without a single care. “Imagine my surprise to see you setting yourself up in the Everfree forest, planning on attacking the Elements of Harmony.”

“What.” Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna glared at the Changeling Queen, who ignored them in favor of scowling at the elder changeling before her.

“It would have worked!” Chrysalis crossed her forelegs together, sticking out her lips and pouting like there was no tomorrow, sticking her snout in the air. Mythuselon growled and punched her slightly in the gut, causing her to wince at the light blow.

“Yes, just like the wedding idea that was planned for months, but you had to go greedy. One of the ponies saw you, unsure on what they were looking at, they informed Celestia, forcing her to raise the entire city defenses to defeat any subterfuge…” Mythuselon took a deep breath in, flared his wings open, and flew up to her face. “INSTEAD, YOU INVADED ALL OF CANTERLOT! NOT ONLY DID YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE SEEN, BUT YOU IMPERSONATED THE BRIDE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU CHILD?!”

“I DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE HIVE ALIVE!”

“NO YOU DID NOT! YOU GOT GREEDY WITH THE GROOM’S LOVE AND CAME UP WITH AN INVASION PLAN HALF BAKED OFF POWER!”

The rest of the ponies in the courtyard leaned back in surprise as the two changeling roared at one another. Celestia turned to see if the other changelings were up to anything, but the look of sheer terror on their faces showed otherwise, some were even holding on to one another in complete fright. ‘This is...new?’

Celestia turned to see Luna march up to the two yelling changelings, her eyes wide as she realized what she was about to do. ‘Luna...No!’

*“Silence! Thou are in the presence of the Royal Sisters! As they say in these odd days, ‘Shut thy wailing, wenches!’”* Luna looked awfully proud of herself as the Changelings stopped yelling at one another to stare at her for her use of the RCV.

Instead of fear or cowardice, they scowled at the Lunar Princess with anger, their horns flaring brightly. “SHUT UP!”

Luna barely managed a look of shock before she was engulfed in changeling magic, and vanished from view. Both Changelings huffed once before turning back and proceeded to yell at one another once more.

“Princess?” Shining Armor stared where Luna once stood. Celestia closed her eyes, her horn glowing before she cut the magic.

“Luna is fine, Shining Armor.” Celestia rolled her eyes, “She is currently swimming in the Galloping sea. She will be here momentarily, if a little wet.”

“Ha!” A voice barked out above them, Celestia sighed as she saw Discord sitting on a pink cloud, eating popcorn, watching the Changelings arguing. “I loved that. I should’ve done that to you two back then. Getting thrown in the ocean sounds like a pain the flank! All those mane products you’ll have to use to get your manes back to normal...”

“Discord…” Celestia only rolled her eyes, struggling on what to do to bring the shouting match to a close. However, from the looks of their horns glowing, it might actually come to blows before long.

“Wow.” Celestia nearly screamed in alarm as Marcus’ voice rang out from beside her. Her eyes widened as she whipped her neck around with a crack to stare at the human- she didn’t even hear the crunch of gravel from his approach! Even with the Changelings shouting at loud volume, she could still hear the rustling of wings from various guards all around her. “She’s quite the looker.”

Celestia couldn’t help but stare at the human in confusion with his statement, before she remembered the memory that blasted into her mind several minutes before. He had only seen her when she was sick and dying. Marcus tilted his head, examining the Changeling Queen before smirking slightly. “Hmm. Shame really, I would of taken her out for a dinner and movie if I wasn’t taken myself. Maybe she needs male company to keep her calm. You know anyone?”

Before Celestia could respond, a flare of magic filled the evening air, creating a mass of dark blue smoke sprinkled with stars that began swirling furiously besides Celestia, taking the form of a very angry Princess of the Night…

One that was completely soaked from head to hooves.

Marcus gave her a slightly curious stare, before sniffing the air and smelling the scent of sea salt emanating off of the alicorn. Discord chuckled, giving Luna an amused look before tossing a kernel up into the air, heating it up in mid flight, and opening his mouth to enjoy the snack. His eyes widened in surprise as the popcorn bucket he was holding was ripped from his claws and dumped on his head, causing him to shout by the childish attack.

Luna huffed once, blowing her damp mane out of her face, scowling at the still shouting Changelings with contempt. “I despise them now more than ever. Please Sister, allow me to show them proper decorum.”

“No no, I got it.” Marcus couldn’t help but smile as he walked towards the two shouting changelings.

“Wait, Commander!” Celestia called out to the human, but was too late as he stood before the shouting pair, crossing his arms in a serious gesture.

For a moment, Celestia waited for Marcus to start yelling; maybe even try and get between the two, but all he did was stand there and wait.

And yet, it was working.

Both Chrysalis and Mythuselon slowly lowered their voices, turning to look at the biped standing next to them. The new creature was smiling warmly at the two.

“What is he doing?” Luna asked; her eyes widening as Chrysalis’ eyes began to close, humming happily. Even her wings fluttered slightly.

“Oh, that’s smart.” Discord said with his head already free from the bowl, giving Luna a small glare before turning back to the human in action.

“What?” Celestia asked, turning to look at the draconequus with confusion.

“He is literally pouring out love.” Discord mused out loud. “And Chrysalis is literally drinking it up.”

“Why did you stop? Ouch!” Chrysalis nearly threw herself at the strange looking biped, only for Mythuselon to yank on her tail to keep her grounded.

“Oh no, not again!” Mythuselon growled at Chrysalis. “I will not allow you to throw yourself like that anymore, nor cause another incident!”

“Queen Chrysalis, of the Changeling Hive.” Marcus said chuckling, standing before the pair with a warm smile. He bowed to her before taking her hoof and giving it a gentle kiss, ignoring the holes with a practiced ease. “I’m welcome to be in your presence once more.”

“Once more?” Both Mythuselon and Chrysalis tilted their heads in bewilderment at his statement. Marcus only gave them a sad smile before standing back up.

“I am Colonel Marcus Renee of the United States Marine Corps of the United States of America. I am the leader of a joint task force between my government’s military and a band of various species fighting against a tyrant of incredible power.” Marcus explained quietly, his remorse showing clearly to the two before him.

“Who?” Chrysalis asked, completely confused. She felt the emotions playing out from his being. The emotion of love that he initially poured out was now buried by hatred, fear, grief, and a slew of other negative emotions. It nearly made her sick to her stomach...if she had one that contained anything.

“Me.” Celestia stepped up next to Marcus, giving both a long look before continuing. “A version of me which is so power hungry that she devastated several races in her conquest of power, enslaving an entire race and forcing them to change against their wills, even destroying countless relics and millennia of history, all for the dystopia she calls Harmony.”

Chrysalis blinked. Then she did so again. And then once more. It took her several tries to reply to what Celestia had just said, but when she did, it didn’t even begin to convey all the questions that were whizzing around in her mind at the moment. “Come again?”

Several minutes later

Chrysalis walked down the hall, following Marcus and Celestia as they made their way to the throne room. She was being followed by Mythuselon and two changeling guards. Celestia had waved hers away, stating that she was the one who had called Chrysalis to the castle. The guards heeded her wishes, although rather reluctantly.

However, the emotions from the ‘human’ showed her nothing but truth. The paralyzing guilt, the agonizing sadness, the utter horrors that he was forced to witness and perform.

Marcus sadly nodded his head. “It took about three years. The tainted love moved through your body like a cancer, slowly killing you from the inside out. Younglings and elderly died quickly once New Foals began to appear in Equestria. The healthy were slowly deteriorating away, and they begged you to leave Equestria to start anew...but it was too late. You were already tainted, and dying. Only the positive emotions, clean positive emotions from ponies and humans, kept you alive long enough to teach another pony the ways of your magic.”

Mythuselon sputtered at this, throwing his holy hooves up in the air. “A pony? With changeling magic?!”

Marcus nodded his head. “Trixie Lulamoon was your student. You gave her your magic so she could help the PHL. It was because of this that Trixie became who she is today, the Blue Spy. Our go-to pony to lay waste to bases, gather intel, and secretly assassinate leaders and soldiers.”

Celestia closed her eyes to this, memories of a young blue unicorn, domino mask concealing her face, racing behind a familiar human wearing enchanted armor wielding a magical claymore as they laid waste to anypony foolish enough to get in their way.

Chrysalis stopped in the middle of the hall, staring at the two as they turned to look at her. “Is that why you called? To help with this war?”

“To be truthful, Chrysalis.” Celestia looked away, staring out the window, taking in the beautiful night sky. “I never actually expected you to respond to the call. We have not had the best of current histories at the moment.”

“You think?!” Chrysalis snapped at her. Mythuselon attempted to reel her in, but Chrysalis ignored him entirely. “‘Watch out everypony, for a changeling will drain you of your emotions and leave you nothing more than dying husk!’ This goes far beyond our current spat!”

“I wouldn’t-” Celestia started to defend herself, but Chrysalis hissed in anger.

“You preach of Harmony and equalness, and yet in the early days of your rule, you cast us to the cold, deeming us too dangerous to be around!” Chrysalis seethed. “Or do you not remember my ancestors coming up to you, allowing themselves to be seen before all, only for you to cast your hoof and demand that we leave your land or suffer the consequences?!”

“I…” Celestia didn’t know how to respond to the outburst. She remembered, long ago when she first rose to power over the newly named country of Equestria, the changelings came to her and explained their existence. Her advisers had a large amount of suspicion towards the changelings, and begged Celestia to cast them out; if not for them, then for her growing sister Luna.

“When Discord cast you and your sister aside from Equestria, we had a speck of hope that opening up to refugees would reveal to them the lies you have told them. Instead, we were attacked; deemed his minions, only here to sow chaos upon them.”

“Queen Chrysalis.” Marcus’s voice broke her rant, her eyes wide as she looked at the human who placed himself between them. She hadn’t gotten used to his presence yet. “Enough.”

“But-”

“Enough! You answered the call, did you not?” Marcus voice became hard as steel, his eyes glaring into the green orbs of the royal changeling.

Chrysalis stood for a moment and then sigh. “Yes, yes I did.”

“Then at least have the decorum to keep yourself in line.” Marcus gave her a long look, watching as Chrysalis looked down, only for her to glare at the back of his head when he moved back to where he was standing. She didn’t really like him much either, even with the story. "Also, cut the glaring, Chrysalis. You’re not as subtle as you think you are. I got to know your counterpart quite well, and you act just like her when she doesn't get what she wants."

Chrysalis puffed her cheeks in frustration before turning her head away, snorting in annoyance.

"My people are being enslaved and dying." Marcus began, his voice filled with anger. "And I know you two don't like each other, but you have to put that shit aside. Because if you don't, that whore is going to win and mankind is going to be erased from existence."

"Of course, you're right. Its time to lay old hatreds aside. There is something else that you need to know, Commander." Celestia said, ignoring the snort coming from Chrysalis. "While I was...'recovering' from our fight, the Tyrant contacted me."

It took every ounce of training for Chrysalis not let out a startled yelp of fright as the human seemingly vanished from her senses. Oh, he was still there, standing tall and looking as fierce as any warrior, but his emotions had all but vanished. Nothing more than a cold void was left in his wake.

No, not a void.

Fear.

Unrestrained, horrifying, paralyzing fear.

“She found me?” The horrified tremor in his voice all but cemented that this was real. No being could ever fake that; not to her, not to any changeling of her caliber.

“She did, but thanks to Celestia and yours truly, not anymore.” The voice echoed through the hallway. Celestia eyes narrowed the moment his voice started to speak.

“Discord.” Celestia looked about, trying to search for the chaotic being. “What did you do?”

Marcus focused himself, searching for the odd creature before tilting his head upwards, catching the draconequus standing, upside down on the ceiling, eating a sundae.

“What I did,” Discord started, walking up to the nearest wall and beginning to walk down to the floor, “was insure that she didn’t cause any havoc while we prepare. Only I can cause havoc, a being that lacks enslaving the world and killing billions as an insane ideal. While you were making a statement crater the size of Canterlot, I was waiting for the right moment to cut the connection and erase the trail.”

Celestia frowned at this. She had a feeling that there was more to the tale than what Discord was letting on. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Discord growled as he brought himself up to full height. “She was searching for the one being that could break the morale of humanity itself if he was turned. As much as the good Colonel here likes to deny it, he became the poster boy for humanity. He, along with a scant few others, were the shining beacons in the darkness. He more than the rest of them, seeing as he started the process that led to the rise of the PHL. The moment she found you, there is little doubt in my mind that she would have swooped in and taken you out before you even had a chance to warn the others.”

“Yeah, swooping is bad.” Marcus muttered out loud, Discord nodding in agreement with the small statement.

“She was trying to convince you to side with her in a small effort to keep herself from wasting time on a pointless battle. She’s insane, not stupid. If worse came to worse, she would have killed you, taken your power, possibly subdued Luna and corrupted the Elements like she did to her own; the more crazy elements, the better for her. Then she would come for Marcus.” Discord enforced his statement by pointing a claw at Marcus. “With the Commander at the helm of the new Equestrian forces, humanity would give up all hope.”

“This is really happening?” Chrysalis couldn’t help but swallow nervously. “Truly? It’s actually happening?”

“Welcome to the end, Queen of the changelings. I will be your tour guide for the destruction of the multiverse!” Discord threw a claw around her, bringing her close to him. “On the left up ahead, we see a planet having its people’s history being wiped from existence! Coming up after that, we see a single being about to commit suicide to deny his final change in front of thousands of zombie ponies with cheerful smiles!”

“Discord!” Celestia scowled, but Marcus held up his hand.

“He’s right.” Marcus said giving the group a hard stare. “This is happening, and we need to stop her before she gets to this world. Who is to say she will stop with just our worlds?”

Discord nodded his head, twirling his beard with his paw. “The multiverse is vast, each world having vastly varied ways of existing, all with different ideals. Something the corrupt queen wouldn’t be able to stand. Oh, there are powers out there that can rival, yes, or even beat her. But she will play it smart; she will gather power from other worlds before finally striking, with a limitless army at her beck and call from dozens, if not hundreds, of worlds.”

“Then we end her reign before she gets that power. There’s no discussion, only action.” Marcus slammed his right fist into his open palm to emphasize his point, runes glowing brightly for a few moments before fading.

“But heading straight on with rightful hearts of what needs to be done isn’t enough.” Celestia hated being the one of sound mind, but she needed to keep them grounded. ”We need to be keen about this state of affairs, as the risks are too great and the enemy too powerful at the moment.”

Marcus deflated somewhat, before nodding with her assessment. Turning to Chrysalis, he asked, “So it’s agreed then?”

“What’s agreed?” Chrysalis asked, somewhat confused by his question.

“That we will unite to stop her.” Marcus clarified, shorting the gap between them until he was at arms reach, awaiting for her response.

Chrysalis hummed, then slowly placed one of her hole filled hooves in her chin, faking her thought on the question, only to grunt when Mythuselon slapped her on the flank. She hissed in response at the elder changeling.

“My Queen, Chrysalis, this is our moment.” Mythuselon said quietly, looking up to the young Queen. “Our moment to show all of Equus that we are not simply evil creatures that thrive on pain and suffering. Do you really want to throw that away simply because of something that happen a long time ago, before our time?”

“Its hard to forget when the one who made the decision is standing in this very place.” She growled, glancing at Celestia before turning back to the human. But her posture was different; it was a stance of a royal with responsibilities and duties to fulfill, where a decision made would change so much more than a law or a thought.

It would change how an entire species was looked upon.

“It seems I have not much of a choice. This evil will affects us all, and my subjects are at risk with the tainted love they bring.” Chrysalis said as she moved to face Celestia, Marcus moving close to hear her statement. “I, Chrysalis, queen of the changeling hive, daughter of Dryas and Iulia, state that the changelings are to ally to Equestria and humanity against the villain known as the Solar Tyrant. We, the changelings, are at war.”

There was a moment of silence to take the claim in. But before anything else could be done, a golden light emanated from Chrysalis, who yelped in surprise before the glow faded away. A single note was heard echoing around them before it too faded away.

“What in the seven corners of Tartarus was that?!”

“An ‘ultimate contract binder’, my dear.” Discord chuckled as he floated overhead. “You can’t just say it, you have to mean it, for the Concordia Maxima is a powerful artifact created by Mother. If you didn’t mean it…well, lets just say it won’t be pretty.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem. I meant every word. Of course, once this entire situation is resolved, we’ll discuss this further.” Chrysalis pointedly said, completely ignoring the ending statement, before turning to Celestia. “Once this mess is done and over with, I am hopeful that our new allies can at least give us the benefit of giving us a chance that was never given to us in the first place.”

Marcus said nothing, only nodding once before turning on his heels and walking away, no longer wanting to be in the presence of Celestia any longer than he needed to.

“Colonel, was it?” Chrysalis called to him, trotting up to him with a flirtatious smile on her face. Mythuselon grumbled under his breath as he struggled to catch up to his Queen, with the two guards following.

Celestia could only watch as they walked down the halls, her left cheek twitching as Discord laughed at her. He spoke, “So out comes the past. It was quite a spectacle to see your past decision come back and haunt you.”

“I was young.” Celestia started, but Discord only gave a bark of laughter.

“No, you were stupid, and you still are.” Discord stood next to her, raising an eyebrow before floating off the ground. “Scribble had told you countless times to leave them once your time was up, but you refused.”

“I had to lead them because you were-” Celestia scowled, but took a step back when Discord rounded on her, baring his fangs.

“I was doing my job!” Discord growled quietly. “I had to make sure everything was still running perfectly, but you were throwing a wrench in the process.”

Celestia thought for a moment, as she knew how the discussion would go. But she wanted it to happen, and there was no Cadance to stop it from happening now. It was a long time coming, and Celestia wanted her grievance to be known, for Discord to finally cut off his anger for her supposed crimes on ponykind.

How wrong she was.

“Dozens of innocent ponies were dying because of the storms you brought, the wild animals you introduced killed many more, and the very changing of the night and day, where you set the sun and rose the moon in the middle of the day, was tearing their minds apart! It was chaos!” Celestia defended herself. “That caused the Wendigos to prey on them once they began to blame each other for the troubles that were caused! I was there Discord, I saw you bring the storm the day the Wendigos appeared!”

Celestia knew she was in for a great amount of yelling when Discord stopped flying, stood up straight, and looked her dead in the eyes.

“And that’s how it should have been! ” Discord bared his teeth at the alicorn, angry flames dancing in his eyes. “What do you think they learned afterwards? They learned not to stand outside in the middle of storms and watch the beautiful wind, clouds, water, and lightning in a glorious and natural show, to be wary of animals that could gnaw on their innards, eventually learning to tame them, and they would’ve learned about the true nature of their problems with true thought on their part. They were not to expect a magical princess bringing wisdom of the ancients and making everything candy coated for them to frolic about on! They would’ve learned about the nature of everything! To make things themselves! But where are they now?! They can’t tie their shirt without asking if it’s alright!”

“They can still think Discord.”

“Do they really? Oh, woe is me, to try and understand your flawless judgment. I mean, just look at your standing army! You have them equipped with...spears!” Discord drolled on, turning his head to the side and faked a gag. “They question nothing! Trouble? You resolve without an effort. Risks? Why worry, the princess knows. Secrets of the past? What secrets of the past? The princess would never lie, so why think further? Why try anything new, when the one proven to know better is in charge? The ponies are going to be stagnant once you reach your limit, which is nearing, and you know it!”

“I taught them to use their abilities to the fullest!’ Celestia scowled, leaning in close to his face.

“Taught? Taught?!” Discord stared at her for a few seconds before letting out a cruel bark of laughter. “You didn’t teach them a single bucking thing. You learned from Scribble, who taught you to make use of your abilities so you could make yourself comfortable in your duties as the Sun Stones spread across the world began to lose their powers. You held their hooves and showed them how to do everything! They didn’t learn, they copied! They would have learned on their own, they would have been able to stand on their own hooves, and they would have been able to make peace with the various species of Equus! For Mother’s sake, the Earth ponies still believe they can only help with plants!”

Discord was fuming; he looked as if he was passing through all the points of his argument he had been building up in his many years of lonely thinking. “They would know how to keep peace, and they would have continued their existence no matter how many generations would have gone by! Now, the one species that come to us is one that you casted out as dangerous not even a decade into your rule!!”

“It was a mistake-” Celestia started, only for Discord to snap his fingers and cause her to lose her voice.

“Everything you ever did was a mistake! The moment you said that you could do more and that Scribble was wrong was the moment you shoved all the things Mother taught you down the river! Not only that, you took Luna away with you, not even giving her a chance to learn on her own! You listened to the haughty unicorns who could barely perform magic instead of the being that brought you into existence!”

“Calm down, Discord.” Celestia managed to throw off the spell Discord cast on her, trying hard to keep the angry draconquus from exploding.

“Calm?! I’m perfectly calm! I’m just dandy! I mean, it’s not as if the grand plan of my mother was destroyed by the one bucking pony that she trusted to keep the burning ball of flaming death moving across the sky!” Discord seethed, his breathing heavy as he tried his hardest to not blow up the hallway. “And the ponies at their earliest forms, when they first walked this world long ago, the ponies that poor Scribble took so long to make, are mere foals to what she pictured. And now Mother’s eldest son is thought by those creatures as a monster who wants nothing but their destruction! I am the personification of what calm would be in my situation!”

“You were dangerous, uncontrollable.” Celestia whispered, no longer wanting to fight. This fight was bringing back all the bad memories.

“Everything is dangerous; everything is without control. Anything contrary is an illusion. At least I knew what they were going to become because of it,” Discord scowled, before snorting at her. “And besides, after you ‘appeared’, I wasn’t going after the ponies, I was going after you and Luna. Why do you think I spent so much time here and not in the whole world as I was supposed to? At least the other species have developed as planned, if not a little misguided by your influence. There was a reason as to why everything was so goofy and not a complete anarchy-filled gorefest. I wanted your attention; I wanted you to focus on me and away from the ponies so they could ‘grow up’ without your influence.”

“I had to stop you.” Celestia only gave the smallest of small whispers, but it was loud in the quiet halls.

“Well. You did. How much good did that achieve? Oh...that’s right.” Discord snapped his claws as he pretended to remember something important. “You broke into Scribble’s vault to find Mother’s own personal notes of all the good things, of all of Harmony, to stop Chaos, to stop me. Bet you were devastated to see me turn to stone instead of thousands of little pieces. Also, how is Scribble doing? Oh, she doesn’t speak to you anymore? What a shame that is.”

Celestia didn’t want to continue fighting. She attempted to walk away from Discord, only to have him appear in front of her. “Ohhoho, you are not getting off that easy. I have been holding all your imprudent nonsense for all this time and now you are going to listen to it.”

Celestia seethed before looking up and glaring at him. “You caused more problems than I care to count, the biggest being what happened to Canterlot and Sombra!”

“What?” Discord tilted his head in confusion at her proclamation.

“Canterlot was under a complete tyranny, under your control, when you cast me and Luna out! When we came with an army to cast you out, you corrupted Sombra with your chaos! It was you who caused the most damage!” Celestia screamed at him, eyes filled with tears as she remembered fighting in Canterlot against all the ponies fighting in the name of Chaos. It was soon followed by Sombra’s descent into madness a few years later.

Discord stared at the crying Alicorn and couldn’t contain himself any longer.

He laughed.

He laughed hard and strong, tears going down his eyes as he raised a paw seeking mercy. “Oh, ha-ha-ha haaa! That was funny. Please... I beg you, no more stories of a past only you can perceive!”

“It’s not funny, Discord.” Celestia shoved her hoof into his chest, he stood strong with a smirk on his face.

“It’s funny because I didn’t do anything of the sort.” Discord’s smile got a little wider as Celestia’s frown grew. “Why in the world would I rule over a capital I was trying so hard to kick you out of, only to rebel against my own rule? Well, now that I think about it, that kind of sounds like me, but I didn’t want Canterlot, and I sure as Tartarus didn’t want to rule over it! I don’t even know this Sombra you speak of, but it sounds like he just went mad with power.”

To Celestia, it felt like ice water was just thrown on her coat. “But Blueblood-”

“Blueblood?” Discord blinked at the name, his mood considerably improved before snapping his claws in remembrance of the unicorn. “The one who called himself ‘The Voice of Chaos’ Blueblood? That idiot?”

Celestia nearly lost her voice at the next words that came from Discord mouth. “I never even talked to anypony in this castle, I was never even in the castle for more than a few minutes. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I walk these halls without six mares and an old acquaintance shouting at me.”

“But...but the dictations you gave out! The absolute rules you told Blueblood to spout off to the ponies of Equestria! The absolute anarchy you spread across the entire land!” Celestia was trying to breath but the words just kept coming. The things she knew about the war between herself and Luna against Discord was becoming blurred with uncertainty.

“Celestia. Did you think for a moment, just for a moment, that maybe the pony was... mad? Or even better, that he was trying to fool others into believing him so he could rule with an iron hoof under my name? Ponies are not far from being evil, even under your ‘good’ rule.” Discord couldn’t help but lean in close to hear Celestia’s answer.

“I know ponies are not far from being cruel, but those ponies-”

“Were pure evil?” Discord shook his head. “Ponies were made to be natural, Celestia, and some of them were meant to be-”

The last words he said might as well have killed Celestia for what they made her feel.

“-chaotic.”

“No! Blueblood supplied us information at great risk to himself about what your forces-” Celestia tried to reason for this action; blame Discord for it.

“Forces? What 'forces'? I was always alone in my fights with you and your 'armies'. I’ve told you once, and it looks like I’ll have to tell you twice. I was never in this castle and I never 'ruled' anything. My focus was you, to punish you for what you were doing. For what you did against Scribble’s and Mother’s plans for this world.” Discord leaned in close. “Turns out your ponies are not a good as you think they are, and look, you even allowed his family line into royalty with his…’contribution’ in the ‘war’ against me, with the current one being as evil, if slightly more greedy, than the first. Without you even realizing it. The moment you and Luna are gone, he will attempt to run this country, and burn it to the ground on the first day if he can’t. Part of me is hoping that it makes the ponies smarter in the long run.”

Celestia’s face was frozen in dawning horror, unable to grasp what Discord had just told her. Discord wasn’t one to tell lies. Trick questions, roundabout reasoning, even causing ponies to misinterpret his words was the norm for him, but never lying. Discord gave a wide smile, a genuine one, and clapped his hands together.

“Well, Celestia, this has been a delightful exchange. It gave me a lot to think about, and has improved my mood greatly. Tell you what, this has been so good to my state of mind that I’ll give you a heads up on what’s coming in the future.” Celestia turned to Discord, face in complete shock. “Soon, what you know of evil will be completely blurred, destroyed and ground into dust. And guess what! That is just what I’ve seen within the mind of Twilight Sparkle, student of the Solar Tyrant!”

And with that, and a snap of his claws, Discord was gone, leaving what could only be called a living statue in the dark hallway of Canterlot Castle.

Yesterday Morning

The next couple of days had put Luna on edge, and not because of the prank loving Draconequus running about.

Celestia had been steadily growing worse by the day. She flinched at loud noises, randomly blanked out at any random point in time, and even refused to eat her favorite dish of food altogether.

And that was when she was awake.

Screams could be heard coming from her rooms in the middle of the night, talking feverishly in her sleep while she descended into Colonel Renee’s memories, sometimes even bolting from her bed fleeing monsters only she could see.

The night before was the worse, as a section of a wall in her bedroom chamber ceased to exist from a powerful spell she unleashed when she awoke. Luna wished to help her sister, but Celestia forbade her from entering her dreams after the first night, making her feel more and more irritable each and every day.

It was only a matter of time before Celestia finally snapped, and when, not if, she did, her wrath would befall a pony she disliked immensely.

Prince Blueblood.

He looked just like the ponce she knew so well over a thousand years ago. She never liked Blueblood, neither the one from a millennia ago or the one today, and both made her blood curdle like spoiled milk whenever they were around.

He had the look of somepony looking to raise his status, even if meant stepping on ponies every step of the way, always exhibiting his bits like they made Equus move, always worrying about his looks, and always using mares to get some sort of sick satisfaction. It made her nauseous just thinking about how the bloodline had not strayed far from the original, even if Celestia thought otherwise. It was even worse when he eyed her up, thinking of a way to try bed her as if she was some sort of prize to be won, even though he called her ‘Aunty’ when she was first introduced to him.

Coming from him, the sound of shaving her mane off with a rusted shear would be more pleasant.

Yesterday morning was the final icing on the cake for the weary Sun Princess, and Luna was in for a quite a show.

“Aunty!” Celestia flinched at the loud call, desperately trying to maintain a neutral look upon her face as she gazed up from her talk with Pack Alpha Canis of the Diamond Packs and Chieftain Minos of the Minotaurs’ Republic. Luna and Commander Renee were there to explain some details to the two visiting leaders and to try and gain their alliance for the human’s cause.

“Yes, Blueblood?” Celestia asked with utmost patience, but everyone could see that she had very little to give at the moment.

“Aunty, I demand to know where my guards are at!” Blueblood stomped his hoof several times to iterate his point.

“Your guards?” Celestia couldn’t help but look utterly confused at the statement. That seemed to throw Blueblood off.

“Yes! My guards, Aunty! The guard I formed to maintain my protection while I move about Canterlot! I need them to protect me while I meet the commoners of our fair capital!” Blueblood cried out, nearly stomping his hooves at her questioning.

“Oh...dear…god.” Marcus couldn’t help but mutter out loud. Luna couldn’t help but look aghast when he uttered his next sentence. “I have the sudden urge to throttle something…violently.”

“I am sorry, Blueblood." Celestia replied, giving him a somewhat strained smile. A persistent twitch underneath her left eye gave her pause in between words. "But something more important came up."

"More important?" Blueblood spluttered at this, staring wide eyed in shock. "More important?! What can possibly be more important than myself, Prince Blueblood, from the royal linage of the noble Blueblood himself!"

Twitch

Marcus couldn't help but give a slight cough at this statement with the phrase "stuckupbrat" entered in between.

Blueblood narrowed his eyes at the small insult, but Celestia continued on. "I am sorry Blueblood, but I am very busy right now. I have to finish talks with Canis and Minos, and then I have to set up for the Griffons and Zebras. I am sorry."

Blueblood fumed at this, and Celestia could see the tantrum coming from a mile away. "No! You will see to my issue now, Aunty! The dogs, bulls, and...whatever that thing over by Aunty Luna is can wait."

Twitch twitch

"Well, fuck you too, Your RoyalFucking Ass." Marcus rolled his eyes, while Canis and Minos tried to mask their chuckling at the rather callous insult by making the most obviously faked outraged gasps ever made by politicians.

Blueblood was not amused.

"How dare you call me a donkey!" Blue Blood marched over to Marcus, scowling as he got closer. "You look like a minotaur that went a few rounds with an ape he just found!"

Twitchtwitchtwitchtwitch

“No, calling you a donkey is an insult to such a mighty, fine, foul-working breed of equine. You, make me laugh. Next, you’re going to tell me how awful it is to finally see the world outside of your own ass, and I think you and I have very different definitions of what a pony’s anus means.” Marcus waved him off, rolling his eyes at what he considered a rather lame insult. He seen worse on the internet, which was filled with rather interesting but disgusting insults.

It took Blueblood a full minute to comprehend what Marcus meant, but once he understood, Blueblood was past being unamused. He was fuming.

“Any situation you have drawn my poor aunties into was surely your fault, you miserably grotesque, villainous, congenitally clueless, malodorous heathen!”

"My only crime is existing as I am. I came to Celestia and Luna for support, not yours, you pompous dickweed." Marcus turned away from from the childish stallion. He had dealt with way too many politicians(read: stuck-up assholes) before and he wasn't dealing with this one.

"Then whatever is against you is doing the world a rather generous service." Blueblood declared, sticking his snout in the air and turning to walk away. "My issues are far more superior than your own."

Twitch-*CRACK!*

Silence filled the throne room. Blueblood marched past the now truly shocked faces of Canis and Minos, completely uncaring about his blasphemous comment. Luna herself was appalled by the behavior from the stallion, she was struggling to try and come up with any sort of words, but she was left speechless. Marcus just didn't care. Oh he was furious and wanted to make the pony into a bloody smear on the ground, but he felt that he was above such things when not in battle. Besides...

It would be far, far too easy to do so.

"Auntie Celestia, when you are done playing with the riff raff, I shall meet you in the garden for tea and figure out how to get out of this deal with this troubling event that the strange monkey creature got you into." Blueblood snorted once as he made his way for the exit.

*SLAM!*

Blueblood yelped as the throne room doors slammed shut with a familiar golden aura surrounding them. He turned back, giving Celestia a rather confused look. "Aunty?"

Celestia’s face was impassively blank. She slowly stood from her seat and walked down the short steps towards the stallion. At the same time, the room began to heat up rather quickly, many in the room took note of her hooves leaving hoofprints in the ruby red rug; burning hoof prints.

"For over a millennia I have watched your family walk these halls." Celestia voice was the perfect pitch of formality, not a single waiver could be heard in her voice. "I have watched and dealt with many of them. With each generation, a small part of me hoped to see something that could take the family line into greatness like the original, but I always disappointed."

"Uh... Aunty? I'm trying to leave." Blueblood attempted to open the doors, but Celestia kept a firm hold on them. "Could you please stop holding the doors shut?."

“No.” Celestia responded firmly, causing Blueblood to jerk his head back at the bluntness. Something inside Celestia felt good as there was no sugarcoating in between her denial of something he asked.

“Buh, but Aunty-!”

“Shut your muzzle!” Celestia’s voice didn’t change in formality, but it did in intensity. Blueblood recoiled at the force. Those that were not Blueblood were looking at Celestia wide eyed, especially Luna. “There is so much a being such as myself can take, there is so much bickering and selfishness I can present with a smile. There. Is. So. Much. Shit I can only take from you, ***Blueblood.*”

Marcus raised an eyebrow at the curse coming from Celestia, it was just really wrong to hear her curse like that. The Tyrant herself had never cursed before, and she was mental fucked up, so it was a rather odd experience to hear it now coming from her good counterpart.

‘I am a *really*bad influence...’

“And now I stand before you, realizing that the family line hasn’t strayed far from the roots, because those roots were just as disgusting and corrupted.” Celestia stood several feet away from Blue Blood, who beginning to sweat from the heat Celestia was emitting.

“Aunty-” Blue Blood open his mouth, but Celestia eyes flared open and everything around her erupted in white hot flames. Blue Blood scrambled backwards until his barrel hit the doors, trembling in complete fear.

“I am not your aunt. I am not your family, and I never will be.  I am thankful I turned away your ancestor’s attempt to lay with me, because if this is how my family line would have turned out, I would have banished the lot of you before you corrupted everypony else.” Celestia’s RCV voice and steadiness made the very air tremble and windows vibrate as she stared down at the cowardly pony before narrowing her eyes. “It is about time that you learn your place, Blueblood.”

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment before opening them once more. “Starting today, you no longer have access to the Royal Treasury. You no longer have access to Royal retreats or personal areas.”

“But I need those!” Blueblood cried out, shocked at what was happening. “I need the bits to keep the grooming products coming in! I can’t look this good without them! And the Royal Retreats are heaven sent! I need them to so I can retire from the mass of mares that look up to me!”

“You’re not helping your case there, you fuckwit.” Marcus thought to himself, his runes flaring to life as he trekked to the inflamed Princess, only to recoil when the flames rose to new heights. He couldn’t even look directly at her without fear of blinding himself.

“YOU SELF CENTERED, IDIOTIC, REVOLTING DISEASE-RIDDEN PILE OF SUB-MEDIOCRITY!” Celestia roared, her eyes filled with disgust at the cornered pony. “YOU THINK THIS IS PUNISHMENT?  A SIMPLE SLAP TO THE HOOVES AND BE DONE WITH? THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED LONG  AGO! YOU ARE NO LONGER PRINCE OF EQUESTRIA, SHINING ARMOR IS A FAR BETTER EXAMPLE OF HOW A PRINCE SHOULD ACT! YOU ON THE OTHER HOOF, ARE NOTHING BUT A HORRID PONY THAT WAS BORN INTO NOBILITY, ONE THAT WAS PAVED IN BLOOD AND BAD DECISIONS, A DECISION THAT HAS HAUNTED ME FOR THE PAST MILLENNIUM WITH EVERY GENERATION! AND ONLY WITH MY EYES OPENED BY DISCORD IS IT THAT I AM READY TO LET YOUR LINE END.”

“Y-you can’t do that!” Blueblood seemingly snapped out of all rational thought at the mention of being thrown out of nobility. He stood up, puffing up his chest as he roared back. “I won't stand for this! You allowed the very being of chaos sway you about my family!? The Blueblood lineage is ancient, it was my ancestors who guided ponykind out of the darkness that he wrought among us all! It was my Ancestor that led to your victory, not your leadership! You are weak! It won't be long before they turn to me to guide them away from your madness that has claimed you!"

The laughter echoed around them, Celestia’s face was livid as she looked about, her eyebrow twitching with annoyance and anger. Blueblood on the the other hoof was terrified, trying to merge with the doors behind him. He only managed to squeak out an alarm when a claw emerged from beside his skull, soon followed by a paw on the other side. Blueblood swallowed as he slowly looked up and saw a long snout pulling from the door itself, before the rest of Discord’s head popped out. The mentioned chaotic being looked down, giving a rather large, razor sharp teeth filled smile.

“Hello there~”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Screaming at the top of his lungs, Blueblood rushed past Celestia, who didn’t even bat an eye at him, and attempted to get past Marcus. Marcus however, who was feeling particularly vicious at the the unicorn for his callous comment, stuck his leg out and tripped the fleeing pony.

“Oops.” Marcus said half heartedly as he watched the unicorn faceplant into the ground. He casually turned back to Discord, who finished pulling himself out of the door, not even giving the blubbering unicorn a second look.

“Discord.” Celestia growled as she marched up to him. “Where have you been?”

Discord raised an eyebrow at the furious alicorn, flicking his claw at her snout to gain some space. “Busy, and before you ask, I been searching the multiverse for our wayward Commander's home dimension.”

“Just like that? That simple? Just a quick snap of the claw and you’re away?” Marcus couldn’t help but ask. From the way Discord said it, it was like a walk in the park for the guy.

“Yes and no.” Discord chuckled a bit. “It’s easy for a being like myself, chaos is my forte, and the multiverse is full of it for me to use. However, it requires a precise amount of power just so I can port my way over to another world, along with dozen of other things that I don’t have time to explain, nor would you understand. Besides, I don’t usually do so because there are rules and such to do such things from interfering…” Discord gave Celestia a long stare, then looked back at Marcus. “Rules that I follow like a good son should, unlike some daughters who believe they know better.”

Celestia only scowled at him for his cheap shot, but said nothing, she was actually proud of herself to be putting down her recent released rage at rest, but the feeling didn’t let up away as Discord looked back at her.

“But I digress, I found myself helping out a lot more than I should have when I found myself in the wrong worlds, but no higher being came in to stop me, so I believe it was okay. Mother would be torn between punishing me or praising me.” Discord gently tugged his goatee for a moment, lost in thought, before giving the group a beaming smile. “What did I miss? I just got back from a world where humanity is a space faring one, and is about to face off against large metal cuttlefish armada.”

Marcus blinked at the strange description, taking a closer look at the draconequus and took note of the ash, cuts, and odd smear marks across his body. “Were you fighting too?”

Discord looked down at his body, grimacing slightly as he took a whiff of himself. “No, sort of. I just haven’t take a bath in over a month.”

“But…you were gone almost a full week...” Marcus was trying to wrap his head around it before it finally dawned on him. Discord smiled as he saw the realization grace Marcus’ face.

“Ah, you get it. Good!” Discord clapped his claw and paw together, the grime and dirt slithering off his form into his paw, before casually discarding it over his shoulder.

“We… I don’t understand.” Luna tilted her head in utter confusion, while Minos and Canis stood behind her, weapons held tightly in their grip as they looked upon Discord.

“Perhaps later.” Discord said, gently patting Luna’s head, causing her to puff her cheeks in annoyance at the display. Discord then turned to the Diamond Dog and Minotaur. “Gentlemen! A pleasure to meet you, Discord, Lord of Chaos, how you doing? Need something? Tea? Water? A maze and a good bone to chew on?”

“Are you... making fun of us?” Minos stared at Discord, unsure if he should just bash the strange being with his hammer and be done with it, or laugh at the stones he had. True, he was the ‘God’ of sorts, but that never stopped him before. He beat on dragons for fun whenever he got bored.

“Wow, wow, no, nope, never, I wouldn’t ever dare. We just make an agreement, get things done, then we dance - we smooch - we kiss, and we carry on with our lives. After risking it of course for our very survival.” Discord smiled at the two, before taking a closer look at Celestia, who was busy glaring at the now unconscious Blueblood. Marcus however was wearing a strange expression, one of ‘what did he just say?’ “One moment, if you please.”

Discord popped away, appearing next to Celestia who didn’t even flinch at his teleporting antics. He opened his mouth, but Celestia beat him to it. “I despise him.”

“Excuse me?”

“I despise this pony, and his entire family line. Ever since you told me of what happened all those years ago, my eyes opened. I have been going over every memory I could remember of the Blueblood, and I feel ashamed of myself for justifying them. You were never there, at all.” Celestia lowered her head, shuddering a bit before continuing. “I was just so angry at you for casting Luna and myself out of Canterlot, that I never thought how odd it was for you to cause so much misery in such a way. It was so…”

“OOC?” Discord supplied.

“Excuse me?” Celestia blinked at the term.

“Whoops, I mean Out of Character.” Discord chuckled a bit, before waving his paw for her to go on.

“Anyway. . . Now I look upon him, and all I see is the vile thing that ruled Canterlot with an iron hoof, lied to the ponies of Equestria, forced them to work under your name when it was him all along, and fed us lies about what you were doing. I can’t stand the sight of him, but I don’t know what to do with him.” Celestia slumped slightly, giving a tired sigh, her headaches becoming worse by the hour.

Discord took a very long -eye brow raised- look at Celestia, before giving a tired chuckled. “Don’t worry, I got this.”

“Got what-?” Celestia blinked and Blueblood was gone, she turn and found Discord missing as well.

Not a minute later, Discord returned.“There, problem solved.”

“What did you do?!” Celestia turned to him, she may not have cared too much for him, but she didn’t want him hurt.

“What? I did your method of fair exile slash imprisonment, and you will just love the new garden statue decoration that I put up~! Completely not related to the question you just asked.” Discord blew on his claw, looking rather proud of himself.

“Discord!”

“Bah, he will be fine. It should wear off in a couple of centuries, just enough time for history to be rewritten or erased and should be as noble as the next pony. A fair punishment if I don’t say so myself. He doesn’t have his connections or bits, and when he awakens, he will be introduced to a new Equestria, one that doesn’t know who he is. Only you, Luna, and maybe Cadance. Or if we lose, then he will face the Solar Tyrant, if she doesn’t smash him like she did with her Blueblood.” Discord gave a smile, “At least he won't be awake for the entire thing. Believe me, I went insane a couple of times the past millennium while I was a rock. Oh well, what’re you going to do? You look terrible by the way, you look like you haven’t slept in days.”

Celestia froze on the spot, her eyes fixed on the retreating draconequus as he spread his arms to welcome the duo leaders once more.

‘He was awake the entire time?!?!’

*Present*

Discord closed the doors before taking several steps back and snapping his claws. The doors simply fell forward, crumbling into dust as they hit the floor. Marcus was standing behind him with Luna, who couldn’t help but look at the bare wall that once held a door with a slightly reminiscing look on his face. “Just like in the old Looney Tunes cartoons…”

Luna had none of this as she looked on in worry, before turning to Discord. “Will she be alright?”

“It will take time.” Discord simply said, waving his paw to get the slight burn he got when Celestia unconsciously attempted to protect herself by heating herself up to burn the attacker. Fortunately he managed to break her weakened mental defenses before she set everything aflame. “The good Colonel’s memories are quite powerful, and she is suffering for it. I placed a spell to gather the wayward memories and seal them up. She will have access to them, eventually, but right now, we need her in top shape for the get-together coming up. Is everyone here?”

Luna couldn’t help but feel odd about talking to Discord. Every other time she met the chaos being, it always led to a fight, one that she lost badly each and every time, with him mocking her and Celestia before sending them far away. It just felt wrong to simply let him order her around like this, but Discord was taking this seriously. Mostly because Celestia’s deteriorating state was a cause of concern for him, which she found extremely off putting.

“Yes.” Luna closed her eyes, nodding to herself as she continued on. “The Reindeers have sent a old friend, Sint Erklass has arrived early this evening. Dragon Clan Leader Spykoran arrived with him and is resting in the gardens after the long flight here. Chieftain Minos, Pack Alpha Canis, Queen Hedwig and her son Prince Tobias, Queen Chrysalis, Shaman Quagga, and Chief Thunderhooves are in their respectable quarters.”  Luna gave a small smile at one of the names. “Its has been a long time since We have last seen of Sint Erklass.”

Discord rolled his eyes at the old name. “Yes yes, the jolly old buck and all that jazz.” Discord muttered under his breath. “Why he didn’t do his job taking both of you back really irritates me to no end.”

“Maybe it has to do with you turning his daughter into a cloak?” Luna scowled angrily at Discord.

“Hey! He begged me to save her life. Even with my powers, I couldn’t save her from what was afflicting her. I did what I could.” Discord defended himself.

“By cursing her entire existence into a cloak!”

“It was either that, or forced to watch her suffer an agonizing death!” Discord snapped at the alicorn, causing Marcus to focus on the two. They had many issues between each other, that’s for sure.

“Are you two done?” Marcus interrupted, crossing his arms as he watched the two glare at one another. Luna was the first to look away, turning her head up to ignore him. Discord scowled at that, bringing up his claw to magic something up for Luna, hopefully something embarrassing and possibly trauma inducing. “Don’t you two have a trip to take tomorrow? Since Discord managed to locate my dimension yesterday, you lot have been planning all day to get there. I don’t need you two to have your fights going on. So get your shit together.”

“Yes. We apologize, Colonel.” Luna took a couple of steps away before turning back. “I wish we could send you home while we travel to your dimension, but you are needed here to ensure everypony’s cooperation and show them your plight in this battle of survival.”

“No, I understand, believe me.” Marcus waved the concern off. “Besides, it’s best if I rest up before jumping back in. I have to talk to Celestia anyways about what tactics she might use, since she is basically her anyways.”

Luna frowned at this before nodding her head. “Good night, then. Discord, We will see you in the when the sun rises for the new day.”

Discord waved her off, shooing her away so she could tend to her duties. Which she didn’t appreciate one bit. “Right, off with you then, Lulu. Colonel, I will see you in the morning.”

“Right, later you two. Rest up, better be wide eyed and awake if you’ll be dropping in the middle of a combat-zone if enough time has past in my world.” Marcus walked down the hall to his quarters, waving his hand without a backward glance.

Discord watched the two leave, before nodding his head. He had someone to visit before the night was over, he needed to warn her of the upcoming conflict.

That, and it has been a long time since he had seen Scribble.

“The board is set, the pieces are moving.” Discord turned away, holding up a single claw before snapping once and vanishing from the hall. His voice, now deepened, echoed in the empty hall. “We come to it at last, the great battle of our time.”

*Discord’s Travels - Tale #1: Sending a Grim home*

Discord popped his neck as he concentrated on what needed to be done. He was far away from Canterlot. Discord needed complete silence for his endeavor, and sadly, Canterlot was lacking that, with the guards giving him the stink eye and all.

Teleporting was a cinch. Teleporting to a different Universe on the other hoof was something else. However, his way of doing was much more refined than what the Tyrant did to establish a connection.

Whereas he flowed with the chaotic forces that separated the universes from one another to a point he established before hoof, the Tyrant used a big blunt drill and viciously drilled to another world. It was power consuming and wasteful. Plus the initial connection was something that was the very fundamental of chaos itself. Smashing atoms together to break them was that connection.

Humans were insane, but it was damn good fun to watch them work to overcome something initially they thought impossible.

Still, he wasn’t bridging worlds just yet. Since it was just him making the trip, there was no need for a portal at the moment.

“And off we go! Arrivederci Equestria!” Discord gave one last cry before vanishing with a loud bang that could be heard for miles around.

Discord immediately knew something was wrong the moment he left.

The signs were all there.

The turbulence, the way everything tasted like orange (a color he despised for some odd reason), the screaming human he collided with in mid jump. . .

‘Wait...that’s new.’

“Bloody wanker!” The human screamed at him. Discord opened his mouth to calm him down and all he got for his trouble was a punch to the snout.

“Argh! What was that for!?” Discord grabbed his snout and massaged it slightly, surprised that  the blow caused some harm.

‘Magic? Oh! Its one of those magic wielding ones….Wait?’

“If you are going to eat me monster, then I am going to go down fighting like a true Black!” The black hair man roared. Discord watched as the man transformed in a rather large black dog with a shaggy coat.

‘That’s… pretty impressive. Although I don’t think he planned this out very well.’ Discord couldn’t help but smirk as the dog-human yipped in surprise as he tumbled end over end in the white expanse between universes.

Discord floated around the strange human, chuckling as the dog both snarled at him before giving off a whine of frustration, finally transforming back to his human form.

“Done?” Discord asked him as he floated ‘above’ the human. The human scowled, trying to keep his sights on the draconequus while he floated helplessly in the void.

“Of all the stupid things I could’ve done.” The man muttered to himself. “I just had to keep playing around with Bellatrix instead of getting it over with.”

“Oh, thats no fun.” Discord answered as he set himself before the man. “You got to have fun once in awhile.”

The man looked up at Discord, snorting once at his comment. “It does when it gets me killed like a bloody fool.”

Discord floated forward, eyeing him somewhat, then slapped the man behind the head.

“Argh!” The man clutched the back of his head. “What was that for?!”

“You’re not dead.” Discord bluntly told him. “At least not yet.”

“Not yet?” The man looked up at Discord. “What the bloody hell do you mean not yet?! I was thrown through the Veil!”

“Veil?” Discord leaned in, snapping his claw as he summon up a platform for the strange human. “Whats this ‘Veil’ you speak of?”

The shaggy hair human looked at him like he lost his mind as he centered himself on the platform. “Is...is this not the Land of the Dead?”

“Kind of lacking said ‘land’, don’t you think?” Discord waved his arm to the endless white surrounding them.

“Its a figure of speech.” The man defended himself. “Who are you anyways?”

Discord smiled as he set himself on the platform, summoning up a rather regal looking outfit….

At least he thought it was regal looking.

“I am Discord!” Discord started off, bellowing at the top of his lungs. “Caretaker of Equestria, Lord of Chaos itself, and lover of many mares!”

The man gave him an unimpressed look, folding his arms and tilting his head, squinting at the ‘regal’ crown on Discord’s head. “Hmph. I am unimpressed.”

“What?!” Discord’s crown fell off, staring in shock at the human’s ignorance of his glory. “I saved you before you became a speck in the multiverse! You should be in awe!”

“Well,” the human started, brushing his coat to get the dust off. “I am Sirius Black, Lord of the House of Black, Godfather to Harry James Potter, Member of the Order of the Phoenix, Padfoot of the Marauders, and lover of many, *many* women who are swooned by my very touch.”

“Right…”  Discord couldn’t help but notice the way he said the 'Marauders' part proudly, only to grimace slightly as if he just remembered something uncomfortable. “Marauders?”

“Premier Prankers of our day in Hogwarts.” Sirius proudly proclaimed.

“Pranksters, huh.” Discord couldn’t help but smile at that.

*Some Time later*

“So Snivellus decides that he can get us back by trying to dose our drinks!”  Sirius regaled a tale to Discord, finishing off his wine before throwing the glass off the side of the platform, watching it spin away in the endless expanse. "Fortunately for us, Mooney's nose was able to sniff it out before we took a swing. We managed to get the elves to swap drinks for the Slytherin table, telling them it was for house unity!”

“I take it that the results were pleasing?” Discord chuckled as he watched the man give a pleasant sigh as he thought of the memory.

This caused Sirius to break out in laughter. “Their tongues blew up like balloons! Watching them trying to leave the Great Hall with the grace of the being a ‘Pureblood’ while their tongues hang from their mouths like ties was hilarious!”

Discord roared out in laughter with him, slapping his knee at the image he conjured up, with help from Sirius for giving an accurate description of the fellows who fell into the prank.

Sirius leaned back in his cloud, taking a breath of happiness as he thought back of his childhood. He looked at the white nothingness surrounding him, giving a tired sigh as he thought back of the last few moments of his world. “I just wish I can go back and help them. Harry deserves some happiness, but with Voldemort's return, it just can’t happen.”

“Voldemort?” Discord looked rather interested at the name. “Sounds Prench to me? Flight from Death?”

“Wait, Prench?”

“Oui, la langue de l'amour et jupe gouttes!” Discord chuckled as he spoke in perfect Prench.

“Oh, je sais que la langue. Croyez-moi, je sais combien il tombe les jupes.” Sirius responded, before blinking a bit, staring off in the distance as he threw the words around in his skull. “How come I never noticed that?”

“Most tend to keep their focus on the being, instead of their names…” Discord answered, before frowning a bit. “Unless their names is Dicksmasher McNippleTwister, then you kind of focus on both.”

Sirius snorted at the name, attempting to hold his laughter in. “Cause they got that name for a reason, I take it.”

“Exactly!” Discord exclaimed, throwing himself off the platform, Sirius rushed up to the side, only to see Discord float back up with an umbrella. “Besides, who said you can’t go back?”

“Kind of hard to go back.” Sirius stated, giving him a blank look. “Once you go through the Veil, no one comes back. I can see why now. Besides, it feels like hours since I’ve been thrown in.”

Discord laughed as he wrapped his arm around Sirius. “Time is meaningless here between universes! At least this far out it loses meaning. It only matters once you are close to or in another world that time has meaning!”

Sirius looked up at the draconequus with surprise, watching as Discord lean in close to him. “And lets see how this so called mighty ‘Veil’ stands up to the Chaos itself!”

*Death Chamber*

Remus stared at the Veil in horror, the death of his last friend had nearly crippled him to the very spot. Harry had long since fled, chasing in a fit of rage after Bellatrix.

“Sirius.” Remus hung his head, while Hermione placed an arm around him to give him support. The Death Eaters had long since fled once the Order gained the upper hand, but a final parting shot from one Bellatrix Lestrange had all but taken the fight from the rest of them.

“I’m sorry, Remus-” Hermione started, but Remus only shook his head, trying to keep the rage and hurt from exploding.

“Blimey…” Ron muttered as he looked at the Veil with caution.

“Buck up, the lot of you!” Alastor growled, before turning to Remus. “Especially you! You think Sirius want you to keep yourself on the ground and weep for him! He want you to avenge him! Now-”

“BLOODY HELL!” Ron screamed as he backed away when he saw a large creature appear in the Veil. Kingsley and Tonks both pointed their wands at the veil as the creature glared daggers at them.

Or more at the Veil than them as it looked at the stone surrounding it.

“What do you think it is doing?” Tonks whispered to Kingsley as she watch the creature trace his claws around edge before leaning back. It looked to the group of humans before giving them a smile, holding up a single claw glowing with magic before slamming it into the Veil.

The humans jumped back in fright as the claw punched through the Veil with ease. Ron mostly began to panic at this as the creature began to open the Veil. “What do we do?!”

“Hit with spells!” Alastor roared. “Drive it back into the Veil. We don’t know if this a regular occurrence that the Unspeakables have to deal with!”

A torrent of spells splashed against the creature, causing it to wince as the spells slammed into his body. It did very little to slow it down as it finally open a large passage and pulled itself through.

The creature scowled as he snapped his claw, everyone watched in horror as their own arms pop right off their body.

“MY ARM!” Rom cried out, watching as him arm seemingly flopped around in a panic. He wasn’t alone as the others cried out with the same distress.

“Oh quiet you fools.” The creature muttered, ignoring their cries in favor of pulling something else out of the Veil.

More like someone.

Sirius blinked as he landed feet first, shaking his head as everyone stared in shock as the creature brushed him off. “Hmm. In one piece too. Told you I would get you back!”

“Should of never doubted you, friend.” Sirius looked up at him, smiling before looking back to the group. “Hey guys, I’m… What happened to your arms?”

“Ah. That would be my fault.” Discord replied as he snapped his claw once more, causing the arms to pop back in place.

“Sirius…” Remus walked up to him, looking at his face closely as he got near to his friend.

“Careful there, Lupin. We don’t know if this is a trick of some sort.” Alastor muttered, keeping his magical eye trained on the draconequus.

“Hey there, Mooney. Miss me?” Sirius said with smile, giving his friend a hug.

“Padfoot?”

“The one and only.” Sirius answered him before looking back to Discord. “And I have a friend to be thankful for as well. Everyone, this is Discord, Lord of Chaos.”

Everyone stared at Sirius, slackjawed at his introduction of the chimera standing before them. Alastor couldn’t help but shake his head at this. “Of course he befriends the Lord of Chaos itself while he was in the bloody Veil.”

“Thank you, my dear friend Sirius.” Discord patted his back before turning to the rest of the group. “Yes I am Discord, Lord of Chaos of Equestria. I was just passing through the Multiversal void when I ran into this charming fellow. Quite the luck of the draw there.”

“Where’s Harry?” Sirius interrupted, looking at the group and coming up short one messy hair raven teen. “Where’s my godson?”

It was at that moment the entire room shook, the heavy thudding coming from above them caused everyone to blink in surprise. “What was that?” Neville asked, staring at the ceiling above.

*Ministry Atrium*

Harry watched the battle unfolding before his eyes, watching as Dumbledore and Voldemort traded powerful spells against one another.

It was simply unreal to watch them fight.

“Mighty impressive.” A voice called from above him. Harry flinched, eyes wide, before looking up. He saw a creature he had never laid his eyes on floating above him. Harry breathing stopped as he attempted to crawl away, only for the creature to land and push him back. “Oh no, better stand down young man. I doubt your godfather would want you to get hit with a stray spell.”

No sooner had he said this, a cutting curse slam into his belly and sliced him in half. Harry watched numbly as the creature died before his eyes.

The creature groaned, more in annoyance than in pain as his lower body shook before running off towards the fight. The upper half on the other hand, glared in anger. “HEY! GET BACK HERE IDIOT!”

Harry was sure he was cursed in some way.

Voldemort laughed as he prepared to launch another torrent of spells at Dumbledore, only to feel a sharp pain in his leg, still holding the intense spell collision. Looking down, he saw a pair mismatch legs standing there. “What~?!”

Voldemort gave a gargled cry as the tail wrapped around his neck, lifting him off the ground. Dumbledore looked on in surprise, cutting of the clash of spells to see the lower half of a creature lift the Dark Lord up and toss him like rag doll into a wall.

Voldemort landed heavily on the ground, his eyes focused on the pair of legs in anger. “Filthy thing!”

The legs jumped up and began to run, avoiding the dozens of spells launched at them.

Jumping, flipping, even doing fancy dances to avoid the torrents of spells.

Finally a single spell slammed into it, causing the legs to fly through the air before landing, apparently dead.

“NO!” Voldemort turned, watching as the other half of the creature landed at the pair of deer rear leg and lizard combo. “YOU WERE SO YOUNG! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?”

The legs jumped back up, waving its tail like a dog. “Oh, you were playing dead. That’s nice. Now come on, lets get ourselves back together.”

Discord attempted to jump onto his lower half, but the lower end just kept running around in circles. Once Discord finally caught the running legs he turned to the ugly magic user, only to notice his legs were backwards.

Voldemort was anything but amused, he didn’t even want to stare at the abomination any longer, he simply wished for Dumbledore and Potter to be dead.

With a swift movement of his wand, Voldemort saw fit that the creature before him was laid to waste for its participation with an equally forceful slam to a wall. What he didn’t expect was Discord flinching at his magical attack, but not even moving an inch from the spell, causing him to smirk and brush off some imaginary dust.

In the distraction, Dumbledore took action. He wasn’t thrilled of seeing something new in his old age, but anything kind of distraction was good in his situation. With a direct aim of his wand to the the water of a fountain nearby, he rained down on the evil wizard. But Voldemort wasn’t that much distracted, as once the water came down upon him he attempted to retaliate but it was to no avail as he was completely encased in the water.

Discord nodded at the old geezer on his nifty water bubble as his legs tapped impatiently.  Discord tsked at his other half. “Now, now, no need to be impatient, we’ll finish this early and leave.”

Harry already stood up from his place, trying to get a better look at the spell at work. But even Discord noticed that the one-that-shall-soon-drown was very much attempting to send a curse his way.

“Well, it’s not like gawking will help now would it?” And with those words Discord proceed to act, with a snap of his claw the bubble of water slowly became a solid ice.

In his new predicament, Voldemort was in a hurry to leave, and on the continuous fight against the old wizard he was successful in bringing it to a draw. But the strange chimera was too much. He rotated, spreading his magic in force to be released the frozen prison of the water, large chunks of it clicking on the floor.

“Now, now, no need to be grumpy now? I mean, I would be upset if my nose was gone too." Discord voice drift into the one with no nose’s ear. Voldemort snapped his wand in Discord's direction, but he was already gone. The momentary distraction helped Dumbledore get near and push Voldemort into the farthest wall he could.

But that attempt became a battle of wills as Voldemort quickly reacted, sending a stream of malevolent energy intent on smiting him in Dumbledore’s direction. Both fought to keep themselves on their feet. But Voldemort was planning on ending this battle once and for all.

His plan became untied by the participation of the draconequus with making the floor underneath Voldemort soapy, the floor becoming slick with bubbles.

With the lack of friction the wizard was pushed back, and was about to rectify his balance, but Discord wasn’t done. A snap and a teleporting Voldemort later, the evil wizard was in the same position -without losing his momentum- upside down with the spell he was attempting exploding on contact with the floor at the same time as his head cracked against the far wall.

The room shook as the forced magic boomed through it, Discord placing a barrier between himself and it. Dumbledore wasn't as lucky as the old wizard could hadn’t the force himself and fell on to the floor, sliding across the floor near Harry, who rushed up to help the elder wizard up to his feet.

The glass of windows all around were heard shattering, a sound Discord was not fond of. He turn to see a large group of them about to fall on Sirius’s godson and the old man, which is why with a snap of his fingers were was no more raining shards glass to be worried about. Instead, the glass turn into dirt, covering the two, but not harming them.

“That could have been dangerous.” Discord muttered as his yellow-red eyes were aimed at the rising hissing wizard at the other side of the room.

“What are you...” Asked Voldemort almost to himself, a small amount of fear laced in his words.

“Sorry, but I wouldn’t want the list of those that want vengeance against me to know my name, so no name for you, No-Nose Norbert.” Voldemort was already mad at the creatures continuous irritating help, but now he was so angry his face did a full circle. Back to ‘beginning to be angry’.

Voldemort vanished, dust picking up in a dangerously looking voltrex. Discord was not amused at the trick, rolling his eyes as he examined the spell intently. Teleportation doesn’t need to be that over complicated, but yet again that could be considered what’s normal in this world.

But then the boy named Harry, who stood with the old geaser, flinched and whimpered in pain as he kneeled on the floor and then fell on his belly, clutching his head where his scar was located. Dumbledore bent down to help Harry up, but the boy lashed out, hissing in anger at him.

“You’ve lost old man.” Harry said with another voice overlapping the first. Discord looked at the boy in surprise.

“Possession? That’s interesting move there. Wonder why- ah well, I suppose I can help out one last time.” The moment his words left his mouth, Discord felt the presence of more people entering the place. Behind them, a group of teens appeared on the back of the Atrium. Discord was expecting stares at his person, after all he was the weirdest thing there, but from what he saw he wasn’t expecting. All of them were filled with concern for the boy more than worry from his presence.

Wait...

Possession of evil.

Friends of the possesed.

All magic users.

The setting clicked in Discord’s mind, he couldn’t help but chuckle as he felt the sickening magic began to waver as the boy fought back. ‘Tia was right about it in a way. I suppose I should look into gathering a few of my own.’  He turned away, finally done with interfering and with a snap of his claw, he was gone.

*Death Chamber*

Appearing near the gate he once stood not long ago, Discord came along to see elders of the group still there. Sirius was surprised to see his recently made friend appear from leaving so quickly. But before anyone could speak Discord spoke first.

“You're godson is at this very moment being possesed by the interestingly and *ugly* looking magic user that doesn't have a nose and is surrounded by his friends. There’s nothing else needed for me here.” Discord might have said it with a smirk and a nod, but the entire message was lost on Sirius.

“And you couldn’t do anything! I thought of you as a god! It should be a simple snap of the claw for you!”

“And don’t think of me otherwise, my dog morphing friend. But as you just heard, there was no need for my help.” Sirius was about to retaliate before Discord continued. “The boy’s friends were there, and if the evil no nose is as evil as you claim him to be, your boy Harry was already free of his possession the moment they arrived.”

“And why would that be? Anyone of the them know a spell to get him out of it?” Discord looked at the expert mage with a raised eyebrow, then his momentary serious face was disintegrated by his smile.

“Because friendship," Discord leaped into the Veil, snapping his claws as he did, teleporting Sirius in front of his godson. Harry couldn't help but look up at his godfather in shock, stunned to see him standing once more among the living. "Is magic."

Sirius could barely catch Harry as he threw himself at him, hugging him for all he was worth.

"Arrivederci, Sirius Black." Sirius couldn't help but smile as he heard Discord say his goodbyes to him. He didn't care that the Minister of Magic and his posse were standing right before him, staring at him in complete fright. He didn't care when Dumbledore attempted to lead Harry away, shrugging off the old man's attempts.

All he cared about was Harry himself. "Hey there, Harry."

"You're alive." Harry’s voice was muffled as he kept his head buried in his chest.

"It would take a lot more to bring me down." Sirius chuckled a bit, looking up to Remus as walked up to him with the other Order members

"Mooney?"

"Yes Padfoot?"

"We have a new Honorary member for the Marauders. One that will definitely will be remembered for a long time."

The Writes of Passage(Gag)

THE WRITES OF PASSAGE

Written by TB3

Edited by Redskin122004

“It is only when our characters and events begin to disobey us that they begin to live.”

- John Fowles, ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’

“You did something today that’s never been done before. Something that not even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship the way you do.”

- Princess Celestia

Ponyville, Equestria, 6th Year Anno Harmonia

Morning in Ponyville shimmered. Yes, morning in Ponyville shone...in a sickly sort of way. But with the Divine Sun ascending over the horizon and the monotonous sounds of the dawn chorus in the air, nopony commented on it. Not on how the sun, although bright and radiant, seemed to cast a colder, more pallid light, or how everything on which it cast its’ gaze seemed...lesser. Not washed out, or colourless, or even decayed. Just lesser, diminished, reduced.

But nopony commented on it.

Over on the far side of town, Sweet Apple Acres was in full production. With more mouths to feed, the venerable agribusiness was expanding rapidly. Now, with a few Royal Grants (and a touch of Solar Fire to release up lands formerly occupied by the outliers of the Everfree Forest) neat, monotonous lines of apple trees extended for miles around the farm’s old footprint, extending with all the grasp and reach of a gorging octopus.

Yes, Ponyville shimmered, and the farm thrived.

Applebloom hated it. She hated the sameness of it all, and the nameless, joyless armies of newly planted trees. She hated the cement and clapboard bunkhouse that had been erected to house the expanding workforce, an ugly brick that not even bright paint and cheerful murals could harmonise with what she had once called home. She hated how she almost never saw her sister anymore, and how Big Macintosh was too increasingly busy liaising with the Ministry of Supplies to personally come down from Canterlot and tend to the farm. She knew it was essential to his cover story, so as to hide his affiliations with certain entities outside of Equestria, but it still stung.

And yet, Sweet Apple Acres was bigger, healthier, stronger and turning record profits, but she loathed every microcosm of it.

...and nothing rose her ire more than the ponies now employed by the farm. She kept it secret, balled the emotion up tight and buried it deep inside, but in her heart of hearts it only seemed to burn with a greater, more focused intensity.

The newfoals. Oh, how she hated the newfoals. It was their fault. Their fault that she had been left to run this soulless monster of a farm, their fault that she never saw her beloved siblings outside of a few stolen moments.

Their fault that she was, almost entirely, alone.

And so, when those emotions needed a release, the yellow youth, no longer a filly but not quite yet a mare, her rosy hair tied back in a straightforward pony-tail, came here to let them out, in front of Granny Smith’s grave.

“You were riht’ Granny...” she said at last, trying to hold tears back from her eyes. “You were right wen’ you said this weren’t any good. The war, the government contract, Applejack joinin’ the Salvation Armee’. You were right about it all...”

Granny Smith had died six months after the Barrier had began to expand over Humanland (or whatever the thrice-cursed rattlesnake of a rock was called). Her final days, which should have been full of family and tender love, were cold and lonely, with only Applebloom and Bic Mac and a few exemplary exceptions in attendance. Carrot-Top, Braeburn, and, of all ponies, the Flim-Flam brothers, had been the only ones to share the burden. Applejack had been ‘too busy’. Granny had passed on in sadness, grieving for her ‘lost’ granddaughter.

“Don’t let the same happen to you, darlin’ little Bloom...” the wise old matriarch had whispered weakly. “Don’t let pride and glory steal away whatchou are most of all. Never stop being the brave, strong, amazing little pony you are...”

“Ah’ promise, Granny Smith...” had been Applebloom’s reply. “Ah’ promise I’ll never abandon Sweet Apple Acres...”

“No! Landsakes no Bloom’! Get yerself away from this place as soon as you ken’. Get out of Ponyville, getch yerself outa Equestria! This hole’ place has been poisoned. It’s dyin’ Bloom, and what’ll be left will soon be just a corpse, movin’ and talkin’ and playin’ like it were alive, but dead through and through...”

“I can’t Granny! I can’t leave the farm! Our roots are here, this place is the Apple family! I can’t leave...”

And so she had remained, and endured. Times had gotten tougher. When Applejack had shown her disloyal muzzle at Granny Smith’s funeral, the situation hit rock bottom. Applebloom had gone on a right proper tear in an attempt to shame her sibling, at how AJ had broken the sacred bonds of kith and kin. Applejack however, had returned her sister’s attacks with equal force, accusing her of disloyalty to the Greater Family, to the Herd itself.

Applebloom shivered as she remembered. The creature screaming back at her, while Granny Smith was still warm in her casket, was not the sister she remembered. None of Applejack’s warmth and love shone in those eyes, just a dark fire that spoke of endless wrath. When Applebloom looked deep into them, all she could see was a hoof smashing down on a pony’s face, forever and always, ad infinatum...

Yes, Applebloom hated it all. And yet, some twisted perversion of loyalty had kept her here. She had contracts to support, a nation to feed, a Queen to SERVE. It might have all been the newfoals fault, but she had NO SYMPATHY for the Humans either. Her own hoof, strong and muscled from years of hard work, ground deep into the soil beneath it, and she imagined she was FORCING POTION down the throat of a DIRTY MONKEY. It would have been better if HER DIVINE MAJESTY Celestia had just wiped them all out...they were lucky that they were being SHOWN MERCY...Applejack was RIGHT to DEVOTE HERSELF to this RIGHTEOUS CRUSADE...

...and then the alien thought, the wave of sudden, unbidden rage, passed away from her, and Applebloom shuddered and fell forward onto Granny Smith’s humble grave, face pressed into her forehooves and eyes weeping huge, hot, emotional tears.

“What do Ah do, Granny? I’ve got responsibilities here, but I’m turnin’ into one af’them! What do I do!”

“Escape...” someone said, softly and tenderly. Applebloom sat up straight, just as something fell from an overhanging tree, and landed neatly atop her head.

It was a hat. Applebloom instinctively swiped it off and looked down at it. What a fine hat it was, too, a Stetson, crafted from a soft tan material with a darker band around the crown. It was far from new, but it seemed to have been well cared for, loved even. She flipped it over and read a label stitched inside the brim:

PROPERTY OF THE EASTWOOD ARCHIVES: FILM, A FISTFULL OF DOLLARS. HAT #1.

Then she lifted her eyes to the tree from which it had fallen, and felt her lips pull into a grimace as her eyes narrowed.

“Sweetie Belle...” she growled.

“Applebloom,” the other young mare nodded back, her beautiful green eyes sad, but glowing with resolve. From where she stood she was just out of Applebloom’s reach, and for a long moment the two ex-Crusaders regarded one another in a silent stalemate.

“What do you want, traitor!” Applebloom said at last, spitting out the last word. It was a personal touch, with no bearing on Sweetie Belle’s ‘outlaw status, just an expression of how deeply she felt betrayed when Sweetie Belle had gone into hiding without even a goodbye...

Then she brandished the Stetson. “And what in the hay is this!”

“A present from some friends,” Sweetie Belle said simply, before extended her sentence with a sight. “Can I please come down and pay my respects to Granny?”

Applebloom immediately shifted into a defensive stance, the hat gripped between her teeth as she placed herself before the sad little grave, protecting it. But then Sweetie Belle reached into another saddlebag, and pulled out a little glass jar, filled with an iridescent jelly.

“Zap Apple Jam...” Applebloom said, her voice a surprised whisper, and Sweetie nodded.

“It’s from the batch we helped her make...the Cutie Mark Crusaders that is. I thought she’d appreciate the gesture.”

Applebloom hesitated, but then she glanced over her shoulder at the gravestone, on which she had painstakingly carved a familiar apple-pie cutie mark.

“Alright, fine...” she said at last, stepping aside.

“Thank you Bloom’,” Sweetie Belle said, and then she took a step off of the branch. Applebloom leapt forward in an instinctive attempt to catch the alabaster unicorn, but to her amazement, she saw that her ‘old friend’ was walking down an invisible staircase, her horn glowing and a musical note ringing out every time she placed a hoof on the unseen ‘steps’.

“That...that’s some real fancy magic, Sweets...” Applebloom muttered, keeping her distance as the other pony stepped past.

“And this is a beautiful little marker Bloom’,” Sweetie answered, regarded the gravestone. “Your hoofsmanship is amazing.”

Applebloom bit back a word of thanks; she owed the unicorn nothin’. But she could not feel a pang as Sweetie Belle gently levitated the precious jar of Zap Apple Jam onto the grave, and then from her saddlebags pulled an old set of bunny ears, which she rested on her head. Then she did a strange, familiar little dance and laughed sadly.

“Sleep well, Granny. I’m so sorry I was unable to come sooner. And I promise to take care of Applebloom, as you would have wanted. Goodbye, and go with my love.”

As she listened uneasily, Applebloom felt that same snarl reshape her expression.

“Take care of me! What do you mean ‘take care of me’. And how in the hay did you get this hat into Equestria! The Barrier stops al’ human artefacks from passin’ through!”

“It was an experiment to determine the limits of the barrier,” Sweetie Belle answered, her eyes still fixed on Granny Smith’s final rest. “It’s actually an exact replica of a human object, alchemically crafted from Equestrian raw materials. The real hat is safe in a film museum somewhere.”

She then turned, and Applebloom took a step back, seeing unexpected tears in the unicorn’s eyes.

“I knew that Applejack promised you a hat of your own when you were old enough to inherit the farm, AB. She forgot that promise, but I didn’t.”

Applebloom clutched the Stetson a little closer to her barrel, her mouth dry and unable to form words. Sweetie Belle managed a smile and then, sniffing, wiped her eyes dry with a hoof.

“I’m so sorry Bloom’, for everything that happened. Rarity helped me run away before she was taken, but you had to watch Applejack degrade before your own eyes. But why did you keep yourself here and prolong your suffering, you stubborn little filly?”

The word ‘filly’ caused Applebloom to jump, and with a deep shame she looked back at her flank. No cutie mark was blazoned on her haunches, and she was beginning to wonder if it ever would. Slowly she turned her gaze to the other pony’s hind legs, and saw a field of pearly white fur.

‘Two blank flanks met by a grave’, she thought to herself. ‘Sounds like a bad joke.’ But instead of expressing that thought, she instead began to sing, an old and almost forgotten tune.

“We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders...” she whispered softly.

“On a quest to find out who we are...” Sweetie finished, her own voice a sad whisper. Then she paused and gave another sigh. “I guess we did.”

“Yeah...” Applebloom replied lamely. “A silly little filly who couldn’t see the trap she was in...”

“And another who ran away from her best friend when she needed her the most...” Sweetie added, her own ears sagging.

“What happened, Sweets?” Applebloom said at last. When no answer came she expanded the question, sweeping one hoof around to ecompass the whole valley. “To us, to Equestria...to Scootaloo and Babs?”

“Celestia happened,” Sweetie said without hesitation, despite a waver in her voice. “She did this, and Big Mac and I are with the ponies and people trying to set that right.”

She extended a hoof towards her old schoolfriend. “You can too, AB. I know you promised Granny to put the farm first, but you know you need to get out of her. And you can help Scootaloo as well.”

Applebloom’s eyes flew back up to meet Sweetie’s gaze. “What’s wrong with Scootaloo.

“You remember how she could never fly, and the doctors didn’t know why. Well we know now, it’s the Disharmony Necrosis...without love and support, her wings never developed. They got sick instead, and began to kill her.”

“Kill...her...” Applebloom said in shock, her chest heaving. “Is she...has she?”

“No,” Sweetie said, shaking her head firmly. “She’s alive, but she needs your help, right now.”

Applebloom pulled herself to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s in surgery, but something’s happened, and she needs as many ponies who love her to help her through it.”

“Alright then, lets...wait a second,” Appleboom paused, and a shade of suspicion flickered over her features. “Ain’t this just a little convenient. You coulda approached me when Granny Smith died, or at any time since. Why now, when Scoot’s gets ‘sick’.”

She almost expected an angry retort, but Sweetie instead ducked her head and dug at the earth in a gesture of shame. Not for the first time, Applebloom noticed how...robust her old friend was looking. Sure, she still had all of her sister’s grace and elegance, but it was like the shine on the edge of a knife. If it weren’t for the horn, Sweetie Belle could almost be mistaken for a rough-and-tough Earth Pony. Seeing her pawing in the dirt like...well, Fluttershy, was unnerving.

“I was...afraid,” Sweetie said eventually. “Too scared to approach you. Rarity told me to run away and Zecora gave me her old hut. I went into the Everfree Forest and almost never came out, and left you here alone. It was wrong.”

She raised her head, and this time, there was fire in her eyes. If the Element of Loyalty could be convinced that its current bearer was evil and it needed a fresh start, then Sweetie Belle was an excellent second choice by any means.

“Rarity got taken, and I ran away. Babs and Scootaloo were brave enough to escape, and I ran away. You needed me, and I ran away. Not anymore, I’m not abandoning any of you again. My sisters, friends...”

“...confidantes, bosom buddies, compadres...” Applebloom joined in with the familiar oath (they never did get around to revising the swearing-in ceremony).

“...and Cutie Mark Crusaders!” they finished together. Yay.

“What’s the plan?” Applebloom asked at last.

“Carrot Top is waiting for us with supplies over at the old CMC Treehouse. She’s got a magical communicator that can reach PHL headquarters in New York. We can give our support to Scootaloo through that. Afterwards, the three of us pick up Big Mac, hit the Underground Railway, and get out of here as quick as we can!”

Applebloom gave one look around the farm...what was left of it. It was decision time, and yet she had no trouble at all making her choice. The sight of glassy-eyed newfoals toiling in the fields made it for her.

“Let’s go, Sweetie Belle! Ride em out!” she declared, setting the gifted Stetson back on her head. It fit like a charm.

*

PHL Headquarters, beneath the NY Presbyterian Hospital, New York; 2023 Anno Dominae

“What’s going on?” Cheerilee demanded as numerous ponies and humans alike flooded past her office. Everyone seemed to be headed in one direction, motivated by whatever rumors were being passed about. “Is it Equestria! Are they attacking?!”

“No”, one pony said in answer. “It’s Scootaloo. Something’s happening with Scootaloo! They’ve been calling for anyone and anypony who cares for her to gather upstairs in observation room number three!”

“Scootaloo!” Cheerilee gasped, before throwing herself into the rush, following the crowd up from the PHL bunker and into the hospital above. Inside Marcus Renee’s second-in-command was the heart of a schoolteacher, and right now her every thought and instinct agreed; one of her students needed her, and she would not fail that call.

Scootaloo’s last surgery was scheduled for today, after all...so whatever was happening, could not be good.

Observation Lounge #3 overlooked Operating Theatre #3, and was packed with bipeds and quadrupeds alike by the time she joined the crush. Managing to get to the front through pulling rank (and a literal bit of ‘pulling’ with her growing skill with runic magic), the burgundy mare in a flak-jacket pressed her forehooves against the glass, expression panicked.

“Scootaloo, and...and...WHY ARE BABS AND WILDFIRE BEING OPERATED ON AS WELL!?”

Her voice must have carried over the rising din, because the surgeons below briefly looked up, faces veiled behind mouth and muzzle-guards. Doctors, vets and film-makers alike were crowded around a trio of operating tables, on which three female ponies were sedated. Scootaloo’s back was a surprisingly neat construction-site of raw, exposed tissue, but her wings were gone forever...

...no, not quite. Cheerilee’s eyes narrowed, and then widened in shock. This was meant to be the last procedure for the brave little Pegasus: her decayed wings and necrotic Alicornal tissues had been surgically removed weeks ago; today was just meant to be closing up the wounds and applying tissue grafts.

And yet, in absolute defiance, Cheerilee could see two feathered stumps protruding from Scootaloo’s back. As she watched further, she realized that Wildfire and Babs were acting as graft donors, supplying the filly they loved in different ways with the tissues needed to reconstruct her back. But how...

...and then she saw. Zecora and Doctor Sheffield, the leading surgeon, was carefully removing a layer from Wildfire’s wings. Once the sliver of flesh, fur and feather was cut free, she transplanted it to Scootaloo’s back. A gasp went around the room when the donor tissue was applied. Instead of sitting there in contrast to Scootaloo’s own coloration, the creamy sample twitched, and then shifted in colour, becoming a vibrant, youthful sienna. Scootaloo’s colour. And then it fused itself in place, without the need for stitches or sutres. It looked natural, and was unbelievable.

And when the tiny filly stirred under her anesthesia...everyone saw her tiny, infantile wings give a definite twitch.

“That’s...that’s impossible....”

“No...” came the heavily accented voice of a mare over the speakers. “It is, ze magicks!”

Eyes drifted down to where Photo Finish, in surgical whites, was documenting the surgery. A camera was strapped to her barrel and as events unfolded she was dictating into a microphone, which it seemed was also tapped into the tannoy for the observation room. “Zat is why ze good Doktor Sheffield has called for you. When she opened ze little filly up, she found one last speck of necrosis, und vhen it waz removed, all zeemed well. But then ze tissue-grafts began, und begun to grow, to make new wings for ze brave child. A happy accident, a miracle.”

Murmurs of consternation went around the room, and Cheerilee’s gaze focused on the former fashionista.

“How? How come we never knew this was possible before. No-one in Equestria has ever succeeded in regrowing limbs like this, unless they were regenerating their own!”

“Becauz no-wun in Equeztria ever considered treating Necrosiz vith invasive surgery,” Photo Finish replied. “Or zo the good doctors have helped me understand. Treatment through therapy, und magick, to subdue the dying tissues, not exhume them altogether. Und no-vun has ever attempted tissue-grafts in pony medicine...with magick, was never needed until now. But something strange and wonderful is happening – Scootaloo’z body is accepting ze flesh und feather given with love, from those she loves, und iz bonding with them, und through zat love, her body iz using those donations to rebuilt itself.”

She trotted around on her hooves and gazed upwards at the growing crowd.

“Zis,” she said solemnly. “Is new. Never before dun. Und the doctor says that presence of loved ones seems to be helping ze regenerative process. So why I put out call for you good people to come watch.”

She gave a stomp and could not hold back a triumphant tone in her voice. “With your love, with our harmony, zis crippled filly will wun day FLY!”

“Quiet, please...” one of the nurses said softly, and Photo Finish, abashed, lowered her volume so that the delicate work could continue.

“Sorries. Please, good ponies, good people, please vatch these Magicks und lend your love.”

And they did. Several drifted in and out to retrieve snacks or drinks, but over the next few hours the observation room remained crowded with awed and hopeful expressions as Doctor Sheffield and her multi-species team of surgeons and nurses coaxed and nurtured Scootaloo’s growing wings into full size. Babs and Wildfire were under care as well, work going on to close up the raw marks left from their tissue donations and avoid infection.

Cheerilee never moved from her spot pressed up against the glass. Instead she held fast and took in the full miracle around her. Ponies and humans alike were supplying their heart, skill, and will to a common cause, and one that for once did not hinge upon war or liberation. Instead they were all coming together for a filly that had touched their hearts...

‘It’s beautiful...’ she thought tearfully, and smiled. ‘What wonders we can accomplish, together. And what miracles might have been done if Earth and Equestria had come together in harmony.’

She felt her muscles tense.

‘Damn you Celestia. Your strangled the dream in the crib!’

She would make that dream a reality. When this war was won (and it had to be won), so much work would be needed to rebuild two wounded worlds. But she was certain it could be done. Humanity and Equinity seemed like complementary halves of a whole. Between them she knew they had the knowledge and ability to heal Earth and Equestria, to make impossibilities come true, and accomplish works that defied belief.

Because both species knew of Love, that most potent of forces, and celebrated it.

The thought of love turned her attention towards a younger mare standing proudly alongside her. Cadence...no, she corrected herself, Princess Cadence (and none deserved the title more in her opinion) was more aware of the potent, positive emotions suffusing the air than anyone else, and seemed to have taken on the role for acting as a nexus and conduit. Her eyes were closed, her teeth were clenched, and sweat was rolling down her brow, but her horn was glowing with brilliant blue light, and throwing out beautiful, resonant shards of energy that seemed to linger lovingly on every surface they touched, like specks of crystal.

There were other, familiar voices too. In the crowd she could see Dinky Whooves sitting on her sister Sparkler’s back, holding up a familiar nautilus shell communicator. And the voices echoing out of it made hearts soar.

“Come on Scoots! Babs! Fight that stuff! We love you guys!” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were shouting through the shell. The two of them were an entire world away, and yet right here at hand (or hoof) for their oldest and dearest friends. Cutie Mark Crusaders to the end.

Cheerilee reached over and gave Cadence a supportive hug. Then she paused, amazed at what she was feeling. The pegacorn’s body was warm to the touch, a soothing warm which felt underpinned by a primal potency. She paused and looked closely, her eyes widening. The glow of light was not confined to Cadence’s horn...it was beginning to spread in a soft aura across her entire body. And it was growing in strength as Scootaloo’s surgery, and the associated emotions, built to a peak.

And as her aura grew and spread, Cheerilee could see that Cadence was growing...

Unsure of what was happening, but filled with a certainty that it had to be good and wonderful, she reached back over and hugged the Princess even tighter, trying to share in her burden, and rejoicing in the warmth that she could feel, not just in Cadence now, but all around.

“Almost there, your highness...” she soothed as Cadence’s brow furrowed deep and she gasped in pain. “We’re almost there...”

Doctor Sheffield lay down her tools and, with a gentle touch, reached over and coaxed Scootaloo’s new wings into an open position, allowing everyone to see their healthy coloration and powerful spread.

“Thankyou everyone...and everypony” she said, speaking to the onlookers for the first time, tears trickling over her surgical mask. “We’ve done something amazing here. She’s...she’s healed.”

Everyone cheered, and beneath her forehooves Cheerilee felt Cadence’s body begin to shiver and hum. She held on tight and closed her eyes.

Climax.

Cadence’s eyes flew open, burning with brilliant white light, and she gave a mighty heave, knocking Cheerilee to the ground. As if she was elastic, Cadence’s limbs suddenly stretched in length and her proportions shifted. Cheerilee hit the ground hard and rolled onto her back, but instead of herself her first thoughts were of her friend.

“Cadence!”

Standing before her, gazing into the hereafter and shining with energy, was an Alicorn, Aphrodite or Venus in pony-form, the very picture of feminine beauty. Cadence’s short-cut mane and scrubby tail had billowed out in vibrant, colorful curls, and her wings were spread wide and far. Cheerilee could see Power in that form, and gave an awestruck smile.

They had WON. In that instance she felt it, knew it. Something had changed, and through human and pony love alike, Cadence had Ascended. The PHL had a princess on their side...an Alicorn princess.

“Arise...” a voice whispered, and Cheerilee’s grin faded. Someone else was present, another Alicorn, ethereal and transparent and barely visible, but she was there, hovering over Cadence and regarding her with a deep and endless tenderness. She was tall and slender, with a flowing red mane and a pearly coat.

Then the Alicorn looked around, and regarded everyone with that same warm, loving, and proud gaze. Cheerilee felt a sudden fire in her chest, and gasped...

“Arise...” the Alicorn said again, and smiled. The fire in Cheerilee’s chest burst into full flame, and the world dissolved into a brilliant, infinite light...

*

Somewhere Else, the World between Worlds

“Welcome, Scootaloo of Equestria...” a gentle, motherly voice whispered. The orange filly in question stirred, and opened her eyes, blinking in astonishment.

“Am...am I dreaming...” she said at last, trying to get a bearing on her whereabouts. She was standing in a vast, endless space. Ethereal mist swirled around her hooves, and stars twinkled in splendor above.

And everywhere she looked, there were screens...glowing panels hanging everywhere, and on them, memories of her life were playing.

She cowered slightly, and felt something unfamiliar on her back, a weight that had not been there before. Hesitant, and afraid of what she was about to see, she looked over her own shoulders, and saw a proud, healthy pair of wings.

“I’m dreaming...” she said at last, and gave a nervous laugh. “Yup, I’m still zonked out on medication.”

“No,” the voice who had woken her laughed, and Scootaloo looked in the direction from where it had come. “No you’re not dreaming, my little pony.”

Someone was coming towards her, an Alicorn mare, with a flowing red mane and sparkling blue eyes. An inkwell and quill stood rampant on her flanks, and Scootaloo suddenly felt the strangest sense of familiarity. She knew this mare, somehow, and her instincts all cried out ‘mother’!

“Who...who are you?” she asked.

“I am, the Scribe...” the mare said, smiling. “A racial memory magically carried within every pony. I walked the lands of Equestria in eons past, and I have watched over it ever since. I have seen our people’s triumphs, and failures. Their greatest achievements and lowest fallings.”

Her expression darkened and Scootaloo cowered. There was rage in those eyes, rage and timeless betrayal. She squeaked and hid beneath her hooves.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry for the war, I’m sorry for what we did!”

She heard Scribe trot closer and whimpered. Then a warm wing was draped over her, and she lowered her hooves in surprise. Scribe was lying beside her, and holding her tight under one wing.

“I’m not angry at all with you Scootaloo...” she said, and once again a whimsical light danced in her words and expressions. “In fact I’m proud of you, my little pony. You and your friends have done something amazing...”

“What?”

Scribe smiled and opened her mouth to speak.

*

“...you have performed new magic, Catherine Sheffield of Earth.”

Doctor Sheffield, stripped of her surgical attire and comfortably nude, sipped a non-existent cup of tea and reclined easily in an equally non-existent high-backed chair. It was made of solid gold and padded with red leather, and was of course, non-existent. Lowering her drink she finally looked across at her non-existent host, a willowy woman whose red hair hung comfortably around her shoulders. She dressed in a comfortable sweater and slacks, and seemed normal, but when Sheffield squinted she thought she could see a pair of wings extending from her back; she would have mocked herself for hallucinating up an angel, except she could also, faintly, perceive a long, elegant horn projecting from her companion’s head.

“Bullshit”, she said at last, and the woman, who had introduced herself as ‘Scribe’, laughed over her own cup of coffee.

“Normally I’d agree with you, and trust me, this scenario,” Scribe waved a hand at the rolling void populated only by themselves and the hovering monitors on which Catherine’s memories were unfolding, “this is not what I had planned when I laid out the game-plan for my little ponies. But other hooves meddled in executive decisions, and so here we are, trying to make the best of things.”

Thoughtful, Sheffield lowered the (non-existent) teacup and quickly self-tested herself for signs of a stroke or mental breakdown. 2 + 2 = 4, there were twenty-six letters in the English alphabet, the whole universe was in a hot dense state until fourteen billion years ago when expansion started (wait), Celestia was a bitch and cheesecake tasted better on Tuesdays. Nope, everything seemed to be functioning correctly. Ergo, this was somehow real.

“Alright,” she said at last. “Tell me more.”

Scribe leaned forward companionably. “You’re a gifted surgeon Cathy, and what you did for Scootaloo was nothing short of miraculous. Helping her alone was an act of supreme compassion, but when you realized her wings were regenerating, you didn’t panic or run away. You understood what was happening and had Photo Finish bring as many people as possible to your aid, to lend the positive emotions that would make it possible. Because of you, that filly, who has never known flight, will one day claim her birthright. You made that possible...you performed a work of new magic, and for that, the laws of Deep Magic wish to bestow upon you a high reward...”

Sheffield cocked her head, analytical engines turning in her mind, and comprehended what was being offered. Power, strength, wisdom, and a lifespan that flirted with immortality.

“Okay, before I decide on this Faustian pact, I have two questions.”

She held up two fingers and counted off on them.

“One...I want to know who you are, and what you are.”

“Understood...” Scribe nodded in solemn agreement.

“And two...the haircolour might be a little off and the eyes a touch more...crystally, but why are you dressed like my old roommate Lauren?”

Scribe smiled...

*

“...I wanted to make this meeting as comfortable as possible...” Scribe said to Wildfire, who was gazing at her with suspicion while the immortal racial memory of ponykind trotted around in the guise of a red-headed Wonderbolt Academy drill-sergeant. “Hence why I adopt characteristics of people to whom you hold specific memories or feelings...”

Wildfire rolled her eyes. “Fine, so let’s cut the sweet-talk and get down to brass tacks. You said I helped Scootaloo and the doctors perform some new magic. What does that mean for us?”

“To understand that...you have to know of the Alicorns...” Scribe said sagely, before adding, with a practised military bark, “Eyes forward Cadet!”

*

“So, many years ago, ya, ponies were one single race. Ze Alicorn race...” Scribe explained to Photo Finish, the two of them matching in accent and attire. “Zhey were great, und mighty, the dominant power on Equus, und though mortal lived for thouzands of yearz, all blessed with, strength, flight and ze magicks...”

*

“...and as is the case with all empires, they eventually fell into pride and arrogance...” she said softly to a French PHL commando, as the two of them sat on a bank of cloud and field-stripped their weapons. Scribe brushed a lock of hair out her eyes with and gave a remorseful sigh, before resting one hand on her body armor, over her heart. “And yet they recognized their hubris, and attempted to expunge it from themselves, through a great act of magic, they attempted to purify themselves of all evil, all of their nascent rage and hate, and pour that negativity into a bag. They called this negative range of emotions, ‘the Other Side of the Spectrum’, or the ‘The Rainbow of Darkness’.”

*

“...it went wrong, as you can guess...” she described to Babs Seed as they walked through the nether, Babs trotting along thoughtfully while Scribe stalked along in human form, hands pushed deep into a bomber-jacket worn over the torn T-shirts of a born street-rat.

Babs watched her closely, paused, focused, and then stood up, her body reforming into that of a bipedal pony dressed in similar attire to Scribe, a pair of hooves sticking out from the legs of her own pants.

“Tell me more,” Babs said intently, finally at eye-level with Scribe and matching her poise and bearing with equal moxie, arms folded and fists curled

“Smart kid,” Scribe smirked, and continued. “There was a traitor in their midst...the Alicorn government’s Permanent Secretary of Arcane Science, Tirek...”

*

“...‘Tirek’ was one of the more brilliant mages of the time, and in the Rainbow of Darkness saw his path to ultimate power ...” a resplendent crystalline Scribe said to Cadence, who was nervously acclimatizing herself to her new body as the elder Alicorn showed her the joys of flight.  “He stole the bag, and bonded his spirit with it, shaping for himself a new, demonic form. Motivated by the rage and destructive impulses of an entire species of demi-gods, Tirek laid waste to the world, shattering and perverting the natural of reality, and waged terrible war against the Alicorns. In the process, he attempted to create footsoldiers, mutating many of our fellow creatures and ponies alike into vassal races that would serve him...so were born the minotaurs, the griffons, the changelings and the more mindless beasts that thrive on Equus to this day.”

“Does that mean those other races are inherently evil?” Cadence said at last, directing an affronted gaze at Scribe, as if challenging her answer.

“No, anymore than any human or pony is inherently evil,” Scribe consoled her. “Any being with a mind and soul is free to make its own choices, though those first forebears were unfortunate enough to be under Tirek’s malign influence. Chin up dear and wings back, you’re doing fine...”

*

“...the Alicorns defeated him in time, but at a price. In his final move to destroy everything, Tirek poisoned Equus’s moon with the Rainbow of Darkness and hurled it into the sun, transforming it into a dark star, unable to support life. Weakened but triumphant, Tirek was cast out. The surviving Alicorns strived to rebuild, and shaped a new moon and an artificial micro-sun to orbit Equus under their magical control...but in their victory, they soon found they had cursed themselves by Tirek’s very creation. Rage and hate are undesirable, but without them as a caution within us they found ourselves lessened, reduced...”

Scribe noted down all of this down on a blackboard as Cheerilee listened attentively.

“In the following years the Alicorns discovered the nature of their curse. Future generations were born with only one dominant trait of their forebears; they could have magic, or flight, or strength, but never all three. Thus it was that the pony race was split into three tribes; unicorns, pegasai, and earth ponies. In time, the weakened Alicorns died one by one, and the tribes splintered into factionalism and discord...”

Cheerilee scribbed down some notes with a pen, and then frowned.

“So who does that make you?”

*

“I am the Scribe,” she said to Vinyl Scratch. “An artificial intelligence created magically to archive all of the Alicorn race’s wisdom. But I am also my designer, Faust, Tirek’s number two, who refused to follow him. She based me upon herself, and so much of her went into me, that she considered us to be one. It was Faust, with me as her assistant, who created Discord as an ultimate weapon during the war, a chaotic, creative counterpart to Tirek’s destructive nature. Of course, at first he was just an infant, and she loved him as her own...”

She and Scratch were lying on their backs beneath a stupendous collection of speakers and subwoofers, wiring them together into an ear-shreddingly potent instrument of bass-dropping wubs. The name ‘Octavia’ was painted in loving pink script down the contraption’s side and a glisteningly preserved cello had been mounted upon it like a figurehead.

“Awesome!” Scratch crowed.

“For a while, yes...” Scribe said sadly. “But Faust died in the final battle with Tirek; after taking on the lion’s share of creating the new sun and moon to fulfil his mother’s dying wish, Discord vanished to carry out the mission she had groomed him for...to control reality and yet retain an element of chaos, so as to create challenges for civilization to overcome and thrive upon. But as their race declined, the Alicorns looked to me for salvation. I possessed all of their knowledge, all of Faust’s genius, and much of their spirit. They poured their remaining magic into me in the hope that I could find an answer; as a result I developed sentience, and a physical form based on Faust’s own...but immortal. I was the first undying Alicorn, born artificially through magic. But I would not be the last...”

*

“Turning to me for a cure to their decline didn’t work,” Scribe said sadly to Bon-Bon. The two of them were sitting in silence, Scribe running her hooves over Bon-Bon’s head and trying to delicately unwork the damage that had been done to the creamy confectioner’s mind.

“I became the Alicorns’ immortal sage and oracle, but I could not see a way out. By the time I was coming into full awareness of my knowledge, all the other Alicorns were dead and I was left overseeing the three tribes. I did not interfere with them, much, but shaped them to survive over generations from afar with my magic, and in time they forgot I existed. Instead I waited, and watched, and let them develop and grow into beings of their own, with all the passions and range of emotion that the Alicorns had tried to control without themselves. In time they regained a full and healthy spectrum of feeling. A nudge here and there was all I provided, sweet drops of love in the nectar.”

Bon-Bon made a crooked smile, while Scribe continued.

“As millennia passed the little ponies became my teachers. I possessed all knowledge, and yet I knew so little of life, so I watched, and learned from their conflicts and friendships, and grew in my understanding. In time, I saw an answer...”

*

“I created a spell, and an entire school of magic to execute it. Runic Magic. The spell was vast, and widespread. I travelled the world inscribing its component cantrips and incantations into rocks and gems which I buried deep, writing the fabric of the spell into Equus itself...” Scribe said, a tone of compassion mingled with authority as she spoke to Pipsqueak. She was clad in golden mail and wore a laurel wreath on her brow, a God-Empress incarnate. “And then I sacrificed my life to prime it.”

Pipsqueak saluted in response. “Your sacrifice was great and noble I’m sure, Your Majesty.”

“Please Pip,” she smiled gently. “Even if your subconscious has dressed me like this, I’m not royalty. I’m just the Scribe. Besides, as I understand it you already serve a noble lady by the name of Dinky.”

Pipsqueak blushed.

*

“The spell had several components. First, it would draw upon the magic of all Equus to create two immortals like myself and Discord, stewards that could control nature and the orbits of the spheres above. They would take over these duties from the tribes and so remove that which had caused so much strife between the little ponies, and do their work from the shadows.

“Faust  had shaped Discord according to one of the Alicorn philosopher Aristrotle’s three modes of persuasion; Pathos, and so my creations would be styled upon the other two, Ethos and Logos...”

“Pathos, Ethos, and Logos: Passionate Emotion, Ethical Authority, and Cool Logic...” Maya Akagi nodded. A Japanese specialist in veterinary surgery who had helped work on Scootaloo, her hands were folded neatly in her lap as Scribe continued, dressed in the blue mini-skirt and white lab-coat of a mentor on who Maya had long labored a secret crush. “If Discord was Pathos, then that would make Ethos and Logos...”

“Celestia and Luna, yes...each would possess elements of all three modes, and yet have their personality shaped by a dominant aspect, so as to stimulate creativity and debate. When the spell was triggered, they would be born, my darling daughters...to live and work with Faust’s beloved son. The three of them would regulate the world, and so leave the ponies free to thrive and grow on their own.”

Scribe’s tone grew wistful, and a little sad, before she continued.

“Secondly, with my body dead, the spell would write my living spirit back into a hidden runic computer terminal, but also place a fragment of me into every pony. That is how I became a racial memory, a lingering watcher to monitor what happened. And it would also seed in my ponies my own genes, and the genetic potential to ascend into Alicorns...”

She paused and shared in another weary smile. “A potential which, through the immutable bonds of friendship, magic and harmony, everyone who helped Scootaloo today now shares in...”

*

“So I see, I may be a pony, if I choose to be...” Zecora rhymed thoughtfully as she methodically flowed through a series of martial-arts katas, Scribe besides her doing the same in pony form.

“Not quite a pony, and not quite a zebra...” Scribe continued. “But with Cadence acting as a fulcrum for the emotion in that room, you all shared in the creation of New Magic, and thus share in this experience, and in the reward that comes with it. My being here with you means that the seeds of Alicornhood have now been planted in you.”

“Your experiment with magic, had this goal in mind? For I find it most tragic, that you play with pony-kind.”

Scribe flinched, and then smiled. “It always had to be of their own choice. I gave my life to prime the spell, and then slumbered within its magical framework until the time was right. The runes would not activate until specific conditions had been met...when all three pony races, who had spread far and wide, returned to their native home in Equestria under a banner of friendship. As it was, it happened within a decade, spurred on by a terrible winter.”

Zecora paused, and when she next spoke, her voice was devoid of rhyme.

“The first Heartswarming Eve!”

Scribe nodded. “Of course, my little ponies always found a way to break things a little.”

*

“When Clover the Clever, Private Pansy and Smart Cookie made peace in that cave under the Canterhorn, the spell kicked in, and I was reborn within all ponies...” Scribe chuckled. “I can still see the look on Clover’s face when she was suddenly plumbed into the magic of an entire world. Oh, she was brilliant that one...”

“But it wasn’t just them in that cave...” Derpy Hooves pointed out, her eyes bright and her words clear. “Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead were there too, and so was their distrust and disharmony...”

“Indeed...” Scribe dipped her head.

The two of them were looking through a simulacrum of one of Derpy’s photo albums, and sharing a tray of truly Divine muffins.

“You have a wonderful husband and daughters Derpy. I could never have foreseen that such beauty would have arisen out of my creation...the artist of fate gave you your maladjusted eyes, but the Unseen Audience that looks upon us and smile, they gave you a family...”

“But what about your family?” Derpy said softly. “What about your children. If the spell went wrong, what happened to them?”

“It went...askew...” Scribe answered.

*

“Ethos and Logos were meant to come into existence away from ponies, whole and full-grown, ready to take on their roles.  But the presence of the tribal leaders’ disharmony spanned the spell’s execution. Ethos and Logos, Celestia and Luna, were born inside the cave, as infants. Clover and the other ponies took this as a divine gift, which I suppose they were. I could not intervene, not now that I was but a ghost, and the plan in motion, and so I watched. They were raised with love, and care, and at first kept secret. Clover and her mentor Starswirl suspected that these two powerful fillies had a special purpose, and raised them out of the public eye, which is why their birth never features in the pageants...

“All might have been well, but then, Discord returned. He had never approved of me – ‘Scribble’ as he called me, and objected to my plan. Faust’s goal was for the Alicorn civilization to overcome adversity through the challenges he presented, whereas I wanted to regulate the environment so as to leave the tribes free to sort out their problems in debate and peace. Discord chose to intervene in Equestria, and so begat the Discordian Era...”

“And what about the two sisters?” Spitfire said at last. “They had to go to war, didn’t they?”

“As history shows...” Scribe nodded, as the two serious mares sat facing one another over a campfire. Flying goggles hung from both their necks, and marshmallows were toasting over the flames. “Clover and Starswirl conspired for my daughters to go into hiding under the care of Sint Erklass, the Reindeer king of Adlaborjn in the distant North. When the two girls came of age and power, he returned with them on their hundredth birthday, and they revealed themselves to the public and took up power to fight Discord. After he was banished, the ponies tried to declare them Equestria’s Goddess Queens. They refused the title, but with Equestria devastated, they felt compelled to take up the burden of rule, and did so as Princesses, subservient to a greater power. Harmony.”

“And what about the Elements of Harmony?”

“My greatest shame. They were derived from Faust’s research, and a primitive version was used to defeat Tirek. She died wielding the might of Harmony against his evil. Celestia and Luna desired those notes to destroy Discord. At first I refused - the sight of my daughters at war with Faust’s son...my son, almost broke my heart. But what could I do – I was a spirit computer, a little presence at the back of everypony’s mind. Celestia and Luna knew I was there though, and in time found my terminal, and raised their first castle around it. I tried to guide them as best I could, but when Celestia refused to give up the throne and let the ponies rule themselves, believing she and her unicorn advisors had a better plan, I spoke to them no more. Just sat in the dark and wept for my children.”

“But not before they used the Elements of Harmony of Discord?”

“Yes. Faust’s research into what would become the Elements was buried deep within my circuit vaults. When I refused to relinquish that knowledge, Celestia and Luna tried to create Elements of their own, and a side-effect of a botched attempt resulted in the Crystal Ponies. I rejoice at the beauty of the Crystal Empire, and celebrate life that came unbidden of my plan, but it still grieves me to think of...after more failures, Celestia could not restrain herself any more. She broke into me...and took the data, crafted the Elements, and turned them on her pseudo-brother. She was considerably disappointed when he was merely petrified, not outright killed...”

Spitfire, uncertain of what to do, reached over and patted her on the shoulder.

*

“And so we come full circle...” Scribe concluded to Sheffield. “The Crystal Empire rose and fell, Discord was trapped in stone, and Luna went insane with cumulative grief and resentment...a thousand years later, we pretty much hit the present day.”

“Sint Erklass...” Sheffield repeated. “Your world has a Santa Claus analog?”

“Yes, the reindeer possess the power of flight in their hooves, and since they gave an oppressed Equestria the greatest gift, the princesses who brought peace from Discord, good ol’ Sint entered legend as a wintertime bringer of joy. Each Hearthswarming foals believe that he flies through the sky with his royal court and distributes presents down chimneys.”

“What about Tirek? You said he was banished, not destroyed.”

Scribe frowned. “During the Discordian era, he briefly returned. There was a place known as Dream Valley, and he made a bid for power there, but was overthrown...”

Sheffield frowned, feeling certain that Scribe was holding something back. The sentient construct sighed and gazed heavenwards.

“I feel Tirek’s hand at play in events now, but Celestia has cut me out of her mind, and so I’m left making guesses.”

“Celestia and Luna never went chasing after those rumors?”

“They were too busy carrying out the grand plan Celestia had concieved – to get every race of pony living together in harmony, so as to try and provoke the circumstances that would restore the Alicorn race. They would act as constants, keeping things on track. Celestia called it shepherding, Discord called it stagnation. I still wonder if they’re both right and wrong at the same time.”

“Are you implying eugenics, because that strikes me as distasteful!”

“Not quite, though they hoped to strengthen the pony genome by overcoming social boundaries to marriages between the tribes. All three versions of the plan, Faust, Celestia’s, and mine, had the same ultimate goal: to get all ponies working together, trusting and loving and harmonizing, so as to trigger off powerful magics that could result in individuals ascending. New Magic is one means, but there are others...”

“And so we come back to that. You say we here did New Magic, and you want to reward us...”

“I do,” Scribe, still dressed in the guise of Sheffield’s old college roommate nodded. “You wanted to understand the context, and you can probably guess the burden.”

“Immortality, or a close representation thereof,” Sheffied nodded. “A lonely place to live, but not intolerable, if you have equally long-lived friends...and the responsibility of power...”

*

Wildfire looked Scribe in the eye. At her side she felt Babs join her, striding on two legs with a cocky grin that challenged the universe on her face. Good girl.

“We did something wonderful with Scootaloo,” she said. “New Magic or not, ponies and humans working together achieved a miracle. I want to do more of that...”

*

“For Lyra, in her memory, I will do anything!” Bon-Bon vowed, stomping one hoof on the ground. “I’ve seen the past, and I’ve seen the future. I know what we can do, and for her sake, in her name, I will make that true!”

Scribe beamed with pride. Bon-Bon’s eyes no longer wandered and her mind was no longer at war with itself. Instead, she practically burned with a righteous fury, ready to grapple Equestria one-on-one and bring it into line.

‘Rock on, My Little Ponies!’

*

“...if doing this means I can help other people, that I can help win this war and make everything better afterwards!” Scootaloo crowed, wings flared and chest pushed out, “then I want to! I don’t care if I’ll be lonely, or outlive most everyone! I’ll have Babs, and Wildfire, and my friends, and new friends all down the years, and I’ll be there to serve and protect them, forever and always!”

“So let it be,” Scribe beamed, kneeling down to plant a kiss on the young mare’s brow. “Scootaloo of Equestria, Scion of Love and Harmony, I declare you Awake!”

And the light and love filled the world...

*

And magic makes it all complete...

*

Cheerliee came to with speed and clarity, almost brimming over with energy she jumped to her hooves and spread her...wings.

She turned and looked at herself, eyes wide. Then with one hoof she reached up and found her horn. Without needing to think about how she knew she realized that she needed a mirror and felt a trill of energy crackle in her brain. There was no effort needed at all. She needed a mirror, and the universe bowed to her whims and delivered her one out of thin air.

She stared at her reflection.

‘Holy shit! I look fantastic!’

The mare looking back was familiar, the same face and eyes she saw in a glass every day. But she was now...more. Bigger, sleeker, a natural elegance expressing itself in every curve of her body. Her mane had grown out and now had a lustrous, almost metallic sheen to it, and the flowers on her flank we radiant and proud. All of the dust and grey weariness that had seeped into her over the past few years was gone, replaced with light, and life and effortless knowledge of her purpose and role...to heal the world and make it bloom and shine once more. She could feel her talent inside of her, and the urge to turn it loose was indescribable.

And she felt fantastic. Strong and sure and brimming over with confidence and certainty, buoyed up by the love and harmony in the air.

‘When we find Marcus I am going to ride him like a rodeo bull!’ she decided, and then felt her wings pop to attention in an instinctive expression of arousal. Blushing she displaced the mirror with another touch of the magic inside of her (her aura was a calming sea-green, she noted) and turned around...

...only to prove that it is just as possible for an Alicorn’s jaw to hit the ground as it is for any other pony...

Everyone in the observation lounge had changed, as much as herself. Cadence was aglow with regal power, even as she was being carried around the room by a cheering band of human soldiers who had manifested wings and horns, their armor adjusting itself automatically to fit.

‘Human Alicorns....’ she thought in wonder, and as she looked she saw more. Ponies walking on two legs, humans who had developed remarkable skin-tones and eye-colors besides the wings and horns, humans she did not recognize (who until moments before must have been ponies), and equally new ponies who had changed from humans.

It should have been horrific, a nightmare of distorted bodies and stolen identities, and yet it was not. This was not ponification, which raped the body and soul alike and bound it in chains. This was neither ponies dominating humans nor humans oppressing ponies. She had a sense of rightness, as if everyone had been offered a choice, accepted it, and then come back out the other side wearing the form that expressed them as they truly were.

And all because of Scootaloo...

SCOOTALOO!

She spun to look down into the operating room, and saw an open space in the corner. Focusing her eyes on it she felt the world stretch around her...

BANG!

...and then a warm, extatic (almost erotic) surge of energy inside of her had pulled reality through its own nose and teleported  her down into the open patch of land.

Her heart raced for a second and then stabilised as she took in the sight. Scootaloo was hovering over the operating table, her wings beating and elated tears streaming from her eyes as she turned in circles.

“I CAN FLY! I CAN FLY! THANKYOU EVERYONE, I CAN FLY!”

People were cheering, pumping fists and hooves as newfound magic burst and flashed everywhere, Scootaloo was suddenly joined in the air by furry, bipedal Babs, her own wings blurring as she caught her marefriend with both hands (?) and pulled her in for a kiss. The cheers and applause grew even louder as the two young lovers held one another tight.

Tears of joy were pouring down Cheerilee’s own face. Elated her eyes slid past Doctor Sheffield (who it seemed, had gone full pony, attainting a size and natural grace that rivalled any princess, (with a fifteen-inch horn on her too...was she feeling jealous?). Photo Finish had gone the other way however, fully human except for the extra appendages, holding her camera in her new hands and turning it over in disbelief...

‘Hands...oh hands will come in handy when I see Marcus...’

Cheerilee bucked down another perverted flash of inspiration (with the distinct feeling that her actual bucks could probably go through armour plating now) and instead turned her thoughts to another mare, one who suddenly teleported into place opposite her.

“Bon-Bon!”

The creamy Alicorn looked at her, and Cheerilee felt a sudden shock run over her as they made eye-contact. Then she hurled herself forward with one flap of her wings and tackled her old friend from Ponyville with an elated shout.

“You’re healed! Bon-Bon you’re healed!”

“Yeah...yeah I am...” Bon-Bon smiled weakly before looking up at the ponies, humans and shades of in-between cheering and throwing magic about above and around them. “Lyra would love this...”

Then, her eyes widening, Bon-Bon stood up. Literally, stood on her back legs which shifted fluidly to accommodate her, and took on a form that, like Babs, was not quite human or not quite pony, dressed in charcoal-grey combat armour and with fire in her eyes. She stared at her new fingers for a second and Cheerilee distinctly saw her lips form the syllables ‘Lyra’...

...and then Bon-Bon reached into her bag and snatched up the battered lyre she carried everywhere. For a second she cradled it to her chest, and then, eyes shut, she slowly began to pick at the strings...

...the notes were rusty at first, as was the instrument, but as Bon-Bon played people began to listen. Eyes turned towards her and tongues fell silent, as the anthropomorphic Alicorn, wings spread angelically, continued to play. And as she got further and further, the smoother and more beautiful the music became, as if someone else were with her guiding her through the scales and chords. Her horn began to glow, enveloping the lyre in loving sparkles of magic, and as Cheerilee watched with fresh awe, she saw it was being restored, straightening out and stripped of layers of dirt and rust. As Bon-Bon came to the end of her sudden recital, she was smiling, and the instrument looked brand-new.

“Goodbye...” she whispered at last, as the final plinking notes dissolved in the reverent silence.

Then she looked up at everyone and everypony, and held the gleaming golden lyre up high.

“FOR LYRA HEARTSTRINGS!” she shouted, voice clear and full of resolve. Everyone roared the vow back at her, shaking the bunker with the declaration.

“I’ve seen the future!” Bob-Bon continued, lowering her voice slightly. “I’ve seen multiple futures! I’ve seen Earth vanquished and Equestria triumphant! I’ve seen the last human fall to a bottle of potion!”

Then, as murmurs of discontent rumbled around, she hardened her eyes and roared, holding the lyre aloft like it was a sacred relic. Perhaps it now was.

“BUT I’VE ALSO SEEN THAT WE CAN WIN! AND WE ARE NOT ALONE! HELP IS COMING! AND WITH THAT HELP, WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE TIDE OF WAR BACK! WE’RE GOING TO SAVE BOTH OUR WORLDS, AND WE WILL CAST DOWN, AND CAST OUT, THE TYRANT WHO CALLS HERSELF CELESTIA!”

The cheer that went up was epoch-changing. Cheerilee stood in silence and counted heads. Of the several hundred people and ponies assigned to the bunker, at least a fifth had been present for this. That was eighty to a hundred Alicorns, bipeds and quadrupeds alike. Derpy and her family, Vinyl, Wildfire, Spitfire, nurses and doctors and engineers and so many others.

They had strength, they had Spike, they had weapons and runic magic and a Tardis.

But most of all they had ummutable bonds of love, and each other.

“WE ARE GOING TO WIN THIS!” Bon-Bon swore. “FOR EARTH, FOR EQUESTRIA, FOR LYRA!”

And Cheerilee believed it...and then Bon-Bon looked her way, eyes bright and smiling widely.

“And Cher’...I know where your Marcus is!”

‘Find...fingers...fun...fast!’

*

In a treehouse on the corner of an apple-farm, three mares gathered around a nautilus shell stared at one another in shock. They felt their horns, tested their wings, tried to catch their bearings...

...but it was when Carrot Top pointed in shock at Applebloom and Sweetie Belle’s flanks that the cheering really began...

And for a few moments, despite the baleful glare of the Eternal Sun, morning in Ponyville truly shimmered, yes, morning in Ponyville shined!

“HOLD IT!!!!” a voice shouted...

PAUSE (II)

*

The Editor’s Lounge, None of Your Business Where

“This is the big twist!?” Discord demanded, waving a remote control in disbelief. “Spontaneously ascending almost a hundred people into demi-gods without any fore-warning. ‘Double Rainboom’ did better than that and they threw in the POWERPUFF GIRLS!”

“I dunno,” said Pinkie Pie, munching through a tub of pop-corn. “I thought it was awesome! Meanie-pants Celestia is going to get her flank paddled by an ARMY of Alicorns!”

She chewed for a moment and then summed up her feelings in one word,  expression stern and eyes hard.

“Bitchin’!”

Discord shook his dead and reached forward with the remote.

REWIND (<<)

“It’s a mess...” he said as the chapter rolled backwards, ascensions and revelations unwinding themselves back into nebulous realms of untold story. “I mean, the bits with Mom’s shadow...sorry, ‘Scribble’, describing ancient history were pretty accurate, not perfect, but close enough, and some of the material is moving if you’re into soppiness, but seriously, what were those two ‘authors’ thinking!?”

He snapped his fingers and two sock-puppet humans popped into being. One wore glasses and was balding, the other had a darker skin tone and more hair.

“Oh, hello there Redskin...” he said as he controlled the four-eyed puppet, adopting a sarcastic British accent. “You wanted my thoughts on how Scootaloo should wake up from surgery, and I think we should spin it into a huge plot-twist where everyone involved becomes Alicorns! Forget King Sombra, this will be an entire swarm of omnipotent, underdeveloped OCs! Mary Sues for everyone!”

“Wut?” the other puppet said in disbelief, a Texan drawl colouring the single syllable.

“Oh it’s alright, I conceived it out of boredom while driving my Nissan one day...” Discord sarcastically replied. “For I am the Great & Authorial TB3, self-published novelist and Bringer of Awesome! Pip-pip, tally-ho, God Save Lizzie!”

“Ah, I think he’s meant to be Welsh, not English,” Pinkie corrected, rolling her eyes at the King of Hammy Acting’s performance.

“Then we’ll throw in some jokes about sheep and animal husbandry in the edit!” Discord cut back, before discarding the two Author Avatars with another wave of a paw. Then he reached forward and pointed the remote again.

STOP (-)

“Seriously,” he ranted. “It’s barely a narrative, just a string of exposition strung out along a train of vignettes, coupled up with a nonsensical ending that shame M. Night Shyamalan!”

“And with a healthy soupcon of meta-humor, don’t forget!” Pinkie laughed, bouncing up from her recliner. “Lauren cameos and jokes about Season 3’s writing never go out of style!”

Hovering in mid-air she flailed her arms and briefly looked like a sketch from a certain cartoon’s Creative Bible, one of a candy-maned Pegasus who had consumed enough sugar to imitate a hummingbird!

“See, there they go again!” Discord scowled, pointing up into the infinite void of the Fourth Wall. “Now they’re comparing you to Surprise, see! What are they trying to do, pad out the fic’s TV Tropes page!?”

“Oh, now there’s a thought!” the Pony Girl Extraordinaire (Pinkazoid! Pinkazoid!) agreed enthusiastically, landing sharply back on her chair and ticking off points on her limbs;

“Scootaloo getting to fly = Crowning Moment of Heartwarming. Bon-Bon pulling off a St. Crispin’s Day Speech = Crowning Moment of Awesome! This entire chunk here = Crowning Moment of Funny!”

“Well I don’t like it!” Discord fumed, folding his (suddenly many) arms and bending himself into a sitting position that defied Euclidian Geometries and the animation capabilities of Flash. “If you want characters to suddenly start acting out of character like this, go read a Chatoyance fic! The whole point of Spectrum was to defy Conversion Bureau archetypes, not ramble into these kind of divergences...”

“Did you never read The French Lieutenant’s Woman Discy!” Pinkie consoled him cheerily. “Sometimes the story wants to do things differently from the author...”

“That’s it!” Discord sat bolt upright, the effect looking something like a series of knots being pulled straight. He let out a long chuckle. “Oh this will really screw with their minds! Delicious!”

“Ooooh,” Pinkie looked eagerly towards him. “Someone’s got a plaaaaaaaaaan!”

“Indeed Pinkamina my dear. I’m going to let them have their cake, eat it, and then rip the cake out of their stomachs and feed it to someone else!” the spirit of Chaos purred, reaching forward to tap at the fabric of reality.

EJECT (^)

“Ooooooh, this gun be good!” the party-pony (and sometime editor of fanfics) cheered as her companion caught a VHS cassette that spat out from between two paragraphs and pressed a finger to its casing. Familiar swirls of mind-bending power flashed in the two plastic windows over the spools.

“Now...we begin!” he cackled, as thunder crashed in the dimensionless space.

“Thankyou Pinkie,” he added, glancing to where the mare was holding a large panel of sheet metal. “Always ready with a sound effect!”

“Yup!” she beamed. “Well what are you waiting for!? Get the Party Restarted!”

“Good! Then we can begin!” he smirked, forcing the tape back into the story and wielding the remote as if it were Excalibur itself. “One more Thunderous Clash please Pinkie?”

!!!THUNDEROUS CLASH!!!

“Delightful...”

PLAY (>), RECORD (O)

*

New York City Presbyterian Hospital, 2023 Anno Dominae

Scootaloo woke slowly as the anaesthetic wore off. She was on a gurney, and could hear its wheels squeaking as she was moved down a corridor. Bright light burned into her eyes and she instinctively vomited into a bed-pan that was being held by her face.

“There you go, brave girl. Let it all out...” someone murmured, and she felt a set of fingers gently scratching behind her ears. She mewled quietly and relaxed onto the pillow, content to let the world spin as she was moved to Recovery.

There had been...a dream. Screens, and a soothing voice, and a sense of strength and boundless love...

She smiled to herself. Babs had been there with her, and they had been Awesome.

Then the smile faded as she realised her situation. Reaching behind her, she felt for her wings.

There was nothing there. They were gone forever. She was grounded.

Scootaloo wept. But then the dream stirred again in the back of her mind and brushed away the tears.

‘This is Earth. I don’t need wings to fly! I could handle a scooter, so I bet I could fly a jet...let Rainbow Dash just try and catch up to me if I’m soaring on tireless steel wings at Mach 3!”

She scowled as she thought of her old idol, and then sighed and let the festering feelings of hurt, betrayal and loss go. She had true heroes to look up to now. She had the PHL, and Wildfire...

“Scoots!” that very mare cried out as she was pushed into the Recovery Ward, and Scootaloo felt her heart soar to heights that no feather or fighter could reach.

“Hey Fire’,” she said, her voice almost lost in the depths of soft blankets and fluffy pillows. “I came back...”

“And I always knew you would,” the spirited mare said fondly, before bending over and kissing her softly on the brow. “Babs brought some friends to see you...”

“Dinky...Pip?” she asked, hearing the sounds of several hooves approaching. Wildfire shook her head, tears of happiness in her eyes.

“No honey. Even better.”

She stepped aside so that Scootaloo could be propped up carefully. The sound of approaching ponies was getting nearer, and with it was a pair of strange, yet familiar scents, rising warmly over the acrid sterility of the ward.

One smelt of...forest flowers, like a natural perfume that spoke of sunshine and laughter.

The other...apple, and cinnamon, and just a touch of sweat earned after a hard day’s work.

Scootaloo felt tingles run over herself and slowly turned on her pillow.

“Sweetie Belle? Applebloom?”

“Yeah, Scoots. It’s us...” one of the two young mares said softly, her cherry-pink mane hanging limply down the back of her neck. The other just smiled with a tender pride, but trotted softly in place as if holding back her anticipation. Babs hung to one side, eyes warm and loving.

Then Scootaloo threw her forelegs apart and the three of them rushed to her, crowding around her gurney and sharing tears, hugs and cries of apology.

“I missed you guys! I missed you guys so much!”

Wildfire watched it all and did her best to hold back her tears as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were reunited.

“Thanks for bringing them home to us CT...” she said to another adult mare. “Scootaloo needed this.”

“Don’t thank me,” Carrot Top smiled back. “Sweetie Belle convinced Applebloom to come.”

She nodded towards the euphoric young mares. “They did this all by themselves.”

The four Crusaders were so glad and proud to be together that none of them noticed when three flashes of light went off simultaneously around Sweetie, Bloom and Scootaloo’s flanks, three brilliant puffs of magic.

But Wildfire saw, and could not wait until the glorious moment came when the three girls noticed. A threefold cutecenera looked to be on the horizon soon. She had promised Scoots a Vespa...that would make a brilliant gift for such a party...

Her hoof brushed against something, and she looked down. Applebloom had arrived wearing a Stetson hat, which had fallen off in the sudden dash to Scootaloo’s bedside. She rolled her eyes and then picked it up with one wing, noticing a label in the brim.

Curiousity gave way to surprise, and then confusion.

“How did Applebloom get hold of one of Clint Eastwood’s hat?”

*

Photo Finish was confused, and a little apprehensive. But most of all she was tired, a weariness that neither caffeine pills or a half-drunk (and very cold) mug of coffee could treat.

Her private corner of the PHL complex was called ‘Public Relations’, though in truth she dealt more in propaganda for distribution beyond the Barrier, and video documentation of the PHL’s activities. Right now she was in a sealed section, the ‘Hands Free A/V Lab’, one where no humans were allowed. That was not bigotry so much as practicality. This was where film and audio were magically transferred to Equestria gemstones, creating a record that could cross the barrier. No human touch or influence in the process could be allowed, so as to not endanger the risk of the barrier detecting and destroying vital evidence of human/equine harmony.

This was her trump card. Even if Earth fell, these archives would remain, seeding discontent within Celestia’s regime.

But one particular film was giving her trouble, the one she had recorded today during Scootaloo’s surgery. Herself and a human USAF cameraman had documented the entire process, not just for posterity, but for ongoing research into pony physiology.

Pausing in her fruitless efforts she sat back and rubbed her eyes. Then, she tapped at another crystal lying on the workstation and let herself relax as a familiar voice carried her away.

“I’ve...I’ve been allowed to uphold my right of Final Words...” the voice of Lyra Heartstrings echoed out of the shard. Behind her words could be heard the slow-rolling roar of an angry crowd, and a rising piece of music that Photo Finish had edited in to lend weight to the speech. “...a chance to justify myself, as either a martyr to humanity, or a traitor to equinity...and so I’d like to borrow from the words of a great human, Charlie Chaplin...”

Lyra’s voice took a deep breath and she began to speak, reciting from memory:

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be a martyr or a traitor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to subvert or conquer anyone anywhere. I should like to help everyone - if possible – Pony, Human - biped - quadruped.

We all want to help one another. Social beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In these two worlds there is room for everyone. Equus and the good Earth are rich in resources and ideas, and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Fear and greed have poisoned our souls, barricaded borders with hateful barriers, and marched us into misery and bloodshed. We say our ‘enemy’ has developed speed, and so we shut ourselves in. Their machinery which could give abundance has inspired our fear. Our war with Sombra has made us cynical. Their history has made them sometimes hard and unkind. Now we both feel too much and feel too little. But more than their machinery, we need the genius of humanity. More than cleverness, they need our kindness and gentleness. Without these shared qualities, our worlds will be violent and all will be lost....

The accident at CERN brought us together in flesh, but Celestia divided us in spirit. Yet the very nature of all races cries out for the goodness in all - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children; colts, mares and little foals – all victims of a system that makes us torture and mutilate innocent people...”

Lyra had hoped that someone in the crowd was recording the message. And she was right. Her Final Words became not a useless tirade against a brainwashed crowd, but a rallying cry to all corners of two worlds.

“...to those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of those who fear the way of harmony and progress. The hate of man’s history will pass, and the Tyrant of Equestria die, and the power taken from the ponies and the people will return to those same. And so long as we are mortal, liberty will never perish.

Ponies! Newfoals! Humans! Don’t give yourselves to brutes – the Queen who despises you - enslaved you - who regiments your lives - tells you what to do - what to think and what to feel! Who drills you - diets you - treats you like animals, uses you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to this unnatural Beast – a machine mare, with a machine mind and a machine heart! You are not machines! You are not weapons! You are living beings! You have the love of others in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate - the unloved and the unnatural. Guardsponies! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In a great human book it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” - not one man nor a group of men, but in all! In you! You, the people, you, the people, have the power - the power to create peace. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make our unified worlds a wonderful adventure.

Then - in the name of freedom - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for this new age - a decent time that will give all a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, a brute has risen to power. But she lies! She does not fulfil that promise. She never will! Tyrants free themselves but they enslave the people!

Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free these worlds - to do away with the barrier - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where magic and science and true harmony will lead to the happiness of all. Ponies! Humans! My brothers and sisters! In the name of Earth, and Equestria, let us all unite!”

The dubbed-in music hit a crescendo and faded away. The recording continued, as Lyra turned to her fellow prisoner and said farewell.

“Bonnie, can you hear me? Whatever happens, look on Bonnie! The clouds are lifting! The sun is breaking through! We are coming out of the darkness into the light! We are coming into a new world; a kind new world, where we’ll rise above hate, greed, and brutality. Our souls have been given wings and at last are beginning to fly. Flying into the rainbow. Into the light of hope! Into the future! The glorious future! That belongs to you, to me, and to all of us. Look on Bonnie, look on! I love you!”

Then there was a crackle of magic and stone, and Bon-Bon’s screams as guards rushed forward, and the smashing and shattering of hopes and dreams and love. Then, before Bon-Bon’s own execution could proceed, the screaming, holy roar of the TARDIS’s engines as the entire Hooves clan rushed onto the scene. Too late to save Bon-Bon’s mind, but fast enough to save her life...

Photo Finish sighed as the recording ended. Poor Bon-Bon. Poor Lyra. Poor everyone. And yet despite the mixture of triumph and despair held within this one crystal, it was the one she listened to the most. It reminded her of why they were fighting.

Rejuvenated she turned back to the footage from earlier that was giving her trouble. All was normal until the very end. Scootaloo’s surgery had proceeded in silence, with only a few onlookers watching on from the observation lounge above, and when her back had been closed up, the doctors had washed her down and wheeled her away. All normal.

Except for...THERE! Photo Finish’s hooves played over the monitor’s controls. Every so often the image flickered, and she had gone back to edit out what were clearly skipped or corrupted frames.

But the last one was...not. There was no static or scrambled data. Instead, something was in visible in the image that had definitely not been present in the operating theatre when the video was filmed.

Bending over Scootaloo, tenderly nuzzling the crippled orange filly, was a red-maned and white-coated Alicorn mare...

*

“You may think novelists always have fixed plans to which they work, so that the future predicted by Chapter One is always inexorably the actuality of Chapter Thirteen. But novelists write for countless different reasons: for money, for fame, for reviewers, for parents, for friends, for loved ones; for vanity, for pride, for curiosity, for amusement: as skilled furniture makers enjoy making furniture, as drunkards like drinking, as judges like judging, as Sicilians like emptying a shotgun into an enemy's back. I could fill a book with reasons, and they would all be true, though not true of all. Only one same reason is shared by all of us: we wish to create worlds as real as, but other than the world that is. Or was. This is why we cannot plan. We know a world is an organism, not a machine.”

- John Fowles, ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’

*

AUTHOR NOTES

Hi all. TB3 here. This chapter represents my last contribution to ‘The Conversion Bureau: On The Other Side Of The Spectrum’, and I hope it reflects all of the drama, humour and feeling that the story has inspired in me.

My decision to leave does not represent any quarrel between the creators, but is instead so that I can focus on my own writing outside of fanfiction. My first novel, ‘Timewreck Titanic’ was published last April and I am now working on another, and this requires much time and effort. I will still be helping in a reduced capacity with developing the story, but will no longer be writing or devoting vast periods of time to it.

It was an honour to help Redskin rework and extend this story, and to him and his talented team of editors and co-writers I wish the best.

LONG LIVE MLP! LONG LIVE FIMFICTION! LONG LIFE OUR FANDOM!

The Writes of Passage

THE WRITES OF PASSAGE

Written by TB3

Edited by Redskin122004

“It is only when our characters and events begin to disobey us that they begin to live.”

- John Fowles, ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’

“You did something today that’s never been done before. Something that not even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship the way you do.”

- Princess Celestia

Ponyville, Equestria, 6th Year Anno Harmonia

Morning in Ponyville shimmered. Yes, morning in Ponyville shone...in a sickly sort of way. But with the Divine Sun ascending over the horizon and the monotonous sounds of the dawn chorus in the air, nopony commented on it. Not on how the sun, although bright and radiant, seemed to cast a colder, more pallid light, or how everything on which it cast its’ gaze seemed...lesser. Not washed out, or colourless, or even decayed. Just lesser, diminished, reduced.

But nopony commented on it.

Over on the far side of town, Sweet Apple Acres was in full production. With more mouths to feed, the venerable agribusiness was expanding rapidly. Now, with a few Royal Grants (and a touch of Solar Fire to release up lands formerly occupied by the outliers of the Everfree Forest) neat, monotonous lines of apple trees extended for miles around the farm’s old footprint, extending with all the grasp and reach of a gorging octopus.

Yes, Ponyville shimmered, and the farm thrived.

Applebloom hated it. She hated the sameness of it all, and the nameless, joyless armies of newly planted trees. She hated the cement and clapboard bunkhouse that had been erected to house the expanding workforce, an ugly brick that not even bright paint and cheerful murals could harmonise with what she had once called home. She hated how she almost never saw her sister anymore, and how Big Macintosh was too increasingly busy liaising with the Ministry of Supplies to personally come down from Canterlot and tend to the farm. She knew it was essential to his cover story, so as to hide his affiliations with certain entities outside of Equestria, but it still stung.

And yet, Sweet Apple Acres was bigger, healthier, stronger and turning record profits, but she loathed every microcosm of it.

...and nothing rose her ire more than the ponies now employed by the farm. She kept it secret, balled the emotion up tight and buried it deep inside, but in her heart of hearts it only seemed to burn with a greater, more focused intensity.

The newfoals. Oh, how she hated the newfoals. It was their fault. Their fault that she had been left to run this soulless monster of a farm, their fault that she never saw her beloved siblings outside of a few stolen moments.

Their fault that she was, almost entirely, alone.

And so, when those emotions needed a release, the yellow youth, no longer a filly but not quite yet a mare, her rosy hair tied back in a straightforward pony-tail, came here to let them out, in front of Granny Smith’s grave.

“You were riht’ Granny...” she said at last, trying to hold tears back from her eyes. “You were right wen’ you said this weren’t any good. The war, the government contract, Applejack joinin’ the Salvation Armee’. You were right about it all...”

Granny Smith had died six months after the Barrier had began to expand over Humanland (or whatever the thrice-cursed rattlesnake of a rock was called). Her final days, which should have been full of family and tender love, were cold and lonely, with only Applebloom and Bic Mac and a few exemplary exceptions in attendance. Carrot-Top, Braeburn, and, of all ponies, the Flim-Flam brothers, had been the only ones to share the burden. Applejack had been ‘too busy’. Granny had passed on in sadness, grieving for her ‘lost’ granddaughter.

“Don’t let the same happen to you, darlin’ little Bloom...” the wise old matriarch had whispered weakly. “Don’t let pride and glory steal away whatchou are most of all. Never stop being the brave, strong, amazing little pony you are...”

“Ah’ promise, Granny Smith...” had been Applebloom’s reply. “Ah’ promise I’ll never abandon Sweet Apple Acres...”

“No! Landsakes no Bloom’! Get yerself away from this place as soon as you ken’. Get out of Ponyville, getch yerself outa Equestria! This hole’ place has been poisoned. It’s dyin’ Bloom, and what’ll be left will soon be just a corpse, movin’ and talkin’ and playin’ like it were alive, but dead through and through...”

“I can’t Granny! I can’t leave the farm! Our roots are here, this place is the Apple family! I can’t leave...”

And so she had remained, and endured. Times had gotten tougher. When Applejack had shown her disloyal muzzle at Granny Smith’s funeral, the situation hit rock bottom. Applebloom had gone on a right proper tear in an attempt to shame her sibling, at how AJ had broken the sacred bonds of kith and kin. Applejack however, had returned her sister’s attacks with equal force, accusing her of disloyalty to the Greater Family, to the Herd itself.

Applebloom shivered as she remembered. The creature screaming back at her, while Granny Smith was still warm in her casket, was not the sister she remembered. None of Applejack’s warmth and love shone in those eyes, just a dark fire that spoke of endless wrath. When Applebloom looked deep into them, all she could see was a hoof smashing down on a pony’s face, forever and always, ad infinatum...

Yes, Applebloom hated it all. And yet, some twisted perversion of loyalty had kept her here. She had contracts to support, a nation to feed, a Queen to SERVE. It might have all been the newfoals fault, but she had NO SYMPATHY for the Humans either. Her own hoof, strong and muscled from years of hard work, ground deep into the soil beneath it, and she imagined she was FORCING POTION down the throat of a DIRTY MONKEY. It would have been better if HER DIVINE MAJESTY Celestia had just wiped them all out...they were lucky that they were being SHOWN MERCY...Applejack was RIGHT to DEVOTE HERSELF to this RIGHTEOUS CRUSADE...

...and then the alien thought, the wave of sudden, unbidden rage, passed away from her, and Applebloom shuddered and fell forward onto Granny Smith’s humble grave, face pressed into her forehooves and eyes weeping huge, hot, emotional tears.

“What do Ah do, Granny? I’ve got responsibilities here, but I’m turnin’ into one af’them! What do I do!”

“Escape...” someone said, softly and tenderly. Applebloom sat up straight, just as something fell from an overhanging tree, and landed neatly atop her head.

It was a hat. Applebloom instinctively swiped it off and looked down at it. What a fine hat it was, too, a Stetson, crafted from a soft tan material with a darker band around the crown. It was far from new, but it seemed to have been well cared for, loved even. She flipped it over and read a label stitched inside the brim:

PROPERTY OF THE EASTWOOD ARCHIVES: FILM, A FISTFULL OF DOLLARS. HAT #1.

Then she lifted her eyes to the tree from which it had fallen, and felt her lips pull into a grimace as her eyes narrowed.

“Sweetie Belle...” she growled.

“Applebloom,” the other young mare nodded back, her beautiful green eyes sad, but glowing with resolve. From where she stood she was just out of Applebloom’s reach, and for a long moment the two ex-Crusaders regarded one another in a silent stalemate.

“What do you want, traitor!” Applebloom said at last, spitting out the last word. It was a personal touch, with no bearing on Sweetie Belle’s ‘outlaw status, just an expression of how deeply she felt betrayed when Sweetie Belle had gone into hiding without even a goodbye...

Then she brandished the Stetson. “And what in the hay is this!”

“A present from some friends,” Sweetie Belle said simply, before extended her sentence with a sight. “Can I please come down and pay my respects to Granny?”

Applebloom immediately shifted into a defensive stance, the hat gripped between her teeth as she placed herself before the sad little grave, protecting it. But then Sweetie Belle reached into another saddlebag, and pulled out a little glass jar, filled with an iridescent jelly.

“Zap Apple Jam...” Applebloom said, her voice a surprised whisper, and Sweetie nodded.

“It’s from the batch we helped her make...the Cutie Mark Crusaders that is. I thought she’d appreciate the gesture.”

Applebloom hesitated, but then she glanced over her shoulder at the gravestone, on which she had painstakingly carved a familiar apple-pie cutie mark.

“Alright, fine...” she said at last, stepping aside.

“Thank you Bloom’,” Sweetie Belle said, and then she took a step off of the branch. Applebloom leapt forward in an instinctive attempt to catch the alabaster unicorn, but to her amazement, she saw that her ‘old friend’ was walking down an invisible staircase, her horn glowing and a musical note ringing out every time she placed a hoof on the unseen ‘steps’.

“That...that’s some real fancy magic, Sweets...” Applebloom muttered, keeping her distance as the other pony stepped past.

“And this is a beautiful little marker Bloom’,” Sweetie answered, regarded the gravestone. “Your hoofsmanship is amazing.”

Applebloom bit back a word of thanks; she owed the unicorn nothin’. But she could not feel a pang as Sweetie Belle gently levitated the precious jar of Zap Apple Jam onto the grave, and then from her saddlebags pulled an old set of bunny ears, which she rested on her head. Then she did a strange, familiar little dance and laughed sadly.

“Sleep well, Granny. I’m so sorry I was unable to come sooner. And I promise to take care of Applebloom, as you would have wanted. Goodbye, and go with my love.”

As she listened uneasily, Applebloom felt that same snarl reshape her expression.

“Take care of me! What do you mean ‘take care of me’. And how in the hay did you get this hat into Equestria! The Barrier stops al’ human artefacks from passin’ through!”

“It was an experiment to determine the limits of the barrier,” Sweetie Belle answered, her eyes still fixed on Granny Smith’s final rest. “It’s actually an exact replica of a human object, alchemically crafted from Equestrian raw materials. The real hat is safe in a film museum somewhere.”

She then turned, and Applebloom took a step back, seeing unexpected tears in the unicorn’s eyes.

“I knew that Applejack promised you a hat of your own when you were old enough to inherit the farm, AB. She forgot that promise, but I didn’t.”

Applebloom clutched the Stetson a little closer to her barrel, her mouth dry and unable to form words. Sweetie Belle managed a smile and then, sniffing, wiped her eyes dry with a hoof.

“I’m so sorry Bloom’, for everything that happened. Rarity helped me run away before she was taken, but you had to watch Applejack degrade before your own eyes. But why did you keep yourself here and prolong your suffering, you stubborn little filly?”

The word ‘filly’ caused Applebloom to jump, and with a deep shame she looked back at her flank. No cutie mark was blazoned on her haunches, and she was beginning to wonder if it ever would. Slowly she turned her gaze to the other pony’s hind legs, and saw a field of pearly white fur.

‘Two blank flanks met by a grave’, she thought to herself. ‘Sounds like a bad joke.’ But instead of expressing that thought, she instead began to sing, an old and almost forgotten tune.

“We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders...” she whispered softly.

“On a quest to find out who we are...” Sweetie finished, her own voice a sad whisper. Then she paused and gave another sigh. “I guess we did.”

“Yeah...” Applebloom replied lamely. “A silly little filly who couldn’t see the trap she was in...”

“And another who ran away from her best friend when she needed her the most...” Sweetie added, her own ears sagging.

“What happened, Sweets?” Applebloom said at last. When no answer came she expanded the question, sweeping one hoof around to ecompass the whole valley. “To us, to Equestria...to Scootaloo and Babs?”

“Celestia happened,” Sweetie said without hesitation, despite a waver in her voice. “She did this, and Big Mac and I are with the ponies and people trying to set that right.”

She extended a hoof towards her old schoolfriend. “You can too, AB. I know you promised Granny to put the farm first, but you know you need to get out of her. And you can help Scootaloo as well.”

Applebloom’s eyes flew back up to meet Sweetie’s gaze. “What’s wrong with Scootaloo.

“You remember how she could never fly, and the doctors didn’t know why. Well we know now, it’s the Disharmony Necrosis...without love and support, her wings never developed. They got sick instead, and began to kill her.”

“Kill...her...” Applebloom said in shock, her chest heaving. “Is she...has she?”

“No,” Sweetie said, shaking her head firmly. “She’s alive, but she needs your help, right now.”

Applebloom pulled herself to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s in surgery, but something’s happened, and she needs as many ponies who love her to help her through it.”

“Alright then, lets...wait a second,” Appleboom paused, and a shade of suspicion flickered over her features. “Ain’t this just a little convenient. You coulda approached me when Granny Smith died, or at any time since. Why now, when Scoot’s gets ‘sick’.”

She almost expected an angry retort, but Sweetie instead ducked her head and dug at the earth in a gesture of shame. Not for the first time, Applebloom noticed how...robust her old friend was looking. Sure, she still had all of her sister’s grace and elegance, but it was like the shine on the edge of a knife. If it weren’t for the horn, Sweetie Belle could almost be mistaken for a rough-and-tough Earth Pony. Seeing her pawing in the dirt like...well, Fluttershy, was unnerving.

“I was...afraid,” Sweetie said eventually. “Too scared to approach you. Rarity told me to run away and Zecora gave me her old hut. I went into the Everfree Forest and almost never came out, and left you here alone. It was wrong.”

She raised her head, and this time, there was fire in her eyes. If the Element of Loyalty could be convinced that its current bearer was evil and it needed a fresh start, then Sweetie Belle was an excellent second choice by any means.

“Rarity got taken, and I ran away. Babs and Scootaloo were brave enough to escape, and I ran away. You needed me, and I ran away. Not anymore, I’m not abandoning any of you again. My sisters, friends...”

“...confidantes, bosom buddies, compadres...” Applebloom joined in with the familiar oath (they never did get around to revising the swearing-in ceremony).

“...and Cutie Mark Crusaders!” they finished together. Yay.

“What’s the plan?” Applebloom asked at last.

“Carrot Top is waiting for us with supplies over at the old CMC Treehouse. She’s got a magical communicator that can reach PHL headquarters in New York. We can give our support to Scootaloo through that. Afterwards, the three of us pick up Big Mac, hit the Underground Railway, and get out of here as quick as we can!”

Applebloom gave one look around the farm...what was left of it. It was decision time, and yet she had no trouble at all making her choice. The sight of glassy-eyed newfoals toiling in the fields made it for her.

“Let’s go, Sweetie Belle! Ride em out!” she declared, setting the gifted Stetson back on her head. It fit like a charm.

New York City Presbyterian Hospital, 2023 Anno Dominae

Scootaloo woke slowly as the anaesthetic wore off. She was on a gurney, and could hear its wheels squeaking as she was moved down a corridor. Bright light burned into her eyes and she instinctively vomited into a bed-pan that was being held by her face.

“There you go, brave girl. Let it all out...” someone murmured, and she felt a set of fingers gently scratching behind her ears. She mewled quietly and relaxed onto the pillow, content to let the world spin as she was moved to Recovery.

There had been...a dream. Screens, and a soothing voice, and a sense of strength and boundless love...

She smiled to herself. Babs had been there with her, and they had been Awesome.

Then the smile faded as she realised her situation. Reaching behind her, she felt for her wings.

There was nothing there. They were gone forever. She was grounded.

Scootaloo wept. But then the dream stirred again in the back of her mind and brushed away the tears.

‘This is Earth. I don’t need wings to fly! I could handle a scooter, so I bet I could fly a jet...let Rainbow Dash just try and catch up to me if I’m soaring on tireless steel wings at Mach 3!”

She scowled as she thought of her old idol, and then sighed and let the festering feelings of hurt, betrayal and loss go. She had true heroes to look up to now. She had the PHL, and Wildfire...

“Scoots!” that very mare cried out as she was pushed into the Recovery Ward, and Scootaloo felt her heart soar to heights that no feather or fighter could reach.

“Hey Fire’,” she said, her voice almost lost in the depths of soft blankets and fluffy pillows. “I came back...”

“And I always knew you would,” the spirited mare said fondly, before bending over and kissing her softly on the brow. “Babs brought some friends to see you...”

“Dinky...Pip?” she asked, hearing the sounds of several hooves approaching. Wildfire shook her head, tears of happiness in her eyes.

“No honey. Even better.”

She stepped aside so that Scootaloo could be propped up carefully. The sound of approaching ponies was getting nearer, and with it was a pair of strange, yet familiar scents, rising warmly over the acrid sterility of the ward.

One smelt of...forest flowers, like a natural perfume that spoke of sunshine and laughter.

The other...apple, and cinnamon, and just a touch of sweat earned after a hard day’s work.

Scootaloo felt tingles run over herself and slowly turned on her pillow.

“Sweetie Belle? Applebloom?”

“Yeah, Scoots. It’s us...” one of the two young mares said softly, her cherry-pink mane hanging limply down the back of her neck. The other just smiled with a tender pride, but trotted softly in place as if holding back her anticipation. Babs hung to one side, eyes warm and loving.

Then Scootaloo threw her forelegs apart and the three of them rushed to her, crowding around her gurney and sharing tears, hugs and cries of apology.

“I missed you guys! I missed you guys so much!”

Wildfire watched it all and did her best to hold back her tears as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were reunited.

“Thanks for bringing them home to us CT...” she said to another adult mare. “Scootaloo needed this.”

“Don’t thank me,” Carrot Top smiled back. “Sweetie Belle convinced Applebloom to come.”

She nodded towards the euphoric young mares. “They did this all by themselves.”

The four Crusaders were so glad and proud to be together that none of them noticed when three flashes of light went off simultaneously around Sweetie, Bloom and Scootaloo’s flanks, three brilliant puffs of magic.

But Wildfire saw, and could not wait until the glorious moment came when the three girls noticed. A threefold cutecenera looked to be on the horizon soon. She had promised Scoots a Vespa...that would make a brilliant gift for such a party...

Her hoof brushed against something, and she looked down. Applebloom had arrived wearing a Stetson hat, which had fallen off in the sudden dash to Scootaloo’s bedside. She rolled her eyes and then picked it up with one wing, noticing a label in the brim.

Curiousity gave way to surprise, and then confusion.

“How did Applebloom get hold of one of Clint Eastwood’s hat?”

*

Photo Finish was confused, and a little apprehensive. But most of all she was tired, a weariness that neither caffeine pills or a half-drunk (and very cold) mug of coffee could treat.

Her private corner of the PHL complex was called ‘Public Relations’, though in truth she dealt more in propaganda for distribution beyond the Barrier, and video documentation of the PHL’s activities. Right now she was in a sealed section, the ‘Hands Free A/V Lab’, one where no humans were allowed. That was not bigotry so much as practicality. This was where film and audio were magically transferred to Equestria gemstones, creating a record that could cross the barrier. No human touch or influence in the process could be allowed, so as to not endanger the risk of the barrier detecting and destroying vital evidence of human/equine harmony.

This was her trump card. Even if Earth fell, these archives would remain, seeding discontent within Celestia’s regime.

But one particular film was giving her trouble, the one she had recorded today during Scootaloo’s surgery. Herself and a human USAF cameraman had documented the entire process, not just for posterity, but for ongoing research into pony physiology.

Pausing in her fruitless efforts she sat back and rubbed her eyes. Then, she tapped at another crystal lying on the workstation and let herself relax as a familiar voice carried her away.

“I’ve...I’ve been allowed to uphold my right of Final Words...” the voice of Lyra Heartstrings echoed out of the shard. Behind her words could be heard the slow-rolling roar of an angry crowd, and a rising piece of music that Photo Finish had edited in to lend weight to the speech. “...a chance to justify myself, as either a martyr to humanity, or a traitor to equinity...and so I’d like to borrow from the words of a great human, Charlie Chaplin...”

Lyra’s voice took a deep breath and she began to speak, reciting from memory:

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be a martyr or a traitor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to subvert or conquer anyone anywhere. I should like to help everyone - if possible – Pony, Human - biped - quadruped.

We all want to help one another. Social beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In these two worlds there is room for everyone. Equus and the good Earth are rich in resources and ideas, and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Fear and greed have poisoned our souls, barricaded borders with hateful barriers, and marched us into misery and bloodshed. We say our ‘enemy’ has developed speed, and so we shut ourselves in. Their machinery which could give abundance has inspired our fear. Our war with Sombra has made us cynical. Their history has made them sometimes hard and unkind. Now we both feel too much and feel too little. But more than their machinery, we need the genius of humanity. More than cleverness, they need our kindness and gentleness. Without these shared qualities, our worlds will be violent and all will be lost....

The accident at CERN brought us together in flesh, but Celestia divided us in spirit. Yet the very nature of all races cries out for the goodness in all - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children; colts, mares and little foals – all victims of a system that makes us torture and mutilate innocent people...”

Lyra had hoped that someone in the crowd was recording the message. And she was right. Her Final Words became not a useless tirade against a brainwashed crowd, but a rallying cry to all corners of two worlds.

“...to those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of those who fear the way of harmony and progress. The hate of man’s history will pass, and the Tyrant of Equestria die, and the power taken from the ponies and the people will return to those same. And so long as we are mortal, liberty will never perish.

Ponies! Newfoals! Humans! Don’t give yourselves to brutes – the Queen who despises you - enslaved you - who regiments your lives - tells you what to do - what to think and what to feel! Who drills you - diets you - treats you like animals, uses you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to this unnatural Beast – a machine mare, with a machine mind and a machine heart! You are not machines! You are not weapons! You are living beings! You have the love of others in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate - the unloved and the unnatural. Guardsponies! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In a great human book it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” - not one man nor a group of men, but in all! In you! You, the people, you, the people, have the power - the power to create peace. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make our unified worlds a wonderful adventure.

Then - in the name of freedom - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for this new age - a decent time that will give all a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, a brute has risen to power. But she lies! She does not fulfil that promise. She never will! Tyrants free themselves but they enslave the people!

Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free these worlds - to do away with the barrier - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where magic and science and true harmony will lead to the happiness of all. Ponies! Humans! My brothers and sisters! In the name of Earth, and Equestria, let us all unite!”

The dubbed-in music hit a crescendo and faded away. The recording continued, as Lyra turned to her fellow prisoner and said farewell.

“Bonnie, can you hear me? Whatever happens, look on Bonnie! The clouds are lifting! The sun is breaking through! We are coming out of the darkness into the light! We are coming into a new world; a kind new world, where we’ll rise above hate, greed, and brutality. Our souls have been given wings and at last are beginning to fly. Flying into the rainbow. Into the light of hope! Into the future! The glorious future! That belongs to you, to me, and to all of us. Look on Bonnie, look on! I love you!”

Then there was a crackle of magic and stone, and Bon-Bon’s screams as guards rushed forward, and the smashing and shattering of hopes and dreams and love. Then, before Bon-Bon’s own execution could proceed, the screaming, holy roar of the TARDIS’s engines as the entire Hooves clan rushed onto the scene. Too late to save Bon-Bon’s mind, but fast enough to save her life...

Photo Finish sighed as the recording ended. Poor Bon-Bon. Poor Lyra. Poor everyone. And yet despite the mixture of triumph and despair held within this one crystal, it was the one she listened to the most. It reminded her of why they were fighting.

Rejuvenated she turned back to the footage from earlier that was giving her trouble. All was normal until the very end. Scootaloo’s surgery had proceeded in silence, with only a few onlookers watching on from the observation lounge above, and when her back had been closed up, the doctors had washed her down and wheeled her away. All normal.

Except for...THERE! Photo Finish’s hooves played over the monitor’s controls. Every so often the image flickered, and she had gone back to edit out what were clearly skipped or corrupted frames.

But the last one was...not. There was no static or scrambled data. Instead, something was in visible in the image that had definitely not been present in the operating theatre when the video was filmed.

Bending over Scootaloo, tenderly nuzzling the crippled orange filly, was a red-maned and white-coated Alicorn mare...

*

“You may think novelists always have fixed plans to which they work, so that the future predicted by Chapter One is always inexorably the actuality of Chapter Thirteen. But novelists write for countless different reasons: for money, for fame, for reviewers, for parents, for friends, for loved ones; for vanity, for pride, for curiosity, for amusement: as skilled furniture makers enjoy making furniture, as drunkards like drinking, as judges like judging, as Sicilians like emptying a shotgun into an enemy's back. I could fill a book with reasons, and they would all be true, though not true of all. Only one same reason is shared by all of us: we wish to create worlds as real as, but other than the world that is. Or was. This is why we cannot plan. We know a world is an organism, not a machine.”

- John Fowles, ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’

*

Pushed to the Limits

Pushed to the Limits

Author: Redskin122004

Editors: Rush

DrawDex

Beyond the Horizon

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

-Mother Teresa

“The multiverse, she said, was like an old library whose shelves were packed with books arranged by a cataloging system that ranked them according to similarity, each book containing within its covers a story that varied only slightly from the stories of its immediate neighbours, but by increasing degrees from those of increasingly distant books.”

-Paul J. McAuley

New York City, 2023 Anno Dominae

Freedom Tower, the official nickname for the World Trade Center. The majestic building was the pride of a country that suffered an attack on the whims of a madman. Instead of breaking them, destroying their will to fight, it spurred on the people, built up its military and set out to fight the darkness that threaten them.

A lofty goal.

In the end, this buildup was not a waste of time.

The portal open in Europe, a few short tenuous years of peace with the Queen of Equestria, and the ever growing concern of the New Foals before war broke out was all the warning Earth received.

One that the US military had built up for and prepared.

Just not the enemy they were expecting to fight against.

Everywhere Celestia's armies appeared, so did the once proclaimed 'Police of the World', and the world re-learn that the US military still had the chops for all out war.

But even the one thing they couldn't overwhelm with superior firepower was the barrier.

But they can make the Tyrant's armies bleed for every person they changed and bolster the ranks of the European armies.

When Marcus had the goal of setting up the PHL task force. He chose the New York's underground bunkers as their base location. A decision shroud in secret to keep the people above unaware of the growing resistance group. The real reason he chose  New York was due to the brimming information coming from around the world and refugees had them in bulk.

What the armies did and their prime targets, how the New Foals react to threats, new tactics and weapons on the field that other militaries have not reported seeing.

When the barrier began to consumed most of Europe, they openly announced their place to the city. Thus began the massive excavation under the City that Never Sleeps, linking the bunkers to the tunnels and subway systems beneath the Big Apple. Subways were closed for a time, but eventually reopen with new guidelines about the changes.

Subways were now used to rapidly deploy troops in highspeed train cars across the city and herd civilians to specially constructed bunkers if they were in the train car at the time of an attack.

Freedom Tower became the 'face' to the public, using the building as the main entrance for the PHL/UN Taskforce.

Now with the barrier just off the coast, New York turn from the Big Apple, to the Big Guns. The last refugees came months ago, people signing up to fight, no matter the country they came from. Training was fast but tough, drilled into recruits on what was expected of them, even PHL ponies volunteering to act like Royal Guards or New Foals to give the recruits on what to expect deep in the fight. The city's gangbangers and Mafia refuse to leave and began to hand out weapons to anyone still living in the city, no one stopped them. Why should they? To run only meant to fight later, and fighting against themselves was beyond idiotic in a city with a very large military presence.

Cheerilee sighed as she waited for the elevators to reach the Level 5 basement floor. The First Gate to the PHL headquarters. The doors open and she found herself staring at three .50 caliber machine gun nests and a twenty yard 'no man's land' between them.

Two of the heavy guns were on either side of the entrance leading out of the First Gate, concrete slabs of stone making it into a bunker like structure. The third hanging over the entrance way, also heavily fortified from its perch. An Army enlisted stood before her, weapon in hand and at the ready. Cheerilee trot towards them, her eyes trained on the enlisted.

"Password."

"Fuck that Solar Bitch."

A snort came from above, but said nothing else to the pass phrase. The enlisted smiled and nodded his head. "Ms. Cheerilee, pleasure as always."

"Hello Specialist Guzman." Cheerilee gave a strain smile, attempting to be light hearted.

"Ah, Mamí, I seen that look before. Which puto is the one carrying the news this time?" Guzman walked to the heavy steel doors and placed his face before the scanner.

"Same puto that tried to turn himself into a shish kabob yesterday afternoon." Cheerilee sighed to herself. That stallion simply refuses to sit down and rest. She watched as the scanner ping out positively while the doors slowly began to open.

"El Doctor eh?" Guzman smiled before stepping aside. "Best of luck then, chica."

"Thank you." Cheerilee trotted forward coming up to a train car. The Second Gate.

"Identification please." A emotionless voice rang out.

"Cheerilee, PHL ID number 002, Code: Unity." Cheerilee answered. Her eyes watched the walls warily.

And for good reason.

The Second Gate was a literal death trap, design by an over excited human that desired to make anyone sneaking in without authorization was going to die painfully. Two turrets would pop up from the train and mow down the entire room. If that didn't work, lethal gas will be used and even if that didn't work, nozzles would appear from the walls and flush the entire room with napalm. Cheerilee didn't read the rest, she figured that there was at least five other weapons and defenses systems in the death hole that were to cause an even more horrid death than the last.

"Access granted, welcome Ms. Cheerilee." Cheerilee gave a sigh of relief before boarding the train car. "Destination?"

"Hotel Quebec." Cheerilee answered as she took her seat, giving off a groan as she sat down. She has been on her hooves for far too long and not enough sleep.

"Acknowledge. Estimated time of arrival, ten minutes."

Cheerilee slowly began to doze off as the train rumbled to its destination. She closed her eyes, giving off a small yawn before she stood up straighter in an effort to stay awake.

"I want to be sure that this is real...and I don't want to have any regrets."

"Are you sure? I mean-"

"I-I-I know it seems pretty fast-"

"Say no more. I understand. No regrets, no old memories of what ifs and could’ve beens."

"Yeah. You don't think any less of me?"

"I could never think less of you even if I tried."

"You don't think its going to be..."

"Weird? I think it will be weird for both of us, don't you think?"

"I just... I just don't see you liking me the way you do.You're a human and I...

"I like you as the person you are. I grew to admire your resolve and strength..."

"Thank you."

"I'm also a butt man so you have that in spades."

"Marcus?!"

Cheerilee jerked awake, the train car screeching to a halt at the station, her face flushed with embarrassment at the memory.

"Welcome to the Third Gate. Have a nice day." The synthetic voice echoed over the speaker. Cheerilee jumped from her seat, her cheeks still warm from the small dream. She shook her head before coming up to a pair of very old and rusted bunker doors.

She then turn to the side and walked up to the wall on the left. She pushed a seemingly random set of bricks, before the wall parted and allowed her entry.

A rather devious trap since the bunker doors were sealed shut, and the rooms inside was filled to the brim with toxic and nuclear wastes. Any new foal that managed to breach this far without the proper knowledge of the hidden door was a death sentence. A slow and agonizing one. The barrier could stop poison and radiation, but couldn't cure a pony that was poisoned or irradiated.

Humans did use this entrance and the few that did use this one were usually 'top brass' or leaders of various Special Forces. They usually have a means of keeping this information quiet.

Namely suicide.

Still, the US/UN/PHL has even hired help to be brought down, though blindfolded and ears magically muffled.

One such group was in now, if the shouting was anything to go by.

"Come on, T. Be reasonable here, they called us in to help plan heist and get in the horror house, not volunteer ourselves for war. We're bank robbers, not soldiers or mercenaries."

"Nononono! Mikey my boy. I deal drugs, arms, and general chaos. I want in, I have to show these people how it is done."

"Yo dawg, just because you dealt with those dumbfuck jarheads back home doesn't mean they are the same everywhere. I remember getting a call from your boy Ron saying you just got your ass handed to you by the leader of this group."

"T. Every time he personally picks up the shipment of weapons and ammo, you pick a fight with him."

"And every time, we get a call from Ron or that fool Wade saying you need to go to the hospital."

"Argh! He just makes me so furious! And all he does is smile when he kicks my ass!"

"I think he finds you amusing Trevor."

“God damn it, you are not helping Lester!”

A roar of rage and the sound of three men laughing came from an office. No doubt Doctor called the best of the best.

Still...

Bank robbers?

She shook her head before turning down the hall, making her way past the clinic area. She looked in, somewhat surprised to see Carrot Top resting in the hall. Curious, she trotted up to the sleeping mare, only to find herself looking into the room she was sleeping by when she heard a curse coming from within. Seeing Scootaloo playing some board game with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom was rather surprising.

Seeing them with cutiemarks even more so.

She felt her heart ache at seeing her back, wingless and crippled, never to fly again. She wanted to step in and give her some comfort, but Scootaloo crowed in joy as Applebloom apparently landed on a spot on the board.

"Boardwalk! Hotel too! That will be 2 grand please."

"Aw dang it! Stupid dices hate me Ah tell ya!"

Cheerilee couldn't help but admire the young mare for acting like that. Scootaloo was always a tough little filly, there was little doubt that she was moving on from this dreaded point in her life.

Cheerilee smiled at the three, happy to see them together once more. No longer apart due to the war. They were the Cutie Mark Crusaders once more.

Yay!

However, she had more pressing concerns now that she knew how Carrot Top, Sweetie Bell, and Applebloom arrived within the bunker.

Doctor was here.

After going through the maze like complex, asking from passing soldiers and engineers alike for the eccentric stallion. She finally found him in his lab. Limping from computer to data sheets, the stallion was in full scientist mode.

"Hmm, curious. Very curious readings."

"Doctor."

"Ah! Cheerilee, see that you received my message. Found some interesting readings an hour ago while I was scanning." Doctor said, pulling up several data logs and placing them on the table.

Said table groan underneath the weight.

"You should be resting." Cheerilee warned him, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him with annoyance.

"Wait, before you go on, I found this transmission being sent out into deep space while I was scanning. The Tardis picked it up, very high tech broadcast, almost a full fifty years ahead of its time really. I wanted to show you when you got here." Doctor pulled out an old boombox and insert a tape cassette inside.

"Wow, that still works?" Cheerilee couldn't help but ask. As far as she knew, this thing was ancient in the term of tech that she was used to working with these days.

Even more so by human standards.

"Heh, I may have modified it a bit. Plus, who said this old girl needed to retire?" Doctor chuckled as he gently pat the old radio.

"The 80's." Cheerilee bluntly answered, causing the stallion to scoff.

"Bah! Time makes no differences to me! I can live the 80's forever if I so wished. But that would cause issues, given that I am a pony and not a human. Plus running into myself might be a problem too..." Doctor mused before shrugging and hitting the play button. "Thoughts for another time, now listen,"

Is this thing working?

*static*

Testing, testing, one two three. This is Isaac Acevedo...

The radio went dead, the final message finished and left the two occupants inside to muse over what they heard.

Cheerilee couldn't help but shudder at what she heard. "They're eating ponies? New Foals even?"

Doctor sat across from her, couldn't help but shake his head. "Not all that surprising really. With the world's agriculture and food ports being erased by the Barrier, hard times are to be followed. He is right though, in a few more months it will be far far worse. I was fortunate enough to pick up the signal while I was scanning the barrier."

“Who or what is Crowe Labs?” Cheerilee scrunched her snout in thought, trying to place the odd name. “I know Marcus or Vinyl said something with that name before.”

“Crowe Research & Development Labs.” Doctor answered, looking over his notes. “An advance military R&D contractors for the US military. Very good with their work, clean record as far as the information I have was up to date and accurate. I think they are the ones that made Allie Way’s HUD visor and Vinyl’s minigun saddle.”

“Right.” Cheerilee nodded her head at this. “Vinyl was making something with...Er...Wubs, from her reports, and sent some schematics to them to figure something out.”

“She should of sent it to me, I could possibly figure it out in less than an hour. After all, I do have a ‘Sonic’ Screwdriver.” Doctor muttered, but shrugged, wincing slightly. “Anyhoo, work is calling and wait for nopony.”

"Doctor." The mare growled at him, her eyes narrowing into slits. "You should be resting, not working."

"But I am resting. I am surrounded by my family, my loving wife, and in my Tardis. I'm not running around, getting shot at, or attempted to be trampled. Just let me have this Cheerilee." Doctor persuaded.

Cheerilee scowled at this statement. "I don't care, Doctor. You are injured, Time Lord physiology or not, you need rest. You just had a spear inside of you just several hours ago. Let the girls handle-!"

"NO!" Doctor shouted, his eyes filled with a mix of panic and anger. Cheerilee took a step back from his shout in surprise. "I can handle it. I don't want the girls to be used anymore in this war than necessary! As their father I forbade them to train for war!"

"That didn't stop Dinky or Sparkler from doing it anyways." Cheerilee said quietly, watching as the stallion seemingly deflated at these words.

"I know... This should of never happen." Doctor whispered out loud, his head buried in his forelegs. "None of this should be happening. I saw my life become perfect. No more running. No more fighting. No more deaths because of something I did or couldn't interfere with. It was... Safe."

Cheerilee walked closer to him, she could see the tears running down his face. She gently pat his back, watching as the eccentric stallion seemingly break down before her.

"I saw all their futures. From the moment I landed in Equestria, in a new body, with a grey pegasus with strange eyes. Giving me the most beautiful smile I have ever laid eyes on." Doctor looked up, giving Cheerilee a sad smile. "A mare that I could see heartache and wanting. A mother who is raising a child on her own to the best of her ability. And she still gave me the most cheerful and heartfelt smile while she was trying to make it by."

Cheerilee sat down and listen, hearing the Doctor explain their adventures, how they saved Sparkler and adopted her from a different time from their past. How happy he finally was after 900+ years of running from his past.

"And then...one night." Doctor whispered in a low tone. "I couldn't see it anymore. Try as I might, all their futures turn dark and messy. I didn't understand. I tried to use the old Tardis to find out what was happening, but she refused, she said 'time is shattering, and the Oncoming Storm is needed once more'. I waited for days for whatever was coming up. The only thing of note was an old ship being found by Lyra herself when she went scuba diving out in the Galloping Sea with her friends from Canterlot. Some Doctor Howie Waggoner expedition ship that was lost at sea. I took a gander at the artifacts, but nothing stood out. I failed once again to changed anything."

"But you have helped us more than you can imagine." Cheerilee gave him a small hug. "You gave us the means to cross between our world and Earth without using the portals, allowing us to slip past Royal Guards. You helped make the defenses of many ships and weapons, allowing humans a fighting chance against the horde of New Foals. You done so much Doctor, and your children are so proud of you. They too want to help, and there is little doubt in my mind seeing you struggle so much just so nothing bad can happen to them makes them want to help more."

Doctor lowered his head, giving a small sigh of acceptance. "Hmm... I suppose you are right. Here I am blubbering away like a daft when my children are showing up their old man."

Cheerilee smile and nod her head. "Yes, and said pony needs some rest."

Doctor snorted a bit, giving her an amused smile. "Says the pot to the kettle."

"I'm planning on sleeping in Marcus' quarters... But I got so used to him being around or in contact with me." Cheerilee rubbed her foreleg nervously, it ate at her that there has been no sign of Marcus as of yet. "Just...its hard sleep."

"I understand, believe me." Doctor sighed, before pulling out a report. "Besides, getting off track due to my old age, I have something else to show you. Its an alert I received from the Tardis while I was scanning as I said earlier."

"What is it?"

"From the energy particles, I would say it is a portal opening up." Doctor mused, rubbing chin somewhat. "The energy, while still enormous, was quite small compare to the power a portal uses when it first used."

"Hmm, where was it?"

"Boston."

"So it might be the Sleepy Hollow Bureau then." Cheerilee sighed a bit, ready to throw out report.

"I thought the same, but..." Doctor gave her small smile.

"But?"

"Well, unless the Tyrant have finally managed to figure out a way to open a portal without an anchor, I don't believe this is the Tyrant's doing. The energy was located several kilometres above the city." Doctor explained, giving her a small smile.

"And unless she has the ability to shoving pegasi troops through at light speed, it only lasted a second. Whatever it was, it vanished as quickly as it appeared before I can get a bead on it."

Cheerilee chewed on this information before nodding her head. "Right, I’ll let the Navy and Airforce know, they'll have their radar and scanners watching the sky for anything that pops up. And you. Get. Rest. Now."

Doctor only gave her small smile. "Maybe later, I have to go see Bon Bon, her session is about to come up. I'll get some rest after I am done."

Cheerilee gave a small groan of frustration, but conceded to him. "Fine. But after that, you are to rest. Your daughters and wife can take care of your duties, understand?"

Doctor gave her a warm smile and saluted her. "Roger, Esteemed Leader."

She shook her head before she walked out, leaving Doctor to gather his wits before heading to the medical wing of the base.

As he made his way past the head nurse, who only gave him a sad smile and nodded to his unasked question, he couldn't help but wonder on Bon Bon’s state of mind. Ever since Cheerilee told him of the strange words Bon Bon relayed to her and Marcus before the battle, he couldn't help but think this was one prediction that was completely wrong. He walked past Scootaloo's room, a quick glance telling him that his youngest daughter was inside with Pipsqueak, cheerfully playing a game of cards with the other young mares and her coltfriend. And got a good game going from the two nurses, a doctor, and Carrot Top as well.

"Full house!" Dinky laid the cards on the bed, all of the players groan and threw their cards down.

"Sonova-" One Doctor Sheffield cut herself off, but still caused a round of giggles. The doctor that worked on Scootaloo's wings couldn't help but narrow her eyes on the mare gathering her winnings. "I vote for Dinky to be the dealer and only the dealer."

"Aye!"

"Pip! You too!?"

"Sorry, Dinky, but I want win once in awhile too."

Doctor smiled and shook his head at the roar of laughter coming from the room. He made his way to the end of the hall, coming up to the last door before giving a light knock.

"Bon Bon? Its me, the Doctor."

He looked inside, seeing Bom Bon sitting in her bed, gripping the same battered lyra, her right eye focused on it while the left was looking up, tears pouring from her eyes.

"Lyra." Bon Bom whispered out, gently caressing the old instrument. "Soon, see, together...never."

Doctor flinched, looking at her as she just slapped him.

"Doctor, we need to go!"

"The Tyrant is right on us!"

"Initiation of emergency jump! Derpy when I say, hit that lever!"

"Right, Doctor."

"NOW-?!"

The Tardis screamed in agony, a bolt of pure magical energy slamming deep into her side, puncturing directly through her. Doctor couldn't help but cry out as well, feeling his long time friend in utter agony.

And then they jumped.

Screaming surround him, watching as ponies held on for dear life, the puncture hole was sucking everything out into the time-dimension void. He saw it happen, watching as the traumatized Bon Bon slowly lifted off the ground and flew past him to the hole. He let go of the panel and jumped after her, his legs slamming on the wall and nearly buckling from the strain of holding on the mare.

"Bon Bon! Close your eyes! Don't look into the vortex!" Doctor growled through his clenched teeth as he held onto Bon Bob's tail. The screaming from both ponies and the Tardis had nearly crippled him. But he felt the warm presence of his wife, her forelegs wrapping around the candy maker legs and pulled with him.

"Derpy! Keep your eyes closed!" Doctor pulled with all his might, his loving and brave wife right beside him as the pulled Bon Bon from the hole. The Tardis gave a shriek alarmed, the wonderful machine that carried him across time, space, and dimensions gave a final whimper of warning to which only he could ever understand.

"Brace yourselves, everypony! We coming in hard!" Doctor called out, securing Bon Bon to a nearby seat. "Derpy, get me to the control pan-"

The screaming whirlwind died off, only to restart once more as the blue box appeared over the city of Austin, tumbling end over end as it plunged towards the earth below.

If the ponies were in trouble before, it was even worse now, most of them began to cry out in alarm as they suddenly found themselves inside a tumbling metal coffin.

"Come on, come on, come on old girl." Doctor whispered frantically as he tried to keep himself upright. The Tardis was dying, the artificial gravity and engine was shutting off. "I'm so sorry. Please, just stay on for a couple more seconds."

The center console gave a deep warm hum, struggling to keep itself active after all the damage it sustained.

"That's it, just a little more. Derpy, get on-"

"This is Angel Eyes calling to any open military channels receiving this message. Blue Box has been hit, we are currently over the city of Austin and coming down hard. We are going to need medical personnel on standby for injuries."

"Good girl." Doctor continued on, desperately attempting to keep them in one piece. Scanners began to flicker wildly as he steered them away from the main city. The Tardis slowed as it tumbled, sluggishly swerving in between buildings as it made its way to Camp Mabry located on the outskirts of the city. "Almost there, just a little more!"

The Tardis gave one last lurch before the engines finally died and the Tardis became a falling brick. It gave off a single mournful warning before the Doctor found himself in complete darkness with the only light coming from the puncture hull.

"Everypony, brace for-"

Doctor jerked away from Bon Bon as she gently tapped his shoulders.

"Don't accuse of flailing. Unseen Happenings are life to be a part." Bon Bon struggled out, her face scrunching up in concentration as she word out her sentence.

Doctor gave her a warm smile before guiding her to the bed. "Okay. You're right. I'm sorry for not trying hard enough."

He gave a sad smile as Bon Bon gently tapped his snout, her left on focused on him while the right swirled in its socket.

"Blame DONOT- DONOT-DONOT!"

"Yes. You don't blame me..." Doctor whispered to her, she tilted her head as Doctor lowered his own. "But I blame myself."

Bon Bon only gave a jerky nod before looking to the side. "Soon, Moon and Chaos. Proclaimed gods war on man land. Slave Star gives hit first." Her eyes began to focus on him. Doctor's eyes widened at this, quickly grabbing a notepad and jot down what she said.

"What else do you see, Bonnie? Focus on-!" Doctor drop the pad and Bon Bon began to jerk erratically, her eyes, ears, and snout began to leak blood. He held her down as she began to shake, her legs began to flail and kick him in the ribs.

"NURSE! Bon Bon let go the visions! Don't fall into them!"

Dark wings spread across the sky, shooting forward at the down New Foal and snatching him from the six mares standing around him. His light poured into the pony body, ignoring the pony chasing him without a single thought.

The being landed, his four wings folding onto his back before leaning down and leaving a human, whole and unchanged on the ground.

"Marcus Renee, you have brought many sacrifices for the sake of your mission. Your soul bears the stain of sin, yet your path is dictated by righteousness. Do not deviate from it..."

Doctor held her down the best he could, Bon Bon was speaking far to rapidly for him to understand what she was saying. The nurse attempting to inject her with sedatives cried out as Doctor was unable to hold Bon Bon down and got caught with a flailing hoof to the eye.

A red pony stood amongst the dead guards, his eyes burning with hatred and insanity. He sneered at the castle, his rage ever building to its peak.

"YOU'D BETTER WATCH OUT CELESTIA!" He screamed into the sky. "BECAUSE NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP ME! NOT THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! NOT YOUR ARMY OF PUPPETS! NOTHING!"

"AND YOU! ARE GOING! TO DIE!"

"Bonnie, listen to me! You falling into the visions! Let go of the visions" Doctor tried hard to get Bon Bon to snap out of it, but the mental blocks kept him from delving too deeply.

Marcus Renee stood in the forest, eyes on the hat he recently claimed from the now deceased Applejack. A large smile on his face as he thought back on how easy it was and how under prepared they were for him.

“I killed Applejack,” he marveled, turning her hat over in his hands. “So they’re not invincible after all. We can do this. We really can! WE CAN REALLY WIN THIS WAR!”

Doctor gritted his teeth, what he was about to do was dangerous on a whole new level, but there was little chance of Bon Bon escaping this nightmare of futures and pasts on her own.

Celestia stood before the ruins of Las Vegas, her face a strange mixture of organic and technological horrors. The drones quietly walked by the former sun princess as she looked on in distraught at the fallen city. The ash filled sky giving no light to a dead world, the only living thing around was herself.

“Everything is broken…” Celestia muttered.

Doctor growled as he pushed against the metal blocks, trying so hard to contact the mare within. His body was sore, tired, and reeked due to his unwashed coat. His shoulder was on fire, begging him to allow his regeneration to finally put an end to the pain with some rest.

He gathered his entire mental control into a single point and pushed, attempting to drill through the blockage. The nurses had just finished strapping the mare down when Bon Bon open her mouth in a silent scream. Doctor only had a moment of clarity when he finally broke through, then it became Tartarus on Equus.

His entire mind was assaulted by visions of the past, the present, the future and everything that was entitled to it.

Events that never happen. Showing up on a world where humanity is far more advance than the Tyrant expected, as this humanity face off against an alien threat and won, taking their technology for their own and using it against her.

Another where Lyra stood proudly among the defenders of Boston, fighting for what she believed in and spurring on others to keep the fight going.

A world filled with corpses, the Tyrant and her ponies far too late to do anything as humanity had killed itself off a long time ago.

Vision after vision, Doctor couldn't help but be horrified by what he was seeing.

'She is not seeing possible future events... She is seeing every possible event! Both future and the past!' Doctor mentally stood amongst the chaos of Bon Bon's mind. 'Every little thing that can change the course of history, she is seeing it at same time!'

Doctor pushed through, waves of possible futures and pasts buffeting against him as searched for the broken mare.

'Bon Bon! Bonnie, listen to me! Focus on my thoughts, focus on me!' Doctor mentally shouted out, but the mare seemingly ignored his orders

'You look, Doctor. Everywhen. Ponies are MONSTERS-MONSTERS-MONSTERS!' Bon Bon broken voice echoed around him. 'Die, everypony claims to reaper is good. We deserve to never be at all! Life is good with no ponies.'

'Don't say that Bonnie. You know that's not true.' Doctor continue to search, but the broken mind that was Bon Bon, it was like figuring out a rubik’s cube while tumbling through the air at terminal velocity.

'Places that our gazes upon, taint and reaper touch. Slave Star show truth of ponykind. We need to DIE-DIE-DIE!' Bon Bon screamed at him. 'Stealers forth the Babes! Rapers of Childs! Slave Lord of Men! Pony is Evil! I descend into mad and seer of our truths.'

'Was Lyra evil? Was she just another evil pony that you claim us to be!?' Doctor shouted at her, almost at once the visions slowed, he could feel her mind being insulted by what he said.

'Never! Honey Lyra! Forever! She stand for true light!' Bon Bon cried. The visions began to slow even further, would be worlds slowly melting away. 'She be Special. No bad, always righteous.'

'Its true that we gone astray. But its ponies like Lyra that make us great. To keep us on the right side of the tracks.' Doctor watched as the visions begin to darken and vanish. 'She made this entire resistance from scratch with a single marine and a hoof full of ponies. She is-'

'Lyra. Good pony.' Bon Bon appeared before him, tears streaming from her eyes. 'Lyra seer up to humans. Like mustache man wordings.'

'Charile Chaplin.' Doctor said out loud, walking closer to the sobbing mare.

'Another words.' Bon Bon sniffed out loud, rubbing her snout. 'Keep it, perfectly sounding.'

'And what words are that?'

'All it takes for evil to win, is for good men to do nothing.' Bon Bon answered, her words never wavered once, she smiled a bright smile. 'Good structure. Good on ponies. Fight the dark, fight for every persons for far years.'

'Yes, its a very good saying. Now then, it is time to sleep-!' Doctor jerked back, his eyes widened as Bon Bon vanished and he found himself in the ruins of Boston. He swallowed as he slowly turned around, finding an alicorn he really didn't want see at the moment.

'Bon Bon?'  Doctor asked out loud, only to find himself silenced by her words.

'Lying Star no longer sit on blood throne. She comes. But us never alone.'

Doctor turn his head and stared at the group behind him. His jaw nearly drop as he saw both Lunar Princess and Lord of Chaos themselves standing before a group of humans and ponies.

"Hello Luna, Discord. Come to join my Perfect Harmony? Or do I have to destroy you both as well?"

Doctor jerked awake, his eyes wide in alarm as he looked up to see his wife standing above him, a worried look on her face.

"Derpy?! How long-?" Doctor tried to ask, only to kept silent by Derpy's hoof on his lips.

"You were out for several hours, I told the doctors and nurses not to move you because you could get hurt really bad if you were disrupted." Derpy gave him a sad look, almost looking upset with him. "You promised you wouldn't do that. You said it was too dangerous."

"I'm sorry, Derpy. I really am, but Bon Bon forced me to break that promise. I couldn't let her die." Doctor whispered to her, kissing her forehead. He turn to his side, seeing Bon Bon laid down next him, her face clean of blood. "For Lyra's sake and memory."

"Doctor." Derpy hugged him tightly, sniffing as she held him. "You still blame yourself, don't you? For Lyra's death?"

Doctor said nothing, only allowed himself to give a small shudder in response as he withheld a grieving cry. There was a reason why Lyra's death affected him in such a way.

Lyra's death was a 'fixed' point. It was only when she was captured that he ‘realized’ it.

While the vision of Lyra living and fighting with them shocked him somewhat, sadly though, those sets of playing cards was not in the deck when the hand of fate played its cards.

Lyra's death had to happen. Needed to happen. But he refused to heed it.

He believed Lyra was the key to gaining his future back, and nothing would stop him from getting it.

Fate was a cruel mistress to him for his arrogance.

The Tardis refused to move before he finally forced her to go to an enemy filled city. The Tyrant had placed many wardings in an attempt to stop him from rescuing Lyra and Bon Bon, taking more time than necessary to get there. The Tyrant herself was there as well, watching over the proceedings.

In the end, he failed to save Lyra, as Fate had decreed.

Several PHL members died in the fighting, Lyra was stoned and destroyed, Bon Bon was a broken shell of a mare, and the Tardis was nearly destroyed in the aftermath of the botched rescue mission.

He walked away with nothing to show for his troubles.

"Doctor, there is something else." Derpy released him, giving him a small look of confusion.

"What is it Derpy?"

"There was an alarm last night when you went to talk to Cheerilee and then another one just a few minutes ago." Derpy answered, looking to the hallway. His eyes widen in alarm before he jump from the bed and raced out the door. His shoulder gave an painful throb, but it was almost completely healed thanks to his impromptu rest from his ordeal with Bon Bon.

He slip across the polish floor, slamming into the wall as he tried to take corner, but he quickly got back onto his hooves and waved off several humans trying to help him. He made it to his lab, nearly bowling over Sparkler in his haste.

“Dad! The Tardis-” Sparkler began but was cut off by her father.

“I know, your mother told me!” Doctor called to her, slamming the door open and rushed up to the panel. “Okay girl, the Doctor is here, tell me what is going on.”

Derpy and Sparkler walked into the Tardis, seeing Doctor reading off a screen that was rapidly scrolling for him. Doctor muttered under his breath, his eyes closed as he ran the numbers in his head.

“Doctor/Dad?” Derpy and Sparkler blinked as the wide eye look of shock before he rapidly rushed over to communications.

“This is the Doctor to all units in Boston, we have a portal event happening over the city at this very moment. I repeat, a portal is opening over Boston!”

“This is Admiral Chirkov, acknowledging the report. All Naval ships are loaded with munitions and setting up defensive points in the harbor.”

“This is Colonel O'neill, read you loud and clear, Doc. All available Air units are being diverted to the city.”

“This is Major Bauer, Verstanden and standing by. All ground units are in position and awaiting further orders. We’ll be ready for the arschlöcher.”

“Hold fire, I just received word that it might be friendlies coming from the portal.” Doctor quickly looked over the scanner. “Hold fire!”

“Friendlies?” One Colonel O’neill asked in a confused tone. “Did the PHL capture a Portal Station without telling anyone.”

“Negative Colonel.” Cheerilee’s voice popped onto the line. “We are still working out a means of getting one ourselves. Doctor, who is it?”

“I’m working on it.” Doctor quickly ran his screwdriver over the data before pulling it up and reading information. His mind going back to the vision from Bon Bon, but that couldn’t happen. Discord was dead, and Luna was a stone statue in the Castle gardens.  His focus was taken off his screwdriver when the Tardis gave a small chirp, almost sounding delighted by what it scanned. “Wait, that can’t be right?”

“Doctor?”

Boston

A modified Sea King, heavily armed and armored, soared through the air to its patrol across the city.

The pilot was the King of Britain himself, William Arthur Philip Louis. He thought himself just another human among the millions that fought for the survival of his species. His people refused to see him that way, even leaders of surviving countries refused to demote to a simple commoner or soldier. He was a leader, a shining example of a leader who fought on the front lines...Or in the air in his case as being a helicopter pilot.

William frown as he saw something in the air just above the city. He turn to his co-pilot as he made the observation. “Ismael? Do you see that?”

The young Middle Eastern looked in the direction he pointed at, his eyes narrowing before pulling up the camera guns for a better look. “Hold on, getting a better look with the gun-cam.”

“This is Crown Flight Leader to Gateroom, I am detecting a strange object in the sky above the city.” William reported, turning the Sea King to investigate. “Moving closer for a better view.”

“This is Gateroom to Crown Flight Leader, belay that. Head away from the object, we detect the object and its a portal event. You are in a Sea King, sir. A modified one, but not one made for heavy fighting.”

“Roger, bearing away to poin-!” William yelped in surprise as there was a large flash of light,  forcing the Sea King to pull away sharply. Ismael yanked his head away from the camera, blinking his eyes to clear them, cursing in his native language as he got back on the gun.

“Crown Leader! Portal event has ended, pull out now because what ever the Tyrant sent in is giving off a large magical signature! Whatever it is, its packing some serious voodoo. Get out there!”

“Damn it all! If its as powerful as you say it is, then at least let me slow it down so you can chunk some missiles at the bloody thing!” William turn and nodded to his co-pilot, who only gave a grim smile and began to ready weapons.

The Sea King pulled a tight turn, heading back to face off against whatever was sent through.

“Guns ready and hot.” Ismael relayed, William nodded his head in response to this, pulling the Sea King up, gaining a first look at whatever came through and let it eat several thousand rounds of hot, magical enhanced lead.

“SOLDIERS OF THIS HISTORIC CITY! STAY YOUR WEAPONS! WE HAVE COME BEARING NEWS OF YOUR MISSING MILITARY COMMANDER!”

Sufficiently to say, even over the roar of the blades, the engines, buffeting winds, and ear protection; William’s ears were ringing for several hours after one Princess Luna’s proclamation.

War March and Past Sins

War March and Past Sins

Author:

Redskin122004

Editors:

Beyond the Horizon

DrawDex

Rush

TheClosetBrony

WayPoint

Pre-Readers:

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

Proudtobe

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."

-Rosa Parks

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."

-Aristotle Onassis

!!!WARNING!!!

Within this chapter holds content dealing with religious beliefs

This in no way, shape, or form is meant to criticize the various beliefs of our world

I do not share this view, but there are a few military servicemen and women I know that do.

Please, for their sake, do not spite them.

They seen horrors of mankind at its darkest.

A loss of faith should be countered with our understanding of them.

Thank you.

Canterlot Castle, 2nd AnnoHarmonia

Marcus quietly ate his breakfast, enjoying the silence, knowing that before long the day would become a hectic haze of meetings, and ponies running around to get orders through to the proper recipients. His mind, however, was somewhere else entirely. Last night, he saw something he thought he would never witness in his life.

Celestia essentially losing her mind.

Granted, he thought the Tyrant had jumped -- nay, swan-dived off of the U.S.S. Sanity a long time ago. But witnessingthis Celestia suffering due to his memories made him realize, even though she is a magical creature of immeasurable power, she is also still a living creature that could feel and show emotions.

He’d thrown enough into her head to turn her into a ticking time bomb. Nearly a decade of fighting against religious extremists, terrorists that killed men, women, and children, for the sake of a promise made back when God talked to them through a burning bush. His experiences with the New Foals, single-mindedly throwing themselves into heavy fire and getting shredded to pieces for the glory of Celestia, never once turning away or screaming in pain, and brutally subduing humans to change them into more mindless, unquestioning cannon fodder.

Worst of all, she’d gotten a brainful of what they did to the native-born ponies they got their hooves on. Marcus quietly stirred his pancake syrup into his eggs, his mind wandering to the time he saw a pony victim of a New Foal attack, just off the street of Paris.

Her body was broken beyond belief; her wings were shattered, her legs were destroyed beyond any hope of healing, and her face and cutie mark were mutilated to the point where it was impossible to determine who she was before the attack. After finding Cheerilee in the Lycee Lakanal, a primary school in Paris, their orders from HQ changed to watching their fire and securing any ponies fighting the New Foals. The mare was the first of many that week long horror.

He found the broken mare on the steps of the Eglise Paroissiale Saint-Giles-Saint-Leu, a Roman Catholic church located about a kilometer away from the school. While she laid in a chopper heading to an evacuation ship, the mare's final words wove the tale of her journey through the city. She mumbled out details to Marcus, explaining how she saw the beauty of Paris's buildings, the most beautiful structures she had ever seen. When the New Foals attacked, many humans had made their way inside the church for safety. They were terrified of her when they saw her inside, but the the priests vouched for her, stating she was in the house of the Lord and that she never rose to strike them down while the attack happened.

Then the New Foals came. She became their focus when she demanded they leave.

Marcus closed his eyes, remembering how the dying mare gasped for air as she told her story, how uncomfortable it felt to stand by and listen to her tale. They destroyed an uncountable number of precious and beautiful items, they destroyed the building with little regard to its history, and they attacked her and called her a traitor. Those priests told her how their faith would guide them from corruption, before she was blinded by the hands -- no, hooves -- of the very same priests.

Marcus gripped his fork tightly, his runes glowing softly as he slowly crushed the metal utensil. His faith was already destroyed by his tours in the Middle East, when war broke out.

He wasn't always an atheist. His father was a devoted Christian, but surprisingly never forced Marcus to attend church. When his father died for his comrades, Marcus had wanted to be just like him, to make him proud. So he followed in his father's footsteps and became a Christian to understand his father's religion. He went to church, prayed, became a modest son that helped his mother on their family ranch, and kept an eye on his younger brother for years.

Then 9/11 happened and Marcus saw first-hand what religion can make a person do. Marcus had all but thrown the concept of a "just and loving" God out the window.

If God had been watching, He would have saved those children from being used as bomb runners, children who were either bought or forced into the fanaticism or threatened with the death of their family.

If God had been watching, He would have guided his squad away from the IED that took the lives of the people under his command, or at least have blown up the bastards who made the bomb while they were still making it.

If God had been watching, He would have stopped the Tyrant from appearing and corrupting His sons and daughters. He would have stopped the entire war before it even started!

If God had been watching, innocents like that single mare, caught between mindless smiling drones and furious humans, would not have suffered for doing what they believed was right. They would not have been humiliated, beaten, blinded, or crippled. She wouldn't suffer a slow and agonizing death with only one lonely human by her side.

But like always, God never appeared. He never came from the heavens and banished the Tyrant. He never sent His angels to free the New Foals from their prisons.

He did nothing.

Marcus let go of his fork, looking at the crushed utensil with minor annoyance. Some of the more religious people claimed that it was a test of resolve or something. Marcus believed otherwise; perhaps He never existed in the first place, and they were alone in their fight. He never prayed for victory whenever he fought. He fought for himself, his friends, and his loved ones, but never for God.

If the bastard turned out to actually exist, he wasn't helping his case either. If Marcus was wrong, and the day he died he found himself in front of those pearly gates, he would turn around and walk away. He wanted nothing to do with a being that left him and his people to slowly march towards death as they fought against something they couldn't possibly kill without destroying themselves first.

"My, you look rather furious this morning." Discord said, his presence of the table like that of a mouse by size. He eyed the crushed utensil with amusement.

Marcus snorted, smirking rather grimly at the small draconequus next to his plate. "Just thinking of how we're all victims of some higher being that was supposed to look out for us, but just dropped the ball."

Discord snapped his claw, causing the fork to unfold back to its original shape. Marcus only nodded his head and began to finish his meal. "Higher being? This 'God' I hear so much about in my travels to find your world, I take it? The one who is all good and holy?"

"God, Allah, big dude living in the sky, whatever you want to call Him." Marcus muttered as he ate. "Just thinking about all the crap that's spewed about him and how he left us to die and be enslaved."

"Well, when you put it that way. I mean, he’s a higher being that supposedly created you, looked after you, and then never showed up to save your race from a death march. I can understand why you hate the guy." Discord swiped some eggs and dabbed them the syrup, smiling up to Marcus. "But a rather odd metal fellow I met in my travels told me that he met God himself while lost in the void of space."

"Metal fellow?" Marcus threw the words around in his skull, he couldn't help but ask. "You mean, a music fan or a robot?"

"Robot, actually, called himself Bender I believe. Anyway, I met Bender when he was about causing all sorts of mischief. Couldn't help but tag along and join him. Quite fun, really." Discord chuckled as he sat on a biscuit and reminiscence his time to Marcus. "We swapped stories, and one story that stood out more so than all the others, and let me tell you that he had an entire book series worth of them, was when he told me that he met this 'God' after he made an error of judgement that ended up killing an entire civilization that was living on him."

Marcus raised an eyebrow at this, but Discord only shrugged and shook his head. "Don't ask. All I know is that somehow he became a god to some rather quick thinking, short lived species."

"So what happened?" Marcus asked, gently pushing Discord off his biscuit, interested in hearing the odd tale.

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, he floated before God Himself, talked about stuff and life in general. How hard it was to be a god in the first place. The one thing that he was told was that being all powerful being required a 'light touch'." Discord explained, making himself a spitting image of the robot he met, dancing in a silly way. "Said that if you do too much, people depend on you, and if you do nothing, people lose hope. A light touch is needed, only enough so people won't even know you did anything at all."

 "Yeah? Well I call that a fucking copout if anything." Marcus scowled, muttering darkly under his breath. Discord watched as Marcus slammed his fist into the table, shattering a portion of it. "If ours is the same way, then He fucking failed in His duties."

"Do you truly believe that?" Discord asked, changing back to himself and floated before Marcus. "Perhaps there is a reason why He doesn't interfere?"

Marcus lowered his head, shaking his head. "I don't know. I don't care either. All I care about is the people I have left. I lost my brother to my own hands. My mother died of a heart attack after the attack took her youngest son. Uncle Danny and Aunt Molly were killed in the crossfire between the PER and Dallas PD with their entire family ponified and killed by the police. My father was killed when he was protecting his soldiers in Iraq. The people I have left are the only thing I have to fight for. If some higher being turns his nose up at us and demands us to overcome something that we had no hope of overcoming on our own, then fuck him. We don't need him, and we'll win on our own. With his blessing or not."

Discord only gave a silent nod, before snapping his claw and fixing the table. "Then perhaps you should focus on the future. I just checked in last night and your world is safe for the time being. However, how many weeks, days, or mere minutes passed since then is hard to tell at the moment. Time varies between worlds after all."

Marcus only nodded his head, clearing his plate of food and a nod to the draconequus. "Thanks, Discord."

Marcus had barely finished his drink when the sounds of the dining room doors opening, revealing a minty green unicorn behind them. She gave a small yawn, before giving him a bright smile when she saw him. "Marcus, good morning!"

"Morning Lyra." Marcus greeted her with what he thought was a warm smile, although the look she gave him indicated it wasn't quite up to snuff.

"Didn't sleep well?" Lyra popped herself onto the seat next to him, a small curious look on her face. Marcus only shrugged his shoulders, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Didn't wake up in a cold sweat, so it was alright." Marcus replied, grimacing as he felt the stubble beard growing from his chin. "Need to shave soon. My face is beginning to itch from this rag on my face."

Discord chuckled as he snapped his claws, and a razor blade, a bowl of water, and shaving cream appeared before Marcus, who gave him a relieved nod for his spell. "A clean-shaven man is one ready to take on the world, or at least impress someone."

"Got that right," Marcus muttered as he began the process of cutting the growing rug. Lyra, in the mean time, had ordered her breakfast from the castle servant and was waiting for her meal. She couldn't believe she was invited to stay at the castle, although she believed it was Princess Celestia's idea to keep her close so Marcus could feel more comfortable.

"There is something that has been bothering me, but I never really had the time to think it over until now." Marcus took the blade and began to the shave the hair under his chin. "How come you never mentioned finding the ship? I figured you would crow on and on about it. Your counterpart did all the time."

"Ship?" Lyra blinked in confusion, staring at Marcus as he shaved. "What ship?"

"That Doc Waggoner's ship you found in the Galloping Sea. When we first met up with the Elements and you told them about it, I was sort of waiting for you to rub it in Sparkle's face that you made a discovery of a life time. Your counterpart couldn't help but proudly proclaim it whenever someone asks, or tease Sparkle about it." Marcus looked at a mirror Discord summoned up for him, inspecting his face as he shaved. "At least that's what she told me before the Tyrant jumped off the Sane Train and into a patch of batshit insanity, taking the Elements and her country into war."

"But…" Lyra couldn't help but be more confused. "But I never found that ship. How did I find that ship...wait!? The trip to Galloping Sea!?"

Marcus and Discord both looked on in surprise as Lyra stayed silent for a moment, her eyes wide in shock as she began to tremble. "Uh...Lyra?" Marcus leaned over and gave her a small poke. Lyra then gave a blood curling scream and slammed her face into the table.

"NO! *SLAM* NO! *SLAM* NOOOOO!" Lyra cried out, attempting to slam her face once more before Marcus reached over and stopped her. "You mean I could have discovered the lost ship that held the findings of the KV62 Party!?!"

Marcus managed to hold down the distraught unicorn, his eyes showed plenty of shock at Lyra's reaction. Discord however, was more interested at the information Marcus just gave him.

"Tell me, Colonel. Was this finding a big thing?" Discord played with his beard as Marcus struggled with the mare.

"I-I guess so?!" Marcus hugged Lyra as he answered Discord, blinking down at the sobbing mare.

"Did she tell you when she found it?" Discord pushed, he needed to be sure that this information was accurate.

"Uh....yeah. About eight years ago, a couple of years before Luna's return. Big deal -- well, at least Lyra made it a big deal." Marcus recalled, giving a shrug to the chaotic being.

"Of course it's a big deal! It showed proof of humanity's existence!" Lyra defended, her eyes glowing with anger. "Doctor Waggoner has even stated that the technology we have today is thanks to humans! Ponies coming from Dream Valley had brought with them concepts never even dreamed of! But because Celestia and Luna were still trying to get everything back in order for Equestria and the later rise of Nightmare Moon, they just melted back into society, publishing their works!"

Marcus turned his head, examining Discord as he was in thought. He frowned as he heard Discord speaking out loud to himself. "That explains how they were able to get at least half the things they have today."

"What do you mean?" Marcus couldn't help but ask.

"As much as Celestia wants to deny it, she coddles them too much," Discord explained, running his claw through his beard. "Ponies would not even have a train or electric magic generators. They had to get those ideas from somewhere."

Marcus frowned thinking it over, before looking at Discord with an answer. "'Cause they lack conflict with each other and the other species. To be pushed to create items like better armor for troops or trains to carry heavy loads to the war fronts."

"Exactly. Its so odd seeing that they still use quills to write, yet they have beginning stages to computers at their disposal." Discord closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I've been wondering for a long time, and now the question has been answered." Discord nodded his head to the teary Lyra. "I thank you for bringing the greater achievement of your counterpart to light, miss Lyra. Without it, I wouldn't ever have found this interesting detail..."

Lyra looked even worse after this statement.

"Was that really necessary?" Marcus asked, not really agreeing with Discord's 'gratitude'.

"Say whatever you want. I was never nice guy to begin with, but I'm fair. Make everypony hate you for your job for a thousand years or so and constantly show them all your 'evilness'; it gives them something permanent to act upon," Discord bluntly told him, and Marcus found himself unable to disagree with his assessment. "But there is another reason to why I ask."

Lyra sniffed, rubbing her snout. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I believe I figured out where the Bag came from." Discord stated, his eyes fully focused on Lyra. "Your counterpart's discovery may have a hoof in its return. I spoke with someone that has been around as long as me, and she thinks it may have been unearthed in the other's recent history. This...discovery from your counterpart may be it; you made no such finding in this world and we are not at war. It's just a guess, just one difference between our worlds."

Lyra sniffed as she thought on what Discord said, and for a moment she was confused until her mind connected the dots.

Marcus himself described her entire fillyhood in detail for the past week, since he was Lyra's closest human friend and trustee. Everything, from the time she fell out of the tree on a bet to her surprise discovery of being able to walk the clouds without a spell, was exactly the same. Same age, month, and even where she lived at those dates. Her counterpart described her entire life to him, and Lyra had acknowledged each and every point.

Until now.

The rest of the other Lyra's life was completely different from Lyra's own, starting four years ago when she decided against going on a scuba diving trip with friends in order to practice her musical talents in an effort to gain entry to the Canterlot Orchestra. Her counterpart, however, decided to go for the trip, and thus discovered a long lost ship.

Lyra's mind raced as she recalled all the information about Waggoner's findings that he had written down. He described amazing relics and pictures of bipeds named humans, capable of amazing feats strength and intelligence. They can be vicious creatures of Darkness, or righteous defenders of Light. Sometimes they could even throw off a curse placed upon them to change their very being into darkness...

Lyra's train of thought petered off. Her heart skipped a beat, eyes wide in shock and horror as it dawned on her. She slowly looked at Marcus, his words coming back in a haunted voice.

"Exactly what it says on the can. Rewrites a person into a pony...changes their body, their mind, binds their soul in chains..."

Doctor Waggoner had said in his diary that they owed humanity their very continued existence for defeating an 'ancient evil' from a time even before the Princesses' own lives, that they used an ancient magic to banish the evil before it could grow even more powerful. She remembered Celestia telling them of the Bag of Tirek, and how its creator suffered the same fate. If Waggoner's account spoke of Tirek, then...

Suddenly, the Tyrant's invasion no longer seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was planned and executed with precision only a truly evil being could come up with.

This was Tirek's revenge against humanity for their interference.

"It...fits." She whispered, shaking like a leaf in complete terror.

"Lyra?" Marcus leaned in close, holding the mare close as she seemingly broke down before him.

"I could have ended the world," Lyra whispered, tears streaking down her face. Marcus recoiled at this, looking at Discord for an answer. Discord only leaned in close to hear her. "Doctor Waggoner found the castle in Dream Valley, and it was completely buried with little to no sign of it ever being there in the first place. Maybe there was a reason! They could've been trying to bury Tirek, to erase him from history altogether! And if KV62 set off from Dream Valley with relics from the area...they might have had..."

"Lyra!" Marcus shook her, trying to get her attention. Lyra turned to him, devastation in her eyes.

"His bag," said Lyra weakly. "They took Tirek's bag, Marcus. Your friend Lyra... destroyed your world... when she found that ship. She led your entire people's existence into the void!" Lyra cried out, tears streaking down her face as she yelled.

"Where?" Discord demanded, lifting the pony from her seat by the scruff of her neck and holding her close to his face. Lyra could only shake in fear, not at Discord, but at the notion that such a small decision could have such dire consequences. "Where were you supposed to go diving?"

"Discord, enough!" Marcus' runes glowed as he grabbed the draconequus by the tail and yanked him down.

"You don't understand, Colonel. That bag can lead to ruin. You cannot believe how many Tireks are in complete control of their world in the multiverse, but not a single one of them can cross into another," Discord growled in anger, his eyes with deep and vicious red glow. "This is the first one to breach the fabric of reality, and he will not stop until he has controlled of all realities under his disgusting thumb. I need that bag gone now or it will simply add more power to the other! Now where?!"

"Off the coast of Baltimare, just a few leagues east from Claw Rocks," Lyra whispered, and then yelped as she was dropped. Discord was nowhere to be seen.

Rocks, 15 miles out from Baltimare

Discord was over an ocean, his eyes wide in fury.

Mother... even after all you have done, he still exists in this world, and I was unable to stop him. Too busy dealing petty vengeance against Celestia, Discord berated himself as he raced eastward. His eyes scanned the rocks that formed out of the ocean, more like claws reaching out to sink unaware sailors to their doom. I will not fail you again. I will stop this monster here and now!

Discord flew around the area several times, his magic slowly filtering through the ocean in search of the ship, before his head snapped to the left and he teleported a mile from his location. Appearing above the water, Discord snapped his claws once more, the ocean below began to churn and swirl. The draconequus watched on in silence as his magic parted the water aside, opening it to the sea floor.

Discord's eyes trained themselves on an old and waterlogged ship resting at the bottom. He flew down, looking over the ship with a critical eye. A large gash on the port side showed the damage it sustained before sinking. He frowned as he looked at it. This doesn't look like it was made from coral or rocks. Far too high from the water line. This looks more like an attack, Discord thought to himself. He carefully made his way inside, slowly searching for any clues to where the bag may lay.

The ship groaned as it settled in the open air once again. The ancient enchantments laid within the ship when it was first built, though still functioning, were near the end of use after being submerged for so long. Discord found dozens of items, artifacts from ages long past, and yet there was an oddity about them.

Discord examined what appeared to be a rusted toy train, the wooden box all but eaten away. He tilted his head in confusion at the toy.

This toy shouldn't have existed a thousand years ago. Discord looked over it, finding more and more strange items.

A model plane, looking similar to what humans called a P-52 Mustang.

A race car -- a 1980 Pontiac Firebird.

What even looked like a tape player.

I was right. Someone or some group came to our world a long time ago and showed the ponies something beyond their imaginations, Discord thought to himself, looking at the items with some care. A zipper appeared in midair next to Discord, which he brought down with ease. He carefully placed several items within the small pocket space he created. He was hoping a clue could be found within these odd items at a later time.

Searching, he took note of what appeared to be a scale of some sort lodged in the wooden hull of the ship, light purple and with a dull shine to it.

A dragon scale.

This ship didn't sink due to a storm... it was attacked, ambushed. Discord tossed the scale in with the other items, frowning as he zipped it up. But dragons prefer to hunt by land or scavenge jewels, and sea dragons tend to avoid ship lanes due to scaring away prey. Plus, a sea dragon would attack from the bottom -- this attack came from outside the sea. Question is... Why did a dragon attack this ship for no reason?

Discord looked about, doubting there was anything more he could save. Everything else was too degraded to be of any use. As he made his way to through the ship, his mind raced for answers.

A feral dragon would only come out to sea and attack ships if they have jewels, or they are starving and eat the crew. From what I gathered, Celestia managed to curb the attacks for the past thousand years, plusSpykoranhas reigned in the others. Discord looked into several rooms, but found nothing to note. He slowly made his way to the captain's bunk. So why attack a ship that barely had any worth to a dragon?

Discord opened the door to the room and stared, eyes centered to the open sky. The entire room was filled with coral and dripping with water. What caught Discord's attention was the large hole in the back room, and what appeared to be a pony's body standing up and looking behind him.

Dragon fire, Discord mused in thought. It was the one thing in the world that can hurt beings like himself, Celestia, and Luna, but every dragon fire was different. This dragon fire appeared to turn the skeleton of the poor fool into crystallized rock, burning so hot that the flesh was roasted right off, but the bones flash-fired into stone.

It was a warning to anyone who found this.

*Tha-thump*

Discord froze, eyes looking about the room as his ears tried to pick up the sound.

*Tha-thump*

Discord made his way closer to the corpse, taking in the gruesome warning with new light.

*Tha-thump*

Discord paused as he felt something attempting to gain entry to his mind. It was dark and disgusting, not too dissimilar to what he felt in a few of the worlds he travelled to.

It was also very familiar.

"Tirek," Discord growled as he stared at the crystallized corpse. The Bag of Tirek hung defiantly around it, mocking the attack that took the life of the pony that wore it. He watched as it pulsed several times like a disembodied heart, dark magic attempting to gain access to Discord's mind. Discord scowled as he backed away, his claws ready to vanish the cursed object to the pits, but stayed his claw.

Mother told me to be careful around the bag with my magic; it could corrupt with just the slightest touch of a pony's magic... guess that's how the Tyrant lost her marbles. Discord quickly flew out the hole, the bag reacting quickly at his leave. Sorry, Tirek, but I am finishing you off here and now.

Discord closed his eyes, raising his arms upwards, filling the entire ship with his magic. He made sure to keep his magic away from the captain's room as he began to lift the derelict ship from the sea floor. Nowhere on this world is safe to put this beating bag. So I'll just take it from this world.

Discord shot straight up, taking the ship with him as he flew. The ancient ship groaned -- bits and pieces of the ship broke off as they both ascended high into the sky. Discord made sure to avoid going close to the magical sun his mother created, not wanting to burn the ship up before he even got out of the planet's gravity well, nor run the risk of Celestia or Luna being controlled in case the bag managed to connect with them when they move the magical star and moon. As he flew into the darkness of space, the waterlogged ship began to dry spectacularly. In a matter of seconds, vacuum violently boiled away hundreds of gallons of water into a fine mist, spewing a thick cloud of tiny ice crystals from every open tear in the hull. The coral and dead matter inside clung to their moisture, slowly hemorrhaging wisps of sparkling ice as cells burst one at a time.

Discord and the ship continued on for several more minutes. Discord admired the star filled view all around him and the sparkling trail of powder left in the ship's wake.

Chaos... in its most primal form, Discord thought. Stars, planets, comets, and scores of other cosmic items reside in the universe. The death of a star also meant the birth of a new one. Before he was trapped in stone, he just hung about on the moon, watching space and enjoying the view of the chaos filled universe he lived in. I wish you were here Mother. You would no doubt make a lecture of it, but just to see you one more time would be enough.

Discord sighed as he looked about, finally eyeing a star and smirking. With a snap of his claws, the entire ship was encased in stone. Hundreds of runes inscribed into it, and two giant, oversized rocket thrusters attached to the rear of the rock. He could feel the bag trying desperately to corrupt him, words of power and chaos at his command, but Discord brushed them off.

You won't trouble this world ever again. When I faced you long ago, I could barely understand my powers. But I got a peek what I can do when you threatened to kill my mother...

Discord thought back to his childhood and found himself looking at younger version of himself -- small, weak looking, a pitiful sight before the massive red centaur standing before him. Tirek looked down at him, amused by his apparent defiant stand, holding his arms wide in an attempt to protect his mother. The ruby mane alicorn lay behind him, her wounds slowly healing as she looked on in horror as the young Draconequus stood before her.

I couldn't kill you...

The young Discord clenched his eyes shut before expelling a large amount of chaos magic directly into Tirek's chest. A look of utter shock appeared on his face before he was sent flying away out of sight.

But I could send you flying.

As the rockets began to warm up, Discord gave the rock-encased ship a final look. The bag tried everything it could think of to stay his claw. Power, ancient secrets, total control of the world.

Discord glared intensified, staring at the rock with disgust. "Can you give me back my mother?"

The bag fell silent, its pulsing voice melting away from his mind.

"Thought not," Discord said quietly. The thrusters began to glow with power. "There is a lot that my mother, your dear enemy Faust, taught me of the stars. Sometimes they blow up, and sometimes they turn into ever hungry black holes. Guess which one she showed me that was about to collapse on itself in a few thousand years?"

A portal opened in the void, a massive star within view. The star dwarfed anything that ponykind could ever compare to. What was even more terrifying about it was the portal was still 6 light years away, and it was still massive to see.

"Goodbye, Bag of Tirek. Your time on this world is over." Discord snapped his claws and the rockets shot through the portal. He swore he could hear the angry roar of Tirek himself before he closed the portal. "And soon, your counterpart will suffer the same."

Discord sat in silence, floating in the void before turning back to Equus.

I did it, Mother... Tirek will never threaten this world again. But now a new challenge appears. Are you happy with what happened to your people? Are you mad at Celestia... or me? Discord thought to himself as he made his journey to the planet. Will there be a time for us so-called gods to stand away from this world and watch them grow on their own?

He thought back on the scale in his pocket space, groaning as a thought occurred to him. I have some more research to do. Well, back to work.

Canterlot, Castle Garden, Several hours later

Every leader on Equus sat in the garden gazebo, lunch fast approaching as they got ready for the first War Meeting ever held. The largest of them sat outside the gazebo, his head barely able to fit inside the beautiful structure. The massive dragon with royal purple and light green scales lay outside as he waited for the meeting to begin.

"Comfortable, Spykoran?" The reindeer sitting next to his head asked, chuckling as he watched the dragon gave him an unamused glare at him. The bells tied to his massive horns gave a light chime as he moved.

"Har, har, Sint. Laugh it up -- I'd like to see how you managed to get those massive horns of yours into doorways," Spykoran growled, which only caused the reindeer to chuckle some more.

"Easy. I avoid those doors. Or I just wiggle my snout and I'm in!" Sint laughed at the grumbling dragon as he looked away, annoyed with the Sint Erklass, the 'Spirit of Hearthwarming and Bringer of Gifts'.

"This war will be massive." Warlord Wilmorn Darkhoof told Chief Thunderhooves and Shaman Quagga. "What they told me nearly shattered my very conception of evil. This… 'Solar Tyrant' will be an enemy that can destroy us all. Already the Minotaurs of this other Equus is gone, only survived by a single one. He wields Mjolnir in our stead, and I will not allow him to suffer alone!"

"A war that has taken many lives," the Elder Shaman Quagga croaked out, holding his Spirit Staff closely with a tight grip. "We will lose many of our own. But it is a sacrifice we have to make to ensure our survival."

"Agreed. My forefathers will hang me by the hooves if I turn away from this fight. I will lead the roaming tribes as one, and they will face the entire might of the Buffaloes as we come trampling down on their defenses!" Chief Thunderhooves declared. His voice filled in anger at what he learned of his counterpart's situation, being forced to flee the lands to the growing New Foals as they tried to throw away their old customs in favor of worshipping the Solar Tyrant.

"I am even amazed to see you standing here, Chrysalis," Queen Hedwig said as she sipped her tea. Her eldest son gave a crooked grin to the Changeling queen as he listened in. "Last I heard, you managed to get booted out of this very capital."

"Don't remind me." Chrysalis muttered as she rested her head on the table. "I was such a fool now that I look back on it. Compared to what we're about to go against, it feels so…"

"Petty?" Pack Leader Canis finished for her, chewing on a rib as if it were a wheat stalk. "Believe me; petty is something I am familiar with. I have to deal with it every day with the fool dogs that go rogue and cause trouble for the rest of you. Hopefully, this war will open their mangy eyes and show them that pushing the wrong buttons will cause problems."

The sound of flapping wings reached their ears, as one they turn to see the Princesses of Equestria land before the gazebo. A flash of light later, and Discord, Lord of Chaos, was standing next to them. Many of them took note of the freed Draconequus when they first arrived, although they did not react as many ponies did. Some in fact even worshipped him, calling him Lord of Change and Chance. This mainly revolved around the Buffaloes, Minotaurs, and the Zebras.

To them, Chaos was neither evil nor good. It was neutral in their teachings; chaos could affect them in the most mediocre way. It taught them to accept that there will always be something outside their control -- something that the Equestrians had yet to learn -- and yet you could learn from your mistakes and do better next time, hence why he was called Lord of Change as well.

Not that this would stop the minotaurs from bashing his skull in if they had the chance when he showed up to cause problems. They respected his power and strength, but they would not lay down before him and let him run all over them.

Discord held back rolling his eyes as he watched the three bow to him. No need to cause a fight for no reason. Wouldn't stop Warlord Darkhoof from trying to one-up him like many Warlords before him had tried before his stoning, though.

All of the leaders turned their heads to Celestia, many of them seeing her for the first time without the multi-colored mane. Sint Erklass immediately got to his hooves and rushed over to her. "Child, what has happened? The last time I saw your mane like this was when you were forced to banish your sister."

Celestia couldn't help but snort a bit; very few beings in the world can call her a child and still not feel like she was being made fun of. Sint was old long before his ascension and his duty to care for his people, making him the second oldest being alive on Equus, right behind Discord himself, who was even older than him by a thousand years or more.

"I am fine, Sint… just… recovering," Celestia said quietly to the elder. This caused Discord to snort at her comment.

"What she means is that she had her brain in a blender of horror and rape of a special variety," Discord told Sint, bluntly ignoring the look of horror Celestia sent him. "Oh, don't give me that look, Celestia. He has the right to know what you've been through."

"What happened?" Sint demanded, giving her a stern glare. Celestia swallowed nervously. Even if it had been such a long time, he still made her feel like a foal sometimes.

"I can do one better." Discord wrapped his arm around the shoulder of the reindeer, pointing him to two more approaching figures. "I can point you to the one who caused it."

Everyone turned to see the Human Commander and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess of Love, walking beside him in quiet discussion. Sint attempted to march over to the human and demand what he did, but Luna stood before him, glaring at Discord.

"Peace, Sint. Just Discord being Discord." Luna gave Discord a scathing glare, before turning back to Sint. "It was an accident, nothing more. An attempt to keep the casualties to a minimum with a Mind Share spell backfired not only on my Sister, but the Commander as well."

Marcus walked up at this moment, raising an eyebrow at the stink eye the reindeer gave him, but ignored it in favor of leaning against the post of the gazebo. He did take note of the dragon looking at him; while he wasn't familiar with dragons' facial expressions just yet, it wasn't too dissimilar to most species.

"Princess Celestia, is there a reason to this meeting? I figured you told us all we needed to know of the coming days," Queen Hedwig couldn't help but ask her. The fighting that was to come would be massive and the Griffon Kingdom needed their Queen to lead them into it. "Time is wasting when we could be preparing."

Celestia nodded her head to Queen Hedwig's question, slowly taking a seat before them all. Cadance took one to the left of her while Luna took the right. "Of course, but there is something I have yet to detail when I told you of the Tyrant and her conquest of the Colonel Renee's world."

"There's more?" Spykoran tilted his head in confusion. "I figured that all we needed to know is that she's crazy, that perhaps that leadership has gone to her head and believed that everyone should be happy."

Chrysalis lowered her head. She alone knew what Celestia was speaking of, given the danger her Changelings would face when they went fighting against the Tyrant's drones: the Bag of Tirek, giving false and poisonous love so deadly that it killed an entire species before the war even started.

"I informed Queen Chrysalis of the danger of going to war with the Tyrant, even more so for her people compared to the rest of us." Celestia started, her horn glowing as an image appeared in the center of the gazebo. "This is the true reason the Tyrant went on to become who she is."

"A bag?"

"What is this mockery?!"

"You expect us to believe that a bag is the sole cause to this travesty!?"

The outcries were numerous, but Discord was much more interested in Clan Leader Spykoran's reaction.

He was absolutely terrified of the image.

His eyes dilated, the wood groaned as he his claws began to crush the railing of the gazebo, and his wings clenched tightly to his back. Discord leaned in close, hearing the dragon muttering quickly under his breath.

"No! No! He had to get rid of it! I was so sure I did for my own! No one could find it!" Spykoran whispered to himself, his eyes trained on the image of the bag.

"Well now, isn't that interesting," Discord said out loud, causing everyone to look at him with surprise. "I was sure no one in this meeting would know about the bag and its properties, but you do! Tell me, Spykoran, how do you know of this bag?"

Spykoran blinked as he heard his name being called out, turning to see everyone giving him odd looks. Celestia blinked in confusion, tilting her head to the side as she gave him a questioning look. "Spykoran?"

"I… I've seen the bag before," Spykoran said after a moment of hesitation.

"How?" Discord prodded, his eyes narrowing as he thought back on what he found in the ship. "I found this in a ship coming from Dream Valley…"

Discord trailed off, seeing the dragon wince at the name of the place it was coming from, causing Discord to give Celestia a sidelong look. "You know of Dream Valley, don't you, Spykoran? I find it nearly impossible for anyone to know where this bag came from, since I found it at the bottom of the ocean. Before that, it was buried under ash and mud for centuries."

"Because I was born there," Spykoran said at last. Celestia's eyes widened at this, but Spykoran held up his claw. "I will say no more of it."

OBJECTION!" Everyone in the room was startled as Discord yelled, making the room tremble. All of them observed Discord as if he had gone more mad than usual. "I think you do have more to say on it." Discord snapped his claw, a zipper appearing in mid-air and pulled it down. Reaching in, he pulled out something and tossed it onto the table.

A single dragon scale, its royal purple shining brightly in the noon sun.

"You see, I found that on the ship. It was lodged in the wood, and knowing how tough and durable dragon scales are, a little seawater shouldn't really do much. And the amount of royal purple scaled dragons are very low. Your grandsons, the one residing in Ponyville itself, and the others living in other parts of the world, are simply too young to be a part of the attack. And Steve Magnet, the river serpent who resides in the Everfree, hates seawater and doesn't go anywhere near it and is just as young. I asked before hoof, given the oddity of the scale and the gouges in the ship -- had to cover my bases. That only leaves you, and given the size of this scale, I say its about the right size for you," Discord pushed, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the dragon. "Something you want to share with the class?"

Everyone slowly looked up at the dragon, Celestia looking at him as if she never seen him before. "Spykoran?"

Spykoran closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them once more. "I'm sorry Celestia… but I couldn't risk it. By the time I arrived, your ponies were already worshipping the bag. I had to end them all to ensure the bag stayed hidden."

Celestia looked like she was struck across the face, while Luna and Cadence stared wide eyed in shock at what the dragon said. Discord wasn't quite finished with the elder dragon just yet, as he pointed his claw at his face with a look of determination.

"This isn't the first time you done something like this, is it?" Discord's unnaturally calm demeanor hid his growing grim thoughts as he pushed for more information. "Because Miss Heartstrings gave me a rather surprising insight to what happened in Dream Valley."

Discord coughed, clearing his throat before he began to speak in Lyra's voice. "Doctor Waggoner found the castle in Dream Valley, and it was completely buried with little to no sign of it ever being there in the first place. Maybe there was a reason! They could've been trying to bury Tirek, to erase him from history altogether! And if KV62 set off from Dream Valley with relics from the area...they might have had..."

"Lyra!" said Discord in a much deeper, manlier voice. He punctuated it by clapping his mismatched hands to his cheeks in exaggerated horror. Marcus scowled, his eyes narrowing at the draconequus for dragging Lyra's fragile state of mind into the meeting.

"His bag," said Discord in Lyra’s voice once more. "They took Tirek's bag, Marcus."

If anything, Spykoran looked like he had seen a ghost of the past come rushing back and body slam him in the face. "H-h-how?!"

"Excuse me; changing one's voice is a hassle." Discord said coughing several times, before looking at the dragon. "How? I like to thank Miss Heartstrings' stirring breakdown over possibly causing the apocalypse. Even in the midst of that, she was able to connect the dots and make a surprisingly accurate guess. Given that you look like you've just eaten something disagreeing with you, I can tell you were well aware of what was on board."

Everyone stared at the dragon in disgust and horror, except for Marcus and Discord.

"You feel dead inside, don't you?" Discord gave him a long look while Marcus only closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Every day." Spykoran answered softly. "I see their faces whenever I close my eyes, the reason I avoid my 100 year nap. Try as I might, it will carry on in my heart for centuries."

"Why?" Celestia whispered, her stunned look plastered on her face. "Dream Valley was a safe haven long ago for the ponies fleeing Discord's fight with myself and Luna."

Spykoran couldn't help but chuckle darkly at this. "Safe haven? Dream Valley was hardly a safe haven. I believe Equestria was a far safer area than Dream Valley. There were already ponies residing within the region before your 'ponies' arrived. Believe me when I say that you 'Celestial' sisters are not the only Princesses I knew of."

"Other... Princesses?" Cadance blinked quietly at this. "There were others?"

"Yes. Six others." Spykoran answered. "All of them wielding powerful artifacts, only surpassed by the Rainbow of Light, they ensured the stability of the land...until Tirek's bag corrupted them as well."

Spykoran lowered his head, shuddering softly as he recalled all those years. "It was only a couple of decades after the human children stopped coming. The portal to their world closed to us. The older generations went back to Equestria when they learned that the war was over.  I went on to my first nap. Perhaps if I was awake, I could have stopped it."

"How?" Discord asked, "What could you have done to stop it?"

"Unlike other dragons' younger years, I was Tirek's 'minion' - his punching bag, in other words," Spykoran growled. "I was one for years before the human child appeared and banished him."

Marcus looked up at this. "Wait. A child? What the hell do you mean -- a kid showed up and banished him?"

Spykoran looked to Marcus. "Exactly what it means. The child appeared with the ponies. They searched for something to defeat Tirek, and found it with the gnome named Moonchick. He gifted them with the Rainbow of Light, and a heart-shaped locket that held it."

Unnoticed by the others, Marcus and Celestia both blinked at this. Celestia stole a quick glance at the human, eyes darting down to where his shirt bulged a bit just below the neck. Marcus only replied with a half-lidded scowl that said, No.So much no.That would be all kinds of NO.

"Rainbow of Light?" Luna tilted her head at this. "An ancient magic of old? What, pray tell, does it wield?"

Spykoran only snorted at her question. "You only need to look upon Celestia's student and her friends for the answer."

Celestia stared for a long moment, blinking at his answer. "You mean... this locket held the power of Harmony?"

"Apparently." Spykoran shrugged. "I wasn't there to see it; I only learned about it afterward. All I know is that Megan defeated Tirek with it."

It was now Marcus’s turn to suddenly look rather ill, which did not escape Celestia's eye. Their silent argument continued across the table, now beginning to draw the attention of some of the other leaders.

Canis awkwardly pointed a claw between the two of them. "Are we missing something here?"

"No," said Marcus irritably, at the same time Celestia said, "Yes."

Canis scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Okay?"

"Who is Megan?" asked Celestia. When Marcus opened his mouth to protest, she interrupted, "You looked like you were struck in the face the moment Spykoran said that name. Who is Megan?"

"Megan Renee was my mother," replied Marcus. "Unrelated to Megan Fairy Crap."

"And your locket?" pressed Celestia.

"Yes. Remind me that you went through my shit. That helps so much."

"It felt empty, Marcus!"

Marcus reached under the collar of his shirt and pulled out the repaired heart-shaped locket. He opened it up to show them the pictures inside. "It doesn't feel empty because it has a couple of pictures in it. And it doesn't feel magically empty because it's not --" Suddenly, Spykoran was literally breathing down Marcus's face, eyes focused on the amulet. "Whoa there!" Marcus yelped as he backed away.

"This... this is it! The Rainbow of Light!" Spykoran exclaimed. "I'd recognize it anywhere!"

Marcus deflated. "Oh, goddammit." He jabbed a finger in the dragon's face. "No." He jabbed it again at Celestia, who was smirking visibly. "No." He waved his arms around at the rest of the shocked leaders. "Fucking NO. It was my mother's, not some magical save-the-world doodad."

Spykoran focused on the pictures, before looking back to Marcus. "Your mother's name is Megan."

"Megan Renee," Marcus answered, his eyes falling to the ground.

"Her maiden name! Was her last name Williams?!" Spykoran pleaded, his eyes filled hope.

"Uh... yeah! How did you..." Marcus felt uncomfortable as the elder dragon was now looking at him with new light. He turned around and thumped his head against the post he was leaning against. "Oh, goddammit."

"You... you are her child. Megan's son is here on Equus. Then... then there is a chance for us to win! Only your mother could wield the locket!" Spykoran looked excited, his tail wagging as it knocked over statues and pillars.

Marcus gave a bark of laughter. "You're joking, right? My mom was a rancher. She worked on a ranch and tended to horses for most of her life."

Discord's head popped out from inside Marcus's ear and catcalled, "Ooh, someone's in deniiiial!"

Marcus angrily slammed Discord back into his ear with his palm, then momentarily looked rather disturbed at the physical implications of that. He glanced around the room for a few seconds, finally locating Discord hanging upside-down from the chandelier by his tail with a tub of popcorn that defied gravity by falling upward into his mouth. "No," he repeated, pointing up at him. "Not once has she ever told me stories of going to another world, even when I was a kid. It's like the perfect bedtime story, and she didn't say squat about anything. Also, wasn’t this garbage a thousand years ago?"

Discord shrugged. "You say that like time is boring and linear or something," he said through a mouthful of popcorn. Marcus stared for a moment before mentally facepalming for such an idiotic question. He already knew the two Equestrias were offset by a few years. Maybe time just did whatever the hell it felt like between universes.

Marcus turned back to Spykoran. "And besides, what makes you think she wants to see you after what you did?"

Spykoran backed away after this, realization crossing his face.

"You know, if what you said is true, you killed all of her friends, leaders, and everyone else," Marcus explained, rolling his eyes as he looked at the dragon. "She might not want to see you at all. At the very least you've got some explaining to do. Again." He waved a hand dismissively. "But that's all impossible anyway, because my mother has been dead for three years."

Spykoran pulled back completely, his eyes filled with tears. "She's dead… no. The Rainbow of Light is gone."

"It's not the Rainbow of Light!" Marcus shouted. "It's my family locket. Nothing more," Marcus sneered as he pocketed the locket.

"It is. But the magic is gone." Spykoran whispered, his eyes closed in shame and regret. "If Megan, Danny, and Molly were still around, they would have stopped the bag's influence. Then I wouldn't have..." Spykoran trailed off, covering his face with his claws.

Marcus raised his eyebrow at the additional names, his mind racing at the implications. There was no way his mother, uncle, and his aunt would not say a word about this. They had to say something or write it down somewhere. It was simply too much to believe that this was some sort of cursed fate thing. The problems of the mother's past passing to the son? Fate wasn't that cruel...

Then again, his world was being consumed by a growing pink barrier with a genocidal alicorn carrying some knockoff of the One Ring.

Spykoran brought himself back up, giving Marcus one last look before turning to the others. "I admit... I did it, and I would do it again too. I killed hundreds of ponies, both royalty and common, a half dozen species, and burned the very ground itself until naught but ash remained. To cover my crimes and to ensure the bag forever remain hidden, I forced Mount Gloom to erupt, cover the land in sludge of the Smooze, and bury everything. Everything I did was for this world. I was alone and could not spare a chance for another to be corrupted as well."

Many of the others looked at the dragon, fear filling their faces at the newly discovered murderer. Only Discord and Marcus showed nothing to this reveal. Both of them understood what he had to do. To stop a plague, sometimes you had to cut out the infected areas -- or in this case burn it ashes.

Scorched Earth protocol wasn't new to Marcus; North Korea was a prime example of it. The North fell within days of the Tyrant's war for Earth, and with little military resistance left, there was little to stop the New Foals in the area. China and Russia resorted to drastic measures to curb the growing number of New Foals in Asia. It was now nothing more but a radioactive husk. Any New Foal or PER that survived in the outer areas of the nuclear bombing found themselves hunted by the Chinese, Russian, South Korean, and American soldiers as they combed the safe zones. A little more than a year later, DC went the same route.

"I see. Then you did the world a great service," Discord answered, turning his head away from the dragon. He was done grilling him for answers.

"A great service?! He killed thousands of innocents!" Luna cried out, her eyes narrowing at the dragon with disgust.

"And you would have killed the entire world with your jealousy and 'Everlasting Night', Lulu, so you you don't get to talk." Discord commented blandly, causing Luna to flinch. He stared at Spykoran, who also recoiled. "Something you find interesting with what I said, Spykoran?"

"Tirek also wanted to bring about 'Everlasting Night'. He wanted the world to plunge into darkness." Spykoran answered, looking at Luna. "Perhaps Tirek's influences are not all centered in Dream Valley."

Celestia's eyes widened slightly, looking at her sister with new light, her thoughts racing before her gaze panned back to Spykoran. "Spykoran, while I admit to being disgusted with your past actions, you did so with a heavy heart. Killing an entire country on your own, past friends and leaders just to ensure the spread of evil had not gone further that it already had...I cannot even imagine what you've gone through."

"You have no idea." Spykoran growled in anger. "Imagine fighting your sister, wielding the awesome power of Harmony -- and instead of banishing your sister, it turned her to ash. Now imagine doing that over and over again, by the hundreds. My sin and pain can never be forgiven or forgotten. I don't need your pity, Celestia. I only need your word that we stop the puppet before she inadvertently releases Tirek."

"Puppet?" Canis raised an eyebrow at his choice of word for the Tyrant. "An odd choice of words, given who we face." While it took some effort not to think the dragon some sort of monster, Canis saw the death and destruction as a grim necessity.

"The bag changes you. You either become mad with power, its whispers forever guiding you, or you become a toy to it. Either way, you are a slave." Spykoran looked them all in the eyes before turning to Celestia. "That is what the potion is, holding the bag's power within. It enslaves your very soul to it. There is a very good chance that the bag is going for full control over the New Foals. It shouldn't work like this though. I knew someone -- his name was Scorpan, a dear old friend of mine that protected me from Tirek. He was a human who broke free of the bag's influence sometime before Megan's arrival. It may have learned from this and decided to go for a clean slate."

Quagga gave a small hum, rubbing his chin in thought. "Then it must be taking the next step. Shattering the soul, binding the pieces to its will. Very dangerous, lethal, and the darkest of magics. There is very little hope that the New Foals will ever recover from it. A shattered soul can never be mended through life. Only death will make it whole once more."

Marcus couldn't help but lower his head at this. "So, even if we win..."

"I'm sorry," Quagga whispered to Marcus. "Zebrakind has always been linked to nature; through it we understand the very essence of the soul. We understand it more than any other being. There is no recovery from a broken soul. Even if there is a chance they still reside within them, they would be in utter agony. No medicine or magic can cure it."

"I see." Marcus crossed his arms at this. "A lot of people, the PHL especially, will be devastated to hear this. Our contact with Zebras has been severely limited, so this is news to me."

"I have heard enough." Hedwig stated as she stood from her seat, her son standing by her side, a fierce look on their face. "The bag is dangerous, but we need to focus on the Tyrant's slaves. We have to deal with them before we focus on her toy."

"That would be a mistake." Discord gave them a small look. "The bag can corrupt any that gets their paws on it. I'm surprised that dear Spykoran is still in possession of a clear mind for being around it so long."

"No matter." Celestia gave them all a long look. "If the bag is present, then it will be on the Tyrant herself. For that, I ask you all to flee and seek out myself, Luna, or Discord."

"If she appears before me, I will send her flying with my hammer," Darkhoof muttered, only to have Celestia give him a rather displeased look.

"Unlike myself, Darkhoof, she will have no qualm about killing you. She holds every source of magic known to Equus, and perhaps a few unknown. She will destroy you with a simple flicker of her horn." Celestia gave a tired sigh. "Please, for the sake of your people, do not face her if you have a choice to flee."

Darkhoof huffed once before giving her a reluctant nod. "Fine. If there is chance to flee, I will."

Canis leaned in close to Tobias at this statement. His mock whisper loud and clear to all. "1,000 bits that he finds a way to corner himself with the bitch."

"I see your bet if only that he somehow simply stumbled upon her while fighting first." Tobias answered back. Both of them shook with grins on their faces.

"Go jump off a cliff." Darkhoof muttered as half the table gave a small chuckle.

"Gladly." Tobias cheekily answered him.

"Tobias, enough." Hedwig gently smacked his head before turning to Celestia. "Is that all that we need to know, Celestia?"

"Yes." Celestia nodded to her. "Prepare your armies for war. All of Equus is in danger, and we need all we can muster. Discord says that we may have time to spare. Bring your troops for training. Commander Marcus will remain behind to train our troops."

Discord gave a yawn, stretching as he did so. "When I come back, I will set something up for all for your troops to work on if it can be spared."

"And where are you going, Lord Discord?" Thunderhooves asked curiously.

"Well, Luna and yours truly will head over and let the Commander's people know they are not alone," Discord answered, a WW2 helmet placed on his skull. "We will brave the front to pass the message. You can count on us to do this brave deed."

Sint frowned a bit at this. "Why you two?"

"Well, for me it's just to snub the Tyrant's snout to show her that chaos isn't dead just yet." Discord shifted into a zombified version of himself. "The dead coming back to life more or less cements the fact that it is real. Also, I'm the only one that can rip open a portal between worlds, so I kind of have to go."

"I will go due to my status of being stone in the other Equus." Luna clarified, giving the group a long look before closing her eyes. "Seeing Princess Luna whole and unstoned will lead credence to our story. We debated in bringing another, but we believe it might be too much and too dangerous."

"Speak for yourself." Discord muttered. "I was planning on bringing her like this, all zombie-like. It would've been hilarious!"

"Or really dead." Marcus muttered. "At least zombies are straightforward and lack a barrier. Just keep shooting or hacking away until they are in pieces."

"Buzz kill." Discord slumped at this, he hate getting shot at and was no fun. Marcus only gave him a small grin before he looked back to Celestia

"Then this meeting is over." Celestia got to her hooves. "There is one more thing I wish to say before you leave to prepare your people."

The various leaders paused in their steps, looking to Celestia as she stood quietly. Celestia looked up at them, her eyes filled with sadness and regret. "I'm so sorry for dragging you all into this."

"No." Marcus stood before her, his eyes borrowing into hers. "Do not blame yourself for this."

"Please don't blame all this on yourself." Discord rolled his eyes, but Marcus only gave him a small grin.

"Please, I'm not that corny." Marcus chuckled a bit, "The blame is on this bag and the Tyrant. You are doing your duty and so are the rest of them. If they refused to join, then they'd be very poor leaders."

"Agreed." Quagga nodded his head, holding his Spirit Staff tightly. "Do not blame yourself for doing what is right."

The various leaders nodded their heads with the zebra leader, causing Celestia to smile somewhat as she looked to the ground with embarrassment.

"Alright. Enough with feelings time." Discord popped up behind them, his hoof tapping the ground. "Time's a-wasting. Sharpen your swords and buff your armors, ready your troops and prep the officers. Drums of war are upon us all and time to prepare is unknown. For all you know, the moment we get back we'll be dragging you to the front lines."

"It will take time for us to get back." Hedwig pointed out. "Some of us have an entire ocean to cross."

"Yeah..." Discord muttered, before raising his claw. "No time for sailing or road trip. We need you home now."

"Wait! What are--" *Pop*

Marcus, Celestia, and Luna blinked when the leaders vanished from view. Discord stroked his beard, a look of amusement on his face. "Hope they enjoy the trip."

All across Equus, the world leaders found themselves in various of places in their capitals. A certain Minotaur found himself dressed in a pink tutu and powdered wig, in front of the main plaza at the busiest time of day. Tabloids ran for days with pictures of their leader on the cover.

To say he was displeased would be an understatement.

"Thank you, Discord." Celestia said to him, she did raise an eyebrow at him. "Although the many guards that came with them will be rather upset with you for doing so."

"Then let me make it up to them." Marcus turn to her. "Send them to me so I can drill into them tactics of the Tyrant's Solar Army and Fleets. I can use this time to teach, and if I'm needed back at home, then they can take over the teachings."

Celestia agreed with the assessment, calling for a guard to her side to relay an order to him. She spoke up to her sister before she could leave. "Luna."

"Yes, Sister?" Luna had tripped slightly at the surprise call. She turned back to see the guard saluting Celestia and running off to follow the order.

"We must speak about Nightmare Moon." Celestia said, looking to her with concern.

"Why?" Luna blinked in surprise at this.

"Because the events leading to Nightmare Moon may not be your fault," Celestia answered. "What Spykoran said has a cause of concern, there may be some influence from the bag that may have lead to it."

"And if there is an outside influence for you, so may the events leading the Crystal Empire and Sombra." Discord added as he played with a small kunai with a tag tied to it, a gift he received on his trip through the multiverse.

"But we have to--" Luna tried to push off the talk in favor of leaving soon to Marcus' world, but was denied by Discord.

"Sorry Lulu, this talk might be good for you two." Discord looked away at the shocked look on the sisters as he threw the kunai into the air. "What? You two have been distant with each other for awhile, so a good talk may be good for you."

Discord watched as the two sisters looked to one another before taking flight, he turned to the sky, taking a deep breath as he caught the falling kunai before teleporting away. He had to prepare and make sure he didn't end up somewhere else again.

He didn't want to get shot in the snout again after all.

Once was painful enough. Getting shot multiple times by Megan Williams and the Emperor's Catachans was enough for him for the rest of his life.

The following morning

Discord stretched his body out, popping his joints as he did so. He turned to see the sisters quietly conversing with one another before they nuzzled one each other affectionately. His eyes panned to Marcus, who stood by, arms behind his back while he waited for the two to leave.  Around him, experienced and high-ranking members of several species stood at attention.

Luna quietly trotted up to Discord, her wings ruffling themselves with nervous tension. A saddle bag hung from her side, filled with documents containing Celestia and the various leaders of Equus’ promise to help humanity and PHL members to stop the Tyrant. "I am ready, Discord. Shall we leave?"

"Almost." Discord snapped his claws several times, getting the flow going properly before looking to her. "Everything set with you and Tia?"

"I..." Luna looked away, taking a deep breath before looking back up to him. "You were right. As much as we like to deny it, we stood apart from one another these past years. Neither wanted to broach the painful past that we shared."

"A past that should not have happened," Discord murmured.

"If this about--" Luna started, only for a muzzle to appear on her snout, silencing her words.

"I'm not talking about our issue with each other." Discord said he banished the item. "I'm talking about what happened to you. To Sombra. It’s too much of a coincidence that after Tirek's banishment, things got worse before they got better. Sombra going mad with power and enslaving the Crystal Kingdom ponies, to your turning to Nightmare Moon. It also explains Twilight Sparkle and her friends as well."

Luna turned wide eyed in surprise at this. "What!?" But Discord ignored her outburst.

"We'll be back, Celestia." Discord clenched his claw before holding it up. "Don't do anything I might do... or do it. Might be funny to see you pranking for once and fail."

Celestia only rolled her eyes at this before Discord snapped his claw. A portal opened up before the two and the two jumped through.

Over the city of Boston

Discord and Luna tumbled through, falling somewhat before they gained their bearings.

"Let's not do that again," Luna huffed, flapping her wings as she corrected herself.

"Whoops." Discord hovered upside down, looking at the city below. Luna's heart clenched as she saw the destruction that was wrought upon the city. Marcus had described it a city of history and life, the birthplace of his country's future.

All she saw was the corpses of buildings. The stench of death and fire passed through her snout and it took every ounce of her soul not to cry as she saw buildings that put the tallest building on Equus to shame stand as a former shadow of themselves. The tallest of them appeared to have had something rammed into its side, but stood tall against whatever force that attempted to topple it. Luna looked to the ground around the building and saw a massive Equestrian Air Cruise ship laying upon the ground. It was scattered all around the building, snapped in half for its folly.

Luna looked up, feeling Discord tapping her shoulder. He pointed to something heading their way, a mighty aircraft looking quite capable of taking a hit and dishing out some of its own.

"We made an entrance. Now to give out our calling." Discord muttered to her. Luna nodded her head and took a deep breath, unaware of Discord stuffing his ears with ear plugs and placing ear muffs over them.

"SOLDIERS OF THIS HISTORIC CITY! STAY YOUR WEAPONS! WE HAVE COME BEARING NEWS OF YOUR MISSING MILITARY COMMANDER!"

The Bigger Score

The Bigger Score

Author: Redskin122004

Editors:

TB3

DrawDex

ThatClosetBrony

Sgtnolisten

CV12Hornet

Pre-Readers:

Inquisitor-Awesome

Kizuna Tallis

"In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?"

- Saint Augustine

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

- Nelson Mandela

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

- John Wayne

Sleepy Hollow, Upstate New York: Sewers

Michael gripped his modified AR-15 tightly, waiting for the Diamond Dogs to finish their tunneling. To say that he was nervous was like claiming the beach on a hot summer’s day was slightly warm.

Michael activated his comms to call in. “Lester, it’s Michael. Anything new to report?”

“No Michael. There isn’t anything to report, just like the other five times you asked in the past ten minutes,” Lester’s annoyed voice replied, causing Michael to grimace slightly.

“Sorry Lester.”  Despite Michael’s apology,  Lester’s sigh could be heard over the comm.

“Trust me, Michael. I know how you’re feeling,”  Lester said, the clicking of a keyboard coming over the line as he talked. “This is very different from what we’re used to. I mean, who would’ve guessed that we would be infiltrating a small magical version of Fort Knox and Hitler’s Chancellery combined. I definitely didn’t, and this is me we’re talking about.”

“Got that right, dawg.” Franklin’s voice came from behind Michael, startling the elderly man. “I mean, shit, I woke up this morning to find two ponies and a human asking for my help in my bedroom.”

“Fuck that,” Trevor growled as he walked out of the tunnel that trailed underneath the Conversion Bureau. “I had a fucking minotaur and his birdbrain girlfriend in my trailer. Fucking cunts had my weapons too! I should have blasted those fuckers right then and there!” He took a deep breath before continuing on with his rant. “And another thing! When I thought of the end of the world, I imagined big ass fucking meteors, or the Earth deciding that she had had enough of our shit and would just blow the fuck up. Never thought the apocalypse would come in the form of pastel ponies!”

“Oh, shut up you old dweeb!” A voice called out from behind him, causing Trevor’s face to burn bright red with anger as he whirled around.

“YOU FUCKING BIRD-CAT SHIT CUNT! STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

“Make me, dweeb!”

“ARGH! I’M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER YOU!” Trevor roared, running back into the tunnel. Michael groaned in annoyance at the sound of fighting and Trevor’s harsh insults.

Franklin smirked as he leaned against the sewer wall. “What’re you thinking about, Michael?”

“What else? My family,” Michael muttered as he leaned on the wall as well, next to Franklin. “I hope what I’m doing makes them proud. I’m doing something great and beneficial for the world, for Christ’s sake!”

Franklin nodded his head. After all, he liked Michael’s family a lot. Hell, Michael practically forced him to come to the family get-togethers, essentially adopting Franklin into the family. They were an odd bunch—no, they were a completely fucked-up family. Michael blamed himself for that, moving to L.A. and either drinking himself into a stupor or ignoring his family altogether.

That was years ago, however, and his family had gotten a lot better ever since Jimmy followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a successful director, with Tracy following her dreams of becoming an actress of great renown. Michael couldn’t help but be proud of his kids, along with being thankful for Trevor and Franklin being there to support them.

This made the De Santa name powerful in Hollywood, marking them for success in the coming years as the movies they made had earned them several Oscars and Golden Globes.

Then along came Celestia and her perfect little ponies, and the world started burning.

“Frank, tell me. Why are you doing this?” Michael couldn’t help but ask the man beside him.

“Because you asked me to join you when they showed up at your house too,” Franklin said, almost to himself. “I didn’t go against a corrupted FBI, the Triads, mercenaries, and Weston to save you and Trevor’s sorry old asses because I thought you were just okay fuck-ups like Lamar. You guys are my homies, my dawgs, my fucked-up family who taught me in the most fucked-up way possible how to make it big. That includes your family too.”

“So…” Michael stepped away, giving him a long look. “It has nothing to do with Tracey or Jimmy asking you to look after me either?”

Franklin blinked several times, rubbing his head nervously at the accusation. “Well…”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Michael couldn’t help but grin at him. “Besides, we all cleaned up our act these past few years, right? I mean, you’re a big shot trader now, aren’t you? No need to go around shooting stuff up and making things explode.”

“Unless Trevor asks,” Franklin muttered quietly, causing Michael to laugh.

“True. T just needs to find his own center before he gets killed off by his own crazy plans,” Michael said as he checked the now silent tunnel, only to see Trevor struggling in the grip of a large minotaur carrying him out by his shirt collar.

“LET ME GO, FUCKER! THAT BITCH NEEDS TO LEARN HER PLACE! NO ONE FUCKS WITH TREVOR PHILLIPS!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gilda taunted as she stood beside the minotaur.  “How about you go work on that speech impediment, eh?”

Michael facepalmed while Franklin covered his ears, both realizing that Gilda was antagonizing Trevor on purpose. Trevor froze at the comment, before his struggles began anew and far more viciously. “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! I WILL SKULL FUCK YOUR CORPSE IS WHAT I AM GOING—!”

Trevor found himself slammed into the ceiling once, twice, three times before the minotaur set him down on his ass. Trevor held his head in agony, giving a groan as he glared at the minotaur. “AND FUCK YOU TOO!”

“Iron Will asks you to keep your trap shut or Iron Will will shut it for you,” the bipedal bull pronounced, glaring at Trevor before giving Gilda a long look too. “You too, Gilda. Stop picking a fight with him.”

“He makes it too easy,” Gilda replied, waving her claw at Trevor, who was now getting back on his feet. “No wonder Marcus likes to go on gun runs. He’s stuck with this old dweeb as a joke!”

Trevor scowled, looking away in embarrassment at being manhandled. Michael couldn't help but give Trevor a little ribbing.

"So, what have we learned?" Michael asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Fuck you, Michael," Trevor grumbled, dusting himself off. "Fucking degrading is what I learned. Being lifted by Cowman here and getting my head slammed repeatedly into the ceiling made me feel like a kicked dog."

"Man, you brought that on yourself." Franklin laughed. "Fuck, we've been telling you for years you have to calm down. Right, Trevor?”

Michael laughed. “I don't think so. Trevor is just fucking crazy, there’s no curing that." He slapped a hand on Trevor's back. Trevor was far from happy with that assessment.

"Fuck you guys," Trevor groaned, trudging back into the tunnel, followed by an amused Franklin and Michael. The trio walked into the dog-made tunnel, the sounds of claws scraping away at rocks echoing inside the cramped space. Michael's eyes trained on the leaders of this odd group.

Iron Will, the last living minotaur in existence, and Gilda Stormwing, the current queen of the Griffon Kingdom. Standing near them was ten of the elite squad of the griffon’s armed forces, the Tsumerai Guards, heavily armed and armored soldiers that took on rogue dragons on a weekly basis.

"How are the dogs doing?" Michael asked as he walked by. Iron Will followed, pulling out a small pair of glasses and beginning to read from a notepad.

"Alpha said that they just found shallow foundations and are working their way up towards the storeroom." Will nodded, confirming his thoughts. Michael bobbed his head as he listened, looking to the ponies pulling a cart filled with stones and dirt out of the tunnel. "Iron Will knows we are getting the unicorns prepped to melt their way through now."

"So there’s no magic in it?" Franklin asked as he hefted his AA-12 in his arm. "It's not impenetrable?"

"Franky boy! How can you say that! Nothing is impenetrable if we are on the case! You need something, we can get it! Fuck the consequences." Trevor exclaimed, a vicious smile on his face.

“Hardly the same from breaking old metal and stone, Trevor.” Lester chastising Trevor over the radio, “Magic is a true game changer, something that our old tricks would never really work against. We can’t go blowing it up or infiltrating and hope for the best. These runes make breaching doors and walls almost impossible without a truck load of missiles on hand. The other remaining Conversion Bureaus have held out for days, right up until the order came in to demolish them, not capture, and just knocking them flat took some effort as well. And as for covert infiltrating, well, we don’t exactly blend in.”

“Lester’s right.” Michael said as he passed a unicorn placing enchantments on the tunnel wall to keep it from collapsing. “We got lucky with this. The foundations are at best enchanted, and even then, it’s under the ground with no viable entrance, so there’s little chance for a group to come through a locked storeroom.”

“So, we go over the plan again?” Franklin asked as they came to the end of the tunnel. It came to a slight incline until it hit the foundation itself. Michael nodded his head before looking to the Iron Will.

“Got the floor plans?”

“Right here.” Iron pulled out a single crystal and gave it a light squeeze before tossing it to the floor. The crystal burst into light, rendering a 3-D model of the building above them.

“Alright everyone, gather around.” Michael called out, causing everyone to shift to gain a better angle at the floating map. “Lester, we’re ready.”

“Right, first joint species heist. Possibly the most important one we’ve ever taken, so listen up.” Lester’s voice was all business and this caused whatever talking going on to fall silent. “Our objective is to get a hold of the portal station and its power source and shut it down without taking damage, so it can be studied and reverse-engineered if possible. Michael and his team will lead their way to the portal station itself and hold it until the building is cleared. We need this if we are to stand a chance in the coming year when Boston falls.”

“Secondary objective is to turn this soul ripping building into a death house.” Trevor said with bloodlust filled anger. “Every New Foal is on the shit list and that is a no no. Every normal pony that is not with us is to be taken in for a bit of… persuasive chat with our resident psycho. Namely me.”

“Any info will be good for everyone, since CBs are the center of information coming out from Equestria, so let Trevor handle it.”Lester calmly stated, ignoring the seething anger coming from Trevor. “We are going to do this quietly, this means we are leaving the infiltrating to Michael, Franklin, and Trevor since they have silencers on some of their weapons. If it turns loud, then this gets a lot harder since this is a portal station and you can be overrun in New Foals within mere minutes of an alarm being sounded.”

“Question.” Gilda glared at the image, raising a sharpened talon. “Can some of my guards have weapons as well? They’re well trained, since we already had crossbows back home, and simple firearms being developed for our troops.”

Michael’s eyes slightly narrowed in thought before pulling out his OTs-33 and looking back at Gilda’s entourage. “Who’s the best shot out of the group?”

Four claws raised from the ranks, and Michael took note of the crossbows on their backs or flintlock pistols on their waists. “T, Frank, give them your spare pistols. The more guns we have, the quicker we can go through this.”

Trevor and Franklin confirmed with gestures, nodding and shrugging at each other respectfully before passing their spare pistols and ammo to the now more than deadly armed griffins. Once packed they walked them through the steps into loading and shooting. Michael motioned to the unicorns to begin the melting through the floor.

“Operation is starting, Lester.” Michael said as he held out his OTs to a griffon, showing him how to handle the weapon safely and unjam the breech in the event of a misfire.

“Right...wait. Something’s going on here back at base.” Lester reported back, the sounds of feet and hooves running in the background.

“Lester?” Franklin looked at Michael with concern. Lester wasn’t the fastest walker, what with his weakened leg, and had to use a cane to get around. Michael gave a look back to Franklin and Trevor as he handed his pistol to the griffon. “Whats going on? Is the base under attack?”

“I don’t know, hold on.” Trevor paced, hearing Lester quickly typing on his computer.

“Not again...Not another.” Trevor growled as listen in, waiting for the sounds of screams and fighting to erupt over the radio. “I'm not losing another friend. Lester!”

“I’m here, Trevor. Not going anywhere. I’m tapping into the comm systems to see what's happening. There!” Lester finished and the radio exploded into garbled shouts for orders. “Damn, let me...there we go.”

“-PHL capture a Portal Station without telling anyone?” Michael frowned as he listened in to the incoming report.

“Negative Colonel,” a new, and feminine, voice replied. “We are still working out a means of getting one ourselves. Doctor, who is it?” Franklin snapped his fingers as he pointed his finger to Gilda.

“That’s the purple mare, what’s her name. Cherry?” Franklin asked as he looked to Gilda for the answer.

“Cheerilee.” Gilda corrected, but was shushed by Michael as the radio continued on.

“I’m working on it… Wait, that can’t be right?” Whatever was happening, it was enough for the radio to stop transmitting. Lester could be heard cursing as he began to type furiously on his keyboard.

“Lester, what's going on?” Michael spared a glance to the glowing foundation, the unicorns heaving as they began to power up their horns, the heat in the tunnel spiking in response.

“I’m not sure. Whatever it is, they changed channels. It’s highly encrypted and I don’t feel like taking a stab at what I am looking at. It might fry my CPUs just by grazing it.” Lester's voice was filled with nervous tension.

“Should we ask to see what’s happening topside?” Franklin looked over to Michael, who focused himself a bit before calling Lester.

"Lester, try to find out what's going on. If it’s another attack, then that will make the heist a lot harder." Michael gazed at the melting hole, puddles of glowing stone dripping from it.

"Will do, Michael." Lester answered, the sound of him grunting as he got up from his chair. "And Michael? Take care of yourself and the guys. Okay? I... Don't know what I'll do if you guys don't come back."

"Argh, don't get sappy on us!" Trevor butted in, his face full with confidence and pride. "We'll come through like always!"

"Right. I'm going to get more information, but I'll be listening in."

"We're through!" Michael turned to see the unicorns stepping away from glowing hole with pride.

"Perfect! Now Barbera and I, we will be having some good Ol' bonding time." Trevor said as he brandished his weapon, a custom M249, and bellowed into the newly formed hole. "Leeroy JENKI-"

Trevor was silenced before he attracted attention by Iron Will, who grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt once more. Trevor gave an angry shout before his mouth was covered by Will's hand, his muffled yells falling to deaf ears as he was met by the angry glares of griffons, humans, ponies, and a minotaur.

"Just what in God's name are you doing, Trevor!" Michael growled angrily in a hushed tone at the ignorant Canadian. Trevor gave a snort before pulling the furry hand off his mouth.

"What? The guns a'blazing routine always worked for us and also in cartoons. You cannot deny my logic that we are fighting cartoon-like horses with a superiority complex. We can totally take 'em out. Just like the Republican Space Rangers, or Impotent Rage!" Trevor explained his 'foolproof' plan with a shit-eating grin and was about to charge again if hadn’t been manhandled by a certain minotaur.

"Trevor, I cannot explain in words right now how stupid your plan is." Michael said with a furious glare to Trevor, pacing angrily as his raging friend continued to try to free himself from the hands of the minotaur.

"It’s not stupid!"

"You're right." Gilda answered, gaining a smile from Trevor. "Its completely retarded, just what I expected from the old dweeb."

"Now what can we do..." Michael mused to himself, pacing in place and trying to think of a plan that wouldn’t get them all killed, ignoring Trevor's furious growling and the small smirk from Gilda. "We have an unknown number of combatants. We definitely don't have enough ammo for a frontal assault, and we can't exactly go in stealthy without someone noticing us." Michael said as he looked at the large group of creatures.

"So what's the plan Michael?" Franklin said, but Michael continued his pacing. "Michael!" Franklin reached over to knock Michael out of his mental loop, only to see his mentor shake his head.

"Sorry, we just have so little info to go on. We have to do this on the fly." Michael ran his hand through his hair in annoyance.

"Iron Will thinks he may have one idea. It's a long shot but it just might work if done right," said Iron Will, his voice growing even more serious than it already seemed to be. "We send out the unicorns to check things out, once we got all the info, we strike hard and fast. Have the unicorns to cast spells to silence the entire floor while we go in and clean up."

"How's that any different from my plan?!" Trevor exclaimed in irritation.

"Not that much." Michael conceded, "But it’s the only one I can see that’s even viable right now."

"Are you kidding me?" Trevor laughed, shaking his head, "How about we take an old trick that's been around for long time?"

Trevor turned to look at the single unicorn mare of the group, causing her to swallow nervously as Trevor gave her a lustful look.

"Show us some flank, pretty pony."

-

Shimmering Sigil, Shimmer for short, swallowed nervously as she lead the two guardsponies into the Bureau’s storeroom. "It’s in here."

"Really! Are you sure?" The one on her right exclaimed, and she suppressed the urge to shudder and bolt away from the grown stallion with the vacant eyes.

"Dart, really? Calm down," the bored one on her left said quietly.

"But Well Springs! They finally made a game room! Its been soooo boring here!" Dart’s excited nature was only offset by the extremely unnerving lack of emotion in his eyes. She couldn't help but lean closer to the native on her left.

The pegasus smiled as he wrapped a wing around in comfort. "Ignore him, he was changed three weeks ago in Africa and was sent here. PETN has been trying their best to make them better. I should know, I'm his case worker."

"I see." Shimmer trotted up to the door before she raised a hoof, only to stop when Well placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"After this, we should head back and get some drinks at Stalliongrad, heard the salt drinks rival those in Dodge Junction." Well said, his eyes slowly trailing her body, mainly her flanks and cutie mark. "Might be good to loosen up."

"Yeah." Shimmer forced herself to answer. She knocked once on the right side of the door, then twice on the left. The door opened and she took a step back. "Go on in."

"Yay!" Dart cheered as he jumped inside, quickly followed by Well. Well had only seconds to react before Dart froze up in front of a human waiting inside, a human who pushed a gun to Dart's temple and pulled the trigger, sending brain matter flying. Well opened his mouth to scream only for a bag to be forced over his head, silencing his cry for help, and then a stun gun was stabbed into the back of his neck.

Well was a pegasus however; they dealt with lighting on a regular basis and had a naturally strong resistance to electricity. As he struggled in the clutches of the human invaders, he was screaming his head off to gain the attention of the Royal Guards in the lobby.

It was all in vain. The dark skinned human wrapped his arm around Well’s throat and began to squeeze it shut, blocking off the pegasus’s airway. His kicks and struggles began to weaken more and more, until he fell still.

“Good job, Franklin.” Michael said as he helped the other man off his feet, as the unconscious pegasus was floated off the ground courtesy of Shimmer, and was tossed into the hole for the waiting Diamond Dogs to catch.

“And that makes 13 dead New Foals, and 6 regular ponies captured! Took only 20 God forsaken minutes, but hey, who's counting?” Trevor said as he kicked the corpse to the side. “Alright hot stuff, how many more?”

Shimmer flushed with embarrassment at the callous remark, but stood up straight, as if in defiance of Trevor’s many social failings. “There are four Royal Guards in the lobby, two by the entrance and another two by the reception desk. Four more ponies are in a meeting in one of the offices, but I’m not sure when they’re getting out of there so I can bring them in.”

“Queen Gilda, if I might propose a plan.” One of the guards, an elder griffon if his cracked and chipped beak was anything to go by, came forward, taking a kneel to a flushing Gilda, embarrassed by this decorum that she wasn’t prepared for.

“Uh...Sure, Gustav, go ahead.” Gilda waved her claw forward, motioning him forward. Gustav nodded his head before he walked to the door, motioning Michael to follow.

“What you got?”

“Look to the ceiling.” Gustav asked, looking up to the rafters above. “See how open and spacious it is?”

“Huh? Yeah I do. Strange building construction.” Michael observed, causing Gustav to chuckle at the statement.

“Indeed, for humans it may seem strange, but for those of us that have the power of flight, it is simply another dimension in which to travel. It allows us to fly rapidly indoors without risking any injuries to those confined to the ground.” Gustav explained, before looking to his griffons. “I propose that three others and myself take to the rafters and bring down the Royal Guards in one single strike. It will leave a mess, but it will be quick and silent.”

“Hmm...Alright, better than guns blazing. I’ll cover you in case things go nasty.” Michael said, nodding to the griffon, and trying to ignore Trevor’s murmers of ‘it was still faster’ under his breath.

Gustav nodded his head and waved three of his warriors to his side. He turned to Gilda before bowing to her. "My Queen."

Gilda rolled her eyes but nodded her head. "Go."

The warriors flared their wings before jumping up to the rafters, quickly moving to encircle the lobby.

"Franklin, Trevor, the rest of you guys follow, but hang back until I give the all clear." Michael said, bringing his AR-15 to his shoulder and moving out.

Michael quietly moved down the hall, the odd construction not making any more sense to him than when he had first seen it. The storeroom was one of two, the rest of the wing being clinics and consultation rooms provided for humans applying to ponies. The rooms themselves were arranged in a U-shape, with the lobby itself sitting in the centre. Michael turned the corner, checking up to see the griffon warriors leaping from beam to beam. Michael couldn't help but be impressed on how silent they were in their bulky armor.

Coming up to the lobby, he placed himself against the wall and leaned out slightly, establishing the positions of the four Royal Guards. Each of them was staring blankly at the front lobby doors, fully focused on attempting to breach them. Michael glanced up to see the Tsumerai warriors position themselves over their targets and draw their swords without a sound. Then Gustav held up his claws and performed the good old-fashioned silent countdown.

3...

2...

1…

*click*

Michael froze as he heard the door behind him open, at the same time the Tsumerai dropped from the rafters, their swords held out high as they fell.

Time seemed to slowed to a crawl for Michael, the descending griffons appearing to move through syrup. Michael turned around, bringing up his silenced AR-15 to bear as the double doors opened with the speed of a snail to reveal four ponies walking out.

'Four ponies, easy enough, four rounds? No, not young as I used to be...fuck it, let’s just tear them apart.' Michael thought as he flicked the weapon setting from single shot to Full Auto. Pulling the trigger, he watched emotionlessly as his weapon performed its prescribed function.

The lead pony, a unicorn stallion with a light green coat, stared wide eyed at him and the descending griffons. His mouth was opening to shout, only for his left eye to burst from a round that tore through his brain and out the back of his skull.

The round, now shattered into fragments of its former self, continued on through to the pony behind him, a pegasus who had barely able to open her mouth before her head was driven back by the expanding cloud of fragmented metal and skull, turning her face into something similar to processed meat.

The two remaining Equestrians, both earth ponies, had just started to call out in warning when a couple of rounds punched through their throats and silenced them forevermore. Their bodies were then promptly flayed by the following thirty rounds, sending limbs, guts, and blood flying. Michael couldn't help but hold down the trigger, seeing only enemies that had threatened his family, no, his entire world.

And sometimes Trevor’s attitude to life was refreshingly welcome: there’s no kill like overkill.

Finally Michael released the trigger, just as the last of the bullet-riddled corpses fell. Superheated casings tinkled as they cooled. A severed unicorn’s horn rolled across floor in a elegant arc, finally coming to rest against his foot. A pearlescent trickle of alicornal tissue trailed behind it.

"Impressive." Gustav’s voice drifted into Michael's ears, shaking him from the mini-daymare as the griffon finished wiping his sword with a rag. Michael grimaced, kicking the horn aside.

"Shit, it was sloppy. Ten years ago I could have placed a single bullet in each of their skulls without waste." Michael waved his hand, letting the others to take the lobby.

"Time is an enemy we all face." Gustav sighed, sheathing his sword. "I'm long past the prime of life myself. But it doesn't mean my skills have gone away as well. The fact you reacted as quick as you did shows you still have some fight in you."

"I got lucky." Michael’s eyes drifted to what remained of the Royal Guards, all four on the ground and lacking any kind of connection between their heads and their bodies.The warriors were pushing the corpses aside, leaving a bloody smear behind.

Trevor walked up, smiling as he saw a head on the ground. Trevor lined himself up and looked up to Franklin. "Hey, Frank! Play soccer much?"

Franklin gave him a disgusted look as Trevor kicked the decapitated head, barely managing to avoid the skull. "Man, leave the dead alone. It’s not like these guards have much of a choice to do this shit."

"They don't care anymore. Given that they’re dead." Trevor grinned, only to hiss in pain as Michael slapped him upside the head as he walked by.

"Shut it Trevor. You two, with OTs pistols, keep an eye on the elevators. Any pony that comes alongn here, take them down." Michael said, pointing to the Tsumerai warriors, then turned to two of the unicorns. "You two stay with them, cast the silencing spell so nothing can be heard. The rest of us will go up the stairs and take the Portal Station."

Everyone gave a nod and proceed to follow their respective orders. Michael himself had just started up the steps when the ding of elevator rang out and the doors opened. He moved on, not pausing as the muffled sound of a machine pistol dealt death to the unlucky sod trapped inside. Franklin gently grasped Michael's shoulder, giving him a small confident smirk before taking the lead, and the older man chuckled before following.

Franklin had just gotten halfway to the second floor when his radio crackled to life.

"Guys?"

"Well, hello once again, Lester. What took you so long, lost your third leg again?" Trevor quipped to him, only to grunt when Michael rammed his elbow into his gut.

"Very funny. Anyways, I managed to gather some info, but its rather odd. Tell me, Will, Gilda. Do the names Luna and Discord mean anything to you two?"

Gilda and Iron Will looked to one another in confusion before Gilda waved her claw to Will.

Iron Will coughed a bit before answering. "Luna would be Princess Luna, not many ponies carry such a name. As for Discord, well, only one being is named that, the Lord of Chaos.”

“Okay. Well, they’re in Boston as we speak. Discussing some matters with our esteemed colleagues-”

“What?!” Shimmer hissed, coming up close to Franklin. “That's impossible!”

“Uh...For those of us that don’t follow Equestria Daily News, mind filling us in on why that is?” Trevor asked, frowning as the otherworldly companions began to whisper to one another quickly.

“One, because Princess Luna is supposed to be a stone statue,” Gilda answered, brushing her feathers nervously. “No one, not even an Alicorn, can free themselves from such a spell cast upon them.”

“The second is that Lord Discord is dead.” Iron Will rubbed his snout in annoyance. “Believe us, if he was alive, he would have sided with you humans well before the war started. The Tyrant herself declared him dead at the end of the war with King Sombra. Said it was the start of a new beginning for all.”

“Couldn’t she have, oh I don’t know, lied?” Trevor snarked at the group, shaking his head. “Perhaps the guy was just clinging to life and got better. Hell, I done it more than a few times myself.”

“Impossible. Discord is as close to a god as a being of his stature can get.” Iron Will stated, gripping his hammer tightly. “Much like Luna and her sister, even the most grievous of injuries can be healed within hours. He would have stopped her before this war even kicked off.”

Franklin frown at this information before Lester continued on. “Well, that’s the information running around the base here. And there is talk of Commander Renee being mentioned as well. But everyone is keeping it below the radar. How are things going over there, just cleared the first floor correct?”

“Yeah man, working our way to the second floor--shit!” Franklin almost turned the corner when he saw a long hall with a single unicorn Royal Guard at the end of it, luckily staring bored in another direction. Franklin shoved himself back around the corner, nearly causing everyone behind him to tumble down the stairs. Franklin held up his shotgun, waiting for the alarm to sound, but none came. Franklin gave a small sigh of relief before looking to the unicorn mare, giving her a short whistle to gain her attention.

“Hey girl, think you can sway the blinging guard over here?” Franklin whispered. Shimmer blinked, then carefully looked around the corner, then back to Franklin and gave him a single nod. Franklin grinned as he placed the AA-12 on his back and pulled out his personal 18 inch Bowie Knife. “Alright, bring him here and hit him with that silent spell of yours once he sees us.”

Shimmer smiled and saluted him before trotting down the hall. Franklin waved the others back as he gripped his weapon tightly in.

“Frank?”

“I got it Trevor. Shut up and let me do this.” Franklin closed his eyes as he listened to the approaching hoofsteps. He was able to hear the light clanging of armor approach first, and Shimmer’s soft cooing and flirts to the guard coming up behind the guard.

“Please Ma’am, as if the Royal Guards would ever abandon their posts.”

“But nopony is down there and I feel so lonely!”

“Ha! We will- Wait, Hu--!” The Royal Guard turned the corner to see Franklin standing there with his knife in hand. Shimmer’s horn glowed and hit him with the silence spell, one of the only few scant spells able to bypass the enchanted armor,  before she bucked him from behind. It didn’t do much to move the armored pony, but it was enough for him to lose his balance from the surprise attack.

Franklin reached out and grabbed the horn, pulling the head up and exposing the Royal Guard’s neck to his blade. He slammed the blade under the Guard’s jaw, pushing the blade all the way to the skull, before violently twisting the blade to ensure a quick death. Franklin held the guard, shoving the blade in a little further before he dropped the guard and wiped the blade with the guard’s fur coat.

“Nice kill. I give it an eight out of ten.” Trevor commented.

“Man shut up.” Franklin rolled eyes, the slight tugging of his arm grabbed his attention as he looked down to see Shimmer trying to say something to him. “What is it?”

“The second floor...It’s… Different.” Shimmer whispered to him. “Keep low, follow me.”

Franklin, Michael, and Trevor look to one another in confusion. They were not alone; the rest of the group had heard Shimmer and were puzzled as well. Franklin shrugged and moved on, grabbing his AA-12 and shouldering the weapon before following.

Franklin nearly stumbled as the hall turn out be side entrance for the entire second floor.

“Shit, well, there goes the sneaking in part.” Michael muttered as he stay behind the low wall, the glass above separating them from the rest of the building. “Lester, we have a problem. The entire second floor has been renovated, they knocked down all the walls, we’re going to have to go loud if we want to do this.”

“Alright, do you see the Portal Station itself?”

“Hard to miss, Lester,” Trevor grumbled, staring into the strangest and most obvious macguffin around. “It looks like curved metal beams with crystals fused on it. Looks like some sort of fucked up dildo.”

“*sigh* Yes, that's it. The control panel to it should be close by. It should have a large crystal next to it. Thats an experimental engine that they have been fielding for all their ships. Capturing that is also a top priority. It should be glowing.”

“The machine or crystal?” Michael asked. “'Cause everything on there is glowing.”

“Wait...What?!” Lester cried out in alarm, all that listened shifted nervously. Shimmer looked up from her spot, face frozen in fear.

“Oh no! The portal is activating. Hide!”

“We are hiding!” Trevor grumbled, holding his M249 tightly as he pushed himself against the short wall. Franklin gently pushed Shimmer out of the way of the entrance, giving her a tight smile before setting himself and leaned out to see what was happening.

In the entire room, all the ponies inside turned as one and set themselves before the portal, which set alarms racing in Franklin’s mind. The portal flared to life, filled with brilliant colors before it swirled in a hue of pink, the same as the barrier. Franklin felt Shimmer set herself next him, watching with morbid curiosity as well. “Hey, why are they like that?”

“I don’t kn--” Shimmer froze up, cold sweat pouring from her body, feeling overwhelming magical power wash over her. The other unicorns also froze up, one even whimpered and covered his eyes with his hooves. The Tsumerai warriors, those with latent magical talents or simply had so much years of experience under their belts, gripped their swords tightly in response to pulsing magical aura.

Franklin, Trevor, and Michael were far from unaffected, as they felt danger closing in on them. It was if Death himself was coming to claim them. Franklin grimaced and held his weapons tightly, Trevor was grumbling under his breath, cursing up a storm in the process, and Michael pulled out a photo of his family, giving it a small kiss before putting it away again.

Franklin glanced back to the rest, seeing if they were alright, but Shimmer’s horrified whisper gain his attention. “She’s here.”

Franklin whipped back around, looking at the traumatized unicorn sitting next to him. He looked out to see a single white leg with golden horseshoes sticking out of the Portal Station. Mind going blank with terror as he realized who was coming out. Swallowing hard he watched the supposed Queen of Equestria, the ‘Leader’ of Harmony, and the ‘Savior’ of the human race stepped inside the room. Franklin slowly reached over to Shimmer, his eyes never leaving the insane tyrant, and hugged her close to his body.

Franklin wasn’t sure if it was for his own benefit or hers, and frankly, he didn’t care anymore.

“Lester…” Franklin whispered, watching as the Tyrant smiled to the ponies bowing to her. His eyes widened when he saw the Elements of Harmony come through the portal as well. “The Tyrant is here.”

The was nothing but silence before the sound of shouting and screaming came over the radio, “WHAT!? Shit, hold on! Let me get someone here! Help! The Tyrant is in Sleepy Hollow Bureau!--” Franklin didn’t have to do much movement to turn down his radio’s volume, it didn’t make it less stressful when the tyrants ears twitched, but gave it no mind.

Franklin watched as the Tyrant cleared her throat before speaking. “Hello, my little ponies.”

“Our Savior is here! Queen Celestia! Rejoice!” A rather loud New Foal exclaimed happily. Franklin felt Shimmer shudder at this, a muffled sob as she cried into his vest to try and silent her cries.

“While I appreciate this gathering, I must attend to something far from here.” Franklin listen in, frowning as he heard the Tyrant speak. “It appears that somepony is going about as my dear sister. For this, I have come to deal with it myself. And it appears they also changed a being into a late enemy of ours as well. To do such a thing… Shame is their dessert, and I shall feed it to them.”

Franklin heard Michael hiss in surprise. “Lester! Call whoever is in charge and tell them that the Tyrant is heading to Boston!” Michael whispered quickly, the entire group was tense and all Franklin could do was hold the pony in his arms tighter. They had nothing on hand that could possible take the Tyrant down.

“I will personally take care of this issue, as well as show the humans and the dreaded PHL the error of their ways. However, I will only allow the might of Equestria and Harmony to descend upon them once the time is right. Those that are enlightened will lead the final assault on the City of Boston and lead a new wave of conversion.” The Tyrant gave them all a warm smile before she flared her wings. Shimmer whimpered, holding onto Franklin in a death grip, whispering under her breath.

“Please... Please go away… Make her go away,” Shimmer’s voice cracked as she looked up to Franklin who held her, feeling powerless. Seeing her like this was all Franklin needed to know he wanted to do something, anything to make the emotion on her face go away.

“It is time, my little ponies.” The Tyrant’s horn glowed with power. “It is time to show the humans and their foolish allies that they are going against a goddess. And when they beg for salvation, it will be at the hooves of those that already been granted the gift of change.”

All the ponies cheered as the Tyrant and the Elements vanished from sight, the rearing happy ponies began to chat animatedly with one another, certain the war would be coming to a close soon.

They were dead wrong, but in a moment it would be literal.

Franklin’s eyes panned to Michael and Trevor, giving them a speck of the spark of determination and fierceness all over his features. “Let’s do this.”

“Fuck yeah. Loud and stupid. Come on boys.” Trevor cocked his M249, grinning malevolently at the others.

“T, Frank. We clean house. The rest of you, guard the Portal Station and make sure that no one activates it. Lester! Did you relay the news?” Michael’s breathing had become deeper, as he gave a confirmation to the others. He knew what was going to happen.

“Yeah, they’re scrambling as fast as they can as we speak.”

“Good, send the team up to the Bureau to secure the Portal Station. Will, open the doors.” Michael ordered, Iron Will nodding his head before he crawled away back to the lobby. “Alright boys. Guns?”

“Check.”

“Ammo?”

“Oh-ho-ho, big check!”

“Bunch of old farts with nothing to lose and anger problems?”

“Fuck you and check!”

“What are you waiting for then? Mow them down!”

Trevor roared in the soon to come pain as he stood up and jumped through the glass, his M249 firing and ripping the closest ponies apart. Franklin quickly picked himself up, and let loose a burst from his AA-12, killing two unicorns as they were about to bring up a shield by instinct. Michael also wanted a nice relocation but only to the edge of the broken window to snipe ponies across the building with his AR-15 as they tried to regroup from the surprise attack.

The Tsumerai warriors gave a screeching call as they rushed to the Portal Station, cutting down any pony that got in their way. Gilda gave a cry as she rose above the others and caught wind for flight, slicing the wings off a pegasus New Foal as she passed by him and slammed her claw into another’s eye.

Trevor hollered like a madman, his M249 gave death to the foolish standing in the line of fire and kept the others in cover. Then, as expected, he heard a familiar clicking noise, making him groan in frustration. Trevor didn’t waste time to reload his weapon, barely avoiding a spell aimed at his head only to be caught in the way of another two spells that were strategically aimed towards him.

Only for a magical shield to appear before him. The two unicorns stepped up to his side, their horns flared brightly before they belted out dozens of impact spells a second. They gave Trevor a nice impression they broke chunks of plaster off the wall and sent enemy ponies on their backs.

“Holy shit, you guys are magical gatling guns!” Trevor exclaimed as he finished reloading his weapon and gave a big smile. “Lets rip these fuckers apart!”

Michael felt adrenaline coursing his veins, making him feel just like he did in his younger years. The world moved as if it was in jello; watching Franklin’s weapon bark out once and the pony he was aiming at exploded into paste. He lined up a shot on a Royal Guard that was aiming at Trevor and the unicorns, pulling the trigger.

He saw a small shield flare to life around him, bullets bouncing off before finally failing as the fifth round slammed through it into his chest. The Royal Guard tumbled over but not before letting a spell loose at Michael. He attempted to move but knew it was far too late to move out of the way before a sword appeared in its path and blocked the spell. Michael took cover as a dozen spells and spears follow suit, looking to see Gustav giving him a small smile.

“You’re still here?” Michael asked in surprise.

“Too old to move that quickly; besides, those young hawks can handle it without me. Their queen is there to protect them.” Gustav pointed up to the sight of Gilda swerving through spell fire and pegasi guards, her sword slashing through their unprotected wings. She slammed her sword into the gut of one the guards, then proceed to use him as a shield from the various spells.

“Good point.” Michael agreed, before getting up and sniping an earth pony rushing Franklin.

“Thanks Michael!” Franklin called out as ducked into cover to reload his weapon. That finished, he got up only to get tackled to the ground by another earth pony. “FUCK!”

“Why don’t you just join us?!” The Earth pony cried out as he held the potion in his hoof, only to be rocketed off by a flying desk and crushing him against the wall.

“No, he, won’t!” Shimmer growled standing protectively before Franklin, surprising him greatly at her determination. She levitated several desks and sent them flying, crushing several New Foals as they rushed them. Franklin got back to his feet and stood next to her, firing away at several pegasi that attempted to tackle them, before being distracted by Shimmer’s cry of pain. He turned, seeing the same Earth pony that had been tossed off him screaming at her while he stomped on her barrel.

“TRAITOR! THEY DESERVE ENLIGHTENMENT! YOU DON’T DESERVE CELESTIA’S LIGHT--”

“Fuck off!” Franklin punted the Earth pony off, leveling his shotgun and letting loose several rounds. Franklin turned around and took a knee next to her. “You okay?”

“Ow… No.” Shimmer grimaced as she slowly got back on her hooves. “I think he broke my ribs.”

“Well, I shot the fucker up, so he shouldn't be getting up in this lifetime.” Franklin smiled as he looked up to see the room empty of enemies. Trevor walked up to them with a smile on his face, holding his M249 like some old action movie star.

“Done wooing your marefriend?” Trevor laughed as he walked by, Shimmer blushing furiously while Franklin only shook his head.

“Lester, its Michael. Building is clear, team almost here for pick up?” Michael called in.

“They’re going up to the building as we speak, but we have bigger problems now.”

“Shit, let me guess. That bitch is in Boston now causing havoc.” Franklin groaned in annoyance, carrying a blushing Shimmer in his arms.

“Right, and let me tell you something, you remember that Man of Steel movie in 2013? Well, its just like that...But...uh…”

“But…?” Trevor prodded, annoyed by Lester’s hesitation.

“Well, its like watching those old Loony Tunes shows.”

“The fuck?”

“Sorry, that’s the closest comparison I can make for the fighting style this Discord uses against her.”

The sound of footsteps and hooves making their way up the stairs gained their attention. The group stood by as dozens of humans and ponies rushed into the room, weapons to bared for enemy threats.

“Alright everyone.” A light purple unicorn came through the throng of people and ponies. “Lets get this thing dismantled and shipped off to Headquarters! We have to leave before the Tyrant comes back and sees us messing around in here.”

“Yes Ms. Star!” As the group rushed forward and began their work. The light purple unicorn turned and walked to the group before giving them a cheerful smile.

“Guess my dad was right about you guys. World’s best bank robbers indeed.” She said, giving the blushing Shimmer in Franklin’s arms a look of concern before whistling a nearby medic. “Amethyst Star, or Sparkler if you want. Good work guys!”

“Hey, whatever it takes to survive.” Michael said quietly. “Just trying to protect my family.”

“Yeah girl, no need to thank us for doing what is necessary.” Franklin handed over Shimmer to the medic, but not before receiving a kiss on his cheek from her. Trevor gave a laugh at this before going back to Sparkler.

“Hey, as long as you need our… Or at least my services, we’re always glad to help.” Trevor leaned in close, giving her an appraising look. “I can perform… Other services if you require me to do so.”

Sparkler only raised an eyebrow at this, while Michael and Franklin groaned in unison at Trevor. Sparkler snorted once as she turned to leave, whipping Trevor in the face with her tail. “No need. Don’t want my father to go back and erase you from history.”

Trevor laughed at this, but seeing the serious look on Sparkler’s face caused him to peter off. Trevor began to follow in confusion, with Michael and Franklin in tow. “You’re not...serious are you? No one can- Hey!”

“Leave it man, with these ponies, anything is possible.” Franklin said as the trio walked down the stairs and out the lobby doors. “Shit...Fresh air, doesn’t it smell great.”

Michael however walked on before looking to the northeast, a frown on his face. “We’re not done yet, guys. I bet by the time we are done, we might find ourselves right in the middle of this conflict.”

Franklin and Trevor looked at each other before looking back to Michael. Both men put their hands on his shoulder. Michael turned to look at them, worry for their future etched on his face.

“Mike, I know we haven’t had the best of history with one another. But we’re friends, and that has to count for something here. Fuck, even these ponies cherish friendship like its fucking gold, so I am going to prove that friendship right here and now. Wherever you go, I go.” Trevor grinned as he looked at his friend.

“Michael. You gave me a way out of the hood. Not the best way out, but a way out. You gave me something that no one else would give. It may have been filled with fuck ups and corrupted government shit, but in the end, it was that fucked up friendship I had with you and Trevor that gave me the strength to choose a death wish deal. I got your back, dawg.” Franklin gave him a single nod.

“Alright…” Michael looking back in the direction of Boston. “Through thick and thin, we got each others’ back.”

“Right.”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Lets go. The base is where all the info about this battle between the Tyrant and this Discord character is.” Michael walked to the humvee standing idle. “And the next target as well. No doubt there’s another job coming up, so let’s get our heads in the games.”

“What is the next target?” Franklin asked.

“If I had to take a stab at it?” Michael said as he got in. “Canterlot Castle.”

“Shit.” Franklin muttered as Michael gunned the engine and drove back to PHL headquarters.

Knell

Knell

Authors: Proudtobe

Redskin122004

Editors:

Drawdex

Rush

Beyond the Horizon

Doctor Fluffy

ThatClosetBrony

Unforeseen opportunities are immediately to be used, and on unforeseen difficulties is to be reacted immediately.

Carl von Clausewitz

A soldier doesn't fight because he hates the enemy in front of him, he fights because he loves what he left behind.

Mario Tomasello

Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies.

Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy

Somewhere in the streets of Boston

Stephan was not happy. Not at all.

Earlier, he had another fight with the Doctor about how he could have possibly miscalculated the power of the missile, and he pretty much passed it on to his elder daughter as she was the one that worked on it, not the Doctor. Then Marcus up and disappeared after the showdown with the Six, and now two of the most powerful individuals in Equestria just showed up out of nowhere, one of which was supposed to be dead, the other a statue.

On that last one, Princess Luna, from what Trixie explained to him, was screaming all over the city that she had news about Marcus.

Things are getting crazier by the minute, Stephan thought to himself as he led his squads down the battle-ridden city. He could hear sporadic fire off in the distance.

He looked over his shoulder, taking a quick headcount to make sure no one was missing. A few dozen soldiers from Europe, the French Legionnaires, some Polish grenadiers, and some German soldiers followed him, all under his command. They were veterans of the war in Europe, with some new faces here and there. Recruits from their time in the Middle East, now fighting for the same cause, and for nations they may have never seen or known of before. Nations that would never be known if they lost here. A mishmash unit that never would have existed pre-barrier.

He saw two of his best friends, Daniel and Alicia. Daniel had his trusty HK121 with him, also known as an MG5, which he never left anywhere without. Alicia, on the other hand, had exchanged her G36A3 for a DSR.50 sniper rifle. When Stephan asked why, she answered, “Bitches love cannons.” That, and the fact that most soldiers from lands destroyed by the barrier were known for overkill in these late days of the war, which many commanding officers actually encouraged, possibly out of rage for their lost homelands. Both of them led a team of twelve soldiers, all excellent marksmen.

Between them were the ponies of the PHL. Stephan had trained most of them, and he knew that they were as reliable as any other soldier. Like Silver Soldier, who had one heck of a punny name (the origin of which Stephan was still wondering about). The pegasus had been kicked out of the Royal Guards before the war began, and was now fighting on the side of the humans. He made an excellent scout, flying over enemy lines and giving Stephan the intel he needed, along with a better overview of the battlefield.

Earth ponies sported assault saddles, weaponized saddlebacks that carried twin assault rifles to lay down cover and suppressive fire, carried spare rounds for everyone. Unicorns had long lists of spells that they learned from the various Royal Guard branches and offices that they retired from well before the war began, boosting their magical defenses and offenses to keep the New Foals from simply overwhelming them with weak magic attacks.

At his side was his trump card; the Blue Spy, his love, Trixie Lulamoon. The mare was checking her gear. She smiled as she counted how many carrot bombs she had on her; probably enough to blow up Canterlot Castle and drop into the valley on a landslide, and then some. She looked up at Stephan as if she could feel his eyes on her, and a small smile crossed her face.

Stephan smiled back for a brief moment, then went back to his thoughts. They were in an alleyway, with no real signs of life other than the mold that covered the wall and random debris that had fallen from the rooftops. Right at the front opening was a once-busy crossroad where pedestrians used to pass, trying to dodge crazy cab drivers and half-asleep employees. Now, though, the larger pieces of rubble blocked the view of anything further than a pair of abandoned SUVs just barely within sight.

But that was exactly the point of going through this side of town. The buildings were still strong and tall, with nice openings that one could sneak in through and somewhat stable stairs that were practically placed by God himself, judging by how perfectly they were arranged to be able to enter the buildings and not be seen.

They were nearly to their position.

“Silver!” Stephan said, tone low but harsh enough to be heard by any of his men. He looked out to the street on his right, seeing massive amounts of rubble that would prevent the ground troops from scouting ahead.

“Jawohl Herr Major!” Silver acknowledged, making his way through the sea of human legs, looking threatening despite his head barely reaching the bottom of Stephan’s chest.

“You take two pegasi with you and scout ahead. Make sure there is no one else hiding in these buildings. And no radio, only person to person communication until I say otherwise.”

Silver and the two aforementioned pegasi saluted. They took off into the air, and floated between the buildings without a sound.

“Daniel, Alicia, I want you two to lead your squads into the buildings that Silver has deemed clear, and get your snipers to set up a perimeter around those two buildings there. Take some guys with Stingers with you as well, I don’t want any flying enemies harassing you.”

Daniel and Alicia nodded, leaving with their anti-air personnel and snipers. Bizarre symbols began glowing with a haunting light from their weapons as they appeared to vibrate, almost as if they were eager for the blood they would soon spill. Another group would stay behind, earpieces over their ears as they awaited with a backup call on Stephan’s possible, but hopefully unnecessary, signal.

Stephan hated to admit it, but he was kind of glad that their weapons had been integrated with rune magic. Especially Alicia’s anti-materiel rifle. The runes on the rifle enhanced the weapon’s stopping power and velocity twofold, enough to stop a truck—and the truck behind it as well. She was given two three-round magazines filled with enchanted crystal-tipped rounds, which even had runes etched onto the the bullet itself. Stephan was sure there was only one purpose for a gun of this caliber.

It would kill a Tyrant.

Frankly it terrified him that such an already powerful weapon was pushed well beyond what was norm. He didn’t trust it at first, especially after the fiasco with the Fujin missile that took out the Great Equestrian, along with every airborne asset the 'Rescue Fleet' had, which meant everything else that had wings or was a floating ship. Thank God none of the PHL pegasi or their airborne military hardware were caught in that monstrous result.

However, many of his comrades and his friends told him about how powerful their weapons were now, slicing through the enemy lines like a hot knife through butter thanks to runic enhancement. One stinger could now destroy a shielded chariot. Before they had to use two, one to destroy the shield, the second to destroy the chariot. Even his bullets were now upgraded with runes, making him even deadlier than before.

It took a while before the rest of his troops got Rune Magic for their equipment, but everyone agreed it was worth the wait. One soldier had even received an enhanced 13mm revolver that could shoot shotgun shells, and he had happily used it on every pony who had tried to get up close and personal when attempting to potion him. He called it “Margaret.”

“The rest, on me.” Stephan stood up and waved his hand forward. The remaining soldiers rose as well, with the practiced ease of one who has been receiving commands for most of their life.

Stephan took point, HK417 tight in his hands. Trixie followed him close behind, two carrot bombs in her magical grip. She would throw them at any threat to kill them or at least distract them long enough to give her and Stephan’s troops time to respond effectively.

The small group moved quickly but silently between and through the destroyed buildings, out of the view of Luna and Discord. The plan was that Stephan and his team would get close enough to put Discord and Luna down as quickly as possible with a surprise attack. He would lead said attack, while a mix of US, PHL, Ugandan, and Japanese troops got in the open to keep the attention away from Stephan and the EU forces. When in position, Stephan’s snipers would open fire, striking Luna and Discord down before the rest of the UN gave them a torrential hail of bullets, rockets, and spell fire.

Discord. That was a name Stephan had heard before, but he didn’t know too much about the name. Of course, on their rare downtime, Trixie and the other ponies had told him a bit about that so called God Of Chaos, but to face him would be a whole new experience.

From what he heard, Discord was an extremely powerful being, cable of bending the laws of nature to his amusement with an idle thought. If someone like him had fallen under the control of Celestia, then… well, there wouldn’t really be a then, considering how much power that Celestia would control.

“Are you sure about your theory?” Stephan asks Trixie with a doubtful voice.

Trixie looked up at him, surprised. “There are not many options left. I can only guess that Celestia lied about Discord's death and Luna's stoning to stop us from any attempts to free them and get them to our side. It would have give her enough time to manipulate their minds.” Trixie shivered slightly. “Only the thought that she can bend them to her will, even Discord of all beings, it makes me shudder on what she can truly do if she appears on the field of battle.”

“Or they could be here to help.” One soldier suggested quietly to himself, but by Trixie’s quick glare behind, he was heard.

“Please,” Trixie sighed, “considering how this war has gone, do you think it’ll be that easy? There’s always some new way that Equestria can doom us.”

Stephan groaned, afraid to agree, but kept his eyes straight, climbing over the rubble of some building. Making sure he sneaked a peak before even daring to move over, or around it. Still, something didn't not seem right to the German Spec Op.

If they are so powerful, Stephan thought, then why show up, claiming to have news from Marcus instead to just wipe us out? Maybe to get us out of the cover? No. Not with that many targets just in view. I am sure someone like Discord could easily snap his claws and level the entire city in an blink of an eye, never mind that it doesn’t seem like his style from the stories I’ve heard. Something else is going on, but damned if I know what...

Stephan heard a strange sound, just as he led the group through an burned out store. He pointed his gun at the source, only to see Silver, head low moving slowly, wings doing a soft motion, producing the sound, but stopped as they fulfilled their purpose of signifying his arrival. Stephan kneeled down, those following did the same.

“The buildings are clear. No enemies so far,” Silver said quietly, his ears swivelling at all sides, as if trying to find something. Stephan nodded to this, his eyes scanning the area before checking back to Silver.

“Alright, get to position on the roofs. Stay on their tails if the Stingers fail and they flee. But no matter what you have to do, you don’t let them get away. You got that?”

Silver saluted again, a dangerous glare in his eyes before crawling back into the hole he came out from. Stephan pushed the button of his earpiece radio two times, the signal for Daniel and Alicia to move. It will probably take a few minutes until they got in position, but there are already another groups of snipers in almost every building around Luna and Discord.

It wasn’t far away anymore. Just through a few more husks of former apartments and stores. All this reminded him of the cities he fought in Europe, all beautiful places that had turned to wastelands in days. It took only one week and Berlin looked almost exactly like this once beautiful city. But it wouldn’t be the first time that Germany faced such destruction. They rebuilt from the ashes once, and they could do it a second time.

“Two hundred meters.” Stephan whispered, not even having to hear his soldiers weapons clicking and belts tightening to know they were checking  their gears one last time before they faced the two gods.

“This is, without a doubt,” said the soldier with the 13mm revolver, Kraber was his name, “the scariest fucking shit I have ever done.”

“But you’ll do it anyway, right?” Stephan asked.

“We have to,” he said, gritting his teeth. “No choice on this one. For my family, for my friends, for everyone I’ve lost... I have to do this.”

Nobody actually knew what had happened to Kraber in the early years of the Conversion War. The town he’d been in though, was rumored to have been almost entirely ponified during a child’s birthday, lit on fire with a pyrotic mega-spell, or hit with an imperfect dose of potion. Whatever happened, though, Kraber refused to say anything, easily saying in return “too painful”.

Stephan smiled. “Yes. Yes, we do.” He loaded an incendiary 40mm grenade, also enhanced by Rune Magic, in his underbarrel launcher.

Let’s see if the phrase ‘We killed god’ has some truth in it.

Stephan raised his hands, opened his fingers, then two united to signal up then all three directions they could move. The motion of split up and move forward. With eyes peeled and heavy breaths they paced their steps to find a good place to hide. Prepared for any unwanted surprises even if it took minutes, it felt like hours.

Stephan moved carefully between the rubble on the second floor of the apartment, each step set with care to make no noise. He lowered himself in the shadows, using a piece of abandoned glass to see if any light reached him. So in the end, he ended with his back against a wall beside a window.

He heard two sudden clicks from his radio. Signal that Alicia and Daniel were in position with the rest of the snipers. Stephan looked down at Trixie who kept a stern look on her face.

And people say that we Germans are always too serious, he thought, a smirk on his face.

He leaned closer to the window and took a quick peek outside. Destroyed buildings, wrecked cars, and what not, all that can litter a war-torn cityscape. But what really got his attention were the two creatures in the middle of all that. One was without a doubt an Alicorn, wings plus horn and taller than other ponies, blue coat and mane like night itself waving in an invisible breeze.

Just a quick guess, Princess Luna. She does not look that dangerous… no, wait, scratch that. By that logic Celestia would be just a tall pony. He follows her eyes to the other creature who seemed to be talking to her. And you must be that Discord guy. Some kind of… chimera thing. Huh. Maybe I should’ve listened to Trixie a bit longer than just five minutes…

He lifted his rifle and aimed through the scope. Switching between both of them to get a feeling of how quick he could switch between targets, finger lightly touching the trigger. His shot would be the signal to rain down a storm of lead on those two.

“We wish to speak to your commanding officer! The information we carry is most dire to your war of survival!” Luna yelled.

Stephan stared through his scope at Luna, who was looking at the large group of soldiers down the street. His gut instinct was calling out to him, it wouldn't be the first time this happened, and that make him think again on the situation before him.

This would be too easy for us. I saw how Celestia’s troops fight, and these two would have killed or ponified us several times over with the time we gave them. But this…

“What are you waiting for?” He heard Trixie whisper behind him.

“Something’s not right about this,” Stephan said, looking at Trixie for a few seconds before he made a decision. “Stay here, I'm going down there to see what she is shouting about."

One could cut the tension in the air with a knife as the entire room full of soldiers seemingly turned as one to Stephan, looking at him like he'd lost his mind.

Trixie’s eyes went wide. “Have you gone mad?!”

Stephan almost laughed at her question. “I guess that happened already a long time ago. But… don’t you have that feeling too? That something’s off somehow?”

Trixie paused in to think before a scowl graced her face. “Oh, please. Don’t tell me that your gut talks to you again.”

“Since when do you start to question my gut feeling?” Stephan says with a slightly tilt head.

“... okay, it is pretty helpful. But we’re dealing with Princess Luna and Discord! You could… you’d be lucky if you only die!”

Stephan sighed. “Maybe. But all this just don’t seem right to me.”

“Don’t you trust my theory?” Trixie asked with a hurt voice, ears turning down.

Stephan shook his head. “Sometimes you can’t be always right.”

Trixie looked down for a moment before her head rose once more. “And what if you are wrong this time?”

"I beg of your ears to hear our pleas, we know of your suspicion of our arrival, but we truly mean no harm!"

“Ah, fok,” One of his soldiers muttered as he shook his head to get rid of the slight ringing in his ears. Lucky for Stephan, he always wore his ear protection under his helmet. He tried to get his soldiers to keep their ear protection, but some people just thought they knew better.

"Believe me, Blue. If they came to start a fight, we wouldn't be here now, would we?" Stephan gets at his radio. “HQ, this is Bauer. I'll go out and face our… guests.”

"Say again Bauer, it sounded like you are going down there to meet them."

“That is correct. Something tells me that there is more going on.” Stephan relayed back, frowning as he waited for the telltale signs of the shouting to begin. “It just doesn’t feel like an attack.”

"Hold position for further instructions. Not letting you go out there without a backup plan."

Stephan shakes his head. “No time for that. Make your plans while I distract them while you get the heavy ordinance ready.”

"Good thing that CO is on the same wavelength, we are using your GPS locator as a homing beacon for several cruise missiles." The radio finally answered after a moment of silence.

Stephan rose a brow at that. “I... See?”

"You wanted to go down there, Major, this is the result of that. While snipers and Stingers are good, we are dealing with very powerful forces. The longer you stall them, the easier it will be for us to pinpoint them. It also allows us to take care of you if you are captured. No offense, Major Bauer,  but we simply cannot let you fall into enemy hooves."

Yeah, well, fuck you too. Assholes. “Fine, but be sure that I will kick some ass if you guys decide to push the button too early. Clear?”

"Roger, Major. Doctor insists that we hold fire for now, so let’s hope that this is a peace offering of some sort, because those two are making the rest of PHL nervous as all kinds of hell."

The Doctor insists? Never thought that he would help me like this, but I'm not complaining. Stephan sighed. He turned his radio off and held his rifle tight in his hands, but Trixie stopped him before he could make his next move.

“I’m coming with you,” she insisted.

Stephan gave her a worried look. “Actually, I was going to keep you behind as a surprise if things go south.”

But Trixie made a step forward and poked him with one of her front hooves. “If you think that I am going to stand here and just let you go out there alone, then forget that fast. I go with you, point.”

Stephan lifted a brow. Wonder from who she got that... oh, wait.

“Fine, but get to safety if something happens to me, and let me talk to them.”

Trixie smirked. “Don’t worry, you will not even notice me.” Trixie’s horn began to light up in a green color which began to cover her entire body. Five seconds later she was gone.

Oh yeah. She can do that. Stephan thought. He looked at the soldiers behind him and gave them a quick nod. Stephan gave the rest of the soldiers a smirk before going to the window and leaping out.

Normally, Stephan would have never even entertain the idea of doing this, even if he was incredibly desperate, but the wonders of magically enhanced armor allowed for amazing things. Things that could never have been done before without risk of injury. Ah, if only humans and ponies had actually tried to work together. Namely, jumping out a second story window usually resulted to a trip to a field hospital, now it just mattered if there was something below to keep you from being skewered through.

Stephan fell for less than a second before landing on a unlucky car, smashing the roof with the weight of his body plus gear. He was barely able to hear the silent steps of Trixie’s hooves not far from him. He could see the dust accumulating on her hooves as they tried to go through waste-like landscape, though, so hopefully she would fix that issue quickly.

Luna was the first to see the figure in heavy armor, hard to miss given that he jumped put a window and crushed one of the odd four wheeled carriages. She could feel the strong and familiar magical aura around him as he made his way to her, similar to Marcus' own magical runes. It took her a while before she remembered a story from Marcus about a German soldier that had been an honor to fight beside. Celestia had conjured an image of him, one of many she conjured for her to know who to speak to when she arrived here on this world. Clad in heavy armor and protected by runes, a great magical claymore in one hand and the strange human weapons--rifles, was that what they were called?--in the other. Even though, at the back of her mind, Luna had realized that was not at all practical, but it seemed to “fit” him somehow. She couldn't help but internally shiver as he held the same presence of Marcus himself whem she first met him.

"You are... Major Stephan Bauer."

Stephan stopped only a few steps before the two, watching Luna with a neutral expression. “And how would you know that? Miss...” He was just playing with her, of course, hoping her reaction in this conservation would tell him more about what is going on. He couldn't help but be somewhat nervous as Discord completely ignored him and was looking behind him, his eyes slowly following something only he can see.

"Because Commander Marcus Renee told me himself." Luna said with a beaming smile, "He was quite joyful in his explanation of your person. "

Faster than Luna could react, Stephan pulled out his machete, which transformed immediately into his magical Claymore. As he pulled it out, it sliced through another car, carved through the door just before it rested under Luna's throat. She only blinked a few times before she actually realised just how fast it had all happened.

"Wha- What is the meaning of this?!" Luna gasped, stilling herself, watching the car door fall off with glowing bits of heated metal dripping off it.

“Funny.” Stephan said with a voice that froze its tone for the Princess. “That’s what I just wanted to ask.” He adjusted his sword a bit, and some of her hair seem to burn off.

Luna raised a brow, looking the man up and down, then glancing to Discord for assistance in the rapidly deteriorating situation. Discord rolled his eyes at this and raised his his claw, only for several blades to appear around Discord's head, chest, and groin area.  Trixie slowly melted into view, a look of annoyance on her face as Discord had ignored the blades in favor of looking directly at her. "Well... was wondering when you’d drop the invisible act."

Trixie blew a few strands of her mane out of her face. “Well, how about a new act? Let’s call it… how many blades does it take to make Discord tell us what we want to know?”

"Hmmm, kinky." Discord mused out loud. "But I can make these toys change on a whim, you know. Sad but true."

"And I have several teams ready to put a bullet in your skull several times over." Stephan growled as he held the blade closer to Luna's neck. "And if that doesn't work, a good amount of heavy ordnance can take care of the rest. I doubt you can survive such a thing, suppose god or not."

--

Off in the distance, Alicia and Daniel sat in a old room of some old skyscraper. Daniel still mutters about why he just had to walk all the way up.

“Stop whining.” Alicia said while aiming through the powerful scope of her rifle. She could see Kraber crouched behind a water tower on a smaller building, staring down the red-dot sight he had installed on his .338 MG-2019, which he had decided to name “Spitfire”. Thankfully, his finger wasn’t on the trigger--he was aiming in the general direction of Stephan and Trixie, anyway.

Next to him, there was a large stallion with a targeting system mounted on his helmet, and an M312 25mm auto-grenade launcher placed on a special recoil-absorbing saddle brace that would transfer the recoil throughout his body. It was also rumored that the brace--a new invention from Crowe Laboratories down in Brazil-- could reconfigure itself so that a pony could fire it while rearing up on his hind legs.

“I’m not whining. I am complaining. Complaining is more manly,” Daniel said while adjusting his spotter scope. “Looks like Stephan made contact.”

Alicia nodded, an evil smile plastered on her face as she saw how Stephan and Trixie kept both of the newcomers in check. Then she noticed that Stephan had one hand behind his back and formed the devil horns with his fingers. Then one ‘horn’ disappeared. He did that several times.

Daniel looked over to Alicia, who had a confused look on her face. “I guess it means that you are supposed to shoot off a horn.”

Alicia spaced out for an instant before she was brave enough to ask. “How do you know that?”

Daniel shrugged. “I know him longer than you. We had our own handsigns. Pretty helpful in some situations.”

Alicia stared at him for a while longer, trying to figure out in what conversation could these two have created a sign that meant ‘horn shooting’ before she decided it wasn't worth the effort, and returned to her scope. “You guys are crazy.” Without hesitation she aligned the crosshair over to Discord and aimed at his smaller horn.

--

"Truly?" Discord looked to Stephan with more amusement. "Well, then, lets see what you got."

Stephan brought up his free hand firmly, watching Discord follow with his eyes and waved his hand once.  Luna flinched at Discord’s howl of surprise and pain, before the roar of a weapon firing reached her ears. Discord blinked several times before reaching up and clutching the remaining of his blue horn, the missing piece tumbling to the ground and rolling away out of his sight.

"Right, you win." Discord raised his arms, his claws falling off his paws and scurrying underneath a parked car, causing Luna to look at him, almost in disappointment. "What? It hurt and that means they have runic magic on those bullets. I rather remain whole, thank you very much."

Luna's head jerked somewhat as she heard Discord's voice right beside her ear, susurrating. "Besides, if I do any funny business,  they'll turn us to swiss cheese, most of those rounds carry unstable magic or runic rounds. We’ll be at Death's door before we even finishing blinking once."

There was chatter on the radio, but it died down after Daniel clicked on the radio once, saying everything was alright. Stephan returned his attention back at Luna. “You still didn’t introduce yourself. You seem to know about me, but yet, you haven't said anything about yourself or…” He looks at Discord. “Your companion.”

"My name is Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, Caretaker of the Moon and Night skies." Luna answered, slowly moving a hoof to Discord who was still looking at his horn with loss. "And this is Discord, God of Chaos and Disharmony,  Lord of Chance and Change."

--

“Oh dear Lord,” Kraber whispered to himself. “A princess? Please let me shoot it please let me…” But Stephan hadn’t given him the order yet, so he kept his finger off. If Stephan was right--and he usually was--then shooting could fuck everything up.

“Don’t worry,” said his stallion friend, “I think she’ll be friendly.” Kraber gave him a flat stare, then looked at the devastated city. “Okay, okay. Point. But I heard she was turned to stone for disagreeing with her sister, maybe there’s hope then.”

Kraber shook his head, so ready to pull the trigger he could see the image of a alicorn head receiving his bullet in the near future. “Oh, how much I hope you’re right, Aegis. At least if you’re wrong, then...” he smiled.

“Then?” Aegis asked.

“Well… let’s just say I’m looking forward to killing a god. But a deicidal hat trick? Well, now that’s the stuff of legends.”

--

"Wrong." Discord piped up, causing Luna to falter.

"What?"

"I said you are wrong." Discord repeated, ignoring the blades, snipers, and machine-gunners focused on him. "Disharmony was something you and Celestia labeled me."

"Really now? You found that this was the moment to go to that? What about the other names?!"

"I approve of them."

Stephan cleared his throat, patience wearing thin. “That’s nice and all, but can we now focus on if I and my men have to kill you or not? We’ve had a long five years, we’re not exactly in a trusting mood here,” he looked at Luna, then at Discord and back. "Okay, how about… You tell me what happened to Marcus. And I mean all of it. Don’t leave out any details, or I get a lot less patient and understanding.”

"Ah, of course we should..." Luna trailed off, her eyes slowly widening, a frown slowly deepening in her face. “Oh no.”

She suddenly stared to the south, eyes focused on something only she could see. Stephan took note of Discord looking in the same direction, his face angry, but his eyes full of fear. Every sense that Stephan had was telling him simply RUN.

“...Okay, I bite. What is going on now?” Stephan had no idea how or why, but he felt more and more uneasy by the minute, as if he was skiing through an avalanche zone and thousands of pounds of snow could appear and crush him at any moment.

"Major, it is imperative that your men leave this area." Luna whispered, completely ignoring the blade as she stepped away, her wings flaring open.

Stephan lowers his blade. Whatever it was that made Luna forget his blade, it had to be something big and terrifying indeed. “I’m not going to leave until you tell me why you are here and where the fuck is Renee is!”

“There is no time, leave!” Luna yelled, this time in a voice so loud that Stephan felt like he'd been blown back.

“Why? What in the hell is going on?” Stephan's patience was at an end. He wanted answers and wanted now, but his gut was screaming at him to retreat.

“She’s coming." Luna whispered, her eyes even wider than normal, full of fear.

From what Stephan had heard, Alicorns had near-godlike power. Enough power that mortal weapons without runic or magic enhancement would be like attacking her with peashooters. Enough that if they put their mind to it, or lost themselves in a flurry of emotions, they were unstoppable forces of destruction. But if something could terrify Princess Luna, then… then…

Stephan’s eyes shot wide open. “ ...She?! You mean-”

"Major! Fall back! I repeat fall back! Confirmation of the Tyrant--"

Behind Discord and Luna, an explosive force of air rippled the atmosphere, the surviving glass windows of the various buildings shattered instantly as well as weaken building walls. Vehicles closest to the central point of the magical disturbance were lifted and thrown into the buildings like toys. Stephan and Trixie both barely reacted to the situation before they were lifted off the ground. Stephan’s armor absorbed the ambient magic while protecting him from the initial blast but not the kinetic force, while Trixie, by instinct, threw up a weak shielding spell to buffer the blast before it was sundered apart as it was made of  paper and sent her flying through the air.

Stephan tumbled, bouncing off the ground as he was dragged by the initial force, crashing down the road hard enough to give him a good angle to stab his claymore into the earth to fight the inertia and get back to his knees. He barely managed to open his arms once he raised his head to catch the flying Trixie, which only made his previous efforts of staying on his feet useless, both falling on their backs.

Once gotten out of the daze of the crash, both Stephan and Trixie raised enought to look back to where Luna and Discord were. And remained. Luna had a vicious scowl, mane flowing behind her which made her defensive stance more threatening. Discord had a look of annoyance, claws popping back upon his paws and his shattered horn grew back. Various trinkets appeared on his body, an unusual bracer appearing on his arm, an amulet the other, a trio of chibi looking dolls hanging around his neck, and finally a large scroll on his back. All and all, disturbing.

"Oh sweet Luna..." Trixie murmured as she saw the Tyrant step out, the Elements of Harmony right behind her.

--

“Are you seeing this shit?!” Kraber gasped, staring up at Aegis.

“I believe it’s time for that phrase,” Aegis breathed calmly, placing a hoof to the side of the man’s head. “Less talking, more shooting!” Aegis shoved the man into his scope.

--

Queen Celestia stepped forward, the Elements right behind her as she stood before Luna and Discord, a smile on her face as she saw several humans in the area.

It was better this way, for them to finally understand that her way was best, Celestia thought with a smile. That it was the only way for them to survive and be happy with all living things. To cut away their pitiful but misguided attempts of harmony, and their unnecessary humanity. Finally liberate them of their blighted existence and useless meddling, putting them down before they do the same to her once more. Yes...It will be perfect.**

"Hello Luna, Discord. Come to join my Perfect Harmony? Or do I have to destroy you both?"

For Whom the Bell Tolls (WARNING: EXTREME GORE)

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Authors: Redskin122004

Doctor Fluffy

Editors

Drawdex

Rush

Beyond the Horizon

Kizuna Tallis

Boston, Massachusetts

Luna flared her wings open, ready for battle. Her not-sister was there, the not-element bearers with their sickly magical auras were standing strong with their smiles like open wounds, and right when she was thinking of which of them to strike first, she felt something wrap around her hind leg. Her eyes widened, and she twisted around, ready to blast it, before she suddenly reappeared high up in the sky, so far up that they all looked like ants. Curiously, she smelled like chocolate chip cookies…. of course. Who else would have done that?

Luna blinked as she felt herself dangling in Discord’s grip, looking at the Earth below. Luna was about to release a scream of defiance, just before the street below exploded into a torrential explosion of fire, metal and spells. Her struggling soon stiffed as she saw the street she was in not a second ago became a river of absolute death. Magic radiated out of it like it was on fire… small fire anyway, but it was certainly a lot of small fire, enough that it could have possibly wiped out the Everfree.

Luna would have been hard pressed to bring up a shield that could last even a full minute or so on such short notice.

"Still want to take our chances in making them angry?" Discord asked as he released her, Luna flapping her wings to correct herself.

"No, I believe they made their statement quite clear that they were in charge of our talks the entire time," Luna said quietly, looking down to see the shredded corpses of her sister's 'twin' and the Elements.

Only to see a golden shield to appear and hold back the tide of certain death. Luna blinked several times; the amount of magic needed to stop the mixed flux of metal and magic would be astounding. Luna could possibly bring one up, but not in a blink of an eye like what this Celestia did. Luna doubted even her true sister could do such a thing.

"Hmm... well now, isn’t that interesting?" Discord muttered to himself as he landed on the rooftop, Luna close behind him.

"What is it? What do you find so interesting? " Luna asked as the thunderous weapons finally stopped firing, allowing her to hear herself much more clearly. A minuscule part of her realized that perhaps this was a bit of karma in her initial reintroduction to society, where she used the Royal Canterlot Voice on everypony she met.

"Chaos magic," Discord said with some disgust. "It’s there, but it’s faint, like it’s mingling within the rest of her. As if someone sewed magic fibers into a piece of clothing,” Luna narrowed her eyes trying to find any sign of deception in Discord’s words, just as something on the corner of her eye made her turn and watch. It was a human charging to the golden dome, a machete in hand before it transformed into a familiar sword.

"Should we help? It would cement our image to the humans and their allies." Luna said, watching as the human hacked away at her shield with little progress.

"No, humans are a suspicious bunch. I should know, I ran into scores of them in my travels. They would hold us at an arm’s length, with hundreds of gun barrels held in our faces until they were completely sure of our intentions. Us showing up with information on Marcus and the Tyrant innocently showing up a few minutes later..." Discord shook his head as the human was thrown back, tumbling into a vehicle at bone breaking speeds. "They would label us as threats, keep us away from anything important, and probably keep us restrained till it was too late. It’s nice to assume that in wartime someone would trust us, but the humans are a paranoid lot.”

"Then what can we do?" Luna looked back down to see the Tyrant finish her speech. Discord smiled, munching from a bag of kettle corn and laughing at the Tyrant, as her eyes widened in shock when she saw her ear on the ground.

"We play by their rules." Discord said as he focused on the crazed alicorn. Luna watched on as Discord held up a paw, and the sickly, crazy yellowish glow of chaos magic blossomed forth.

"What are you doing?"

"Evening the playing field." Discord quietly said as his magic silently flew at the golden shield, while the Tyrant launched her own attack. Luna's eyes followed his spell, watching as it destroyed a random building before several humans jumped from it before the attack struck. Luna moved to catch them, but Discord held her back. "I got them, watch for Twilight and take her down."

"What?!" Luna looked to see Discord disappear from sight, only for him to return a second later. "What was that?"

"Sorry, I'm just a clone." Disclone replied, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her neck. "Right now, we have so little information about the Tyrant and her plans. I need you to go out on a teeny, tiny information stealing spree."

"Is this truly the time to be playing around?! Lives are at stake!" Luna yelled, watching the human below screaming his head off as he charged once more. Only for said clone to grip her by the jaw and force her to look at him.

"I'd truly love to be in a happy mood. I really would. I’d love to laugh as someone kicked one of the elements so hard they went into slow motion, but it just… hasn't been the time for that, and something’s up. The real me thinks it was too easy for the crazy queen to show up in person, in the middle of a city with dangerous weapons at the human's fingertips." Disclone muttered to her.

"Anyway, when the time comes, track down Sparkle and rummage through her mind a bit. Don't be gentle- she doesn't deserve that mercy, and it’s not like you’ll be damaging anything that the Bag hasn't already." Disclone told her as the human was blown away. "Boss is almost done setting up, so it’s my turn to start. Remember, get Sparkle."

Luna watched the clone of Discord, shuddering at the implications of how he could possibly have learned that ability, as he summoned a rolled up newspaper and a swirling black vortex before sticking his claw through it. Luna looked down to see the Tyrant's speech get cut off before the clone jumped off and floated down to her.

"Get ready. " Luna gave a yelp as she turn to see Discord behind her.

"Are you-"

"Its me-me. Just remember the plan. I'll keep the Tyrant busy with my charms." Discord said as he huffed once before he vanished from view, appearing the same time the clone disappeared.

Luna took her time to breath, it was not an easy task to keep oneself thinking straight with the kinds of things Discord came up with. But she nodded anyways. Then she panned her eyes into the battleground, focusing on this other Twilight Sparkle.

She watched as Twilight threw up a shield before the hulking metal monster that Discord summoned up spat out something and exploded against the Tyrant's weakened golden defense. Luna flared open her wings, taking flight as she followed the Elements down the alley.

"So Twi, what are we goin’ ta do? Use the Elements against Discord? " Applejack asked, all six mares quietly sneaking down the alley.

The alley itself was littered with rubble and general debris, and also a few charred remains of Ponies from some past fight. The ponies were mostly adults, with some dead foals that must have been once Human children turned into Ponies. However, some of bodies were not burnt and look more recently killed, their mangled bodies filled with bullet holes left to simply decompose and be slowly eaten by maggots. The air reeked of death and decay.

Around the six ponies were tattered propaganda posters and faded graffiti all over the walls of nearby buildings; the most common graffiti was of Lyra Heartstrings and the word “Resist” written underneath each one. There were posters of a pony in a PHL sash holding a Human baby, as a unicorn in the same sash shielded the child from a potion thrown by a downright psychotic-looking Rainbow Dash. Another poster depicted a Pony helping a Human soldier onto his feet, plastered next to a few simple posters of a Pony holding a Human child’s hand. It seemed that every wall was covered in posters, symbolic pictures, and graffiti captions like “Join The Ponies For Human Life” followed by underneath “Together We Can Save Humanity”, and finally, there was a simplistic graffiti in red on top of it all that just said “Fuck The Solar Bitch!”

"Sorry Applejack, but with that many humans running about, we’d sooner get killed before we even do anything; we should lay low for awhile."

"Ooo! While we lay low, we give them a big blow! We should totally look for their supplies and give them a special surprise... That rhymes right? " Pinkie stopped hoping for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin.

"Yes, that does sounds like a good idea." Rarity said as she avoided the trashcans with disgust. "Hitting their supplies would be best, while we are at it, we should also look for the generals and other people in charge for anything important to use against them. Change them for the betterment of ponykind."

"Yes, very good ideas, girls," Twilight agreed, smiling happily as she made her way through an opening, which lead to a dark department store. Rainbow was the last to go in, before she flicked her ears and looked back out the hole. Before she could voice her concerns, the air was filled with explosions. All six mares scrambled away from the cavity, watching as the wall collapsed,  blocking the way out through that direction.

"Well, no one is going to be following us." Rainbow shrugged as she landed next Twilight. "Everyone should be busy with the-"

"Pinkie sense!" Pinkie cried out, causing everyone to pause in their steps. They turn to see Pinkie tilting her head to the side, thinking hard on what her senses were telling her.

"What is it, Pinks? Whatchu got?" Applejack nudged her.

"Hmm... Droopy left eye, itch on my flank, and left front hoof tickles a bit." Pinkie mused, frowning somewhat.

"Isn’t that same combination you got in Britain before...!?" Twilight asked, before her eyes widened in shock. "Move girls!"

"SHOWTIME, MOTHERFUCKERS!" A voice called out in the darkness before the air was filled with flying metal, the familiar dakkadakkadakkadakka of a human machinegun cutting through the relative quiet of the store. Yet, somehow, it didn't drown out the insane laughter following suit. The six scrambled behind a pillar, unfortunately for them, it wasn't built to withstand the insane amount of firepower. It wasn't powder yet, but Rarity doubted it would last five more minutes.

"Stay together, but don't fight them! At least until they focus on somepony else!" Twilight called over the cacophony of staccato weapon fire. "Rainbow, go over head, distract them while we come from behind!"

"Roger!" Rainbow saluted once before took off like a shot. "Betcha you stupid humans can't even hit me!"

The gunfire pulled away, with the borderline-psychotic human machine-gunner spouting out heavily-accented curses as the group attempted to take down the flying mare. "Alright girls, let’s go." Twilight whispered as the five others attempted to sneak attack the humans.

Only to find nothing.The sound of gunfire was still around them, but they couldn't see it. It lasted a few more seconds before falling silent. The mares looked about the darker store floor, unsure on what to make of it, only to realize something else was amiss.

"Dashie?! Where'ja go?" Pinkie called out, looking for the pegasus in the confusion. Silence was their only response.

Twilight was wondering that as well. It was as if she’d disappeared from the building-Rainbow Dash wasn't exactly a quiet flyer. Before Twilight could voice her concern to the others, she felt the presence of a familiar alicorn. "Girls, watch-!"

The five remaining mares found themselves in a magical grip, the dark aura surrounding them preventing them from moving. Twilight struggled, her eyes trying to find the source.

"Elements of Harmony. " A voice echoed around them as they struggled. They heard the telltale signs of hoofsteps before it stopped before them. "I have need of your services."

"Luna." Twilight growled, seeing Rainbow in her magical grip as she tried to free herself. "You traitor! Let us go!"

"Nay, I shall hold onto you for the time being, Twilight Sparkle." Luna only tilted her head, her ears swivelling as she listen to them struggle.

"Where are the humans, Luna?" Twilight demanded, glaring daggers at her. Luna only smiled, chuckling softly at her question.

"There are no humans, a mere illusion spell I created after seeing the impressive display outside." Luna walked over to the pillar, the damaged it 'sustained' melted away to reveal a perfectly undamaged pillar. "See? They certainly know how to make war..."

"What do you want with us?" Rainbow grunted as she flailed a bit before falling still, giving Luna an annoyed look.

"To be perfectly frank, I only desire one of you." Luna stated calmly as she walked away, Twilight floating away from the rest of the group. "The rest of you I have no concerns with."

"Well little missy, we have a bit of a problem with ya taking Twilight without her say so." Applejack grounded out, her teeth clenching tightly against one another. Luna only smiled at this, looking back to her with a knowing smile.

"Perhaps you should be more concerned with your own survival," Luna said offhandedly,  slowly melting into the darkness.

"You would kill us?" Fluttershy whimpered, only to see it hardly had any effect on the alicorn. "Just how corrupted have you become because of humanity?!" she shouted, attempting to give Luna the Stare, Luna herself just rolled her eyes in response.

"I wouldn’t." Luna's horn flared a bit bright, "The humans would not be so forgiving."

"When are they ever going to be forgiving?" said Twilight angrily through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps this time, it might bring you good fortune if you ask?" Luna said, before she threw the other mares out the glass windows. "Ask nicely! Oh, and by the way… on the way here, I met this interesting human with a rifle. Granted, he was most displeased with my appearance, but he was still following me with some gusto."

“I’ll stare him down!” Fluttershy yelled.

“I doubt that will work,” Luna said, as she faded into the darkness. “Say hello to Mr. Kraber.”

“Un sekai nerahma safah!” someone yelled, and Fluttershy looked down to see a small coffee can rolling along the floor, a smiley face painted on it.

This was just not her day.

The floor exploded.

“WHO DID THAT?!” Pinkie Pie yelled, her party cannon, now modified into what was essentially a cannon-sized shotgun full of ponification potion, at the ready. “WHO SHOT FLU-”

A bullet rammed into her knee. With the various enchantments of protection that the Tyrant had given them, enough that Shining Armor would have been ridiculously jealous, it didn't shatter the joint. Still, it left one hell of a bruise, and Pinkie fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

“Now, I’d make some big speech about what happened in my hometown, and why I’m so happy about this,” the voice echoed all over the ruined department store. “But I think we’re all tired of speeches. Gonna skip right to the killing.”

“RUN!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Aegis? You, Tempest, Anvil, Petrikov, Garcia, take the left and kill any other elements you can find,” Kraber said. “Now… LET’S KILL OURSELVES SOME ELEMENTS!”

The mixed groups of humans and ponies rushed in opposite directions through the store, taking cover behind the rubble.

Kraber wanted to find whoever it was that had suggested the Elements would be pushovers due to just being civilians who happened to be able to shoot a magical rainbow of friendship, justice, and cupcakes and stuff, and smack them over the head. Even if they’d all learned not to underestimate the Elements, Kraber was still mad enough that he’d been told that because the Elements just wouldn't die.

Spiegelmann pointed to Rarity, softly trotting along the edge of one floor of the department store.

“I GOT THIS ONE!” Kraber yelled, and fired a twelve-round burst off his MG2019. “TASTE MY JUSTICE, YOU WHORE!”

Time was that the MG2019 could have killed ponies in droves. It had before, too- he’d once protected an entire street with one MG2019 belt, reducing newfoals to the consistency of chunky salsa, but no, the Elements of Harmony just had to be made of much sterner stuff than most ponies.

Somewhere between five and nine of the twelve rounds that he fired missed, with some grazing Rarity, one chipping a hoof, but he gave the department store one hell of a repair bill.

The twelfth did not hit Rarity and explode her like a pinata, or splatter blood everywhere. It did, however, graze her horn as she was about to cast a spell, God only knew what.

Ever taken a head shot and had a hard time focusing? Getting hit in the horn does that to a unicorn, especially when they’re casting a spell. Now, all that energy has to go somewhere, and a unicorn will be very lucky if it goes anywhere near where they intended.

Unfortunately for Rarity, who was normally quite reserved and controlled, her magic went everywhere, releasing a shockwave of pure concussive force throughout the already overtaxed building. Kraber’s runically enhanced bullets had already weakened the area around Rarity quite a bit, so the whole area was just itching to crumble.

With an almighty groan, like a great leviathan of the Maritime Ocean in the throes of death, the floor Rarity was on began to bend slightly downwards, cracks spreading out in a spiderweb from the area she was standing.

Yet she didn’t move. She simply stood there like a newfoal, jaw open, one foreleg vibrating as if it was struggling to get out of the way, but something was holding her back.

Without a word, Fluttershy-who Kraber could see out of the corner of his eye, just poking  out from behind one pillar-flew at Rarity at a speed that would have impressed Rainbow Dash.

“That’s not possible,” Tempest whispered, his voice crackling in Kraber’s ear. “You need training to be that fast, and that’s like Wonderbolt speed.”

“Maybe it’s just adrenaline?” Kraber suggested.

“Bull,” Tempest said. “Fluttershy can’t go that fast. I’ve seen her fly, and she’s the weakest flyer in Ponyville.”

There again was one of the mysteries. Equestria had not been a country with a strong military presence,  not until the Crystal War, and there had been no hint of teaching any of the elements to fight, or even any basic self-defense techniques. They’d held their own on the way to get the elements on the disastrous wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, but just barely. So when, Kraber wondered, did they get so good? It wasn’t possible.

Also, for all their surprising combat ability, why was Rarity just standing there, her eyes open and glassy like a newfoal? Anyone would know to run. Granted, the brain functions of ponies who had stayed in Equestria were rather… questionable, but this was utterly bizarre.

Fluttershy was dodging their fire-and it was pretty damn difficult to say who wasn’t shooting at her at the moment.

“Okay, now I know something ain’t right,” Tempest said. “Does Fluttershy strike you as the kind of pony that can dodge bullets without crying?! Or dodging bullets at all?!”

“Not… really, no,” said Aegis.

“I’ve got you!” Fluttershy yelled, grabbing Rarity, half-scooping half-pushing her away from the collapsing section of department store.

Nobody was sure who made the lucky shot that hit them both, other than the fact that it wasn’t Aegis-that would have made a small explosion when it hit them.  Either way, someone had hit them both, maybe Kraber, maybe Tempest, and Fluttershy was lolling to the side, desperately struggling to keep them both aloft.

“NO no no no no…” Fluttershy whispered, as she fell to the floor, skidding wildly.

Rarity screamed.

“BOOSH!” Kraber laughed, high-fiving Spiegelmann.

“YOU MEANIE!” Pinkie yelled, from somewhere off in the distance.

“Oh, shi-” Kraber yelled, as Pinkie Pie appeared behind him, holding a party cannon in both hooves.

He coughed, spitting out blood, before Pinkie fired it yet again, to the shock and horror of Spiegelmann and Sheaf, knocking him over the railing. His last thought, before plummeting to the ground and screaming in surprise and reflexive agony was “Please don’t let this be the ponification one…”

Never mind that because he was falling to the ground, it wouldn’t be the ponification party cannon.

"Hm, I thought so." Luna shrugged as she moved deeper into the darkness, ignoring the sounds of gunfire while she floated Twilight behind her. "Now then Twilight Sparkle, you shall tell me everything you know about your dear Tyrant."

"Don’t call her that!"  Twilight shouted in rage, kicking out her legs uselessly. "She is Queen Celestia of Equestria, the rightful ruler of Equus and Earth, Savior of ponykind and all species!"

"Hm, how shall we put this?" Luna mused to herself before looking to the floating mare, "Tell me, how would you like it if a species declared itself better than your own and began wiping you out down to the last child?"

"But there is no species better than us Ponies!"

"So you could never see the irony of the situation?" she sighed. "I see it was foolish of me to engage in this pointless conversation with you. Very well, let’s get this over with."

Luna’s eyes and horns flashed with blinding light in preparation of a spell.

"Torturing me will get you nothing." Twilight hissed and she continue her struggles, but her statement cause Luna to give a hollow chuckle.

"My vicious little creature of hate," Luna chuckled softly, a vindictive smile on her face. "You truly forgot who I am."

"What?!"

"My name is Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, Princess of the Night, Caretaker of the Moon and Stars." Luna proudly proclaimed, before leaning in close to Twilight,  a vicious smile on her face. "Defender of Nightmares. Or in this case for you, Bringer of Nightmares, and I never said anything about torture, you abomination.”

Luna's horn flared once before the spell impacted Twilight's skull. Twilight’s will to remain awake was no match for the thousand year old Alicorn’s might, falling asleep within seconds of contact.

“I just want to see what’s inside...”

Luna dropped the mare on a nearby bed display, looking around to ensure the area was secured enough to perform the Mind Delve spell. It was the only way she could bypass the mental barriers without killing any pony immediately from trying. It was a reason why there wasn't many spells to begin with, as any attempts made ended badly for the user and target. And there were strange, disturbing tales about what happened to ponies that were subjected to it by inexperienced unicorns, tales where the moral boiled down to “It does more harm than good.” Still, Luna was an alicorn, so she would probably be fine.

Before entering Twilight’s mind, she set up a shield spell, which would last about an hour, barring any unforeseen attacks. The humans she’d seen, particularly the one with the very large gun, seemed to have kept the twisted elements at bay.

Luna blinked and looked around, seeing the beginning forms of a dream taking shape. Luna grinned, summoning dozens of monsters, ancient enemies, and hordes of vicious humans riding said monsters out of nothing before unleashing them on the dazed Twilight.

Luna went on her way, humming a tune to herself to drown out the screams and sounds of flesh being rendered from bone, searching for the point within the dream that would allow her access to the mind. She couldn't help but groan as it became obvious as she walked through the barren landscape and saw a single door standing upright in the middle of it.

A door similar to the Royal Archives, in extreme detail, right down to the hoofmark she had made when she wasn't allowed access due to her weakened form, appearing to be a slightly larger than normal pony instead of Celestia’s sister. Luna frowned at that, staring at the indention in confusion. "It appears my counterpart has done the same as I, even with a corrupted sister at the helm."

Once Luna entered the room the door behind faded away from existence. She now stood in the center of a massive white stone room of staircases and decaying wooden doors of various colors, the room itself exuded a sense of wrongness that seemed impossible to place. The room's ceiling was dark, seemingly extending impossibly high, and nothing could clearly be made out beyond a dozen staircases. Incomprehensible ghostly whispering voices, all Twilight’s, could be heard in the room, and the faint sound of Twilight’s crying seemed to be coming from everywhere.

There is something... disturbing about this room. Luna thought as she looked about, before seeing a shadowy figure in the corner of her 'eye' that disappeared whenever she looked too closely at it.

Ignoring the shadow for the time being, she trotted up a flight of stairs nearby and opened a door, only for it to reveal a narrow corridor, that went seemingly on forever with countless doors running along it.

She opened some nearby doors, each of which revealed yet more seemingly endless corridors lined with unlimited doors.

Luna closed the door and went back into the main room. The doors and staircases shifted randomly to add to the confusion. It appeared Twilight was trying to shield her mind from Luna's spell.

I would comment on how impressive her defenses are, were they not hindering mine own search. Luna groused as she continued her search. When Luna came down the stairs a chill went down her spine.

There, in the middle of the room, was Twilight as a young filly. She was slightly translucent, sitting on the floor while she cried in the center of the room.

That was never a good sign.

Luna did not move; approaching the shadow Twilight could prove to be risky.

The shadow Twilight looked up to see Luna, it’s glowing orange eyes staring right at her. It wailed in grief, then made a high-pitched bone chilling screech before evaporating into some sort of shadowy matter and fading away. The room had suddenly gone very cold, ice formed on the upper levels of the room. Luna was on edge, this shadow monster clearly was still here and was the shadow being she saw before in the corner of her eye.

"Mommy!" Twilight's panicked voice shouted, her voice filled with terror only a child could muster. Luna shivered in response to the call, looking around as her cries became more desperate. "Daddy! Please, I don’t want to be here! Shiny, HELP ME! They’re… IT’S HURTING ME! GET ME OUT! PLEASE!"

Twilight abruptly screamed in terror, and all of a sudden the whispers and pained sobbing simply cut off-as if the needle in a record player had suddenly ceased to exist. The room fell almost completely silent, apart from Luna's heartbeat and heavy breathing.

"What in the world?" Luna whispered, looking around the area, before seeing a small shadow dart into one of the halls. This… she’d seen millions of nightmares, millions of psychological traumas, but few of them had ever approached the scale of anything quite like this.

Stopfightingsshecan'thelpyou.Youbelongtous!

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise at the monstrous sounding voice. She turned to see the shadow that had vanished when the harsh whispers started, only for it to drift back into view. She watched as the shadow slowly made its way up to her, almost crawling across the ground. Luna flared her wings, her eyes focused on the shadow as it made its way past her, going down another corridor before stopping and 'looking' back to her.

"You wish for me to follow?" Luna asked, watching as the shadow bobbed once before slowly making its way down its intended path. "I see."

Luna had no choice but to follow, even if it was a trap, she could easily power through it. She couldn’t help but feel that this small shadow was a friend, which utterly confused her. She watched as it lead her down halls and stairs, go through seemingly random doors, and even down a random, improbably extended slide from the Canterlot Royal Playground at one point, one hall she passed through was pitch dark, where the screams and cries of children could be heard echoing along the hall, and it was impossible to tell if they were playing or being tortured. As she walked down the hall she thought make out small shadowy silhouettes of human children in the corner of her ‘eye’, but every time she turned to look at them, they vanished from sight. This shadow Twilight was taking her to something… but what? At any rate she wished to be away from this hall of crying and screaming human children. She sighed in relief as the shadow Twilight lead her into a door on the left into another hall, followed by the cries and screams of the children suddenly falling silent behind her. That was now replaced by a faint sound of a baby crying, that sent shivers down her spine.

Once, where the pillars, doors, and wooden floors were in pristine condition, now they appeared to all be rotting, or as if they had survived some kind of terrible storm. As if the area was forgotten and left itself for time to take a hold of it. She followed shadow Twilight through the dark hall with burnt books on rows of shelves along it, all the time, the same harsh whispers echoed out. The hall had very few doors, and was lined with mostly empty bookshelves. It didn’t seem to have a ceiling, instead it had a seemingly endless expanse of darkness as a ceiling. Luna could just about make out something in the distance, far above her. It appeared to be the Golden Oak Library from Ponyville, floating upside down far away in the dark sky, its leaves a dry, dying brown.

Shecan'tsaveyou

noponycan

Shecan'tevensaveherself

Shefeltjealousy

Sheisweak

Shewouldsellherselfasatwobitwhorsejustforstallionsto-

"SILENCE!" Luna roared, her eyes filled with fury. "Your inane whispering only drives me to destroy you quicker, Sparkle!”

The whispering stopped. Luna’s ears swiveled about to see if the mare would press her luck, only to hear silence. Luna smiled to herself before turning the corner, only to realize that she had reached the end of the maze. The shadow sat in front a door that was either unspeakably ancient or battered, the dark no-color of a door covered in so many layers of paint that it had become weakened, almost furry with the faded coats of paint. Although the heavy chains and bolts securing it shut indicated otherwise. Luna inspected the door closely, seeing writing on it.

'My Happy Place'

Luna couldn't help but frown as she looked to the door. "This almost appears to be keeping something in, not out."

Luna looked to see the shadow slowly slide underneath the door, beckoning for Luna to open the door. She scowled as the door refused to budge under her considerable magical might. She pulled and pushed, putting all her mental strength into opening it with no avail.

"You are not welcome here, traitor." Luna turned back, her eyes narrowing as the entire hall expanded open into an underground cavern, but her eyes were focused on the being that spoke.

Whatever it was, it attempted to look like Twilight, but had not succeeded. Its eyes were too small, too close, its horn was too long and had a jagged appearance, its hair was too stringy, its legs too thin to support its body. It was like… like an artist had drawn Twilight, but they had gotten every single proportion wrong. Luna stared at the creature in utter confusion. This was not Twilight Sparkle. It wasn’t even a convincing imitation.

"Who are you, foul creature?" Luna scowled, her horn glowing as she stood firm in a battle stance.

"I’m hurt, Luna. You don’t recognize-?" The creature started to answer, its voice carrying a bit of a patronizing tone, before Luna caved its face in with a solid jab.

"Do not test my patience, you hideous cur." Luna spat as she watched as the odd monster struggle to reform its face. “I may not know who you are, but I know who you represent, and I have seen enough of her that I am unable to restrain my disgust.”

"Such manners!” The Not Twilight cackled out, its face reforming as it laughed. “Queen Celestia always told me you were a stickler for decorum."

"Tis most unfortunate for you, then. I am not your Luna, and I do not know any Queen Celestia," Luna spat the last two words out with the utmost disgust, slowly pacing around the monstrous, deformed approximation of a pony. "I hold little patience for the likes of you and yours. Now, what is beyond the door?"

Not Twilight gave a hacking chuckle, finding it amusing of her demands. "Memories, Little Moon, just memories."

Luna seethed at the childish nickname Celestia used for her while they were still in the care of Sint Erklass. To have this creature use it like...

"Wait, how did this abominable creature know?!"

Luna blinked as her mind came a screeching halt. Celestia was the only one to ever use that nickname, and promised to never tell anypony. This being had used it as if it had always known about it, even used it like Celestia. Always chiding her for some reason or another.

"What are you?"

"This again? Listen to me-"

"In the fall of Sombra, we resorted to magic only conceived by our top mages to seal him-"

"Petty lies." The Not Twilight mused loudly. "You had to call upon your old teacher/mother to even stand a chance. Had to dig out the old entrance by the Everfree Mountain Range just to ask her."

Luna stood still for a moment before striking. Before the creature could even react, it was struck from behind.

By one Colonel Renee.

"Wha-ACK!?" The creature reeled back as Marcus closed in and slammed his fist into its neck. Luna watched on silently, following at a slow pace as the conjured human memory steadily batted the monster across the room.

"No one. Not myself, nor Discord, nor even my own sister can ever speak of the location of the Scribe. Ancient magic protects the area from all who seek it, and if we so much as even hint at its location, we would be blinded by unimaginable pain." said Luna quietly, watching as Marcus gripped the creature with his hands and slammed it into the ground snout first. "So that leaves very little room for the discussion on what you are. You are not Twilight Sparkle. You are some.. abomination that the Tyrant conceived and implanted within this body. From what I could see from the few short memories that my own Sister shared, you had magic spells Twilight could never possibly know about, the passage of time erasing all physical traces of them and the teachings far beyond what a simple unicorn could ever manage."

Luna stared hard, even as the monster attempted to fend off the imagined human. "You are a mental golem, a homunculus,” she said, choking back her revulsion. There had been warlords that used mind magic to create more obedient soldiers, such as Sombra, but even he’d never stooped to this level of violation. “One created to be utterly compliant and follow the Tyrant's every wish, yet still appearing to be one Twilight Sparkle, her faithful student." Luna spat out the last two words with the utmost disgust.

"Very good, Luna. I should write a report!” Twilight giggled. “Maybe I will even-WHOOF!" Marcus threw the Not Twilight into the door, chains rattling from the impact. Several of them even shattered from the blow. Luna stared at the broken chains for a moment before a small smile graced her face.

The door rattled as something slammed against. The metal groaned as it was battered far beyond its limit, and wood splintered as the door’s pounding grew worse. Over and over the door held against the blows, before finally silence fell.

CRASH

The body crashed against the bookcase, limply falling to the ground. Luna trotted inside, a smile on her face as she made her way up to struggling creature.

"Thank you for providing the key. I release you from your duties. " Luna held up a single hoof, before smacking the monster away with a powerful buck, knocking it down into the dark halls of bookcases. It didn’t get up, seemingly dissipating into the shadows.

"Now then, what could all this hold?" Luna asked herself as she looked at the rotting bookcase, intrigued by its contents. At random, she selected a book with her magic, slowly lifting it before finding herself somewhere else entirely.

"My Queen, the preparations are set. The Rescue Fleet is just hitting the northernmost area of Nova Scotia. We will set our Portal station down once the area is under our control."

"Very good, Captain Armor."

"Queen Celestia, will we be able to help out? The girls and I really want to show that human Commander that we are just trying to help."

"Of course Twilight, such a good little pony you are to me."

Luna backed away, her eyes narrowing before she moved on. Another book, another memory of Twilight kissing the Tyrant's flank. By the thirtieth book, Luna was beginning to think this was a waste of time.  There had to be something in here, something that would explain everything. Twilight loved books, so it made sense that her memories would be represented as books. The right book had to be here somewhere...

The area didn't get much better, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse. The books appeared to be falling apart, the wooden cases rotting out and groaning from the weight, the stone pillars cracking and chipping away.

A purple book caught her eye. To an untrained observer, it would have seemed to be just lazily tossed on the floor at bottom of a bookshelf, destined to be forgotten. She levitated the book into air toward her and opened it, allowing Luna to watch the memory to unfold before her. She found herself in a world where she could not move, but she had a birds eyes view of Celestia and Twilight drinking tea.

Celestia’s light shone through a circular window on the ceiling, below Twilight was in Celestia’s private quarters. Beautiful white marble stone lined the walls and tiles of the floor, faint smoke rose from a dying fireplace. There were cabinets, containing documents and Twilight's friendship letters. White cups of tea, chocolate cake and other types of cakes were placed on a silver tray on a fine wooden table. Twilight was seated in a red fancy chair before Celestia, who was also sitting on a fancy red chair on the opposite side of the table. Twilight appeared to be slightly anxious, and was not looking at Celestia directly as she sipped her tea. The awkward silence continued on for minutes with both of them just drinking their tea without saying a word.

"Something on your mind, Twilight?" she said softly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Um... Queen Celestia?" she said nervously.

"Please, Twilight, its just Celestia whenever we are alone." Celestia gave her a warm smile as she spoke in motherly tone of voice.

"Okay. There is something I want to ask." Twilight gently tapped her hooves together as she looked to her tea.

"Oh? What about it?" Celestia looked at her with curious eyes.

"Well, I feel like I should be helping Shining in the war effort. The girls think we should also train for it, after all it was our failure that lead to Sombra's return."

"Twilight, it was not anypony's fault, least of all yours or the Elements. Just bad fortune on our behalf. I will have to decline your offer to train for this war. All will settle in due time. Now then, it appears you have another question on your lips."

"Um, yes, its about the... uh 'ponification' serum. I know you asked you me to study it and refine it to ensure it works properly, but I'm not exactly sure how to do that? I don't have any means of testing it safely."

"Twilight, be assured that you will have plenty of test subjects once we open the portal to Earth."

“Test Subjects? Celestia, I've been studying the serum ever since you showed it to me, and I have to say that using it will not put us in good light with the humans. In fact, I’m not sure we should even be touching the stuff, because it scares me!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! The entire potion is laced with some sort of unknown magic. I’d be excited, but it feels... wrong. Like Sombra's magic but even darker and more twisted!  Celestia, please, what did you use to create this... thing, and why do you think it’s a good idea to use it?!"

"My dear Twilight… " her voice was laced with disappointment." I am saddened that it comes to this."

"W-what?!" she said with a raised voice in alarm.

"I simply must have the Elements on my side in this coming tide, I cannot have you questioning my authority, *betraying me*.” Twilight stared at Celestia. She could feel the magical vibrations in her Queen’s voice.  “I cannot have subjects that doubt that turning Humanity into perfect Ponies is not the best solution."

"Perfect?!" shouted with her eyes widen in shock. "Ponies are not perfect."

"In time... they will be." Celestia only smiled as she brought up a small bag, Twilight took one look at it before it began to beat like a heart. ‘All in my image. All bowing before my grace.”

"Wait.. Wait stop!" Twilight jumped off her chair to back away from her." Get that thing away from me-!" she shouted in a panic with a look fear in her eyes.

Celestia’s horn glowed with light as she simply sat on her chair, her magic held Twilight in place. Twilight's own horn shined brightly as she tried to free herself, but was unable to break the hold. Celestia smiled as she held the bag before Twilight.

"Please… don’t do this…. " she spoke in a low pleading tone with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "What has happened to you?"

"My dear... I do this for your own good." Celestia said as she open the bag, dark and foul black-purple magic surged forward, swirling around the screaming pony. It caressed her, ruffling against her fur, creeping over her like… like some un-Equestrian appendage.

"No, no, NO!" Twilight screamed, before the magic found her mouth and forced itself in, choking her. Moments later, she fell silent. Her earlier look of fear was now replaced with a glassy eyed expression of obedience. However, her left eye had twitched, in a weak effort to break free from the spell’s control.

"We will bring the gift of becoming Pony to every man, woman and child of Earth. Whether they like it or not. Wouldn't you agree Twilight?

"... Yes, My Queen."  she said in a low voice. As if on its own, a smile spread across her face.

With Luna freed from the book’s magical power she dropped it on the floor as if it was burning, an appalled scowl on her face. She avoided the book as she continued her search. "As if I didn't need more nightmares myself."

Luna continued her arduous search before finally finding a rather gruesome book. The book laid by itself on the shelf, covered in red blood and mottled with the skin of Humans from all races. A white Human skull was engraved on cover of the book. She reached for the book, but then a shadow sped past, the book she was reaching for gone from its place.

"Hey! Bring that book back!" Luna cried out, her wings flaring as she took flight after the shadow. Luna couldn’t help but believe that book held some importance if the shadow creature didn't want her to see it. "Please, I mean you no harm."

Finally, the shadow stopped at a clearing. Dry grey grass seemed to blend with the previous rotting wooden floor, as if it had grown out of it for some reason, but in the center there rested an equally dead stump.  Luna quietly landed at the edge, watching as the shadow raced up to the stump before flowing inside, the book resting on top of it. Luna hesitantly took a step inside the onious death circle, giving a good look around the clearing with a critical eye.

"Why have you brought me here?" Luna whispered aloud as she stepped closer to the stump, its ancient, beaten exterior giving a sense of unknown to its whole existence.  For a mind such as Twilight, having a tree inside a library would make little sense, unless it was as a reminder of the Tree Library where she had lived in Ponyville. But it still wouldn’t make that much sense. The tree would be the walls, not a stump.

Once Luna was able to see the book in a better light, her eyes grew wide in surprise as she reared back with a gasp of shock and disgust.

It appeared to be a stump of some kind, but a closer look revealed the presence of dirtied fur coming out of the dead muddy side, but that wasn’t what made Luna draw her breath. It was a strange peculiarity of where the stump’s rings should be, an interesting thing that shone as if a light was on it. It was like a gem of violet surrounded in white that had veins of ruby streaked through it.

An eye.

A bloodshot, tired purple eye explored Luna up and down, then the floor beneath her and then her face, and stayed there. Like looking into her being and asking for mercy.

Asking for death.

Luna staggered, gasping, away as the stump exploded, a single leg, barely more than patchy gray-purple fur, bones, and a hoof reaching out as if was crawling out of a grave. She watched as a second came with the first, both hooves placing themselves firmly on the ground and heaving the body out of the stump. Luna swallowed as she saw the dirtied, emaciated, unhealthy face of Twilight Sparkle. Her bloodshot eyes seemed to stare right through Luna, full of remorse. Luna's eyes trailed, nearly vomiting as her body appeared to be skewered through with roots, with one even piercing her heart.

"Luna..." Twilight whispered, her voice little more than a rasping cough.

"Twilight... is... is that truly you?" Luna couldn't keep the horror out of her voice. She’d never seen such violation! This was wrong, there was no question about it. "I will have you freed from this.... from this... madness!"

"N-n-no."

"No!? Surely you jest!"

"Trap. Caught with me if you tried..." Twilight looked away, tears streaming down her face. "Another puppet for the Queen."

"I... see." Luna stepped away, her eyes watching as Twilight held the book closely to her chest. "That book-"

"My sins!” Twilight hissed as her eyes got somewhat redder than normal, tears welling up at the corners. At Luna’s reaction of backing more Twilight calmed herself, looking back at the book with disdain and sadness. Luna sighed before nodding, not willing to push the mare. “...not for you. You don’t want to know! Please… if you value your sanity, don’t touch it!”

"Twilight Sparkle... what has happened to you?" Luna asked quietly, a part of her wanted to desperately hold the mare in this horrid state.

"Tricked... Told was helping humans to survive. Studied the potion." Twilight gave a heaving sob. "Told Celestia it was filled with curse magic... Enslaved me within my own mind as a reward. Soon, my friends followed suit... One by one. Rarity was last to go, Spike protected her, transformed and blinded the Tyrant before escaping... Spike... ” Twilight smiled at some memory only she could see before tears escaped from her eyes as she tried to shake the vines loose. “I’m so sorry! I’ll always be sorry!"

Luna swallowed, her mind trying to understand before it finally set in. "You are... Victims. Just like everyone else. That damnable bag has broken all of your Equestria!”

Twilight sniffed before nodding her head. She looked up to Luna, staring directly into her own eyes. "You must kill me."

"W-what?! I cannot-"

"KILL ME! PLEASE! I CAN’T STAND IT ANYMORE! KILL ME SO I DON’T HAVE TO WATCH MYSELF HURT ANYONE AND BE MADE TO ENJOY IT! KILL ME TO END THIS NIGHTMARE!" Twilight wailed, her eyes beginning to take a tone of panic. "KILL THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!"

Luna stared in stunned horror at the broken mare. "What… what could you have seen to cause this?"

Before the mare could respond, something struck the grass in front of her. The vines around her body stiffened and pulled with an unrelenting speed and force as the screaming Twilight was shoved back into the stump, the book leaving her grasp. The thing that had landed caught the falling book with ease.

"That’s easy, Luna, I have just the notes for you to go over!" Not Twilight giddily responded before throwing the book at Luna.

"NO!" Real Twilight cried from inside her prison as she saw the book hit the alicorn on the shoulder. “That will-”

Screams echoed out from the cavern, cries, sobs, and shouts from dozens of humans within cages as they saw the human on the table scream in agony.

His forehead split open, a mutilated horn punching through skin, blood bursting out of the ruptured arteries. His right eye grew larger than its socket before it finally popped out, barely hanging on due to the optic nerve still attached to the brain, mashed into an unrecognizable jellylike lump.

His left hand shifted and changed, fingers curling, blackening, and shrinking into uselessness before seemingly popping off, the wrists shattering as the bones attempted to fuse themselves together to form a hoof.

The sounds of limbs snapping echoed over the scream, his hips expanding too fast before his right side split open and his liver and intestines spilled through the gaping wound.

The screams of tortured agony dissolved into a mess of gargles, presumably due to imperfectly formed vocal cords, the still shifting human shaking before finally falling still.

"Well, test three hundred and seventy-six was a complete failure," Twilight sadly proclaimed, ignoring the cries of the children as they saw what happened to the man. "And it seemed so promising as well. Well, not to worry though, I still have plenty of potion samples to experiment with! Now then, who's next?"

"No! Not my baby!"

"Mommy! I’m scared!"

"It’s okay miss,” Twilight said. “I’m doing this for sake of all humans. If he dies, he sacrificed himself for the greater cause."

"NOOOO!"

Luna gasped as she took a step away from the book now in the floor, her eyes wide with horror.

"Wait, I still have more to report, Princess!"

"N-n-no." Luna was still reeling in undisguised terror when the monster raised a hoof, the grass grew too quick for Luna to see, suddenly becoming thorny vines, which surrounded the book. It placed it against her snout once more...

"God help me! PLEASE GOD, HELP ME! PLEA- AGGH!” The man screamed as his body shed its skin, he withered in agony as fur grew on the muscles and fat.

"Test four-fifty-six, another failure. Next subject..."

"No, stop!" Luna cried, her eyes shedding tears as the Not Twilight giggled and pushed the book to her again.

"DADDY! IT’S HURTING ME, DADDY SAVE ME! DADDY! PLEASE! WHERE ARE Y-" The little girl withered and spasmodically shook on the ground, her eyes rolling up in their sockets before bursting, causing her to scream even louder. Her back ripped open, a pair of skinless, deformed wings expanding from her back, blood and muscle trickling down them.

The girl wailed before her neck snapped as it tried to shrink to pony size. Unfortunately, that had been the only part of the body that did shrink. Her head rolled to the floor.

"Test seven-eighty-nine, failure."

Luna whimpered as she tried to step away, Not Twilight laughing the entire time with glee.

"Oh god!"

"Someone help!"

"Mutter!"

"Ayúdame hermana!"

"Dieu ont la pitié sur moi!"

"Foda-o você cadela fodendo!"

“You monster, I HOPE YOU BURN IN WHATEVER HELL YOU BELIEVE IN!”

"Test eight-fifty-five, failure."

"Test nine-eighty-seven, failure."

"Test eleven hundred, failure."

“Failure.”

“Failure!”

“FAiLurE!”

“FailurefailurefailureFAILUREFAILURE!”

“FAILURE!”

Every word, every sound, every repetition of the word failure caused Luna to wince as if struck. Horrific images entered her mind, causing her to gasp and shout silently in despair and horror, images of fleshmeltingflowingbackwardsupwardsdownwardssidewaysreversedintooutofitselfsplitopenlikerottingfruit,bonestwistingsnappingmeltingtearingdrippinglikemoltenironinaforge,thoughtschainedboundsealedcrushedremovedsurpressedrepeleddestroyedenslaved,burningpainfulstabbingsensationsfeathersfurtwistingshakingtearingapartskinandtissues,bloodboilingfreezingrottingspillingleakingfromtwistedbrokenbodies,musclesbunchingstretchingtearingsnappingattheirlimits,onandonandonneverstopingalwaysmarchingtowardsPERFECTION,childrenmenwomenelderlysicklyhumansallfailuresafterfailuresafterfailuresafTERFAILURESAFTERFAILURES-**

...

A glassy-eyed newfoal with a smile far too wide stood where there had once been a young human female. “Me has salvado!” she giggled, giving a bow. “Muchisimas gracias por liberarme de mi cascaron humano, salvadora…”

“Esa no es mi Maria,” a spanish woman whispered from her cage, watching as the girl that once been her daughter pranced about as a pony. “¡Ese maldito engendro no es mi Maria! ¡¿QUÉ HICISTE A MI MARIA?! ¡¿QUÉ A HECHO CON MI NIÑA BESTIA ENDEMONIADA?!”

"Test two thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven.... Success!"

Luna sat down, staring at nothing as tears streamed down her face in silent anguish. Her entire form was shaking from the pure horror of what she saw. She felt sick on a level far beyond anything she had ever experienced, so disgusted, so repulsed by the images that she had just seen that she felt violated.

"As you can see, it took almost three thousand test subjects to find the right combination for Celestia’s ponifications serum to work." Not Twilight replied with a small giggle, hugging the book with undying love.

"How..." Luna whispered in a hollow, broken voice, slowly turning her head to the monster with tears shedding freely from her eyes. "How could you do such a thing…? Most of them were mere f-foals..."

"Because I was put in charge in saving them. Of course nopony can get it right the first time." Luna stared at her, unable to comprehend her answer. Luna slowly looked to the real Twilight,  watching her sink back into the stump.

"Please.... please Luna, kill me and my friends. Don’t let anyone suffer anymore!" Twilight croaked out before she slipped back inside the stump.

No...

Her grave.

Luna looked at the smiling abomination before, without thought, she lashed out with her magic, a satisfying crack resounded once the monstrosities head was twisted around completely.

The supposed corpse stood there, but it did not fall to the side, it laughed. Laughed heartily and purely, like a child in her birthday. Laughed as if the mere thought of the Princess of the Night harming her was a complete joke. Laughed as her head completed the turned back around, a wide amused crooked smile was delivered back at Luna with complete delight.

"And now, it’s time for you to go, Princess. Tehehehehehe."

Luna blinked a she found herself back into the real world, utter confusion on her face as she looked down to see Twilight glaring at her. Luna's eyes widen in shock when she realized that the creature managed to counter her spell. Her horn glowed, ready to strike the small unicorn down with a single spell.

"Kill me... please kill me." She said in a low voice.

Luna hesitated, she didn't see Twilight the vicious murderer. She saw Twilight the victim.

That hesitation costed her when Twilight's horn glowed and she vanished from sight.  Luna stood a for a long moment, hearing the sounds of battle die off as one by one, the Elements escaped thanks to Twilight.

Luna stared at the spot the unicorn was laying not a few minutes ago. Her cheeks caked with tears, shaking as the haunted images slowly began to consume her mind, her heartbeat a loud roar in her ears. Almost at once, she remembered the conversation she held with Discord.

Discord snorted once before turning. "You would go mad with grief and anger if you knew what I knew. Pray that you never do... It’ll haunt you for the rest of your life."

Luna finally knew what he meant. She looked around, as she saw the humans and ponies slowly surround her, giving her wide berth. She looked to the humans, seeing their grim faces as they stared at her.

"DADDY!"

Luna heaved, a sob escaping her throat as she tried to reel herself in.

"Cierra tus ojos mi hijo! Que no veas te digo!"

Luna shook her head as she tried to keep her emotions in check.

“IT HURTS, MOMMY IT HURTS-!”

Luna cried out as she held her head with her hooves, startling the group surrounding her.

"What the hell is going on with her?!" One soldier cried out as the alicorn seemingly burst into a flare of growing magic. The very ground was shaking as cracks formed around the distraught mare.

"Who cares!? Run! This building’s coming down!"

Wanting revenge for the loss of innocence Luna had became consumed with anger, an anger she had not felt for a thousand years. Blind rage consumed her, the injustice of what she saw driving her insane with hatred.

Luna seethed with unbound anger, her coat slowly shifting from dark blue to jet black. Her magic took a darker hue, exploding out in bursts of energy, crushing and breaking all it came in contact with. The very air became thick with the essence of anger and rage.

The ceiling collapsed on top of her, but she did not react in pain and merely stood where she was, as if the concrete was as light as a few feathers floating down on her.

Luna’s eyes were clenched shut, shaking as she felt her anger began to blind her senses.

"Sweetheart... know that daddy will always love you."

Her eyes snapped open, her iris’ shaking as they took in the darkness around her…. before shifting into an old set of eyes.

"AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!"

After recovering from his fall to the lower level of the department store, thanks to his magically enhanced armor, Kraber had gotten back to his feet to keep himself in the fight, but instead of searching for the pink menace, she had found him, and he’d been trading shotgun fire with Pinkie’s Party Cannon for what felt like an eternity. She couldn’t take much damage, but she could teleport fast enough that he couldn’t deal much, and Kraber was a tank of a man clad in body armor, carrying a revolver, a shotgun, and a light machinegun that he considered to be one of the finest works of German engineering. Plus, he had a gas mask specially designed specially designed to protect from potion, equipped with night vision and a Heads Up Display. It hurt his eyes most of the time, though.

“YOU GODDAMN PINK MENACE!” Kraber roared, firing his heavy UTS15 shotgun at Pinkie. Yes, direct hit! She screamed in pain as blood dripped from her… shoulder? Equestrian anatomy was weird. “I’ve only got one question for you monster, DID YOU PONIFY MY SON?!”

“Oh, you silly-filly!” Pinkie giggled. “I’ve saved so many humans from themselves that I’ve lost count!”

How did I know that she’d say that? Kraber wondered in some part of his brain, deep beneath his rage as he pumped the UTS15 again, firing… only to find that she’d teleported. Dammit! Not again.

“How about this, then?” Kraber asked, looking around, waiting for his HUD to reveal where Pinkie was coming from. Given what he’d heard of her, he was surprised that the readings were still… He abruptly terminated that line of thought. No use tempting fate. “There was a boy, whose father was stuck in a traffic jam. This boy was having a party, supposedly planned by you. I figured that little Peter and little Anka deserved the best.”

“This party,” Kraber spat, firing the UTS15, “Had a pinata full of ponification potion. So when I come back to Peter and Anka, holding the toys they’d asked for, I find the room empty, with sets of clothes  draped over the chairs, cakes and ice cream half-eaten as if they just vanished mid-meal. There’s a pony in a clown suit, the one that I hired, and he’s giggling madly. So I kick him and ask him very nicely about what happened-”

“Doesn’t sound familiar!” Pinkie laughed, almost singsong, as Kraber narrowly dodged a knife that was somehow mounted on Pinkie’s hoof, presumably to slice open his suit so there would be skin contact with potion. How? Where’d it come from? It was Pinkie. From what he had heard, it was better not to question where the knife came from or how she’d strapped it to her hoof so quickly.

“For fifteen hours, WITH KNIVES AND MY GRANDFATHER’S MEDICAL BAG!” Kraber finished.

“Oh… you! YOU!” Pinkie yelled. “I LIKED HIM, YOU MOTHERBUCKER!”

“Is that all you can say, YOU XENOCIDAL FOKKING PIECE OF SHIT?!” Kraber roared, twisting around and kicking her in the face, then firing. The UTS15 was almost out of ammo. Damn, he’d been trigger-happy with the brutal, blocky Turkish shotgun. Ah, no matter. He whipped out Margaret, his 13mm shotgun revolver, and was about to splatter her brains against the floor when-

CRASH

Kraber stared up at the ceiling,  his chest on fire as he groaned and threw off the display case that had been thrown into him. Struggling to get out of the counter he was lodged into, he looked to see Twilight appear next to Pinkie, giving her a look of concern before shooting him a nasty glare before teleporting away.

“FOK!” Kraber yelled, shooting a light fixture. “THIS! CLOSE! GOD! DAMMIT!” He pricked up as he heard the clop-clop of hooves. Excellent. Maybe this wouldn’t-

“Kraber!” Aegis yelled, running at him.

Oh thank God. It was Aegis.

“Shit! She’s gone!” Aegis yelled. “We just got a magical spike of energy here, and we thought you were in trouble!”

“Of course I’m in trouble, I DIDN’T KILL THE BITCH THAT KILLED MY CHILDREN!” Kraber screamed.

“You… how did you not-” Aegis started.

“Don’t,” Kraber growled. “Just don’t. Don’t push me, I have had more than enough of her today. I just found that yes, she did plan that fucking party, then Twilight comes in at the worst possible goddamn-”

Kraber’s earpiece crackled. “Stabsunteroffizier Kraber! We have Luna surrounded on the ground floor, near the place they sell mattresses! We are ready to take her in on your-”

“No,” Kraber said. “Not till I get there. There’s some very interesting questions that need answering. Like if she’s friendly, or why she would lead us to the Elements and take Twilight away with her. She has some answers and I need them right goddamn now.”

The two of them rushed through the abandoned department store, heading for the area. They passed through racks that had once held fine clothes, along cracked floors. Aegis had the speed of an Earth Pony, but Kraber had years of military training and magically augmented armor.

They weren’t sure when it became a race to find Luna, but by the time they were close to the location, they were practically sprinting the last few meters as if the Elements could ponify them any second. Wouldn’t be a surprise, though. They could be anyw-

The two of them heard a scream.

“That was Luna, I’m sure of it!” Aegis puffed, panting as he ran for the door. “But what would make her scream like that?!”

And suddenly, Kraber saw his subordinates, men, women, stallions, and mares alike, all stampeding or flying behind them, down hallways and stairs, and out of the stores, all with looks of abject terror on their faces.

“What the hell are you running from?” Kraber yelled. “You should be holding your positions!”

“We would, sir,” Tempest said, landing on the floor. “But Luna’s screams were… I’ve never heard anything like them, it was if they sucked all the heat from the-”

The ground shook, and masonry rained down from the ceiling.

“What was that?” Aegis asked.

“I think it’s an earthquake,” Kraber said. “Probably isn’t, because-”

The store shook again, more furiously than before. Shattered glass rained down from storefronts and windows, and huge cracks spread across the floor. Signs fell to the floor in pieces.

“Definitely an earthquake!” Aegis yelled, running outside.

Well, that was probably disobeying orders, but Kraber couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to stay in a building that was shaking itself to bits.

“Everyone, follow Aegis!” Kraber yelled. “This place is gonna break!”

It was not a perfectly disciplined retreat-in fact, if any military officer saw it, he would likely have dropped his forehead onto his desk. It was the pounding, screaming stampede of a crowd of scared humans and ponies, afraid for their life as the cracks in the floor widened and widened, with one soldier nearly falling into the holes they left. Some jumped or flew through windows, some went through doors, others ran through the huge holes in the walls, before stopping, panting more out of habit than exhaustion on the pavement of the city street.

“I didn’t know Twilight could do that!” cried Sundiver, one of the Pegasi assigned to Kraber.

"I am hardly surprised by what she can pull out of her flank these days," Petrikov said, as he looked at the building with dismay. "Another unicorn I used to know said that Twilight had these spells that put the entire  Royal Guard to shame.  Poor bastard didn't come back after a tussle with her."

“That’s not Twilight!” yelled Verdant Tract, a unicorn born and raised in Ponyville, “It’s more powerful than her by several orders of magnitude! It’s Luna!”

“Wait, what?!” Aegis yelled.

“What the hell’s happening to the sky?!” Spiegelmann yelled, pointing up. A dark, inky blot had appeared over the sun, growing larger by the second.

Luna screamed again, and the building simply forgot everything about how to stay together. Mortar simply ceased to mean anything, bricks and rubble flew out in all directions, and what little glass remained had practically exploded into powder.

“Take cover!” Kraber yelled, as his subordinates rushed for anything they could find that looked safe from the slowly exploding department store. Anything from other streets, to overturned cars, to nearby buildings, it was all fair game when avoiding the maelstrom of rubble that the department store had become.

Kraber peered out the window of the building he’d taken shelter in, staring through his MG2019’s reflex sight, gaping in horror. “Oh, Command is not gonna believe this one,” he breathed shakily.

“What? What is it?!” Aegis yelled.

“...I think it’s best that you see for yourself,” Kraber whispered, moving out of the window so Aegis could see for himself.

It was Luna out there, screaming as if she’d been stabbed, as she slowly crushed the department store- and at least two of the surrounding buildings- to powder. Or at least, it looked like Luna… Luna wasn’t quite so tall. Or black-furred, with a purple cutie mark. Or with luminescent eyes. Or wearing light-blue armor.

“...Kraber?” Aegis whispered to his friend, staring in horror at the blue sky above, as the night sky slowly consumed it, with unfamiliar stars twinkling in the black expanse. They could see a patch of daylight at the edge of the new night sky.

“Yeah?”

“I think we know why Twilight teleported out. Whatever happened between Twilight and Luna... appears to have turned her into Nightmare Moon."

“I’m guessing that’s a bad thing,” Kraber said.

“AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!” screamed Luna-no, Nightmare Moon, before she lifted her powerful wings and flew into the sky, no one had a clue where she was going off to.

“God dammit, my EARS!” Kraber yelled, both hands firmly clasped to the sides of his head. She’d been so loud that he felt as if someone had driven hammers into the sides of his head. “Everyone okay?”

The response that he received was decidedly not okay, judging by the puddle of urine at Aegis’ feet. None of the responses he heard in his earpiece could be called remotely okay-it was a mixed medley of groans, vomiting, screams of pain, or sobs.

Kraber had come off comparatively easy by being near-deafened. Nobody would be entirely sure how he remained calm, though some theorized that it had been partly out of shock. “Well… That just happened,” he said into his earpiece. “Now we have two deranged alicorns to deal with. Goddammit, today is just not our day.”

“We’re going to have to follow them, aren’t we…” Sundiver groaned.

“Almost certainly!” Kraber yelled. “I might be scared of those two, but damned if I am not scared of what happens if we do nothing! Now where the hell did she go?!"

The dark alicorn slammed into the ground, her face full with seething rage as she glared at the source of all this madness.

"Hello Nightmare Moon." Discord greeted with a jovial tone.

"Discord."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Shut up, sit down, make any jokes and I’ll make the next thousand years in stone look like paradise. This whorse is mine. I’ll kill her alone!"

"Really now I should-" Discord started, only to fall silent when Luna turned her sights on him. "Right then, go ahead and blast away."

Luna turned back to the Tyrant, her eyes fully focused on her enemy, there was no one else. Just her.

The cause of everyone's misery.

The cause of all the senseless death.

The cause of breaking the Element’s spirit in the most unimaginably horrific way possible.

"When I am through beating you into the ground, making you all but beg for death, I will allow the humans to claim their prize."

The Tyrant found this amusing if her smile was indication. "And that is?"

"Severing your HEAD from your BODY!  Luna roared at her as she flared open her wings and shot straight at the enemy of all that lived.

The Tyrant opened her wings and took flight, a smile on her face as she pulled up a shield. "You are more than welcome to try, Little Moon."

Trust

Trust

Authors:

Redskin122004

Proudtobe

Doctor Fluffy

Editors:

Beyond the Horizon

Drawdex

Inquisitor-Awesome

Kizuna Tallis

Rush

ThatClosetBrony

Trust your hunches. They're usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.

-Joyce Brothers

Sometimes you just have to take a chance in life. Do you want to sit there forever, looking at what could be, OR DO YOU WANT TO CREATE DESTINY FOR YOURSELF?!

-Arin Hanson, Game Grumps

Boston, MA; Fenway Park

"Report! What the fuck's going on in Boston?! None of the satellites can penetrate that cloud of magic, and the instruments are going nuts!"

"Would 'all hell has broken loose' work?" Stephan asked.

"God damn it, Major! Get your fucking head on straight and give me a God damn answer!"

"Well, you tell me how two insane alicorns beating each other to a bloody pulp with a draconequus running around with no information on his location does NOT qualify as 'all hell has broken loose?!'"

Stephan stroked the base of his nose with two fingers, sorting out the data in his head. “Look, I can’t tell you more than you already have. We both know about the same amount and it all comes out to jack shit, and what I have here is that some shitstorm just broke loose, and if the last reports are true, and Nightmare Moon just appeared…”

“Wait, Nightmare Moon!? Who the fucking hell is Nightmare Moon?!” From how Stephan was hearing the man speak he might as well have be having close to a mental breakdown from the amount of screaming and shouting over the radio from other sources.

“An ancient enemy of the ponies, sir. Turns out it was Luna all along; guess the Tyrant forgot to mention that with the information trade when she first greeted us. Apparently the unicorns can feel her presence. Some even went totally crazy and talking about the end of the world the moment she appeared. Hell, some of my best pony soldiers pissed themselves at the sight of her. These are the same ponies that stood their ground against a horde of New Foals and slaughtered them like it was a day in the park.” Stephan shook his head. “If that is true, then we have more problems than just the Tyrant.”

The radio became silent. For once. At another time, Stephan might have cherished that, as it usually meant that Command had given him enough leeway to do it himself, or that nothing was going wrong. However, this wasn’t the kind of time where you could so easily ascribe “usually” to the situation. “... Alright, Major Bauer. Do you have any plans to proceed?”

“I want every available unit outside the dark cloud of magic to take position around it. Everyone else find cover and stick to a defensive position. Codename, Night Dome. Make sure they got enough firepower to keep Nightmare inside the perimeter. Shoot to kill for Celestia.”

“Why not both?”

Stephan sighed heavily, “Something big is going on, and I want Luna, or Nightmare Moon, whatever we call her now, and her friend Discord alive for some answers, because from what I’ve seen, they’re not here to harm us. However, if neither of them are going to cooperate-”

“Understood. We’ll take care of it. Anything else?”

“Huh, I didn’t know it would be that easy... anyway, I need to go back. There are still some of my men inside and I won’t let them take on this fight alone.” Stephan could feel Trixie’s glare digging against the back of his skull. He gave another sigh, bracing himself for Trixie’s yelling time.

“I guess ordering you to stand down will amount to jack shit, right?”

Stephan smiled sadly. “You can still try.”

“Okay, do what you have to do. HQ out.”

Stephan took a deep breath, coughing and straightening his back before turning around to see Trixie’s lovable face, the face of fury and anger. “HAVE YOU GONE TOTALLY MAD NOW!? THAT’S NIGHTMARE MOON AND CELESTIA FIGHTING OUT THERE, AND YOU WANT TO GO BACK!?”

“Trixie, look…”

“NO, YOU ‘LOOK’ MISTER! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO GO BACK AND GET YOURSELF KILLED! THOSE ARE PROBABLY THE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND IF YOU GET BETWEEN THEM THEN … then…” Trixie’s head sunk to the ground and Stephan could see tears dripping from her eyes. “... I don’t want to lose you…”

Stephan carefully walked over to her and kneeled down to take her in a warm hug. Slowly but surely, Trixie returned the hug, wrapping her forelegs around him. “I know. I don’t want to lose you either,” he whispered in her ear.

“But… why?” she whimpered back.

“You know why.”

Trixie nodded into his shoulder. “Yes… I know…”

Stephan gave her a kiss on the lips. “Don’t worry. When haven’t I come back?”

“You’ve also never gone out into a battle between two alicorns,” Trixie pointed out, forcing Stephan to laugh nervously.

“I know,” Stephan said, running his fingers through her mane. “I’ll be honest. I’m scared, but I heard Kraber say something over the radio.”

“Him?” Trixie groaned. “You’re seriously listening to him?”

“I know,” Stephan said. “And if I had my way, he’d be in med school or something, anywhere but the front lines. But he said that while he was scared out of his mind, he was more scared of not doing anything.”

“He finally said something worthwhile, did he?” Trixie asked. The two of them were not necessarily on good terms with Kraber, considering him to be a dangerously unstable man with an unreasonably destructive weapon.

“Yeah,” Stephan said, standing up and checking his rifle’s magazine. “I guess he did. Goodbye, Trixie, we’ll be seeing each other after the battle.” He said as he walked out of the communication tent, melting into the hurried crowd of soldiers.

“Good luck, Stephan,” Trixie whispered. “You’re going to need it more than anything.”

Everyone had left. Stephan had roared into his earpiece and at any soldier in the vicinity, ordering them to get away from the alicorns before  they were hit by errant spells or crushed by the rubble.

Almost predictably, one of them hadn’t listened, practically drowning Stephan out with a constant stream of insane babble.

Or at least, no more insane than usual.

Kraber’s team had followed Luna, or Nightmare Moon, whatever, Kraber couldn’t give two shits about her name. They attempted to follow, only to quickly lose track of her, forcing his team to sneak along the sides of buildings, down narrow alleyways, practically trying to blend in the shadows well enough so that neither the alicorns nor the Elements could see them. They got their targets in sight when said targets slammed in the building beside them, forcing them to take cover across the street.

Kraber had found cover behind an overturned car, and was firing madly at the two alicorns, his finger twitching on and off the MG2019’s trigger like he was having a seizure and firing off irregular bursts that could have been anywhere from two to twelve rounds. It actually wouldn’t have been that much of a stretch to assume he was having one; he was shaking like a leaf, muttering questionably coherent things under his breath.

“I’ll get you, I swear,” Kraber whispered in one of his more lucid moments, his eyes darting from side to side, straining to find the pink blur that had ruined his life. “I’ll make... you... fokking pay.” Beside him, Aegis, his companion, looked up at him uneasily in between firing off the 25mm grenade launcher.

Kraber didn’t much care which alicorn he hit. The blue one had seemed friendly enough when he’d passed her by that department store, but they were alicorns. The most powerful of all ponies. They probably deserved it anyway. Deep down, there was a voice. Possibly his daughter, Anka’s, voice. Or his son Peter. The voices could be hard to hear sometimes; telling him what he was doing was wrong, that he shouldn’t think like that. But he ignored it.

He had a vendetta to attend to.

Somewhere else on the street, there were men, women, colts, and mares laying down a ridiculous amount of fire onto the two alicorns in the middle of the street, or scouting for the Elements. It was only ponies that were looking for the Elements of course, immune to the potion going against the most savage converters out there was something they would take any day, and they’d be able to get away in time to warn everyone if they were to be attacked.

“I found Pinkie,” Tempest’s voice crackled in his ear. “She’s with at least two other Elements, so-”

“Where’s the pink mank genaiide bergbok?” Kraber asked.

“A couple blocks south,” Tempest said, struggling not to question what Kraber just said. His various South African phrases usually tended to be rather… vile. “I don’t think she can see me, but you can never be sure with her.”

“Thanks.” Kraber said, smiling, and rolling away from the wrecked car, pushing his back to one building. Just for good luck, he took another couple of shots at the two alicorns. “I got some skop, skiet, and donner to do.”

“You’ll get ponified!” Tempest yelled. “Three Elements at once?! That’s madness!”

“Well, you all know that I’m befok, so it doesn’t seem like much of an upset.” Kraber said, shaking his head.

“Kraber!” Stephan yelled over his earpiece. “The hell are you doing?!”

“With all due respect, sir,” Kraber replied, an unhealthy smile on his face, “finishing this fight.”

“And what the hell will you accomplish?" Stephan yelled, inserting himself into the frequency.

“Maybe kill a few of them,” Kraber said. “Ain’t that enough?”

“No! That’s suicide!” Stephan butted in. “I’m not letting you get yourself and all your men turned into one of those goddamned zombies, or have any of the ponies sent to re-education camps!”

“At least I can try to kill them!” Kraber yelled. “At least-”

Aegis hoofed into the conversation, literally with the hoof connecting into his friend’s leg. Heavy enough that it’d make him fall to one knee, but light enough that there wouldn’t be any serious damage.

“Y-you-”

“Viktor,” Aegis whispered, “you are not a child or politician having a tantrum, you are an officer of the Bundeswehr. That has to mean something to you, your son and daughter would be proud of you and this is how you repay them? I am not letting you kill yourself for this revenge trip. Now we will get the hell out of here to somewhere safer, and bring everyone else out, right now. You’ll get to avenge Peter and Anka later, but for now, the best you can do is survive, and by Luna herself, I am not going to a re-education camp. Verdant and I nearly went through that once, and I don’t feel like pressing my luck.”

Kraber stared down at him, the madness in his bloodshot eyes so thick that they seemed to exert actual pressure on Aegis. Then looked back to the direction that Tempest had pointed him in, where he’d find the bitch that doomed his children.

“It’s the oldest trick in the book, and I didn’t know them, though I wish I did,” Aegis continued, “but this is idiotic suicide.”

Kraber looked down at Aegis again, and for a moment, he looked far older than he had any right to be.

“You’re… you’re right.” Kraber said, trying to blink away the mist from his sight. “Dammit, you’re right. Both of you. Peter would want me to go out like a badass, but this…” the English words, a hallmark of his wife, were awkward in Kraber’s native German. “Would just be going out like regular ass.”

“That sounds… kind of silly,” Aegis said, relieved.

“Silly or not, it’s what Peter would have told me,” Kraber said. “Now... if I don’t survive this kak, I have an embarrassing last order for both of us.”

“And that is?” Almost to make his point, there was a scream, and the car Kraber had been hiding behind vanished from existence in a single attack. Both human and pony turn to see the pair of Alicorns spread their wings and take flight, spells raining down around them, deflecting off of each other, and destroying any buildings in the vicinity.

There was a moment of silence.

“Well... fok. Retreat! Everyone!” Kraber yelled, sprinting away from the car's former position and heading for a car parked nearby.

“And now you have to show common sense?!” Aegis yelled following close behind.

“Whose car is this?!” One pony of the team yelled as they closed in, confused as to what they planned to do.

“Does it matter?” Kraber asked as he elbowed out the left diver window, when he took a look inside he deadpanned and grumble his way to the actual driver side window. Once there he took out the window in the same fashion as before, if not more forcibly. Once inside, and in the seat, he pulled a screwdriver out of a small tool kit, and opened up the steering panel. “fokking American diversity, why do I always find the Englis-”

“How do you know how to do this anyway?” another one of his soldiers asked, this time a woman of the group.

“Let’s say that I was involved in some… extracurricular activities back in med school,” Kraber said, twisting the screwdriver into a familiar part of the inside circuitry, and united two cables.

The engine roared to life.

“Yes! Everyone in!”

"But there’s ten of us!"

"It’s a fokking right wheeled Audi Q8, it can hold seven people, four of us are ponies! If you think it’s too fokking hard to be in one seat just carry each other dammit!”

Elsewhere, powerful wings surfed the air with flaps so powerful they could split a building in two. A mighty horn burned at a temperature found in melting solid rock, spouting lethal magic of such power that it could take days for the common unicorn to achieve even once, but so fast that it could be compared to a machinegun. The alicorn’s distraught eyes were in so much turmoil that it was impossible to find a single clear emotion. Grief? Insanity? Rage? Betrayal?

The answer was significantly more complicated than that, for Luna was so shaken by Twilight’s memories that she didn’t know which one she was feeling. Among the great poets of Equestria, there was probably a word for the particular kind of emotion that she was feeling, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember.

But if anypony was to know, she was angry. All she could see within her mind were hordes of innocent people of all races, all screaming at the top of their lungs.

Humans, screaming in agony and horror at the hideous changes that had been forced on them.

Ponies, begging for death and freedom with their minds violated in the most disgusting of ways.

Griffins, the best hunters, became the hunted. Hatchlings just born under their mothers’ feathers never saw what it was like to fly.

Minotaurs, expressions of the utmost pain gracing their faces before they disintegrated into ashes.

Dragons’ blood seeping through their scales as they breathed their last. With several unfortunate souls literally burning from the inside as they lost control of their Flame.

Buffaloes slaughtered for defiance of the Queen or used as slaves, while their protector city, Appleloosa, grew into a desert megalopolis.

Reindeers, majestic and most close to nature didn't remaining hidden in their immense forest cities. Hundreds of miles of wood burned to a crisp, taking them all, burning them all alive.

Every race of Equestria save for certain ponies, once proud, now in flames or ashes on the wind.

And in every single memory, she stood there, smiling and congratulating everypony for their efforts, all in the name of the violation, the rape of innocence and the rights of all sentient beings that she dared call harmony.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Luna roared, practically howling as she unleashed a barrage of blazing spells from her horn, her wings beating to keep her right behind the smiling Tyrant.

"Yes!" The Tyrant cried out with a wicked laugh, her shield fending off the attack before releasing her own. "Show them folly of their war against us dear sister! Show them what goddesses we are compare to them!"

Luna said nothing, only bawling rage as the Tyrant fled, whom attempted to put distance between them. The two alicorns raced between the broken buildings, ignoring the small-arms fire trying to get a lucky shot of them. But Luna cared for one thing and one thing only.

That this perverted harmony were to end here and now.

"DIE!" Luna screamed as she barreled into the Tyrant who had paused in an attempt to take a short turn, shattering her shield and plowing her through several buildings before finally being slammed into the ground. Her back gouging through the street until coming to a stop on an entrenched position; sandbags with human and ponies in the cover.

Both alicorns stood at once in synchrony, their horns crossing as they pushed against one another. The combined fire from allied humans and ponies reached their position, but the reappearing magical field around the duo was impossible to penetrate. The unstable magic coating the rounds defusing or exploding, leaving the bullets to the unrelenting magical force around the two, disintegrating them before they even touched the pair.

"Look how they fear us, Luna." The Tyrant whispered, her smile becoming more deranged as they fought.

Luna shoved her away, before punching her across the face with her forehoof, driving her into the ground. Luna reared up and slammed her hooves into her body, the ground cracking beneath the Tyrant’s body as Luna began to stomp on her repeatedly. Luna reared up again to crush her skull, only to be knocked off her hooves as Celestia threw a nearby delivery truck at her side.

The Tyrant laughed as she got up, her smile never leaving her face. "For them to finally see how ignorant and foolhardy they are to face us! We are gods, and they are mere insects. "

"Kill her!" One human yelled, before he and his compatriots fired on the Tyrant, who only gave them a look of disgust. Horn shining on a special fashion the second time this day.

"Ashes of Solaris."

Luna managed to pull herself free from the triangle between the building and the vehicle, just in time to see the entrenched sandbags be bathed in golden light.

"No!" Luna cried, watching the shocked and horrified looks on the defenders faces as they were transmuted into ash.

"Mere mortals they are. Their lives are snuffed and banished." The Tyrant coughed out a loud laugh before beating her wings once, breaking the ash statues apart. "Wouldn't you agree, dear sister?”

Just when I think that I can’t be any more disgusted, Luna thought, somewhere in a part of her mind that was not quite lost to the swirling madness of unending rage and bottomless despair. It only lasted a split second before Luna’s mindless rage washed it away beneath the churning emotion, the voice receding into the depths of her psyche as the titanic magical aura surrounding Luna simply disintegrated everything within a five-foot radius of her. Orbs of pure magic began to condense and circle around Luna, her eyes freely shedding tears as the unspeakable horrors  that she had witnessed played across her mind.

"Constellation Requiem!"

The area around the Tyrant's hooves suddenly erupted into darkness, her eyes widening in surprise before the darkness engulfed her like a giant mouth; forming into an orb. The orb rocketed into the air at breakneck speeds, before finally coming to a full stop nearly a mile up. The orbs surrounding Luna glowed brightly once before they shot up as if from a cannon, one after another. Each small orb slammed directly into the massive orb, causing the dark sphere to slowly twinkle like if it was the night sky.

Small pinpricks of light that were almost like stars formed on the orb, and if one were to connect them, they would form various beast of old in constellations. But once complete, the spell plummeted like a meteor, exploding once it made contact with ground. It left a truly massive crater in the pavement, mere meters away from Luna.

And there Luna stood, eyes focused on the billowing smoke and ash from the crater formed. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a figure sluggishly making its way towards her. She sneered as she saw the Tyrant limp slightly out, blood trickling from various cuts that were healing at a rapid pace.

And, almost insultingly, the insane smile was still on her face.

“Ugh, WILL YOU JUST DIE ALREADY?!” Luna yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

But then Tyrant spoke in a whisper, again. Luna could never hear the words she muttered, but she seemed to do that way too often for her liking. But if Luna had heard the Tyrant at this moment, she would’ve been on guard with her planning.

"Just a little more... and all my problems will be dealt with soon enough."

Fenway Park had been a stadium in the months when the barrier was distant enough for Americans to worry slightly less than everyone else, but it had been jury-rigged into a fortress, now surrounded by barbed wire. Humans and ponies alike stood guard outside, stationed behind either sandbags or in trenches outside the stadium, guarding heavy machine guns and scavenged autocannons. Some unicorns of high magical power were generating force fields to protect from any airships. Snipers and machine gunners kept watch over within the windows of the stadium.

Dozens of Anti-Air flak cannons and SAM Site missile launchers were on top of the stadium to counter pegasi, which also could also be used to tear ground forces like Earth Ponies to pieces, and if that wasn’t enough, there were mortars and other artillery weaponry on top of the stadium to make it even more difficult for the enemy to even try to come near in any direction or height. The humans even had many of their own pegasi to counter other hostile pegasi. Some hidden weapons and traps that could not be seen.

The interior of the stadium itself, however, was a disorganized filthy mess. The place bustled with activity, with thousands of tents of various sizes spread out across the field to leave room for vehicles to drive in and out of the building. Stacks of wooden crates of ammo were randomly scattered around the area. Vehicles with particular insignias were the only way to transport human and pony troops in and out of the building. For the wounded, there were makeshift beds and tents set up, and it was rare to find one that wasn’t occupied by a wounded human or pony soldier. Doctors and Nurses of both species tended to these lucky ones.

In a large dirty J-series Drash Military tent at the center of the stadium was Alicia, who stood next to a pile of ammo crates. The tent appeared to be an armory, due to the vast amount of guns from more sources than people cared to think about, haphazardly organized by caliber on rows of steel shelves. Nearby, human mechanics were fixing damaged vehicles with welding tools, replacing tires and other damaged parts with new ones.

“Bring it back when you’re done!” Alicia shouted over the noise of vehicles and personnel running around. She wondered if Stephan heard her. There was so much noise in the stadium that it was practically impossible to hear anything coherent.

Stephan, who had just borrowed Alicia’s prized DSR.50, slung the weapon over his shoulder together with the three Panzerfaust he got from Mueller. He was leaving the main tent, which had been turned into a forward operating base in haste of the situation. He knew that he needed all the firepower he could get before facing the Tyrant again. All he needed was to get a ride back into the battle, without being noticed by the Tyrant, and he knew only one vehicle that could do that.

“Soldier!” Stephan addressed one of the ponies who was busy rearming his weapon saddle with the absurdly long belts common to pegasus and earth pony soldiers. Due to their lack of hands, most ponies were armed with belt-fed weapon saddles to minimize the problem of reloading. There were a few earth ponies and pegasi in the ranks who could reload on their own, through either some trick of flexibility or an abnormal amount of whatever force it was that could make objects stick to their hooves, but it was a rare skill.

“Y-yes, Major?” The pony turned to him, saluting.

“Did you see the Doctor? I require his assistance.”

The pony looked to the left and right, struggling to remember where he’d heard of the only doctor in the based referred to as simply ‘Doctor.’ “I heard he returned just a few moments ago, sir. He should be over there.” The pony pointed with a hoof in the direction of the Doctor and the Tardis.

Stephan nodded and gave the pony a salute. “Thank you. You may go back to you post.”

The pony saluted back before he turned his attention back to his saddle. Stephan walked in the direction the pony showed him, hoping to catch the Doctor before he left. On his way, he could see the entire place crawled with ponies and humans offering help to each other, checking their weapons, transporting ammo and medical supplies from one place to another or just comforting each other with kind words, nuzzles, and pats on the shoulder. Stephan could only guess how many men he lost today, but he was sure that it had been too many.

In his walk through the array of different tents he found what he was looking for. The Tardis sat out in the opem, hard to miss an old New York City phone booth with graffiti painted on its side and metal sheets in place of the glass. The Doctor and Sparkler stood together in front of the opening. The two of them had never gotten along very well, and both of them had long since realized they would never be friends.

But even through their disagreements, both of them had to admit that they were excellent at their respective jobs.

Stephan walked straight over to the Doctor, who seemed to have just recovered from something heartbreaking. “Doctor.”

The Doctor lifted his head in Stephan’s direction, feeling somewhat uneasy as he saw the human walking towards him. “What can I do for you, Major?” he almost snorted in Stephan’s direction.

“I need your Tardis to bring me back into the fight.” Stephan said in a commanding voice.

“What?”

“You heard me. I need transportation, and your Tardis is the only thing that can travel fast enough in and out. Now, will you get me back to the Tyrant so I can slice her open like a swine, or do I tie you up and try driving this boat myself?”

The Doctor stared at Stephan for a while before he shook his head. “Huh, and see me here still believing no one had gone crazy by now…” he whispered in a harsh tone.

“Everything’s crazy now.” Stephan didn’t let up his commanding tone.

"You and Brigadier Stewart would just get along splendidly." The Doctor muttered under his breath, sighed heavily before he turned to the Tardis, walking inside. Sparkler followed him close by, giving Stephan a almost threatening glare. Which he easily ignored.

Stephan followed both inside but stopped as the radio of the Tardis returned from the dead.

"Doctor, I need pick-up. I'm hurt pretty badly, but my runes are taking care of it. I would hurry, but I have the feeling I won’t be alone for long. Damn if Spitfire and Vinyl don't give me a moments rest after all this is done."

"Cheerilee, I'm on my way. Just hold tight, it might take some time since I have a rather disgruntled human with me," the Doctor answered, ignoring the scowl Stephan sent him.

"Doctor, Stephan, play nice. Don't make me put you two in the corner again."

Stephan rolled his eyes at that, not at all impress how she instantly knew it was him. He and the Doctor's little tiff with one another was well know throughout the PHL. ‘Yeah, like that would happen in the first place.’ Although he did remember getting a 'priority' task later on, only to find out it was a babysitting job.  It reeked of foul play, especially since Cheerilee was with him and had a smug grin on the entire two weeks he was there.

Trixie enjoyed herself though.

“Doctor, was Stephan rolling his eyes?”

Stephan blinked a few times in confusion and the Doctor almost chuckled. “Okay, first, it’s still Major Bauer and second, how the hell?”

“I worked with enough fillies and colts to have my eyes everywhere, ‘Major’,” Cheerilee said with a matter of fact tone.

Stephan sighed and stepped into the Tardis. “Whatever. I’ll come over to you. Can you tell me more about the situation at hand?”

“Didn’t change much. Luna and the Tyrant are fighting each other over the city. I see explosions and buildings falling into themselves. It won’t take long before there’s no city left to save.”

“What about Luna? Or Nightmare, or whatever the fuck she calls herself right now. Is she acting hostile against our troops?” Stephan asked as the Doctor and Sparkler began with the start sequence of the Tardis.

There was another pause, Stephan wouldn’t take much more of those, but Cheerilee answered right after with an unsure tone. “It looks like the Tyrant provokes attacks from Luna, and some even hit nearby troops. They barely got into cover, some didn't stand a chance even if they were in cover. All I am hearing down here is that Luna is working with her, some sort of insane plan she formed to show us that we are in over our heads.”

Stephan allowed all the information sink in. How he met them the first time, what happened afterwards, Discord teleporting Mueller and Peter with an Leopard tank into the battlezone; saving his friends and many of his men. Now they were still fighting in the city. Luna turned for whatever reason into Nightmare Moon and reducing what remained of it into nothing. Did Discord and Luna really want to help? Or was that just all a trick to make him trust them, leading them deeper in the resistance only to destroy the humans from the inside out? If he only had the time to figure it out. But time was limited and he had to make his move now.

“Alright, Cheerilee. Take cover and try to not be killed. I’ll do my best to be there as fast as possible.”

Another pause. “Major… Stephan. What chances do you think you have against them?  It’s a battle of the gods with those two.”

“I know, but I won’t just stand back and watch some gods and goddesses fighting over my home. The only world I know. I... no, we humans should have the opportunity to fight for our own future. Our own fate. Don’t you think?”

"Yeah, I do believe in that."

"Right then!" Doctor exclaimed,  as he ran about the control panel, his daughter smiling as he hit various buttons. "Got your position, Cheerilee, be there in a moment. Allons-y!"

Stephan rolled his eyes. “Dammit Doc, can’t you shout something else for just once?!”

"Slow down!" Aegis yelled.

"Pot holes! Watch for the holes!"

“I’m on the highway to hell~” Kraber hummed under his breath as he took a corner at nearly sixty miles an hour, causing everyone to scream in horror as the car nearly tipped over.

“Oh God why?!” Another soldier yelled in the back, clutching his weapon to his chest as if was a teddy bear.

“Oh man, am I so glad I’m not in there.” Tempest’s voice crackled over their earpieces. “Is it as bad as it sounds from up here?”

“No, it’s friggin worse!” Aegis yelled. “I have no idea how Kraber still has a license!”

“...I have a license?” Kraber asked in between lyrics.

“Well, fuck me!” Aegis groaned.

“Ha, hey hold on a moment. Holy smokes it’s-” Tempest gasped.

“Cheerilee!” Kraber yelled, honking the horn to gain her attention and gunned the engine. Nobody could really see the speedometer in the cramped conditions of the stolen car, but they were all certain that whatever speed they were going was illegal-or damn near impossible-on the city streets. The dark pink mare stared at the speeding car with surprise, before recognizing the driver.

“Oh no,” she muttered. “Oh n-”

And then, all of a sudden, the Tardis was in front of her. The doors flung open, revealing Stephan, a massive rifle and a Panzerfaust slung over his back.

“Cheerilee, taxi’s here! Just jump in and-” Whatever Stephan was going to say, she’d never know, because his jaw had, seemingly apropos of nothing, dropped like a lead zeppelin.

Tires screeched against the pavement and Cheerilee could hear screaming and cursing, human and pony alike.

“Who the hell is driving that?!” Stephan yelled, watching the Audi swerving to one side of the street, brakes and tires squealing in protest.

“Who do you think?!” Cheerilee yelled, diving into the Tardis.

Finally, after a couple seconds that felt like hours, the Audi screeched to a halt in front of the Tardis. It had been packed with so many ponies and people that it looked like a clown car, with Aegis sandwiched between two other ponies that were sitting on the laps of the soldiers in the backseat, a pony on the lap of the soldier in the driver seat, and Kraber in the driver seat.

“Motherfokker!” Kraber breathed, opening the door. “Out of all the cars in the city, I pick the one that needed a tune-up on its brakes?!”

“Why the hell are you here?” Stephan asked.

“Well, you could say I have a remarkable gift for appearing where I’m needed,” Kraber said. “Or-”

“He was retreating to find a better place to shoot the Tyrant!” Aegis interrupted, his voice muffled by the ponies he was squeezed between.

Stephan rose a brow at that, returning his gaze back at Kraber. “Really? Well, I could help you with that.” Stephan took the DSR.50 from his shoulder and held it in front of Kraber. “Take this and follow me. And keep it safe. Alicia will kill me if you break it. And then you. But much slower.”

“Lekker,” Kraber said, looking over the huge sniper rifle with what looked almost like reverence. “I’ll be careful though. I wish I had an NTW-20 instead, but hey, it’s still a big-ass deicidal gun.”

“NTW-20?” Stephan asked, the name ringing in his head.

“It’s this 20mm rifle that cousin Helen over in South Africa just can’t shut up about,” Kraber explained. “I think maybe I can pull some strings and get one. Everyone! Into the Tardis… we’ve got a date with destiny!”

“Oh thank you Luna, breathing room!” Aegis yelled, trotting out of the Audi and into the Tardis, after Verdant Tract, the other pony that had been standing next to him. The irony of him heading into the Tardis was not lost on him.

Celestia had to admit, for a plan made on the wings of chance, it has been going surprisingly well. She couldn't help but smile as she thought back on what to do to ensure this plan came to full fruition.

When she first arrived, she had planned on causing confusion through her arrival, foalnap the Commander, and change him. With the Elements holding him down while she happily forced a potion down his throat in front of his people and the rest of the defenders. Sadly that was not to be, as he did not arrive with Luna and Discord. Still, she could make this work to her advantage, play the part of a uppity leader that has gone over her head and make herself seem completely incompetent, and it worked like a charm... at least until she ran into the current leader of the PHL, Cheerilee.

She flared her wings out, attempting to stall herself before diving between the buildings, Luna right behind her if the spell’s fire destroying the walls beside her was anything to go by. Celestia landed before another defended area, the humans and her lost ponies attacking her, she couldn't help but gleefully shout out inane words to surrounding soldiers, making Luna all but appear to be part of some insane plan she concocted.

Cheerilee, the mare with the runic writings etched into her body, had changed the plans very drastically. Marcus had the same runes on him, so it could be quite harder to accomplish said task in changing. What Discord failed to do, she managed in less than a quarter of the time. It irritated her that her body felt like it was falling apart, and the enraged Luna blasting away at her wasn't helping at all, but all that didn't matter.

All that mattered was that she painted Luna and Discord in a very different light. One that would make the humans destroy the very means of getting allies for their foolish cause.

Luna flew after the Tyrant as she took to the starry night sky, her eyes fully focused on her as the Tyrant's horn glowed with unbridled power.

"Come, Little Moon, show the humans all of your might! Show them all that you can destroy them on a whim- *BOOM*!" Luna blinked in confusion as scores of missiles slammed into the Tyrant's shields, cutting off her ranting, before the explosive force made her tumble away. She righted herself just in time to see twin aircrafts, Jets, just as Marcus once described, blow past her at speeds rivaling her own top flight speed.

“YOU DON’T DESERVE TO CALL ME THAT!” Luna yelled, turning back to see the smoke covering the Tyrant's form, banished with a single beat of her wings. There was fury etched on her face as she unleashed several spells on the flying machines.

Only to see them completely wasted. The runes flared to life, absorbing the hostile magic with ease as they came around for another pass. Luna barely moved away from the Tyrant before they spat out another pair of missiles, along with hundreds of rounds of munitions along with them. Luna watched as the Tyrant shielded herself, her golden dome cracking as the missiles slammed into them, and further shattering from the torrent of rounds, before the jets passed once more, nearly causing her to lose her place in the sky.

She finally righted herself, looking up to see the Tyrant smiling as her horn glowed. Luna blinked as she recognized the spell work.

A Levitation spell?

Luna blinked as the jets came for a third pass, only for the Tyrant to raise her head slightly, and the entire street below was thrown into their rout. Carriages of all sorts flew into the air.  Luna balked as the jets attempted to dodge the airborne blockade, only to fail as they plowed through several of them.The runes flared brightly, protecting the pilots within from certain death as they flew past the Tyrant. But she was far from done as two of the heavier carriages slammed into the bottom of the jets, sending the two out of control.

They tumbled before the pilots ejected from the doomed planes, the jets slamming through the buildings, but surprisingly staying in one piece. Luna turned back to continue her fight, only to see the Tyrant's horn glow once more and rip the pilots from their harness of their parachutes. She turned and gave Luna a small smile as she held out the struggling humans before she looked to the ground and slammed them into the pavement. They made unpleasant, identical thuds, like melons dropping to the ground.

And it sickened her.

“You… evil… soulless… bitch,” Luna breathed. “It isn’t enough that thou have to ponify the humans, thou have to go out of your way to make them suffer?!”

“What did you say?" The Tyrant couldn’t help but stare at Luna with utter confusion, running her words through her mind before finally glaring at nothing in particular before finally hissing out her answer. "Commander…”

"Tis a foul speech, but one that conveys exactly what I want to be known of you." Luna growled before smiling. "I will enjoy destroying you, you slimy piece of useless shit."

"I believe I had enough of you, Discord, and this infernal city once and for all!" the Tyrant roared as she sent a blast of magic at Luna, causing her to bring up a weak shield to give her time to dodge it. "This entire city will fall and will have you become my messenger to your own sister. One made from your very own corpse!"

Luna prepared herself, only to hear a disturbingly familiar whine of gears reaching her ears.

“NOW DIE YOU VERMIN!” Celestia’s horn began to shine with all the destructive energy she could muster, a diabolical smile plastered on her face.

A sudden weight on her back snapped her out of her concentration. She turned her head only to stare in horror at what had just appeared.

On her back sat a very familiar shape. Humanoid, clad in full body armor. Celestia could almost feel the smirk the human gave her in return, his legs in a tight lock around her frame. Over them was the Tardis with the Doctor in the doorframe.

“Missed me?” Stephan pulled out his machete and let it transform into the claymore Celestia was now very familiar with. Before she could react, Stephan swung his weapon.

It took a while before she could feel the pain after Stephan cut off the first of her wings. It took only a split second to feel the second wing surrender to his blade’s empowered sharpness. There wasn’t much blood since the blade cauterized the wounds with the electrical heat of the magic within the weapon. Celestia had loved her wings, which had given her such a majestic aura when she spread them to their full length, showing everypony that there was no doubt about her right to rule over all of Equestria. Poems and paintings by the great masters of Equestria had been written about them, but now they were no more than dead flesh and feathers, drooping towards the ground.

She screeched in pain.

Both descended towards the ground. But never alone as Luna followed the two twisting bodies as they in the air, concerned to even try and help for fear of basting the wrong one. Luna could see the perfect opportunity, Stephan was in a perfect position to finish her off, cutting her head from her neck or shoving his blade in her heart.

But instead of finishing her, Stephan groped her horn with one hand while slinging his other arm around her long neck with an almost devil like grin over his face. They dropped faster meter for meter until they reached the point where they fell with a constant speed.

Luna watched the two of them falling, now at terminal velocity as they tumbled madly through the air. She wished she could save Stephan from the impact, but the two of them were so close together, moving so fast, that any spell she used to get a hold of Stephan had a chance to hit Celestia as well… if Celestia didn’t deflect it, though.

“LET GO OF ME!” Celestia struggled to say through the blinding pain, but Stephan would never listen to her, using her body to control the flight, keeping himself on top of her and preventing her from teleporting away by punching her in an eye, constantly disrupting her concentration. She twisted and turned to shake him off, or at least keep him from punching, but to no avail. The human kept her from getting out of his grip, rotating her towards the ground while remaining atop her back. He remembered the old lessons on how to control his fall, ever since he was in the para assault detachment. The thing is, this time he was going to do it without a parachute.

This was going to hurt like hell.

Celestia could see the street getting closer as more details of it popped into view. There was no time left and he wouldn’t get off until both hit the ground. All she could hope for now was that the human would die from this instead of her.

To say the impact was hard was an understatement. The earth shattered, the pavement literally exploded, and dust filled the air around the point of impact. Something flew out of the dust cover and landed in the street. It bounced on it several times until it came to an halt, a good fifty meters away. Only the glowing runes revealed that it was Stephan, who had been thrown away by the sheer kinetic force of the impact.

Stephan clenched his hands to fists and pushed himself off the ground. A fall from that height was something else compared to a jump from the second floor on a car. He still felt the collision with the street, even with the protective power of the runes.

“Fuck… me,” Stephan coughed, “that hurt.” He looked over to the crater he created with Celestia’s body. He couldn’t make her out in all that dust, but he was sure that she must have suffered more than hi-

A roar that blew away the dust shattered his hope of a quick victory. Now with the dust gone, he could see Celestia in the center, blood and dirt covering her once-pristine white fur. She took a few deep breaths before she turned her head to see what the human had done to her.

Her beautiful wings were no more. The only thing left were two fleshy stumps, with the remaining bones under the thin skin. She glared at the human that had dared to hurt her, who was standing a respectable distance away, surveying the damage with appreciation.

“You… YOU WORTHLESS APE! I SHALL DESTROY YOU, YOU AND THE REST OF YOUR RACE FOR THIS HUMILIATION!”

“No, you won’t!” Luna yelled, dropping to the ground. “Prepare yourself, you abomination masquerading as my dear sister, you… TYRANT SUN!”

A corona of light shone over Celestia’s mane. “You think that you can defeat me?”

“I don’t think so!” Luna yelled. “I know so!”

“No,” Stephan said, holding out a hand, motioning for her to move back. “She’s mine.”

“But you’ll die!” Luna yelled.

“We’ve had… certain problems with alicorns,” Stephan explained. “It has to be a human that does it. Besides… I have a plan.”

Luna looked at him uncertainly, then abruptly remembered what weapons the humans had. It was probably best to listen to him. “Is it a good plan?”

“If you stay out of my way, then you can see how good it is,” Stephan said, “just keep out of my way, some of my men get a little... trigger happy.”

Luna couldn’t decide if that was a threat or a warning. Either way, it was definitely worth listening to, so she moved back, just out of range of the Tyrant’s spells.

“Refusing aid from an alicorn?!” Celestia laughed. “Your capacity for self-destruction amazes me.”

Stephan brought his rifle on his shoulder, ready to battle what remained of the Tyrant one last time. “Bring it, BITCH!” he roared.

Celestia blinked at the crude insult before she screamed with all her might and stormed forward. Even without her wings, she was still able to run at an inhuman speed. Stephan had almost no time to react as he pulled the trigger. Unfortunately for him Celestia managed to dodge his first burst, closing the gap too quickly for his liking.

Stephan dived and rolled off to the side as the Tyrant tried to stab him with her magic loaded horn. Again he sprayed what felt like an entire magazine’s worth of bullets in the general direction of her head, to no avail as an irritating golden aura blocked his efforts. He turned the safety of his grenade launcher off, and fired the 40mm HEDP. He hit the shield, but this time it shattered under the extra power of unstable magic.

Celestia had to look away to prevent any shrapnels from hitting her eyes. Opening them just in time to see Stephan jump and kick her across the base of her neck, his rune enhanced strength hurling her on the other side of the street and into a closed store through the windows. But just as she was to recover, Stephan brought up his Panzerfaust, and fired it directly into the hostile specter and firing with gusto. The rocket flew into the store, smashing something highly inflammable as the entire main floor burst into a ball of flames. Which proved too much for the store, collapsing completely on the insane alicorn.

Cheerilee and the Doctor floated overhead, observed the scenario with concern. Cheerilee was the first one to speak up. “Is… is it over?”

"I really doubt that," the Doctor muttered quietly. “These things are never over so easily.”

Stephan mechanically threw the used Panzerfaust to the ground and loaded a new magazine and new grenade for the rifle, never leaving his eyes of the burning building. Come on, Celebitch. Did the others really beat you that hard already?

His answer came as a magical beam right from the middle of the smoking wreckage, this beam took form of a neon spinning sickle. He turned on one foot to let it pass, and good things too, for it cut through the ground, cars, and building unlucky enough to be in the way. Which by default forced him to run out of the way of the collapsing structures.

Celestia jumped out of the fire. She’d been heavily wounded already, but those were small compared her new ones, burns that had taken great swathes of her fur. With anger cracking her teeth another another magical sickle was unleashed, this time Stephan had to duck before it decapitated him. He smiled at her and the possibility of a good battle. Thought so.

“DIE ALREADY HUMAN!” Celestia fired several deadly beams at him, straight this time, some hit his own shield backing him flinch, while escaping the others.

“Come on you monster, is that all you got?!” Stephan mocked, firing his weapon at any presented opportunity. Some projectiles collided, but he might as well have been shooting BBs. Still, she couldn’t concentrate on her healing abilities to grow her wings back. Not that she was thinking clearly anyway. Her objective had bubbled down to killing this irritating human who had actually succeeded in hurting her.

“Enough of this!” Celestia rose her head and her horn began to glimmer again.

“STEPHAN, WATCH OUT!” Cheerilee screamed from above, the Tardis flying overhead, but it was too late. Stephan was not aware of something the Tyrant had been letting loose to instantly kill the pests around her.

“ASHES OF SOLARIS!”

“Asses of wha-” Stephan covered his eyes with folding his one arm on his face as the blinding light splattered his world white. It almost burned his vision away, even with the armored visor over his face. He could feel his runes overload with magic, almost burning into his skin through his armor.

The entire area was bathed in the lethal spell, all living beings within turned into ash. The golden light dimmed with its task done, Celestia lowered her head again with a evil grin on her face, sure of her victory.

Only to lose it again with the human still standing, one arm covering his eyes. The runes on his armor glowed blood-red, steam wafting off the plates. Stephan lowered his limb catching the color of his runes. Then he glanced up again to Celestia, first confused, then an evil grin of his own. “My turn.” Stephan said calmly, and charged.

Celestia shifted on her hooves to arrive into a defencive stance but stopped when the human’s rifle fired in short bursts, the deadly bullets punching against her as they impossibly penetrated the first layer of her skin, if they didn’t bast into one of her wounds. Through the pain, she leaped backwards to achieve distance from the human.

“If you think that was all I can do…” Celestia growled as she charged her horn again. “THEN YOU SHOULD THINK AGAIN!”

Celestia, formed an orb of burning magic, almost like a small sun, telekinetically raising into the sky. It stopped at a seemingly random height and exploded into hundreds of little burning orbs, all falling down towards Stephan.

He watched the spectacle with worry. Sure, his runes could do a lot to help him, but they were already overloaded and if the attack connected...

He ran like hell, madly dodging the orbs, which seemed to be homing in on his position. He even fired at them, the magical bullets destroying them, but there were just too many for him to shoot. One exploded against his back, throwing him forward. Another one hit him while down, but he recovered and managed to just barely dodge a third. He gulped as he saw how several more closed in. No time to escape anymore and he braced for the impact.

The orbs slammed against him, and his own magical barrier began to crack open until it dissipated. He could only hold up his arms, enclose his area of effect by ducking, and endure the remaining orbs blasting against his armor.

Celestia laughed as the human vanished in several explosions. Debris and shrapnel filled the air, the echo of the explosion could be heard for blocks around the city. “That is what happens to all that dare to stand against me, human.” She turned her head to Cheerilee and the others floating above, her eyes searching until they fell upon Luna standing on a rooftop. “Now, back to you, sister.”

Luna stood up and opened her wings up wide, a bright flash and Discord appeared beside her, a smirk adorning his face.

"Miss me, Lulu?" Discord greeted her, ignoring the draconic eyes bearing down on him.

"You lied to me about the information." Luna growled, her eyes filled with anger, but in control compared to herself in battle.

"Not really." Discord hummed as he took curiosity to his claws, brushing them against his chest. "I warned you a long time ago. You should have been prepared. Besides, I wanted you to learn what happened to them yourself. It’s better if the information you learned was given to Celestia from a sister and friend, rather than little old me."

"A warning would have sufficed. " Luna huffed in annoyance.

"Nothing I would have said could’ve prepared you for what awaited inside her corrupted skull." Discord commented back, his eyes trained on the Tyrant below. "At least anything you would believe without proof.”

Luna remained silent, nothing she could have said refuted his claim. Really though, Luna did learn a lot of valuable information. The only thing now was to survive this fight and report back to Celestia - her Celestia, that is. She would be desperate to hear from her sister.

Celestia stepped forward with a demonic grin on her face. Oh, how she would enjoy to finally rid herself of those pests, all that she needed now was a good push to end it, to have them slaughter one another. Shame that the Knight didn't *survive, perhaps I can use another. There are other humans I can push around.***

She stopped moving as she heard heavy footsteps. Staring at the burning point where the human once stood, her heart seemed to stop for a moment as she saw a shadow walking out of the inferno. It couldn't have been any better to see him still alive.

Perfect...

The smoke cleared and revealed Stephan who took carefully placed steps towards the Tyrant. The protecting visor of his helmet was no more, ripped off by the explosion. It was almost a miracle that his helmet wasn’t blown off as well. Breathing heavy, blood running from under his helmet over his face, only one emotion registered to those looking.

Fury.

Pure, unmistakable fury.

How did he… Cheerilee’s mind ran into overdrive.

“Reactive Rune Plates.” She heard the voice of the Doctor behind her. “During battle, they load magical power that has been used against the wearer into them. They only react on a direct magical attack after the first layer, his own shield, has been destroyed. Sparkler got the idea from the reactive armor the humans use on their tanks. So, she gave him that extra layer of protection before he left to fight.” The Doctor stepped to her side, watching the Tyrant who could only watch the human walking out of the black cloud with a growing smile.

“But even if the wearer survives, they’re still damaged,” the Doctor finished.

Cheerilee returned her gaze at Stephan and saw how some lose armor plates dropped off. She could still see the runes on them, now burned out and useless. They wouldn't help him next time. She hoped that he can finish this quick, otherwise…

Stephan took another stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the Tyrant who took a step back and settled into a defensive stance.

“Enough of this shit. Let’s end this!” Stephan rammed his right foot in the ground before him, digging deep to make the transition step/jump forward a possibility. His speed jumped from walking to a sprinting stallion right for his target. Every remaining Runic Plate sloughed off his armor, leaving a trail behind him only hidden beneath the dirt he picked up from his savage steps. He stumbled as the weight abruptly disappeared, tripping slightly, but he kept on course, heading straight for the Tyrant.

Celestia clenched her teeth as she brought her horn down and fired more magical bolts at him. She got clearly confused as she missed. No, not missed. He managed to dodge them all, with a speed and agility far above the weak, pathetic human norm. Somewhat panicking she fired off yet another barrage of magical bolts, only for him to dodge, slide or jump away out of her line of fire every time and enclosing the distance between them.

One blink. One blink of an eye and Celestia was almost face to face with the human. She tried to stomp him with her forehooves, but she had to actually rear first, and he was faster. His first punch shot upwards, hitting her under the chin and making her fly backwards.

“That was for my home!” Stephan screamed as he jumped to follow her. He brought both hands up over him and united them into one big fist, hammering her on the head and driving her body face forward into the ground. “And that was for everyone you killed in your genocidal war!”

Celestia barely had the strength to stand up. But Stephan was already at her, groping her necklace and turned her around to face him. “And this one...” he began taking a step back, his grip around the necklace so tight that it bent in his hand as he reached back with his fist, the original runes on his armor pulsing like veins before shouting, “IS FOR ME!”

Celestia probably didn’t even notice the impact. The blow was so hard that her necklace tore apart, her body crashing against the ground, slightly bouncing as the asphalt scraped off her fur, eventually her skin.

With a satisfied smile, Stephan let the remains of her jewelry drop to the ground, then he fell on his knee, coughing up blood. He could feel his body rebelling against the powers the runes gave him. They were not the same as Marcus or Cheerilee’s, which were actually meant to give the user superhuman strength, and not just boost the user’s natural strength for a long amount of time.

He could see movement in the edge of his vision and picking up his vision he saw the Tyrant wobbling on her legs, her hooves cracked. She looked up at him, her mouth open and blood dripping out of it in a constant stream. Her eyes fixed on him with a smile, and she coughed slightly before speaking. “You… shall be the first one to die.”

She lowered her head and aimed her horn at him and began to attack him like a wild bull. Stephan knew that his armor had no power anymore and he could barely move. If she hit him head-on, it was over, but he had still one card he could play.

“NOW, KRABER!”

A loud bang echoed through the streets. One that was already very familiar for Luna and Celestia. The Tyrant staggered for a second, and then tumbled backwards, scraping over the pavement once more, her journey only stopped by a car. She breathed raggedly, everything crying out in burning pain. She couldn’t feel her hind legs anymore, and if she could raise her head she would see why. Her spine had been hit by another bullet of the same type that cost her an ear, shattering it and paralyzing her. Blood spattered across the pavement.

Kraber, secure inside of a building, worked the bolt of the rifle, ejecting the used case which landed on the ground with a metallic clang. He smiled. “Got you, motherfokker!”

Stephan pulled himself back up, using his rifle as a makeshift cane, wobbling slightly from the weight he was putting on his feet. Once he stood, he slung his rifle back over his shoulder and pulled out his machete. Step by step, he closed the distance between him and the Tyrant. The Tyrant could see the human coming, as slow and inexorable as an avalanche. And for the first time her smug smile was gone, only to be replaced with annoyance. She is going to die... and she finds it annoying. She IS insane. Stephan thought to himself as he hobbled closer. She scrambled at the ground, using her forelegs to crawl away, slowly but surely. Stephan didn’t need to wait very long until he was above her, looking down at her broken body.

“Get over here!” He grabbed her by the mane, yanking her up and getting a grip around her throat, making a cracking noise of some sort, pulling her up until her numb half remained on the ground. He showed her the blade which gleamed in the sun. Just before he rammed it into her chest.

“You feel that? Huh? That is good old human metalwork. No magic. Just a long time of experience and hard work. Crafted by the materials of this world.” He knew that he missed her heart. He wouldn’t grant her a quick death. Not after all she did.

He saw Kraber walking out of his hiding spot, together with some other soldiers, human and pony alike.

“How… could you betray me for these.... ugly, filthy apes?” the Tyrant  moaned out, blood dripping from her mouth as she look to the pony soldiers allied with the humans.

“Well, let’s just say that not everyone could stomach your policy changes,” Aegis replied calmly.

Stephan slowly twisted the blade in her chest, blood dripping down on the street. Celestia made some gurgling noises as the blade cut her body. “You know, once I wanted you alive. To be faced by the people and let them judge over you. But…” He looked at the crowd slowly surrounding him and the Tyrant. “I guess they are already here and have decided. Am I right, comrades?”

“Just get on with it!” Kraber yelled over, walking down the street from his hideaway in a nearby building. Many of the other soldiers in the vicinity nodded their heads in agreement.  "Every moment we spend drawing this out is another moment that one of the Elements could attack,” he said, checking his MG2019’s battered F3 thaumic capacitors to see if the limiters that kept it from blowing up in his hands were still working. “We can parade around with her skull for the others later on."

Stephan smiled and returned his gaze to the Tyrant. “You heard them. Any last words?” he asked, slowly tightening his grip on her throat.

“...you… all… going to die…”

“If it means getting to watch you die, totally worth it.” Kraber said nodding.

Stephan shook his head. “No, when you are dead. It will be all over then.”

The Tyrant looked directly into his eyes, no longer filled with anger, but filled with madness and victory. “No… it won’t… if I die… then you will unleash the others…”

Stephan’s eyes narrowed into slits. “What do you mean by that?”

A weak laugh escaped Celestia’ lips, blood splattering Stephan's chest.  “Do you really think I wouldn’t have a plan? Look around you. All of you humans and the ponies who betrayed me… Leaders of the PHL... of the European armies...all out in the open, ready to be killed by my puppets…”

Stephan gnashed his teeth. “What are you talking about? Your New Foals? We can deal with them.”

“I’d like to see that cannon fodder try and fokking stop me!” Kraber laughed.

Again the Tyrant laughed. “No… no not them…” She weakly lifted a hoof and pointed at Luna and Discord. “By them.”

“What?” Stephan turned his head at both of them, only to see that many soldiers turned at them as well and aimed their weapons at them. Luna, who was reverting back to normal, had a look of surprise and opened her mouth to retort back, but was stopped by Discord, who didn’t have to look at her, but did shake his head.

"I planned on bringing out the leaders of the PHL into the city... have leaders of the human resistance within this city... and devastate the entire resistance command structure in one strike." She coughed out, smiling as she found it funny. "They would lay waste to the entire city... and by the time you stopped them... it would pave the way for my armies to overrun this stupid country."

Kraber turned to Luna and aimed his MG2019 straight at her head. “I KNEW IT! Alicorns… How could I ever expect that I could trust THEM?!”

“EVERYONE, STAND DOWN!” Stephan shouted, hoping to keep his men from doing something stupid. “Especially you, Kraber!"

Stephan shifted back to the crippled alicorn, pushing the blade a little deeper to cause her to groan. "If what you say is true, then why were you going through all that trouble and facing us in open combat? Why sacrifice yourself just to get rid of us with these two pawns?”

The her purple irises locked onto his own,  a small chuckle escaping her lips before it escalated into full blown laughter, only to be cut off when Stephan punched her in the throat, didn't really stop her from finding it amusing from the twinkle in her eyes.

“That’s the beauty of it… I’m not even really here…” the Tyrant whispered, before she began to chuckle again, her eyes filled with mirth and insanity.

Now, that confused and horrified Stephan. “What?”

“This body… is only an Avatar… a puppet controlled by me the same way I control my sun. Equestria is filled with wonders you will never live to see, human, Discord told me of a certain Mirror Pool he created when he was younger, before he fell in line for the cause. You really didn’t believe that I would show up by myself, did you? You truly believe I would show up in a city... without my armies at my back? How stupid you must really be.” She rotated to face Kraber. “Viktor Kraber… your name I know. I wonder how your children are. Oh, wait. They are no more, right?”

“...Don’t you… fokking dare… speak about my CHILDREN!” Kraber yelled, shaking.

She smiled at Kraber’s outburst. “Don’t worry. I assure you, they’re doing just fine in the Canterlot Academy. I could help you to visit them. You daughter would be so happy to see her daddy again…. but she thinks you’d be a better father with hooves. Possibly fur? You indeed know, like how you would have with those costumes you bought for their birthday-”

“Don’t… don’t you…” Kraber trembled, the MG2019 shaking in his hands. “WHEN I MEET THE REAL YOU, I’M GONNA RIP OFF HER HORN AND PISS IN HER SKULL! AND-”

“Keep it together, Kraber! It wasn’t your fault! Or theirs!” Aegis glared at the Tyrant. “Only hers.”

“You should shut your mouth, Tyrant!” Stephan hissed. “All this… all of it happened because of you!”

The Tyrant returned her eyes to Stephan. “You have to talk, so called knight. Where was it… Paris? Didn’t you slaughter the little fillies and colts in there? Crushing their skulls with your bare hands?”

Stephan closed his lips as the pictures returned in his head. He couldn’t quite see it, but Luna had a confused and sad look. Of course, the Tyrant couldn’t let that moment pass. “It is true, sister. That human killed dozens of innocent children. Murdering them... Slaughtering them like they were mere animals..."

“Stop it,” Stephan whispered, his eyes losing focus as he drifted into his memories, the sounds of child like laughter echoing along with the sound of flesh being torn apart.

“They just wanted to make you happy, Knight. To help you forget all that killing. And what did you do?” She tilted her head slightly, mocking him with a grin. “You murdered them. Every. Single. One.”

Stephan closed his eyes. He was barely able to keep his tears back. “I know what I did was wrong… yes, monstrous even... and I have to live with it for the rest of my life.”

His hand tightened around her throat as he continued, “But I will live on. I have friends who still look at me and not see the monster that probably hides under all that armor and skin.” He looks over to Kraber. “Kraber… I’m not saying that I know how you feel… but know that you are not alone with your burden.”

"Fok that, I don't need to hear this shit!" Kraber pointed his weapon at the draconequus and alicorn. "Fokking kill them!"

"Stand down!" Stephan’s instincts were screaming at him, they were all but yelling that she was lying to them, but why?

"Yes! Waste your weapons on them, believe you can kill them." The Tyrant cackled, her eyes looking directly to Discord, smiling with a deranged face. "Discord alone can wipe out every city on the coast with a snap of the claw."

“Well, why hasn’t he?” Aegis asked out loud, but his voice was drowned out by the others, their voices raising in fear as they talked.

"We should get rid of them."

"She’s right… I heard about Discord. He raises the sun and moon like its foalsplay! Who’s to say that he can't get rid of us just as easily?"

"She turned into Nightmare Moon, Twilight Sparkle may have done it to make sure that Luna would unleash everything she can!"

"Fucking blow their brains out, before they kill us all!"

Stephan's eyes widened in alarm as they raised their weapons, shock coursing through when he realized he was losing control of his men.

"Fokking fire when I give the command." Kraber said as he slung his MG2019 over his shoulder in favor of bringing up the DSR.50, one of the only weapons in their arsenal that guaranteed a killing blow. While his MG2019 was a German descendant of the old F3-Thunderlord project from the very early days of the Conversion War, the DSR.50 far outstripped it in damage per bullet, even with all the power that the MG2019’s questionably stable runes provided.

"Kraber!"

"Go ahead! It will do nothing!" The Tyrant laughed, only to grunt as Stephan twisted the blade more.

"Shut up!" Stephan hissed her before looking back to Kraber.

"Ready!"

"Kraber stand-!" Stephan fell silent, even the Tyrant looked on in surprise as Luna calmly placed her head on the barrel of the rifle. Even Kraber seemed completely stunned, gaping at Luna.

"Let me make it easy for you." Luna said after a moment of silence, standing controlled in front of the barrel of his weapon.

"W-what?" Kraber stuttered out, clearly not expecting this move.

"This weapon was able to shear off a horn of the Lord of Chaos,” Luna stated, Discord slightly wincing at that memory. “And it cut off an ear and broke the spine of an alicorn, even if it was fake. My skull shouldn't even slow it down." Luna said quietly, Discord staring at her with utter surprise as well. "In the event that what she said is true, a simple squeeze would kill us far faster than we can even move to react."

Discord gave an annoyed growl at Luna before closing his eyes and his arms popping off, claws popping off as well. Stephan stared for a long moment, realization running through him that the two had all but put themselves to their mercy. He turned to the Tyrant, noticing the frown on her face before she looked back to him.

Stephan stared long and hard, before a scowl formed on his face. "You bitch. You wanted us to kill them."

The Tyrant coughed, smiling weakly at him. "Perhaps I should have pushed a bit further on Viktor Kraber... at least then he would be far more useful than what he is now."

Kraber was silent for a long moment, his eyes wide as he ran the words over again in his mind before he roared out in frustration, throwing the rifle aside while his anger boiling over as he realized how easily she’d manipulated him. "ARGH, GOTTVERDAMMTE SCHEIßE!”

Stephan growled and lifted the Tyrant higher. “You think you're pretty clever, don't you? Almost making us kill possible allies. Your sister no less. For that alone you deserve to die.”

"My Dear, I nearly succeeded doing just that." Celestia calmly explained, causing Stephan to narrow his eyes at her next words. "Had the two had at least spoken up for their defense, it would be all I needed to win."

“You know… I really hope that you, your real you, is going to feel this, too, in case that would make this even more enjoyable.” Before the Tyrant could have said anything, Stephan transformed his blade in the claymore. Her flesh began to sizzle as the blade burned its way through her barrel, her lungs and heart roasting away from it, all the organs in its path sundered apart to make room for the deadly magical sword. And with one quick swing, he cut through her upper half with ease. The dead body flung to the ground and her halves, only connected by her under half slide apart, blood and brain matter spread across the street. Stephan took a few steps back before turning to Luna, sheathing his blade.

The sound of magic gained all of their attention, looking up to see Twilight Sparkle and rest of the Elements looking down at them. Stephan and Kraber growled as they glared up at them, only for Twilight to give them a small smile and drop a scroll down to them before vanishing in a flash of light. A second later, the entire roof exploded as Luna launched a devastating spell. Stephan held up his arm to shield his face from the debris, staring at Luna with surprise.

Most of the soldiers had their weapons trained on the alicorn, only to lower them when they saw her face. Utter anguish dominated her face as she fell, covering her face with her hooves. "I'm so sorry, Twilight... I have failed to release you from your torment."

Discord rolled his shoulders, giving Luna a small grim look before looking to Stephan who reached down for the scroll.

"Hold on, Major!"  Verdant called out, trotting over quickly to him as his horn glowed. "Let me check it before you start opening it. It could be laced with compulsion magic or potion, better to have me check it."

Discord made his way up to Stephan, giving the silent Kraber a look as he sat down on the curb, holding his head within his hands.

"Stephan Bauer," Discord started, causing the man to look at him, "Colonel Renee spoke very highly of you. I can see that his words were not to be misjudged. Not many can face Celestia, somewhat, and live to tell the tale."

"Where is he?" Stephan asked, his body screaming from overexertion and almost forcing the words out of his mouth. He felt like he could drop to the ground at any second, but he needed to know. "Where is Renee?"

"In Equestria." Discord answered, causing everyone to stop and stare at him. Cheerilee was making her way to them when she heard, gasping in shock before rushing before the draconequus, bowling over Aegis as if he wasn't even there.

"He's alive! In Equestria!? Where?!" Cheerilee begged him, her eyes pleading with him.

"That answer..." Discord started, rubbing his head while he looked around to see everyone focused on him. "Is a little complicated."

"Uncomplicate it then." Stephan coughed, rubbing his chest in pain. He nearly collapsed as he attempted to take a step, only to be caught by Kraber as he got up to listen in.

“Easy there,” Kraber said. “It’s been a hell of a long day.”

"We come from an Equestria..." Luna began, her eyes focused on nothing as she talked, ignoring everyone’s stares, "where we had no knowledge of humanity or its plight... until a week ago. A human appeared in Ponyville, bringing tales of horror, despair, and death."

Cheerilee stared at her, eyes fully focused on the Alicorn, full of disbelief. "You..."

"We hail from a different Equestria without the ponification potion, or the madness that has gripped yours, where your Colonel landed and brought to our doorsteps a war to which we can not simply turn a blind eye." Luna answered, causing everyone to whisper to one another.

“I’m not sure I believe it,” Kraber whispered to Stephan, his eyes trained on the alicorn. “But I don’t want to be the idiot who ruined everything when he didn’t know enough. I just came within spitting distance of that.”

"Sir... you... might want to take a look at this." Verdant spoke up, handing the scroll to Stephan.  Stephan took the note and began to read, his eyes growing wide before the scroll fell out of his grasp.

It read:

Dear Humanity,

Your attempts to delay me have been mildly amusing. I have enjoyed myself as I watched your misguided, deluded attempts to overthrow me, your stubborn insistence to destroy yourselves, but I find myself growing tired of your delusions of confidence and competence. As a result, I am ending this game, and will personally arrive to greet you as you line up to join in my glorious empire, becoming perfect ponies like all of my subjects. In celebration, I will personally wipe this city from existence. I expect that you will make the right decision and embrace perfection under my grace. After all, you barely survived a mere Avatar of my power. To face me and my Elements at once, in all of our glory, that would be a level of suicidal stupidity that I’m sure we can all agree is something best eradicated when you all become newfoals.

I await to meet my new subjects,

Queen Celestia

Couple of Hours later, Fenway Park, Private Viewing Box

It was a very, very homey room. All polished dark wood and red and green cushions, the kind of room that simply exuded calm, urging you that all was well, that everything was fine, and, if it was a slow night, almost lulling you to sleep. A large bar lined the back room, normally stocked with various alcoholic drinks for rich ticket holders to enjoy while watching the game.

That had changed tonight. Like most landmarks or haunts in cities on the Eastern seaboard, it had been commandeered by the military, and it was impossible to ignore their presence. Cords snaked across the floor, Stephan’s pistol was half-assembled on one table, with a wide assortment of small military equipment leaning on chairs and against walls.

'Ever since Renee's disappearance, I had the entire UN task Force answering to me. And I thought leading the EU force was bad, Marcus had all that I had to deal with and more!' Stephan was rather stunned to have an UN and American soldiers coming up to him after Renee's MIA status, and was handed control of the Task Force. Turns out that Marcus wanted Stephan to take the lead in case he was unable to. Other EU Leaders had all but approved of it, allowing Stephan to still retain control of his own troops. It was overwhelming and for the life of him, couldn't figure out how Marcus dealt with it.

Stephan looked up from his report when the projector turned itself on, various surviving world leaders appearing before him. He gently ribbed the Doctor, gaining his attention from his own reports.

"Stephan, is this information correct?" President Davis started, a copy of his report in his hand.

"Yes sir, she showed her hand today, and even with what we got, we are sorely outclassed by the sheer power she could bring. She is going to place everything she has right down our throat." Stephan said, throwing the scroll onto the table. "If today's battle between Discord and Luna against that monster was anything to note, we're not going to make it long enough to face off against her and her armies at the same time."

President Davis closed his eyes, rubbing his nose as he felt a familiar headache coming on. "Was there anything we did that left a mark on that beast?"

Stephan smirked a she pulled his machete and slammed it into the table, then pulled out a crystal round set it down. "Three things actually. The crystal rounds worked like a charm, even hurt Discord himself, my machete managed to severe her wings off and cut through her body, and our runic pony got in the act and laid down her own attacks on it."

"At least that is something to note, anything you recommend once she comes bearing down on us?" Brigadier General Philppe Delon asked, his uniform covered with dozens of medals, a smoking pipe held in his hand.

"I need the best snipers we can get our hands on, load them up with as many crystal rounds we can and have them take the shot." Stephan rubbed his chin, a frown on his face. "Maybe a heavy machine gun or autocannon with the crystals rounds placed onto the TARDIS just in case we can't get the shot."

Doctor scowled at Stephan from his place behind him, but said nothing as he busied himself with his notes.

"So be it, I'll start moving what I can to Boston." Davis sighed, resting back in his chair, "I hope you don't mind me asking Stephan, but you seem to be trying to avoid the Elephant in the room, or in this case, two Elephants."

"I must agree with President Davis on this, Major Bauer. You have been avoiding it.  Although, given what I saw in the report... it’s beyond my expectations," said Japan's Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera, who retired late in 2014, only to be forced back into the position due to many of the people who could have taken the position were killed or ponified in the opening days of the war.

"Trust me, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. They come from a different Equestria. It appears that when our little piece of Elements tried to attack Colonel Renee, it sent him away instead of turning him to stone." Stephan gave a small grimace as he stood, the bandages on his body a testament of how much he’d gone through the past hour. “Discord claimed that a past version of him placed the suggestion in our Twilight’s mind, or a piece of his soul. I don't know, but that’s… I have no idea how that’s supposed to work.”

"You can sit, Stephan. You don’t need to stand up for us after all you gone through," Davis said, a look of concern on his face as he took note of his stance.

"I'm going to have to turn that offer down, sir. If I sit, there is very little chance of me getting back up." Stephan gave a small, painful chuckle. "Back to the main point, Renee’s alive.  In Equestria, I might add. Runes are good, but not that good."

"There is also an issue of time inconsistencies. You reported that Princess Luna told you he arrived a week ago, and yet he has only been reported MIA for less than 14 hours? What’s the issue here?"

"I believe I can answer that." The Doctor smiled as he trotted up next to Stephan. "Let’s make this simple, yes?"

"Please do, Doctor."

"Right then. Imagine Earth, this entire universe, is one river. The water running at a steady pace as it goes along. This is our time stream in our universe, so to speak." Doctor smiled as the three men on the screen nodded their heads to him as they followed his example.  "How fast it is going is how much we perceive time. Though lets say if you were to take a person from that stream and put him in another stream."

"Wouldn’t that cause some sort of backlash on a person? If I get what you are speaking about, shouldn't that person perceive time differently from the other stream?"

"Only if said person was connected to the stream in such a way. Or if the stream was going backwards, trust me, that is a headache I don't even want to think about. I believe you made a issue about in an old tv show... Sliders, I think? Anyway, it is more like the person is a stick, just going along for the ride, they wouldn’t notice much." The Doctor smiled at the President for his question before moving on. "Now then, our good Commander is the stick, and he was placed onto another river, another time stream. This one going at a much faster pace than his old one. He wouldn't notice any difference,  just that he is in another world, another universe. "

"I get it. While this other stream is moving faster, ours is still going the same pace, and if he was to be put back onto our stream after a few months there, it can only be a few weeks that passed here."

"Or days, hours, minutes, even seconds!" Doctor smiled as they figured it out. "Each universe has its own laws that which govern it, time is no exception to this. Time, however, is also very flexible. Connecting two worlds for any length of time will cause both time streams to... how do you say it? Compensate for the overflow. A faster stream will slow down, while the slower stream speeds up. That much I guess for our own worlds given that the same no doubt happen for us."

"Thank you Doctor. Although the implications of Princess Luna and Discord confirming that Marcus is residing there now just threw everything we know of the magical field out the window."

"Not really." Doctor said as he trotted to a stack of paper work, picking one sheet of paper up in his teeth and looking at another seemingly random sheet. "They always told us that magic is the basis of all life in Equestria, at least that is what the normal ponies say. To say that a strong enough magical field is lethal to non-magical beings always rang a little hollow to me, but the demonstration of what happened early on all but put a hold on future testing, and it wasn’t like I could get anyone to willingly test the effects. A petri dish can only take us so far, and taking samples of the Barrier’s magical signature was… problematic, to say the least."

"The fact that he is even alive shows that we were lied to from the very beginning," Stephan answered, growling as he clenched his hands. "All testing showed that enhanced armor would be overwhelmed in a matter of hours, allowing the magic to seep in and kill the user. And yet here comes Marcus, completely unaffected."

"Can you be sure, Major?"

"Sir, I was just blasted with two ridiculously lethal spells from an avatar of the Tyrant herself. I didn't exactly walk away without a scratch. From what the medical ponies told me, they were stunned to see me even holding together and not melting apart before their eyes." Stephan shook his head as he hobbled away, looking out the window to the field below. "Its the reason I’m halfway to becoming a mummy and not fully healed up. They didn't want to push their luck, use healing spells, and end up with a puddle on the floor."

"So... We've been lied to, enslaved, killed by the thousands and millions, and this entire time we could have slowly infiltrated the barrier with little health risk to our people?” Brigadier General Delon asked with growing rage, gripping his smoke pipe tightly in his hand.  "Is that... what you are telling me? That we could have conducted our own tests and avoided this... this travesty altogether?"

Stephan said nothing to this, his eyes never leaving the field. He gave a sigh before nodding his head. "Yes sir. It appears to be that way."

None of the men on the screen said anything, Brigadier General Delon snarled as he stood up, grabbed his PDA and threw it at the far wall, with a crash as the screen shattered. The general walked about in the background, cursing up a storm before he threw himself back into his seat. Stephan couldn’t blame him; he’d been in touch with far more suffering than any of them. President Davis and Minister Itsunori just sat motionless, their eyes closed, countless regrets passing over their faces. Davis shook his head before looking to Stephan once more.

"God… dammit. So... what do they want from us?"

"It’s not what they want from us," Cheerilee answered as she walked through the door, nodding to the various leaders on the screen. "It’s what they can do for us."

“And that is?” President Davis asked.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Stephan said. “I hardly believe it myself. All they want is to help.”

“You are seriously telling me,” Delon said, slipping back into his familiar old rage, “that an alicorn princess and a chaos god, from another Equestria, are here to help. Both of whom should be dead or stone by now.”

“They even said that their Equestria has its own Elements of Harmony, and it’s own Celestia, but Marcus advised against sending her because he figured that we wouldn’t react well,” Stephan continued. “Hell, Kraber’s proof enough of that.”

“Unbelievable,” Davis shook his head at what he heard.

“I don’t believe it,” Delon threw up his hands in frustration. “I simply can’t. That’d be madness.”

“True,” Itsunori spoke up, causing the other two leaders to look at him. The elder Japanese man closed his eyes before speaking again. “But when it comes to trusting them, I don’t think we have a choice.”

“You can’t-” Delon began to turn red with fury, his cheeks puffing up as he was about blow a gasket. Stephen winced internally at the inevitable screaming match.

Surprisingly it was stopped by the President Davis, normally an unflappable man with a smile and beer in hand ready for you when you walked into negotiations with him. This wasn't the case, and it appeared his limit had long since passed.

“General Delon,” President Davis cut in, “do you know the meaning of the word ‘desperate?’ A man of your position should. I have never understood it as fully as I do now. I have heard the horror stories of newfoal-eating from Brazil; reports of mass public executions, mass suicides, riots and God knows what else in whatever’s left of China, with my own damn country following suit. On a good day, I only have twenty petitions from HLF members that suggest that we do things that are best not discussed in polite company to any ponies found outside the barrier. Then there are the various projects that Crowe Labs or any other convenient think tank tries to peddle to us and any other government that still has a couple acres they can set foot on without melting into puddles. They crank out new concepts once a week, it feels like. Wildly unfeasible energy weapons, bioweapons that we’re not sure even work against ponies, barrier-resistant materials, spaceships, and something that they called Project Sunflower! All prohibitively expensive, of course, requiring hundreds of imported Equestrian materials, things we’d need to make decade-long leaps in science to make, especially in the time that we have left! It took us a miracle to even delay the barrier! As far as I can tell, we have no choice. I’d love to say no and kickstart Project Sunflower, but the barrier would be at the Rockies by the time we had enough of that done for it to make a difference! From what Stephan has said, they were friendly, and we simply have no options left on the table.”

Everyone stared for a moment in silence at this outburst. He’d clearly wanted to say that for a long time.

“You’re suggesting that not just Stephan’s soldiers, but most of the world’s militaries work with ponies who are physically and mentally identical to the ones who have violated their world time and time again and shown less respect for them than cockroaches,” Trixie said, startling the others as she melted into view, Stephan then added to her words. “Including a self-proclaimed goddess who has become so rabidly hated that there are cults who think she’s some kind of demon sent to punish mankind.”

“There are?” Cheerilee asked out loud, but went unheeded.

“I don’t know yet,” President Davis said, frustration on his face as he thought hard on his answer. “Possibly.”

“We’ll all hate it,” Stephan said. “But the President is right. We’re out of ideas; or at least, we’re out of ideas that can work.”

It was a sobering thought for all of them.

“Talk to them then,” Delon threw his pipe onto the table, shaking his head.

“What?” Trixie asked.

“Talk to Luna and Discord,” Delon stated again, a little more loudly. “If this is our last option that doesn’t involve settling into suicidal fury like Old Skinner’s HLF units, then see what they have to say about their goals. And make sure they tell the truth.”

“Will do,” Stephan said, saluting.

Stephan was running on fumes and painkillers. He’d been beaten to hell and back by his fight with Celestia, and it was almost a miracle that anything in his body still worked. Even worse, he was forced to lean on Kraber’s shoulder to support himself.

“Why did we have to take him along?” Trixie groaned, giving Kraber the stink eye, while the man ignored her. He’d heard far worse.

“If he didn’t talk to Luna and get a handle on what’s going on, then we’d be asking for disaster,” Cheerilee added.

“Plus, I make a good crutch and distraction. And I really hate this idea. You know that right?” Kraber asked.

“We know,” Cheerilee groaned. “You’ve said it about twice now.” But it’s the only chance we’ve got were the unspoken  words on the tip of her tongue. He’d probably heard that enough by now, she thought as they walked up to one of the entrances to Fenway Park.

Kraber still had the DSR.50, one of the very few anti-alicorn weapons they had in their arsenal. He didn’t quite like the thing, and there was a long list of rifles he’d rather use, but he appreciated the power.

“You’re back!” Verdant Tract yelled, trotting-no, practically stampeding at the four of them. “You gotta get here quick. Having an alicorn and a draconequus is making everyp-” he paused. “Everyone. It’s making everyone real antsy.”

“What’ve they done though?” Stephan asked.

“Nothing yet. So far, they’ve just been standing there, staring at us,” Verdant Tract said. “They want to talk to you, Stephan. I get the feeling she wanted to talk to someone high on the chain of command, but… apparently Kraber made quite an impression on her, as well.“

“I did?” Kraber asked, a look that might have been pride creeping across his face. “Well, how about that.”

"I think she said more along the lines of helping your nightmares," Verdant said, giving him a sad smile, "She says your nightmares hang over you like stormclouds, even when you are awake."

“That… I’m not gonna lie, that sounds pretty accurate,” Kraber said, a grim chuckle escaping his seriousness, “I have swak-” he saw their blank looks. “A lot on my shoulders, alright? The thought of getting help from an alicorn though…” he shook his head in disgust, but there was something oddly uncertain about the gesture.

“Follow me down,” Verdant said, trotting into the entrance, heading for one of the spaces between the bleachers and the walls, where one could normally find concession stands. Now, however, they were occupied by a number of stalls from opportunistic traders, makeshift barracks, kitchens, and all the necessities of a military base.

“Are you here to kill that alicorn?” Asked one mare wearing a heavy assault saddle that looked to be based on the M249 SAW.

“We’re just here to settle things,” Trixie said. It was a non-answer, of course, vague enough that anyone could take what they wanted from it. Apparently, this satisfied the mare, who wandered over to a mixed group of humans and ponies.

“This is where we’re keeping them.” Verdant said, pointing to a door, with an improvised handle system lower than the doorknob so that ponies could use it well. He opened it, revealing a set of concrete stairs.

Kraber desperately wished his shotgun worked against alicorns. He’d fought newfoals underground before, and this just brought back a ton of bad memories. “You feeling that too?” he asked Stephan.

Stephan nodded. Then his earpiece crackled. He held a hand up to it.

“Yes?” he asked.

“They moved to the infirmary,” someone said, “they don’t seem to be doing anything yet, but-OH MY GOD!”

Out of sheer reflex, Kraber switched back to the MG2019, and Stephan readied his claymore. Trixie’s horn glowed.

“No, don’t!” Trixie yelled at Stephan, yanking the blade from his grip. She held it by her side, her magic slowly charging the weapon. “You’re in no condition to fight. Leave it to us.”

When they got to their jury-rigged infirmary, it felt as if there was a neverending wall of armed guards, who looked to have appropriated munitions from every gun store in the vicinity of Boston. All had a firearm of some kind-no rocket launchers, grenades or other explosives, those would be a death sentence in here, especially when you considered backblast-and every single one was pointed at Luna and Discord.

Mostly Discord, who had one massive claw impaling Cloudchaser’s chest.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Stephan yelled as he stared in horror. A wall of magic kept everyone at bay as Discord continued to run his claw through Cloudchaser. Bulk 'Snowflake' Biceps was all but silently screaming as he sat where he was, unable to move thanks to a stasis spell from Luna.

“Say the word,” Kraber whispered, shouldering the MG2019, aiming through the reflex sight. “Say the fokking word, and I open fire.”

"Can you please be quiet, it’s hard to focus here. Don't want to lose my concentration." Discord muttered as he pushed his claw a little further, causing Cloudchaser's side to bulge a little.

"For God's sake, let her die!" Stephan yelled out, seeing the heart monitor going ballistic as well as her vitals. Her body was shaking, her eyes open wide, but rolled up into her skull as she jerked around in the bed. Discord ignored him, and suddenly smiled as he appeared to finally find what he was looking for, "You sick bastards! Kraber, Trixie! Take the-"

"Got it!" Discord pulled his claw out. Everyone winced at once, expecting to see a beating heart or other organ with blood gushing from a hole in the pegasus chest. Instead, a small purplish sludge ball resided in his paw. Cloudchaser's barrel was whole and undamaged as her monitors settled back down, her eyes fluttering closed once more. Discord took a sniff before pulling away, a nauseated look on his face, waving his free claw to wave off the stench. "Whew, what a stinker. You should be glad I got that in time."

Everyone stared at the sludge in his paw, eyes full of surprise and confusion. Discord pulled up a medical jar and threw the cotton swabs into the air, morphing into little clouds, before throwing the sludge into it.

"Are you sure you got all of it?" Luna asked as she released the spell, ignoring the punch to her face with practiced ease as the bulky pegasus stallion rushed to the mare's side.

“The fok is that siff?!” Kraber asked out loud to the others, staring at floating jar.

"Pretty sure." Discord stated, ignoring him as he washed his hands in a floating sink, "Nasty little poison.”

"Poison?" Everyone mimed in unison, stunned to see Cloudchaser weakly open her eyes and smile at Snowflake. Or at least, they all made some reaction akin to that; gasping, staring in shock, heads cocked to the sides in confusion, or simply asking “the hell?” and any other expression of incredulity.

"Hey there stud..." Cloudchaser whispered, kissing his cheek affectionately as he nuzzled her. "What did I miss... Is that Princess Luna and Discord.... and why are there armed guards in my room?"

Stephan only shook his head and walked over to Discord, keeping his eyes on the poison. “I guess we should thank you for helping…” But then he reached up, grabbing Discord’s goat-like beard and pulling him down to eye level. “But do something like this again without telling us beforehand and I let Kraber shoot something off that won’t grow back easily. Got it?”

"Believe me, Major. " Discord gave him a very chilling look. "I experienced a lot of pain before reaching this world. I would be impressed if you actually manage to do something that will make me forget those times."

"The fok is this shit?" Kraber asked as he stared at the purplish goo within the jar, swirling it as he sat back with his foot on the table. He was holding the MG2019 at his hip, his finger within the trigger guard. Still, he was calmer than normal, so Cheerilee trusted his trigger discipline. He opened the lid slightly and took a small whiff, reeling back and closing the lid tightly. "Damn, a fokking sewer smells better than this klank!"

"Nullam comedens poison." Discord said as he floated off the ground, slowly spinning upside down. "I haven't seen it since the first rise of Tirek. It’s deadly to all magical beings. Even non-magical beings can be killed by exposure to it."

"How?" Stephan asked as he grabbed the jar and handed it off to the waiting nurse to be sent to get studied.

"It grows with magic. The more magic is used to try and heal or see what is wrong, the more it grows as it feeds off of it. To humans and a world with little magic, it could take decades just to be killed by it, and you wouldn't even know it, people would just think you died of old age or illness. To a place like Equestria, it’s a lot sooner. Worse for highly magical beings like unicorns and the like," Discord answered as he snapped his claw, ignoring the small flinches from the various ponies and humans, summoning up a saddle bag.

"I was wondering where my saddle had gone off to," Luna said, calmly drinking her tea as various scrolls floated out and landed on the table.

"How did you know?" Cheerilee asked him, watching as Discord floated right side up.

"By the smell." Discord said quietly, his eyes gaining a haunting look. "It’s extremely faint, but when you been around enough beings that were killed by it, it tends to stick. Smells like grapes with a hint of rotting flesh."

"Fok, he's right." Kraber’s eyes were watering as he blew his nose for the second time, trying to rid himself of the smell. "I was trying to place it and that is exactly what it smells like. Like a pile of corpses next to a vineyard."

Cheerilee made a look of disgust while Stephan mused quietly on the information, looking at Discord with a critical eye.

“How do you even know what that smells like?” Trixie asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Kraber said.

"How come we didn't pick up on it? With our x-rays and MRI, surely we could have picked it up without magic," Stephan pointed out.

"Yeah, but just before she died from her arteries being clogged and having dozens of seizures before that. It lines the walls of the arteries, growing fast or at a snail’s pace depending on what the being is or what it is being done to treat their wounds.  Perhaps you humans can survive it, but not ponies." Discord said bluntly, shaking his head as he looked out the window. "Outside a body, it’s harmless and useless as a weapon. Coat it on a weapon and nick a being, even the smallest of nicks, and it’s as deadly as the next poison, even more so given that it can't be caught by any normal method of detection."

"I see..." Cheerilee whispered, her runes activating as she lifted up a pen to write down the information on a notepad. It does explain why her healing treatments were quickly fading. I have to send this off to the other doctors to have the others checked out. Maybe there was a way with human medical practices to find this poison? She looked to the scrolls on the table, picking it up and reading it. "What is all this?"

"Treaties." Luna said as she placed her tea down, looking at Cheerilee with interest as the mare's rune glowed.

"These are..." Cheerilee's breath hitched a bit, her eyes trained at the bottom on the scroll. "This is Marcus’ signature."

"Let me see." Stephan asked as he gently grabbed the scroll from her grasp and looked it over. "How can you be sure?"

"He does this thing with his 'u' and 's' in his name, and connects the two without leaving the paper he signs off on." Cheerilee answered, gaining a look from the entire table. "I’ve seen his signature thousands of times, plus I'm a teacher, I have to make sure my students are doing their own homework instead of paying for others to do it. And if he was a new foal, his signature would change drastically if he had to use a horn or his mouth. This was done by his hand.”

"This says its from the Minotaur Republic?" Stephan said quietly, looking over to see the others grabbing various scrolls.

"Griffon Kingdom... from Queen Hedwig?" Cheerilee asked. “Where did you get this?”

"There’s one from the Zebra Tribal Council,” Trixie said, amazed. “I never thought I’d see anything from them ever again.”

"Roaming Tribes of the Buffaloes?" asked Kraber.

“Even the Diamond Dogs, too?” Stephan said. “Didn’t even know they had a government.”

"Its more like a large group with a canine pack mentality," Trixie explained as she pulled out another scroll. She opened it and her jaw dropped, eyes focused on the name at the bottom. "The Changeling Hive, from Queen Chrysalis herself."

"These are... these are all declarations of war?!" Stephan stared at the two in shock.

"Half of them are dead in your world," Luna said quietly as she looked at the two. "But where we come from, they are very much alive. Celestia, my sister, not this abomination, knows of your plight very well."

"How?" Cheerilee demanded, her eyes focused on the alicorn. "Marcus would have tried to kill her the moment he saw her."

"He did try." Luna said quietly, looking away from them.

Okay, that really sounds like the Marcus I know. Stephan thought to himself before turning back to Luna.

"He attempted to kill the Elements as well. An accident occurred between Celestia and Marcus, in an attempt to calm the situation before it escalated further. My sister knows of Marcus' plight thanks to that accident. It haunts her even now, possibly for the rest of her life."

No one said anything before Luna gathered the scrolls and placed them back into the saddle and set it before Stephan. "Know this, you are no longer alone in your fight. Equestria, our Equestria, will join you."

"Why..." Kraber said quietly, causing everyone to look to him. "As far as I know, this war has nothing to do with you. You don’t have to lift a single god damn hoof to help us, and we would understand why."

"If you do believe we have any other reasoning, then understand that our world is in danger of the Tyrant as well. She will not stop with this world; she will move on to ours, then the next world, and the next after that," Luna said quietly. “This war literally was dropped on our doorstep, and we could not in good conscience send the Commander back to this hell-world without some form of response. The Tyrant will not stop until everything is under her hoof.”

"Until all worlds are in perfect 'Harmony'. At least... until she loses her place as a working tool." Discord said quietly, causing everyone sans Luna to look to him. "Besides, its not the Tyrant you should be worried about. She’s just a puppet of the real menace here."

For a long moment, no one said anything. Stephan and Kraber stared at the draconequus as if he lost his mind, while Trixie and Cheerilee looked at Luna for answers.

"The fok do you mean, 'she’s just a puppet'? She’s the one that started this damn war! Who the fok is controlling her then?!" Kraber growled, his grip on his weapon tightening up.

“Let him explain, Kraber.” Stephan had gone through too much to be surprised by anything at this point.

"Tirek," Discord answered him, causing Stephan to frown at the name, hearing it a second time. "Tirek, a very old enemy of mine, and before you ask, it was well before the time of even Celestia and Luna. Tirek is controlling her, better to describe it as manipulating her to do this. As far as I know, the Celestia of old is gone and dead, buried by this new Tyrant in her place."

"So the same is happening to the Elements as well?" Cheerilee asked, looking to the others in response to the answer. "They are being controlled by this 'Tirek' monster?"

"No." Luna said, causing them to look to her. "They are enslaved within their minds, forced to watch as mental homunculi control their every action as if they were mere puppets."

"Nooit!" Kraber sneered at her, slamming his hand on the table as he leaned across the table to glare at Luna. "I don't believe you for a fokking second. I lost my children to those fokking bitches, and you just wave it off as not their-!?"

Luna's horn glowed before an image of Twilight appeared in the center of the table, causing Kraber to stumble backwards in stunned horror. Cheerilee gasped and covered her mouth with her hoof, Trixie looked away with her eyes closed, while Stephan reached over and pulled her into his lap to hug her.

Twilight sat within her stump, roots digging into her corpse-like body as she looked at all of them with eyes filled with tears before she began to shout at them.

"KILL ME! PLEASE! I CAN’T STAND IT ANYMORE! KILL ME SO I DON’T HAVE TO WATCH MYSELF HURT ANYONE AND BE MADE TO ENJOY IT! KILL ME TO END THIS NIGHTMARE!" Twilight wailed, her eyes beginning to take a tone of panic. "KILL THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!"

Cheerilee gave a choked gasp, her eyes filling with tears as she stared at the image.

“The hell was that?!” Trixie yelled.

"Where... where the fok is this?" Kraber asked quietly, trembling in horror, his eyes never leaving the image of Sparkle’s haunted and dead eyes. He’d come close to her and found himself hating her more and more every time, looking forward to the torments he could inflict, but that was… the pure suffering in her eyes couldn’t have come from anything like what he could inflict, no matter how much he could try. ’Dear God, what the hell happened to her?’

"Within the mind of Twilight Sparkle," Luna answered, looking down at the table. "I have little doubt the rest of the Elements are any different. Discord wanted to show me how far the Elements have fallen, but did so in his own way. As much as I hate to admit it, I would have never believed him otherwise. I don’t think you would have either.”

Kraber said nothing for a long moment before asking the duo a question. "...Got me there. Can they... can they interfere with them?"

Discord look towards Kraber with some minor confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, can they still resist these... homunculus fokkers? Like interfere with their control, stop them just for a second before I blow their fokking heads off?" Kraber asked.

"Possibly... Why?" Discord asked with a note of interest.

"Cause the fight at the department store suddenly makes more sense!" Kraber realized, before looking to Stephan.  "During the fight with Rarity, she just froze up with the ground crumbling beneath her and the rubble about to crush her. Made no effort to save her ass, looked more like your average New Foal than anything. Had the glassy eyes and everything."

Stephan frown as he looked to Kraber with this info. "You mean she was trying to kill herself?"

"I had no idea at the time, and I don’t know about you, but I sure as fok would try to get myself killed as well if there was things in my head. Just like in some books I read as a kid," Kraber answered, looking back to Luna. "Thats why you changed, isn't it? Into that Nightmare Moon crap?"

"Partially..." Luna whispered, looking away from him.

"What is the other reason?" Stephan asked, noting how Luna squeezed her eyes shut. She really didn't want to tell them.

"Come on, it couldn’t be as bad as this shit." Kraber demanded as he pointed to the image of Twilight. Luna glared at him before looking to Trixie and Cheerilee.

"I request that you two leave this room. What I'm about to show is not for your eyes. They may tell you afterwards, but I will not directly show." Luna demanded, brooking no argument from the two.

Stephan nodded his head, gently setting Trixie onto the floor, before nodding to Luna. Trixie wanted to argue, but decide it would be a fruitless effort, and moved on. Cheerilee sighed as she slid off her chair and followed her out. The door closed and glowed with the telltale energy of a spell, blocking out all the noise within.

"What do you think she is showing them?" Cheerilee asked Trixie, who only gave a small shrug to the question.

The two sat for a few minutes before the door slammed open, banging against one wall, and Kraber came stumbling out. He took several steps before reaching over to the nearest trash can and began to violently hurl into it, almost as if he was trying to vomit out everything he ever ate in his entire life. Both mares stood slack-jawed at the normally brash, inexhaustibly energetic man wailing into the trash can before trying to vomit again.

Stephan slowly walked out, or better yet, stumbled, face unbelievably pale as he leaned against the doorframe and slid down to the ground, holding his head in his hands. He had reached his limit of his stamina, physical and mental. Trixie was immediately at his side and nuzzled his arm.

"Stephan!? What happened?!" Trixie exclaimed at his appearance. Stephan only response was to gently take her in his arm and holding her. She cried out in surprise as Stephan collapsed, shaking badly as he held onto her tightly.

"I fucking hate you, Kraber." Stephan simply whispered loud enough to let Kraber hear it and make Trixie wonder more what just happened.

"I fokking hate me too." Kraber moaned before vomiting again. "I thought I seen it all…”

“What? What happened?!” Cheerilee asked.

“I’m not gesuip enough to even begin to tell you that,” Kraber held up a finger to her, turning to vomit again.

“Trust me, you don't want to know.” said Stephen in a low voice.

"Come on, tell us!" Trixie demanded.

"I saw the trials for the fokking potion firsthand,” Kraber said, his voice drained of emotion, as if he’d been in that room for months. “There were… I… I saw things that no man or pony deserves to see. There were kids there, and everyone was naked and emaciated, while Twilight stood over them and…. and…” he trembled. “Look. You can ask Stephan to tell you for all I care, because right now I need a to drink a dop.” He paused. “A lot of drinks. I hope there’s still some Kentucky bourbon around…”

“Is that all you can say?” Cheerilee asked as she looked back to Stephan in confusion.

“Yes,” Kraber said. “Because if I do, you will wish that Sombra burned Equestria to the last pony and salted every fokking inch of grass.”

Both mares sat stunned by the answer, watching as Kraber stumbled away, falling against the walls as he headed for the nearest bar. Stephan only hung his head, realization dawning on him that his and Kraber’s nightmares paled in comparison to Twilight Sparkle’s.

One she was still living in, day by day.

New York City, New York; John F. Kennedy Airport, Emergency Medical Facility; One hour later

Luna quietly sat next to the dragon, horn glowing as she helped his healing along. Luna sniffed as she wiped her eyes, tears falling, not even caring in the slightest as Nurse Redheart gave her a disapproving look as she monitored Spike's vitals.

She looked upon the sleeping dragon, closing her eyes to remember the day that landed him in this horrid situation. It was one of the few memories she can recall in extreme detail, mostly after she learned what happen to him and how he arrived here at the airport.

“Oh Spikey, you didn't have to come with me.”  Rarity said with a small giggle, looking upon the dragon as he walked next to her. He was almost at eye level with a normal pony, and lost some of his 'baby' fat, giving him a much more slim figure. Last year he even managed to grow a pair of wings, much to his delight.

"Well, last time I let you guys go anywhere without me, it almost got you guys killed with the return of Sombra." Spike muttered as he crossed his arms. Twilight walked next to them, uncaring of the small talk happening beside her.

"You're so sweet on me, Spike." Rarity batted her eyes to him, causing the dragon to blush and stammer, causing another giggle to escape the mare. "Might make other mares jealous."

"Rarity, can you stop teasing him?" Twilight groaned as she opened the door to Celestia’s room "Besides,  Spike can't come in, Queen Celestia wishes to see you alone."

"I don’t see why he can’t join us. Spike is almost eighteen years old, darling. He is practically an adult given how well he took the war in stride," Rarity said, giving a small sigh before nodding her head, "But the Queen wishes to see me, so I shall comply. Will you be fine waiting for us here, Spike?"

"Of course!" Spike saluted, blushing brightly as Rarity gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, Rarity." Twilight held the door for Rarity before closing it soundly behind her and locking it.

"Queen Celestia, how may I help you this fine afternoon?” Rarity exclaimed happily, and yet, there was a small hint of nervous tension emanating from her as she sat in a seat across from her.

"Rarity, this war with Sombra is coming to a close. As we speak my ponies march onto the Crystal Kingdom. Sombra has nowhere to go, and we can enjoy a new fresh start. While this war was short, it has been a trying year so far," Celestia said as she calmly drank her tea, smiling warmly at Rarity. Rarity gave her a small weak grin, looking around as if looking for an answer as to why she was there.

"Yes, this horrid war is nearly at an end. But... I have the feeling there is more to say on the matter." Rarity rubbed her neck as she looked upon her surrounding.

"Is something wrong, Rarity?" Celestia asked, looking at her with a passive look on her face.

"Just...nervous."

"Why?"

"Oh!" Rarity blinked as she look back to Celestia with surprise. "I suppose it’s just that all the girls met you already, and they didn't really tell me much on what to expect. Only that it will be life-changing, so I am just trying to prepare myself for whatever surprise you have in store."

"No need to fret." Celestia giggled somewhat, with Twilight giving a smile of her own to Rarity. "Just know that while this war is done, another issue may come up."

"Oh no! Is it another war on the horizon?" Rarity looked at them with concern, but Celestia merely waved it off.

"Not a war, but salvation," Celestia answered with a bright smile.

"Salvation? I don't understand," Rarity looked at her, confused.

"There is a species, called humanity, that requires a touch of ponykind to reel them in." Celestia began to regale her on the horror of the human race, explaining their atrocities, intolerance, and lack of harmony. By the time she was done, Rarity looked on in surprise at them, before standing up and walking around with determination.

"Yes, of course they require assistance." Twilight and Celestia beamed to one another at Rarity's proclamation. "They have been in the dark for so long… and they’d be perfect clients for me!"

"Excuse me?" Celestia blinked as Rarity seemed to smiling even more happily.

"They wear clothes all the time. True, some of it seems to be set for just standard living, but I can make something for them just for everyday use! It would simply be fabulous!" Rarity beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement, not even noticing how Celestia’s face fell flat and was giving her a far from happy look.

But the Element of Generosity was “in the zone” as she continued to ramble, "Oh, just imagine, those beings going absolutely gaga over my magnificent designs! And I could make friends with their fashion designers too! I look forward to trying my hoof at trying to design clothes for them as well... And the simple fact they have technology that most of our writers couldn’t dream of at their...claw tips? No, fingertips, no doubt that excited you Twilight! I wonder if they have better sewing machines..."

Rarity turned to see the two giving her a deep frown. "What?"

"I suppose I should have seen this coming, of course her reasons are solely for the business pursuit." Celestia answered as she held up the bag, dark magic pulsing from it. Rarity's eyes widened in horror at the bag, pulsing in her magical grip like a disembodied heart. It even looked like it had veins, too.

"P-princess?" Rarity stammered as Celestia held up the bag. Rarity clearly didn’t know what it was, but to her credit, she was trying to move away, only to be held in place by a stasis spell from Twilight. “What are you doing?! Twilight?!”

"Then again, none of the Elements ever responded the way I wanted them to. Especially Fluttershy… She was so very troublesome when we tried this," Celestia continued.

"It’s Queen Celestia," Twilight corrected, before giving her a sinister smile. "But you will never get that wrong again."

Rarity cried out as Celestia opened the bag and swirling dark magic raced right at her. The black magic appeared to caress the unicorn, who recoiled as it touched her fur, frantically trying to push it off as if it had a physical presence.

“What.. What is this? Who are you?! What did you do to the princess and Twilight?!” She cried as the dark magic wrapped around her, the look on her face just screamed out that she felt violated by its mere presence.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Twilight said, smiling as if the dark purple magic covering her friend was the most natural thing in the world. “Once it gets into you, you’ll feel better. All those pesky little worries of yours will just float away…”

“Help!” Rarity yelled, as the magic inched closer to her mouth. “ANYPONY, HEL-”

"LET HER GO FAKES!" Twilight’s eyes snapped to the once empty wall in shock as Spike seemingly appeared in the room. His small frame once covered by a pillar was now at full vision, his two legs that kept him upright shook slightly from even the idea of what was happening, or what he was about to do, but he took bravery as he continued to speak. “Twilight nor Celestia would ever do anything like this to one of their friends!”

"Spikey?!" Rarity was also shocked at seeing the young dragon rush into the dark presence. "NO! Run away-!"

Spike did not respond, inhaling deeply he let out a deep emerald flame right over Rarity. Rarity closed her eyes as the flames washed over her, and yet through it all she remained untouched. The foul magic caressing her was consumed in the blaze before wrapping around her and reappearing the mare to her unlikely savior's arms. Spike smiled to the mare in his arms, the flames spreading out and blocking the view from Twilight and Celestia.

"What?!" Celestia shouted, wide-eyed as she searched for the two, barely able to see them within the flames. Twilight glared she saw Spike direct Rarity through a hidden opening in the wall. "You foolish drake!"

"Run, Rarity." Spike gave her one small push before diving to the side as a spell impacted the area he was in. Spike got up in time to get a hoof across the face by Twilight who had attempted to get a glimpse at Rarity’s escaping from to grab her, but with the mare far, she could only growl to her once obedient companion.

"How did you get in here?!" Twilight shouted as she lifted the dragon and threw him across the room. Nailing him heavily to the wall and then shoving him back to her presence, and keeping him unable to move.

"Enough, Twilight." Celestia command, without a second thought Twilight released Spike, who fell into the floor coughing, tears in his eyes. Celestia lifted the bag before Spike. "It is an old passage that Spike used to get around the castle when he was younger. No matter, soon he will fall in line with the others."

Spike groaned as he got back on his feet, just in time for the black magic to engulf him. Twilight rage morphed into a smile as she waited for the magic to take hold, only for green flames to jet out and consume the dark magic with ease, almost reaching Twilight as well.

Spike heaved again, eyes watery but now narrowed as he blew out a stream of magical fire directly at Twilight and Celestia, who blocked it with a synchronized shield, a look of growing irritation on Twilight’s face, and Celestia appeared unamused. "Spike, your continued defiance will not leave me to be merciful on your punishment."

"T-then I guess this will make it worse." Spike begun nervously, but ended roaring as his chest expanded to nearly twice its size before blowing out hot emerald flames to the floor, the entire room turning into a fiery green conflagration within seconds as the fire rounded the walls and reached the ceiling by the walls. Just as the jet dissipated, Spike was free of his magic chains and ran to the nearest exit. Where Rarity awaited nervously.

Twilight yelled from stretching her range as she tried to teleport to him, but only for Celestia to hold up her hoof, stopping her in her tracks, anger vanishing, almost mystified by Celestia’s next words.

"Do not fret my student." Celestia said as her horn glowed, followed by teleporting before Spike and Rarity. Spike barely had time to gasp before Celestia’s hoof crashed into his side, the sound of bone snapping could be heard rooms away before the dragon slammed into the stone walls and collapsed onto a table, breaking it apart. "They are not quite out of my reach!"

"Spikey!?" Rarity cried out as she raced for the baby dragon. She held onto him, her hoof gently rubbing his head. Spike whimpered as he clutched his arm, broken by the way it hung in the middle of the arm above the elbow. "You... You fake brutish old hag!"

Twilight smirked as she trotted over to them, her horn glowing as she ripped Spike from Rarity's embrace and threw him over her shoulder. She smiled as Spike sailed through the air before hitting pillar and collapsing onto the ground, before looking back to Rarity. "Now that we got that annoyance out the--"

Twilight head cocked to the left from the blow, then her head jerked up from a vicious uppercut, before being engulfed with Rarity's magic and slammed against the ceiling, and then finally falling unceremoniously with a thud. Rarity appeared over her she eyes showing her clear disgust and true belief that she was fighting something in Twilight’s form.

Rarity raised her hooves for them to be slammed down on fake Twilight’s face before she was picked up by those very hooves. Rarity squealed as she fought against the magic, only causing a minor headache for the Queen.

"I must admit, you put up a far better fight than the other Elements. But," Celestia smiled as she raised the bag once more, "you fight against an inevitability, you are mere dust struggling against cosmic winds. You will belong to me, and you will do as I say.“

"I will fight against you, thing!" Rarity sneered as she continue to fight. "I will never help you. You are not Celestia, you’re just some monster that’s taken her place."

"That is what they all said, before my magic showed them the truth," Celestia held the bag up, the darkness swirling within as it readied itself to implant itself within the pearl white unicorn.

Until a massive fist slammed into the side of Celestia’s face. Twilight was struggling to get up, eyes wide in surprise as a large purple dragon rivaling in size of Celestia herself struck her dead center in the face. Rarity was dropped, only to be caught by the dragon's tail before placing her on the center of his back. Twilight sneered as she hit him with a sleeping spell, but the dragon wasn’t even affected by it, swiping her with his tail and sending her crashing against a wall.

"YOU WILL SUBMIT TO M-ARGH!?!" Celestia rose to her hooves, the sucker punch dazing her as she tried to get a bead on Spike, only for Spike to swipe his claws across her eyes, shredding them and blinding her.

Celestia screamed in agony, the yell coming close the RCV levels as they shattered every window and glass made object in the hall, ruining several treasures rumored to predate the founding of Equestria. Twilight covered her ears, her eyes barely open enough to see Spike carry Rarity out of the hall.

Twilight’s ears were still ringing as she gently lead Celestia away from the scene, guards surrounding them as they made their way back to her room, only to remember it was still in flames. Heavy breathing came from the Alicorn as a single blind eye looked to the burning room.

Ever so slowly, the eye regained color as the iris reformed itself. "Captain Armor."

"Yes, my Queen."

"Find Rarity, have her little sister locked up in the dungeon if it is a means to draw her out. I want her here, now." Celestia growled as she stared at the jade-green flames, which were stubbornly resisting any extinguisher spells.

"And Spike?"

"Teach him a lesson he won't soon forget, but not too badly." Celestia smiled as her second eye reformed, her appearance now taking on as if she cried blood tears. "Because Spike will have personal lessons from me until I deem him ready to live in my new Equestria."

"Of course, I will have Green Fields lead the search parties."

Luna opened her eyes, reaching ever so slowly to brush his cheek with a hoof, wiping away his tears. If her counterpart was there, she could have stopped it. Sadly, it appears she was leading the armies to shatter Sombra's control, allowing the Tyrant to make up whatever reason she desired to keep her in the dark.

"Rarity..." he whispered, sniffing somewhat as he rested on the bed.

"I am so sorry, Spike." Luna’s voice was nearly as quiet as Fluttershy’s, laying her head against his own. Tears streamed down her face as she held Spike, nuzzling him. "I am so sorry."

"How long has she been like this?" Stephan asked as he watched Luna rest her head against the dragon's snout.

"Ever since we arrived here, one hour ago." Cheerilee answered him, Cadence was with them quite surprised to see another version of her aunt was tending to Spike. "How's Kraber?"

"He's a crazy bastard, but a tough one." Stephan muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Idiot had several cracked ribs, cracked scapula, and ripped apart muscles throughout his body. Right about now he should be feeling all that. Ahh, the ‘wonders’ of battle adrenaline wearing off… Something I know all too well, unfortunately."

Fenway Park, Medical Facility

"MOTHER FOKKER!"

Stephan smiled a bit. "I may have told the medic ponies to hold off on the healing spells, because he was in the area of the Tyrant."

"You're evil." Cheerilee giggled as she tried to keep her laughter in check.

“Honestly, though,” Stephan begun, “I didn’t do it for a prank. The man needs some reason to relax for a little bit. Although I should be taking my own advice, but I can't right now... say, where's Discord?"

"He said he had something to check out." Cheerilee answered, a frown on her face as she remembered the chaotic being muttering under his breath during the battle between Luna and the Tyrant before he disappeared from her view. “Not that we could stop him anyway.”

When asked about it, he simply said he was gauging the fake Tyrant, unsure why she seemed so weak. It made Cheerilee shudder to think that the powerful monster was considered 'weak'.

"Where did he go?"

Blaine, Kentucky; five miles outside city limit; Williams Family Ranch

Discord silently sat against a tree, watching the old ranch house with interest. It kept itself alone with no occupants, but the horses and cattle were still well taken care of by neighboring ranchers and farm hands. Discord had to admit, this ranch home was a lot bigger than the last one he saw with Megan living in it.

He watched as the group made their way to the porch of the home, lighting a candle before they all turned to leave. Discord groaned as he painfully got up and made his way down to the home.

Walking past an old well, now dry and bare, he carefully ran his claw on its edge as water magically reappeared. He made his way by the stables, a single familiar horse stood at the entrance giving him a steady look before nickering softly to get his attention. Discord smiled as he gently patted the bridge of horse’s nose, his time running with the Assassins had definitely helped him understand the four legged beasts of burden.

"Well, aren't you a brave one." Discord chuckled as he gently patted the stallion's neck. "Wonder what your name is."

Discord blinked as the horse pulled away for a moment before pulling up with a sign in his mouth.

"TJ..." Discord read out loud, causing the horse to nod its head to the answer. Discord chuckled as he stared at the horse. "You sure it’s not Black Beauty? "

The horse snorted at him, causing the draconequus to laugh. "You're a smart one, I give you that. You don't mind if I take a look around do you? I’ll even promise not to break anything."

TJ gave another snort before pulling away, leaving Discord alone. Discord smirked a bit before heading to the porch, looking at the placement for the candle. His eyes took note of the words etched into the wood, while the design was clearly religious in nature. Possibly made by a congregation of the local church in the area.

'Marcus,

Everyday we pray for you.

Even when you believe God has forsaken us.

But we believe God has sent us the mightiest warrior he could grant us in these trying times.

You.

All that you have lost, you stood tall

All that you had witnessed, you weathered

All that you fought against, you prevailed.

You fight, and you fight, and rally all of us behind you.

When this war is done, you will have a home to come back to. Whether in this life or the next.

Discord smiled as he touched the candle, shifting the base’s color to forest green, the flame changing to a blazing purple, and the air becoming just a bit warmer around the porch. Discord smiled as he snapped his fingers, then walked through the front door, a small note on the table near the candle

Friends and neighbors of Marcus.

This candle is very special, made by a friend of your friendly neighborhood Marine.

This candle represents Marcus Renee.

The forest green of his military training.

The flaming heat is his passion to defend others

And the Purple flame representing his status among you all.

This candle will never extinguish until his dying breath.

Discord walked inside the home, it was cleaned recently if the light dust was anything to go by. He quietly examined the pictures, pictures of Marcus as a mere baby till he became a full fledged Marine. Pictures of his brother were right there beside him, looking proud as he followed in his brother and father's footsteps.

Discord’s eyes finally fell on a single picture. It was a combination of three photos, one with their father, standing tall in his dress uniform, the middle being Marcus, standing almost a half head taller than his father, and finally his brother coming up last, head shorter than his father. Each man standing next to one another, as if they took the photo the same day.

Photoshop, pretty good too. Discord mused to himself, looking at the words below the men.

'My Boys, the stubborn Marines'

Discord pulled the picture from the wall, and with a reach of his claw, dragged open a zipper in midair to breach his 'pocket' and gently put the photo in, along with several others. Discord quietly searched the house, only to flinch when he open a closet to find a Marlin Model 1894 rifle sitting inside.

He remembered getting shot in the face with that particular rifle in his trip across the multiverse...

Several times, in fact, by said owner of the weapon.

Then getting repeatedly stomped on by a robotic semi truck. That had hurt.

Discord shook his head, grinning as he grabbed the rifle and placed it inside his supposed pocket before moving on, until he finally managed to get into the attic, finding dozens of diaries inside an old chest. Discord frowned at the chest, running his paw over it as he felt familiar magic within the wood. He turned to the diaries and, by twirling his finger, the pages passed, glancing them over as he learned about Marcus' family, and more importantly, his mother.

Strangely enough, there was a time period were she didn't write a single diary entry for almost two years before starting up again. The last entry was utterly perplexing to any outsider if they were to read it. Discord began to read the last entry before the two year hiatus.

Dear Diary,

Something amazing happened today! I wish I could write it down, but I promised not to tell anyone. That means I can’t let the secret out to anything that could spread it, and Danny sometimes likes to poke around in you to find out what’s going on. Don’t worry, I’ll write everything I can once it’s all clear. Someday.

Discord frowned curiously as he flipped the page to find a newer entry after her two year sabbatical.

Dear Diary,

I know it’s been awhile since I wrote in you. I suppose it was because I got too busy with my friends, but they're gone now. I can't ever see them again. Neither Danny, nor Molly, are happy about it. I just wish I had more

I asked Danny and Molly to keep quiet about it. We would look crazy to Mom and Dad, and they were already worried about us disappearing most of the time. I even heard one of them talking about institutionalizing us or sending to certain doctors, though Molly insists they wouldn’t do that. Still, I have to worry, if we started saying things like we (The next section was so scratched out by pen marks that Discord couldn’t make heads or tails of what it was originally meant to say) We would get in a lot of trouble, lets just leave it at that.

I'm sixteen now... I suppose its time for me to start doing what sixteen year olds do best.

Discord looked at the next entry, snorting at the single short entry.

Dear Diary,

I am very bad at being a sixteen years old. Apparently I need to talk about boys, sex, make up, sex, bad music, sex, and getting my nails done.

Did I mention sex? I'm pretty sure I did.

Guess I'm glad I skipped that part of growing up.

Discord quietly shut the diary and put it back inside, before tossing the trunk in his pocket. Discord began to rummage through Marcus’ stuff, putting various clothes inside, along with some interesting books he found before zipping shut his pocket.

"Now then... let’s see here." Discord muttered to himself. Spreading his magic, gently touching the barrier of this reality, Discord looked for any signs of a portal in the area. When he looked up to the sky, a frown graced his face as he flew up and tore open the old tear. He must’ve spent at least thirty minutes examining it before he gave heavy sigh.

"Ohhhhh boy. Marcus will definitely not like this." Discord said to himself before snapping his claw and vanishing from the ranch.

New York City, New York; John F. Kennedy Airport, 2 hours later.

Cheerilee paced from one side of the room to the other. The talk with the various leaders have gone well, with only a few hiccups happening about the next move. The real hurdle she had to climb over was her plan to use this Equestria to get the much needed supplies.

Many agreed with her idea, but President Davis had all but cut it to ribbons with a simple sentence.

"Will they allow us to have it?"

Cheerilee looked down to her list, and swallowed nervously when the scope of what she was asking for finally revealed itself.

She was essentially saying for the other version of her world to starve while trying to feed this one. Things were getting bad here, and while the military was enjoying their rations (in which the US had in spades) the rest of the country was starving. Which wasn’t even touching on how bad it had become in other countries, such as Brazil. It had only been hours since she’d heard that transmission from Acevedo, and she still shuddered from the memory.

Law and order were slowly decaying in the chaos of this war and the approaching Barrier wasn't helping at all. Supplies being sent out to help feed other countries with massive crowds of refugees was dwindling down as the US hoarded its supplies to feed its own refugees. Militia groups were popping up, a majority of them waving the HLF flag and taking pot shots at the PHL ponies that were trying desperately to help their allies.

The HLF launched off as a decent group, but it drastically fell out of favor for their tactics of slaughtering everyone in a fallen town or city. Didn't matter if they were humans that just hid themselves from the PER and Royal Guards, they were killed all the same. Even worse was when videos sprang up of captured PER members being forced to drink the potion and were soon subjected to heinous acts.

Ponies who could have been anyone from the most hard-line conversion supporters to innocent refugees were tortured until they could no longer walk, eviscerated alive, eyes ripped out, and amputated of their limbs. There were even videos on the Internet of HLF members joking and laughing while they happily ate cooked Pony meat at a campfire, ponies could be heard screaming in agony while they were being skinned alive even after promising to spare their lives.

There were even many more videos on the Internet of HLF members laughing while they urinated on the corpses of Ponies, and on a rare occasion they did actually spare the lives and let some ponies go, but not before the mother or father had to choose which of their children lived or was to be shot dead right in front of their very eyes. Many couldn’t choose and thus were all killed and those that did choose often committed suicide afterwards, forced to cannibalize other Ponies at gunpoint only to be killed afterwards anyway, raped, the list went on and on. As a result of these heinous acts, many HLF members had defected within the organization, many of whom had joined other less extreme groups to fight for Humanity’s survival.

There had been a blog from Brazil, run by a doctor who treated pegasus wings, an Earth Pony refugee, and a policeman who claimed to have spent a lot of time in America. The policeman had called these groups “The single greatest threat to human-pony cooperation, barrier be damned,” and the Earth Pony had added, “dammit, you’re giving Celestia all the ammunition she needs!”

And it grew nastier until the final straw broke the camel's back. The US military decided to take action after a PHL mare that was attached to a medical unit, a nurse from Baltimare, was foalnapped and was to be 'made of example' on what to do to a pony and the PHL.

Cheerilee couldn't sleep after she read the medical records. She was tortured for days, amputated without anesthetic, cutie marks skinned off, teeth ripped out with dirty tools, raped for hours on end.

Marcus demanded to lead his marines once they located the base camp, which turned out to be a shanty city in the middle of nowhere, and he and dozens of his best men left that same night.

All she knew was that in a single night, the HLF movement grounded to a halt and either fragmented into radicalized sub-groups that were just as much of a danger to ponies as they were to everyone else, or were absorbed into task forces allied with Marcus. Kraber had been one of the latter, an infamous member of the German Menschabwehrfraktion before Aegis saved his life. The few hard-line HLF members that still existed within their bases looked upon Marcus as if he was Celestia herself before them. All she knew was that Marcus made an example of his own, and it struck fear in the hearts of even the most fanatical members of the HLF.

Rumors spread rapidly about Marcus within the human circles, that the small shanty city was devastated in a few short hours. It was rumored that not a single person was spared; every man, woman, and child was cut down, and it didn't help that there wasn't a single person to answer whatever happened that night sans Marcus and his team.

Their fear of Marcus and his wrath was the only thing keeping them in check. And now that threat was gone.

She had been steadily getting reports from various agencies around the States that the HLF was on the move. The HLF had heard what happened to Marcus, despite the gag order to keep his disappearance under wraps. Already they were pushing against several Military bases across the states, most notably Blount Island Command in Florida as they actually fired upon the Marines to get inside. The Marines were holding them off, but they were expressing severe doubts about how long they could keep fighting while trying to maintain a literal island base with little personnel on hand. They were already planning on destroying what they couldn't carry with them and move out in a convoy or by ship.

"This is bad." Cheerilee whispered to herself.

"What is?"  A voice asked from behind her, startling Cheerilee by how close it was to her, causing the mare to react and buck with all her worth. "Argh!?!”

There was a crash and a thud, and Cheerilee turned around to see a familiar tail laying limply outside a hole she created. Several humans and ponies standing outside, looking down at the dazed draconequus.  Discord weakly got up, smiling as several of his teeth drop from his mouth as he spoke. "Anyone got the number to that chariot..."

"I'm so sorry!" Cheerilee said again, gently putting an ice pack on Discord’s jaw, who only grimaced at the pressure.

"No, I deserve that. Just surprised Marcus hasn’t done it yet... then again, maybe I don’t want to find out." Discord mumbled as he looked down to the mare. "Marcus must love your legs, because they blow my mind... along with most of my skull with it."

Cheerilee blushed a bit at that. "He said he likes my flank, says he a butt man." She muttered, before her eyes widen in shock at what she said, covering her mouth. Discord only laughed, smiling at her as he rubbed her head.

"Ha! A good reason as any, so what’s the bad news?”

“A bunch of borderline-suicidal pro-human crazies are going to kill off our chance at victory,” she said simply, attempting to clear her flushing face by focusing on the issue on hand.

"Jeez, sorry I asked." Discord muttered as he looked down at the reports on the table. "So, who are these nutjobs?"

“The Human Liberation Front,” Cheerilee sighed, “I… I can understand them. Or at least I can understand why they are the way they are, but they’re damn near insane!"

"I see, so what do they have going for them?" Discord asked her as she walked out the door. She lifted her key to lock the door, only to remember the hole she created by mistake before simply dropping her key back in her saddle.

"Other than claiming to be the pride of humanity, not a 'horse fucker' like Marcus, and that they have humanity's 'good intention' at heart? Nothing." Cheerilee growled, her tail flicking in annoyance. "The Human Liberation Front may not be as well equipped than us; in fact, they are so poorly equipped that the Royal Guards would just send a horde of New Foals to take care of them. But they are certainly more insane, thus they are very dangerous and are not to be underestimated. Honestly, though, I think that most of what drives them is jealousy."

“Really?” Discord asked, intrigued. “Jealousy is the driving force for them? Not revenge?”

She nodded. “They’re jealous because we use Equestrian magic, and it works better than anything they do… though that implies that anything they do actually works. Not only that, but there have been so many people saying that our magic is humanity’s only hope...”

"Sounds like they are stubborn idiots trying to rely on good old human ingenuity and know-how in a situation where none of it applies very well, " Discord rubbed his beard, waiting for a response from the mare, but only got silence. He looked down to see what was wrong, but a strange look crossed Cheerilee’s face, and she seemed oddly focused on keeping her mouth closed.

One eye twitched as she began to giggle.

The floodgates opened, and she abruptly forgot how to stand on four hooves-no mean feat-and rolled on the floor, guffawing madly. It was the first time she’d laughed like that in what felt like years, though it was probably closer to months.

"Something I said that you found amusing?" Discord asked as he watched the fuchsia mare rolled across the ground.

“It’s…. it’s just,” she said in between bursts of laughter, “most of what we have is because of human ingenuity and know-how, but combined with Equestrian spellwork and runic knowledge."

She giggled a bit before looking up to Discord. "Did you know, when we first showed them the means to enchant armor to keep the user cool, they asked if it could be set at a certain temperature? We said yes, and then they asked us to enchant an engine block and keep the temperature below two hundred and ten." Cheerilee smiled at the memory. "That engine block was beefed up once they got rid of the cooling pumps, and they said it ran far faster they have ever seen before, with the temp gauge at a steady two-ten.  The humans have a particular genius-they can take our ideas and use them in ways we’d never imagined.”

"I see what you mean, and it only escalated with the application of runes." Discord said as the mare dusted herself off before she gave him a beaming smile.

"Yes it did. I remember being at the testing of the first runically enhanced gun--it was a light machinegun called the F3-Thunderlord. Powerful, but it had an unfortunate tendency to explode or electrocute the user after being fired long enough.” Cheerilee said as she continued her trip through the doors to the open hangar. "Placed a couple of cooling, absorbing, and strengthening runes later, that puppy was spraying all day...or at least, that is what Marcus said after he field tested it."

Cheerilee stopped for a moment, looking down to the ground, causing Discord to grimace slightly. He opened his mouth, but Cheerilee held up her hoof to him.

"I'm fine. I just miss him... so much. But he is alive, and that's all that matters." Cheerilee said, closing her eyes before looking out the window to the dozens of tanks, humvees, and dozens of personnel going about their duties. "Discord, do you believe your Equestria is ready? From the sound of it, they haven't even faced off against Sombra yet. And if so... they are wholly unprepared for war, even with the help of Griffons and Minotaurs."

"Sadly, that is true. Sombra hasn't quite made his appearance just yet." Discord answered, with Cheerilee giving a soft sigh. The doors open, allowing them out into the open air of the airport tarmac.

"The Crystal War wasn't that long, it barely lasted six months, but it was horrible. Lots of ponies got hurt or killed by Sombra’s army, but we prevailed over them." Cheerilee said to him, before she gave a small grin to Discord. "But, when we made contact with humanity, many ponies wondered why we didn't contact them sooner. This really didn't help the Tyrant's case as humans showed they were willing to help, even if it meant waiting for Sombra to stick his head through the portal and found himself staring at hundreds of guns right at him."

Cheerilee sighed as she sat down to admire the city’s skyline, her face reverting back to sadness. "I wish this war never happened. I wish we came together in peace, for there is so much that we could have accomplished by working together."

Discord gently patted her on the mane with his claw, followed by speaking in a surprisingly soft tone of voice, which was very unusual for someone like him. "I can assure you that humans and ponies are indeed friends in certain universes. Even lovers and partners in life." Discord gave Cheerilee a sly grin, causing her to blush softly at his teasing.

"Still, given Marcus' lineage, I am not too surprised really." Discord said as he stretched out.

"What?" Cheerilee blinked in confusion at this statement.

"I'll tell you when we have more time, my dear." Discord said as he began to walk away, missing the look of contemplation on the mare's face, before her eyes widen as an idea formed within her mind.

"Wait!" Cheerilee rushed over to him, "You said that time flowed differently in your Equestria from our own?”

"Thats correct." Discord said, with a raised eyebrow. "Hm, let see. For every two hours here, one entire day passes there. Granted, a quick portal might shorten it for a few seconds, but it will-"

"Perfect!" Cheerilee raced away, whooping as she barreled through the doors.

"Uh..." Discord stood on the tarmac, utterly lost. “What’s she going on about?”

John F. Kennedy Airport, Communication/Planning Area

Stephan rubbed his face, exhaustion clear to everyone in the room. Trixie laid nearby on a couch with paperwork strewn around her, reading a report on various spies that Fancy Pants left with her. Still, things were going surprisingly well, even with all that was going on.

First was the Elements, who reappeared at the Sleepy Hollow Bureau, expecting a ticket back home. Instead they found humans inside setting up explosives and ponies dismantling the runes. They vanished again before anyone could get a bead on them, but the reports did say they were utterly shocked and horrified to see them inside. They managed get behind the Barrier at Nova Scotia, taking one of the few remaining potioneer ships they still had across the sea. Give or take three or four days travel time, given that it was being pushed by propellers.

The second was the armies across the world near the barrier wall was falling back, even their airships, giving the troops at the locations much need breathing room. And while the ponies could easily get across the world in a matter of minutes thanks to the portal stations, their archaic ships weren’t so lucky. It would take them over a week to cross the massive amount of land they have covered, and a second week to restock everything for their trip and then cross the Atlantic, or whatever they planned on renaming it.

The third was the clearing of the Logan International Airport. When the fighting between themselves, Discord, and Luna against their leader escalated, all the Royal Guards and New Foals rushed out to use the confusion to overwhelm the defenders. Sadly for them, the one order that remained was to make every pony coming out of the ruin was to be shot on sight. Hundreds of Royal Guards and well over a thousand New Foals rushed out, only to get slaughtered. All airborne ponies were taken out before they even crossed the Boston Channel, and the land base horde attempts to crossing the Andrew McArlde Bridge found themselves swimming when they attempted to rush a choke point on the other side, when the entire bridge was rigged to blow.

The airport was cleared an hour later, no prisoners were taken as they all but threw themselves into the fight in 'honor' of Celestia. They found a burned out temp portal, along with a half-finished permanent Portal Station.

The last was the arrival of an updated weapon system that was put on the back burner for sometime. A thaumaturgical enhanced Blitzer Railgun. Highly modified and required two C-130s to transport the entire package, the people of Crowe Labs had taken the project and began to add magical applications to issues found in the first iteration.  It was to be placed on one of the carriers, to give it a more offensive capability instead of relying on its air support to defend it. Given what Stephan remembered about the project, the thing had crazy range on it, allowing it to shoot a target from well off with a good accuracy rating.

"Stephan!" Stephan head jerked at the sound of his name, he turn to see Cheerilee skid across the polished floor, yelping in surprise as she slided out of view. The entire room gave a small chuckle as they heard a crash, a cry of an apology, and the sounds of hurried hooves making their way back to the door. Stephan had to hold back to not burst in laughter. ‘I hope someone recorded this’ "Stephan!"

"Yes?" He backed up slightly as the mare gave him a beaming smile. 'Too... cute.' Stephan shivered as he felt someone glaring daggers at him, turning to see Trixie narrow her eyes at him, almost as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Stephan really hated the fact that most ponies came off as adorable and cute looking, the normal ones that is.

"I know how we can win this, or at least hold back her armies long enough to set troops on the other side of the barrier!" Cheerilee said excitingly, her eyes fill with hope.

"You do? How?" Stephan asked incredulously.

"The other Equestria, we can get all the items we need from them!" Cheerilee exclaimed, Stephan deflated at that response.

"Sorry, Cheerilee, but that won't work. We have less than-" Stephan began to answer, only for Cheerilee to puff up her cheeks and began to whine at him.

"Did you forget already?!" Cheerilee chided him. "Their Equestria runs faster than ours! "

Stephan open his mouth to retort, then his eyes slightly glazed over as his mind decided to remind him of that information.  He slapped his head, shaking his head and began to laugh at how tired he was. "Of course..."

"I already called out for dozens of armorers, gunsmiths, soldiers, and everything else I can think of to get themselves ready for the trip." Cheerilee said, smiling up at him. Stephan blinked several times at this, realizing what she was doing.

"You want us to upgrade their troops and offensive capabilities too?" Stephan said with surprise, then shook his head. "No, that will still take about a week to get together."

"Thats okay, cause I called in the Doctor help out." Cheerilee said with a smile.

"Oh, she’s a very clever mare, this one." Doctor said as he trotted through the door, a big smile on his face. "Took some time to work out the details, but it does work."

"How do you know this, Doctor?" Stephan asked with some skepticism,  crossing his arms with a frown on his face.

"Easy. I come from a week in the future." Doctor answered, giving Cheerilee a big smile. "And before you say it, yes, I can still jump in time, but I only into the past, not the future. It’s still too muddy due to the Barrier’s interference, and the TARDIS refuses to try and push it. But with this... this she can do. Anything else without proper planning and we could rip the world apart with paradoxes. Believe me, they are not very fun to experience."

"I'll take your word for it." Stephan dryly stated before he looked to Cheerilee. "So the only issue is getting the orders out."

"Yes, I talk to the Doctor on the way here, the present one, not the future one. He liked the idea and will get everything ready. Just need you to send the orders out and get the ball rolling." Cheerilee said, causing Stephan to turn to everyone in the room and give them a single nod.

"You heard Fräulein Cheerilee! Get going!" Stephan ordered, with the entire room bursting into activity.

"I managed to get one of the hangars, I got a lot of antsy ponies and humans waiting in the TARDIS. They should also take Spike with them to help heal his wounds without worry and in a safe environment. " Doctor explain as he look to Stephan.

"Good idea, Doctor." Trixie said, giving a small shiver. "I just hope the first person he sees is Luna or a human. I hate to see how he reacts if he saw Celestia."

"Agreed." They all said in unison before breaking apart to their respective duties.

"I'll go get Luna and Discord ready to go!" Cheerilee called out to the others before she raced around the corner.

"I have to inform the UN leaders of our plan, you get those people ready." Stephan told the Doctor as he hobbled to the plasma screen.

"Right, better avoid myself...wait, no I didn’t." Doctor said to himself before walking out the door and ran into himself.  "Hello me!"

"Well... this at least confirms it works." Present Doctor said as he examined his future self, walking around himself to take everything to note. "One week?"

"One week." Future Doctor nodded his head to his own question.

"Right then, off I go." Present Doctor said with a smile as he trotted off. Future Doctor stared at himself before shaking his head.

"Is that how I act to everyone around me? Sheesh, I act like a daft. No wonders Stephan dislikes me."

John F. Kennedy Airport; Hanger 17; Two hours later

"You zere! Set up near ze car! Closer... closer! Too close! Away! Yes, perfect! You, guards! Switch sides with your partner!" Photo was in her element as she position everything just right.  She had dozens of her people setting up cameras in this hangar-turned-museum. She needed this to be perfect, and she was thankful that Cheerilee called her as quickly as she did. This would be history in the making, plus Cheerilee had asked her to make sure that when Marcus walked through the portal, that she capture it and send it to various news stations. Most of which were already reporting Marcus' disappearance, this will allow everyone to know that he was still alive and reason of why he disappeared. She had made a small interview with Princess Luna and Discord, and knew she had a lot of editing to go through after this was done.

Everyone stood as one, ponies and humans standing side by side. All around, bent steel, crushed and damaged vehicles, and pictures of the deceased line the walls. Not a single person moved, even when Luna walked about the area and examined it all with a close eye.

She lightly placed her hoof on the old steel, understanding that this held a special place for the humans of the city of New York. She looked to see Discord standing in the small clearing, his eyes focused as he set up the portal.

The plasma screen was being set up with a camera, to allow communication between the people and the 'President', who was forced into hiding thanks to the Tyrant. Normally, Luna would call this a cowardly tactic, but Davis was described to have a rich military history and did not shy away from a fight. However, given all that he knew about the various deployments and dozens of secrets, his change could be a crippling blow to the cause.

She watched as the human turned on screen, seeing the President appear sitting behind a desk, a tired look on his face, but one filled with determination. The human saluted once before nodding to Luna.

Luna trotted forward, bowing slightly to the leader on the screen. "Greetings, President Jack Davis. Colonel Renee has spoken of you in our talks about who we should contact once we arrived in your world."

Davis smirked somewhat, finding something funny. "I take it he introduced himself as Colonel."

"Yes, is that not his rank?" Luna looked at him with confusion. The man's smile grew a little bigger, shaking with mirth.

"It is, but he gets a conniption fit whenever someone calls him 'Commander'. News network called him Commander and got stuck with it." The man laughed for a moment before giving her a level stare."I need the truth from you, Princess Luna. Can you give me that?"

"I shall."

"Good. I want my people to survive. Hell, I want the ponies and the others that laid their lives down for us to survive. I want your word that if this turns into a complete cluster fuck, I want you to save as many of my people as you can. All of them. Humans, ponies, diamond dogs, and the griffons." Davis said quietly, and yet his eyes held an edge that rivaled a dragon.

"You see them as your own? All of them?" Luna asked in surprise, gaining a nod from the man. Luna closed her eyes before looking back into the man’s eyes, never wavering as she spoke the next words. Anything less and she knew she would lose his respect.  "I will throw them on my back and carry them across. Equestria will take defense and allow your people to cross."

For a long moment, the President of the United States kept his stare, never wavering from her own eyes. Before he finally close them, relief spreading through his stance. "Thank you." He whispered before looking to the man standing by.  "Airman Jackson, get the people ready."

"Sir!" The man saluted before he turn to shout at the group of humans and ponies, and a single pair of griffons and diamond dogs. "Attention! Commander in Chief has some words for us."

The group rushed into place, standing in neat lines as they held themselves at attention. Not a single word was uttered as they stood, ready for their orders.

"Thank you, Airmen." President Davis looked about and frowned a bit when he saw Stephan hobble in, along with Trixie. "Major, I said it before, you don't have to be here for this."

"He's a stubborn ass." Trixie answered, to which Stephan gave a bright smile in response.

"What she said."

Davis only shook his head before turning back to the group. "As most of you now understand, you have gone back one week in time. Congratulations, you all became the first time travelers of recorded history of Earth. Sadly, the 'how' will be left unsaid, the paperwork alone for this will be made on black paper, with black ink and buried under the infamous red tape."

This caused a bit of a chuckle to spread in the group. Davis frown as he looked about, before scowling. "It also appears I am short a CO."

"Almost done." Discord grumbled before snapping his claw, the sound of ripping echoed out in the hanger, everyone watched as a colorful portal opened before their eyes. Discord smiled as he admire the portal before looking back to the others. "Allow me to check it out, might have got it wrong."

Discord gave a single wave before sticking his head in. For a long moment, he just stood there, before his body jerked around, causing everyone to step back. Discord pulled his head back, screaming as half of his face fell apart and revealed his skull, shocking everyone and even causing a mare to faint.

Even Davis was stunned by this development,  and was about to order everyone out when Discord started laughing, his face reforming on to his skull. "Hahahaha! You should see the looks on your faces! I swear this was -ugh!? Wait, not the face, not the face?! Argh!?!"

Cheerilee scowled as she marched back, a bruised Discord picking himself off the floor. Luna stood next to him, an eyebrow raised on her face as she look down on him. "Having fun?"

"Shut up." Discord muttered before looking to Davis. "He's coming."

Canterlot, Equestria; Royal Study; One week after Discord and Luna's departure

'You could have ended this ten moves ago.'

'I know.' Marcus answered as he looked at the chessboard, elbows on the table, his fingers linked together and held at his lips. Normally, people answering voices in their heads was a sure sign of Insanity. Marcus had the dubious luck of actually having an entity living within his mind. 'I want to gauge her strategy ability, Tia.'

'I know,  but its so boring. You’re playing her like a piano master. And she doesn't even know it yet.'

'I believe she is used to taking a fight to her enemies, not leading armies. Good leadership quality, I give her that, but its pretty bad when everyone believes you be a master strategist when your only move is a show of force and flare. Both friend and foe.' Marcus mentally rolled his eyes as Celestia predictably moved her strongest piece, the knight, to take his first bishop. 'She's good, but she's not used to someone who plays with tactics like me.'

'Tactics that requires large sacrifices is normally not a sound tactic, either in game or warfare.'

'No... but it gets the point across.' "Check mate." Marcus said without moving a single muscle as he magically moved the Rook across the board. The Rook wavered in the air as it made its trip, before finally landing, trapping the King between it, a pawn, a knight, and a bishop.

"Oh..." Celestia stared down at the board, seeing many of her white pieces still on the board, while Marcus had only a third of his pieces left. "I see... this was a lesson to me, while you practice your magical control."

Marcus nodded his head as he leaned back in his seat, watching as Celestia stared at the board for a long time. It had been a very long week for Marcus as he drilled the various officers of their respective nations on the tactics of the Solar Tyrant's armies and what to expect of the New Foals. They all been disgusted with the wasteful tactics, such as ordering the New Foals to charge straight into machine guns at heavily fortified positions to try convert more Humans into Ponies, but Marcus reminded them that while it seemed wasteful, they had plenty of reserves to rely on, given the fanatical display they had for their 'Queen'. He told them horror stories of New Foals rushing headlong into battle, missing a leg or having their sides ripped open, not even caring about their own health even as they were tripped up in their own intestines as long as they had a chance to serve the Queen. Of an anonymous earth pony who had joined the Ukrainian military forces, whose claim that the purpose of New Foals was to clog guns with bodies had become an overnight meme.

During that time, he was also working on his control. With the large abundance of magic in the area, it allowed him to practice without relying on nearby unicorns to recharge him. Using the control practice that Vinyl taught him, he continued with his practice until he could feel the burning, telling him that he was overusing his runes.

Lately though, the over-usages were happening later and later, forcing Marcus to perform more advanced control practices. This was the first time Marcus was able to move a small object without lodging it into a wall or table.

The sound of running hooves gained their attention. Celestia’s horn glowed as she opened the door, the guard had just raised his hoof to tap.

"Yes?"

"Princess, Colonel. Discord has returned, he has opened the portal in the throne room, he has requested that Colonel Renee come through, on orders from his 'President'." The guard relayed.

Marcus stood up and stretched as he walked out, Celestia following suit. Marcus popped his neck, giving Celestia a sidelong look as she walked beside him.

"Shit, I hope you are not planning on coming through with me." Marcus asked as they turn a corner.

"And cause all sorts of trouble? I think not. I am going to escort the Elements down to the throne room.  I will have Luna's Night guards take the place of my own. I fear the sight of my Day Guards may cause them to be... uncomfortable." Celestia answered as she walked down the path.  "Marcus... I wish for you to take Lyra with you."

Marcus stopped for a moment, before shaking his head. "No... I grew to know her, and I call her a friend, but she is not the Lyra I knew and cared for. That’s okay, but these people... the ponies, of the PHL. They revered her. She is their version of Jesus, seeing her coming out of the portal with me... I don't know what that will do, give them hope maybe? Then they realize she is nothing more than a scared mare thrusted into an unfamiliar environment, not the savior figure they came to revere.."

"Can she not be?" Celestia asked, with Marcus shaking his head.

"No... I don’t want her to go through all the loss her counterpart has gone through." Marcus stop for a moment, staring at the door to the throne room. "Her final moments were quoting a speech from a movie she loved. Never again... I'm not going through that again."

"I see... well then, I will not push the issue. I still wish to bring her along with the Elements." Celestia said, before pausing for a moment. "Are you sure that they will be bringing people to help us prepare?"

"Cheerilee knows me too well, plus she is a smart woman. She will get that spark and she will have dozens of plans in place." Marcus said with a small chuckle, gaining a nod from Celestia as she turn to leave.

Marcus gave a small sigh, his thoughts returning to Lyra, both the old and new. Both so similar to one another, and yet so different at the same time. He could only hope the group coming through knew the difference between the Lyras of both worlds.

“She may never reach what they remember, but she will do her part in keeping that memory alive. Just like she did for you.”

Marcus hummed a bit at the response before opening the doors, seeing Discord's head floating in a colorful swirling vortex.

'You feel nervous?'

'I would be lying if I said no.'Marcus made his way to the portal, his steps measured as he got closer. 'Showtime.'

Discord pulled his head back from the portal, a smile on his face. He looked at the assorted personnel gathered in the hanger. Almost two hundred humans and ponies were standing by, each of them ready to cross over to Equestria to help give them a fighting chance.

Discord stood next to the portal, giving Luna a small nod as she stood on the other side of the portal.  Luna looked back to the assorted crowd before taking a deep breath.

"Soldiers! I ask you to stand at attention for the return of your leader!" Luna called out, her voice carrying easily across the massive hangar.

The swirling colorful portal dimmed as a humanoid figure appeared within, the hazy figure becoming clear as he walked through.

Cheerilee’s breath hitched, her heart pounding as she found herself rushing over to him, tears streaking as she leapt up at him, caught by a familiar pair of arms, that swung her around with a light laugh.

"Hey, Cher." The man whispered as he hugged her close.

"Marcus..." Cheerilee cried softly hugged him. "I missed you... I missed you so much."

"Me too, Cher." Marcus Renee smiled as he set her on her rear legs, cupping her face with his hand. He looked around, his smile increasing in size as he took note of all the personnel standing by. "Glad I got me a smart girl. You read my mind, Cher."

Cheerilee blushed as she looked away, embarrassment rushing through her as she realized where she was at. She turn to see many of the ponies smiling at her, along with many humans. Marcus stepped away, smirking as Stephan hobbled up to him.

"You look like shit, Bauer." Marcus chuckled as he shook the man’s hand.

"Still better even before you got that boot in your face, Renee," Stephan gave a small bark of laughter, "your nomination for me to take over in case you were unable to perform your duties added a very large load on me. Getting in the face of the Tyrant didn't help much, even if she was a fake. On top of that, I had Kraber to deal with, so..."

"Sounds like I missed a great party, but time is of the essence. Are you ready?" Marcus smirked at the confused look on Stephan's face.

"Ready? For what?"

"To train your new recruits." Marcus said with a smile as he walked pass. The stunned look on the German-born soldier’s face was priceless as far as Marcus was concerned. He turned to the plasma tv, seeing President Davis looking back at him. Marcus stood at attention, saluting at the screen. "Sir! Colonel Marcus Renee reporting as requested, I have managed to secure an alliance that will help us with this war, sir!"

"Good work, Marine. You are an example for all of us to follow." Davis returned the salute. "However, I take it there is something else to report."

"Yes, sir. I request I stay behind in Equestria to help hone my abilities and strengthen my chances against our enemies," Marcus said to him, before looking to Stephan. "I also ask if the EU will grant me the request of taking Major Stephan Bauer with me to help our allies with training. "

"I see... that will leave an opening in the UN leadership, Colonel," Davis told him, Marcus nodded his head to this before looking to Cheerilee.

"I nominate Ms. Cheerilee Cherry to the position." Marcus said, causing the entire room to fill with hushed whispers. Cheerilee herself was stunned at this turn of event, actually sitting down by the announcement. "She has been by my side through this war, sir. She has a keen sense of the people around her to help them in anyway she can, wades through paperwork like no one’s business, and she has a sharp eye for detail. She has seen knos how the structure works, well-known and respected by many military leaders, both foreign and domestic, and she has reign of the PHL under her hooves. I believe she is the perfect candidate. "

"I nominate for her as well," Stephan said, standing next to Marcus, "besides, she went hoof to hoof with the Tyrant's avatar and laid a beat down I didn’t know was even possible. After that, no one could doubt her efforts for this war."

Marcus blinked at those words, turning to look at Cheerilee with a stunned look on his face. “She… she what?!”

“You heard me.” Stephan said with a grin, expecting the shocked look to appear on Marcus' face. Marcus turned to look at Cheerilee, a frown on his face as she was still trying to comprehend her new status. He closed his eyes, chuckling a bit before he gave a bark of laughter, startling the mare out of her stunned state. “Turns out somebody took video of it and uploaded it last night.”

"W-w-wait!" Cheerilee stammered out. "I can't be leader of this task force! I'm not even part of your world's military!"

Stephan frowned as the mare seem rather put off by this quick change, then again, this was a tall order to fill, given that Marcus has been leading this group for almost three years running. But one he felt she was ready to fill in. "Wait, I’m sorry, I must be confused, I was sure for a moment we were talking about Cheerilee, the one that lead a small group of protestors against her own nation. The same group that we call PHL today, the same group that joined the armies when things got bad, the same army lead by one and only for the time things got bad! I am seriously doubting a pony, the same pony who trained with others in Europe when the time was needed, the same pony whom gave herself to an experiment of runes when it was yet to be proven useful but it was said that it could help! The very same one, that saved my sorry ass today! the only pony I would ever trust my head with a loaded gun.”

"B-b-but-"

"You also helped us understand magic on a fundamental level, allowing us to create a means to gauge magic with the very tools we have on hand. You also convinced various governments, radicals, and terrorist organizations to help combine their efforts in the fight against your former nation’s crazed leader." Davis ticked off several more point in the mare's favor.

“That was Marcus!” Cheerilee protested.

“And I couldn’t have done any of that without you,” Marcus pointed out, "in fact, I clearly remember being absent for the Taliban meeting, and sent someone else along in my stead. The guy said you took control of the meeting when it was going south. An hour later, you had the entire group agreeing to help out. Considering who you were talking to, that is fucking impressive!"

"Ms. Cherry, you are one astounding woman." Davis replied, causing the mare to blush brightly at his praise. "And the UN agrees with me. As of now, by the power invested in me by the UN, Ms. Cheerilee Cherry, you are now Commander of the UN Taskforce. Every single UN and Allied military assets; All personnel, air, ground, and sea, is at your disposal. The PHL won a major victory today, we recognize you as citizens of both Earth and the true Equestria, and welcome you among our ranks here at the United Nations."

Cheerilee lost all feeling in her body, she looked around to see many ponies beaming at her and giving a cheer. She looked to the humans, all of them from various nations, some of which did not technically exist anymore, standing at attention and saluting her.

It was overwhelming, a little terrifying, and awe-inspiring.

"Congratulations, Commander Cherry," Davis said to her, "you are the first civilian and pony leader to ever lead a military unit of this size. My soldiers are at your command, you will lead us just as well as Marcus did."

"Better even." Marcus said out loud, causing many to agree.

"Thank you. All of you," Cheerilee said, this feeling, this overwhelming feeling. She felt terrified that this was a huge mistake, happiness at the fact they trusted her, and proud of what she’d accomplished that had lead her to this point.

’It’s simply amazing,’ Luna thought to herself as she looked upon the stunned mare, ’Absolutely amazing. This is what the Bag and its pet mockery of my sister and Equestria plan to destroy in the name of Harmony? In their current states, none of them would know Harmony if it blasted them in the face. Harmony isn’t the aggressive opinion of one; it’s millions coming together and joining together for a worthy cause.’

She couldn’t help it. She cheered along with the rest of the ponies and humans in the crowd, louder than any of them, with twice as much vigor. She would later swear that for the first time in a long time, she had very nearly been drowned out by the cheers of others.

"Attention!" Davis dictated out, causing everyone to fall under a hush tone, the entire hanger to stand at attention. "You know your mission. Go to Equestria, help train their soldiers, improve their weapons and defenses, and everything else that can be done to help keep their soldiers alive on the battlefield. Keep in mind, that you are going to meet faces that you absolutely want to cave in, that you want to tear apart. In all likelihood, you will feel all-consuming rage! Hell, the first faces you might see could be Celestia and the Elements of Harmony themselves, but you must remember, these are not your enemies.”

“You will perform your task, and you will show them that WE can work together as one. That we are not the monsters that the Tyrant makes us out to be, your conduct represents all of us. Do not make us look like a bunch of bumbling, murderous trigger-happy baboons. This is not our first, second, or third chance, it is not plan A or plan B, there is no backup, there is no second line of defense that can wipe the enemy off the map, it is our ONLY chance and we are the ONLY defense! Do you understand the scope of this mission, the gravity of the situation?!"

"Yes sir!" All two hundred answered as one.

"Good... then go out there and make your world proud of you. Colonel Renee, the mission is yours. Send them through." Davis ordered, which Marcus saluted once and turn to the group.

"Company!" Marcus roared out, causing all of them to straighten up. "You will go through, you will make us look like we are the BEST DAMN example of what we can achieve together as one, both humans and equestrians. If I so much as hear ANY of you make us look like the DUMB FUCKS that we fight, you can expect my FOOT going right up your ASS while I make you clean the castle floors one stone at a time with your TONGUE. Do I make myself CLEAR?!"

"YES SIR!"

"Good,  get the gear and let’s move. We have wasted enough of our time as it is.  Fall-" Marcus began to order the dismissal, but Stephan gave his own bark of orders.

"Company, stand fast!" Stephan gave a sidelong look to Marcus, who gave him a very confused look at being under cut by Stephan.  "Please allow our medical team and their patient go first."

Twin doors open and the sound of squeaking wheels gain Marcus' attention. He turn to Stephan, looking for answers "Patient?" Stephan only gave a small nod in the direction of the squeaking.

“Be careful with him.” Stephan said with a loud but not harsh tone. Marcus eyes went wide as he saw a flat trailer with an purple dragon with green spikes drove by, surrounded by dozen of Medics and other personnel who took care of him. Marcus soon noticed the wounds on the creature. "His name is-"

"Spike, I know." Marcus said quietly, staring at the dragon with shock.

Stephan rose a brow at that. “Guess you already meet him in the other Equestria?”

"He barely came up to my knees..." Marcus whispered, staring at the dragon until it reached the portal, Luna giving a single nod before escorting him through.

Stephan followed the transport with his eyes until they left through the portal. ‘Stay strong, Spike. I hope we can truly meet when you get up again.’

"What the hell happened to him?" Marcus asked quietly, "The reports we had was that he was in hiding."

"The Tyrant happened. And those reports were wrong. So very wrong." Trixie whispered before looking away. "If you wish for more information, ask Princess Luna."

"Right then," Marcus closed his eyes for a moment before turning to the group, "fall out!"

"Also have couple more personnel to add to the list." Stephan said to him, watching as the group began to gather their gears at a hurried pace.

“Who?” Marcus asked.

“Us.” said an unfamiliar man. He was tall and thin with a small mustache,  clad in a suit of unfamiliar green riot armor with dull yellow stripes. He carried a huge revolver and a .45 automatic on each hip, and had a rifle like a hybrid of an FN FAL and an AN94, and a weird, slightly bulbous shotgun on his back. His eyes were icy blue, like a husky’s.

“Isaac Acevedo, Crowe Labs Security detail and former Brazilian Armed Forces.” He said, shaking Marcus’ hand. He definitely sounded Brazilian, anyway. Marcus vaguely remembered a detachment from them in Mexico City. “A couple of friends and I are here to help secure a weapon drop off and deliver a second blueprint. Of course the brainiacs weren't to sure of making these copies for another Equestria, but given what Major Bauer and Ms. Cheerilee had told them, sounds like they are going to need it.”

Next to him were two odd characters. One was a man in the same green and yellow armor, indeterminately dark-skinned, not so much fat as he was large, with a small beard that barely concealed a number of nodules and other blemishes on his chin. He had what looked like an oversized light machinegun, so huge that “light” didn’t fully apply anymore, like something out of an old comic book. The other was a chocolate-brown earth pony with an orange mane and a wholly incongruous gently spinning beanie, and a cutie mark of an old video game controller. He had a sheaf of papers in his saddlebag and was, equally incongruously, wearing a similar set of armor, though it was lighter around the legs. He had an assault saddle with a similarly large weapon on it.

The large dark-skinned man reached into the Earth Pony’s saddlebag, and pulled out one of the papers. “Isaac Dan Der Grimnebulin, licensed doctor,” he said as he handed it to Marcus, “I seem to have a talent for wings, though.”

“And Button Mash, Sir!” the earth pony with the beanie said, making one of those bizarre, seemingly anatomically impossible salutes that ponies made each day.

“That’s the blueprint, Sir,” Acevedo said, “so now that is done, I believe we can help you make this other Equestria into a bona-fide army.”

“What is this?” Marcus said, poring over one of the papers, realizing it was a blueprint. “Blitzer Electro-Thaumaturgic Railgun-”

“ETR.” Button Mash insisted, for no explicable reason.

Marcus blinked as he looked up, an unsure look on his face. "Blitzer ETR... Why do I have the feeling that name doesn't quite fit."

“Cause it’s not just a railgun,” Button Mash explained, “it’s a little more like the M6 Punt from-” he stopped, realizing that no-one would get the reference. “Right. It uses magical fields to propel ferromagnetic slugs at 4 kilometers per second, but imbues them full of enough unstable thaumaturgons to power a small town. Makes a hell of a mess of anything they hit, and any magical shields won’t be worth shit when it hits them.”

"So... its a magical exploding lava shooter.” Marcus said blankly.

“I never said lava.” Button Mash said.

"A magical smelter combustion gun, then."

“Also not quite.” Button began to explain, but was interrupted once more.

"It shoots melting bullets that explode, that’s basically what you told me." Marcus deadpanned at the recorded mental image. "Smelter that shoots melted globs of metal that disperses violently on contact. Got it. Bring it on board then."

“But it’s nothing like a smelter!” Button yelled. “And they don’t melt in the rails! It’s a more advanced version of a railgun that will destroy everything in its path, and-”

"Whatever, bring it." Marcus said walking away, helping a mare with her pack. Button's eyes twitched as he stared at his retreating back.  Cheerilee gently walked up to him and tapped his shoulder.

"Button, I think he got it." Cheerilee said, but Button growled out.

"He just called it a 'Magical Smelter Combustion Gun'! Does he not know how advanced this is!? It’s almost 200 years ahead of its time!" Button growled as glowered at Marcus.

"Button Mash, do you not realize that Marcus understood what you told him?" Cheerilee asked him plainly, realizing she might need to finish before Button threw an angry fit. "You lost me at 'ferromagnetic slugs' Button. And probably everyone else."

"Yeah, I had no idea what you were talking about." Stephan shook his head, shrugging to the young stallion. Trixie nodding in agreement with him.

“Oh…” Button said. “OH! I’m so sorry about that. It’s just like all those presentations back in class…” he sighed.

“If anything, it was better!” Cheerilee said, patting him on the head, just in front of his beanie. “Especially--”

“I got it.” Button interrupted. There was no way he was remembering the last school project he did before he left Ponyville. The Crusaders had worked on it with him, just as the brainwashing had hit fever pitch, and-well, it was best left unexplained.

"Is he right though?" Stephan asked, as Button closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"In a way. Still I can’t believe...he...described..." Button trailed off, his jaw hanging open.

“Easy there,” Acevedo said, “this isn’t exactly common knowledge.”

"No... I mean, he understood exactly what I was telling him." Button exclaimed in shock. "He simplified it for the rest of you! I thought he was a simple jarhead?!"

"Marcus?" Cheerilee smiled as she saw Marcus helped two ponies hitch up to a wagon  full of gear. "No, he has a Bachelor’s in Physics, so he can apply for military research programs once he retires. He said he was planning on getting his Masters if had the time, you know, before this whole war started."

"What?!" Button exclaimed.

"Alright people, hurry up. The more time we waste, the less time we got!" Marcus called out, causing everyone to move a little faster.

“That’s right,” Grimnebulin said, “burnin’ daylight. Let’s go gentlemen. ”

Cheerilee watched as the group approach the swirling portal, the first human reaching out and sticking a finger in it before pulling away. He turned and smiled to the others, only for Discord to appear and shove him through.

"Come on, get a move on, you just saw Marcus walk through it." Discord growled in annoyance, causing the others to hurry their pace.

Stephan waited at the end of the group, hearing the rush of hoofsteps coming up behind him.

"Got our stuff." Trixie said to him, levitating Stephan’s duffle bag and her own. Stephan smirked a bit as he looked to her.

"Guess I don’t have any say in the matter of you coming?"

"Not at all." Trixie replied as she walked by his side, gently leaning against him to help him through the portal.

A few minutes later, only the guards, Photo Finish and her crew, Cheerilee, and Marcus were the only ones left. Marcus turned and smiled, kneeling down to her to speak to her in private.

"Cher, I have a favor to ask." Marcus said quietly, gaining her attention from the hypnotic swirling portal.

"Yes?" Cheerilee was shaken from her daydreams, quickly looking to Marcus.

"I want you to start asking around for a certain group. The area they work in is the Asian front; they deal with scouting parties and forward assault groups. They're good at what they do, so I am in need of their assistance." Marcus told her, cupping her face and leaning down close. Cheerilee felt her breath quicken, her face flustered with love and frustration.

Marcus always did this, come on to her, showing all the signs of being romantic, and then talked business while performing these acts.

It was cruel and unusual...

And she wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

"What's their names?" Cheerilee replied steadily, her eyes became half lidded, what Marcus called 'bedroom eyes', much to her embarrassment.

"No names, S.O.P, you know the drill." Marcus’ breathing became just a little more husky, sending chills up and down her spine. "Callsign is Dragons of the East, if you want their attention, that’s how you do it."

"Kind of corny, don't you think?" Cheerilee placed a hoof on his chest, leaning in closer to him.

"Corny yes, but they got that name for a reason, and that they leave nothing but scorched ground in their wake."  Marcus gently brushed back some of her mane, causing her to close her eyes as she felt his hand brush against her coat.

"I'll... see what I can do." Cheerilee's reply was heavy with seduction, breathing deeply as their faces was inches apart.

"Good, I know one of them. Tell them Marcus has a need of their services." Marcus smiled before leaning down and finishing up with a deep kiss.

Cheerilee felt her world tilt slightly, and everything became background noise as far as she was concerned. Those warm familiar lips, his hand cupping her face, and the feeling of how much he loved her. It was like a drug to her, she felt like she can do this forever, just hold onto him and never let go and everything will work out.

Marcus gently pulled away, place his forehead against her own. "I love you, Cher.”

Cheerilee felt tears running down her cheeks, she wasn't sure why or when she started crying, but she wrapped around his neck and held him just a bit longer. "You better not mess around with my twin, okay? Just because we are the same pony doesn't mean it counts."

Marcus gave a small laugh, cupping her face and burning her tearful face to memory. "You got it."

"I love you." Cheerilee said, before gently pushing him away. "Now go, we wasted enough time. Go get us an army worth standing by."

"Yes, Commander Cherry!" Marcus laughingly barked out as he stood up and walked towards the spinning vortex.

"Just so you know! You're getting this job back when you come back!" Cheerilee yelled at him as he walked up to the portal, which Marcus only gave a single wave before walking through.

Cheerilee gave a small sigh as she watched as the portal shrank and popped out of existence, a small smile on her face.

The lens on the camera focused on Cheerilee's face before finally pulling away and shutting off. The blue mare smiled as she nodded to the camera crew. "And ve are done here, ze magiks has been captured! Come! Ve have much vork to do!"

Sons of Legacies: Part 1

Sons of Legacies

Part 1

Authors:

Redskin122004

Proudtobe

Editors:

Beyond the Horizon

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

Rush

Dedicated to:

Drawdex

Who was always be a pain in my ass but he made us work to make sure the story got out the right way. Due to the nature of the subject, I will not say why he left the group, only that it was not by choice. I hope that things go alright for him, that he stays strong, and we will be here for him when he gets back.

We are friends after all. No matter how we get on each other’s nerves.

"It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not."

-J.R.R. Tolkien

"No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens."

-Veronica Roth

Canterlot Castle

"It’s beautiful." Stephan whispered in awe as he watched the sunrise, Trixie snuggling up next to him on the bed as they looked out the balcony with a grand view of Equestria before them. It all looked fuller somehow as the sun rose over the land, as if the sun breathed new life into everything it touched with its light. A far cry from what their agents behind the Barrier described.

"It is, isn't it?" Trixie murmured as she nuzzled him affectionately. "It doesn't feel or look wrong, I don’t feel nausea or strangely cold when the sun comes up, it's exactly how I remembered Equestria used to be when I was younger... Too bad I never took the time to appreciate it."

"We don't appreciate the things we have until they’re gone," Stephan muttered, gently kissing Trixie on her cheek, rubbing her cutie mark with his free hand, causing a small blush to form on her cheek. "But I definitely appreciate you."

Trixie giggled as Stephan rolled over her and began to kiss her deeper, only for him to groan and flop over onto his back, holding his side. Trixie gave an amused sigh as she gave him a long look, her hoof to her cheek. "You know, if we went to the hospital or saw a medical unicorn, we can be having a little more fun than just enjoying each others presence."

"I'll get right on that." Stephan wheezed as he rolled to the edge of the bed and struggled to sit upright. "Besides, I have to start setting up training exercises for the troops coming here for training."

"There’s something else, you’ve been brooding over it all last night." Trixie draped herself onto his back, mindful of his injuries. She gently kissed his neck as he gave a soft groan as he reached up and rubbed her ear.

"Trixie..." he moaned as Trixie gave a small nip at his earlobe. "You tease a wounded man. You know how that riles me up."

"I know." Trixie murmured as she buried her face into his neck, taking in his musky scent with gusto as she continued her teasing. "All part of my charm. Still didn't answer my question though. Maybe I'll stop or maybe I'll continue. Depends on the answer you give me."

"Hm.."

Last night

It had only been a few hours since the group arrived in Equestria, and Luna's Night Guards had led the two hundred plus group to their quarters. So far, Stephan hadn't seen hide nor hair of this alternate world's Princess Celestia or the Elements.

"So, where are they?" Stephan asked as he limped behind Marcus.

"Hmm?" Marcus looked to him in confusion.

"Celestia. The Elements," Stephan clarified, groaning inwardly at the sight of the steps.

"Staying out of sight, and for good reason, too. They know how most of you would react,” Marcus said. It wasn’t accusatory, and Stephan suspected there was a story in that. “They’ll meet us later on. Right now, we have a lot to discuss about. Namely the reports I have been reading." Marcus stopped at the top of the stairs to wait for the wounded man. "You should really get those looked at."

"Later." Stephan grunted as he walked past him. Marcus only sighed as he closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"Your choice. The reports I read stated that we fended off the first attack, losses were at a minimum, and that we managed to stop the entire invasion force in its tracks." Marcus stated, the sheer amount of pride can be heard in his voice. "Then came the 'fake' Tyrant. While outclassed in sheer power, it showed that our weapons can still hurt her, and that she is becoming more nervous. She sent a clone, which means we already reached the point where we can physically harm her. After the beat down we gave her, it showed just how much progress we made in this war."

Stephan chuckled a bit, it was true. It was the first time they had ever turned away the Solar Tyrant's forces. "I only helped."

"Like hell you did! You punched the living shit out of her! Fuck, you cut her in half! That doesn't seem like just 'helping' to me, that’s kicking ass and taking names!" Marcus rounded on him, his eyes filled with hope and pride. "Hell, you helped train half of the PHL troops, we wouldn’t be anywhere near the shape we’re in without them.  They were right there with us as we turned them away, we couldn't have done this without them. It was thanks to you and your team in training the first batch of PHL soldiers, and I need that now more than ever."

"Huh?" Stephan looked at him, utterly confused. Marcus didn't answer as he opened the door for him, leading him into Marcus' room. Stephan whistled at the room decor, taking in all the expensive items within. "Classy."

"You should have seen it when there were a bunch of knick knacks everywhere. Really put me out of my element for a bit until I tossed a every shiny and distracting items into a chest." Marcus groaned as he led Stephan to a paper strewn table. "We’ve known each other for almost three years now, Stephan. Hell, we pulled each other out of the fire more than once, and I need you to do something that I can only trust a few others to do." Marcus said as he walked over to large box that was given to him when the group first arrived, a care package that Vinyl and Spitfire made for him, smiling when he found what he was looking for in all the food and other items.

"What’s that?" Stephan took a seat, looking at the various scrolls with Marcus' handwritings all over them. 'A barrier device?' Stephan grabbed the scroll to see Marcus circling the words along with dozens of other thoughts.

'A barrier like the one we know is not possible with stand alone spell work, Celestia and Twilight said as much. Magical construct running off magic? Possibly, but the amount of magic it would take to cover a whole planet is too much for any unicorn or self-called goddess to bring up. Using Equestria as power source? Possible; explains the Dearth somewhat, at least for native ponies. Newfoals self-explanatory. Power source is something else, though, Discord's perhaps? I can't help but think that there is a missing piece... I need to think on it, but even if we don't figure it out, we need to take the device out of action.'

"As you can see, I have been busy on my own end. Talking with Celestia and Twilight, they both said the same thing about the barrier." Marcus sat down and passed him a Reissdorf Kölsch, no doubt that these few came from Marcus' stash in his private room in HQ.

Cheerilee's doing no doubt.

Both men snapped open their drinks and gently tapped one another in a mock toast. "That it doesn't run off a mere spellwork frame. The strain of even trying to shoulder that load would kill the Tyrant before it even reached a quarter mile from the original portal. Plus it would be far too complicated and needs multiple spells to work off one another just to work, so the spells need to be woven into something physical. Like Magic Crystals to stabilize the spells so they don't shatter under the load of magic."

"You mean..." Stephan eye's widened in surprise as he got the gist of what he was saying.

"That’s right," Marcus said as he smirked at him, raising his beer to him. "The barrier can be destroyed; not at the pink wall, but at its source."

Stephan leaned back, smiling at the man before him. "Damn, this entire time we were thinking it was some spell that the Tyrant cast and the only way to stop it was by killing her."

"Exactly. Only she would know, and we don’t have as many ponies well-versed in magic as we would like… fucking University Drafts,” Marcus sighed, placing his beer down. Both of them had heard the stories of how the Royal Guards had visited the top universities in Equestria, and immediately given the strongest and smartest unicorns jobs in the government, either in the Royal Guard or in more supporting roles. The few unicorns of great skill that they had were either escaped academics that were often easing themselves into semi-retirement, self-taught like Trixie, or less-than-entirely-patriotic students who had slipped out before the Tyrant could warp their brains. The bulk of their unicorns, however, were untrained laborers or civilians from towns like Ponyville or lower-income areas of cities such as Hoofington. “Anyway, most people and ponies probably think about it the same way, " he gave Stephan a long look. "And I need you to go in and destroy it."

"Why me?" Stephan asked in confusion.

"Because as a 'Knight', I need you to take Canterlot Castle for our kingdom," Marcus chuckled a bit, seeing the scowl forming on Stephan's face. "The Tyrant wants this device as close to her as possible, but still have it remain hidden from view."

Marcus stood up and opened his arms to declare his point. "This castle is a fortress, just getting in will be a hassle, and that's here. Lately though, I’ve read we managed to bypass a runic Bureau and ransack the place. This is the next step."

"I see... who shall I bring then? I'll feel comfortable with my own team, but I suspect you want others in as well," Stephan said before he took a swing of his beer.

"Of course. I'm attaching a group from the Asia front. The Dragons." Marcus chuckled at the look on Stephan's face.

"Shit... I know we need firepower, but that’s a bit much," Stephan muttered.

"If this war is to end and not sacrifice the lives of not only our world, but this one as well, we need to bring everything we got. We aren’t the HLF maniacs, we got where we are by using everything at our disposal," Marcus stated, clenching his fist.

"Well said, Colonel," a familiar voice responded behind Stephan. Stephan reacted without thinking, he jumped to his feet, bringing up his machete and transforming it on the swing.

Celestia made no move as the blade hovered at her neck, Stephan's eyes dilated as they took in the alicorn before him, anger and rage burning throughout his entire being. HER.

'KillherkillherkillherkillherKillherkillherkillherkillher!' Stephan struggled to move the blade, but was unable to. He look to his wrist, expecting a golden glow to hold it in place. Instead he found a hand wrapped tightly around it.

"Bauer! Stand down! God damn it, Celestia! Why didn't you knock?" Marcus' voice shattered the blood rage that took a hold of him. "I almost put you through a wall last time you did that!"

"My apologies." Celestia had the grace to look ashamed, as she looked towards Stephan. "Major Bauer, as you know, I am Princess Celestia.  Behind me are the Elements of Harmony and-."

"And me!" Stephan blinked as he took in the mint green unicorn jumping up in front of him. Stephan knew exactly who this mare was, and that mare was dead. He shook his head, clearing the messy thoughts clouding his mind. 'Right, different Equestria. Different Lyra Heartstrings who’s probably never given a public speech. Different everything.'

"Lyra!" Twilight cried out in shock, watching as Lyra looked back to her, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Oops, sorry Princess." Lyra apologized to her leader. Celestia only gave a small light laughter at the interruption.

"Its alright, Ms. Heartstrings." Celestia laughed, "You and Waggoner were right after all. I know your great grandfather would be proud of you in believing in him."

"This is too fucking weird." Stephan muttered under his breath.

"Whatever. Next time I won't react quickly enough and then I have to explain to everyone why you are dead," Marcus growled out, before looking to Stephan. "You with me? Fully in control of yourself?"

"Ja," Stephan said, nodding his head to Marcus. Marcus gave him a long look, before his eyes trailed down to Stephan's sword, still glowing brightly at Celestia’s neck. Stephan blinked once before thumbing the button on his blade deactivating it. "I'm good."

"Good." Marcus said, taking the blade away from Stephan.  Stephan eyes widen and was about to protest when Marcus raised his hand to him. "Hold on now, before you give me a bitchfest, I have to introduce you to your new troops."

"Huh?" Stephan gave him a questioning look.

"The Elements of Harmony and Ms Heartstrings. I want you to train them personally, and I need them to be as good as the Blue Spy."

Present

"He's lucky he took my blade before he told me, I would have used it on him the moment he said that,” Stephan grumbled. “I don't mind training ponies, but those six... I'm not sure.”

Nobody would have needed to ask why it was an unenviable task. Everyone in any military force that had been in any major engagement against Equestrian forces had either gone up against the Elements, or heard the stories from other soldiers about how, when the Elements came, you ran or fought like hell itself was coming at you. And now he had to be in the same room as them.

He was not looking forward to it. He understood the necessity, and yet...

“Pick one random thing about the training,” Stephan said. “Any one thing, almost infinitesimal, and it’ll piss me off somehow. Or I’ll be so angry due to being in the same room as them that-”

“How about I telekinetically grab you when you’re getting too… into the fight?” Trixie asked.

“That’s a really good idea,” Stephan said. “Actually… having you in the training process would be invaluable!”

“And I can finally show up Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie gasped. “It’ll be-”

“Who’s going to have stop who from going too crazy?” Stephan asked. He paused. “Oh, God. Is this what it feels like being Aegis?”

“...I think it is. He must have such a hard time,” Trixie said before she gave a small laugh. "Still, it will be nice to see Sparkle's face when she sees me. If the year is anything to go by, none of them will be happy to see me."

"Why is... oh yeah..." Stephan gave a rueful smile to her. "I remember now, 'The Great and Powerful Trix-' Gah! Watch the ribs! Watch the ribs!"

Trixie scowled as she pulled him onto his back and held him down by the shoulders. She gave him a mock glare while looking down at him upside, while he gave her a large smile. "You’re such idiot sometimes," Trixie sighed, blowing her mane out of the way. But she gave a small sultry smile before leaning in close. "But you’re my idiot."

Stephan had no idea how long they made out in the strange position, but he made sure to keep it going for a long as possible. Whatever tension he had slowly melted away as he reached up and gently rubbed her neck, while Trixie gave a soft sigh at the touch.

There was a knock on the door.

Trixie groaned as she pulled up, giving the door the stink eye, attempting to pierce through and wither away whoever it was on the other side.

"Yeah, who is it?" Stephan muttered angrily as he struggled back to a sitting position. He held his side as the door open to reveal Princess Luna as she walked into the room.

Luna gave a pause, taking in the irritated look on Trixie's face. "Are We interrupting something?"

"Yes/No." Stephan gave Trixie a sidelong look while she pouted and crossed her forelegs, looking away from him. Stephan rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No."

"My apologies. However, I am informing you that the Elements are in the gardens, awaiting your presence," Luna said quietly to him, giving Trixie an apologetic smile for her interruption. "You requested that they show up in the morning to gauge their will to fight for the cause."

"Right. I'll be down in a moment," Stephan moaned as a stabbing sensation ran up his leg as he stood up, nearly causing him to fall back down.

Luna had turn to leave, looking back to him as he let out a pain filled groan. "You should see the healers for your wounds," Luna stated, Stephan slapped his face at the third time he heard someone tell him to see someone for his injuries. He simply waved his hand at her as he got ready.

"Yeah, as soon as I am done with the Elements," Stephan said as he reached for his shirt hanging off the table. Luna gave a single nod before leaving, allowing the two warriors to ready themselves to meet the Elements.

Palace Gardens

“Geez, why did we have to wake up this early?" Rainbow Dash yawned, rubbed her eyes to clear away the crust that gathered over night.

"You know why, Rainbow," Twilight gave Rainbow a long look, seeing the mare about to fall back asleep on her hooves. She sent a small spell at her flank, shocking her back awake.

"Hey!"

"Rainbow Dash, we all agreed that it’s best that we help out any way we can," Twilight reminded her sternly, the others listening to Twilight as she spoke. "If we want to succeed, we need training."

"Badly too, Ah reckon," Applejack said she rubbed her shoulder. "We always managed to scoot on by in the past, but this is a whole different tree we’re bucking against.”

“I agree,” Rarity said. “We simply can’t just shoot off a rainbow at everything that isn’t us, that won’t stop hordes of those… things-” she’d heard Marcus’ description of the newfoals, and felt almost physically sick at the thought of them.

“I don’t even know how that works!” Pinkie interrupted. “I always just assumed it worked when it was happily convenient!”

“...I rest my case,” Rarity sighed.

"I don't know..." Fluttershy murmured with anxiety. "I don't like fighting."

"Then consider yourself dead already," a voice called out from behind Fluttershy. Fluttershy froze up and fell over, stiff as a board, while the others jumped in shock, looking in all directions.

"Hey! Who’s there! Show yourself!" Rainbow scowled.

The air in front of them began to shimmer like it had been heated up, and from one moment to another Trixie appeared out of thin air and giving them a grim smile. “Surprise.”

Everyone, except Fluttershy, who still was recovering from the shock, let their jaws hit the ground. Twilight was the first one to speak up. “T-Trixie?”

“Hello, Twilight. Long time no see.” Trixie took a few steps forward but Rainbow stopped her by flying right in front of her, almost touching her nose with hers, giving Trixie a threatening look.

“What are YOU doing here, Trixie?” Rainbow growled out, her time spent with Trixie the first time was anything but pleasant.

“Well, I am here to teach you how to fight.”

Dash looked at her dumbfounded for a while before she burst in laughter, pointing a hoof at Trixie while holding her belly with the other, rolling on the ground by her answer. “Ooooh, my sides! That was a good joke.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes at Dash. “That wasn’t a joke.”

Dash stopped her laugh attack as suddenly as it began and gave Trixie a hard look. “Wait, you’re serious? For a moment, I thought you were-”

Twilight, who now got her head together again, realized it for herself now. “Rainbow Dash, wait! Maybe it’s the other Trixie from the other Equestria!”

“Even more reason not to trust her. Maybe she’s a spy!”

Trixie tilted her head slightly with a little grin on her face. “Matter of fact, yes, I am a spy.”

Dash stared at her for a few seconds before she looked to the others, holding out both forehooves at Trixie. “See?”

Trixie walked past Dash and gave her a whipping on her nose with the tail. “Don’t worry your little featherbrain about that, I work for the good side.”

“HEY!” Dash stroked her nose before she scowls at Trixie and blocks her again. “Where do you think you are going?” She crossed her forehooves over her chest and hovered in front of Trixie.

“Well, I just want to say hello to Twilight,” said Trixie as innocent as she could, although Twilight couldn’t help but swallow nervously at that proclamation.

“And you said hello to her,” Dash waved a hoof at her. “And now you can leave before you come with your Great and Powerful schapa laba, ding dong and cheap tricks again.”

Trixie’s eyes narrowed as her patience with the blue pegasus began to run low. “You really should stop that.”

Dash returned Trixie’s gaze with her own and poked her nose with a hoof. “What are you gonna do about it? Huh?”

There were a few things that could upset Trixie easily. One of them happened to be ponies who treated her like she was the same selfish magican like in the past-she’d heard every insult, every joke, enough that they’d stopped being even mildly amusing and crossed into taboo among Stephan’s unit. She pressed her hoof on Dash’s nose and pushed her back. “You don’t want to know, so don't press your luck with me.” she said icily.

Dash stroked her nose again. This time she eyed Trixie like a predator. “Oh, you wanna fight? LET’S FIGHT THEN!”

"Wait, Rainbow, stop!" Twilight had a bad feeling wash over her the moment Rainbow called Trixie out. This Trixie only gave Rainbow a condescending smirk and Twilight knew Rainbow was in trouble. She didn’t know 'their' own Trixie very well, but it became apparent that Rainbow had already decided that the Trixie before her was a pushover just like her, and was all set to to beat her to a pulp.

Trixie invited her with a wave of her hoof. “Since I am in a good mood, I will give you the first blow. Just try not to waste it.”

“I won’t!” Rainbow was off the ground and speeding towards her in a blink of an eye, all set to put the showmare in her place. She pulled back her hoof and shot it forward, intent on knocking her out cold.

The others watched as Rainbow threw her entire weight and speed behind the punch, waiting for the inevitable cry of pain from the self proclaimed spy, only to see Rainbow pass through her as if she was a ghost.

"Whoa, what the heck?!" Rainbow cried out she tumbled the air and barely managing to land on her hooves. She looked back to see Trixie's image waver and vanish, much to her shock.

'Wait! When did she-?!' Twilight stood there agape, stunned at the advanced spell work before her eyes. 'I couldn’t even sense the spell being cast!'

"Hello." Trixie melted back into view, slamming her hoof into Rainbow's face, cocking her head back from the blow. The blow brutally cemented into Rainbow's mind that this Trixie was playing for keeps. All this did was make Rainbow more than eager to show the mare what she can really do.

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to recover from Trixie’s first strike, not that it mattered much to the pegasus. She had been hit with far worse-you didn’t survive Cloudsdale flight school without taking a few hard knocks-and a blow like that was just a minor annoyance compared to flying face first into trees. She jumped in the air and out of the reach of Trixie, scowling down at her. “I knew it! Can't face me like a pony huh?! Again with your cheap tricks!”

“Says the mare flying out of reach at the first signs of a resisting force. You are a foal just learning to throw a punch compare to me, Rainbow Dash. Oh and trust me,” Trixie said as her horn began to glow and Twilight could feel the odd magic Trixie used. Odd, but familiar. “My ‘tricks’ are anything but cheap.” Rainbow blinked a few times as she witnessed how Trixie grew wings out of her back. After she was done, Trixie looked up at Rainbow with a little smirk, covering her effort with it. “Now we are even.” She gave her wings a few flaps to see if they worked properly.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow and began to laugh. "You have to be kidding me! You magic up some wings. Oooo. I better be careful unless I get caught by the fat blue fake trying to fly!"

Trixie's eye ticked at the word 'fat', a menacing look forming on her face before pushing off the ground, her wings catching air and rapidly closed the distance between her and her target. She slammed her hoof into Rainbow's gut, causing the mare to give out a choked gasp of air.

Twilight felt her eyebrow twitched at the scene. When she made Rarity's wings, they were light and fragile looking, barely able to carry the unicorn to where she needed to go. Trixie's wings were far superior to her own, made of flesh and feathers, powerful looking wings that rivaled Rainbow's.  And yet, there was an odd tint to Trixie's spell, one that Twilight couldn’t help but ponder over.

Rainbow managed to shove Trixie away as she gasped for some air, her eyes narrowing at another cheap shot the showmare gave her. She flies backwards to get some distance between her and Trixie. “You wanna do it the hard way?!” Dash raised her forehooves like a boxer. “Let’s do it the hard way!”

‘How predictable’. Trixie prepared her next response as Rainbow lashed out and tried to tackle Trixie with her speed, but Trixie snapped her wings shut and plummeted down before punching upwards as Rainbow sped above her, catching the speedster in the gut once more, sending her spiraling out of control as she gagged. Trixie flaired her wings open as she flew after her, almost in a lazy manner.

"I'm still trying to see if the 'hard way' you speak of is going to start?" Trixie goaded out to her, shining her hoof against her chest in mock boredom. "Because I'm really beginning to doubt that you can."

"Ragh!" Rainbow growled as she bolted forward in response to this.

"She's being played like a fiddle." Applejack said quietly to Twilight, who nodded her head to Applejack's statement.  The group watched as Trixie gracefully dodge blows and tackles with little trouble. "Still, Trixie's goading is going to bite her in the rear end if you asked me. Ah say let her have her just desserts once Rainbow gets her hooves on her."

"Applejack..." Twilight shook her head before looking up to see Trixie's horn glow with magic before the area around her was filled with gray smoke.

Trixie gave a smirk before flying deeper into the cloud of dense smoke, with Dash losing eye contact with her target.

Twilight strained her eyes to see through the smoke that covered the area Trixie was in. She gave Rainbow a concerned look as the mare flew one end of the smoke screen to the other. "Rainbow! Please stop this fighting! I don’t think you understand what you are going against!"

"All her little attacks mean nothing, Twilight!" Rainbow called back to her. "At best they caught me by surprise, I’ve had far worse injuries than those love taps."

Rainbow looked back to the smoke, a smirk forming on her face as she raced towards it, spinning around the smoke cloud as fast as possible. The smoke quickly dissipated within the swirling tornado, before she pulled up and hovered in the air. "You're in my Element now, Trixie, and nothing you can...Dad?!"

Fluttershy stared at the male pegasus with surprise. "Mr. Flash? What are you doing here?"

"Who now?" Applejack asked in confusion, many others thinking along the same line of thoughts.

"Um... His name is Prism Flash. Rainbow Dash’s father," Fluttershy answered quietly.

"Oh my, he does look quite fetching don't you think?" Rarity said as she examined the elder pony. "I could make a line of suits for my male customers, he does have the build for it."

"Oooo! How come you never told us about your dad huh?!" Pinkie called up to Rainbow. "I can see the resemblance now! Its uncanny!"

"Psh. Its not my old man!" Rainbow waved at the pony before her. She floated up next to him. "It is probably another trick of Trixie's. See!"

Rainbow proceed to lightly touch the male pegasus in the chest, only to find resistance the moment her hoof touched him. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she continue to tap the pegasus several times.

“Dash, could you please stop that?” the pegasus rumbled out,  a small annoyed look that Rainbow Dash grew familiar with over the years.

Rainbow gasped, jumping away from the pegasus. “Ohmygoshohmygosh, I'm sorry Dad!”

The old stallion gave her a smile as he strokes some dust off his body. “I see that you haven’t changed at all, my little Dashy.”

"Dad... not in front of my friends." Rainbow muttered with a small blush. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I thought I surprise you and your friends. May I ask you what you are doing out here? I thought you would be inside with the Princess.”

Dash rubbed her head with one hoof and looks away awkwardly. “I… I was uum… Training! Yes, training!”

Dash’s dad, gave her the 'father' stare. Just like the stare from Fluttershy, but the version only parents can give their children when they did something bad and don’t want to tell the truth. She groaned and surrendered. “Okay, okay… I was fighting a very annoying mare.”

Flash gave a sigh and shakes his head. “Oh, Dashy, Dashy. Don’t you remember what we taught you about fighting?”

“...To not attack other ponies, and talk about the problem?”

“And what are you doing right now?”

“...attacking another pony… and not talking.”

Flash shook his head. “What would your mother think about it if she would be here.”

“But Dad, Trixie totally had it coming! She totally provoked it and I just…”

Flash held a hoof up and Dash became quiet. “I hoped that your Mother and I taught you better, Dashy. You could have avoided it, but knowing you, you provoked it as well. Didn’t you?”

“Yes…” Dash let her head drop in guilt, avoiding eye contact with her father.

“Dash, you know that we love you. Even when you quit Flight School, we stood at your side, and let’s not start with your work ethic.”

Dash’s head rose up again to defend herself, but Flash was faster.

“Sleeping at work does not give you a good reputation. Especial not when you are an Element.” He flew closer towards his daughter. “It is nice to see that fillies look up to you. And it should give you a good reason to be a good example to them. Don’t you think so ,too?”

Rainbow Dash sniffled a few tears back and nodded, “Yes Dad.”

Flash gave her a small smile. “You know that I only tell you that because I love you, right?”

Dash nodded again and replied, “Of course.”

She looked up to see her father sitting in front of her with outstretched hooves. “Then why don’t you give your old daddy a big hug?”

Dash hesitated for a moment before she jumped in the hug, nuzzling him under his chin.

She felt his hooves stroking her back to comfort her. “Now, now. Don’t cry my little filly.”

“Sorry Dad.” Dash wiped her tears away.

“No, don’t be. I should be sorry.”

Dash was about to ask him why as she noticed a green flash around her. And in the next moment she was hugging Trixie instead of her father. “I'm sorry for underestimating your stupidity.”

Dash was too shocked to react as Trixie's horn glowed, blades appearing in her magical grasp. The blades spun around, aiming with the handles instead of the cold sharp steel, and hit Rainbow between the joints of her wings to have them seize up. Rainbow remained frozen as her wings locked up and she fell from Trixie's grasp. Rainbow hit the ground with a thud, still in shock at what happened, while Trixie flew down ontop of her. She pinned her down on her back and summoned at least a dozen knives, two of those pierced the ground through her wings, barely grazing her primaries and flesh. Trixie was careful to not actually cause serious injuries to Rainbow, but it was enough to show her to not try anything stupid.

Twilight was floored by what she was seeing here. She knew that this alternate Trixie would probably be different from the one she and her friends knew, but never to this extent. The magic this Trixie used was different, and much more powerful than before. Twilight could feel Trixie’s magic was almost as powerful as hers, but what worried her more was the fact that she just saw how Trixie used Changeling magic. A field she still tried to wrap her head around and failed to understand. ‘She is... She is using magic that I can barely make sense of. Every spell she does, she does so with the grace of a master. What has she gone through...’

Rainbow felt her rage building up as she realized what just happened. “How… HOW DARE YOU!”

Trixie moved one of the blades close to Rainbow’s throat which makes the pegasus mare stop breathing for moment. “Now, don’t scream like that. What would your father think.”

“I WILL BEAT YOU UP YOU… YOU PLOTFACE!”

Trixie only smiled at Rainbow's insults. “Tsk, tsk. Looks like I have to teach you to be quiet when someone holds a knife at your throat.”

“That's enough!” Twilight yelled out to her when she saw the danger Rainbow found herself in. The others, sans Fluttershy who simply hid behind her hooves, tensed up and readied to intervene

Trixie didn't even grace the mare with a look as several more blades appeared the others. Twilight froze as she felt the sharp edge against her neck, she looked to the others and found themselves in the same state. Pinkie more so as she had over a dozen float against her body, causing the normally bubbly mare to be still as a statue.

"Let this be a lesson to you all," Trixie growled out, her eyes burning with hatred. "I could have easily killed every one of you without so much effort on my part. I have more blood on my hooves than some of the more experienced griffon soldiers. I have killed hundreds of newfoals and equal amount of normal ponies; by hoof, blade, and magic, and it will only be a matter of time before I would be sent to kill your counterparts. I have committed crimes that this Equestria doesn’t have words for yet. I reached the point of being called a master assassin and for good reason. I was to know each and everyone of you, inside and out. Your families, your habits, your hobbies. It is my job as a spy and assassin to deal with ponies under a disguise and take them out when the time is right."

“Das reicht jetzt, Trixie! I believe they learned their lesson.” a human called out as he limped to them. Trixie straightened herself up, a single nod to the man as she got off Rainbow.

"And that lesson is?" Twilight swallowed as she watched the blades floated back to Trixie, vanishing from view. 'Invisibility spells... she was armed the entire time. She could have used them against Rainbow... This was a test... One that we most likely failed'

“That none of you are ready to face the reality of war,” the man said as he circled them with a little hobble. He took his time to look at each Element individually and took mental notes on them. The urge to simply give in and beating the crap out of them was suppressed as well as he could. He had to admit that watching them fight gave him a little relief but he felt ashamed about it as well.

He looked at Rainbow Dash for a moment before he spoke.

“Rainbow Dash, you attacked Trixie without even thinking for a moment that she probably was not the mare you know from before. Hell, I bet you didn’t even think at all. No strategy, no variety in your attacks, nothing.”

Dash opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, looking away when she realized he was right.

Stephan looked at the rest of the group and gave them a disappointed look. “And the rest of you. Every single one of you didn’t even move a muscle to jump in and help Rainbow Dash. And you call yourself the Elements of Harmony? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Now wait a darn minute!” Applejack began to protest.

“Let me finish! I can understand that you probably believed that she could handle it by herself, but even as you saw that Trixie was not the same as you all thought, saw how she was mocking Rainbow’s efforts, you still didn’t move in to help her. Why?”

Twilight thought about a fitting response, but words failed her. Why did they just stand by and watch them fight? Because they thought that Rainbow could handle it by herself?

“Teamwork is only one part of a good unit, but a very important one, and after I saw what just happened here, I can tell for sure that you will not even survive the first five minutes of a real conflict!”

The six mares hung their heads in shame and embarrassment; they each knew on some level that he was right. Sure, they’d done plenty of dangerous stuff before, but this war on Earth with their alternate selves was in a class all of its own.

"War is ugly, and you will lose a part of yourselves if you are to go to war." The man stood next to Trixie, giving her a small look. "You must be ready to take a life; there is no question of if, but when it will happen. You have to be sure that the one on your side who is marching with you is able to take a life to save you, and that you are able to do the same."

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and she trembled ever so slightly.

He waited for them to take in his words. He could see how they gnawed on his them. He knew it would take a while for them to accept it. The first batch of ponies he trained were still in his head, how they had second thoughts about it all. It wouldn’t be different with them.

And like that, it all felt easier.

“You’re not soldiers,” Stephan said. “I understand that. You never dreamed of what would happen next... But! You are the Elements of Harmony! We need you, and nothing you say can outweigh humanity’s need for you. All of you!” his gaze swept over the Elements. “I won’t guilt you into this; Marcus has told you enough about what world we have come from. I will expect nothing less than 110% from all of you! Are we clear?!”

The six mares nodded after a moment of thinking. Stephan could still feel how they still fought with themselves. He only knew the stories of them Trixie and the other members of the PHL told him. How the six Elements used to be before Celestia had placed those… those things in their minds. War was really not their strength; they’d expected nothing other than to be mares that were exceptional at their respective talents, as opposed to say, genocide. And he wasn’t so sure that those six mares could handle it when they get blood for the first time on their hooves.

“Just think of it like training to be a wonderbolt,” Pinkie said out loud, putting a foreleg around Rainbow’s neck. Only to swallow nervously as Stephan glared at her. “No, no! It’s fine, she wants to be a Wonderbolt more than almost anything, so-”

Stephan silenced her with a glare. "Don’t interrupt me. I will handle the physical aspects of your training." Stephan limped before them. "I will make sure that you go to bed at the end of the day with sore muscles and utter spite of my person. You will be trained to fight by people or ponies in whatever I feel best suited for you. Trixie here stepped up and look at her now. I crafted a master spy and assassin with a washed out magician."

"Ahem..." Trixie levelled a glare at Stephan, who only gave a level stare back, but was internally begging Trixie for forgiveness. Stephan heard slight giggling from Rainbow, who yelped out as Stephan marched up and placed his face near her own.

"Are you laughing at her prior choice of career, Rainbow Dash? Because as far as I am concern, the washed out magician made you look like a chump in that fight earlier." Stephan growled, causing Rainbow to swallow nervously. "All of you, all six of you..."

‘Wait a minute… only six... shouldn't be there someone else here too?’ It took a while before he remembered who was missing.

“Does anyone knows where Lyra Heartstrings is?”

Meanwhile, in one of Canterlot Castle’s bedrooms

Lyra blinked with sleepy eyes as the rising sun shone through the windows. She pulled her covers over the head and muttered insults. She was no morning pony, a characteristic that annoyed BonBon from time to time. Lyra smiled as she thought about her lover Bon-Bon, all the fun times they’d had together, the times they’d woken up in the morning to… to…. what was she missing? And slowly, her brain began to work. A memory gnawed its way up, something very important. About Stephan. And the Elements...

It didn’t took long before Lyra jumped up with a shocked expression on her face. “BY THE SUN, I’M LATE!”

’The most irritating thing about it, she thought as she scrambled out of the covers, only to hit the ground as her legs got caught in them, is that I used to tell Mom that it’s not the end of the world if I oversleep! But nooo...’

Back in the garden

The six Elements steadily grew more worried as Stephan’s mood changed. “Where the hell is that mare? I hate it when people are late!” He pointed a finger at the mares. “I will not tolerate laziness! You six are going to see what happens when someone is late.”

Trixie smirked at Stephan’s statement. She knew him well enough to figure out what he is going to do with Lyra.

“I guess she just overslept. She’s a really, really heavy sleeper!” Pinkie explained. “There was that one time, where I threw that super birthday party at their neighbours, with a chocolate cake, a pinata and we played a lot of fun games, like pin the tail and…”

“I got it Pinkie,” Stephan said with his usual commanding voice. “But I want to know why none of you had the idea to go and get her before you get down here.”

“Oh, that was actually Dashie’s job since she sleeps in the room next to hers,” Pinkie chimed and Dash looked at her like she just signed her death sentence.

'Pinkie...why?' Rainbow whimpered silently as pink mare betrayed her at a drop of a hat.

‘Ooh, this is going to be fun.’ Trixie thought with a evil grin.

Stephan paused for a moment, before his head turned like the turret of a Leopard tank aiming at a new target. The term ‘iron sights’ had never seemed more literal. Rainbow smiled awkwardly in return. “Heh, heh… well, you see…”

“Don’t you even start, Rainbow Dash! This is exactly what I meant when I talked about teamwork. Your country has not faced a serious land war in-” he paused for a moment, resisting the temptation to mention the Crystal War, “Several centuries. Our world has, on and off for the last several decades, and we’ve all learned by now that for the common infantryman, everything depends on his squadmates. Even the freedom of sentience itself, now, and I will make sure that you will learn that, no matter what.” He kept his eyes on Rainbow who looked away. “I’m not your friend. You are my recruits and I will treat you as such. The training will be hard. It will be brutal. Merciless. Horrifying. I can assure you that you will hate me for the way I treat you, but you will also learn that it is necessary for what will soon come.”

Stephan paused again to let the six process his words. They remained silent. He didn’t expect anything else by now.

He was about to say some more before an explosion echoed through the gardens. Everyone turned their heads to the source. Stephan didn’t need long to see the smoke from one of the castle towers. Even Trixie was surprised by that turn of events. “Wha…”

‘Aw, come on! Really universe? Really?!’ Stephan thought as he turned to the others and told them to follow him. He hoped that his worst fear didn’t became real and the Tyrant was ahead of them.

Twilight looked scared, in that particular way that makes one look more terrified the more they try to hide it. “I know for a fact that can’t be good,” she shivered, looking up at Stephan. “Will you be okay with being teleported?”

“Yes. I don’t like the look of that, but it does require our immediate attention. Let’s go!”

East Tower

Marcus ran up the tower steps, easily overtaking several guards as they rushed towards the scene.

Marcus was busy setting up his people, getting them to set up for the next several months in their stay, when his runes  had gone haywire and several unicorns had fell to the floor, groaning from the heavy magic in the air. He had little doubt that even one with lower-than-average, practically anemic magical awareness could feel its pressure in the air.

'The hell is going on?' Marcus reached the floor, smoke billowing from the breached doors. Two guards laid on their sides, one unconscious and the other struggling to his hooves. Marcus rushed up to the struggling guard, gently helping him away from the door.

"Hold on now. Stay still." Marcus dragged him to the wall, holding his side from a deep cut. The sounds of rushing hooves gained his attention, turning to see several guards making their way towards him. "You two! Get the other guard away from the door. Get someone with medical training here now!"

Marcus looked back to the guard, taking note of his drooping eyes-he looked shellshocked. "Hey! Stay with me! Don't you fall asleep on me now. What happened?"

"I..." the guard mumbled out, blinking as Marcus lightly slapped him across the cheek. "The Princesses were discussing something...I... I heard Princess Celestia give a cry. Sergeant Diamond and myself tried to open the door to see what the matter was... And then... The screaming..."

Marcus watched as the stallion give a small shudder as he looked up to him. "The pure rage I heard... I never thought I could hear such a thing from Princess Celestia. It was the saddest, most heart-wrenching sound I’ve ever heard in my life."

Marcus looked towards the smoking room, a frown on his face as several nurses from the hospital wing reached them.

A purple flash took his attention away from the room, and as he turned his head, he saw a group of seven ponies and one human standing in the hall behind him. “Stephan? What are you doing here?”

Stephan hobbled his way over to Marcus. “I just thought I come by and say hello, take in the sights, wonder why the hell do you think I’m here for?” He pointed at the smoke.

Marcus rolled his eyes at Stephan. “I want to clear the smoke and go in. Think you can move well enough with that limp?”

Stephan nodded and turned his head to the Elements and Trixie. “Help the Guards,” he told them as he pulled out his HK USP in one hand and his machete in the other. “Marcus and I will take care of the rest.” Stephan gave Marcus a nod and aimed his weapon at the entrance.

Marcus nodded back before standing up, both men taking either side of the broken doorway. Marcus held up a single arm, glowing with magic and giving a single nod to Stephan before pushing out his magic, shunting the smoke out of the hole in the castle wall and stepped inside, pistol drawn and ready.

The guards lined up behind them, watching as the smoke was pushed away, clearing the room. Marcus’ face was impassive as he stepped inside, his Colt in hand as he cleared the room. Stephan followed quickly after him.

A deep scorch mark laid in the middle of the room, melted stone sat in a small crater. The entire room's contents, likely priceless artifacts that would have whipped Equestria’s antiquarians and collectors into a frenzy of betting, were shoved towards the walls, some still in flames from extreme heat. Marcus lowered his weapon when he examined the large hole in the wall.

Stephan whistled impressed. “Meine Fresse, looks like a bomb hit this place.”

"Discord!" Marcus called out, and a loud pop was heard behind him. Marcus turned to the Draconequus as he looked at the room. "You have any idea what happened here?"

"Hm... I'm pretty sure Luna told her what happened to Elements of Harmony and Spike. That's what she was going to do this morning." Discord mused out loud, the answer causing Marcus to wince at the thought.

"Shit... take me to her." Marcus looked towards Discord, seeing him frown at this demand.

"Why?"

"Because she’s going to lash out," Marcus muttered, as he readied himself. "And I get the feeling Luna needs all the help she can get."

“I’m going with you.” Stephan moved at Marcus side.

Marcus eyed him for a moment before he shook his head. “Stephan, you are in no condition to-”

“Don’t you even start with that. Besides, I suffered worse than this before, and that didn’t stop me.”

Marcus wanted to say more but he gave it up. There is no point in arguing with the German. “Alright, just… let me handle Celestia, okay? You look like you are about to collapse on me.”

Stephan nodded and turned to the door. “I'll be fine, I can keep up. Trixie, take care of the Elements! I will be back in a few minutes!”

Trixie poked her head through the door and yelled, “Oh, no you don’t! Don’t you dare-!” And like that, he was gone.

Frigid North, several miles from the former Crystal Empire.

"Sister, please!" Luna cried out as Celestia blasted another powerful spell at the innocent mountain.

Celestia refused to listen, her mane was aflame with unbridled rage. It was as if her mane had the heat of the sun itself coursing through them.

Long story short, she hadn’t taken the news well.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW HER TO DO THE SAME TO OURS! I WILL STRIKE HER DOWN AND MAKE HER BEG FOR FORGIVENESS BEFORE I CAST WHAT’S LEFT OF HER TO HER VICTIMS!" Celestia roared as her horn glowed with power. She was not the first to make such a vow, and certainly wouldn’t be the last. Luna sat by helplessly, watching as her sister descended into blind rage. Luna had tried to break it to her easy, but Celestia demanded her to show her what she had seen, mind-to mind. She’d said she could take it after what she’d seen in Marcus' memories, the small bits that she could remember.

She wasn't ready. Not with what she saw.

Luna watched as the mountain, nameless and forgettable among the dozens of others that surrounded it, suffered another attack. Melted stones glowing brightly under the dark cloudy skies, snow whipping around her as it raged in the early morning.

"How is the Burning Sun doing?" Luna jerked at Discord's voice, seeing him floating next her, strangely enough with Marcus and Stephan as well, standing on a floating carpet.

"Damn, she goes all the way when she gets angry," Marcus muttered as Celestia began the task of reducing a mountain into a puddle of molten stone. "Shit! She's losing it!"

"We tried to tell her lightly of the situation, but her love for Twilight, Spike, and all the Elements..." Luna watched as Celestia blasted the tip of the mountain off, the magic punching through and slamming into another mountain, causing record-setting avalanches and rockslides. "It was too much. Her mind was already frayed by your memories. Seeing the victims of the Tyrant first hoof... it simply broke the mental barriers Discord erected. She is suffering and she feels helpless to stop it. I’m legitimately worried she might turn into something like Nightmare Moon!"

“Is that even possible?” Marcus asked.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” Luna said, desperately trying to look away from her companions, as the memory of becoming Nightmare Moon once more in Boston overcame her. She’d only barely managed to keep herself under control, most likely due to the target that had forced her to change

"Wait... Your memories?" Stephan looked to Marcus in confusion.

"First greetings gone wrong. I’ll explain later." Marcus said to him, his eyes focused on Celestia.

Stephan sighed but agreed that they had more pressing concerns. "So, what’s the plan?”

Marcus frowned while he watched Celestia’s rampage before he looked towards Discord. "I'm going to do something stupid and I’ll need your help to pull it off," he said, looking at Stephan who had his sidearm and machete ready. “You are my backup. I doubt I need it, but better to safe than sorry. Plus, you’re not looking too hot in the mobile department. So, stay behind on standby.”

Stephan looked at the molten mountains for a second and gave Marcus a nod.

"Fortunately for you, I like stupid!" Discord said with a grin after a short moment of thought.

Celestia seethed as she readied another spell, only to feel the familiar magic of Discord grow before her. She looked up when a portal opened, stunning her long enough for Marcus to jump through and punch her across the face as hard as he could.

Celestia felt something break, the entire left side of her face lit up in blinding pain as she fell down to the ground from the blow, her body slamming down in the snow covered ground and tumbled end over end across the tundra before finally skidding to a halt.

Marcus fell from the sky, capping down on the growing panic as he fell. He gave a small sigh of relief as the carpet caught him in mid fall, before gently directing the the flying rug towards the fallen alicorn.

Marcus jumped off as he neared her, pulling his Colt out from his back holster. Though it had been loaded with new bullets from the munitions his taskforce had brought to Equestria, it somehow felt insufficient. He wished he’d taken that Mossberg shotgun, but he couldn’t have guessed he’d need it now.

Marcus steadily made his way to the down Celestia, his frown growing as he saw Celestia struggle to her hooves. "Sorry about that, but I need you to stay down for a moment. I need you to calm down."

Celestia gave small whimper as her jaw slowly healed itself, the rage that she felt before now took a step back from the blinding pain of her face. Marcus watched as Celestia gave a single groan before laying back down, a pool of water forming around her body from the intense heat she gave off just a few moments ago.

Marcus lowered his pistol, watching as Celestia gave a soft sob as she broke down. Marcus knew Celestia had been put through the ringer these last two weeks, and he was surprised she hadn't gone insane yet. Oh, the horrors he’d forced her to witness...

"Sister..." Luna landed next to them, Discord and Stephan appearing in a flash of light with Stephan holding his weapon pointing at Celestia, while Discord gave Celestia a long look.

"Look at me..." Celestia said between choked sobs. "Do you believe I am a ruler? I never once led an army to battle. The few wars we had after our war with Sombra, if you even called them so, I simply showed up and threw magic around till the very enemies that threatened pony kind left us alone or I banished them to some remote location. Discord was right! I coddled them too much and now I am sending each and every one of them to their deaths!"

Discord looked away, rubbing his head filled with shame. "Ah... Shoot. Celestia... I was wrong-" Discord was about to explain his actions, that his trip through the multiverse showed him the error of his past decisions. But the sobbing solar alicorn cut him off.

"No! You were right! I give them everything and allowed them to frolic unheeding of the world around them! Every other species fought for their place in the world and yet I did nothing for them!" Celestia stood up, jabbing her hoof at him. "I'm a monster of a different take! I keep them on the ground and bind their wings, not letting them fly at their own pace! I should - *SLAP*"

Celestia held her cheek, looking at Discord with complete shock. Discord himself frowned, shaking his head after a moment or so. "Please, I'm trying to speak here."

Discord gave a quiet sigh before he he explained, "I was wrong. It takes a big man to face his mistakes, and I stuck my head in the sand when the blame was being cast in my direction. When I did my duties, I became lax in my efforts. I never sat back to watch what I did, just snapped my claw and it was done. I pushed you into this role, and when Scribble demanded that I take you away after you established yourself, I did nothing but cause havoc across Equestria. All in the name of kicking you on your rear, in a huge childish tantrum. Not once did I consider the pain and damage I caused with my own carelessness, some of which was likely outside of her plan as well; I was angry at you for throwing away everything Mother planned for the people of this world. In some ways, you were right."

"I was wrong too," Celestia whispered, looking up to him. "Scribe told me of your place in this world and I refused to believe her. That you were a fundamental part that ensured that everything worked. When you demanded that Luna and I step down, I was so angry at you. So angry that I went to Scribe herself to find a way to stop you. She refused and I barreled through her for Mother’s notes to find the Elements. The moment you were gone... the whole world turned against us. Sombra... Nightmare... dragons... griffons... It was as if I opened the floodgates that you kept at bay. After Sombra’s war against us... I refused to let my ponies face the trials of war again; I instead went and took care of it myself. Now? Now I send many ponies to certain death, the last conflict we had was centuries ago, with war being a strange term for most ponies. Some of them just look at as a legend, or so I’m told."

Discord gave a laugh "We really are just a bunch of messed up ancients, aren’t we?"

Celestia gave a small giggle and nodded her head. "Indeed... I'm sorry...Discord."

Discord rubbed his head before giving a tired sigh. "Yeah... me too. It’s not like I can just snap my claw and make everything better."

*snap*

Discord snapped his claws as if to prove a point, only for a loud sound similar to glass breaking echo throughout the tundra.

Canterlot

Cadence gave a weak smile as her magic worked its way into the furious blue unicorn before her. Pinkie Pie found her and dragged her before Trixie, hoping that her power could sooth the irate mare.

All it did was seemingly make it worse.

"If that man thinks he can come back in our bedroom with a coy smile, sexy body, and delicious Peanut butter and crackers, he has another thing coming! He will rue the day he ignored me for the last time-" Trixie's voice petered off in Cadence's mind as she felt something within her. It felt so similar to how she first ascended to her alicorn state, but much more subtle.

"Cadence?" Twilight turned to see her former foalsitter stare off to the north, her eyes glowing a soft blue from her magic. Twilight yelped as Cadence spread her wings and took flight, knocking everyone off their hooves from the displaced air. "Cadence!?"

Frigid North

"Huh..." was all Discord could respond with as he watched a massive amount of land reappear. A large crystal castle, a town, and countless fields of farmland appeared before them. Discord looked to his claw and snapped again. He looked around excitedly for a moment before he deflated. "Aw..."

"What were you trying to do?" Marcus turned away from the land, his mind labelling this event as normal and not think too hard until more information was given.

"I was trying to summon up the Bushwoolies," Discord said sadly, wiping away a fake tear. "Such helpful little guys. Agreed to everything you asked them to do. Even put itching powder on themselves and go around hugging everyone."

Stephan stared at Discord before looking away, muttering under his breath at the apparent insanity these 'Bushwoolies' had. Marcus had other worries to deal with, namely the arrival of the Crystal Kingdom. The Crystal War had been infamous among guardsponies in the early days of the War, a bloody slaughterhouse that had birthed a newer, more dangerous breed of Royal Guard in the blood of their fellows. And Discord was going to just arbitrarily bring it out?

"What did you do?" Marcus turned to stare at the Draconequus, but Discord only shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't do anything! I didn't even use my magic!" Discord defended himself, though the growing look of concern on Marcus’ face indicated that this was no laughing matter.

"That is the Crystal Kingdom. And if history is anything to go by..." Marcus started off, only for Celestia to finish for him.

"Then Sombra is not far behind with his own arrival," Celestia groaned as she stood up. "We have a few hours to prepare before he does show up. The Crystal Kingdom will be in his sights, and he will do anything to get his hooves on the Crystal Heart and reestablish his power and rule."

"Sister, if we can gather the Elements-" Luna started, only to get cut off by Stephan.

"No! That is the absolute worst thing to do! I've read the history of the Crystal War, Trixie herself has seen the results of Sombra’s magic. Those girls come out with the Elements and they will be struck down before they can even link up!" Stephan countered, while Marcus nodded his head in agreement. "We have to settle this ourselves before it gets out of hand."

"First thing is to get everypony to the castle," Celestia stood up, her wings flaring open. "And we need to find the Crystal Heart as soon as possible, it’s the only item that can keep Sombra out for good."

"Agreed." Stephan muttered as he readied his weapon.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Luna sighed.

“You and me both,” Marcus wearily agreed.

En route to the Crystal Castle

It had been almost eerie, walking from the icy mountainous wastes of the Frigid North into the verdant Crystal Kingdom.

They made a strange group as they walked through ancient farms, past ponies who threw their windows shut whenever the five of them came near. Luna supposed she couldn’t blame them. Two alicorns, which were the subject of extreme superstition in most places in their early years of rule, two heavily clothed and unfamiliar bipeds holding what were obviously weapons of some kind, and the dreaded Lord of Chaos himself, Discord. There were many things that Sombra could have told them about alicorns or draconequi, all of which would certainly encourage widespread panic.

“What happened to them?” Stephan asked, pointing towards one farmhouse, where he had clearly just seen a scared-looking farmer drag her foals inside.

“Sombra had some sort of mental hold on them,” Celestia explained. “I was never sure of the specifics, but-”

“Like the Tyrant?” Marcus suggested out loud as he watched as one groggy-looking stallion took one look at them and bolted for town.

“No, it’s…” Celestia started before a look of contemplation slowly appeared on her face as she ran it through her mind. “Huh. I suppose it is. Though-”

“He was never anywhere near as bad as the Tyrant,” Luna interrupted.

“Exactly,” Celestia nodded, shivering from the memory of what had happened to the other version of her precious student, and what that implied for the other Elements. Oh, it would either be a miracle or an unparalleled cruelty if their true personalities resurfaced completely sane! She struggled not to think about their adjustment back into society, if-no no, there was no if, there had to be a when-they managed to free them from her dark self’s interests. She foresaw mass suicide, insanity-

“You don’t look so well,” Discord observed, blessedly derailing that train of thought.

“I’ll get better once we’ve won,” Celestia said. “Everything else is secondary.”

There was a slight pause at that. Whatever emotions had been in Celestia’s voice there, they were certainly not indicators of mental stability.

“So,” Luna said, desperately trying to redirect the conversation, “What do the two of you know about Sombra?”

“He was a unicorn tyrant… though there are a great many people and ponies who believe he would have been an improvement over the Tyrant Sun,” Marcus said, shaking his head. "His magic is linked to shadow crystals and causes despair and fear. He was able to rule with an iron fist for several years before you two banished him, but not before your ponies fought against his slave army for several years before you finally broke through his magic barrier that kept you and Celestia from interfering, but he linked the city to his banishment and it disappeared from this world."

"There is more to it," Luna said quietly as the neared the city proper. "Sombra was my student and one of the ponies in charge in finding a means to stopping Discord. So he has magic unseen to everypony else, even me."

Stephan winced as he saw the haunted look on Luna's face. "So this must be hard for you then, huh, Luna?"

"It is." Luna stopped and lowered her head somewhat. "It’s worse than that; this all started because of his desire to wed with me."

Marcus leaned back to Stephan, a grimace on his face as he mouthed the word 'awkward' to the German. Stephan closed his eyes and moved forward, gently patting Luna's back to keep her moving.

"So Sombrero was in charge of figuring how to take me down." Discord rolled his goatee between his claw. "Last time I even saw him, he was just a colt barely getting into Stallionhood."

"He was as studious as Twilight and he loved me deeply," Luna gave a small sigh as she looked to the castle. "I sent him to the Crystal Kingdom to be a retainer and an Advisor for my great grandson after our... fight with you and peace began to reign over Equestria. Look how well that decision turned out."

"No need to beat around the bush, Lulu," Discord waved off her tact. "I knew I messed up-"

"We," Celestia corrected quietly as she looked down the rows of homes made of crystals.

"We messed up," Discord amended with a slight smile. "Our little spat may have pushed the ponies, but not for the right reasons. Either way, it’s in the past."

"Not for these ponies." Marcus watched as many crystal ponies panicked at the sight of the Draconequus. "To them, it was probably less than a decade ago."

Discord frown at this before shrugging, "Eh, I'll clean up my image once we knock down the Sleeping Festive Hat. Eh! Eh! Get it?"

"That joke fell flatter than a two hour open Coke can," Marcus deadpanned, causing Discord to grumble under his breath, something about humans and their sodas. They reached the castle, standing underneath the impressive building. Marcus gave a small whistle, Stephan giving a small look of surprise at the architecture. Marcus looked to the others and popped his neck. "So, game plan?"

"We must find the Crystal Heart and place it back in its proper home," Luna started, pointing at the small pedestal.  "Once we have it, the crystal ponies can use their love and happiness to keep Sombra out of the Kingdom. We can also use their crystal for those odd munitions of yours."

"Deny him a chance to enslave and forcibly recruit them for his armies, and we’ll gain a potential ally in the process..." Stephan muttered, Luna nodding her head to his assessment.

“Speaking of which, what happened to the Crystal Ponies in the other Equestria?” Luna asked.

“We don’t hear much from there,” Stephan admitted. “I think I can count on one hand the number of Crystal Ponies I’ve seen that escaped to Earth, though, and they’ve said it’s a virtual police state under complete media blackout, kept obedient out of fear of humans and forced to mine crystals day in and day out for the Tyrant. They haven’t even been told the Barrier is impassable.”

"Basically the North Korea of Equus..." Marcus muttered under his breath.

"I see... something to take note of for the future, then. We must be careful if we fail as the consequences will be dire for all of us. Sombra has dabbled in military procedures, however, he is used to older and outdated ways of fighting with armies. I know for a fact today's military would overtake him before he had a chance to adapt. Still, it wouldn't do to rely solely on the force of arms,” Celestia said.

"Got that right." Marcus crossed his arms, nodding with her plan. "The Tyrant's Royal Guards practically ran over them, as all his psychotically disturbed sadomasochists got cut down while they ran for the hills. The only reason they got so far was because the Guard wasn’t that experienced. Sombra had to summon crystal creatures just to try and buy time for himself.”

Celestia shuddered at that, the crystal creatures of Sombra's dealt death in droves of her armies in the past. Both Luna and herself had been hard pressed to save as many lives as they could when they came onto the field.

"Alright, Celestia and Luna will look for the Crystal Heart, since you two have seen the thing and know what it looks like." Marcus said after a moment of thought, looking to Stephan before nodding to himself. "Take Stephan with you."

"Hey!"

"Sorry Stephan, but you can barely walk, let alone fight. Nor do you have your armor on; it’s still being repaired," Marcus told him, clapping his hand on Stephan's shoulder, before awkwardly taking his hand off as Stephan hissed in pain. "See? Anyway, helping Celestia and Luna in the search can increase your likelihood of finding it quicker. Plus you can help out in case of traps the guy left behind."

Stephan gritted his teeth, but nodded his head at Marcus' assessment. "Damn, alright." Stephan straightened his battle belt and followed the two Alicorns. “Just don’t die while I’m gone. Let’s go, ladies.”

Marcus gave an apologetic smile before looking to Discord. "Think you can start rounding up the crystal ponies?"

"I can, doesn't mean that they will respond well," Discord commented as he fiddled with his bracer.

"Doesn’t matter. Their safety is top priority," Marcus looked to city, a frown on his face. "That leaves me to be the welcoming committee. Joy."

Outskirts of the Crystal Kingdom

Desire ran rampant through the shadow creature as it made its way to the Crystal Kingdom. Something new had happened! Two-no, three sources of magic, rivaling even it in power, had arrived!

They would be delicious. It had been so long since it’d touched real magic!

It could see them now. Perhaps "see" wasn’t quite the right term, given that it did not truly have eyes, only a sense of powerful magic. And, in a land as saturated in the stuff as the Crystal Kingdom, it was as good as sight.

It could make out two of the sources of magic now. Them! THEMTHEMTHEMTHEMTHEM! Those two! Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful! It couldn’t wait to taste their power. To feel it flowing through its veins-oh, to have sweet beautiful veins once more! To take its revenge on the ones that forced it into this hideous state! Even the fool of chaos was there, to take revenge for what he did to it would be an additional pleasure. The sun and the moon were here, and they would rise no m-

What was that?

What?

That. Between crystal pillars that led into ITS Empire, was an odd biped who radiated off magic. Strange. Old. Forbidden, from wings of the library that even it couldn’t touch. It traced his body like a second circulatory system, throbbing with magic as the Crystal Empire’s ambient magic passed through and collected within it.

HOW DARE THAT THING! ONLY IT COULD DO THAT! ONLY IT COULD SUBSIST OFF ITS BEAUTIFUL EMPIRE OF CRYSTAL!

Still, though. That magic that throbbed within him would be wonderful to taste.

And easy to control.

Yes.

A fine servant indeed for its new reign. A fine template for new crystal golems. A fine lab rat for the experiments that it had missed so very much.

It was at the gates, an easy target and we can-

Marcus swallowed as he saw the cloud of dark magic swell before him and rush forward like the dust storms of the Middle East. "Okay, Renee... What now?"

He looked behind him, faintly hearing the terrifying screams of the Crystal Ponies that Discord had yet to gather, rushing headlong to the castle.

"What the hell can I do stop a fucking cloud?!" Marcus growled as he tensed, the rolling magical clouds quickly taking up the remaining ground. "Fuck."

Marcus prepared himself, only for a pink blur to slam down in front of him, her horn glowing with power as she unleashed her spell. Marcus watched as a wall of magic sprang up, quickly surrounding the city to prevent the cloud's intrusion.

"Cadence?"

"Commander Renee!" Cadence looked back at him surprise, she didn't even notice him when she landed, preferring to keep out the ugly sickening cloud of magic from reaching the Crystal Kingdom. "Are Aunty Luna and Celestia here?"

"Yeah, back at..." Marcus trailed off, seeing menacing green and ruby eyes looking back at them. Normally, this would strike fear and despair at all who gazed on them.

To Marcus, it was just another target.

What was this?

WHAT WAS THIS??!

Another alicorn?! ANOTHER! There were only two! ONLY TWO, HOW DARE THEY SPITE IT SO!

Pink this time. Smaller; a shadow of the other two. Yet… the POWER! So much POWER!

It screamed at her, magic vibrating through the air in an impression of words, of want.  Even it didn’t quite know what, though… the magic? Yes, that was a wonderful place to start.

Yet she stood and stared into it, determined.

It roared at her once more, rushed at her and touched her, tentati-

*BZZAAP*

OW! It had been hurt! It could be hurt?! It hadn’t known that was possible! WHY! Why did she stand before him, as if she could not fall? How dare she resist so!

Her fear would be her undoing! She would gaze upon its form and know despair-

*BANG*

Of all the things that had happened, it had not expected that. It was simply out of context, an utterly alien action.

What had it been hit with? How had it gone so fast?

Marcus grinned as the face that formed within the cloud dispersed easily enough. Ah, bless- he’d missed firing his old .45. He was aware that firing at smoke logically should have done nothing, and that it would probably reform, but it had just been so much more solid… and he couldn’t have known that the magic in the bullets would react with it so unpredictably, dispersing about half of it across the landscape. Not quite as viscerally satisfying, but still something. He turn to gave Cadence a look of concern as she gave a tired sigh."You okay?"

"In a moment," Cadence said quietly, watching as the rumbling cloud retreated some ways back. "I’ve never done a spell this large before. Shining trained me, but I was a little unprepared at the strain of casting."

"You think you can keep this up for a bit?" Marcus said, a hopeful smile on his. He can sit back and wait for the Crystal Heart to be found.

"Yes, for awhile anyways. As long as nothing-”

*SKRRREEEEEEE*

Cadence looked back to the frozen tundra, her eyes widening in shock as she saw figures slowly pulling themselves from the ground. Marcus bared his teeth in anger as he saw crystal monsters rising up from the clouds embrace and slowly make their way towards the magical shield.

"God damn it..."

That had been far too draining, summoning so many servitors. It had been so long since it summoned them, and it had underestimated just how little energy it had left in this form, after all this time.

The strange new alicorn and the unfamiliar biped stood in front of It, ignoring it. Perhaps the biped’s fear could nourish it?

It stared at the biped, attempting to feel the relish of negative emotions.

Nothing. If fear were leaves, the biped’s emotional landscape was like a forest that had been burnt until only the skeletal trunks of trees remained.

Anger was there, but it was righteous and positive, dedicated to destroying…. something. The biped had barely even considered it! How… HOW INFURIATING! HOW DARE IT IGNORE IT SO!

Wait.

There. Hidden beneath his bravado and cool demeanor.

Fear... hatred... despair.

It could feel it though, hidden below the ground. Buried and left to be forgotten. He was denying its existence, his fear and despair… those would be delicious. Left to grow like fine wines… behind a dam… yes, a floodgate of fine wine, aged and treated to perfection.

It needed to dig in and unleash it.

Marcus growled as he looked back to Cadence, waving his arm back to the castle. "Get back to the Castle, I'll try to keep them back. Help Discord get the Crystal Ponies to the castle. Once they are all there, shrink the shield so you don't strain yourself."

Marcus turned around, levelling his Colt M1911 pistol at the closest crystal monster, and let fly a single round. The round slammed directly between its eyes, the unstable magical coating sloughing onto the enchanted crystal, exploding and destroying the head fully. The round continued on and slammed into the one behind it, destroying half of its face.

Marcus unleashed several more bullets, the heavy rounds made to tear apart flesh shattering the crystal monsters into tiny pieces. Marcus cursed when he counted the influx of monsters. For every one he took down, three more took its place. Marcus scowled as he holstered his weapon, his runes flaring to life, bathing him in a low light. Shit, he never had enough bullets for these things!

Marcus roared as he rushed through the barrier to the nearest monster, which was nearly twice as tall as Marcus, jumping up to drop kick it with all his might.

The monster, once called Destroyers due to the havoc and death they unleashed, allowed itself to be hit, its intelligence simple enough that it believed it would weather the blow from the tiny biped.

It didn’t. Marcus’ boots broke half the monster’s chest into hundreds of shards, knocking it back what looked for all the world like thirty feet.

Crystal monsters standing behind it were crushed as the massive monster flew backwards like a great crystal cannonball, rolling over its brethren from the blow.

Marcus pushed off the monstrous crystal's chest, sending it flying. He used the monster as a pad to launch himself away from the growing group, landing on his feet before he was forced to roll aside to avoid a claw as it impaled the ground with ease. His roll took him the clutches of another monster, its many arms reaching out for the Marine to grab a hold of him. Marcus scowled as he grabbed one of the arms and began to spin, his runes brightly shining as it helped him lift the heavy crystal creation. The monster barely had time to react before its body was used to slam into the others, shattering pieces of itself before finally breaking apart.

Marcus threw the arm aside, watching as the number of monsters stayed even, some of them even reforming before his eyes. His CQC doctrine made to deal with humans and ponies would be useless here. These things ignored pain and lost limbs and body parts far better than newfoals. Still, at least these crystal monsters didn’t have entrails, blood, or those horrible staring eyes, and they couldn’t speak, so it was marginally better than fighting them. The lack of nightmarish trauma was almost refreshing with to the current desperation he felt. Honestly, it almost felt like a game of some sort. A horribly deadly game, sure, but a game nonetheless.

Fortunately, Marcus was hardly helpless and was aware of other fighting styles he could use. He was going to need them now more than ever. He boxed for several years in highschool and was pretty decent at it. After he joined the Marines, he dabbled in other martial arts, taking a liking to Muay Thai and dabbled in Tai Chi for stretching and balance training. Marcus spent years perfecting his strange style, but never really had a chance to go all out, and the closest had been with Stephan, who had his own style of fighting that rivaled his own.

Marcus raised his arms, taking up a traditional boxing stance as the monsters rushed forward, a vicious smile appearing on his face as his body glowed with power.

"Let see you keep moving after this," Marcus whispered as he rushed forward, closing the gap between him and the leading monster. Marcus skidded in front of the creature, ducking underneath a swipe of its claws. He grabbed it by the arms and kneed it several times in the body, cracks growing with every blow before shoving it away, causing the monsters behind it to run into it and stumble about. Marcus cocked his right arm back and unloaded it at a monster that lept over the pile landed before him. The glowing runic arm not even pausing as it punched through with complete ease. Marcus’ smile grew as he opened his palm and unleashed his spell on the monsters behind his impromptu shield.

The Ravagers, Binders, even two Destroyers simply exploded in the wake of the crude blast of concussive force several meters before the biped.

It had such an excellent reservoir of magical power! And yet… its control was so terrible!

Something had to teach it. It was a shame to let that delicious ancient magic go to waste. Yes, it could use the biped’s magic so much more efficiently…

It had to have the biped!

Marcus stood back, a smirk on his face as the booted a growling skull away from him. He pulled out his pistol and loaded another magazine, watching as some of the crystals struggle to reform themselves, others made no movement at all

Marcus frowned as he watched the cloud of shadows reform a few meters before him, the same green and ruby eyes forming before an equine head took shape. At least, it looked vaguely equine-the lines were too harsh,  and fangs just looked bizarre on them. "Well, I have to admit I was worried for a moment, but I guess it was unfounded. I'll be on my way then, you can try again if you want."

The shadow figure smiled brightly, sharpen teeth making his smile even more demonic in appearance.

"DESPAIR!" It roared as it shot forward, Marcus jumped to the side, his pistol barking out once and dispersing the shadow clouds as it impacted the area he was in seconds earlier.

“Oh, you call that despair?!” Marcus yelled. “You call that trying to break me?! I’VE STARED DOWN EXPERTS AT THAT!”

A dark chuckle echoed around him, Marcus finally taking note of the surrounding clouds, he fired several more rounds, but amounted to nothing.

Marcus looked about once more before he grimaced and said one word. "Fuck." Why did his gun feel so outclassed all the time? Then again, it was only a pistol, an extremely powerful one, but still just a pistol. He needed a much bigger weapon... a sword like Stephan's came to mind. Or a dual pistols.

The clouds swirled around him, Marcus struggling to push out with his magic and keep it away, but it ignored everything he did to it. His runes glowed an angrily bright red, reacting the same way they would react if he was dosed in potion. Marcus hissed in pain, looking down at his arm, his eyes frozen in growing shock as the runes began to glow a sickly black, slowly trailing up his arm. The pain was agonizing, the clouds slowly forcing themselves into his crystal runes and trailing up his body. “What the fuck?!” he yelled as he tried push the strange magic off of him.

Marcus growled as he struggled before it simply stopped. He blinked as he look down at his arms in confusion, seeing the poisonous dark magic no longer present. He looked up to see he wasn't even outside anymore, but in the Oval Office.

"Ready!" Marcus blinked as he walked up to the window, seeing the White House front lawn in his view and his jaw dropped to see his family outside standing there. They stood between two groups, Dallas PD and Military personnel on one side, ponies and PER agents on the other.

"Uncle Danny... Aunt Molly?" Marcus whispered, watching as his uncle and aunt stood there waving at him, their husband and wife along with their respective children at their sides. Completely ignoring the groups at their sides.

"Take aim!" An Army officer barked out, the joint civilian and military units shouldering their weapons.

"Spread the light of Celestia!" Came the squeaky voice of a mare, the group pulling their arms back with potion in hand or hoof.

"No! Get out of there!" Marcus yelled at his family stood there uncaring of the world around them. He pounded the window to get them to snap out of it but they remained calm under his protests.

"Fire/Join the light!"

Marcus watched in horror as his family was torn apart before his eyes. They shifted and changed while the bullets tore them to shreds.

"No!" Marcus screamed as he watched his family die before his very eyes.

"You always believe you can save everyone." Marcus turned to see a young private marine standing next to him, looking at the carnage with a dead look in his eyes. Marcus opened his mouth to retort, before the marine turned to him and revealed a gaping bullet wound taking out half of his skull. "Why wasn't I saved?"

"How come you shot me mister soldier?" A young voice popped up behind him. Marcus whirled around to see a young afghan girl, her torso shredded apart from a heavy weapon.

"You failed to keep us alive!" Another marine, part of his old unit that was nearly wasted by a surprise attack in an area that would later be called 'RPG Valley'

"You left us to die." A french soldier, a Chasseurs Alpins, his body warped beyond the norm due to the potion.

"I trusted you." A pony nurse, Sutra Cross, her body eviscerate and tortured. Somehow talking perfectly normal without teeth or tongue.

"You led us to an early grave!" Lyra scowled at him. Her body fractured and pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Marcus spun around in place, lashing out to keep the corpses of people and ponies surrounding him away. "No! I did the best I could!"

"I looked up to you, Marcus." said a familiar voice rose above the rest,  silencing the others. Marcus looked on in horror as his brother limped into view. Half of his body was ponified while the other remain human. "And you killed me anyways... for a pony."

"I... I did it because..." Marcus heaved, falling to his knees.

"You let your brother die..." Marcus whimpered as he saw his mother standing before him. Her formerly sunkiss blond hair now gray and aged, her blue eyes held nothing but contempt for him.  "He followed your path and it lead him to an early grave. This is your fault!"

"Son..." Marcus looked up to his father, wearing his uniform he last saw him in. "No... you’re no son of mine. You let our entire family die when I trusted you to keep them alive. How can you save our world when you can't even keep family alive."

His eyes flickered in color, his normally dark brown eyes gaining a ruby tint while his sclera changed to a sickly green that seemed to seep through the veins in his eyes. Tears slowly trailed down his cheeks as he fell to his knees.

Marcus gripped his skull in painful agony as he began to scream.

Yes… How delicious he was!

While the magic sealed into the biped’s skin was delicious, and it would love to try this sometime, it was like a giant hole leading straight into him, wide open for the right type of being.

It crawled up the biped’s right appendage… an arm? Was that what it was called? An arm? Yes, like the biped bulls to the west.

As it crawled up the arm, along the latticework of magic that traced the biped, it sowed negative emotions within him. Hatred, oh, such hatred! Hatred of Celestia, curious given that it had been close in the vicinity of her. There was something different about the Celestia in his memories… such an impression of power that she had!

If only It could taste the source of that power! It had proven to be near limitless, enough that dimensional barriers, the mightiest armies, they meant nothing before such power!

Despair, such exquisite despair! It could never dream of causing anything like what the biped had seen. It had created wonderful oppression in its own Crystal Empire, but this biped had witnessed an entire world be destroyed! Its people twisted into ponies - wait, what was even the point of that? - with no free will, into little more than automatons, no better than his crystal creations. The soldiers he had faced, that once were bipeds, now seemingly endless, waves of ponies comparable to tin soldiers. There was no end, of course. There could never be any end. How could the biped win? Unless he let It in, let it channel power through his runes. How could he think he could stop it the way he is now?

And… Oh, what was that? Something in its chest near what it knew to be the heart.

The power that laid behind it.

Familiar, but why…?

His soul. The wondrous power of his soul.

Pure.

An unlimited wellspring of magic and power. It’d never tapped into a soul before… only it's own. His would be exquisite to play and manipulate with.

He would learn to enjoy his new place within its empire once it was done with him.

Crystal Castle

“Any idea where we should start looking?” Stephan asked the princesses, watching the city landscape through an open balcony.

“The throne room would be a good start,” Celestia said. “If it’s not there, then maybe we can find at least a clue where it could be.”

Stephan gave her a silent nod and followed them a few feet behind. Celestia didn’t need to ask why he stayed behind them, his weapons always ready. She could tell that he still didn’t fully trust them. She could understand it, of course; it was only a day ago that he killed the fake Tyrant in his world, believing that he fought the real one, and now he was in Equestria, in the company of two Alicorns, one of whom he wanted to kill and another one he only heard stories about.

Stephan almost killed Celestia just from hearing her talk and he would have been successful if Marcus didn’t stop him. She caught herself more than once looking over her shoulder to keep a watchful eye on him. Even Luna seemed worried. Partly because they worried for their own lives, but mostly because of his mental health. She witnessed Marcus’ breakdown, and with no doubt it wouldn’t be any different with him.

She wondered what horrors Stephan had to live through during the war against the Tyrant and her armies. There was still so much Marcus hadn’t told her about him. Celestia closed her eyes and tried to find Marcus’ memories, specifically those about Stephan.

She could now see through Marcus’ eyes, as he and Stephan walked out of a half-destroyed building in… Boston. Yes, that was the name of the city. A powerful missile had been fired at the air force of the Newfoals. His eyes looked down at a pegasus who had a mane that looked like fire. She knew her. Spitfire. The leader of the Wonderbolts. She pointed at a storm of fire and light that sucked the airships and pegasi in, crushing and burning everything in reach. And if it was not within reach, the winds it produced ensured that anything airborne will not be there for long. His eyes jumped over to Stephan who fired with his weapon at some Newfoals who jumped out of a building in which an airship had crashed. Stephan closed the distance and switched over to his machete, transforming it into a claymore and cutting the Newfoals down. His moves were smooth and well aimed. He killed them without hesitation. Like a well oiled machine. Cold. Without mercy. And every time she saw his eyes, there was only…

“Sister?”

Celestia shook her head. As she opened her eyes again, she saw Luna giving her a worried look. “Sorry, Luna. Just… a memory of Marcus’.”

Luna kept her eyes on him for a while before she turned her attention back to the floor they are walking through. “Is it about Stephan?” Luna whispered.

Celestia hoped that Stephan was too distracted with something else so that he didn’t heard them. Who was she kidding? He would have his eyes and ears everywhere, thus she only gave her sister a nod.

'A sense of high respect, of budding rivalry, and trust. These are the things Marcus feels at the mention of Stephan. He would lay his life in the man's hand in a heartbeat.'

They moved on, Stephan following them like he was their shadows. Every now and then, he looked outside through one of the windows. He saw the dark cloud began to spread around the kingdom, the blue shield that appeared at random keeping it out. Luna explained that it was Cadence's magic, and that she has arrived at the Crystal Kingdom. Stephan was worried though. He couldn't hear the sounds of gunfire nor the screaming hisses of whatever monsters that Sombra brought with him.

They finally reached the throne room. Stephan was quite impressed by the sight. He was once in the Vatican and that was already a breathtaking sight. But this room was made out of crystals of different shapes and colors, and the room was flooded with light-it was just so beautiful. There was no shadow except those under his feet. “Alright. What are we looking for?”

Celestia let her eyes wander through the room and Luna did the same. “The Crystal Heart is not here,” she said with a disappointed tone.

“Go figure,” Stephan muttered under his breath.

“We have to keep looking. Maybe it is hidden,” Luna said, trying to give them some hope.

Stephan nodded in agreement before saying, “Okay, what does that Crystal Heart look like, by the way?”

“Like a heart made of crystal,” Luna said, looking somewhat confused at why he needed that explained to him.

"You mean a blood pumping heart?" Stephan ventured, a worried look on his face. 'That is both disturbing and fucking badass if that's true.'

"What?! No!?" Luna gave him an appalling look of disgust. "The symbol for 'love' kind of heart, which is what the Crystal Kingdom was known for. Spreading joy and love across the world."

Stephan gave her a long look before he sighed and began to search the room. Luna and Celestia searched in a different part of the room, but never far from Stephan’s visual range. ‘Dammit. Where would I hide an important artifact if I were an evil Tyrant…’ He resisted the urge to ask Celestia.

They searched every part of the room and didn’t let any stone left unturned. He then asked Celestia, “Why can’t you simply sense it with your magic and teleport them to us? That would make things much easier.”

Celestia explained, “Sadly I can’t. Something is blocking mine and Luna’s ability to do so.”

He already rounded the throne and looked in every possible hiding place. Celestia and Luna weren’t any luckier from the look of their faces. Again, he felt that urge to run to Celestia and cut her head off.

He shook his head. He had to keep a cool head. Going berserk now would not help anyone. Marcus clearly trusted them, so he had to trust them as well. Still, he felt a lot of anger in him after the battle with the Solar Tyrant’s duplicate. It was frustrating that it wasn’t the real one, and to be around Celestia (even if this one was from an alternate universe) changed his mood for the worse.

‘The longer I'm here... the less sense this place makes.’ He let his eyes wander over the throne room again. Beautiful crystal structures, bright lighting, and soothing colors. Something was off, and he believed that he knew now what it is. “Hey, Luna!”

The princess of the moon looked over to Stephan. “Yes?”

“Say… Sombra had this place under control for a long time before you were able to force him out, right?”

Luna nodded. “Yes, he ruled over the Empire for a long time. Why?”

Stephan stroked his chin between his fingers. “I… don’t know how to put this, but this place does not look like Sombra’s throne room.”

Luna and Celestia shared a short gaze. “There are no other throne rooms. This is the only one.”

Stephan shook his head. “No, I mean… look at it. Its… verflucht nochmal...”

Both princesses eyed him with a confused look as he struggled with what he was trying to point out.

Stephan gave a sigh. “How would Marcus say this? 'This shit looks wrong and its annoying me.' Its like I'm walking into an ambush and clues are right in front of me to warn me about it. It doesn't look like an evil overlord throne room. Its too... pretty and tame compare to what we know of Sombra.”

Celestia’s and Luna’s eyes lightened up as they realized what Stephan was trying to say.

“But of course!” Luna exclaimed. “How could we be so blind? Sombra’s magic would have changed this castle like it had changed the entire Empire. It would have warped to his desires.”

“That means we have to restore the original look of this room by using Sombra’s dark magic,” Celestia summarized.

“Can either one of you use that kind of magic?” Stephan asked.

Luna nodded. “We both have experience in that field. Although given what we know about and its origins, we must take care not to cast it about without caution.” She walked in front of the throne and eyed the giant crystal above it. “It has been a while but…” Her horn began to glow, dark purple and green sparks bubbled in it like a sickness that grew outwards.

Stephan observed the procedure. A beam of dark magic shot out of Luna’s horn and hit the crystal. It didn’t take long until a dark shadow crawled from the throne and over the stairs towards the floor. It revealed a hole in the ground. Unfortunately, Stephan stood in its way. He saw the hole getting closer and he jumped out of the way. He landed on his bad leg and with a short cry of pain he fell.

Celestia saw how Stephan cringed in pain and walked over to him to offer him her assistance to help him up by offering a wing to hold on. He looked at it before he pushed it away with a scowl. “I’m fine, I’m fine!”

Celestia looked hurt as he refused her help. He struggled to get back on his feet. He managed to do so, but she could still see the pain etched on his face.

Stephan walked to the beginning of the stairs and looked down into the hole. It was so dark that he didn’t even saw the ground. “What is it with villains and dark and mysterious looking holes…”

“Sounds like you have already some experience with evil lairs,” Luna mused.

Stephan waved a hand at her. “Something like that.” He opened a one of the bigger bags at his battle belt and pulled out one of his heavy glow sticks. A quick snap in the middle and a little shake was all what it took to make it glow.

Luna and Celestia watched it with interest, since they had never seen such a device.

Stephan let it fall into the hole and saw how the stick disappeared into the darkness. He lost it as the light got swallowed by the dark, and it took several more seconds before he heard it land on the ground. He whistled, impressed. “That is one deep hole.”

“Indeed, it is.” Celestia said. She was already on her way to go down as Stephan held out a hand in front of her to stop her.

“I’ll go first. Maybe there are traps which only go off by magical ponies like you,” Stephan explained.

Celestia turned her head to Luna for help, who nodded her head with Stephan's statement. “He is right, Sister. It is a possibility, since only magical creatures like us can use the magic that is necessary to open the way.”

"Once I'm through, I'll see if I can find any source of the magical traps and break them with my sword. The PHL taught us the means of detecting traps after the Royal Guards began to lace traps in occupied towns. My sword can react to magical traps thanks to Trixie, whom modified it to give me a warning. Besides, Runes and crystals react all the same once destroyed." Stephan added. "Useless. Without the means of powering said traps, they shut off, thus making it safe to pass."

Celestia gave a resigned sigh. “Alright, Major. We will wait for your call.”

Stephan nodded and flicked on his pistol’s flashlight. The light didn’t reach far, but it was enough to see where he was going. Each step was painful with his bad leg, but he did what he always did - grit his teeth together and keep going. ‘I could have been ordering the Elements around now, going to the doctor afterwards and then have a good night with Trixie, but noooo, I had to follow Marcus because he’s my friend and I must go on suicidally dangerous adventures with him… Now, on my epic journey of heroism I have to walk down some stupid flight of stairs into the killer friendly cellar… wait a minute…

“Hey, Luna, Celestia!” Stephan shouted up to them.

“Yes?” he heard Celestia say.

“Isn’t this castle built on legs with a lot of open air between the ground and bottom of the castle?”

There was a short pause before he heard her answer. “Yes, it is! Why?”

“Oh, nothing! I was just wondering how there would be stairs to a cellar when this castle is built over the ground!”

“That is not uncommon! A castle can have a lot of bigger rooms with the help of a pocket universe magic without making the castle bigger on the outside! Where do you think we kept all the soldiers that wouldn’t react well to Equestria in the castle?”

‘Great, this place fucks with time and space like the Tardis of the Doctor...’ Stephan thought. ‘It’s cool in some crazy way… not that I’ll ever tell him that.’

“I don’t understand why it had to be Canterlot Castle, though, or castles in general. ” Stephan yelled back.

“Ambient magic!” Celestia replied. "To help keep the spell running. Canterhorn is saturated with it due to being a major center for ley lines… though that may partly be our fault. As for the Crystal Castle, it used to be a magical learning center that Starswirl helped create. An experiment in runes laid in the foundation to form the Crystal Kingdom you see before you! Another example of our meddling, so to speak!”

After a long walk, which seemed to never end, he reached the bottom of the stairs. He paused and took a few deep breaths before he used the flashlight to look around. It was dark and for the exception of the stairs, there was not much to see. That was until he saw the door. ‘Bingo.’

He walked over it and was going to open door as it disappeared. “What the…?!”

He looked around and found the door behind him. “Okay…” He walked towards it and as he tried to open it a second time, it moved out of his reach. “...oh, you didn’t just…”

“Is everything alright?” He heard Luna call out from above. At least she wasn’t using the Voice yet.

“Yes! Just give me a minute!”

He tried it again and again but the result was the same, and Stephan was really not in the mood to play ‘Catch me if you can’.

He tighten the grip on his HK USP and waited for the door to fall still. He smirked as the door shook, apparently readying itself for another run around. Quickly taking in the door's appearance, he took note of the black crystal that pulsed weakly on top, making Stephan marking it as his target. Stephan pulled his weapon up and the door tried to move again, only for the magic-laced bullet hit the crystal above the door. It began to shine in a blue light. ‘Gotcha. Huh... strange that it didn't shatter.’ Stephan pulled his blade and checked the handle to his machete, gazing upon the crystal gem laid within. A steady dim light and not a single pulse to be given. 'Clear of traps then.'

"Are you alright! We heard your weapon go off!" Celestia called down to him.

"Just keeping something still. It's safe to come down now!" Stephan yelled up to them as he walked to the door and grabbed the handle. A hard pull later and the door was ajar. He smiled victorious as he gave the door a small chuckle. Had Stephan kept his hand on his blade, he would have taken note of the rapid pulses it was giving off. “Alright, I'm moving forward, try to catch up!”

He pulled the door open and was blinded by a white light. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes and as he could see clear enough-

His breathing came still, blind panic building within. He looked around and something inside began to feel sick. ‘No… it can’t be…’

But it was.

He was in a school.

He was in the school.

Back in Paris.

He turned around to leave only to find himself alone in the hallway. The door was gone!

The floor was a mess; covered in clothes, shoes, paper, ammo casing, spilled potions, smears and splatter marks of blood. Tables and chairs that blocked doorways laid strewn about the hall, as if they were tossed aside by monsters attempting to get the prize within.

He could hear the screams of adults, and children in panic. Bombs exploding and gunfire chattering outside.

"N-no. Not here..." Stephan choked out as he gripped his weapon tightly.

Stephan felt the chills run up and down his spine when he heard it.

The sound of childrens' laughter. That horrifying laughter. The same laughter that followed him through his nightmares.

And it came closer.

"Venez nous joindre. C'est amusement étant un poney."

Sons of Legacies: Part 2

Sons of Legacies

Part 2

Authors:

Redskin122004

Proudtobe

Editors:

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

Rush

'The only thing we have to fear... Is fear itself.'

-President Franklin D. Roosevelt

'Fear cuts deeper than swords.'

-George R.R. Martin

Crystal Kingdom

Stephan didn’t know how or why he ended up in this place again. The only thing he knew was that he needed to get out of here, away from the warped laughter that echoed behind him.

So he bolted, avoiding and jumping over obstacles like chairs and tables. He didn’t notice the large puddle of blood on the floor in his haste and slipped. Thankfully, reflexes kicked in, and he caught himself from falling, though that added some strain on his bad leg. Panic grew as he jumped back to his feet as the laughter grew louder and closer. His breathing and heart rate jumped up to an unfathomable level and his vision became blurred, and he could only see what was in front of him.

‘An exit! WHERE IS THE GOD DAMN EXIT?!!’ His thoughts became more unfocused the longer he ran. The hallway he ran through seemed endless, and no matter which way he turned, there wasn’t a way out of this place. No matter which way he turned, it all looked the same. There were no distinguishing landmarks he could use to guide himself out.

“Ne vous sauvez pas, nous voulons seulement vous aider!” Stephan heard the children call out to him. He remembered those words all too well. He didn't understand French well enough to perfectly understand their pleas, but the meaning didn’t slip past him. No matter who they’d been converted from, Newfoals all said what was essentially the same thing, be it in Japanese or Swahili or English. Always some promise of salvation, bringing companionship, love, or whatever they thought humans were stupid enough to fall for, or whatever they thought humans didn’t have.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he screamed back but it was pointless. They wouldn’t stop. They never stopped.

He couldn't run forever and he knew it. His already aching body felt utterly exhausted after half-running, half-limping through what felt like miles of hallways and classrooms, and his leg screamed in protest at every step. He ran around the next corner as he made a decision. He gathered all the strength that was left in him and pushed for one last time to get some distance from the laugher. He was sure that they couldn’t see him anymore as he turned a corner to see a single door at the end of the hall, yanking the door open and rushing inside the room. He pressed his body against the door in the hope that he could prevent them from coming in. Several seconds ran by and each one felt like an eternity as he heard the sound of little hooves run by. His heart beat painfully in his chest and it felt like it would explode any second.

But soon he released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, as the sound of the foals became more distant until it was gone. He leaned his head against the door, the cool surface giving him some small respite.

He slowly turned around. Maybe he could escape through the windows-

Panic rose again as his eyes wandered through the room he was in. It was the same room like in the past; the blood, the damage to the desks and walls, all were identical. But otherwise it was totally empty. He walked slowly over to the window to see if he could leave. He looked through it and what he saw was hell. Fires swallowed the buildings, explosions and gunfire leaving the once beautiful city in utter ruin. Dust and smoke filled the rubble and corpse riddled streets. Some mangled, bullet riddled bodies were distorted blobs of sloppy flesh in the streets, as if a pony and a human had been sadistically mashed together with no regard for function.

He saw people, adults and children alike screaming as they ran away from the newfoals. Soldiers and policemen unloaded whatever firearms they could find into the charging horde, but the newfoals soon rammed into them like a cresting wave, scattering the humans everywhere or ponifying them, ripping apart whatever protection they had covering them and  soaking them with the potion from throwing it at them or forcing terrified humans, whom thrashed wildly as they struggled to stop the newfoals from forcing the potion down their throats.

Humans screamed in agony as they transformed into ponies, their bodies twisting and warping with groteque meaty splats and cracks, soon replaced by the cheers of joy from the ever growing number of newfoals, to the point that it became impossible to see any humans left under the rising tide. And before long, there were more newfoals, unused to their pony bodies and overcome by the desire to convert others to “Celestia’s light,” growing in number as they rushed through the street like an avalanche of bodies. Explosives and machinegun fire raked through their number, but they barely seemed to notice. It was just like when he-

His line of thoughts stopped as he heard someone cry. No. Not just one. More source added themselves to the first one and it was like he was surrounded by it. He didn’t want to, but he turned around.

He saw dozens of little fillies and colts sitting around in the room. Some holding each other, others just tried to make themselves as small as they could in a corner. Every single one of them shivered in fear.

“Please, mister…,” he heard one of them whisper. “Please, don’t hurt us. We didn’t mean to be bad.”

“No… I… I would never hurt one of you…” he heard himself whisper.

One of the fillies looked up to him with a sad smile. “But you already did.”

He felt something wet and warm on his hands. Something that wasn’t there before. He looked at them only to see them covered in blood. ‘When…’

His eyes wandered back to the filly. A wave of nausea hit him when he saw her body now on the floor, torn apart. Every other filly and colt suffered the same fate, now dead and laying in their own blood. He pressed himself against the window before he made a run to the doors again. But to his horror, the door had vanished.

“They had their whole lives still ahead of them. And you took it away.”

‘That voice…’

Stephan turned around and saw Peter standing in the middle of the room, together with his other friends, Daniel, Alicia and Mueller. And, somehow, even Kraber was there.

“Always thought you enjoyed it a bit too much,” Kraber laughed, his breath reeking of cigarettes, and the bourbon and cheap HLF rotgut he had such a taste for. “Congratulations; I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. After all, we’re not so different, aren’t we?”

“You… you’re ex-HLF!” Stephan protested. “You killed hundreds! We’re nothing alike!”

“Aren’t we, though?” Kraber asked as he flicked a cigarette, pointing at Stephan and then at himself. “If you look in our records, you’ll find that all the killings you did aren’t so different from mine. I just didn’t have the government awarding me medals for it.”

“How could you do that?” he heard Peter ask. “How could you just kill those children? I thought I taught you better.” He gave a short laugh while shaking his head. “Somehow fitting that we are in a school. Because as your teacher I would give you an “F” for failing.”

Stephan opened his mouth but no words came out.

“I used to look up to you, you know that? Even as you became the killer you are now,” Daniel whispered, closing his eyes while looking away. “I should have known that you would turn into a monster.”

“I… I didn’t want to do this!” Stephan tried to defend himself.

Alicia stepped closer to Daniel who took her in a hug. “Really? And we should believe you?” She shook her head. “You had a choice. You had the choice to prevent that from happening. And now… how would I be able to tell my children that we worked together with a murderer?”

“I… I’m no murderer! And there was no other way!”

“Of course there was,” Mueller replied as he stepped forward. “You could have just left. You could’ve just run away, like you do now because you don’t want to face the reality.”

Stephan was stunned. He could always count on  the support of his friends, no matter what. But now…

“How could I have been so stupid, to think that we can be together?”

His heart made a jump as he heard the one voice he hoped he would never hear in this place. Trixie walked from behind his friends to their front, facing Stephan with a sad look. “Trixie?”

“How could I have believed that I can love you? No one is safe from you. Not even children. You are nothing but a killer. And you wanted to turn me in one, too!”

Stephan stepped closer. “But… Trixie…”

She stepped backwards, looking at him with disgust. “How could I think that I can grow old with you? With someone who did… that! Didn’t you think about their parents? What they have to get through? I bet you didn’t since you don’t even think about your parents.”

It was those last words that had to be said to make him fall to his knees. Tears began to flow over his face. “I… I never had the time to…”

“You never cared about us. Did you?”

He blinked the tears out of his eyes, and there where his parents. They looked just like the last time he had seen them. His father spat, “You just left us behind. Not even telling us if you were okay. Or if we made it out of the city. No, you just left us behind because you wanted to join the war.”

Stephan shook his head and pushed his hands over his face. “No, no! I never stopped thinking about you! I just never had the time to look after you! I am sorry for that, really, I am!”

“Do you really think we want to see you again? After you turned into that monster you are now?” Stephan’s mother asked angrily.

“I am not a monster…”

“But you enjoyed killing me, didn’t you?”

‘That voice… no… it can’t be…’ Stephan lifted his head, only to see the Tyrant standing in front of him, surrounded by the slaughtered fillies and colts. They all looked at him with the same smile every newfoal had. The Tyrant was injured as well - both of her wings were cut off, her fur and skin burnt and Stephan could make out a red line that wandered over her head and stopped under her chest and middle of her back.

Stephan snarled as he glared daggers at her, “I only gave you what you deserved!”

The Tyrant’s smile became even wider and he saw how her lips tore apart, revealing bloody teeth and gums. She laughed, “Oh, and I bet you loved each moment of it. You loved how your sword cut off my wings, and then you used it to cut me in half. I still remember your smile clearly.”

Stephan held his hands over his ears, trying to block her words from reaching him. But they somehow managed to burn their way in like hot knives.

“I only did that because you deserved every last bit of it!!”

The Tyrant tilted her head a little, her right side flopping to the side while the other half remained upright. She seemed completely unconcerned about her gruesome appearance while her shredded organs dripped from her body, still somehow speaking as if she was completely whole and undamaged. “Is that your only reason for doing what you did? I bet you always enjoyed the killing, didn’t you? How would you justify what you did to those little children?”

“Yeah, how could you hurt us?” one filly asked.

“You are nothing more than a murderer!”

“Shame on you!”

“No, no, no! I would have done something else if I could’ve… but there was no other way!”

“But there is another way...” a young colt said as he put down a small bottle in front of Stephan with a purple liquid in it. Stephan knew what it contained.

“Drink this. And all your bad memories will disappear.”

Stephan crawled backwards against the door, terror written over his face. “Keep it away from me!!”

The Tyrant walked to him and pushed the bottle closer to his feet. “Just a little sip. And you will never have those bad dreams again.”

“No! I will not turn into one of your slaves!”

“Don’t be afraid, Stephan. It is only for the best,” the Tyrant whispered.

“Leave me alone, YOU XENOCIDAL BITCH!”

“Join the herd, Stephan,” the Tyrant said, as the smile on her face widened immensely, wider than her face should have ever been. As Stephan crawled backwards, desperately trying to get away, it grew and grew, to the point that her smile seemed wide enough that if she opened her mouth, he’d be eaten. “And all your sins will be washed away and you will be reborn anew.”

“Stay away from me!” he screamed.

“Join the herd, Stephan,” he heard the Tyrant and the foals chant in unison.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” he screamed again, louder this time.

“Join the herd, Stephan!” Celestia screamed, flying at him.

“NO!”

“Stephan!”

He looked in the twisted face of the Tyrant and something snapped inside. He jumped her and wrapped his hands around her throat, pressing on her larynx down with his thumbs. Someone wrapped their hooves around him from behind and he lashed out with one fist and struck it, knocking it backwards. It cried in surprise, and he didn’t even care what it could have been. He turned his attention back at the Tyrant.

“THIS WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!” He lifted her head and rammed it into the ground. “YOU MADE ME DO THIS!” he screamed as he slammed his fist into her face, over and over, with every ounce of strength he could muster. “YOU MADE ME KILL THOSE CHILDREN! YOU ARE THE REASON I HAVE THEIR BLOOD ON MY HANDS!” He lifted her head again and slammed it again and again. “DIE ALREADY! DIE! JUST! FUCKING! DIE!!”

Something hit him in the side and he fell off her. The attack wasn’t that painful; more like a heavy push. He lay still for a moment before the shock left and he got off the ground to see what just happened.

The room disappeared, as well as the foals and the Tyrant. He was in the cellar again, in the Crystal Castle. Together with Luna and the other Celestia. He remembered now. What he was doing down here and finding the door. He searched the room and his eyes fell upon to Celestia and Luna, who was helping her sister up. Celestia held her hoof on her throat. Not in pain from the look of it, but in utter confusion. His eyes widened as he realized what he just did.

“I… I am so sorry… I… Mein Gott...” Stephan stuttered, completely and utterly shaken. He pulled himself against a wall and looked down at his hands like they were something alien to him. His breath was rapid, like as if he was almost hyperventilating as he broke down sobbing, covering his face with his hands.

Luna was the first one to turn at Stephan. “What was that about, Stephan?! Why did you attack Celestia?!”

Stephan only whimpered, his head deeply buried in his hands.

“Answer us!” Luna demanded.

“Luna!” Celestia held a hoof to stop her younger sister from attacking Stephan. “That’s enough.”

Luna eyed Celestia for a moment in confusion before she turned her head back at the human. The longer she looked at him, the more the anger turned to sorrow. She saw how that human, a mere mortal faced the Tyrant, a fake one but powerful enough to rival her and Discord, and fought against her and even won. And now…

He was only a shadow of who he was before.

Celestia walked slowly towards him until she was only a few feet away from him. “What did you see?”

Stephan flinched as he heard her voice.

Celestia gave a sigh before she lowered her head a bit towards him. “Stephan, please. We need your help. You need to tell us what you saw in the door,” she said in a comforting manner. Stephan ignored her as he tried to get his head straight. Celestia huffed once, realizing that a heavier hoof may be needed. Much like how she dealt with Marcus. “Tell me what you saw. I need a full report so that we can figure out what kind of trap it was.”

Stephan looked up, he eyed her for a moment before he nodded, swallowing a big lump in his throat. “I… It was like I returned to my source of my nightmares… my worst fears… everyone I know turned against me… even my friends and family… it was… unbelievable. The most painful thing I ever experienced, and that’s saying something.”

"I see now... a fear-inducing spell laid over a simple door," Luna remarked as she listened to Stephan's harrowing experience. "Even I would be caught off guard by such a spell. It is simple enough to dismantle, but to an unwary soul, it is a perfect trap. To see your deepest fears, and have it forcibly play out for you until you become paralyzed with your horrors until its maker fetches you."

Stephan nodded, taking several deep breaths as he said, “Yes, pretty much like that.” He looked up at Celestia with a worried expression. “I really don’t want to see what could happen if you try to walk through it… not with his memories in your head. I would say you should stay away from it for now.”

“But I have to do something!” Celestia protested but the two looked away from her.

Luna shivered as she stared at the door. “Tia, you’ve put yourself through enough mental torture, and pushed yourself far beyond your breaking point in the past week. Please, leave it be. I dare not think what will happen once your mind finally decides to break. Long lived we may be, but we can still break like any other being."

Celestia knew it was a lost cause, but tried anyway. She hated how they were walking on eggshells around her and yet she understood. Stephan didn’t need to say whose memories and deep down, she was glad that she didn’t face the door. The spell Discord used to keep her memories apart from Marcus’ was still scattered from Luna’s Mind Share event. No one could tell what would happened if she had to face hers and Marcus’ darkest fears together, plus the memories of one mare wishing to die and the implications of the others' fate.

She doubt she would mentally survive long enough to even hurt somepony, let alone herself.

Celestia sighed and turned to her sister. “Is there a way to disarm it, Luna?”

Luna eyed the door for a while before she gave a nod. “I think so. Give me a moment.” She concentrated her powers at the door and released a single spell. The crystal flickered for a moment before it became dull. “It is done.”

Stephan nodded his head and tried to get on his feet. His bad leg gave up under him and he cursed the fact that he didn’t take the time to visit the doctor earlier. He heard a couple steps and saw Celestia offering her wing as support again. He looked at it for a moment before he reached out with a hand, and accepted her help.

It didn’t take much effort on Celestia’s side and he stood on his feet again. A bit unsteady but on them nevertheless. He gave her a quick nod as thanks and she returned it with a little smile. They both walked to the door and Stephan stopped Celestia from going further. “Let me try it again. It’s better for everyone this way.”

Celestia gave him a worried look. “And what about you? I honestly don’t think facing the door a second time will be good for you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I mean, you two are now here with me,” Stephan said with a weak smile.

Celestia and Luna shared a glance before Celestia reluctantly nodded. “Be careful,” she warned.

Stephan slowly approached the door and stretched his hand towards it. His body began to shake and his hand stopped only an inch in front of it. He took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder at the princesses. Celestia gave him an encouraging nod.

He reached out and took the handle in his hand. He pulled hard and the door opened. Only this time there was no blinding light and no nightmares from the past greeted him. He sighed in relief, and readied his pistol before he walked through the opening. He turned to the right and then to the left side only to freeze at something he saw when he looked up. “Luna?”

“Yes?”

“Could it be that Sombra had some kind of weird fetish that involved stairs?”

Luna blinked a few times, looking downright puzzled at his odd question before she stepped through the door with her sister who looked just as confused as her. “Not that I could recall. Why do you… ask…?”

They all became silent as they stared at the endless open air, looking way up. And the stairs. So many stairs.

“I think your old student had some serious issues.”

"Alright, no pushing! There is room for everypony! Hey! No conspiracy to try and escape, you’ll only make me annoyed!" one of the Discord duplicates yelled through a megaphone, dozens of others surrounding the castle with riot gear, shields, and batons, facing outwards to protect the Crystal Ponies from Sombra.

"Hmm. Looks like little Cady is here to play," Discord said to himself as he walked through huddling ponies, taking note of the shield encompassing the city. "Pretty impressive shield, if I don't say so myself."

"Um… uh..." Discord looked down to see a mare before him, whimpering a little when she realized she got his attention. "You're not going to.. enslave us... are you?"

Discord blanched at that, scowling at the thought of doing such a thing. "No. I'm not. I have other things to do. Not my kind of thing anyways."

"Are you going to make us your new servants then?" the mare whimpered, looking somewhat hopeful. "I mean, there are stories that you like to... uh... play mean jokes on ponies and other stuff. Are you going to do that?"

Discord winced at the face, and while he was no saint in his dealing with ponies in the past, the fact the mare looked hopeful that he would do that to them made it just sad. "Maybe play a prank or two, but servitude is not on the menu... maybe in the future once everything is said and done if you want to sign up. But I have far more important things to worry about now. Right now I have to make sure you all are safe and sound."

"Discord!" a familiar voice called out to him, a small smile on his face as he opened his arms wide.

"Ah! Cady! Nice to see you here!" Discord exclaimed as the pink alicorn landed before him, rather heavily at that. "Still need to work the landing, my dear."

Cadance flushed, embarrassed for a moment before straightening herself out. "Discord, are all the Crystal Ponies here?"

"Hmm, let me check." Discord said quietly as he closed his eyes to concentrate. Cadence turned to look at the growing herd of ponies as they gathered around her.

"Look, another alicorn!"

"Are you sure? It could be a pegacorn."

"You don't feel that magic coming off of her?! She's definitely an alicorn."

"Who birthed her? Princess Celestia?"

"Ponies of the Crystal Kingdom!" Cadence called out, giving them time to gather themselves. "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! The blood of your rightful leader Prince Tempo Di Mezzanotte, who is the great grandson of Princess Luna, the Caretaker of the Moon, runs through my veins. What I am about to tell you may shock you; you may even think I am lying to you. But I am not."

Cadance gave a small huff as they fell silent. She closed her eyes for a moment before she began to speak. "It has been over one thousand years since you and this kingdom has been seen by any living being of this world."

She could see the shock on their faces at those words, some fainted after a moment or two while others began to cry. Cadance had no doubt that some of them had families outside the Kingdom before they vanished, or some relatives and friends who had escaped. It would be hard for them to get their bearings in this new world, where society and technology progressed far beyond their wildest dreams, and the onset of a war brewing up.

"Know this, many things have changed since so long ago. The prime example stands before you." Cadance pointed to Discord as he gave a single wave to them before returning to his search. "We know of Sombra’s return. My aunts, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are here with Discord as an ally, along with two other warriors from a far away land. They will strike down Sombra and you can live free of his vicious rule. And we will gladly welcome you to Equestria! In fact, we are very, very happy to see you, for there is much that only you crystal ponies can do for Equestria! You will be hailed as heroes, as long-lost brothers and sisters! As saviors of a world!”

Many of the ponies began to whisper excitedly to one another, a few giving the pink alicorn and the draconequus a look of suspicion. Cadance gave a sigh, jumping slightly at the tap on her shoulder. She turn to see Discord with a worried look on his face.

"What is it?" Cadance whispered quietly, Discord snapped his claw to put up a yellow-tinted transparent bubble around them, to keep their conversation silent to the ponies around them.

"All the ponies are here, but one of my clones saw Marcus being surrounded by crystal monsters," Discord replied, causing Cadence to give him a look of worry.

"Marcus said to shrink the shield once we get everypony here." Cadance closed her eyes as she thought back on Marcus' orders. "I thought he can handle it a bit... Maybe I should have stayed with him."

"Oh, that wouldn't do. And leave me to foalsit these ponies? I don't think so," Discord muttered to her, rolling his eyes as some of the ponies gathered closely around the bubble as they tried to figure out what they were saying within it. "I'll go to him. Shrink the shield so you don't burn your horn out."

Discord popped the bubble, causing many of the ponies to step back as Discord floated off the ground. He gave them a small smirk before looking towards the outskirts of the city as he flew high above their heads. The dark clouds that once threatened to engulf the city had all but disappeared, causing Discord to wonder what happened.

"Time to go; take care of the jittery lot, Cady!" Discord called down to her before snapping his claw and he vanished from sight.

Discord popped back into existence near the entrance of the kingdom, watching as the pale blue shields slowly shrank down in size. His eyes were searching for his human companion before finally finding him.

Surrounded by crystal monsters.

"Oh that won't do at all," Discord growled as he pulled out a large scroll from his 'pocket' and stuck his paw into it, melting through the scroll and digging in for something. Discord smirked as he pulled out several kunai, all of them having paper tags attached to them. "Let's send them out with a bang shall we?"

Discord threw the blades, each one slamming into the head of the crystal creatures surrounding Marcus. The look of confusion on their faces was priceless as they all stared at the blades lodge into their skulls, the tags burning quickly before exploding.

"Ha ha ha!" Discord laughed as he landed before Marcus, who was on his knees and staring at the ground. "I should really have Pinkie take a look at this scroll. She’d love it. Hey, you okay?"

Marcus wavered slightly, before slowly getting onto his feet. Discord turned to see the monsters slowly reforming themselves. "How about you let me handle the toys Sombra no doubt summoned. Maybe its a little beyond your deal to handle this. Just let old Discord show you a thing or two about handling things."

"Now…" Discord blinked at the voice, the deep and hoarse voice a far cry from Marcus’ normal speaking voice. "Why would I want you to do something like that?"

"Wha-Urk!" Discord turned to look at him, only for his lungs and stomach to find themselves being rearranged by the powerful punched to his gut. Discord gagged as he bent over from the blow, his eyes wide in surprise and shock at the betrayal.  He looked to Marcus, questions forming before falling silent as Marcus locked eyes with him. His irises no longer the rich brown, but a ruby red, his sclera a glowing green that was releasing a purple miasma of magic from the corner of his eyes.

Marcus pulled his fist back, a deranged smile morphing on his face. "They're my toys to begin with! And I don't like it when someone else plays with my toys!"

Discord was too stunned to react in time to the blow to his face, which knocked  him backwards almost fifty yards. He skipped across the ground, bouncing as his head knocked against the snow-covered earth, before slamming his claws into the dirt to slow himself down. He looked up to see Marcus slowly walking towards him, the smile on his growing more sinister as he walked.

"For too long I have waited for this day," ‘Marcus’ growled out, black magic seeping into the ground and crystals quickly growing in his wake. "You made a mockery of me the last time we met. But no more! I will break you until you beg for mercy and I will deny you that. Now that I have this body... this body full of secrets that even Celestia would tremble at if she was to learn of what these runes will do."

"You talk too much," Discord scowled as he snapped his claw, an explosion engulfing Marcus. Discord barely had time to wonder if he was alright before a small black crystal came flying out of the smoke and slammed into his chest. Discord looked down to see the crystal grow quickly and cover his body. He looked back to see Marcus still standing and holding up his hand. Marcus opened his hand and Discord felt the crystal explode, sending him onto his back. Discord groaned as he got back to his feet, hearing the Marcus laugh out loud. "The crystal thing is new, Marcus. Let me guess, Sombra gave you ultimate power as long as you listen to him?"

"You're truly a fool," 'Marcus' said, shaking his head, glaring at Discord. "This body... it holds many secrets. His will is strong and he will not fall to mere promise of power. No... your human is suffering and I am in control, drinking in his despair and rage. I will learn all the secrets this body houses and I will become even more powerful than those alicorns. Prepare yourself Discord, for this body will be my vessel for the time being. And it will be far too easy to destroy you."

"Yeah, blah blah blah. Now, stop talking!" Discord scowled as he rolled his eyes.

Possessed Marcus growled angrily as he charged another spell. "You will regret mocking me, Discord. My word is law. I am King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. Now... SUBMIT TO YOUR KING!"

“Oh, shut up you addle-brained tinpot tyrant!” Discord yelled as he leveled his wrist bracer at the possessed human.

Celestia stood by as her younger sister checked the stairway for anything suspicious. She told her that it could take a while because of the immense length of it. Of course she didn’t like the idea, but Luna insisted. She knew Sombra better than anyone else, and any spell that would force someone to witness their worst fear wouldn’t affect her that much like it did to Stephan or what it could have done to Celestia.

Celestia turned her head over to Stephan who sat again with his back against a wall, his bad leg stretched out to not strain it more than necessary. She could see that he still had to process the experience with the door. She can only imagine what he saw that made him attack her. His eyes only showed anger, but there was something else. Something she already saw in Marcus’ memories when he saw him fight. Buried deep within his cruel jokes with Marcus, and the rage.

It was sadness. Almost faint in its presence, but it was there. Every time he was fighting, something in him got hurt.

Celestia walked slowly towards him as he pulled something out of one of his small bags at his belt. It looked like some kind of bar with a green wrapping. He unwrapped it and took a bite from it.

“Stephan?” Celestia called him with a low voice.

Stephan turned her head to face her and swallowed the bitten off piece of the bar. “Is Luna done with the stairs?”

Celestia looked over her shoulder to see what progress her sister made this far. She shook her head as she saw that she wasn’t finished yet. “No. She is not.”

Stephan nodded and said, “Okay.” He was about to bite another piece of the bar as he noticed that Celestia hadn’t moved from her spot. “Is there something else?”

Celestia took a breath in and gave a soft sigh, “Yes, it’s about what you said earlier. About the children.”

Stephan stared at her for a moment and she thought he was going to lash out at her. But he just leaned his head against the wall. “I… don’t want to talk about it.”

Celestia lowered her head a bit towards him. “Of course you don’t need to if you don’t want to. But maybe it will help you if-”

He held up a hand at her. “I know what you are going to say. It is the same thing my psychologist said to me. I appreciate what you want to do, but… not now. Maybe another time.” His eyes wandered towards the stairs. “We have other problems now…” He then offered her the bar he held in his hand. From the look of it, it was some kind of cereal bar. “Want a bite? Not so tasty but-”

His words got cut off as he felt a hoof wrapping around him and a nuzzle at his neck. “Wha…?”

Celestia pulled him close to her body. She had the feeling that he could use one now, and since his Trixie wasn’t around to do that, she had decided to take that part for now. She could feel his breathing rate and heartbeat calming down as he felt how soft and warm her fur was pressing against him. Incredible-the alicorn who was, in several ways, the same as the Tyrant who had perpetrated the greatest crimes in the history of humanity, actually cuddly. How about that?

“Know that Luna and I will always have an open ear for you,” she whispered in his ear. He knew he shouldn’t, but for some reason it did, the way she told him that made him blush a bit. Probably because it reminded him of Trixie, how she always liked to whisper in his ears. Only that Celestia’s voice, which was much different from the Tyrant’s, was much more comforting and soft and--

‘Oooh-kay, stop right here brain. Trixie will kill you when she finds out. And she mostly does. Damn these ponies and their angelic voices.’

“Am I interrupting something?”

Celestia let go of him quicker than she would have liked as they heard Luna’s voice. “Oh, Luna. “ Luna eyes widen in surprise as she noticed a small blush that came upon Celestia’s face as she nervously addressed her. “Are you finished yet?”

“Errr... yes,“ a small part of Luna wanted to question why her sister was so nervous, but she decided against it, she thought there was far more pressing matters to attend to. “It is an even simpler spell to trap unwelcome guests as the one at the door.”

“What kind of spell is that?” Stephan asked.

“The stairs are connected with a spell that would be activated when somepony tries to walk up. After some time, more stairs grow out in front while the other behind disappear. You would be trapped in an endless staircase,” Luna snorted in disappointment. “What a childish spell. A fool could recognize it if they took the time to be wary.”

“Is there a way to disarm it like by the door?” Stephan wanted to take another bite from the bar, only to see that some of it was missing. He looked at Celestia who seemed to be chewing on something. He glared at her angrily. She tried to look as innocent as she could, with her eyes looking to the ceiling nonchalantly, she failed miserably. ‘Probably took over more than just Marcus’ memories now, didn’t you?’

“Unfortunately… I cannot. As simple as it is, it is too deeply connected with the stairs, the tower and even the castle to simply remove it. Sombra is nothing but efficient, something that I gladly helped build up when he was my student. It would take a lot of effort and time. Time we don’t have much left of.”

Stephan gave a heavy sigh, putted the almost eaten cereal bar in the rest of its foil and put it back in his bag and tried to stand up. Celestia offered her wing again, and this time Luna offered hers as well. He accepted their help without a word, but still gave Celestia a little glare. “Any ideas how we can get up there?”

“We could try to fly up,” Celestia said, flapping her wings a bit, “but then Sombra or his spells would probably be ready for such a thing.”

Luna nodded in approval. “We can use the stairs. We only have to be faster in walking up as they can grow.”

Stephan growled. “Well, I can’t run. Can’t you just teleport us up there?”

Celestia looked all the way up the tower before she gave him an answer. “I am sorry, but no. Something still blocks our ability to fix a certain point. We would teleport blind and could end up anywhere.”

Stephan pinched his nasal bone between the fingers with tightly closed eyes. “Okay, we can’t fly, run or teleport. Any ideas?”

Celestia and Luna pondered over it for a few moments. Celestia gave a soft hum as she examined the stairs more closely before she had an idea and turned to Luna with a smile plastered on her face. “Luna, remember how we used to go sliding down the ice slopes with Sint and the other reindeer?"

Luna blinked a few times and Stephan was confused, unsure of the meaning. “I do remember it, Celestia, but what does it have to do with-”

“And do you remember the spell we used back as fillies to pin Elsa onto the ceiling?”

That brought some laugher out of Luna as she fondly replied, “Yes, I remember. It was a Gravity Inversion Spell. But what does that have to do with…”

Luna’s eyes widened and she turned her head towards the stairs, then back at Celestia. “Do you think…?”

“It could work. We just have to be in the right position; the spell needs to be carefully cast and then…”

“Excuse me, but what are you two talking about?” Stephan cut into the discussion.

Luna and Celestia shared a short look before Celestia gave him a smile. “I guess we know a way up that should be fast enough.”

Stephan somehow felt his hackles raise. “And how?”

“Follow us.” Luna turned around, followed by Celestia. Stephan walked with them under the stairs. The surface was sleek and without any signs of damage or cracks like the rest of the entire castle. Maybe except for the staircase into the cellar, but that was probably just designed that way.

“And now?” Stephan asked curiously.

Luna flared her wings open and looked over her shoulder. “Hop on.”

“...are you hitting on on me?” Stephan looked at her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No, silly human. I am not ‘hitting on’ thou. Now, climb up on me and sit thy backside on my back already!"

Stephan felt awkward as he walked up next to Luna, a small part of him was terrified of how Trixie would react if she found out about this. Luna rolled her eyes whilst she watched the human, whom was smiling nervously as he stood next to her.

“Come on now, Stephan. “she lowered her body to make it easier for him. “Don’t be shy.“

“I am not shy.” he said defensively. In truth Stephan was filled with nervous uncertainty as he put his good, non injured leg over the mare and sat himself down on her back. “Just careful because it will be the first time riding an alicorn.”

He became silent as both princesses looked at him wide eyed. “Can we just go now?”

Luna and Celestia shared a knowing look before both charged their horns with magical power. Stephan shuffled a bit uncomfortable on Luna’s back to find a good way to sit and not hurt her wings with his leg. She then stood up and Stephan’s feet left the ground. He looked up at the underside of the stairs, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly he felt light, like in a Zero-G flight. And from one moment to the other he was upside down. His body didn’t notice the difference, even though on some level he knew that he should, but his head began to spin lightly. He recovered quickly from the sudden change of up and down and wrapped his arms around Luna’s neck. “Okay, what is going to ha-aaAAAH!”

Stephan watched as both alicorns lowered their bodies and flapped their wings. He felt the wind blasting around his head as the trio slid down with incredible speed on the underside of the stairs. Stephan held onto Luna like his life depended on it while the princesses seemed to enjoy the ride.

“This is awesome! Why didn’t we do that before, Lulu?” Celestia shouted over to her sister.

“We don’t have stairs like this back in our castle, Tia!” Luna shouted back.  “We should build some of these once we return!”

“DAMN YOU PONIES AND YOUR ONGOING DISREGARD OF NATURE'S LAWS!” Stephan yelled. Of course he already had gone through many different ways of travel, but this was just too crazy for his taste.

“Maybe we should put them back in our other castle?” Celestia asked. “It’s been so long since we visited it…”

“I AM GONNA DIE BECAUSE OF YOU TWO CRAZY MARES!”

“Or anywhere else, for that matter,” Luna said with a slightly sad tone.

“FOR WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!”

“Well, controlling the sun and moon and leading a country is a full-time job,” Celestia agreed.

“Could you please stop screaming in my ear, Stephan?” Luna said to the human who pushed his head into her neck.

“NOT BEFORE THIS RIDE ENDS!”

“We are almost there!” Celestia said happily.

Stephan risked a look upwards. He saw how the edge of the tower platform came closer and it was only a matter of seconds before they reached it. He braced himself for the end of the ride.

Celestia was the first one who reached the end of the stairs and flew a few meters into the air, followed by Luna. Both spread their wings and they turned the gravity back to normal before they landed without a sound on the ground.

“Well, that was fun,” Celestia chimed gleefully.

Luna smiled in return. “Indeed, it was.” She then turned her head to Stephan who still had his arms around her neck. “Are you okay?”

Stephan carefully opened his eyes and made a peek. Then he suddenly straightened his back and tossed his arms in the air. “WOW, that was awesome! We should do that again sometime.”

Celestia and Luna stared at him like he just lost his mind before Luna spoke up. “Weren’t you scared just a minute ago?”

Stephan gave her a smile. “Yes, I was. But I’ve never been good with rides like that. You should see me on a roller coaster.”

“Of all the things you could be afraid of,” Celestia sighed. “That’s probably for the best, though.”

Luna looked at him for some more seconds before she shook her head and kneeled down to let Stephan get off her. He checked his clothes and equipment before he took a look around. His eyes fell upon the hovering heart made of crystal in the middle of the room. “Looks like we found what we were looking for.”

Celestia’s and Luna’s eyes followed his line of sight and saw the Crystal Heart as well. “Yes. This, is the Crystal Heart. The source of the Crystal Kingdom's power,” Celestia explained.

Stephan pulled out his pistol again. “Let’s be careful. This looks way too easy after all we had to go through.”

There was a sudden explosion in the far distance and all three turned their heads towards the source. “What was that?” Luna asked as she walked closer to the balcony, taking note on how close the shield was to the castle.

Stephan took a little binocular in his hand and tried to find the source. His face became pale as he found it. “Was zur Hölle… What are you doing, Marcus?”

"What’s happening?!" Celestia asked as she watched as several crystal homes seemingly fell apart as something was thrown through them.

"It’s Marcus... he's fighting Discord... Damn I didn't even know he could move that fast!" Stephan gasped in awe as he watched Marcus become a simple blur and land a strike against Discord. As Discord looked winded, Marcus quickly took the advantage by grabbing his tail, followed by spinning him around before throwing him into another house. He pressed a button and zoomed onto Marcus' face, seeing the deranged smile on his face along with sickly purple mist coming from his warped eyes. "What is going on with him. He's smiling like a madman? His eyes... they look... Why is there green and purple smoke coming out of it?"

Luna stared in horror, and had she been human, the blood would have gone from her face, and she would have gone pale. This wasn’t to say she was unexpressive, though-her eyes were wider than Stephan had ever imagined they could go. “Oh no… Sombra.”

Stephan turned his head to Luna. “What do you mean?”

“He… that purple mist. We saw something familiar around your eyes as we found you in the front of the door,” Luna said with a worried tone. "But... Why is he attacking Discord? Why is he smiling?"

Stephan swallowed dryly. “Kacke… Doesn't matter, we have to get that heart, and fast!” He turned around and tried to run but his injured leg denied him that. Instead he hobbled as fast as he could, Luna and Celestia close behind. There was no time to look for any traps, and Stephan couldn’t trust the crystal on his machete after the door. Sombra had shown that he knew how to cover his tracks. Stephan would deal with them somehow when they show up.

“Halt.” Stephan said as they stood in front of a circle around the heart. “I guess this is close enough. Can you two take it with your magic?”

Celestia and Luna charged their horns and tried to grab the Crystal Heart with telekinesis. But try as they might, it wasn’t working. Celestia let her head sink. “It’s no use. We have to get closer and take the heart without magic.”

Stephan gave a heavy sigh. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He stepped slowly forward until-

There was a black light coming from around his feet just as he stepped into the circle.

Discord panted as he threw the rubble off of himself, watching Sombra-Marcus straighten up and glower at the castle.

"Crystal Heart..." he growled as he held up a hand and closed his fist, dark magic bubbling from his hand.

Discord looked to see the castle seemingly erupt in dark magic. Discord couldn’t help but sigh. "Why are these things never easy?”

Dark magic bubbled up from the top of the tower and it began to shake like an earthquake. Stephan almost lost his balance. “Shit, what was that!?”

Black crystals began to grow out of the ground and formed a circle around the heart. Luna jumped forward before anyone else could act, tossed Stephan aside, who landed hard in front of Celestia’s hooves, and closed the distance to the heart quickly. She kicked it from its hovering place and it landed with a clank on the ground not far from the others. The black crystals grew bigger and Luna was caught in a cage.

“LUNA!” Celestia screamed.

“I’m okay, Tia. I think… I can teleport out of here.” Luna tried to calm her sister down. She charged her horn and teleported out of the cage.

Only to be pulled back inside by an invisible force and tossed against the inside wall of the cage. Waves of magic pulsed through her horn, shocking her with enough lightning to kill the average pony several times over. She screamed as she slid down the wall and landed on the ground, her fur smoking slightly.

“Oh no!” Celestia charged her horn and fired a beam at the crystals. The spell bounced off uselessly, fizzling out at least a foot after reflection. Stephan followed her example and fired a few shots at it, but it was useless as well, the bulletholes healing before his eyes. He pulled out his machete, transformed it into the claymore and swung it. No such luck-he didn’t even leave a scratch behind as the cut immediately closed itself up as soon as the blade passed through.

“FUCK! What the hell is that thing made of?!”

“It’s no use! Go! Take the Heart and get out of here as long as you still can!” Luna struggled to get back on her legs but another shock pulled her down.

“No! We will find a way!” Celestia said angrily, punching at the crystals, but Stephan pulled her away from the cage.

“Celestia! We have to go!”

Celestia looked at him in horror and frustration. “But we have to help her!”

Stephan was going to say something as his eyes turned at something behind her. He pulled his pistol up and fired a quick shot.

Celestia turned her head and saw the remains of a crystal creature falling to the ground where it shattered into pieces. She looked back at Stephan who took the Crystal Heart under his arm.

“Take the heart and get it to Cadence and Discord! It’s the only way to end this!”

Celestia looked at the Heart for a second before she took it with her magic. Luckily it seemed to work this time. “What about you?”

“I will protect Luna. I can’t help much with Marcus anyway in my state,” Stephan explained. More crystals began to grow and slowly closed the entire tower. He shot another crystal creature that tried to approach them. Celestia was about to say something as Stephan cut in sharp and gave her a hard look. “NOW GO BEFORE I THROW YOUR FAT FLANK OFF THIS TOWER!”

Celestia eyed him with a worried look. But she nodded and ran to the next opening, with ease she pushed the crystal creatures out of her way with waves of magical energy as she ran, and once nothing was in her way, she flapped her wings and took flight. She looked back for a last time only to see how the crystals closed the top of the tower completely.

Stephan stood inside and watched Celestia before the black crystals sealed the tower and the room became dark. He pulled out his machete and turned it into the claymore, followed by activating the flashlight at his pistol back on. The light didn’t fill the room, but he could see how more creatures grew out of the ground around him.

“Why didn’t you go with her?” he heard Luna whisper in pain.

Stephan gave a soft laugh. “It’s the duty of the knight to protect the princess in danger.”

“That isn’t funny…”

“I know,” he admitted before focusing on the creatures in front of him. “I don’t have a better explanation yet. Or maybe Marcus' sense of humor and mindset has finally driven me to do some stupid things.” He then charged at them, claymore brandished and ready to fight.

Discord moaned as he got back to his feet, looking up to see the terrified faces of the Crystal ponies and Princess Cadance. He turn back to see Not-Marcus walk as calmly as ever towards him.

"This is getting ridiculous." Discord growled out. He quickly pulled out his wrist bracer and fired a single normal round, only to watch Not-Marcus catch the bullet in one hand.

"What is ridiculous, draconequus, is your continued defiance of me. I have told you, this body... this wondrous body holds all the secrets to the past. These runes... these ancient wonders, are the most advanced set I have ever seen," Sombra bellowed, smiling with sinister glee as he looked over Marcus' hand in admiration, crushing the bullet and tossing it away. "In time, this pathetic human would become a god. As he is now, he would not stand any chance against you or the alicorns. But with my help... well... I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW POWERFUL IT WILL BECOME!"

Discord waved his paw. Magical spears appeared and surged forward, intent on maiming the human. And yet Sombra avoided or blocked them all; he smirked as he raced forward, Discord standing no chance on keeping up before he felt a powerful blow that knocked him to the ground. Discord looked up in time to see Marcus standing above him, his fists raised with a demonic smile on his face.

Then came the blinding and agonizing pain.

Cadance and the crystal ponies stood frozen in horror as the human began to rain down blows on the down draconequus. Each one more powerful than the last, enough power behind them to cause cracks to form in the stone, slowly shoving Discord into the ground.

"Discord?" Cadance whispered as she watched as his claws clung onto the human, trying to push him off. Cadance swallowed as Discord's paws weakly pushed against Marcus until they flopped to the side in defeat as the blows continue on unrelenting. The dark and horrible laughter coming from the human caused all the crystal ponies to panic.

"It’s Sombra!" one cried out in terror.

"Run away!"

"Nay! You will remain here for the rest of your pathetic lives!" Sombra roared as he stood up and stalked towards the group.  He smiled as he walked up to the shield and lightly placed a hand on it. Cadance gasped as she felt the pull on her magic, as if every inkling of her power was being leached away from her. She stared in horror as cracks began to form, while Sombra grinned maliciously at her. "You will submit, just like-urk!"

Sombra choked on the tail wrapped around his neck, before he could speak he was lifted overhead and slammed down head first into the crystal road. Discord groaned as he pulled himself from the hole he was punched into. He gave a grin, uncaring of the shattered teeth falling out, to Cadance and the crystal ponies, who cheered as they saw him get back up. He stalked over to the struggling human. Sombra may have had control of Marcus’ body, but he wanted Marcus to be his toy soldier once he gained everything from him. With how powerful Marcus had seemingly grown, it would be impossible to beat him just by himself. He needed to be freed, and the sooner the better.

Discord gripped Marcus' leg and yanked him out, Sombra growling and ready for round two. Except Discord was prepared this time, as he slammed Sombra into the ground several times before placing his claw on his skull and his eyes swirling in various colors. "Lets see how well you do with an irate human running about, hmm?"

Discord opened his eyes, slowly taking in the mindscape. He couldn't help but grimace as he saw the corruption slowly taking a hold of the 'city,' which he assumed to be an amalgamation of every major city Marcus had been in. Buildings probably centuries old stood next to shiny new skyscrapers that must have barely been used when they were consumed by the Barrier, and the topography was just as mixed up. Rolling green hills on one part, flat expanses of prairies on the other sides.

Dark crystals slowly grew out of the buildings, the sky was dark and stormy, red lightning pulsing through the green-black clouds.

He was not, by any means, experienced at interpreting the interior of one’s mind (that was typically Luna’s domain), but it was pretty obvious that was a bad sign.

"Hee hee hee hee... you walk into the domain of my toy, Discord. All of your magic amounts to nothing in here," Sombra’s voice echoed around him, causing him to scowl as he looked around

“You were not held enough as a foal, were you?” Discord deadpanned, glaring at nothing as he looked around.

"You will never understand, I gave my entire being to Luna and she turned me away! I did everything to extend my life and they were all failures! She cast me aside once she learned what I was doing! After the war, she sent me away to take care of her foolish grandson!" The clouds rumbled threateningly at his voice. "I will have my vengeance!"

"You know..." Discord said as he dug his finger into his ear, pulling out and flicking some wax away. "Your life story is so cliché it's almost boring."

"I’M A MONSTER BECAUSE OF HER!"

"Also cliché. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard, read, seen that one? I certainly don’t, because it’s so many!"

"RARGH!" Discord swallowed as bolts of lightning gathered and shot forward. Discord held up his paws in an attempt to ward off the attack, closing his eyes at the brightness.

For a minute, nothing happened. Discord waited for the mind fraying pain, something he had some tolerance too after his run in with Tzeentch.

All he heard was a small giggle.

Discord blinked his eyes open, surprise to see himself on familiar grounds.

The Castle of Two Sisters.

Ponies were not that imaginative at thinking names up some thousand years ago.

The traps were neat though.The two of them had exquisite taste when they were younger.

"Hello Discord!"

Discord blinked as he saw Celestia standing before him. A rather young-looking Celestia, her mane pink and her features not quite as sharp as he knew her now.

"Celestia?"

"Please, call me Tia," 'Tia' told him as she waved her wing to him, indicating him to follow.

"...Okay?" Discord replied in confusion, causing her to give a small laugh as he followed her.

"It’s odd seeing you being so confused, usually its the other way around," Tia said him, giving him a small smile. "I don't have much time; so far Sombra has yet to find me, but he is searching for you. You must free Marcus soon, lest he find me here as well."

"Wait. How are you-" Discord's mind, as chaotic as it is, was struggling to figure out how Tia was here.

"Oh, is that really important? Ask Marcus once this is over. For now, listen and follow," Tia said as she led him across the castle grounds. "If Sombra finds me, he will tear me apart to gather any information, any secrets that will boost himself. And one secret is more dangerous than the rest."

"Scribble..." Discord realized after a moment of thought, gaining a nod from Tia.

“If he finds out, he will drop everything he is doing here and head straight there. Then you’ll have what’s essentially another Tyrant Sun to contend with,” she agreed. “And at that point, well…” Her head hung low. Nothing more needed to be said.

"Yeah, I get it. So I take it you taking me to Marcus?" Discord frown as he watched a door appear on the wall.

"Yes. You must be quick, as Sombra will find you and cast you out once he learns what you plan to do. Marcus was taken off guard and unprepared for such assault on his mind... or body. Something Sombra took advantage of in his wraith-like body. However, you’ve seen his will to fight and I have no doubt that he is strong enough to fight his control and maybe even cast him out," Tia confirmed. They stopped in front of a door, with Discord grabbing hold of the handle. "Marcus is trapped in an ever growing loop of house of horrors, watching as his friends and family are killed over and over again. You must break him free, or we’re all going to suffer."

"Right. Save my friend or we’re screwed on a level that even the Doom Song can’t cover," Discord popped his neck as he gripped the door quickly. Only to freeze up as Tia hugged him from behind. "Uh..."

"Ignore me if you must. Residing here in Marcus' mind and watching you and Celestia interact with one another... I just want the chance to show you that I understand. Now more than ever"  Tia whispered before releasing him. "Go. Time is wasting."

Discord nodded his head before yanking the door open and stepped through.

And straight into hell itself.

Sons of Legacies: Part 3

Sons of Legacies

Part 3

Authors:

Redskin122004

Proudtobe

Editors:

Beyond the Horizon

Kizuna Tallis

Doctor Fluffy

Rush

Inquisitor-Awesome

'Those who escape Death's grasp always lose a piece of themselves to it; whether for the better or worse depends on if that piece was their ignorance of life's fragility.'

Razalon The Lizardman

"Don't be held back by someone else's bullshit in fake memories.The one path you chose for yourself is the truth of your universe."

Kamina, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Marcus' Nightmare

Not for the first time, Discord wished that Luna was around.

Saying that he was the sledgehammer or dockside sawbones to Luna’s precise surgery would not only be a cliche, but unfair… to him, anyway. Nightmares were quite wonderful in creating chaos and he had to be precise in the exact emotions and responses they evoked, so he had enough grasp of what he was doing that he wouldn’t be completely lost.

But not quite enough that he could do this easily. The door led into what was, at first glance, an empty black void. Yet, as he stepped through the door, he realized that it wasn’t a void - it was a thick, tarry covering. So thoroughly did it cover Marcus’ mindscape that he could barely see anything that indicated his friend’s consciousness. Shapes were forming, and he could see the jagged, angular outlines of what looked like black crystals, but other than that there was simply nothing inside.

He heard a child’s scream.

Though he had no idea where to start, it was the first sign of… well, anything in this twisted mindscape. Besides, screams of terror inside of somebody’s mind were usually a sign of something significant.  He dashed over the blackness, not quite muck, tar, or smoke, but some inexplicable mind-material that broke several laws of physics. The crystal-like protrusions grew green and red eyes as he rushed in its direction, though he ignored them. He had far more important things to worry about.

Finally, he came across a door which didn’t seem to exist on the other side. He peeked through the keyhole, and - yeah. That was the place.

He flung it open. Far off in the distance, he saw a mass of newfoals of all three races rushing at a small tent, held off by a massive army of humans and PHL ponies with assault saddles, armed in rather contemporary gear instead of with magically enhanced weaponry. They were firing madly into the newfoal army, their rifles spitting lead into the mass of newfoals. Somewhere in the tent, he could hear Marcus screaming and cursing, begging inarticulately.

Wherever the rifles hit a newfoal, it would explode and die, but ten more would take its place. Again and again, as the tide of newfoals surged like the surf of the ocean.

It had to stop. Who knew what tortures Marcus was going through in that tent? He had to stop them in their tracks.

Discord rushed through the tide of newfoals. It was like walking through very thick oil - even though he could pass through them, it wasn’t easy. Luna could dispel them with a mere word, and she was unlikely to tell him how to do so.

“NO!” Marcus yelled from inside the tent. “I have to help them! I have to save them!”

“There’s no time!” Discord heard someone else yell, as he pushed through yet another newfoal. As he stomped on a white unicorn with gold-rimmed glasses, golden eyes and a frizzy pinkish-orange mane, blood spattering his leg, he got his first glimpse of the inside of the tent. It looked bigger on the inside than the outside, so he wasn’t sure how he could see so much of it, but what he saw shocked him.

The inside of the tent was covered in blood, with several surgeons operating on Marcus. All of them seemed… off, somehow. They were too tall and thin, almost like hunched-over birds, and they were wearing red-tinted goggles that were far too tight, almost set into their eye sockets.

“I have to… do something!” Marcus yelled, wheezing. “I can’t… let them…”

“You have to!” one surgeon yelled. “Otherwise we lose you!”

“NO! We need... to retreat!” Marcus yelled at them, struggling. And, to Discord’s shock, he realized that Marcus had none of his characteristic runes. He was incredibly weak, clearly   suffering from internal bleeding and broken bones. If he went out like this, the newfoals would have surely overwhelmed him. He was screwed no matter what.

No.

Discord knew how these things typically ended. It was clearly a metaphor for Sombra’s presence overrunning Marcus’ defenses, while making him feel weakened so it would be just that much easier to take him over.

It had to be stopped before the short-sighted and self-important fool doomed this universe, and, in all probability, all existence. Argh! While he appreciated his ever-so-sexy counterpart’s work to send Marcus back before the corrupted Equestria took over Earth, couldn’t it have happened at a better time?!

“I’m coming!” Discord yelled, manifesting a football helmet and jersey, and barreling through the crowd of newfoals, even as the relatively flat newfoal-filled plain between him and Marcus seemed to slope upwards, as the horizon grew further and further away, and he suddenly felt himself turning upside down, and struggling to keep himself going in the same direction as his friend’s tent.

“Have to… have to… save them!” Marcus wheezed. “Too many people… dying!”

“Oh come on, Sombra!” Discord yelled, as he pushed through the mass of newfoals. “Is that the best you can do?! Did you forget I can do THIS?!” he jumped off the ground, insofar as ground really existed in Marcus’ mind, and flew at the tent. Pegasi, both newfoals and natural-born ponies, flew at him, trying to drag him down, but he barreled through them all the same.

“Get out of my friend’s head!” he yelled, alighting beside a machine-gun nest, landing in a trench full of human and PHL pony soldiers of every description - short, fat, tall, thin, male, female, each with a different weapon or a different uniform from various nations and other resistant groups around the world. Some barely looked old enough to hold their weapons. Behind them, soldiers manned great machine guns, firing at pegasi as planes and helicopters fought the Imperial ponies overhead.

Something exploded behind him. He had just enough time to think no, no, no, no! as a helicopter fell to the ground behind him, its rotor digging a trench in the grass.

Newfoals spilled out, almost hungrily rushing at the humans. ‘The pony shaped meat-bags jumped into the helicopter and ponified the crew, then the ones that couldn’t fly steered it into the trench, killing themselves,’ Discord realized. The worst part? From what Marcus had said, that wasn’t too far outside the realm of possibility for newfoals.

The humans and PHL roared as one, turning their weapons on  the newfoals, killing them. But the damage had been done - the helicopter crash represented a large hole in the human lines, and blocked at least one machinegun.

He ignored it - fighting Sombra one on one, inside a possessed man’s head wouldn’t be the smartest course of action. Ignoring the humans that were fighting madly, he rushed into the tent, hoping to find Marcus…

Only to see that the tent’s inside had turned into a labyrinthine mess, full of humans with raggedly amputated limbs, staggering around almost zombie-like in their confusion of what to do. There were buckets of what was presumably their severed limbs, in all shapes and sizes. They were twisted, neither human nor pony, with irregular patches of fur, muscle so irregular that it seemed to bubble underneath the skin, and sometimes the deformed beginnings of a hoof. The buckets were full of blood.

“Let me help them!” Marcus cried, still wheezing. From the sound of it, his mind-self probably had a rib piercing a lung. “Please! L-let m-”

“We can’t!” one surgeon yelled.

Discord sprinted in the direction of his friend’s voice through the increasingly twisted mess that the tent had become. He took off down a dark hallway that seemed to last forever, skidding and turning down another one, only to find…

Oh Mother, no wonder Celestia hadn’t taken his memories well. Before him was a hallway full of hospital beds, with even more soldiers. A squad of ponies from the Empire had made their way in, and ponified virtually everyone in there. They’d been killed, thankfully, but the damage had been done. Every human on the beds, possibly amputees who’d lost limbs to the potion, had been potioned once more, stuck in the process of changing. Faces had lengthened, with the cartilage of the nose reduced to powder, hooves had exploded outward within shoes, half-pony half-human eyes were grotesquely oversized, half-pulped as they edged against the eye sockets. The beds were stained red-brown with half-dried blood.

And every one of the humans on a bed had a bullet hole in their heads. At the end of the hallway, Discord saw a trembling red-headed woman holding a familiar 10mm Steiner-Bisley Zenith with an extended magazine. The slide was locked back, and she had it under her chin.

She squeezed the trigger, but there was no bang. The slide simply slid forward with a click, even as she frantically tried to fire. She’d ran out of ammo killing everyone on the beds.

‘It’s not happening!’Discord kept telling himself. ‘None of this is real. It’s all a nightmare-’

Discord looked away as it became clear that one of the soldiers who had been shot with the 10mm was only fifteen. Same with the Native Equestrian “Salvation Army” pony that had also been shot in the head after ponifying him. ‘Salvation army,’ Discord thought to himself. ‘What an ironic and disgusting term to use for erasing an entire species.

Right. The sooner he found Marcus, the better. Passing through the suicidal woman, who parted before him like mist, he made his way down yet another hallway, lined with bloodstained beds. He reached another room-but this tent was a different texture. Judging by the pine needles on the tent’s floor, this was in a forest somewhere. He peered through a wall, half on instinct- a great forest surrounded the tent, and there were streets of other tents, shanties, and small prefab buildings nearby. It looked to be near an old railroad grade, long since torn up. A pony, brutalized to the point that she barely looked like one, lay on a stolen hospital bed, tied with belts to the edges.

“What happened here?” Discord whispered out loud. His memories and knowledge of Marcus’ world were rather patchy, but-

”If humans insist on treating us this way, so be it!” the impostor of Twilight Sparkle yelled, standing before a large crowd of ponies, a disturbingly large amount of them newfoals. The pony that had been Jacob Renee aka Stalwart Heart stood next to her, an expression only slightly more intelligent than that of the average newfoal on his face. If Discord remembered correctly, she’d used him as little more than a toy, taking advantage of his passiveness and indulging in acts that even Discord shuddered to think of. “If any of you disagree with how Equestria is run now, know that Celestia does this all for love!”

Superimposed over her, he could see Twilight - the real one, not the homunculus Celestia had forced into her - silently begging, pleading, screaming for someone to stop it, to kill her, or just not to listen. She had no success.

“Know that every human supports what happened to Sutra Cross, and those that don’t, well… Some ponies say only to hate the Human Liberation Front. I ask, who isn’t the HLF?! As long as they are bipedal, as long as they have hands, they are HLF!” a sickly-sweet smile spread across Twilight Sparkle’s face, and Discord wanted to vomit at the sight of it. “Know that in Equestria, you are happy. You are the happiest you could ever be and you will find none of that warmth or happiness on Earth.”

The smile widened. No, that was not a smile! That was more like someone following a guide to facial expressions for those who did not, could not comprehend them. Step one: separate your lips. Step two: use facial muscles to pull back corners of mouth. Step three: widen your eyes. This is how to be happy.

“Until we turn it into a new Equestria and experience the Second Magical Renaissance, of course,” the fake Twilight joked.

And the newfoals laughed. They laughed hysterically as the real Twilight stood there trapped in her own body, trying desperately to cry but unable even to-

The sudden flashback rippled, like a rock dropped into a pond, and Discord had the sudden sensation of Sombra reeling back, groaning in pain.

“Damned cheap shot,” Discord growled as he forced the nightmare to dissolve through sheer force of will, and passed into another section of the tent.

“They need my help!” he heard Marcus yell. “They-” and at that point, it turned into a glottal, wheezing cough.

Excellent! His voice sounded closer than ever. Discord rushed down yet another hallway, sighing at how improbably huge this tent was getting, and found himself in a field hospital. A great wind, carrying the scent of death that blew behind him. And-

He peeked behind him. “Oh, come on!” he yelled. Behind him he could see those defending Marcus, still firing-it was as if the great labyrinth had never existed. Though he knew little about firearms, and he prided himself on not having much need for them, except the scores of Bullet Bills he 'appropriated' in his journey, they seemed to be firing somewhat more… sparingly. Bursts were shorter, and there seemed to be a longer period of time before they expended their ammo.

“We can’t hold em off forever!” one soldier yelled from outside the tent. “Get him out of there!”

Before Discord’s eyes, it was becoming harder and harder to defend the tent from newfoals because so many humans were becoming newfoals as well.

“Why do you destroy us?! We are your flesh…” one newfoal screamed, before a gray PHL unicorn with a short brown mane drowned her out with a scream of her own, tears in her eyes. Her horn glowed green as she telekinetically picked up a pearl-handled .44 Magnum revolver, then least eight other weapons, and madly fired them all in the direction of several newfoals, screaming.

And no one would ever know her name, Discord reflected.

He turned around, and saw that the surgeons were wheeling Marcus out the other end of the tent.

He rushed after them, only to see them loading his stretcher onto a military helicopter.

Some part of him thought, “Well, that’s good.” But another part of him disagreed - that was stupidly easy. Since when did problems just solve themselves like that?

He followed them to the helicopter. ‘No,’ he thought. ‘This is far too easy.’

Cheerilee was on the helicopter as well, but like Marcus, she had no runic enhancements. This wouldn’t end well. There was no way this would end well.

“Marcus!” Discord yelled, subtly altering his body so he fit inside the helicopter, only barely avoiding its spinning blades. “I’m here to get you out!”

Marcus completely ignored him, reaching past him to grab Cheerilee. "No! Cher, you have to get out of here. Leave me here. Escape, please!"

"No Marcus. You have to live!" Cheerilee shouted over the blades, she waved her her hoof to the pilot. With tears filling her eyes she paused to look at him one last time. "I love you," she said softly to him as she leaned forward to give him a deep kiss before pulling away and shutting the door closed.

"No!" Discord watched as Marcus struggled out of his stretcher, attempting to grab the pilot. "Take me back! Take everyone you can carry out of here! Save someone other than me!"

"I can't do that, sir. You're too important," the pilot answered as he pushed the machine to fly, spells flying everywhere as it pulled away from the ground. Discord watched out the window to see Cheerilee along with a scant few survivors get overrun.

Marcus screamed as he watched the humans forcibly changed while the corpses of PHL members were paraded above their heads, sometimes on great pikes, but Marcus' focus was on the purple earth pony, being dragged by rope around her neck to a tree before she was hoisted onto a low branch and hung. The newfoals spat and beat the dying mare with little remorse, shouting… Discord would never care to understand what their oaths meant, but he trusted that they were horrendous.

And it was at that moment that he realized something truly disgusting about the newfoals. This was one of the only times that the mangled, deformed ruins of the souls inside of them were allowed to have anything close to actual, non-programmed emotions. Because they were happy beating Cheerilee. They could have killed her easily, stomped on her throat, but no, they were dragging out the pain.

Discord’s eyes widened as Marcus yelled out in fury, ripping apart the restraints, knocking several of the medics back in the small space, pulled the doors open and jumped out. Discord was still stunned by the nightmare that he failed to react, watching as Marcus fell rapidly to the ground, into the heavy packed bodies of new foals. All of them raising their hooves towards him, almost as if they meant to catch him.

“NO!” Discord yelled. “Marcus, you-”

He fell silent as Marcus was captured, struggling against the dozens of hooves as they latched onto him to hold him down. "No more! No one dies for me! Just make it stop! Make it all stop!"

It struck Discord just now that this was Marcus' greatest fear.

Thanatophobia. Fear of death. But it was not his own death he feared, but the death of others for him when he didn’t feel himself to be worth it.

It finally dawned on him that Marcus had fought and bled for the people he cared for. He saw it as a soldiers' duty to defend those who could not and try to live to keep that defense up. If not, then to die in defending them. Marcus wouldn’t allow anyone to die for him, it was in his nature to do everything physically possible to do so.

This was his nightmare. A nightmare consisting of everyone dying for him and him alone. A crippling fear that he lived with everyday since this war started.

“No!” Discord yelled, running at the newfoals. “Marcus! You can’t!”

“Don’t worry,” a familiar minty-green unicorn said, smiling. “He’ll like it as one of us…” and Discord saw, to his horror, that her eyes had become as wide and glassy as a newfoal’s.

He rushed for them once more, desperately trying to stop Marcus from being consumed by the newfoals, watching in horror as they doused him in potion.

Except suddenly that didn’t happen.

What?

He was back at the edge of the battle, watching it happen all over again. Sombra could have easily crushed the remains of Marcus’ mind, or consigned it to leaving him trapped within his own mind. Why do this?

Fear.

Discord ears perked as he heard Tia’s voice floating into his 'ears'.

Sombra is feeding off his fear... despair... hatred… runic magic... he is taking it all for himself, growing more powerful and shaping Marcus to be his toy, his weapon. You must break Marcus free before there isn’t enough of him left to save!

"How exactly am I suppose to do that? I can't exactly talk to him, he can't see me either," Discord growled as he stomped on the same unicorn with the glasses.

No... but you can still affect this 'world'. You just need to do something so crazy that Marcus will finally figure out that none of this is real.

"Crazy huh?" Discord muttered as he looked at the horde of newfoals rushing towards Marcus and his army once more. He watched as several spears flew at Marcus. A grin spread across his face. "Now you’re speaking my language! I can definitely do crazy!"

Marcus raised his M240 and unloaded everything he had on the tide of bodies. He watched as several spears were thrown at him, traveling so fast at what was essentially point-blank range that there was no way he could have dodged. He waited for the pain of being skewered through, only to see a flash of red and black jump in front of him.

"Ow!" Marcus blinked as he saw a masked man wore some sort of red tights on, various weapons adorning his body. The man took a step back before looking back to Marcus. "At least they could take me out on a date before penetrating me! Heh, get it? Cause of the spears?"

"W-what?" Marcus watched as the man laughed before pulling out his guns to fire madly and ignoring his punctured body with little care. A shout of surprise and cheer came from his flank and he was absolutely floored by what he saw.

Marcus’ eyes widened as he saw various unusual figures slaughtering the new-foals in droves. He had absolutely no idea who any of them were.

There was a Japanese man with short black hair, tied with a topknot. He appeared to be a samurai from the feudal age of Japan, wearing a white kimono. The katana blade he wielded glowed with a bright light. He was like poetry in motion, as he jumped into the fray and used his katana to gracefully slice his opponents apart, their bodies splitting apart as he passed by them. He landed among a group of new foals, his sword flashing in a blink of an eye before sheathing his blade. The new foals slowly fell apart, blood dripping from horrific gashes the moment the blade was fully sheathed.

Another man appeared beside him, rushing at a group of new foals. He was covered head to toe wearing large gunmetal grey armor. There was a flag attached to his back, covered by paper and wax written in an unknown language, and he wielded a massive flaming sword, blasting apart his own enemies. This stranger simply exuded a sense of invincibility, jumping into the middle of the entire fight not caring of the attacks the ponies gave. Their attacks were worth nothing whatsoever, doing little more than either breaking upon his armor or just clanging uselessly. His sword went through them as if they were paper and an odd purple lighting came out his hand, like on star wars but this had a much more sinister look and results of those came into contact with the lighting turned into nothing but charred bodies. The newfoals closest to him began to targeted the man as an obvious threat. At first Marcus thought he was going to be overwhelm a man with too much bravado. But something happened as soon as all the unicorns discharged their spells at him. He just kept walking to them, as an odd purple barrier absorbed all the damage the unicorns unleashed. The man smiled viciously as the barrier glowed violently and unstably, before releasing it all in a shock wave of power, leaving a trail of gore and death.

A young man, spiky blond hair with a black headband tied around his head wearing a red and black cloak appeared within a group of newfoals. He held up his hand, forming a strange hand sign before a burst of smoke exploding around him, dozens of copies of himself appear. All of them lashing out with kicks and punches that sent the new foals flying. He smiled as his entire body glowed with yellow light, his clothes changing and giving the appearance of a powerful adversary.  His smile morphed into a feral one as something large appeared behind, a giant fox-like being looming over him with a mocking smile on its face before giving an ear shattering roar before they both vanished, leaving a trail of bodies behind as they carved through the horde.

A shirtless man, not so much tall as he was simply large, huge in every way. His chest was a meter wide, if not more, his upper arms were the size of tree trunks. His dreadlocks struggled to be contained by his red bandanna. His mustache was huge, even, and he wore a pair of aviator sunglasses and headphones. He carried a massive silvery four-barreled shotgun with a barrel that looked like a V8 engine, decorated with red paint and black and white checkerboard patterns. He was pumping it as he fired into the newfoals, laughing madly. They were simply reduced to red mist as his shotgun ravaged them, as every pellet was apparently explosive.

“MEEEDLYMEEEDLYMEEEEAWWOOOWWACHOOWEOOWWWW!” he yelled, trying to make a sick guitar solo just by yelling. A newfoal flew at him, and the man simply headbutted it, crushing its skull. “I JUST KILLED A UNICORN AND I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!”

A man wearing an odd set of clothes and wielding a small stick appeared within a group of newfoals, laughing heartily while he threw spell after spell at the groups. He vanished as they attempted to take him down, only to appear at another point, release a torrent of spells before twisting and vanishing once more. He appeared once more, a devious smirk on his face before shifting into a large, black feral-looking dog and tearing throats out of the new foals.

A young, blonde woman in blue, dress-like armor appeared from nowhere. Holding what appeared to be nothing but air, she cut apart the newfoals in front of her with contemptuous ease, before shouting and releasing a violent scything blast of wind, slicing apart a large swathe of the newfoals around her. Doing so, revealing the ‘air’ to be a beautiful golden sword, she charged into the oncoming horde of newfoals like a tank, splitting them apart with bursts of energy and flashing steel. She gathered glowing energy into the blade, before swiping the sword sideways with a fierce shout, unleashing the stored energy in a golden blast-wave of destruction that left a good portion of the horde vaporised.

Marcus watched as people of all kinds had formed around him, until one took her place before him.

Golden hair hung on her back, familiar clothes he had seen her wear whenever she worked with the horses, her favored Marlin Model 1894 rifle in hand as she lined up a shot and squeezed the trigger on her rifle. Marcus’ jaw dropped as she turned back to him, her warm smile gracing her face as she faced him.

"Mom…?" Marcus whispered as she gave him a beaming smile.

"No one messes with my boy," she said in a steely tone. "Not if momma has something to say about it, but I think it’s time for you to wake up, honey. You don't belong here. You have friends that need your help."

"What the?” Marcus started only for the ground to shake, nearly knocking him off balance.

“Pssst. Honey - cover your ears!” his mother whispered, smiling as she looked behind her and fired her rifle again.

He did so, only to find out how absurdly ineffective it was. There was a great roar so loud it seemed as if the world was splitting in two. He stared up as a large scale-covered foot slammed into the ground, crushing the horde with ease. Marcus slowly looked up to see a large reptile with vicious looking dorsal fins on his back, which glowed slightly before it breathed a devastating flame attack on the rest of the horde.

Sounds of explosions ripped from behind him, turning him to see another giant beast, or in this case, machine, striding towards him.

“...What?” Marcus breathed.

It was humanoid, and easily the height of a skyscraper. Its visor glowed in the dark. He’d seen it in movies back when he was a lot younger.

“No way,” he said, though he could hardly resist the onset of the almost childish glee he felt at seeing something like this. “No way.”

His mind rebelled against the insanity that had taken him. It couldn’t be real, it couldn’t be! He was still back at the battlefield, being airlifted, while Cheerilee…

In retrospect, this made more sense. Now he remembered! The false memories of the dream washed away like debris in a flood, as it became clear to him what was going on. What had to happen.

None of this was real. He wasn’t on Earth, he was in the real Equestria, an Equestria untainted by the Bag of Tirek, untainted by madness. He was here to save the universe.

“NO!” yelled an image of Queen Celestia, somehow too tall, and too grayish to even remotely look like her. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!” behind her eyes, Marcus saw a flash of lime-green and red. “I AM KI… KI...QUEEN CELESTIA, AND YOU WILL-”

Out of nowhere, a semi truck rammed into her.

“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings!” something yelled, as the truck… unfolded. That was the only way Marcus could think of to describe it. Parts expanded out wildly, into arms, legs… even a head? And it was carrying an axe? Where did its trailer go?

Before Marcus’ eyes, the humanoid robot that the truck had formed itself into dashed over the landscape, grabbed the poor imitation of Queen Celestia, and rammed her into the ground.

It stared up at the two skyscraper-sized titans above.

“Kill this genocidal murderess,” it said.

The “battle” that followed, if it could be called a battle, was the most gloriously one-sided thing Marcus had seen against Equestria in quite some time. The giant robot that dwarfed the semi-truck looked at the giant lizard standing next to it, almost quizzically, as if it didn’t quite understand what to do.

“...Pulse check?” the skyscraper-sized robot suggested, its voice somehow audible without shattering Marcus’ eardrums.

The giant lizard opened up its mouth, puffing up its chest as it swallowed immense volumes of air. A semblance of a grin formed across its face.

“I like the sound of that!” the smaller robot said, turning back into a semi-truck and peeling off into the distance.

“E-enough…” the fake Queen Celestia breathed. “I am Queen Celestia, and all magic is at my command! The fires of-”

The giant robot’s arm reconfigured itself into a massive cannon, and the lizard exhaled. Then the two of them unleashed hell on the fake Queen.

Evidently, she hadn’t been talking about the fires of the giant lizard’s breath or the robot’s plasma cannon. The two of them bombarded her with energy from their respective weapons, for at least a full minute.

Marcus stared at the onslaught in awe, his jaw hanging open at the pure absurdity of what he just witness.

Discord appeared next to him, a smile on his face as he slapped his paw on Marcus shoulder and led him to the crater that the two of them had formed, pointing down as the smoke cleared.

In the middle of it all, Sombra stood, wobbling on at least three legs, clad in Queen Celestia’s ostentatious gold jewelry and the remains of her royal finery. Though, somehow it didn’t look real. It wasn’t the regal gold that Discord or Marcus had come to expect, it was more like gold-painted plastic. Costume jewelry.

“Hmmm,” Discord said, staring down at him. “I don’t think he can quite pull off that look. Rarity? What do you think?” Immediately, a hand-puppet of Rarity appeared on his lion’s arm, and, seemingly autonomous of Discord, it turned its head towards Sombra. Its felt eyes widened. “SWEET CELESTIA! KILL IT WITH FIRE!” it yelled in Rarity’s voice, though you could plainly see Discord moving his lips as it spoke.

“You heard the creepy hand-puppet!” Discord laughed. “Marcus? Would you do the honors?”

And for the first time in awhile, Marcus smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”

“I can give you power! Fame! Human women! Anything you desire!” Sombra yelled, growing more and more desperate as Marcus ran at him.

“Ask him if he can give your mother back, or your family, or your friends!” Discord called over. “They can never do that one!”

“I want my world back, you son of a bitch!” Marcus yelled, kicking the king in the face, knocking him over.

He was far from done, of course.

Pouncing on the downed figure like a proverbial fist of god from on high, Marcus began to tear into the slave king with a flurry of blows. “USELESS!” he yelled. “USELESS USELESS USELESS USELESS!” Discord smirked before feeling something over his head.

“Ah ah ah ah!” laughed a small purple puppet in a cape, popping out from behind Discord’s head. It clearly was based off of a vampire, but didn’t seem nearly as malicious as vampires generally seemed to be. He seemed more kindly and wise than anything.

"How many hits does it take for the wraith to be cast away? Let us count, shall we! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! Seven hits! Ah ah ah ah!" Lightning flashed and thunder roared in unison as Marcus lashed out with one last punch to Sombra’s face, knocking him through a portal and quickly following after him.

Discord smiled before grunting, looking down to see a smoking hand gripping his body. He looked back to see a wall of smoke with red and green eyes glaring at him. "Oh..." was all Discord could say, along with a look of alarm, before he found himself being yanked backwards.

Discord blinked as he found himself back in the real world, only to find himself lacking air as Sombra was squeezing his throat shut with one of Marcus’ hands while a jagged crystal formed over the other.

"I will take great pleasure in gutting you slowly," Sombra growled with rage as he held onto him. He pulled his arm back to run him through, only to pause. Discord blinked as Sombra’s crystallized arm shook, grunts of frustration emanated from his throat. "S...stop.... Fighting... me... Slave."

Discord watched Marcus' face began to twitch uncontrollably causing Discord to smile. He managed to pull Marcus' hand off his throat and shove him away. "Wrong choice of words, Sombrero."

"I... will...kill... y-ARGH!" Sombra gritted out as he held up his free hand, dark magic gathering in his palm before a blast of magic caught him in the gut, which sent him flying into a crystal home, causing the wall to crater and fall apart.

He was clearly struggling to control the magic. Marcus was doing a lot more damage than he thought, diverting enough of Sombra’s control of his magic to controlling his body that it was becoming almost a herculean task to manifest spells. It was like pouring a bucket of water into a small funnel, as most of the water would soon spill out onto the floor before it could even be used.

Sombra’s control was little better than a young unicorn filly or colt’s at this point. The only reason he was still a threat was because of how much power he had.

"Discord!" The draconequus coughed as he looked behind him to see Celestia landing close by, the Crystal Heart in her magical grip. "Are you okay? Why was Marcus trying to kill you?"

"Not...*cough* Marcus. Sombra is in control. Learned a new trick in his wraith form while he was away." Discord looked at the floating heart, amusement gracing his face. "I take it you found the treasure?"

"We must hurry. Stephan is surrounded by crystal monsters and Luna is being tortured by a trap. The Crystal Heart is the only means to purge the dark magic that has tainted the castle!" Celestia explained as she took a quick flight back to Cadance and the Crystal Ponies.

"And expel the wraith-Sombra from within Marcus," Discord added as he followed. He stood before the group, his arms out and claws ready. "Do your thing, Celestia. I will slow him down if he comes for another round."

Celestia smiled at him before nodding. She placed the Heart in its proper place. Almost instantly giant crystals grew from the ground and ceiling above, holding the Heart in its position. Cadance looked around, only to see nothing had changed.

"Why is nothing happening?" Cadance whispered, fear lacing in her words. "We have the Crystal Heart... Something should have happen once it is placed."

"The Crystal Heart can only work if the Crystal Ponies are filled with positive emotions; love, happiness, peace," Celestia whispered, watching as the ponies around them began to panic. She then turned her gaze towards her niece, her voice turning serious and firm. "Cadance."

"Yes, Auntie?"

"These past few weeks have been trying, both on my body and mind. I have come off as weak-willed and fragile. But no more. It is time for me to be the leader that I always claimed to be. This will be a true test of my capabilities as a leader instead of a hoof holder. It also helps that Marcus' memories have a plethora of speeches I can fall back on," Celestia said with a smile. She looked out to the many ponies surrounding them, Discord standing guard and ready, and in the distance she saw Marcus slowly stumbling about in an apparent daze. She gave a small huff before she began to speak.

"Citizens of the Crystal Kingdom. You know me as Princess Celestia, Leader of Equestria, and the aunt to Prince Tempo Di Mezzanotte, your true King. While it has been a short time for you, it has been a millenia for me. But I still remember you all. I wept when you all vanished, I had thought of it as a failure on my part... One of many in the years that followed," Celestia's Royal Canterlot Voice echoed throughout the area. "But I still remember all that you have done.  Not just for Equestria, but for all the world. In the beginning, this place was but a school for learning made by Starswirl the Bearded. It soon became a kingdom that colored the very skies with your love and compassion.  For years, the Crystal Kingdom was a place of both learning and beauty, producing some of the finest works of art and magic. Then... you all were cruelly taken away from us. I ask you not to be frightened of this new age, but be filled with love. Not to live so deep in the past with those you’ve lost that you can’t see the true joy of life, but to cherish the friendships and loves you will make in our Equestria! To not shy away but welcome a new world with open hooves and minds! Remember who you are! Before Sombra. Before all the heartache and misery. You are citizens of the Crystal Kingdom, not some despotic slave pit where you are forced to mine crystals for a deranged tyrant! You are ponies, not slaves! You were once happy and full of love, and it is that love that will cast the darkness away!"

An elderly stallion stared at her before bowing. "I remember a time when I loved to wake up, feed my grandchildren, and play games with them."

"I remember singing to all who came to visit us. To see the smiles on their faces."

"I remember-"

"We used to-"

"I brought the horns for-"

Celestia smiled as the ponies began to bow, and the Crystal Heart started to glow with a heavenly light, its magic floating into her horn. She turned to see Discord looking back at her with a knowing grin and Cadance smiling with excitement and hope.

"NO! THE CRYSTAL HEART BELONGS TO- URK?!" the crystal ponies ignored the cry of rage as the ground beneath them lit up. The duo looked to see Marcus jerking about, struggling with himself.

“It belongs to no one pony, you Tyrant! As long as a pony is happy and passes that joy onto another, it belongs to them and whatever ponies they choose to bring happiness to! Remember who you were, the joy you felt, and strive to feel that once more!” Celestia yelled, the magic charging within her horn. “And know that Equestria will welcome you with real smiles on their faces!

And the world became bright.

The second Marcus felt his arm was under his control again, he proceeded to punch himself in the gut to cut off Sombra. He felt the pain of hitting himself, but it shut the wraith up.

'Stop fighting me, slave!'

'Shut the fuck up, and go back to the nothingness where you belong!'

Marcus felt his legs turning to escape the light, but forced himself to trip and fall. He heard Sombra give a roar of frustration, feeling more and more of his body falling back under his control.

'I'll be back. I have all the knowledge I need from you. I will be more powerful than those foolish alicorns and draconequus. I will even destroy your so called Tyrant!'

It was a stupid, presumptuous, egomaniacal idea, and yet somehow it gave Marcus strength to fight Sombra off. He managed to turn his head, seeing the light glowing as bright as the sun, he felt Sombra recoil from its touch and soon felt Sombra trying to leave. Marcus wasn’t sure if Sombra could escape the blast, but with the way he was struggling, he was awfully sure that he could.

Marcus knew if Sombra would escape with this new knowledge of runic magic, things would go bad to worse. Marcus closed his eyes and focused himself.

'W-what?!'

'Oh, you’re not going anywhere Sombra. You are going to stay right here with me!'

’No! I had so much to do! I COULD HAVE DONE SO MUCH! HOW DARE YOU TAKE THAT FROM ME! I AM KING SOMBRA OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! ITS MAGIC IS MINE TO COMMAND, AND I AM-’

'Got news for you, Sombra,' Marcus said. 'We never saw you as a serious threat, unless we got really unlucky. You were just an inconvenient obstacle. You weren’t even a player.'

'YOU…. YOU… YOU!' Sombra screamed. 'HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME THIS WAY?!'

Marcus watched as the light pulsed once before it began to expand with a brilliant show of magic. Sombra began to force his way out of Marcus, jets of black smoke shot out of Marcus' body as he struggled to keep him held within.

'No! Stand aside! Release me!'

'Fuck you. Let me tell you something. I have dealt with the Tyrant, I’ve seen and done things you couldn’t scratch the surface of… you haven’t even traumatized me. You’ve just pissed me off.'

The Crystal Heart pulsed once more before a wave of magic burst from it. The wave covered over everything. The dull coats of the crystal ponies began to shimmer with a brilliant shine; even Celestia, Cadance and Discord found themselves being 'crystallized', much to Discord's amusement.

Marcus watched as the wave of magic rushed towards him, so similar to the Barrier and yet he stood his ground unafraid. He heard Sombra scream in defiance of the fate he found himself in.

'You lose, Sombra.'

Marcus spread his arms as the wave of magic slammed into him. He’d taken plenty of hard hits in his lifetime, especially during the war, but this was by far the worst-it was as if he was being hit by a semi-truck from every angle, while somehow also on fire. He heard the screams of Sombra as he was destroyed within, but Marcus also felt all the magic within him being purged as well, no doubt corrupted by Sombra’s presence.

As the wave of magic passed through Marcus, clouds of vile dark magic burst from every pore, wisping into nothing on contact with the light. His mouth was open in a silent scream, his face twisted in pure agony of the magic being expelled with pure force out of his body. It was the worst thing he had ever felt, the runes flared angrily as they were forced to expel every ounce of magic at once. However, it was not just the runes that burned; his entire being felt like it was on fire. Every inch of his body cried out in agony as he felt like melting on his own two feet. It was as if everything in his body was splitting apart, then putting itself back together.

He wanted to die just to end the pain.

The last of his magic within the runes drifted out, and Marcus realized something was very wrong as blackness began to creep at the edges of his view. His body began to feel numb and heavy.

'I... what is... happening?' was the last thought running in his head before his mind shut down. ‘Can’t… die… here…’

Then, blessedly, silence.

Locked in the darkness at the top of the tower, Stephan had dodged the sharp claws of a Crystal Monster just in time before it could rip off his head. The creature wasn’t as lucky, as Stephan then shot him a new breathing hole in its chest, and cut off the head just to be sure.

He looked down at the HK USP pistol in his hand and noticed the slide being held by the slide stop. That told him that his magazine was empty again. Twelve 45. bullets roared out again and twelve bodies fell to the floor. Some more if he counted the ones he killed with his sword. He let the empty magazine drop out and jammed the next one in, released the slide with his thumb, and was ready again for the next wave. In fact, it wasn’t a wave. It was more like a flood, since every time he killed one, a new one appeared. Some of them bigger than the ones before, others smaller and way more mobile. The darkness inside the tower wasn’t helpful at all either. He already used all of the glow sticks he had to give him a bit of light, and it still wasn’t very much.

A sharp pain exploded in his back as he flew forward and landed on the ground. Another creature sprouted from the ground like an absurdly fast-growing plant, right behind him without a sound.

“Ah, sch-”

Its fist rammed into Stephan, in a blow that would have pulped the gut of a lesser man with worse armor. He grunted in pain as he rolled around to face his attacker. The attack didn’t get through his light bullet and knife resistant enchanted body armor under his clothes, something he used to wear even off missions, since you could never be sure when and where a portal could pop up near your location back on earth. But it pushed out the air in his lungs, and a probably cracked a rib as well. It added some more pain to his body, already pushed far past its limits.

His pistol wasn’t in his hand anymore. Thankfully, it was connected with him with a elastic wire on his belt, so he didn’t have to look far. He pulled at it and in less than a second the pistol was back in his hand, aimed at the creature. He stared down the iron sights, into a crystal structure vaguely analogous to a head and fired two quick shots at it.

Its head exploded, sending crystal shards everywhere.

Stephan stood up and looked over to Luna’s cage. She was still out of the game, and there was nothing he could do to change that. The black crystals around her weren’t what held her. It was the spell which pulled her back inside if she tried to flee. If there was a way to get out of it, or a loophole in the spell, he didn’t know of one.

The sound of crystal claws stepping on the ground made him focus back at the creatures which now surrounded him again in the dim light. He swallowed a lump of spit and blood that gathered in his mouth. No reason to waste it by spitting it on the ground.

The creatures began to rush him and Stephan prepared himself for the attack, pistol and sword at the ready, but it never came. The creatures stopped in the middle of their assault, in mid-run, somehow… duller. The shine of magic had gone out of them, turning them from magically charged golems into nothing more than rocks -  he’d seen that effect before when a runic weapon or royal guard’s armor abruptly ran out of power. He sighed in relief, relaxing as they began to fall apart, along with the wall of dark crystal around the tower, revealing purer, blue crystal behind it, so bright compared to the room’s previous state that the light was blinding. It was a few moments later, and as he looked around, he found the room in its old shape again. The light filled the entire place and outside was a bright day. No sign of the snowstorm which hid the old Empire. All around, he could see steam rising from the grass, as the snow melted. A temperate kingdom was pulling itself up from deep under the snowpacked tundra of the Frozen North.

How about that? Magic creating something so beautiful… just like the old fairy tales.

He took a deep breath in and out, and felt every aching part of his body again, realizing that there wasn’t a single inch of his body that didn’t hurt like hell. ‘Okay… next stop, doctor. I probably won’t survive a third time. Fears about magical fields be damned.’

‘Still,’ he reminded himself, ‘at this point, they’re more along the lines of superstition.’

He walked over to Luna who tried to stand up. Stephan kneeled down and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up, much to her surprise. She thanked him anyway.

“Can you walk?” he asked her, visibly exhausted.

Luna nodded and stood on her own, a bit unsteady but it became better as her healing power kicked in. “Yes, I can. Thank you.”

It was this moment that Stephan actually noticed her new look. Her entire body seemed to be made out of crystals, her coat shiny and her mane somehow done up in prim, regal looking curls befitting a princess. She noticed it as well as she looked at her hooves and wings.

“Wow. What happened to you?” Stephan asked curiously.

“That is the power of the Crystal Heart. It changes the appearance of everypony in the Crystal Kingdom,” Luna then looked at Stephan who seem to be affected by the magic as well. “It gives them a crystalline appearance, and changes their hair as well. I suspect that whatever queen or king placed that particular part of the enchantment was not well-liked among the hairdressers of the Crystal Kingdom…”

He noticed her stare and looked himself over. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me...” He was glittering in the light because of his new crystal form. ‘I look ridiculous. Like those stupid Twilight vampires… ’ “Please tell me this is temporary,” he sighed in resignation. Thankfully, he didn’t have a silly hairstyle - his own hair was cut far too short for that.

“I’m not sure, actually,” Luna said. “It probably won’t last outside the kingdom though?”

They both walked slowly to the next balcony to check the situation of the city. Luna eyed him with a worried look as she noticed the bruises and cuts all over him. All just to keep the crystal creatures away from her and trying to free her somehow. The fact that he was still able to walk, let alone stand up, was like a miracle to her. But soon she saw him waver a bit and she got closer at his side to keep him steady. He thanked her with a nod and placed a hand on her neck to keep himself steady. She heard him whisper he was about to go to the hospital as soon as this is over. They made it to the next balcony and looked over the city.

Stephan whistled, impressed as he saw that some of the empire’s crystalline buildings were in ruins. “Damn, that must have been one hell of a fight.”

Luna nodded. “It was, but buildings can be rebuilt, and we have more important things to worry about. At least the threat of Sombra is over now.” Her eyes wandered around until they fell unto a spot near the castle. “There’s my sister, Cadance, and Discord, and… Marcus? What is happening there?”

Stephan looked at her confused for a bit as she sounded surprised when she said Marcus’ name. He pulled out his binoculars and checked it for himself. There was Celestia, Cadance and Discord. And they all looked worried at the unmoving body of Marcus. Stephan couldn’t help but notice how the two princesses seemed to stop and step back every time they tried to get near him. Discord didn’t seem to have as much trouble, but he looked incredibly dizzy and nauseous when he got close.

Stephan whispered, “Shit… we should go down there.”

“Yes. Stay close.” Luna charged her horn and Stephan found himself blinking as he was teleported out of the tower, followed by reappearing with a flash on the ground near the group.

Celestia looked at Luna for a few seconds until she recognised her. “LUNA!”

“Celestia, wha-ugh!” Luna got tackled by her sister in a tight hug.

“I’m so glad that you are okay!” Celestia nuzzled her younger sister and felt like crying. She released her again and smiled at her.

Luna smiled back as she felt her lungs again which have been almost crushed by Celestia. “You should thank the Major. Without him, we would be at the mercy of the crystal creatures.”

Stephan waved a hand at that. “Nothing to mentio-argh!” More didn’t come out of his mouth as he got tackled by Celestia as well, nuzzling his neck.

“Thank you Stephan,” he heard her say. In that soft voice of hers.

“No… problem… ow, ow, my everything hurts!” he gasped. Celestia let go of him as she heard him wince in pain from his wounds. Few of them appeared to be serious, but he just had so many of them...

“Sorry…”

Stephan took another breath in and out. “No harm done. Well, not that there can be any more harm done anyway…” He focused his attention on Marcus. “What’s wrong with him?”

Celestia looked over at Marcus. “We don’t know for sure. He is breathing, but we can’t get close to him.”

“What do you mean?” Stephan asked, confused.

“Everytime I try to get close to him… I feel my strength leaving me. Like every bit of magic is been sucked out.”

“And it seems to affect me too, though not as much as Celestia. I can’t stay close to him for a very long amount of time,” Discord added, suddenly donning a lab coat and glasses. He turned to Stephan and said, “But maybe you can.”

“Why?”

“Humans don’t have magic in their bodies like we do. Maybe you won’t be as affected as we are.”

Stephan thought about it for a moment before he turned to Marcus and walked over to him. He even knelt down beside him and checked Marcus’ vitals. “He’s still breathing and I feel a weak heartbeat. Nevertheless, he needs to get to a hospital, and fast.” He turned back at Discord. “Discord. Go back to Canterlot and get a medical team. Only humans, as much earth-made equipment as possible, and get them here as fast as you can. We need to stabilize him before we can move him.”

Discord nodded and with a snap of his finger he was gone. Luna, Cadance and Celestia eyed Marcus with a worried look.

“Is he going to be okay?” Cadance asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Stephan shook his head, and even though he tried not to show it much, the princesses could easily see how worried he was. “I don’t know…” Stephan admitted, “I just hope he will be, and soon.”

Canterlot Castle

"Where do you think they’ve gone to?" Lyra asked while she was sat on a wooden crate as Trixie paced the room.

The small circular room had white marble stone lining the walls and floor like most of Canterlot Castle. The room appeared to be used as a store room. A very untidy storeroom, with piles of crates scattered everywhere at random. Twilight and Applejack sat next to Lyra on a large wooden crate. Both silently watched Trixie pace around the room with concern etched on their faces.

A few minutes ago, Discord appeared and began to gather human medics and the few doctors they had on hand.

Trixie demanded Discord to bring Stephan back to her at once, but she was completely ignored by the draconequus before he vanished once more with the crowd of humans.

"I don't know nor do I care," Trixie growled. 'We will show him the moment he gets back.'

'With handcuffs and ropes'

'Mmm...tied to the bedposts?'

'Yes... Wait! NO! He needs to be punished.'

'Mm... Yes. Punished.'

"Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything?" Twilight leaned back from Trixie, eyes wide in surprise. Trixie blinked before her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry," Trixie murmured as her ears flattened against her skull.

"Ah know you’re worried about your coltfriend and all, but ah’m more than certain he can take care of himself," Applejack said reassuringly.

“He is my ‘boyfriend,’ Applejack. You will learn soon that some humans prefer it when you use their words for colt-, or fillyfriend. And everyone instead of everypony. And he is more of a stallion than a colt.” She giggled to herself but stopped as she saw Applejack’s confused look. Trixie’s face flushed again before she continued.

"It’s just... When Discord began to round up all the medics and doctors... I... " Trixie trailed off, her face filled with fear. "I just can't stand not knowing what is happening."

"I think it will be best if we get out of this storeroom," Twilight stated as she got off her seat. "Staying here and doing nothing will not help anypony. Maybe you can show Lyra and myself some of the magics you learned while you were on earth."

"Yeah, maybe some of them fancy fighting styles while you are at it," Applejack added with a smile.

Trixie looked at both of them before she laughed a bit. “Sure, I can show you. But mastering them took me months. And before we do any of that, you have to go through the basic training Stephan is giving you.”

“Why can’t you just teach me?” asked Twilight confused.

“Because you and the others lack the same thing I did, before I had the chance to become more. And that is military discipline,” Trixie answered, her eyes drifting off in a way that looked like she was lost in her own world. “And there is no one who can better teach you that as Major Bauer,” she said in an almost dreamy tone. She pulled herself together after a short silence and shook her head. “Anyway, we should-”

A loud pop rang out, signaling the arrival of Discord. Trixie and the others shared a short look before they ran out in the garden.

Discord grunted as he took one step before collapsing, Stephan and some the humans with him barely managing to catch the draconequus before he hit the ground.

"OUT OF THE WAY! MAKE WAY, MAKE WAY!!" a medic shouted at the group, several humans holding the prone form of Colonel Marcus Renee as he laid on the stretcher. Trixie and the others had barely walked into the garden, just having enough time to take in the view before they felt their legs buckle underneath them, the magic in their bodies vanishing.

“Wha’.... What’s.. going…” Twilight said, before abruptly losing the energy to do even that.

"Damn it! You two, go ahead of us and clear the hall to the hospital wing! Get every pony out of there! I want this place quarantined to all ponies until he stabilizes!"

"Sir! I can barely feel his pulse now!"

"Give him a shot of adrenaline, damn it! I want all non-magical medical equipment on hand, we are not losing him here!"

Stephan grunted as he held onto Discord, watching as the group left them. He gave a small frown as he saw Trixie laying on the floor with Twilight, Lyra, and Applejack. Trixie gave a small whimper as Marcus was carried away, feeling her strength slowly return to her.

"Stephan..." Trixie groaned as she took in his appearance. "Why do you look worse than before you left? What happened?"

Stephan grimaced as he thought on how to answer. He gave a tired sigh before giving her an answer. "Oh, regicide, fighting against impossible odds, being beaten within an inch of my life, saving the world. You know. The usual."

"....ho-....."

"Co-..."

"....statu-..."

"I don't know .... he will be..."

"Don't give me that! Figure out a way to wake him up!" Marcus’ eyes fluttered as the voices finally began to make sense in his mind and not be a jumbled mess.

"Keep it down," Marcus muttered softly. "For fuck's sake, people are sleeping."

"Yeah, like I was!" Marcus opened his eyes to find Stephan and a medic standing at the foot of his bed. "Man. You were in a coma. Sombra and the Heart did a number on you."

"What?" Marcus sat up. "How long? Is the war over? Hah! I knew you guys didn't need my sorry ass!"

"Sorry sir," the medic said quietly.  "It’s been two days since you were placed on medical watch.”

"Medical watch? What the hell happened?" Marcus sighed and muttered something quietly under his breath in anger.

“We were watching your vitals to make sure nothing-" the medic started, only for Stephan to cough loudly.

"You're fine. Don't worry about it," Stephan cut in, giving the medic a long look. The medic grimaced and saluted once before leaving, causing Marcus to look at Stephan with some concern.

"What was that about?" Marcus asked as he laid on the bed. He felt... wrong. The closest thing he could think of was if he had been suffering chronic pain all over, and it had suddenly, abruptly vanished. Like something was off but wasn't sure what it was.

"Nothing," Stephan said, a little too quickly.

"Bauer, don't bullshit me," Marcus growled. "Am I missing my legs or something?"

"I think it will be best if the an actual doctor explains it to you instead of a medic," Stephan replied as he turned to leave, adding, “I still don’t quite understand it myself.”

"Bauer,” Marcus growled. “We’ve been friends since the start of the war, and I’ve had your back when you’ve had mine. I trust you more than damn near anyone. So,” he said, as he gripped the metal rails of his bed to lift himself up. “What the fuck is wrong with-

There was a screeching, yawning sound, not entirely like something shattering.

Stephan stopped and closed his eyes, giving a small sigh as he turned to see Marcus staring at the metal rails within his grasp.

At least what used to be rails, now nothing more than crushed metal.

"Wh.....what the fuck?" Marcus stared at his hands in utter confusion. "But I... I didn't activate my runes..."

"Wait for the doctor, Renee," Stephan said as he walked out. "Try not to move around too much. We had to replace a wall after you accidentally kicked Discord through one."

"Wait, what?!" he blinked in confusion before he looked closely at the wall closest to him. 'Huh. So THAT was why that patch of wall was so discolored.' But thoughts like that were quickly overridden by more pressing concerns along the lines of ‘how did this happen?!’ Then, ’What the hell happened?!’

"Marcus Dwayne Renee. Hero of Earth, I might add."

"I hate my middle name..." Marcus muttered under his breath as the Doctor read off his file, causing the stocky suntanned man to chuckle. He didn’t quite look like a doctor - short, rather squat, bald stubbly head, with squared-off hands devoid of the delicate look you expected from a surgeon. His accent was rather muddled, bearing traces of Turkey, various European countries, and Brazil.

"Of course, sir. Who doesn’t? My yakın arkadaş, Isaac… the other Isaac, oh his middle name, his parents must’ve hated him!” he chuckled. “Or this one HLF guy I had to treat back in Turkey. That guy’s middle name, filha de puta.... Oh, the memories. You are thirty-three years old. Brown eyes. Light brown hair. Height: 71 inches. Weight: 235 lbs. Probably need to weigh you again since your are now several billion dollars heavier." The doctor checked off as he read the list.

"Hey, can we skip this part and get down to what the fuck is wrong with me?" Marcus growled out, causing the man to sigh.

"Yes sir. My name is Doctor Isaac Dan Der Grimnebulin, medical professional attached to this bloody adventure by Crowe’s R&D, by the way. And this, Colonel, is your X-ray photo that was taken three months ago," he said as an assistant placed it on the whiteboard, showing Marcus all the runes he had on his body along with his skeleton. Marcus nodded his head as he followed. "Fascinating work, by the way. Always liked runes-ilginç, so interesting, they have so many applications! This was taken a few hours before you woke up. We had to take multiple scans with the magical X ray machine, but it kept dying before we could finish, just like my ex. Ha! This is the end result."

Marcus stared at the photo, his eyes wide with shock. His entire body was lit up like a beacon. Clusters of nerves spread out through his body, his own brain outshined his skull.

"W...what?!"

"What you’re seeing here is some sort of crystal lacing throughout your entire body. It is centered and over laying around your nerves and spread evenly through your organs and muscles. It’s like…. kind of like a secondary nervous or circulatory system, essentially. It appears to perform similar functions to both, and I’ve never seen anything like it. What little samples we managed to get show something remarkable." Doctor Grimnebulin took a moment, trying to find the right words to describe it before he said, "It’s a living crystal, though how that works, I have no idea. They are extremely pure, like magical diamond kind of pure, so it has a lot of special properties, most of which are yet to be determined. So far, after careful examination of our few tissue samples, we’ve determined that they can hold magic to a ridiculous degree and can pass with extreme ease."

He rubbed his eyes, taking a short break to breathe in. "Not only that, but your nerves and even parts of your brain have what Equestrian doctors call alicornal tissue. The same thaumaturgon-infused tissue that allows unicorns to use and channel magic, pegasi to fly and shape the weather, and earth ponies to tend and shape the land."

“Does this mean I’ll… get ponified? Manipulate weather? What?” Marcus asked with some concern.

"I don't know, but trust me when I say it’s highly unlikely… and even if you did, it’d still be you in there. No hands, hard to get used to cause the Queen Bitch won’t be horn-fucking your mind straight through your ear, but hell. Small comforts. Although given what we just witnessed, I’d say you have Earth pony strength down." Grimnebulin gave a pointed look at the rail.

"I don't think this is normal earth pony strength kind of deal, doc." Marcus stared at the crushed metal.

"No, it doesn’t look like it. Of course, this is a first in whatever new field of thaumic science we have just invented, so every moment we talk is making history. Believe me, there will not be anything that can be called normal in this field for years!" Doctor Grimnebulin exclaimed. “Anyway, details. Whatever Sombra did, it changed everything about what we knew of runic magic, or magic in general, and what notes we have from Ms. Heartstrings. It’s also the possible reason why your mind placed yourself in a coma - to protect you from the pain of this rapid change. You only woke up because it finally finished whatever it was doing."

He stroked his beard, an overgrown, uneven curly beard profile that poorly concealed a number of nodules and scars. “I would be ecstatic for the chance to test some tissue samples! But… I’m guessing you’re not in the mood for that.”

"No. No I’m not. How... how is this possible?" Marcus wondered out loud in total shock. The doctor only shrugged, he had no answer to give him. He was just as lost as Marcus.

A light knock coming from the doorway gain both mens' attention as they turn to see who it was.

"May I come in?" Marcus turned to see Celestia at the doorway, staring at him with concern.

"Do you feel any draining sensations?" the doctor asked, which Celestia shook her head to the question.

"No. He stopped draining all the ambient magic sometime ago. He is safe to be around."

"Okay then. Colonel,” said Grimnebulin, “I suggest you lay off the magic throwing for sometime, until your control gets better. Whatever Sombra did, he has literally tied your entire being to the runes and these new crystals. You were on Death's doorstep for an entire day until your vital signs began to stabilize, and that was only after draining the entire area you were in of magic. Film gibiydi, trying to stabilize you, everything going wrong, equipment failures left and right, me having to rush here and there… it was an interesting two days, though not the usual kind of interesting with explosions. Your body still needs food to function properly, but your body needs magic to run off now. If you run out... you will not be feeling a burning of the runes. You'll be dead."

"So let me get this straight, Doctor Grim - I’m like a living battery that needs constant charging?" Marcus asked, clearly not liking what he was hearing.

"Marcus. You just drained all the ambient magic in the surrounding area of this room on Canterhorn," Celestia told him, looking at Marcus right in the eye. "A nexus of ley lines pass through here and I can not feel a single iota of magic in the air while you were here. You hold as much magic within yourself as myself, Luna, or Discord. Your body only needs a small minuscule amount to function compare to the ocean you have. However, if you are to overuse the magic within your body, then yes, you will die. Your control of magic is also rather worrisome. Tell me… how often is it before you run out of energy to fuel your spells?”

“If I can get enough charge, I can blast the hell out of newfoals for ten minutes straight. If I don't use that and only use the runes to enhance my abilities, I can sustain it for several hours. If I push it… well... let’s just say that it was fortunate that we stopped fighting at Twilight’s library or I would be nothing more than a smear on the floor."

“I’ve known enough unicorns to know that ain’t good,” Grimnebulin said. “I mean… maybe with the average unicorn, yes, but with the power you have... or... Had? We need to rethink on how much power you have now after this change. Though I think she could explain it better.” He gestured to Celestia.

“Indeed,” Celestia said. “Before your drastic change, you're…” she searched for an analogy, something she remembered from one of the comics that Marcus read when he was younger. “If your magic was a sword, you were swinging around a semi-sized weapon with the density of paper. Most of it will break off mid-swing, though it still did considerable damage. Twilight's own magic is similar to her wielding a claymore-size one that is made of some super-dense metal. While her control is good, she still lacks finesse. We need you to be at least her level of control if you wish to survive. Whatever Sombra did, he wanted you to survive long enough to fight for him. Which is why he did what he did to your body."

"How is that possible?" exclaimed Doctor Grimnebulin, who Marcus would forever think of as ‘Doctor Grim’. "To change the body like that is unheard of, even with magic! Vallahi, I’ve seen magic pull off some crazy stuff before. A permanent change is dangerous - we all know what happens when you force that - and what happened here just flew in the face of every rule of magic we know. I’m surprised Colonel Renee is not rolling around in agony right now."

"Maybe with normal magic it is. Dark magic does bend or break the rules, the ponification potion being the main result. But I believe this may not be Sombra’s doing... I think he was just helping something along. He was well versed in runic writings and excelled in modifying what he was able to get his hooves on." Celestia said quietly. "Marcus. That rune on your chest. Do you know what it is and what it does?"

"Only what was written down in Lyra's notes." Marcus said quietly. "She said it would connect magic to the user and they would control the magic within the runes through their will."

"I don't think that is all what it does," Celestia frowned as she stared at his chest. "It is far more complicated than that. It is the most complicated rune I have ever seen. Which leads me to question where Ms. Heartstrings could come by such a rune. I’ve personally never seen this rune before in my life. I doubt the Tyrant has seen such a thing either."

"Maybe she created it... Okay, that sounded stupid even as I said it out loud," Marcus sighed to himself, remembering how complicated the runes were in the first place. Just trying to improve a simple fireproofing rune for personnel body armor was already an arduous task, and there was a very good reason that higher-powered rune-enhanced weapons were often given to specialists. Namely, runes were hard to make.

"Not to make light of Ms. Heartstrings’ contribution, but I believe I know the source of her information." Celestia said as she stood up. "It’s just not that rune either; a score of them on your body, particularly that one on your cheek that looks like Hebrew writing, are something entirely new. I have no idea what they do."

“I was wondering why you had the Hebrew lettering on your cheek,” Doctor Grimnebulin mused. “Kinda incongruous, that one. Honestly, I thought you were just taking the piss. Still, I assure you that the word is very meaningful. Maybe not quite in the way that Lyra hoped… but it’s one way to translate the word for savior, and you did redeem ponies for most people. Point to her, though.”

"That is a good question - where the hell did Lyra get them?" Marcus asked as he looked at his hand. "She said she got the rune writings from a book in a destroyed Bureau in London. It was meant to enhance the defenses of the building."

"That is a lie. These runes are far too advanced to just be kept in a Bureau. If they weren’t, every Royal Guard would have them. And I believe I know where she got it from. I just have to confirm it with my... estranged teacher." Celestia said before she turn to leave. "Marcus. It would be prudent if you begin to practice. To see the limits of your enhanced body. It might be best if you stay some distance from the others, if only to keep them from harm. You don’t know your own strength, magically-”

“Or physically,” Marcus sighed, noting that the railing he’d grabbed was still a ruin.

“Right. Practice your control, though. I believe that Lyra, and my student Twilight Sparkle will be happy to do so with you, maybe even Trixie in between lessons from Stephan. Though there will likely be others willing to help when the two of them aren’t around, because I don’t want to overstrain them.”

“Am I going to have to unlearn anything about magic control?” Marcus asked, adopting a thoughtful look. "Maybe joining the Elements when they train their own magic might be easier."

“Perhaps. It’s very likely that you have mental shortcuts or ways of constructing spells that are far too inefficient,” she said. “I don’t think it will be too hard, though, you strike me as a quick learner.”

"Thanks?" Marcus rubbed his head before looking to Doctor Grimnebulin. "Anything else?"

"Just a few more tests and a physical." Doctor Grimnebulin said with a smile, causing Marcus to groan. Celestia gave a small giggle and nodded her head to the two as she left, silently closing the door behind. But she was still able to hear more of the discussion. “Don’t worry, totally painless. Well, except for the emotional pain of realizing what’s happened, but that’s not on me.”

Celestia stood in the hall before finally speaking. "You worry a great deal," she said out loud, causing Stephan to grunt as he looked up from his place on the wall.

"Someone has to. Cheerilee would trample me if something happened to him," Stephan groaned as he stepped out of the shadows. “She’d probably use her runes too...” Stephan trailed off, looking at the ground for a moment before talking again. “There’s something that is bothering me...”

"I doubt Lyra knew the full extent of the runes. If she did... Well.... There is no doubt she would have many humans lining up to get them on," Celestia answered, giving him a long look. "Perhaps you wish for a set of your own?"

Stephan sighed and shook his head. "Hardly. If my entire life ends up tied to the runes, and magical energy, I know I’d be dead within weeks.” A few moments of silence. “So... estranged teacher?"

"An issue we had long ago," Celestia said quietly.

"Hah! You and Scribble did more than butt heads from what she told me!" Stephan turned to see Discord’s face appearing on a painting, his face replacing Celestia’s. “Never could quite agree on... anything really.”

“I know, I know,” Celestia sighed with more than a hint of exasperation in her voice. “We’ve been over this, but I know she’ll agree with us here.”

"Oh, don’t think I am riding on you, we’ve all had enough of that. If I learned anything trying to find Earth, sometime following a set path is never a good choice. It blinds you to other paths." Discord pulled himself out of the painting, pausing for a moment and reaching through and pulled out a rather confused Princess Luna.

"W-where?" Luna staggered a bit in confusion, but Discord just patted her head.

"Now that all the children are here, it’s time for us to take a road trip to a gooood old fashioned family reunion!” Discord exclaimed as he wrapped himself around the two alicorns. "It’s time to bury old hatchets anyways. We’ve all agreed by now that we have more important things to deal with."

Celestia gave a tired smile and nodded her head. "Yes... it is time old pains finally be laid to rest."

"Right then. See you later, Major. Don't wait up for us." Discord said as he snapped his fingers and the trio vanished before his eyes.

Stephan shook his head. ‘What a crazy family.’ He then remembered what he wanted to do when Marcus finally woke up and open the door to look at Marcus. “Hey, you hero of Earth!”

“God damn it, don't call me that! What the hell do you want?”

“What was it like to have a guy inside of you? And is he gonna call back?”

A piece of crushed railing flew past Stephan’s head that ended up embedding itself into the wall behind him. “FUCK OFF!”

‘Aah, yup. It’s nice to have him back.’ Stephan walked away with a big grin on his face.

Everfree Mountain Range

"Aaaaaand we're here!" Discord announced, the sheer mountain wall standing before them. However their eyes trained on the destroyed rubble scattering the entrance. "Oh. Right. I knew I forgot to clean up after your little tiff with Scribbles."

Celestia frowned, her ears flattened against her skull. Luna said nothing as she walked through, followed by Discord as he floated behind her.

Celestia looked at the entrance with regret, the memories of the past flooded back.

"Scribe! Open the entrance! You must tell me how to stop Discord! He’s out of control, he’s causing so much suffering!"

Silence was the only response, frustration mounting as the Scribe blocked her ability to simply teleport within the facility. A feeling of inarticulate negation emanated from behind the rocky Barrier.

"Scribe! Please!"

Nothing.

"I knew you never approved of myself and Luna leading the ponies. Please believe me that I only want to have Harmony with everypony!"

Celestia seethed as she got no response from Scribe. Her wings snapped open and her horn glowed with power.

"PLEASE! ANSWER ME! I CAN’T SIT BY AND LET THEM LOSE THEIR WAY! DO NOT FORCE MY HOOF!"

Celestia shook her head before stepping through, the darkness slowly melting away as the interior soon glowed with life. Crystals that were shaped and smoothed over, runes glowing softly within as they did their intended duties. Words in hundreds of languages began to flash to life, hovering in mystic light as they projected themselves before the group.

Luna and Discord were standing before a small platform, Celestia stepping behind them. The crystal platform glowed before shining brightly. The magic condensed together and a figure appeared before the three. She was a mare so radiant that before her, Celestia and Luna looked like little more than dirty cart-pulling mules in comparison.

Pure ivory white coat, an ink bottle and quill pen cutie mark on her flank, with deep maroon mane on her head, blue eyes filled with an eternity’s worth of ancient knowledge and wisdom. She gazed upon the three, first at Discord, then Luna, before centering on Celestia.

Her eyes narrowed to slits, either in weariness, anger, disappointment, sadness, or some combination of the four.

Celestia flinched, feeling those ancient eyes that had seen countless millennia rake over her. Some part of her wanted to turn and go back to commanding the new armies of Equus against the Solar Empire, but she forced herself to stand. No matter what the Scribe said or told her and Luna, no matter how true they were, she had to stand tall, look her in the eye, and ask.

Celestia took a deep breath before speaking. "Hello Scribe. It has been too long."

Setting It Right

Setting it Right

Authors:

Redskin122004

Kizuna Tallis

Editors:

Proudtobe

Doctor Fluffy

Rush

Beyond the Horizon

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

- Mae West

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”

- Anne Lamott

Scribe’s Alcove:

Scribe continued to stare at the trio, ignoring Celestia’s greeting in favor of gauging each of them individually. She closed her eyes as she gave a small smile, shaking her head.

“All it took was the end of the world and possibly all sentient life as we know it being snuffed out in the known universes for you all to gather before me.”

The trio blinked at her statement in confusion, unsure how to take it.

“Uh, hey Scribble,” Discord said awkwardly as he took a step towards her. “I mean, eventually we would settle our disputes.”

“Hardly,” Scribe remarked as she gave a look to Celestia with a raised eyebrow. “Celestia would no doubt try to have you under her hoof if given the proper course of action. And you would no doubt try and humiliate her in some suitably bizarre way.”

Discord blinked whilst he turned to look at Celestia, a witty joke lay on his lips before falling silent as he saw Celestia’s grimacing face.

“You saw?” Celestia asked, causing Discord and Luna stare at her with shock.

“I don’t miss much, Celestia. Your planning for Discord, while positive in nature, leaves a lot to desire.” Scribe answered, “Much like I don’t miss the arrival of the human, nor the growing war between worlds, nor the unpleasantness with our counterparts. However, before Luna or Discord begin their accusations of doing something ‘foolish’, I would like to clear the air between all three of you.”

“What?” Luna blinked, utterly lost. “Clear the air? We fought, we waged war against one another due to our differences. We set it aside to battle this greater threat! I understand that we made some mistakes-”

“No,” Scribe cut her off, her eyes narrowed as she looked to the three. “Mistakes that are none of your faults. Not yours, nor Discord’s, nor Celestia’s.”

“I… I don’t understand?” Discord sputtered, shaking his head. “You’re confusing me, and that’s pretty impressive given who I am.”

“We spent much of the last two weeks pointing out each other’s mistakes,” Celestia added. “We dragged every skeleton out of our respective closets.

“I learned to see the after effects of my magic,” Discord admitted, looking downwards in shame. “I toyed with living beings and ripped the world a new one several times.”

“And now they’re not our faults?” Luna looked at Scribe in shock.

“No.”

“Sorry, I must have missed the memo where there was another Discord running around and mucking things up.” Discord said sarcastically.

“Celestia.” Scribe turned to look at her. “The reason you and Discord first began fighting was-”

“Because you sent him to retrieve myself and Luna. I know,” Celestia answered, only to receive a shake of the head at her answer.

“While that is true, that is not the true reason why, is it?” Scribe asked as her eyes seemingly burrowed into her. “You were angry at Discord, frightened of him. You always have been, even when you first saw him.”

“I…yes.” Celestia looked away before narrowing her eyes. “I saw what he was capable of. Sending the Windigoes-”

“That was not him.” Scribe cut her off.

“Excuse me?”

“Discord did not create the Windigoes,” Scribe reiterated. Discord began to laugh out loud, shaking in mirth as he leaned against a counter.

“Sorry, sorry. You’re telling me I didn’t-”

“No.” Scribe turned to look at him, a motherly glare directed right at him, causing him to flinch. “I know you are trying to accept the blame of the wendigoes as a fault of your own. If so, then you should also accept the blame of every monster on this world.”

Discord stared at her, swallowing as he looked back to Celestia and Luna. “That’s… a lot. B-but, maybe I should! After all-”

“Discord did not create the Wendigoes. I did.” Scribe answered before she vanished, an image of a mountain appearing in her place.

It showed Discord working his magic, pushing the clouds further along before nodding his head and vanishing with a snap. Not once did he notice the cloud pulsing, shaping itself into a vaguely equine shape, nor glance at cave opening with a small pony figure looking up at him.

Discord blinked in surprise to see an image of himself working his magic like he stated, then scoffed as it ended. “It just shows me being rather clumsy with my magic.”

“Discord, you were taught by a powerful interdimensional being and the most powerful alicorn in history. Clumsiness should not come easy to you,” Scribe chided him. “No, while you were working, I gathered the leftover magic and created the Wendigoes.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why?!” Luna asked, horrified at this revelation.

“Because that is my directive,” Scribe answered as she showed them a different image. Discord was laying on a beach, drinking a rather fruity looking drink. Beneath the waves, a rather slim looking eel grew nearly thirty times its size before bolting into deeper waters. Said eel later attacked a ship, killing half of the crew. Another image showed Discord gently pushing a volcano to erupt, the lava slowly spilling over the side. At the bottom of the mountain, a worm began to shift and change, growing to lengths unheard of before it burrowed away, its mouth splitting open like a star as multiple eyes opened along its head.

A chicken wandered off from its farm, into a tall forest. It finally happened on a clearing where Discord stood wearing a wide, floppy hat, leather gloves, and an apron, planting several seeds, including a curious blue one. He was also harvesting seeds from several large black vines, most of them snapping at his face before he snapped his claw and reverted them back into seed form. As it got within a foot of Discord’s clearing, but not actually within it, it began to change. Its body became green and reptilian, and its wings became not dissimilar to a bat’s.

A lone pack of wolves with singed fur, some of them little more than pups, perhaps the last in Equestria, walked into the very same forest. One of them, tired and limping, picked up a moss-covered stick in his jaws and found he couldn’t put it down, because his jaw was the stick. His whole body slowly transmuted to wood, his fur turning into moss or falling off to reveal a skeleton made of logs. His eyes were wide-open green glowing orbs set into hollows in two mismatched logs. Howling in pain and anguish, he leapt at his brothers and sisters, clawing through them and transfiguring them to the same creatures of wood and moss.

The pups, too young to have helped to fight off their former packmates, but old enough to know that they should run, stared in horror and ran away. They would soon be found by a pony who would adopt them as his friends and companions, and raise them and their descendants, giving rise to the domestic dog of Equestria.

“The dogs were an accident, but a happy one nonetheless,” the Scribe continued. “I’d assumed they would have hidden underground like the wolves that would soon become Diamond Dogs, but they found a pony who cared for them.”

“I made so many things in that forest,” Discord said, looking fondly at that clearing, with its Poison Joke, bladeflowers, black vines, and-

“Oh…. OH!” Discord palmed his face before he vanished from sight. He popped back in a second later. “Uh… Uh yeah, I’ll be back in… a few minutes.”

“Discord, what did you-”

“I’ll explain later, it’s just something that we’ll all be too tired to deal with after the war,” Discord said quickly, eyes darting from side to side, before popping away. Luna however was more concerned with what was happening before her eyes.

“Why Scribe? What purpose could creating these monsters yield for you?!” Luna looked like she was on the verge of tears at this shocking reveal.

“To unite all of ponykind,” Scribe answered. “Before the wendigos, ponykind was fragmented, left in disharmony. Pegasi and unicorns alike used earth ponies like slaves, none of them liked the other, the pegasi nation was outright vicious and ruled by a deranged, bloodthirsty despot with rather… unpleasant tastes. The Earth ponies were destitute and starving though they were surrounded by food, and they hated the other races. The unicorns were mostly only concerned with money and wealth, even as others starved. If I left things as they were, they would not overcome their differences for over a millennia, if ever. As I always stated before. I was in charge of making sure that ponykind became one again and ascended back to their original forms.”

“Alicorns…” Celestia whispered as she watched the various species slowly come to light.

Dragons, Griffons, Diamond Dogs, Breezies, even the Changelings appeared on the list of beings she tampered with using Discord’s magic.

“Yes. That was my function, and it still is. However, I have done a poor job in doing so.” Scribe returned before them, a sad look on her face. “I have caused my creator’s children to fight each other due to my meddling.”

“Well… We are not fighting anymore...” Celestia murmured quietly as Luna glared at Scribe.

“No we are not,” Luna agreed angrily.

“You are angry at me,” Scribe noted quietly. “That anger is justified, but it is how I was created and I did not foresee my involvement to cause such issues.”

“Luna, peace,” Celestia wrapped her wing around her sister. “What’s done is done. We can not change the past.”

“Indeed,” Scribe agreed, and then a loud pop indicated Discord’s return, wrapped head to hoof with black vines, his head covered by leaves.

“MMMmmmH!” Discord muffled out, attempting to snap his claw did nothing as the vine wrapped around his claws rather thoroughly. Celestia rolled her eyes as her horn glowed with power, setting the vines ablaze.

Celestia gave a small giggle as the fire cleared, revealing a scorched and ash sooted Discord, giving her an unamused glare. “Where did you go?”

“Clearing up a past decision… and visiting mother,” Discord said quietly. Celestia blinked at that, Discord gave her a small smile as he summoned a small replica. “You should know, it’s where you got the Elements.”

Celestia stared at the tree, long forgotten memories of receiving the Elements from the newly named Tree of Harmony. “Wait… Wait! Mother is there?!”

“A side effect of using Pure Harmony,” Scribe answered as she looked to the miniature. “Your mother sacrificed her life to save the world, and, to ensure that future generations had a chance to face off against great evil, she created a spell that used her body and magic to generate that chance. Thanks to that, Tirek was stopped before he had a chance to rise. A long lost species has used the 'Tree of Harmony' before yourselves, or even your student and her friends.”

An image of several very very short humanoids stood before the tree, lowering their heads to the tree. A young female held up a familiar locket, all of them looking on with happiness as the tree glowed with power, invoking the essence of Harmony within it.

"This species died out, but not before they pass the power to another."

An elder looking humanoid danced around, searching for something while systematically destroying everything around him. A young human girl and several ponies could only look on as he sung and danced before apparently giving up. Only for the small rabbit to pull it out the same locket and hand it to him. The small humanoid placed the locket around her neck before pushing her away in a hurry.

"Thanks to these small beings, Tirek never made his return. Thus giving you three a chance to avoid his power. I would've told you, but you three were too busy fighting each other." Scribe sighed as she banished the image. "Miss Faust has planned for everything it seems."

Discord looked at the small crystal tree in his paw, a small sigh as he banished the image. “Well, it’s a good thing you reminded me of my past crack at gardening. Almost forgot about those vines.”

“What vines?” Luna’s eyes narrowed as Discord simply whistled, ignoring her question entirely. “Discord!”

“Worry not, Luna,” Scribe gently interrupted, “Discord has taken care of the problem and it is no longer an issue. There is one issue that I wish to bring to light, however.”

“And that is?”

“You,” Scribe said as she looked Celestia over. “Given what happened between you and the human, I am worried about the implications. However, there is also another issue that arose that I did not take into account.”

“And that is?” Celestia asked again, raising an eyebrow as a soft light began to surround her.

“It is this issue,” Scribe vanished, and in her place was a familiar hallway.

“Dozens of innocent ponies were dying because of the storms you brought, the wild animals you introduced killed many more, and the very changing of the night and day, where you set the sun and rose the moon in the middle of the day, was tearing their minds apart! It was chaos!” Celestia defended herself. “That caused the Wendigos to prey on them once they began to blame each other for the troubles that were caused! I was there Discord, I saw you bring the storm the day the Wendigos appeared!”

“I don’t understand. What is the problem?” Luna asked, tilting her head as she examined the image before her.

Seeing Celestia and Discord glaring at one another, close to another brawl that would no doubt lay waste to the land due to the huge amount of clashing powers, she felt her heart sink as she realized that this was probably the last time she would see something as ‘normal’ to herself.

“It is not the problem to be seen, but heard,” Scribe said as she placed herself between the two stilled image of Discord and Celestia. “And I find it hard to believe Discord did not take notice of it earlier. But, perhaps tempers were running high, so he took no notice.”

“I didn’t?” Discord blinked in surprise, somehow appearing next to Scribe within the image, giving her a quirky smile before he looked to himself and Celestia. “Hm… I don’t…!”

Discord stood slack jawed, looking to Celestia before looking back at the image. He took a running start and jumped out of the floating image, quickly grabbing Celestia’s head and looked into her ear.

“Seriously? How did I miss that?!” Discord stated, his eye extending out and popping out of the other ear, looking around before Celestia pushed him off.

“What are you talking about?” Celestia scowled as she sat down and rubbed her ears in annoyance.

“HOLD IT!” A male voice bellowed from somewhere around Discord. What appeared to be a pane of glass suspended itself in mid air, allowing everyone present to see it. Celestia from the past appeared after a moment, large blue letters proclaiming ‘Witness Testimony’ flashing gently across the screen. Celestia’s words, along with her name, appeared in a blue box with white text, scrolling along with what she was saying.

After it had scrolled through everything, large red text reading ‘Cross Examination’ popped up.

Blinking rapidly, Celestia began to speak, to voice some complaint, before Discord covered her mouth with a paw. “Shhhhhhshhhshhshhhshssssss!”

The text scrolled through Celestia’s speech again, and nothing happened for the most part. The only difference seemed to be that the text was green now. At the end however…

”I was there Discord, I saw you bring the storm the day the Wendigos appeared!”

“OBJECTION!” The voice boomed again.

“This! This right here doesn’t make sense!” Discord exclaimed. He rounded on her, capturing her face once more and looked her directly into the eyes. “Explain this discontinuity!”

Discord pulled away for a moment, summoning up a small blue suited doll, and began to look fondly over it. "You know that is a lot more fun than it appears. I should become a lawyer! Oh wait, I have to change the way legal procedures work first..."

"I... I don’t understand?" Celestia looked to Scribe, unsure of what was happening. "What's wrong with what I said?"

"Only this," Scribe vanished, an image of a snowstorm made its way to the land; off in the east was a large castle and unicorns going about their lives, in the center was the earth ponies’ settlement where they worked the large fields and in the west was the cloud city of the pegasi who were flying and training. There was an ominous glow in the clouds, unnoticible by anyone.

What happened next was a familiar scene - the raging snowstorm which covered the land in ice, rendering the farms unusable. The pegasi tried to get rid of the storm, but nothing worked. The unicorns even kept the sun up for a few hours longer than scheduled, but even that couldn’t melt the snow. And soon, all three tribes were in dispute.

“What is the point of this, Scribe?” Luna asked, twitching with a little impatience. “We already know of these events.”

“Just watch,” was all she said in response.

Princess Platinum was the picture of unicorn royalty, with a pristine silvery white coat (likely what made her parents name her such) and a deep blue mane; Commander Hurricane was what one would expect from the leader of the pegasi military, with a deep blue coat and a mane and tail reminiscent of storm clouds; Chancellor Puddinghead was the sole stallion of them, with a deep red coat and a curly yellow mane and tail; topped off with his odd choice of headgear.

It was supposed to be a diplomatic meeting, three tribes coming to an agreement. But it didn’t take long for the blame game to start up.

“Alright, let us get straight to the point,” Platinum began. “Why hasn’t your weather controlling done anything to quell this storm?! Answer me, 'Commander'!”

“Why is it us you blame first, Princess?” Hurricane asked, stomping her hooves on the table. “You unicorns haven’t done anything either!”

“We raised the sun and kept it up to melt this ice! And we don’t have any food to nourish ourselves! Magic requires much energy!”

“Hey, it’s not like we can do anything with the ground being frozen solid!” Puddinghead retorted, pulling out a clump of dirt that was as hard as a rock from the frost.

No truce was made, insults were thrown, and it seemed like the storm only got worse. The three leaders simply threw their forelegs up and said, “Whatever, we’re going home.”

And they did.

Their assistants were very familiar figures to Celestia and Luna. Smart Cookie, a light yellow earth pony with a wavy auburn mane and tail. Her name fit her well, as she was often beleaguered by her boss’ incompetence. The fact that he came into the town hall building through the chimney was a new one for today. She would silently grumble about this, until Puddinghead came up with the idea that the earth ponies would go it alone, and no longer have to be subjugated by the unicorns and pegasi.

The pale tan pegasus, barely above a colt but not yet a stallion, with a puffy white mane and tail like clouds, Private Pansy, greeted his commander, trying not to flinch as Hurricane barked and ranted about Platinum and Puddinghead’s disrespect before he finally growled out they were setting out for themselves, away from the other two. It was hard for him not to, as the chill made him shiver on top of his intimidation of that ruthless mare.

And finally, Clover the Clever, pupil of Starswirl the Bearded, a unicorn mare with a green mane and tail and light grey coat, clad in her somewhat ragged robes, tended to Princess Platinum. She dutifully, albeit with much eye rolling, listened to the princess’ complaints about how brutish the pegasi were and how low the earth ponies were, before the princess came to the conclusion that the unicorns would separate themselves from the other two tribes.

“Okay,” Discord cut in, pulling himself from Platinum's elegant cloak. “the little history lesson is nice and all, but what does this have to do with anything happening here and now?”

Scribe’s eyes just barely narrowed, hinting at exasperation, gently pushing Discord out of the scene. “Patience, Discord. Sometimes, the longer route leads to greater gains. Miss Faust taught you that lesson.”

The three duos set off on a quest to find a new home for their respective tribes. It was a daunting journey, as Platinum would endlessly complain about her hooves aching, Puddinghead would read the map upside down, and Hurricane would often leave Pansy out in the cold, literally.

It was mostly a blur, until they got to the most important part of this story. Puddinghead frolicked in the rich fertile soil, Hurricane marveled at the clouds and the clear skies, while Platinum was over the moon looking at the abundant gems the land supplied. Clover, Pansy and Smart Cookie each couldn't help but be excited too; maybe finding themselves a new home wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Huh?! No fair! We got here first!" Hurricane called out in anger upon seeing the earth ponies and unicorns at the same land.

Platinum huffed, "Like you did! This beautiful land belongs to the dignified race of the unicorns!"

"Oh like gems are so useful!" Puddinghead retorted.

"You barbarians trespassed onto Unicornia!"

"Uh, you mean Earth!"

"No it’s Pegasopolis!"

Clover cried out, "Please, every pony, maybe if we all calmed down, we can fix this!"

"I agree, that sounds like a good idea," Smart Cookie spoke up.

"I vote for calm," Pansy softly added.

"Why, I should have you court martialed for insubordination!" Hurricane yelled at Pansy. "I say we settle this the old fashioned way- on the battlefield!"

Puddinghead tossed the first snowball, but didn't notice until a moment later that the snow came back again. The wind howled with an unseen ferocity, the chill setting into the six ponies' bones. They had no other choice but to run into one small cave in the middle of a nearby mountain. As Clover was about to enter, she could've sworn she saw something odd out of the corner of her eye. A chaotic mish-mash of different creatures floating above her and the others. She didn't have any time to ponder what this thing was until Platinum pulled her into the cave. But the arguments didn't end there. They would draw lines in the dirt, squabble over a single rock.

The blizzard began to seep into the cave, a thick layer of ice quickly encasing the walls.

"Great, now we're trapped with them!" Hurricane growled.

"You two deserve this horrible fate!" Platinum fired off at Hurricane and Puddinghead. "All you've ever done is argue and fight!"

"You've been fighting too, your highness!" Hurricane spat, saying the princess' title with a thick layer of sarcasm.

"Well I haven't been fighting nearly as much as you!" Puddinghead taunted.

As they continued on, ice was starting to encase their bodies, much to their assistants' horror.

"Earth ponies are numbskulls!"

"Pegasi are brutes!"

"Unicorns are snobs!"

And then they were completely covered, like living pony popsicles.

The three assistants looked at each other, scared now more than ever. An ominous cloud literally hung over them, and Clover looked up to examine before gasping.

"W-what are those... things?" Pansy asked, stuttering in utter fear.

"Oh no," Clover whispered, "I think they're windigos! My teacher, Starswirl the Bearded, told me about these spirits of the ice and snow. They feed on hatred and conflict. The more hatred the spirit senses, the worse the storms they create become!"

"We brought this on ourselves," Smart Cookie realized with guilt. "We three tribes didn't trust or like each other... And now we've destroyed this new land that was supposed to be our second chance!"

The ice was closing in on the trio, about to encase their bodies like it did to their bosses. Clover lamented, "And it's all because we were foolish enough to hate each other."

The ice began engulfing them, and then Pansy suddenly said, "Well, to be honest, I don't really hate you guys. I hate Commander Hurricane more. Or well, I don't hate her; just really, really, really, really dislike her."

Clover and Smart Cookie laughed at that, the latter saying, "Well, I don't hate you guys either."

"Nor do I," Clover admitted with a smile. The windigos seemed to sense this, but that only spurred them to hurry the process along.

"No matter our differences, we're all ponies," Smart Cookie declared, grinning as the ice began to encase her and the other two ponies.

But then...

A brilliant glow manifested itself from the three, centered around Clover's horn. A large beam, like a burning flame, erupted from them. When it touched the windigos, they screamed as they were whittled away to nothing, before the flame swirled and formed the shape of a heart.

"What was that?!" Pansy asked in shock.

Smart Cookie was just as awestruck, remarking, "I didn't know unicorns could do that!"

"Me neither, but it wasn't just me," Clover said to them. "It was from all three of us, joined in friendship and harmony."

"Hey, look at that!" Pansy pointed out.

Under the heart of fire, two small lights came down. As the trio approached them, they took shape.

Two little fillies lay down on the ground before them. One of them looked a little bigger, with a bright white coat, purple eyes and a pink mane and tail. The second had deep blue fur with a slightly lighter shade of blue for her mane and cerulean eyes. It was odd they looked to be of different ages despite, as far as they could tell, coming into existence only a few seconds ago.

But what was most striking about those two fillies was that they had characteristics of all three pony types.

“How did this happen?” Smart Cookie asked, picking up the blue filly, who awoke and began to giggle at the earth pony.

“I don’t know…” Clover admitted, “but Starswirl told me about a legend about ponies that have both horns and wings. Legend has it that long ago, ponies used to be one race with access to all three kinds of magic, linked to the land, the sky and the mystic forces of the world. They were called the alicorns, and they flourished. However, one day, one alicorn turned towards the darkness, and placed a curse upon them, causing them to lose two kinds of magic and keep only one. But Starswirl also said one day, the alicorns could return if ponykind would be able to rediscover harmony again... Smart Cookie! Pansy! I think these two fillies are alicorns!”

Pansy picked the white one up who suddenly snapped her wings open and flew circles around him, giggling. He cracked a smile before noticing something. “Is it just me, or does it feel like it’s getting warmer? I mean, it’s not the fire from the heart, but something deeper…”

Clover smiled and began to coo at the two fillies before replying, “I feel it too.”

The trio of ponies plus to two alicorn fillies unknowingly would start a new tradition, as they told stories, played with each other, laughed and let the warmth of friendship and harmony fill their hearts. And soon, the ice around their leaders’ bodies melted as well. Platinum, Hurricane and Puddinghead were understandably confused, but as soon as they saw the flame heart and the two alicorn fillies, their own hearts filled with love as well.

And once they left the cave, the six ponies created a new flag, with grown up versions of the two fillies flying together in harmony. And they decided to call this new land the old pony word for their kind: Equestria.

"What was the purpose of seeing our births?" Celestia asked, shaking her head.

"To show you the 'discontinuity' Discord spoke of," Scribe answered.

The imaged reversed until it revealed Clover looking up at the sky, seeing Discord work his magic.

"The question is," Scribe stood next to Clover as she looked up at the winter storm. "How did you see Discord, before you were even born?"

As Celestia opened her mouth to answer, her eyes widened as the implications began to weigh down on her mind.

"I... I don't know." Celestia hung her head, eyes wide as new implications began to form.

“I see,” Scribe said as she banished the image. “It appears Miss Faust has prepared these sorts of contingencies.”

“Contingencies? What contingencies?” Luna jumped as the wall behind her open up, large crystals floating around, powerful runes inscribed onto them and the walls.

“Soul memories,” Scribe answered as she gently pointed to the chamber. “Celestia, you must enter. Your very being was composed of the souls of Clover, Pansy, and Smart Cookie. Luna, while she was born looking physically younger than you, is also composed of the same. But it appears while she fully integrated them together, you have not. Neither of you should have memories of the souls of the three ponies, you should also have all the knowledge needed to function in this world and do your duties. However, due to Platinum, Hurricane, and Puddinghead, the process was warped.”

"As if this family tree wasn't complicated enough," Discord sighed, holding up a bonsai with bizarrely arranged branches. "Now I'll have to use the non-Euclidean bonsai..." He threw the tree off to the side, where it exploded.

“Th.. the souls of… Clover, Pansy, and Sweet Cookie?” Celestia stood stock still, stunned by the info. “But if Luna and myself were composed of their very souls-”

“You fret over nothing.” Scribe gave a small comforting smile. “They bared their souls to one another, a small sliver was used, nothing more. It was enough to create you two. Any more and they would be in agony for the rest of their lives. Miss Faust was sure to do that right. Besides, they replenished it as their lives went on.”

“I… I don’t know what to think of this...” Celestia said quietly.

“Don’t think,” Scribe warned. “You should have told me this in the beginning, I could have fixed the problem before it went haywire. It is only thanks to your stubbornness that you haven’t broken down into a blubbering wreck. Or exploded.”

“What do you mean?” Discord asked, looking at Celestia with concern.

“Luna looks upon war with a critical eye, she understands what is needed and may get angry over the injustice, but can carry on despite the stress,” Scribe explained.

“Wonderful, thou hath made Us feel detached and emotionless...” Luna grumbled, reverting back to Old Speak.

“That was not my intention,” Scribe smiled at her, “Celestia however, has shown to be overly attached, time and again she has shown to mourn the loss of lives, even with the limited war on the world.”

“If I don’t, I would seem to be uncaring to the ponies,” Celestia protested.

“Both of you have shown to care for your subjects, but Luna has shown to be quite in control with her emotions until the events leading to Nightmare Moon. You both knew you were immortal, you understood you would see ponies die, and yet the thought of ponies you cared for leaving you left you wreck. Luna loved once, she was very happy and even had a family, yet she did not want the pain of losing another lover. She walked away with greater knowledge and her heart intact.” Scribe gave Celestia a critical look. “But, you went on, seemingly making attachment after attachment, weeping uncontrollably in private before you seemingly woke up and put the pain behind you. I was concerned, but you have not once showed signs of breaking down, so I thought it be a simple quirk. However, the events with the human have me worried.”

“Crying, blubbering away and eating all the ice cream stores all over Equus, blasting palace walls, blowing up mountains and setting things on fire?” Discord asked as he floated over Luna. “Hmm… Sounds more like you were pregnant. Ooo! Am I an uncle?”

“No, Discord, she is not pregnant. But for the issues you stated, yes on those accounts. As far as I know, you should not feel anything other than the appropriate responses, yet you devolved further than anticipated, seemingly losing your mind at the drop of memories,” Scribe answered, “And now that you are here before me, it is all too apparent.”

Scribe gave her a frown as she looked directly into Celestia’s eyes. “Your very being is falling apart, your soul is breaking due to the traumatic memories, indicating that it has not fully formed.”

“You mean Celestia’s soul is fragmented?!”

“Yes. If she were to go into battle, to introduce more stress, of leading and fighting, of the horrors of the war to come, she would fall apart, and I don’t mean breaking down in a mental fit.” Scribe warned, “She will die, and it will be catastrophic.”

“How bad?” Celestia whispered.

“All the magic you hold within yourself will explode out in one massive blast due your mind breaking into pieces, and your soul will shred itself apart. Nothing will be in place to hold it back.” Scribe shook her head. “It would be equivalent to the most powerful human explosive going off.”

“How bad can that be?” Discord asked, and Scribe raised an eyebrow before the image shifted to a view of Earth. A bright light exploded out, the very clouds and ocean parted from the blast, leaving a very large crater and the death of thousands, if not millions. “Oh... She'd be so traumatized... That she'd turn into a supernova." Discord backed away slowly. "....huh."

"Is there anything I can do to heal my soul?" Celestia asked. "Anything? I have to do something!"

"Rest," Scribe said. "Relax. Do something that puts a smile on your face, like... Enjoy what human art might have come to Equestria. Maybe, in six months, you will be healthier, but it's extraordinarily unlikely. The chances of you being healthy enough for battle are…” Scribe paused for a moment, mind racing through the calculations. “To put it lightly... Astronomical."

“But we don’t have that kind of time!” Luna cried out. “The Tyrant is building up her forces as we speak, the humans are teetering on the edge of life and death, and from what the PHL spies have told us, the Tyrant is also planning to modify the potion to turn those… abominations into an army of soldiers, willing to kill! They were enough of a nightmare to fight already! And she has at least two billion of those mindless slave corpses at her disposal!”

“Your fear is unwarranted.” Scribe gently pointed to a chamber nearby. “This chamber should hasten the process. However, it should have been used from the beginning. You may need to be here for sometime to start the initial healing.”

“I see.” Celestia looked at the chamber before giving a small sigh. “I have to fight. I can not let the ponies, nay, the entirety of two worlds fighting against this monster while I sit back due to my condition. If it comes down to it, I will try to take the monster with me.”

"That would be madness!" Luna yelled.

Discord’s eyes widened with shock, “Okay, Celestia, I know the Tyrant needs to be stopped before she can cause any more harm, but killing yourself to stop her would not exactly be the best course of action for anyone.”

"Think of your subjects. The Elements, your faithful student Twilight especially. The sun! All that hangs in the balance!" Luna added. "It would simply be senseless!"

"On top of that, she's stronger than she has any right to be, thanks to our little ‘friend’ here!" Discord added, conjuring an image of Tirek’s Bag as a reminder. "I'm not convinced she's gonna die easily either. It took more missiles than I can count, two bullets meant to punch through armor that were modified with magic crystals, three beatings from me, a rune-enhanced earth pony and Lulu turning into Nightmare Moon, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and a gigantic enchanted sword just to get rid of a clone of her!” His eyebrows shot up, the look on his face of dread and exasperation. "Oh Mother, it would take a lot to kill her!"

“And if we lose because I am not there, I will have to contend with the Tyrant alone, with an army made of children, the crippled, and the elderly,” Celestia shrugged. “Either way, I will be facing her. I rather try my chances against her with my friends and family at my side than alone and weeping due to losing you both and the people of this world.”

“The choice is yours Celestia.” Scribe lowered her head. “I can only point you in the direction needed. That is all I could ever really do.”

Celestia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening. “I will take the time to heal myself…”

Luna and Discord gave a sigh of relief at these words.

“But I will join the battle.”

“But-” Luna started, only for Celestia to give her a sad look.

“I trust you both to take care of my little ponies in my absence if something were to happen to me in our battle. I will be careful, though. You can say all that you want about caring too much, but my alternate cares too little for anything. It is simply all about her. I will not be like that. I will do what is right for both worlds. I may have harmed myself by getting to this point, and I am scared of what I could do to myself, but I refuse to sit back and watch while millions, if not billions are killed or worse. I simply can't do that. Nobody should."

Scribe nodded her head, looking to the chamber. “Then we must start the process.”

“In a moment.” Celestia held up her hoof. “There is another issue we must resolve.”

Scribe looked to her in confusion, before a look of understanding. “I see. The runes.”

Celestia nodded her head, Scribe closed her eyes, dozens of runes began to float around her, all of them very familiar to Celestia and Luna.

“Yes. I have seen these runes before. I have them hidden within my data banks,” Scribe answered as she looked to the trio.

“Why?” Discord scratched his chin.

“In case Tirek ever returned, made a bid for power and the power of Harmony wasn’t enough.” Scribe moved the runes, revealing a human and pony figure. “The power of the runic enhancements, the most advanced set ever created by Miss Faust. Made to be imprinted on a living body, to enhance their abilities, offensive and defensive capabilities, evolve them to face him in his prime and on equal grounds.”

“You mean, like ascending them?” Luna asked, “Like what happened to Cadance?”

“Yes. In time, they would ascend to a higher form, though it would take some years. However, given what happened in the north, I can tell you that this was not supposed to happen for some time.” An image of Marcus appeared, his body twitching as the runes glowed softly on his body. Towards the edge of the image, a stocky man stared at him in interest, eating a donut and taking down notes, infrequently drawing revolvers in the margins. "Sombra messed with the process. That foolish stallion... So convinced he knew it all."

“I see... And the runes on his cheek?” Celestia’s horn glowed, revealing the strange rune to Scribe. “It is shown to be imprinted everywhere on his body, yet none of the other runes are linked to it in any way. What does it do?”

Scribe stood silent for a long minute, her eyes focused over their heads as she read something only she could see.

Discord leaned in close, his eyes narrowed as he raised his paw and slapped the side of the crystal console.

“Discord?!”

“What! I thought she froze up or something. Usually a good whack gets things running again.” Discord defended himself, turning to see Scribe giving him an annoyed look. “See! It worked.”

Scribe rolled her eyes, before giving the three her answer. “I have no answer to give you.”

“What do you mean?” Celestia stood flabbergasted, unable to believe that Scribe didn’t know the answer to a question.

“The rune is in my memory core, but its functions are unknown. I can only recall Miss Faust stating they were very important. Doubtless if I knew, Tirek or whatever being they would be used against would create a countermeasure."

"So no clue?" Discord asked.

Scribe looked at them, clearly thinking of a response before she vanished. Discord swallowed as the image of the room they were standing in appeared. Only it was replaced with Faust, their creator, standing in their place instead of the trio.

"Scribe, I am uploading these rune schematics onto your drive." Faust said to her, eyes tired with black rings around them..

"Yes Miss Faust." Scribe replied, "If I may ask a question?"

"You just did." Faust gave her a rueful grin, sparkling mirth dancing in her eyes.

Scribe tilted her head before responding. "May I ask two more?"

"You may." Faust gave off a melodious laugh as she went back to work.

"What is the purpose of this particular rune?" Scribe pulled up the familiar rune. "I see no description for its function or purpose, yet it appears to be important."

Faust looked up to her, small smile on her face. "Just a backup, in case the runes themselves are not enough."

Scribe tilted her head once more, attempting to discern the strange statement, only for a voice to catch her attention.

"Mommy..." a very small voice called out, a small form floating haphazardly into the room.

"Discord, what's wrong? Another bad dream?" Faust gently pulled the small draconequus into her embrace, gently kissing his head.

"Yes..." he replied as he rubbed his eyes. "It was the big red monster again."

"Oh baby, it’s okay." Faust gently squeezed him against her. "Let’s get you to bed. Maybe Merriweather can make us a good midnight snack? Does that sound good?"

"Yes."

"Good. Scribe, just know that it is important. Understand?"

"Yes Miss Faust."

"Bye Scribble."

"Goodnight Discord."

Discord blushed as Luna and Celestia giggled at his younger form.

"You looked so adorable Discord," Celestia cooed at him, "Why can't you look like that all the time?"

"Yes. Perhaps it would be best if you did." Luna smirked at him, "Dozens of mares would gladly take care of you."

Discord only snorted and looked away, crossing his arms while his cheeks burned red.

"I'm sorry I can not give you a more clear cut answer, but I am just as lost as you.” Scribe turned to the chamber. “We can not wait any longer. The healing process must be done, Celestia. It will take several weeks to repair some of the more severe damage you have on your soul.”

“Of course.” Celestia nodded her head as she stepped into the chamber. She turned to look at Discord and Luna. “If anypony asks, tell them I am searching for a means to win the war.”

“And the humans?”

“Tell them the truth.” Celestia laid down, her eyes closed as the chamber began to close shut. “Luna, lead the ponies in my absence. Discord, you must help with the training, find any means to prepare our world for war and ensure the survival of humanity.”

“Of course, sister.”

“Later, Sunbutt,” Discord waved. That caused Celestia to give a light chuckle as the chamber closed shut. "So... How do we do this 'prepare a world for all out war' thing?"

Luna stared at him. "You don't know?"

"I've... Never been too good at teamwork," Discord said sheepishly. "Haven't had many opportunities to use any, really..."

Luna raised an eyebrow as Discord paced the room, literally walking up the wall as he did so. “I mean, I've seen war, even involuntarily took part of it in some of the worlds I visited. I'm good enough in a fight. But leading? Nah, not my thing. Chaos doesn't exactly lend itself to things like tactics, forward planning, leading..."

“Why ask questions to answers you do not have?” Scribe started as she vanished, replaced with two humans, “When there are others capable of giving you the right ones.”

Luna and Discord blinked as they looked up to Marcus and Stephan, before they both facepalmed (or, Luna's case, facehoofed) in unison.

"We all have things left to learn, don't we?" Luna asked. "Alright. I have centuries worth of experience at leading. It's just a matter of what tactics to use." She seemed to mostly be thinking out loud, talking to herself. "If there's anything that Queen Celestia proved, the future of warfare lies not in cavalry. That's..."

“Ancient. At least to humans.” Discord smirked a bit. “But don’t count out old fashioned tactics, Luna. You’ll be awfully surprised at what humans are willing to use, anything at their disposal will do if it works. I think I remember more people than our mutual acquaintance using swords in the war, anyways. Come on, we have to go back, I want to see Sparkle huffing and puffing her way around the castle.”

Four days later

Lyra’s Journal, 6 AH:

Entry no.1

I’ve never been the sort of mare that keeps a journal, but this is so exciting! I can’t believe it! Humans! I’ve dreamed of seeing them ever since my grandfather told me the legends of Dream Valley. And then I found the lost KV-62 party’s ship! Ever since… I just… several words are crossed out here. It’s so amazing nopony even knows! This is literally a dream come true! Since I am now Canterlot’s premiere anthropologist, and logically the one that knows the most about humans, the one that proved a science wasn’t just quackery (though some ponies still insist I faked it. Or that I’m blatantly wrong. Like that idiot Catseye… that mare is a disgrace to all academia.) and has her name on several plaques in the Canterlot Royal Museum (eat it, Catseye! You’ll be lucky to ever get one!) for studying humans.

And now, here we are. I’m happy that we can finally meet humans! There’s so much we can learn from them! Imagine it. A species that survived for thousands of years without the intervention of any being with power similar to an alicorn, and they have no magic! Can you imagine the things they’ve made?! This is just so wonderful! I volunteered to be an ambassador, and… Celestia said yes! There was nopony more qualified than me, she thought.

Lyra’s Journal

Entry 20

I don’t like the newfoals.

I discovered this on a walk with Bon-Bon. She jokes that I have a human fetish, but I don’t think I do. Rather, I appreciate them, their culture, their accomplishments. Unlike a disturbing amount of ponies.

I looked into that newfoal’s eyes, and I saw...

Merciful Celestia, I have no idea what I saw. I don't know if there was anything to see. I know only that I do not like it.  He seemed happy, but... There was nothing in his eyes to suggest he was happy. As if it was forced.  But there was no evidence anything HAD been forced. He didn't look like he COULD force himself to do anything.

I don't know what the hell Reitman's going on about, especially considering she hasn't taken it.

I know I'm rambling,  but something isn't right. Damned if I know what.

Lyra’s Journal

Entry 40

Can't sleep.

Don't want to sleep.

Had a nightmare.

I was flying above Equestria, walking on a cloud at night. I saw an alicorn, tall and magnificent, her mane resplendent. It could have been Celestia or Luna, I don't know.

We were talking together, in the same room as the Elements, full of other ponies. I slapped her on the back, as she had made a very funny joke.

Clumps of fur came off as I did that, and my hoof was stained. I turned around. Was a great bloody hole where my hoof had been. I tried to scream, to point to it, but nopony noticed.

More and more fur dropped out, her eyes rotted and yellowed in their sockets, and I kept trying to point it out.

No matter how decayed she became, to the point that she was little more than paper-thin flesh and patchy fur covering bones, only I noticed. I screamed till my throat ran dry, as she went about her daily business, conversing with the elements. Little more than a zombie. Nopony could understand what happened.

Then all eyes turned to me.

"There is nothing wrong with Equestria," Rarity said. "Only with you."

A smile spread over her. It was as if another pony, identical in every way, had been overlaid above her. Above all the elements as they marched at me, smiles on their faces.

Was back in Equestria for the night, and afraid to go back to sleep after that, so I decided to research some things. Up all night researching Elements of Harmony, magic, and anything that I could find. Questioned everything I knew.

The Elements should not have failed. If the Elements work perfectly together... The Elements should work as predicted. So much is unknown about them, and they're little more than a magical artifact, but there’s something deeply wrong here.

And yet....

So many ponies have been distant lately.  The Elements, my friends and neighbors most of all. They don't seem to smile as much or laugh as much, and are suspicious whenever I mention humans. Every pony is on edge somehow. I don't know why. Twilight should be going a week without sleep, a huge smile on her face as she researches human technology. She should be writing a book fort around herself! She hasn't - she seems to hate it! What could have prompted that, I wonder....?

On that note. The Elements. Why didn't we involve the humans in the war with the Crystal Empire? They would have been happy to help. We are so... On edge against humans.

The newfoals. The barrier around the portal. The abrupt change in demeanor.

What am I missing? I'm on the edge of some mystery and I feel that I'm about to fall in and it will swallow me whole.

Lyra's Journal

Entry 54

Today did not just happen. I kept begging for it to be a nightmare that even Princess Luna couldn't save me from. I went to bed so I could wake up and say 'what a horrible nightmare!'

I don't know whether to scream in rage or horror or burst into tears.

The day I wanted to make an inspection of the bureaus and examine the potion like so many reputable groups couldn't, I saw hell. I knew something could have gone wrong, I knew there was a problem with the potion, I knew...

I didn't know anything about this. When Celestia herself became a despot of unimaginable evil.

I have to do this.

I can't live in a land where we consider newfoals to be a necessity. Where children are potioned in their beds and their murderers are hailed as saviors. Where Equestria turns its back on harmony and decides it can wipe a species out of existence for the sin of not being like us.

I'll be called a terrorist, a betrayer, treasonous, or worse. Bon-Bon could leave me. I might lose all my friends and family.

But it has to be this way. The humans have a quote about standing up for others. It ends "then they came for me, and there was no-one left to speak up for me."

I'm not a hero. I'm not some chosen one. But you don't need to be either to stand up for someone.

I will do what’s right, no matter what, I must go through with it.

Lyra's journal

Entry 77:

A German psychologist named Erika Kraber has just finished doing a study on newfoals. My worst fears are...

They're...

"Confirmed" seems like too inadequate a word. I don't know if I've ever seen someone so heartbroken. I've never seen anyone cry like her. In her final vlog, she cried as I have never seen anyone cry before.

She'd described it as "a state of intense brainwashing, inflicted within what appears to be seconds." The memories of the people they'd once been appeared to be intact, but they were incapable of thinking them without barely repressed disgust. Any human items instinctively enraged them, suggestions of Equestria calmed them. Like a drug addict getting their fix, in fact.

They were not the same people they'd been. They'll never be again. Worse, it was obvious that this was intentional. Erika then burst into tears, weeping for her ponified grandchildren, the ones that her son had loved with all his heart. For all the ponified children of the world, whose minds had been broken before they could live. For the madness her son had been driven into. For everyone that had been ponified, nay, KILLED thanks to that bitch Reitman.

I was horrified, of course. Our queen planned on doing this to billions, all while preaching about humanity's flaws? That was hundreds, thousands, millions of times worse than what humanity had ever done in its history.

I... I couldn't show it to Bon-Bon. She's been through enough what with the car bomb, being on the run, the assassination attempts, dealing with an unfamiliar world and being disowned by her parents for betraying Equestria... I don't want to give her psyche any further knocks.

Lyra's journal

Entry 78

I have to make it. I need something to defend myself and everyone around me.

My magic is not that powerful, not like that looney Sparkle, but I can do things she can't. Where she's a massive weapon that anyone would struggle to swing, I'm more like a rapier.

I remember watching her jaw drop when I levitated almost a hundred different balls of various size and weight spun them around me. Not in one motion either, clockwise, counterclockwise, near the roof and around my hooves. I always had excellent control, it helps with playing string instruments, especially with playing my namesake.

I had an idea... a dream of sorts, if I am truthful about where I got it.

Somepony was talking to me. I couldn't see her, but I could hear her very clearly. She was showing me things, how to make something to defend myself after my meeting with the stallion who called himself Aegis literally blew up in my face. Not sure how I got away scot free.

She was so...

Proud of me.

She felt safe. Like my mom was there to comfort me, but at the same time, it felt like dad was there to keep me safe from all the bad things.

She told me she will watch over us.

She will help any way she can.

This was only the first step.

Lyra's journal

Entry 89:

I've been disowned from Canterlot University, my findings have been destroyed, and... They appointed CATSEYE AS DIRECTOR OF HUMAN STUDIES?!

I can't believe this. I just can't. They're destroying our shared history and erasing humanity one inch at a time! This is..  I don't have words for now disgusted I am.

Lyra's journal

Entry 108

Bon-Bon had another night terror last night. I hope she's getting better, but I know she isn't taking the war well. This morning, she refused to get out of bed. She wasn't sick, just... She didn't have the will or energy to get out.

I learned that I was getting a bodyguard after the car bomb. He just arrived today.

I was so saddened by what happened to him. He lost almost everyone, both in his company and the civilians under his care. He looked so haunted that I just wanted to hug him and tell him to stand strong, but he stands on his own, he protected me with every fiber of his being. I think he is putting everything he has into protecting me to make up for his failure.

His name is Marcus Renee. And he is one of the strongest men I have ever met.

What happened to him was wrong.

I will do everything I can so he can get back into the fight.

Lyra's journal

Entry 120

I had another dream, no, more like a nightmare. Given what I’m living through, that’s to be expected. Leading a band of ponies against their former homeland, seeing dozens, if not hundreds of new foals throwing themselves to death, and watching your former leader and friends become monsters... There's death in all directions, from the HLF and PER, and Bonnie keeps telling me it won't work. That we're destined to fail.

I have to do it though. I've come too far to give up so easily.

I'm surprised I haven’t lost my mind yet. Maybe this is a sign?

Anyway, I saw this... Alicorn. Not Celestia, Luna, or Cadance. She was beautiful, more radiant than Celestia ever could pull off. She pleaded with me to go to Equestria, begged me to go into the Everfree and make my way to the Everfree Mountain range.

She wanted me to meet someone. To help in this war of survival.

I need to get to Equestria.

Marcus closed the book, shaking his head as he put it back into the foot locker. When Cheerilee sent over his stuff, she had sent over everything.

Including Lyra’s personal belongings.

He held onto them for Bon-Bon’s sake, but really it was just a chance to try and salvage his own psyche from losing one of his closest friends. The day she died was one of the worst days of his life, right up there with his father’s, mother’s and brother’s respective deaths. And going over her journal confirmed she didn’t even realize she was directly responsible for the war, the Empire’s ponification crusade, and the Tyrant’s corruption. He couldn’t blame her for any of that though; no one could’ve ever imagined this would ever happen. It was a complete and utter accident, and ever since discovering she had been the one who had unwittingly instigated all this doom and gloom, he wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or not that she even knew about the Bag of Tirek in the first place.

Marcus knew if Lyra ever found out what she had unwittingly done, she would have lost her mind due to overwhelming guilt and horror.

He looked down to her vest, the black protective vest with the PHL logo on its shoulder, laid on the table before him. Filled with stitches from previous fire fights with the HLF or assassins, off color markings due to spell fire, and dozens of other nicks and cuts from who knows where. She wore it with pride when it first came out, even when better combat armor came out, she always wore it. His eyes trailed to the large and heavy saddle bag, Lyra’s cutie mark stitched onto it.

Lyra’s own personal, and frankly terrifying, weapon of choice. The Assault Arms, which had inspired (and, in a roundabout way, been inspired by) countless human prosthetics, which were worn by many of his PHL soldiers. Marcus wasn’t sure where Lyra got the idea for the disturbing weapon, but it definitely had chops for crowd control… or crowd maiming, as demonstrated the last time she pulled it out.

It didn’t help that the last version he saw was called Assault Arms v7.0, and this bag had v10.0 stitched onto it. The fact that Lyra updated her weapon three more times before she died, it scared him that she did it so quickly at that. Some sort of drive that even he failed to see pushed her to make the already dangerous weapon even deadlier. The half-finished manual included references to a drill, onboard guns in addition to the ones it was meant to carry, and hidden blades.

Then again, Lyra might have only been copying human ingenuity to get a better weapon out onto the field. To show that ponies could also make weapons of war and use them to the fullest extent, without resorting to all powerful magic or overwhelming numbers.

“HURRY UP SPARKLE! I WANT TO SEE YOU HUSTLE!” Marcus raised an eyebrow as he got up from his seat and looked out the window. He watched Rainbow, Applejack, and surprisingly, Rarity of all ponies, running down below. They were followed by Pinkie, who carried on determinedly, despite the fact that she looked like she was about to keel over, and Fluttershy, who had a similar look of determination on her face as she pushed herself to keep running. Trailing far behind them was Twilight herself with Lyra beside her, and in the distance was Stephan, scowling as he ran after them. “HEARTSTRINGS! YOU BETTER START RUNNING OR I WILL PERSONALLY SHAVE YOUR MANE OFF! SPARKLE, IF I CATCH UP TO YOU, I WILL HAVE YOU CLEANING THE BARRACKS TOILETS FOR A WEEK WITH YOUR MOUTH! I HAVE TWO LEGS AND I AM BARELY WINDED!”

Marcus smirked as the two bolted, quickly gaining on Fluttershy and Pinkie as they rounded the corner. He turned to Stephan, who looked up at him and gave him a single wave before he followed the seven mares. Marcus shook his head before tilting his head to the side several times, the popping sensation ringing out in his neck causing him to give a sigh of relief.

“Let’s check in on Shining Armor then...” Marcus muttered to himself as he reached the door. He frowned as he looked to the door handle with some hesitation. He gently grabbed the handle and pushed.

*WHAM!*

Marcus looked down at his hand, seeing the handle in his grasp, the door hanging on one of its hinges. Marcus sighed as he dropped the handle and rubbed his head. “Well… At least the door is still connected to the doorway this time… Somewhat.”

Fortunately, items like books and other flimsy things like clothes and paper were easier to handle. Doctor Grim stated that his body was still adjusting. However, since he was used to handling lighter items all the time, he didn’t need much strength to handle them. Things like handling weapons or just opening a door, though, was much harder. His mind usually had to tell the body the amount of strength need to use such items, how much strength needed to grip a weapon, how much to push open a heavy door, stuff that required the body to use its strength to get the job done.

With the runes, it was as easy as just mentally flipping a switch, or twisting a knob, and he was golden. Now however, the knob had been cranked up till it broke off, leaving him constantly in the on position. While his body had the strength to handle light items down, anything beyond a gentle grip was completely out of his control. Marcus had to relearn just how to put on his own clothes, even. Thankfully Discord was there to help him out once he figured out how to put on his pants without ripping them to shreds, simply snapping his claws and fixing them without a fuss. Doctor Grim stated it was as if his body’s strength nearly quadrupled once it reached a certain point, and so Marcus found himself practicing his muscle control for the past week.

Marcus walked down the hall, stepping aside whenever a pony or his soldiers walked by, always stopping at an intersection as to not run over someone and put them in the hospital wing. He gave a sigh of relief when he finally made it to Captain Shining Armor’s office, wincing as he tried to knock gently and saw a dent in the wooden door.

“Come in Colonel,” Shining called out, only for Marcus to give a small huff and crossed his arms. “Oh, right. Sorry.”

Marcus watched as the door swung open and saw Shining talking with various ponies before him. Marcus frowned but remained silent, deciding to sit back and watch.

“Gentlestallions, we are at the cusp of the greatest war we will ever partake in,” Shining Armor stated. “So great, that Princess Celestia herself has gone out to the ends of Equus to search for the means to help us. Our once greatest threat, Discord himself, has sided with us. Princess Luna has gone to every city our fair Equestria holds within her to give the same speech on why we are going to war and pleads with the ponies to join.”

Marcus listened to his words, watching as several stallions swallowed nervously as they listened. He looked down to the desk he was next to, seeing dozens of reports from the past week. He frowned as one caught his eye.

Missing Pony!

Name: Lightning Dust

Description: Light turquoise coat, two-toned brilliant amber/gold mane. Cutie mark of a lightning bolt and three stars.

Last Scene: Flying from Cloudsdale to Ponyville

Marcus looked up as Shining Armor sat himself behind his desk, his horn glowing whilst he passed out several scrolls. “Stallions, it’s up to us to prepare. We have to relearn how to make war, and I will not lie. We will lose ponies in this war, myself included. Do your duties, go home to your families and cherish them. Because if we lose, we lose everything. We are the only line of defense. Understand?”

“Yes sir!”

“Good. Starting tomorrow we will go through Tartarus and it will get harder from there on. Dismissed.”

Marcus crossed his arms, watching as the Guards left, all of them looking at him. Some of them stared at him with hatred almost certainly born of rage. Others with a scared or nervous gleam in their eyes. Marcus looked away, his heart feeling heavy with the decisions he made, but in the war of survival, everything was taken into account.

Even killing your planet to stop a mad alicorn was on the table.

“How goes the troops?” Marcus asked as the door closed.

“They’re scared,” Shining sighed as he looked outside, seeing his sister doing pushups with the others, the human staring at them as they did so. He remembered yelling at his sister to stop, to stay at home and stay out of the war. He didn’t win himself any points from her when he dragged their parents into it. They were horrified when they learned she was going on the frontlines, so fearful of losing Twilight to war they begged for her to come home and stay with them. But she refused, tears in her eyes as she described the hardships the humans had gone through, how their eyes were haunted with their decisions, how they had no one to turn to and they'd surely be doomed within the year. If not her and her friends, then who could show them the power of friendship can even turn the tides of war? “To tell you the truth, so am I.”

“Afraid that I will think less of you?” Marcus noted the reluctance of his answer, a tired look on Shining’s face explaining it all. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t. I’ve sent men, boys really, to the front line. Even before our war with the Tyrant. I sent men not old enough to drink, but old enough to kill what I once thought our greatest enemy. Ourselves.”

Shining looked away. "That's... Quite the responsibility." He then looked off to the horizon, a bitter laugh escaping him. “I never could’ve imagined anything like this. I thought I'd just be fighting monsters of the mountains, scaring some uppity lord like that Prince Blueblood who didn't feel like paying taxes, maybe apprehending some cults... Not, I don't know, saving two universes." He sighed. "Some of the stallions hate you."

"I've noticed," Marcus sighed. "Mind if I ask why?"

"I'll make sure they don't get far, but they... They hate you for dragging them into this," Shining explained. "It's easy to write off the few that hate you as some spoiled rich colts that wanted to get their service over with and didn't expect to deal with Armageddon, but it's not just them. Can't quite blame them, though."

"Because they're afraid," Marcus said.

Shining nodded his head to his response. He levitated a bottle over to him, and then two glasses. "Whiskey," he explained. "I figured you wouldn't like it if I levitated wine. I trust you, but..."

"You don't want to make things worse," Marcus said. "I understand." He gently took a drink. "Some part of me keeps thinking this is a trap. But if it is, it's the most needlessly complex sadistic trap it could ever be." He took a swing, closing his eyes as he savored the taste.

"Needlessly complex sadism doesn't sound out of the question for Queen Celestia," Shining pointed out.

Marcus looked down at his glass, then to his bottle. "It sure doesn't."

“And then I find out I’m one of the bad guys in the other Equestria… the other Cadance must have been devastated.”

"You don't want to know," Marcus looked away, his eyes closed.

"Why Shiny?! Don't you see what you are doing is wrong?!"

"Capture my former wife, I will drag her back myself to the Queen."

"Cadance get back!"

"Please come back to me! PLEASE!"

"You really don't want to know," Marcus whispered as he knocked back his drink, enjoying the bitter taste.

Shining grimaced, seeing the faraway look on Marcus' face. Something he was beginning to see as normal for the human.

It wasn’t just him. It was everyone that came with him. Both humans and ponies. Shining didn't know what to think was worse.

The faraway look they got time from time, as if they were remembering a time that was not carefree, but, at the very least, happier than this, or simply remembering what things they'd done as they were forced to evacuate...

Or the screaming and crying from their nightmares. The first night showed him just how bad they had it.

Shining ran into the barracks, thinking somepony got curious and startled them. He instead found a grown stallion wrapped up in a human woman's arms, whispering gently into his ear as he bawled his heart out, apologizing over and over again for causing them so much misery. The dozens of other ponies and humans could only give him a sad look, several of them even getting closer to hug him, to comfort him.

Though some things changed, and it wasn't always the same stallion and woman, something like this happened, at the very least, three times in the last week alone.

Once it was Acevedo, the tall, lanky company man, hugging a brown colt barely into his teenage years, sobbing about "the Mercy Ships," the depths they'd both sunk to, how hellish their land was, and how Acevedo had given damn near everything from his huge salary and it still wasn't enough.

A mare's faith in Equestria was so broken she wasn't sure this Equestria wouldn't ponify them too. An Israeli woman would read passages from some human holy book, begging god for some answer as another mare held her.

Mares and stallions afraid to look for the relatives they'd lost in the war, because of what the Empire had turned them into. Another woman with a headscarf, who cried for the loss of something called "Mecca" as a mare hugged her. There would frequently be humans that woke with a haunted look, tears in their eyes.

It was worse with ponies, their eyes more expressive than their human partners. The stories they'd told about escaping Equestria, the horrors they'd faced from the HLF and ponies alike, stories of betrayal, of uprooting themselves and losing everything, of those abominations called newfoals, all could chill the fur from his bones. He, and most of his personnel had seen glimpses of them in that exhibition of human artwork and creativity.

They hadn't been able to stomach very much of it.

It was then that Shining realized just how bad off they truly were. They suffered so much for so little gain, knowing that no matter how many thousands they killed, their doom was inevitable and there was little they could do to stop the barrier from devouring yet another city. Their nightmares would never stop as long as the war continued.

They were the wild card. Something the Tyrant Sun didn't, and couldn't, prepare for.

She couldn't prepare for an entire world to rise up against her before she even had a chance to set her teeth into it.

Shining eyes narrowed as he thought what would happen to him if he failed. What would happen to Cadance. What would happen to his family. His world.

He would not, could not, let that happen.

He looked at the whisky bottle before he raised the bottle once more for a toast.

"To our future. Let us pour our strength to face our monsters and have one." Shining refilled his glass. Marcus looked to the glass, then held up his own.

"To our fallen. Let us not forget those we lost on our way to victory." Marcus held out his glass, Shining gently tapping his own glass against it before both males downed their drinks.

Marcus looked outside, the bright blue sky reminding him of better times.

"Hey Marcus, do you think dad will be proud of me?"

"I know he would, Jacob. Not everyday you get chosen to be a Secret Service agent."

"Boys! Come back to the party. Danny and Molly brought some gifts for you Jacob!"

"Alright Mom! Come on. You know how much they love giving presents before a big trip.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, a soft whisper under his breath as he fell back into those happier times. "To our fallen."

Training Days: First Days Part 2

Early Next Morning

“Are you sure?” Discord said as he waved his arms to get the chaos flowing; a good night’s rest and he was back to normal.

“Yes.” Stephan said as he crossed his arms, looking over the city from the top floor of the World Trade Center. The one hundred and four floors of the office building now held the entirety of the PHL/UN/EU forces and they were making use of every inch of it. Several floors that had apparently housed a firm of architects had been set aside for Crowe’s scientists and engineers, allowing them to draw up blueprints in peace, away from rowdy soldiers who asked far too many questions or got too touchy with the various gadgets or BFGs they had on display.

And that was just the beginning. Up on the roof, snipers and marksmen were practicing their aim with a set of shooting butts...that had been set several miles away on the George Washington bridge.  They drilled in utter silence, their weapons muted by powerful runic enchantments cast on the barrels. No-one would be able to blame them for a restless night’s sleep.

It was the same throughout the tower, and into the PHL bunkers Discord had kindly duplicated below. The boys were back in town, as the music blaring through the radio system (now under the sway of one Vinyl Scratch) could attest, and making themselves very busy.

“Well, putting up an illusion should be simple.” Discord said quietly, looking over the city. “Although for a wake up call, what you’re asking for seems to be a bit much. Still, Luna and I worked quite hard on it.”

“So far, only the various leaders have gotten even a taste of what’s coming. It’s time for the others to have their eyes opened,” Stephan whispered. “Do it.”

Discord began to work his magic, the sky broiling angrily as the chaos master set to work. Stephan felt his muscles clench. As promised, he had spent several fun-filled hours with Trixie in the Plaza hotel: that had been a dream come true.

Now he was watching night terrors coming back to life.

His key staff stepped up to the window beside them, fear filling their hearts as Discord crafted the most terrifying illusion of his career.

Pure Nightmare Fuel.

“I hope this is worth it, sir,” one of his trainers whispered out loud; he was Ze’ev, a heavyset Israeli.

“Me too,” Stephan muttered."Still. They need to understand, or we're all done for."

New York Hilton Midtown

The griffon male woke up with a start, weapon half-drawn at the sounds of unfamiliar whispering voices all around him. His flock had taken up several hotels on the ‘54th Street’ of the massive city. Some of the rooms did not appear to have finished ’cooking?’, as Discord had forewarned. Furnishings were conspicuously absent, and some of the beds were just mattresses, but what rooms had been finished were luxurious beyond belief.

Something about the voices didn't seem right as he drew his sword and stepped out, only to see the shadowy silhouette of what could only be a small human child playing with something on the ‘tv’. When the light hit a patch of air just right, he could clearly see the child, a bright smile on his face.

“Mommy! I thought we were going to Museman today!” echoed the chilling vision’s voice.

The griffon froze up as something walked through him, like a ghost. He shivered, his feathers ruffling and fur standing on end, as the apparition of the child’s mother walked over to the boy.

“We have to wait for your father,” she told him, ruffling his hair.

“Okay!”

The griffon raced for the door, yanking it open and fleeing into the hall, along with dozens of other equally stunned griffons.

Clearly, the visions were not confined to him alone.

“What is going on?!”

“I don’t know! Spirits of the humans haunting us for intruding on their homes?”

“Don’t be daft, these buildings are brand new. No, there is something else at work here!”

They rushed to the window, staring down. Before their eyes, the city had come to eerie life. Street lamps flickered, and beneath their beams of light, it looked bright as day. But the sky above was black as sin.

Human vehicles drove to and fro under the streetlights. People in a wide variety of clothes milled around, talking amongst each other, or fiddling with odd devices that fit into the palms of their hands. Reading books. Yelling into the street. On one occasion, riding what looked like an almost grotesquely oversized pony.

But between the lights, they became shadowy, hazy indistinct figures, only visible when seen from the corner of the eye. They seemed unable to perceive that the griffons were watching them

“And I’ve got the feeling that it is going to be bad.”

The whispering voices were growing louder...

6th Avenue Express Subway Tunnel

The Diamond Dogs, predictably, had taken the subway as their temporary home. They didn’t understand why their leaders and other races seemed so dismissive. How could you not like a race that made such wonderful tunnels? Admittedly, it didn’t have gems, but it had heating! Electric lights in abundance! Tracks thoughtfully laid in advance! Such a wonderful place it was...

One dog named Mack had been happy with it, pouring over the machinery and appraising the standards of construction. Discord had regrettably missed a couple of spots though - an entire section of tunnel had been flooded due to several conspicuously missing lengths of pipe, and long bundles of electrical wiring were still growing their insulation coating.

Those small issues aside, this new home was a paradise.

Mack had gone to sleep in a service tunnel, curled up in wonderfully soft bedlinens ‘liberated’ from a store above-ground, a smile on his face and his tongue lolling out.

‘Maybe dogs will bring down mattresses next…’

He was lurched from those pleasant thoughts by a great clanking and roaring noise, like metal grinding against metal.  As his room began to rumble ominously the gem-hound sat up, pickaxe in hand. Not much compared to what the humans...or honestly, the rest of Equus, could field, but it was what he had to paw.

“...bound F train, via the D line…” something echoed tinnily in the distance, oddly audible over the rising roar. “...the next stop is…”

The oncoming wall of noise drew closer and closer.

‘A train, voice had said? No pony train sound like that!’

Was it… was it a predator of some kind? Some dark beast of fire and noise? No… no, likely some human machine.

Mack threw himself out from under his mass of blankets, and rushed to the door that exited onto a main tunnel. No sooner had he done so that something long, silver and translucent screamed by inches from his face, throwing squares of light against the walls of the tunnel.

Dazzled, Mack reached out with his pickaxe and saw the apparition’s apparently solid form divide, streaming across the blade like water cut by the prow of a ship.

A train, he realised! This was the ghost of a human train, or something very much like it!

And then it was gone, blazing away down the tunnel, leaving a strange metallic burning smell behind it.

Mack shivered. He had seen silhouettes in those squares of light...those windows. His fur began to rise, a natural response to a growing danger he could sense, but not describe.

Whimpering, he rushed off to find safety in numbers.

Cathedral of Saint John

Chrysalis woke up among her changelings, the entire hive sprawled comfortably around her, as was natural. In the privacy of a moment she allowed herself a fleeting maternal smile at the sight of one young pupa letting out a small whine as it kicked it hindlegs cutely.

That smile faded instantly, and her sensitive antennae twitched.

Something was wrong. The was magic here, building up around her to vast quantities.

She opened her mouth to rouse the hive, but they were woken for her by a colossal blast of music that filled the entirety of the vast temple they had occupied for the night.

‘An organ...’ she realised. ‘It’s what the pathetic little ponies call an organ.’

Her soldiers and workers jumped into defensive postures, hissing and chittering for their Queen’s attention. Shaken from her reverie she immediately saw what they were reacting to: shadowy figures were entering through the backlit doors, their heads bowed and whispering. One drone  found itself too close to comfort for one of the passing wraiths and instinctively lunged, mouth open to rip and tear...only to fall straight through onto the floor.

“Careful now…” Chrysalis cautioned her subjects, not-too gently picking up the embarrassed drone with her magic. “It’s just an illusion spell.”

“Illusion spell?" her chief advisor, Mythuselon queried. “You feel the humans were hiding something from us, or is this more of Discord’s work?”

"Why could it not be both?” Chrysalis pondered. “Knowing how found that human ‘Bauer’ is of practical lessons… I would not put it past him..."

“May God bless all who enter into his holy house on this fair and early morning!” one figure uttered from an elevated pulpit, a wispy hand raised in benediction.

“God?” a drone asked, “Which one?”

“It’s an illusion you maggot!” a soldier beside him snapped, cracking her hoof on the back of his head. “It can’t hear us. And I'm guessing it’s referring to whatever god the humans worship..."

Chrysalis watched with morbid interest. As the shadow-humans bowed their heads and began to pray, she felt a chill run up her carapace.

“Today’s lesson is taken from the Book of Revelations…”

Trump World Tower

Spykoran lifted his head as he woke, sniffing the morning air…tasting the scents of fresh concrete and wet paint. Young, and vibrant...

‘Like Megan, but then, this was a city of her homeworld…’

He looked down upon the glowing city. Many of his kin could be seen resting on dozens of buildings, which to his surprise were supporting their weight with ease. To his amusement he spotted that Wyndblade had tumbled off of her perch in the night: the stately paladin was now lodged between two smaller structures, still asleep.

‘Still so much like she was at hatching…’ he chuckled to himself, at which point something flitted past his eyes, a blinding light suspended beneath a set of spinning wings.

The sight of it prompted a flash of memory...

“What is this thing, Megan?” the young dragon asked, tilting a book held in his claws it sideways trying to make sense of an illustration.

“Oh, that? It’s a helicopter; a flying machine,” the blonde teen answered as she hefted him up on to her lap.

“This thing can fly? You’re yanking my tail!” Spike pouted.

Megan gave him a motherly smile, gently rubbing his spikes with her hand.

“Trust me Spike, we’ve got so many things that you and the ponies of Dream Valley could only ever imagine. I wish I could take you with me to Earth someday....”

“I’m here now Megan….I’m here now…” the Dragon King whispered, acidic tears of sulphur pricking at his eyes as he watched the helicopter fly on, piloted from within by shadowy figures. The ponies had created similar autogyros, but their experimental nature and sheer unwieldiness compared to natural fliers made them mostly a curiosity.

A strange sense of regret filled Spykoran’s heart, realizing that he still did not believe such a thing could fly, and yet here was the proof of concept before his eyes.

Then he felt something deep within, a tingle in his spines and plasma gullet, a deep sense of fear and anger that he had not felt for the past thousand years...

...not since the day when he had awoken to find all of Dream Valley corrupted by Tirek’s Bag.

Overhead the clouds rumbled, and Spykoran turned his face to the sky, and felt his stomach drop.

Gramercy

A pale reindeer doe clad in a silver-blue cloak stood at a window, sadly gazing out over the city. Where her delicate hoof rested against the glass, a spiderweb tapestry of frost had formed. Slowly it grew, until it formed a mirror of ice in which she could see herself.

And then she blinked, and the reflection flickered, becoming a young fawn with eyes of the warmest brown. A tribal tattoo of a blue arrow curved forward across her forehead, coming to a point just above those same eyes...

“Is something troubling you, Lady Elsa?” the reflection asked gently. She had once been an orphaned nomad named Lel, but now she was a part of her...

“Please speak, my Lady… my maiden.”

The Snow Maiden. Oh, how she hated that title.

“It is nothing, dear Lel…” ‘Elsa’ said softly. “I just needed a little time apart...a little time to...be ourselves…”

“You’re beating yourself up again, aren’t you?” Lel responded, sadness filling her eyes.

Elsa smiled. The brilliant young soul knew her too well. But how could she not… Lel was her bearer… her wearer.

“Just reflecting on what a parasite I am… my mind, my skills, my soul… all bound to this silly bit of cloth, dependant on avatars such as you to even live…”.

Discord did try everything he could to save her life, at the behest of her grandfather, but even the Chaos Bringer’s might paled against dark magic of old. And so Elsa Erklass, Princess of the Reindeer, had come unto this new form of existence. Unable to die… and dependant on others to live. Brave, wonderful does…

Anna, her sister, her first…Azalyne, orphaned chieftainess of a distant tribe…Saelita, the warrior bard who sung dreams into reality…

Eleyska, the star dancer mage...Katarae, the peacemaking artiste…

So many. So many.

All them special, of them willing temples in which to house her spirit, each one helping her grow and change and learn...all the way down to Lel, her latest and youngest bearer...

The magic bound them together, bending the donor’s form towards what Elsa had been in life. A frozen moment of youthful strength...

Frozen, but not eternal. In time each of her wearers had passed on… at which point the cloak, born on Arctic winds, sought out the next, noble soul...

Lel shook her head, eyes full of adoration, “Miss Elsa, I do not mind doing this...I was chosen for this… I would not be happy were this not my destiny. You are the grandchild of Sint Erklass; you are the eternal archmage, the ever-growing repository of our people’s knowledge. The two of you have done so much for us, that to serve AS you, to bring joy into your grandfather’s heart, is a life I choose with all my heart.

Don’t hold onto your pain Miss Elsa...let it go.’

Oh Lel. What did she do to deserve such love? To don the cloak was to share in a burden of centuries…lifetimes of struggle, destined to end in a flurry of spent snowflakes...

“But while you choose it, I do not…” she whispered, looking out beyond Lel’s eyes to the beautiful park beyond. Her ear flicked once, her eyes narrowing as she sensed something moving behind her.

‘Miss Elsa…’ Lel whispered, pointing behind her, before her fearful eyes flashed with power, shattering the mirror of ice from within.

The Snow Maiden shivered as her souls reunited, two stars dancing in orbit within her. With a tiny flicker of magic, Lel’s tribal tattoo manifested on her brow, a small reminder of the life that was...

‘We are Elsa, daughter of Sint Erklass. We are Lel, homeless child of Adlaborn. We are the Snow Maiden. We fear no darkness…’

Swallowing, she turned to see a shadow child rushing about the room, it’s hollow laughter echoing all around before.

The Maiden’s eyes flashed, and she frowned. There was no soul here, just a memory brought to life.

As if sensing her, the ghostly after-image turned and ran for the door...running right through her grandfather. His face, normally so full of radiant joy, was now a mask of restrained horror

“Grandfather!” she exclaimed in surprise. It was not right for the Starstrider to be so aghast...as alien and out of place as a full sheet of snow snuggling against a lit fireplace, “What is wrong?”

“Dear Lel, my dear Elsa… Sint whispered as he stood close to her, before raising himself to his full, imposing height. “My Maiden, Lady of the North. Gather the others… there will be no joy and feast this morning.”

“What?!”

“Only cold, hard, reality will be our friend this day.” Sint looked down to his granddaughters, spiritual and adopted, rolled together into one mind. “Be prepared, Elsa. For we will see a glimpse of Tartarus today, and it will not be kind.”

Elsa turned to the window, seeing more shadows appearing on the sidewalks, the carriages on the streets coming to a stop as their faded passengers stepped out and looked towards the sky.

Central Park

The zebras had taken up residence in Central Park, stunned by the fact that such a massive expanse of nature was given space in this city. To see such life, rolling hills and thriving woodland at harmony with cold steel and stone, was wondrous food to their souls.

Shaman Quagga quietly hummed, his rings gently resonating in tune, balanced perfectly atop his spirit stick.

Then he felt Discord’s magic spreading through the area, and opened his eyes, sensing the spell taking hold across the metropolis.

Whispers began to reach his ears, and he turned to see several of his zebras pointing out ghostly figures fading into view. Some ran or jogged, while others were performing strange stretching exercises, or simply sitting on the many benches and tossing invisible items to the ground.

“Elder Shaman, what is this?” one zebra asked as the sounds of the city filtered through the trees. Quagga said nothing as he hopped off his stick, holding it tightly in his hoof.

“I know not what they do, about as much as you,” he replied. “But powerful magic runs through this new land, Illusions these are, cast by hoof or by hand. Doubtless, a lesson of some kind they preach, and it is our lot, to learn what they teach…”

“An illusion? Of what?”

“Of whate’er it is they deem fit to impart,” Quagga whispered, suddenly fearful as the shadow-humans pause and pointed to the sky. “And it will be a lesson that stays in our hearts...”

Alongside the East River...

The buffalo had settled at the edges of the city, where Discord’s magic ended, and streets and riverside promenades gave way to open fields.

It looked downright bizarre, the city coming to such an abrupt end, but the Buffalo had lobbied to make it their own; living on the fringes of two worlds was enlightening.

There was a  sudden splash in the water, and Chief Thunderhooves abandoned his early breakfast with a raised eyebrow. Were some of the calves swimming outside?

He walked out to find the truth to be considerably more bizarre. There were shadows of boats both massive and small, making their way along the river, navigating past the islands and bridges of the city. None looked like they belonged to Equestria, as only the smallest of them rode under sail, and none possessed smokestacks as Equus knew them.

“What have the humans done?” the buffalo chieftain wondered aloud. “How can they manage to do this?”

Thunderhooves squinted at the shadows passing by, only to find that he could not see them if he looked directly at them. Only when they were in the fringes of his vision did they come into full view. Lights flickered on and off in nearby buildings, bringing the objects into glorious color for a few moments, only for the artificial light to die and the spectres to melt back into shadow.

Buffalo were stampeding away from the shoreline, either fleeing from shadowy objects, or seeking shelter. Which was hard to find likely, given that the roads they were running upon were also full of full of ghosts, half-seen humans and strange carriages alike.

“I… think we’re seeing what this city is supposed to look like...what it did look like!” Chief Thunderhooves called out.

And then something new caught his attention. Atop one of the buildings was mounted a giant, obsidian plane of glass. Now, it was flickering into life, and upon it was cast a familiar figure.

“Celestia?”

Grand Central Station.

The minotaurs were being careful, of course. The building was magnificent, and even though they were camping out on the marble floor, they were taking great care not to damage the impressive construction.

Many of them were using the platforms below as barracks and messes, though quite a substantial amount remained sat, resting in the atrium. Others were bolder, attempted to figure out how half the stuff in the vast terminus worked, to some success.

A Minotaur named Serkonos suddenly stood up, bull-like head roaming around. His fur prickled, a sign of imminent danger. Something wasn’t right with the world.

A low rumbling issued from the stones, seeming to come from everywhere at once. They were… they were vibrating. Old instincts arose, responses genetically hard-coded to trigger in the presence of a predator.

He was not alone.

Serkonos stared and - THERE! Something was in the corner of his eye, moving quickly.

He twisted to look at it directly, but it flickered away as soon as he glimpsed it. As he peered about, more and more shimmers appeared. They were bipedal, shorter than him, about the same stature as the humans…

No. They were human, he was sure of it.

The low rumble intensified. A babble in a multitude of languages, snippets of inane conversations he couldn’t understand.

With cracking, inexplicable sounds, the lights of the station flickered on and off.

Where the light touched the shadows, they suddenly became hyper-real. One second, the atrium was full of humans wearing clothes, and then in the second that followed, the minotaurs were surrounded by indistinct shadowy figures. He could barely see where they began and the darkness ended.

The city was coming to life around him.

“What house of devils has Discord made for us?” Serkonos wondered, his brethren arising beside beside him, only able to muster a kind of horrified awe at what was happened.

Then… ever so subtly, the atmosphere changed. Several black boxes on the walls, like empty picture frames, began to glow on of their own volition.

Within them appeared Celestia, addressing a gathering of humans. But something about her seemed wrong. There was a suggestion of something stretched a little too far, bent but not broken.

The shadows seemed to ignore what was happening on the screens, as if they couldn’t see it themselves.

“The Conversion Bureaus were set up precisely for that reason,” she pontificated. “To rid you of the violence and chaos that so perverts your inner equines, to set you gloriously free as prosperous, happy ponies, truly alive and aware of the magic arou-”

“What if we don't want to change!?” one of the humans on the screen yelled at her. As one, the whole group voiced its own discontent with the statement, gesturing at the not-Celestia in various ways.

“We cannot allow you to not change… In our recent war with the revived Crystal Empire, Equestria has seen the hurt and suffering that comes with allowing chaos and evil to reign free. You are just as much slaves to your inner demons and destructive technology as my dear ponies were slaves to King Sombra. I regret having to kill him, but I shall not kill a single one of you. Instead, we shall save you, one and all! You here will be the first, and the whole world will see and rejoice with you in your salvation.”

And yet, even through this ghoulish speech, Celestia was… smiling?

No, Serkonos thought. That was not a smile! It was hungry, somehow. It was too wide, too pulled back… too bestial. It reminded him uncannily of a child who was about to get a new toy. Her eyes were the purple of something sick, something diseased, perhaps a bruise.

“What madness is this…?” Warlord Darkhoof bellowed as he strode through the crowd of stunned minotaurs.

“One that holds our path in the future…” Serkonos answered, watching as the shadowy humans seemingly stopped as one, and turned to look at something at the entrance.

His fur continued to prickle, sting and burn...

“One last chance to back out of this,” Discord said as he finished setting up the spell, Luna weaving in a touch of her mastery over dreams. Stephan said nothing, only looking at the glowing city below before giving a single nod. He had planned out the scenario, and the two demi-deities had executed it to perfection

“Do it.”

*snap*

The world shifted...

And then it went mad. Saying it had gone to tartarus would be charitable, even. On the strange boxes, Serkonos could see the human reporters screaming, as Celestia and her royal guards forced something down their throats.

The Potion.

Standing before these boxes (which he now realized were like mechanical scrying mirrors), he saw the shades of countless confused humans, starring in horror at the events unfolding before their eyes.

The potion claimed its victims quickly, warping their bodies. Fur spread up their limbs, their fingers fused together. Their jaws were pulled out past their lips in grotesque parodies of smiles, more fur growing on their faces as their skulls lengthened into snouts. For a second, he could see the horror in their eyes, before the unholy magic of their new bodies took over.

Laughter… a horrid, horrible laughter boomed from the boxes as they cheered for their new forms...while holding down their former colleagues to suffer the same fate.

And then the viewing screen’s exploded, newfoals erupting out of them in a spray of flashing shards...

...and in those flashes, just for a few seconds, all of the shadows came into full color and detail. Serkonos had time to see them realise their danger, to see horror burst across their faces…

...as they were tackled to the ground…

...and ponified.

And then came the screams.

Pegasus ponies with glassy eyes dove through the atrium’s windows, shattering the glass as they attacked. Bandoliers of potion bottles were wrapped around their barrels, each vomiting a thick purple cloud that descended like death. The shadow humans in the station screamed, struggling to escape the madness that had come upon them without warning.

Several pegasi flew ahead and dropped several of the potion phials in the paths of those trying to escape. The shadows in the lead headlong ran through the expanding clouds, before collapsing halfway to the doors as the tainted magic coated their bodies.

They screamed and wailed as they changed, clutching at hands that became hooves, pressing their faces to ground to try and stop the muzzles out. As the fur sprouted they came into colour...and then, laughing insanely, they threw themselves into the first shadow they saw...pinning them down to receive their own ‘blessing’....

“Impossible,” breathed the Warlord, stumbling back as a thrashing shadow staggered through him. “All this from a simple potion? What magic it holds must be powerful...corrupt, infused with darkness. Not even the most insane being would ever use such evil!”

“Something tells me,” Serkonos interrupted, “that this ‘Solar Empire’ doesn’t care. Or rather… the magic’s put them beyond it.”

A dying pegasus newfoal, body torn and trampled in the crush, stared across the floor at one of his ‘converts’, who was curled on the ground, convulsing and coughing up blood as she was reshaped...molded like clay. The glassy-eyed pegasus smiled, watching with undisguised glee as a unicorn took the place of the human female.

“Oh THANKYOU!” she screamed, bounding to her hooves. “Oh YES! YES! YES! YES! I have to share it! I HAVE TO SHARE IT!”

The unicorn mare that had been a human woman spun, her horn ablaze, and unleashed a burst of magical heat that superheated the marble floor beneath one group of human shadows. They tripped as the soles of the shoes fused to the ground, screamed as their hands and limbs were scorched and blackened…

They screamed louder when she approached, hooves hissing on the virtrified stone floor, levitating the dead pony’s bandolier. She tossed it into their midst, and then moaned in obscene bliss, eyes closed and face flushed, basking in their howls…

“Oh! So! Gooood! Soooo gooooood. Serving you feeels so good! Oh! Oh! OH MY QUEEN!!”

One human, however, managed to get out of his shoes, and scrambled along the scorching floor in a desperate bid to escape, screeching as his clothes burst into flames, as he stripped away layers and layers of his feet, leaving steaming blood and layers of skin in his footprints… before the pain became too much and he collapsed into a twitching mass of dying, roasting flesh. Then a giggling earth pony newfoal smashed his head like a steamed potato…

“Come on, come on!” she giggled, unmindful of the screams as she teleported. “Look how happy I am! Wouldn’t you want a smile on your face like mine?”

And the glassy-eyed monsters just kept coming, with no regard for humans lives or their own. Several turned loose lethal magic; unicorns that freezed, burned and telekinetically crushed with indiscriminate force.

Mangling, melting, electrocuting and asphyxiating...they came as if they were limitless - which they might very well have been. They only cared to attack and make more of themselves, reinforcing their numbers with recent converts. No matter how many of them died, there would always be replacements...

It was pandemonium. Outside, Serkonos could see massive skyliners laying waste to New York, firing wads of potion and destructive spells into the streets. Pegasi, either alone or pulling bombardier chariots, swarmed from these skyliners. And by Daedalus, the skyliners were enormous! The largest was perhaps seven hundred feet long… The sky was clouded with them, not helped by the unicorn-reinforced pegasus cloudcraftwork that spanned between them. Chariots disengaged, and mobile blocks of cloud stopped shells of human artillery in their tracks, or at least slowed them. The very sky had become as a weapon.

“Don’t just stand there! Stop them!” one minotaur yelled.  Serkonos tried to tell his battle-brothers to hold, that it was a trick of magic, but their horror had taken them beyond reasons. He watched as that horror fueled their anger, as they charged through the running shadows, straight at the newfoals, bellowing a war cry as they descended...

...only to fall flat on their snouts, their weapons passing harmlessly through air and shadow, their battle cries strangled as they tumbled to the ground, some sliding across the floor and slamming into the sides of building.

“Hold you fools! Hold! We can’t do anything to them!” Darkhoof yelled in support of Serkonos. “We can but watch! And remember...”

And so the minatours watched as they saw the newfoals surround the few shadows that remained shadows, slowly dragging them down with their growing numbers, and adding them to their horde...

Helpless to stop it...

Even without her abilities to detect love, Chrysalis could just feel the emotion filling the temple in which she and her hive had sheltered. Some were filled with adoration, the hearts and eyes turned towards the cross displayed upon the altar. Others came seeking hope...came in fear...came in uncertainty...came in desperation.

And a few, were fixed on the beautiful stained-glass windows, watching what Chrysalis imagined to be light filtering through. She could not see it, but… still. Her imagination wandered, wishing she could clothe herself in such beauty...

And yet… there was a curious stillness in the air. A fevered, gasping sense of peril behind the smiles and frowns and frantic whispers. As if the shadowy humans were somehow deceiving themselves.

Then the doors slammed open, screaming shadows pouring in to try and escape the hell outside. Some bore weapons. There were explosions, and a series of rapid staccato noises that might have been human weaponry...

“Queen and Mother… what is going on?” one hiveling asked, as the numerous changelings began to back away.

“I don’t know, stay behind me,” Chrysalis cooed softly, placing herself in front of the hive. After the fiasco at the Canterlot Wedding, she could not waste any more of her...children.

On top of that, the human presentation had shaken her confidence, ever so slightly. Mythuselon was here to ensure she played nice to the others, but that wouldn’t just let over a thousand years of hatred to end in a snap.

The whispers grew in volume, the air thick with tension as several of the shadow-humans began to bar the doors with the wooden pews. Fear began to spread, as the sound of wings began echo all around, not the comforting hum and buzz of the hive, but heavy, featherly and disgustingly soft.

The shadow on the platform tried to rally the the rest of them to join in him prayer, to lend strength to those fighting in the name of their defense.

"I run to you, Lord, for protection. Don’t disappoint me. You do what is right, so come to my rescue. Listen to my prayer and keep me safe. Be my mighty rock, the place where I can always run for protection. Save me by your command! You are my mighty rock and my fortress. Come and save me, Lord God, from vicious and cruel and brutal enemies!”

Many of the humans continued singing, almost chanting, even as others - the ones who bore ‘firearm weapons’ took cover behind the remaining pews. Some of them un-holstered pistols, or readied short two-handed weapons not entirely unlike Griffon rifles, though they were presumably far more advanced. Those closer to the altar continued to pray, bent over, tears streaming from their eyes. They were choking, coughing between verses, stumbling over the words...

There was a large bang at the doors, and many let out shrieks. All prayer and sound was cut off, a terrible silence holding sway for an instant, before the doors exploded open, flying debris crushing and maiming several of the defenders and prayers.

“YOUR FALSE GOD LEADS YOU ASTRAY! JOIN THE LIGHT!” a newfoal screamed as he stormed into the building, screams of terror erupting as he brandished a bottle of purple liquid

“WE WILL BURY YOU!” one human with a heavy pistol yelled, aiming at that newfoal. He fired, and his aim was true. The automaton’s head exploded, his blood splattering over the splendid (but increasingly threadbare) carpets and cassocks, which were growing ill-maintained before the eyes of the changelings.

But the newfoal was the first of many. Very, very many. Pegasus puppets plowed through those radiant stained-glass windows, and no matter how many were killed it seemed like five more replaced them.

The horrific truth being, that for every newfoal killed, five had been freshly spawned to carry on its monstrous mission… Some would survive, their minds able to grow, their mangled souls able to settle. Most would not.

“YOU DARE PROFANE THIS HOUSE OF GOD?! DEMONS BEGONE FROM THIS SACRED LAND, BY THE POWER OF-ARGH!” the ghost in the lectern bellowed, only for an earth-pony newfoal to ram him from behind with enough force as to smash him through the pulpit’s paneling. Then it tossed a phial down onto him, which shattered on his face.

The man screamed, clawing against it in a futile effort.

“...our father… UGH! Who art… in… Equestria! No! NO! Hallowed be thy Mane… thy Kingdom Come… thy will be done… upon Earth… as you decreeeeeeeee, My Queeeen! Your loving evangelist Sol Invictus stands ready to serve… and pray… AND WORSHIP YOOOOOoooOOOOuuuU!”

Surrounded by this horror the changelings huddled together as close as they could; while they could not feed off of one another they could sense each other’s emotions, and were struggling to not lose control of themselves in what was rapidly becoming an all-you-can-eat buffet of fear, sadism and abject terror.

These things, these newfoals...they just kept coming, kept attacking with a drive and single-mindedness against which even the perfect unity of the hive paled in comparison. It was disregard for life on a massive scale, no mercy for pony or human alike… the only ones that escaped the madness were those that Celestia needed, such as the Elements.

“Go to hell, you merry-go-round toys!” another human yelled. "And fuck your cock sucking queen!" He opened up with fire, his rifle shooting forth thunder at impossible, blistering speeds, each retort blurring into the next. Newfoals died by the score, crumpling onto the ground and crying out how they had failed their Queen, yet still trying to crawl towards their targets, disemboweled and bleeding.

One woman was curled up in a corner with two small children, desperately holding onto them as the smiling newfoals surrounded them, her tears and pleas for mercy rewarded only with the Gift of ponification.

A similar scene saw an adolescent human girl with her hair wrapped in a scarf shooting the newfoal that used to be her little brother, much to the disgust and rage of the other quadrupedal ‘evangelists’. She only scowled and backed slowly away, shielding several worshippers who were fleeing through a side-door, reciting to herself a prayer in a tongue alien to Chrysalis. Before she herself could escape, a newfoal jumped behind her and slammed shut the door.

The girl turned, saw her doom, and scowled in disgust.

“Allahu Ackbar…” she whispered, before she put her gun to her temple and shot herself in the head.

The blast of its bullet echoed with ominous finality, one of the final bursts of sound in a temple now almost entirely full of the walking dead...

The last shadow standing collapsed in front of Chrysalis, sprawling across the colourful rays of light cast by an unbroken window. Where that light touched him, he came into full colour. He cross was worn around his neck, and an elaborate stole was draped around his shoulders.

Sweating, gasping, backing up almost into the hive, the human fearfully faced an advancing newfoal.

“Father Mayhew, please!” he pled. “Find your faith, fight this evil...DON’T DO THIS TO ME!”

“Solomon Mayhew is dead...I am Sol Invictus now, and I have seen Her Light…” the newfoal tittered, toying with a phial of potion held under one hoof. “The false god can not save you…only the Goddess can bring salvation.”

“God has forsaken us…” the human whispered, before the newfoal ‘Invictus’ crushed the phial underhoof, and kicked the puddle of goop into his face…

The screams lasted for only a few seconds...before something new climbed to its feet.

“I see! I have found True Faith! I AM TRUE FAITH! I SEE! I SEE! I BURN IN HER FIRE AND I SEE!”

"YES! We all burn with her fire! And now we shall burn this false idol!" Sol Invictus decreed, pointing up at the altar, behind which was mounted an effigy. "It is an affront to the One True Monarch who brings the sun to the sky, the Holy Sun which the apostate Abraham turned his back upon!"

Chrysalis did not know the meaning behind the effigy, a likeness of a bearded man who rather horrifically had been nailed to a tree, but she felt a terrible numbness inside as she watched the newfoals tear it down.

“Come down, oh come down Ye King of the Jews!” they screamed and whooped, dancing on its crushed remains.

A sacrificed King...and here was she, burdened by the ghost of a sacrificed Queen...

“It took about three years. The tainted love moved through your body like a cancer, slowly killing you from the inside out. Younglings and elderly died quickly once Newfoals began to appear in Equestria. The healthy were slowly deteriorating away, and they begged you to leave Equestria to start anew… but it was too late. You were already tainted, and dying.”

Chrysalis remembered the haunting words clearly, which almost teased her of this horror before her. See could see it now. The false love, the broken souls, the deadly emotion that killed her entire hive. She was almost glad to have been told that little record remained of the last days of her ‘sister’s’ hive, that there was no changeling from which to inherit the memory. She could almost imagine it - wings crinkling and yellowing, chitin cracking and growing eggshell-thin. Organs deteriorating into paste within bodies, Changelings that were little more than slurry leaking from their exoskeletons.

Her counterpart’s hive members had sacrificed themselves for her, even as they were rotting from the inside. Only for it to be all for nothing, to die in a strange other world, the last of her kind. How had her counterpart been able to bear that? Ruined on virtually every level, dying among those that were simply other

This was the enemy, the enemy that poisoned an entire hive by simply existing. Killed the hive that just barely survived the purge that the Tyrant Sun sent out to destroy them. The changelings hissed and bit at the newfoals, even though it was doing nothing, while others looked to her for guidance.

‘But they weren’t just a poison to Changelings,’ she realized, in a rare flash of empathy. This was a poison to life itself.

“Queen Mother… What do we do?” one changeling pleaded, staring at the ghostly flames spread across the entire building, the cheers of the new foals all around. Their laughter rang hollow, unsettling…

...a chorus of the damned. It was impossible to tell if they were crying or laughing, exultant or begging for release.

And for the first time in her rule, Chrysalis had no answer to give them.

Here endeth the lesson...

Mack whimpered as he saw another strange train pass, its smashed windows covered in purple goop. Within he could see shadows fighting desperately with the monstrous newfoals, their screams echoing and howling as they hurtled away into the dark.

His pack growled at a few newfoals that had somehow made their way down to these tunnels, the dogs unable to stop them from moving towards the stations...taking more shadows into their fold.

Off in the distance, he heard a crash, a cacophony of twisted metal and screams, broken glass and fire. His pack backed away as one train slide into view, grinding along the tracks on its side... somehow taking out the pillars, and yet not at the same time...almost as it was a spirit. The metal carriage came to a stop, moans of agony and pain echoing from within, a recording voice cruelly mocking them.

“...this is an F train…”

“Go honey, hide… please,” the human woman asked. Her voice had a wet, rasping sound. It sounded distinctly unhealthy, as if she’d sustained some grievous injury.

“Mommy…”

“Go sweetie… Mommy will be okay. Hide!”

“...the next stop is…”

A child crawled from the wreck, woozy with confusion, almost certainly concussed, bleeding from his ears, face streaked with tears. The shadow boy, who flickered into life under the guttering lights, had barely stumbled away from the wreck before the sounds of running hooves began to echo down the tunnel. He looked around, desperately trying to get his bearing.

But he had no time. The newfoals had arrived.

“NOOO!” he heard the mother screaming from the wreck. “Alexander, RUN!”

Mack saw an earth pony rushing at the boy, vial of potion gripped in its mouth. The gem-hound rushed to intercept the shadow pony, ready to kick and bite, only to pass through and trip on the rails. He scrambled to his paws, watching as the rest of his pack tired to block the newfoal. Watched them fail, as he had failed…

“NO! NOT MY BOY! NOT HIM! STOP IT! STOP!”

And so they stared in horror, powerless and impotent, as the pony threw his vial at the child. It shattered over him, his body warping and shifting towards that of a pony foal…

His face changed to one filled with terror to one filled with false cheer on it, even as his fingers fused together, fur spread up his limbs like creeping fungus, and his eyes grew wide, so enormous it seemed impossible that they fit in his skull.

Finished, he made a giddy little dance, before slowly, like a possessed toy, he turned towards the train. Every movement was incremental, with slight but noticeable pauses as he turned, each muscle tugging at him like a puppet-string.

“Are you my mummy?”

The new foal’s yellow eyes were screaming out, darting from side to side, as wide as dinner plates, and yet his face smiled. He trotted towards his mother, ever so slowly...

“Are you my mummy?”

What followed was unspeakable, unbearable. Mack whined as he closed his eyes and covered his ears, balling up to try and shut out the screams and laughter, to no avail.

"Muuuummy..."

"Muuuummy..."

Quagga watched as his people wept, watched as the shadows fell like wheat before the scything rush of the newfoals; they had tried to help, but could do nothing.

...the shadows had all stopped to stared at the sky, some pointing and others raising strange devices up in front of them, as if composing a picture.

Then came the airships, hundreds of them descending from the clouds, unleashing its cargo of new foals. Some of the shadows realized what was happening and fled, others stood stock still in shock and confusion.

These were the first to die…

His warriors, his Ojore, had raised their spears and shields and roared as one, several of his witch doctors fished out potions and threw them at the new foals in an attempt to stop them before he finally reeled them back in.

“Cease! Desist! We cannot assist!”

They were forced to watch as the shadows slowly fell to the newfoals.

Over and over again, they watched the scene play out.

The shadows ran, and the newfoals chased.

The shadows fought, and the newfoals prevailed.

The shadows died. Their corpses rose.

Rose again in pony form, and stampeded towards more humans.

They filled containers of whatever they could with potion, charging at whatever humans they could find. He saw scenes of horror wherever he looked-humans jumping from windows, either splattering against the pavement or being picked up by pegasi to be ponified. Humans and a smattering of ponies with their advanced weaponry, holding off entire streets only to be crushed under the waves.

Human machines, vaguely reminiscent of the biplanes he sometimes saw (Except they had one set of wings and were sleeker somehow, with no propellers, and yet it was the first comparison he could think of) flew over his head, only for newfoals to throw themselves into slots where he presumed engines to be, leaving the planes to ram into buildings. A newfoal throwing himself at a mounted gun and hugging its heavy, mounted barrel, the bullets shredding him, and yet, even as there was a giant bloody hole in his abdomen, he didn’t let go. Even as streets were painted red with blood, as newfoals climbed over walls of their dead comrades, they refused to stop charging.

“A lesson we all take to heart…” Quagga looked to the sky, where mechanical flying machines were attempting to fight back, only to fall to sheer magical and numerical might. “To scar, and burn, and truth impart...”

“NO!” Spykoran roared as he watched the dragons take to the aether, their roars of frustration and anguish ripping the skies asunder as the airships unleashed entire armies, swarming the city below. Fires and explosions ripped throughout the city, the sound of screams and fighting ringing out below. “It’s an illusion, you fools!”

“How can they not try, father?” asked an agonized Wyndblade. “We have taken this city as our nest...and now beasts come to harm it...how can they not try to defend, futile as it is?”

The dragons began to grow more and more furious at their helpless situation, unable to do anything as the shadows fled and fell...as the new foals attacked the helpless humans of this nest.

Their nest! Their humans!

A dragon’s pride is founded upon his hoard, and his clan...an affront to either was an insult that could not be tolerated. It was instinct and culture at war with harsh reality.

Spykoran watched as a large object, a plane if he remembered Megan’s lessons correctly, plummeted from the sky, one engine in flames while teams of pegasai held the nose up and the tail down at such an angle that the wings could not catch the air...

Every flier understood the nature of a stall. This was methodical, calculated, cold, and utterly deplorable.

As the craft dropped, he saw letters painted on the side, spelling out a horribly ironic word in Prench.

‘Volee…’ he thought numbly. ‘...it means ’flight’...’

Several of his dragons soared up to catch the plummeting machine, Wyndblade’s paladins among them, but it passed through them as if they were the ghosts, leaving them to cry out in rage and regret as their eyes followed it...down.

The pegasai released the plane, and free of their influence it regained self-control, nosing forward to steepen the dive, attain lift, and recover from the stall...

“No…” he whispered aloud. “You don’t have enough altitude.”

Neither he nor his daughter could look away as the immense machine belly-slammed into the roof of a building, exploding and dousing the entire street below in charred metal and fuel.

The resulting screams were almost mercifully silenced as the building collapsed, snuffed out in a crunch of steel and stone.

He watched as the helicopter at which he had earlier marvelled spun out of control, new foals and shadows fighting within as it slammed into the side of a tower and snapped off its delicate dragonfly-wings, falling like a rock the rest of the way down. All it did was give the newfoals fresh opportunity, the squadron of abominations rushed into the hole the crashing helicopter had made in the side of the structure.

Dark purple clouds began to fill the sky, spreading out from the Equestrian airships, and demented cheers filled the streets as potion began to rain from the sky.

“They will burn for this!” Wyndblade swore, flushing so bright that her natural red and blue colouration could be seen beneath her enchanted silver scales.

Gold flames licked at the back of her open mouth. “They will all burn for this travesty!”

Spykoran felt the stone break away underneath his grip, bright green flames dripping from his maw as he watched the death and destruction continue.

‘Yes my child… Child of Megan… Children of Earth… Vengeance will be yours.’ Spykoran vowed as the two of them roared in despair and hatred.

Elsa wept as she watched the shadows fall to ground, their screams filling the air before morphing into laughter and cheers. Laughter and cheers that sounded empty and eerie; almost forced.

“Grandfather…” she whimpered, seeing one new foal plunge through a window, tackling a terrified shadow, “We must stop this… Please… we must do something.”

Sint could only stare on as more newfoals passed through the window, rushing through into the building. From beyond the hall they could hear the terrified screams of many a child.

“What…” he whispered. “My Maiden, what can we do? This is not what is, this is what was..."

Elsa struggled for an answer, and found none. All of her experience and magic was worthless now…

‘No, there is something…’ she realised, and stood tall, her two souls, and the echoes of those lives she had shared in before, singing a single note of defiant outrage.

“We watch, Grandfather!” the Snow Maiden declared. “We watch, and do not forget! You are right; this is what was, and what will continue to be if we do not commit to this war with all our souls and strength!”

The mighty stag stared at her, saw the wisdom of centuries almost to match his own in her eyes. His expression grew stern, and he nodded.

“As you advise, my Maiden.”

Elsewhere Sint could hear his kin desperately trying to stop this slaughter, putting up shields and spell-fire.

But the ageless Sint Erklass, Bringer of Gifts and Joy, Father of Hearths Warming, godfather and guardian to the sun and moon, did not waste his energy.

Instead, with the doe that was his granddaughter and chief counsellor beside him, sharing strength, he stood by and watched the deaths of countless children.

Hours later

The griffons stood in silence on the rooftops, a ghostly rain shrouding the city as the sounds of fighting slowly died down.

Queen Hedwig, Prince Tobias, and Commandant General Ironclaw stared, not a word escaping their beaks.

The illusion had lasted for hours. What had started as a glimpse of a normal day in the life of a human metropolis had turned into an hours-long horror show of nightmare rutting with atrocity.

They had tried to fight in the first hour, only to realize that nothing they did had effect. And so they had overseen every atrocity committed against the humans, unable to do more than look on as mind-numbing horror wrapped around them all.

“Mother…” Tobias whispered at last, expression inscrutable, but his voice trembling with rage. “Gilda...an orphaned counterpart of my daughter...She is here, fighting for humanity and the life of her dying kingdom, witnessing this everyday.”

His head fell, drooping in shame. “How could I leave her alone with something like this?”

“You did not, Tobias,” Hedwig growled with righteous conviction, black wrath dripping from every syllable. “She is at home, living a life away from the chains of royalty, enjoying a normal life as a griffon citizen. Our counterparts died not by their own claw or decision, but were slaughtered for opposing this evil. Their souls burn forever glorious in the aftersky, and shall watch over her forever. Queen Gilda does them great honor, and herself as well.”

She spun, whipping off her helm and transfixing her gathered subjects. For Hedwig Esterhaze, queen of the griffons, needed no diadem or crown to command their attention.

No, she did it by her eyes alone, eyes that blazed brighter than any mere gemstone.

“This is what we fight!” she roared out, shaking them from their stunned stupor. “This is a lesson for all of us to learn! We fight as one, or we die alone!”

She pointed to Central Park, where the newfoals cheered as they dragged a shadow pony and human to the center of a growing crowd. All of them jeered at the pony as they dragged her across the ground, while the stumbling human was herded along behind her. Then the newfoals closed rank, cutting off all avenue of escape, as a single colt trotting up to the shadow human with a smile.

“You’ve been veeeeery, very naughty…” the mutilated child said, his voice a deranged singsong screech.

The human looked to the pony, gave her a single nod.

“And now, you will be punished…”

"Oh shut up!” the human roared, before pulling out a hidden pistol and shooting the monstrous colt between the eyes. He quickly trained the weapon on the captured mare and pulled the trigger, freeing her in death. Then the shadow put the weapon to his own head and pulled the trigger one last time, a defiant look on his face.

The gun jammed…

The newfoals descended…

The human screamed, frantically pulling the trigger…

The sky went black.

“What you see is not something that happens every once in a blue moon.” Stephan’s voice echoed through every street, as the cheering new foals slowly faded away and the city repaired itself to its pristine condition. “This is something we, humanity as a whole, have seen and suffered on an almost daily basis. Every small village, town, and city is under threat of attack almost all the time. Our enemies keep ruthlessly pushing, in greater and greater numbers. We’ve lost an entire continent and all but about six countries in another to the newfoals, home to some of our largest cities and greatest cultures. There are almost no countries that can be said to have had peace."

“Many of you would think that this is a cruel and cheap method in securing your help, but this is the reality we face. Some of you have seen what we fight… and now you know what we live. This is the world we live in and we are asking, no,  begging you for your strength.”

“This may offend some of you, but… when we made contact with your unspoilt Equus, many of us did not wish to request your help. It seemed impossible. A trap. Too insane to be real. But we chose this because of what Marcus and Equestria achieved at Boston, and because…. we can’t do anything else anymore, really. Even with our technology, the PHL magic, our manufacturing powerhouses running 24/7, we are still dying. Our only other options were to hurl ourselves on the fire in an all or nothing last stand, throw every weapon we had at them, or….”

His voice trembled slightly.

“...or destroy our entire planet, killing everyone, just to spite the Solar Empire.”

He let that sink in. Everyone who could hear him stared at one another in abject horror, unable to believe that such levels of desperation existed. There was cutting off one’s beak to spite one’s face...but not this...

“This… isn’t our last chance so much as it’s our only chance. We’re on the ropes and I don’t think we have the strength to keep fighting on our own. We’ve sunk low as a species, but only because of what we’ve been put through.”

Stephan’s voice cracked somewhat at that, but regained its strength as he continued on.

“I would rather show you what you will face now, than throw you headfirst into the unknown. You will experience firsthand evil at its deepest; it doesn’t care for its armies nor the people under its rule. All it cares about is wiping us out and moving on to the next world, leaving nothing behind but a planet of corpses in its wake. And the world it creates is no better. Our spies in the Empire report food shortages, overpopulation, pollution, poverty… only brainwashing and terror hold them together. We are all of us, on all sides of this conflict, caught between hells..”

“Please… help us. Help us stop this evil before it spreads. Stop this evil before it can gather enough strength to simply steamroll over any opposition.

Help us remind them that there are more things between Heaven and Hell than are dreamt of in their small philosphies...there is Earth, there is Equus...there is us...and we are strong!”

“My Queen, my Prince! I give my sword and my pistol to this cause! I will stand against the darkness!” Ironclaw roared as he pulled his Tsumerai katana out. Following his lead, all of the griffons around him unsheathed their own weapons and hurrahed with him.

Across the city their roars were joined by those of the dragons, diamond dogs, and minotaurs, each voice angrily demanding that justice be served.

The Zebras and Buffalos began to chant, their sorrowful songs turning to righteous fury. A glorious psalm promising retribution.

Chrysalis and the changelings were strangely quiet, but the looks of hatred upon their faces and the angry buzzing of their wings spoke volumes as to their feelings.

The reindeers looked lost for several minutes before Elsa scowled…

Many of her bearers had been mothers...some had lost family. All knew the pain of grief. Even Lel, an orphan, knew the grief of loss…

Between them, her composite life knew the pain of all sides of this conflict. And they those echoes and memories resonated with fury that any being, beast or bastard would willingly choose to inflict such pain.

Anger filled her, an anger she had never felt before rushing through her as she mentally focused on that alternate Celestia, the mad Tyrant that was happily crushed humanity’s hopes and dreams...that replaced the future with a scorched desolation and calling it a righteous peace. Who had destroyed the reindeer of her own universe, who was…

Words couldn’t even begin to describe the depths of evil and depravity of that monster for killing off her people, for killing numerous innocent children of all races...

Elsa stopped in her tracks, and looked back to see her grandfather staring at the sky, his ancient,  timeless eyes searching for an answer, devoid of their usual twinkling optimism. It seemed like his years had caught up to him in this moment.

The Sint Erklass of the alternate Equestria was dead; killed by the very being that he saw as a daughter. The Tyrant destroyed and trampled on the very being that brought unity and Harmony to Equestria.

His eyes were now narrowed with determination and, most shocking of all to the Snow Maiden, rage.

He looked to Elsa, and they mirrored each other’s steeled conviction.

“Reindeer of the North!” Sint bellowed, turning to his assembled children. “For centuries, we have striven to be peaceful, to bring true harmony all across the world. What you have seen is, for lack of a better term, the true essence of the evil we have always opposed: that which seeks to destroy all that is good and beautiful. We have seen what those murderers that call themselves righteous have done to our counterparts. Right now, we have seen what they are doing to all others - human, pony, and too many more to name. And what’s worse is that our Equus, and all it’s peoples, our precious friends and neighbours, are next upon the list to receive this accursed ‘gift’. This is an evil that cannot be bargained with. It cannot be reasoned with. It does not feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until all that breathes is a slave, chained and bound to its twisted will. For our counterparts, for humanity, for all the races of Equus and their children, for harmony itself, we will fight! And we will bring them to their knees for their crimes!”

Elsa stepped forward, and Sint kneeled below her.

“My Maiden, Counselor of Ages and Speaker for All, what have you to say? Will you bless this crusade?”

She kissed him gently upon the brow and bade him rise. He turned to his assembled herd.

“Children of Adlaborn, harken unto your Snow Maiden!”

Elsa stood tall, the outrage of mighty souls blazing in her eyes.

She made her judgement.

“Have They Been Naughty, or Nice!?”

And the reindeer roared, stomping their hooves to the ground.

Across the city, everyone vowed that they would give it their all. They would not retreat, or surrender, or stop until this evil was stopped. They would make absolutely sure humanity won its fight.

Baltimare

“GRAH!” the unicorn threw the paper away; it fluttered down behind her as she breathed deeply. “Monsters! All of them! Do they not see?! They create murdering machines, pollute their world, industrialize slaughter!”

There were pictures on her walls. Machines, horrible, un-Equestrian things on wheels with massive rotating blades, clearly intended to be driven. There was a machine with a conveyor belt that let into a large set of buzzsaws, a huge funnel on top for the remnants of whatever they were meant to carry to be spat out. A machine on treads with a metal arm extending from its body, a huge appendage somewhere between a pincer and a heavy, crushing jaw at the end. Scattered all around them were dead ponies with X’d out eyes, and scrawls of black pencil clearly intended to mimic blood.

Monstrous things. The potential to hurt, to slaughter and pulverize was enormous. These blueprints were spread across Equestria, their meanings lost to time, but their purpose couldn’t be clearer.

Humans were abominations of the highest order and needed to be put down. Or, at the very least, made better. But they had corrupted the Princesses, and swayed those other dregs that dared call the beautiful and fair Equus ‘home’ to their side.

Only ponies were true, and honest, and...kind. Only ponies...

And then they had the audacity to reject the perfect gift the other Equestria was trying to bestow upon them. Purity...in liquid form.

“That blue alicorn is just Nightmare Moon in disguise. No doubt she planned for this! She brought the chaos fiend and the animals into her little plan, manipulating her own sister to call for them. But where is she now!?”

Catseye growled as she glared at the image of a human wielding a strange spinning blade in his grip, poorly-drawn body parts everywhere, arrows pointing at the item in its grip with the name ‘Spinning Chain Blade’, grizzly inked-in blood splatters a testament to the destruction it could do.

“Where is she...where is Celestia, why isn’t she striking down this treachery!” she bleated, scowlingly ascending up the stairs to the main floor, locking her basement study behind her.

She picked up the morning newspaper, half-charred from where she had tried to incinerate it in the fireplace in a frenzied burst of rage. She scowled at the front page fullspread image, depicting that the eyesore of a city in the distance, squatting on sovereign Equestrian soil, defiling the beautiful Neighagra Falls. The backstabbing editorial inside had the audacity to praise this ‘NYC’ it for its massive size and scope, comparing it favorably to Manehatten or Fillydelphia. Several areas had been closed off at the moment, due to its status as a military base, though a human spokesperson had claimed ‘it would be his pleasure’ to open the gates to everywhere when the time was right.

‘Filthy scumholes, both of them! Unclean! Tainted by that ‘Multiculturalism’ manure! This is Equestria! Ponies Only! No animals! No…’

She mentally hiccuped.

‘...no bastard hybrids!’

Grinding her teeth she crunched up the broadsheet and hurled it back into the fireplace. Tears leaked from her eyes as she tried to generate a magical spark from her horn.

“Idiots, all of them!” she rambled. “Can’t they see what they’re getting themselves into? Just like that stupid unicorn, ‘Liar’ Heartstrings. Calling them great and wise, what a crock. Probably her counterpart is nothing more than a whorse willing to lift her tail for them...a slut!”

She finally managed to ignite the paper, uncaring about the bits she had spent on it. The flickering light it generated threw a faint light on a picture hanging above the hearth.  A picture of a bold, smiling unicorn mare, radiant as the sun.

‘...a slut willing to lift her tail for an animal...sire his abominable spawn…’

It was the only picture she had left of her mother. Every other one featured…him. Those offending images had been scratched out and burnt long ago.

And yet even now, she had reminders of herself every time she looked in the mirror. Before, she had to endure. When she was old enough to escape from those torments that plagued her, she took it.

Changed herself to fit.

To be a part of this perfect society and enjoy it for what it was worth.

‘Look, look at that pony, mommy!’

‘Hush, don’t stare!’

Catseye shook her head, wiping away the tears angrily as she shoved her skeletons back into their closet.

*knock knock knock*

“What? I never get visitors...” she blinked in confusion, before walking to the door and opening it to reveal several cloaked stallions. “Y-yes?”

“Doctor Catseye, my name is Icewind,” a pegasus said, looking out from underneath his cloak. “I believe you know how much danger Equestria is in now that these humans walk the land. They fled from judgement, and it is our duty to ensure they don’t escape from it. They have attacked our dear Princess Celestia-”

“Really?!” Catseye gasped. “I’d thought that was just a rumor!”

“Oh no, it’s real,” Icewind said. “And to make a bad situation worse, she’s welcomed them. I believe that it’s a plot by Princess Luna - or should I say, Nightmare Moon.”

“... Yes… yes,” Catseye said. “I thought something was off with how easily Celestia welcomed her back.”

“She has a coup planned, I’m sure of it,” Icewind continued. “Celestia’s momentary disappearance? The humans being given such precedence? They’re her army to take over and enforce her new rule, and take our world for their own. Me and my compatriots… we reject that.  We shall reveal their duplicitousness, and bring Equestria back to its natural state!”

“And what am I needed for?” Catseye asked.

“I’m a big fan of your work, of the truth that reveals what others refuse to see,” Icewind said, almost coyly.

For the first time in weeks, Catseye smiled as she stepped to the side and opened her door to her new “friends”. She then said, “Gentlestallions, we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

First Month

Training Days: First Month

Authors:

Proudtobe

Redskin122004

Editors:

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

TB3

Rush

TheIdiot

Beyond The Horizon

VoxAdam

Carpinus Caroliniana

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

-Buddha

“From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.”

-H.P. Lovecraft

Lyra slowly opened her eyes, the pre-dawn air filtering through the open window. Groggily she rolled out from under the blankets and sighed at the first tang of the morning chill.

‘I miss Bonnie… already.’

The creamy confectionist had in fact come storming into Canterlot only yesterday, having bullied her whereabouts from Spike, took the train to Canterlot, stormed past the guards, and (surprisingly), Princess Luna and Major Bauer.

She’d come to take her home. Bon-Bon had been in a panic, angry enough that not even the humans Lyra had so fondly researched could keep her down...

"Come on Bonnie, I have to do this," Lyra pressed.

Bon Bon groaned with exasperation, glancing out of the window to see groups of ponies trying on the odd-looking battle saddles, assisted by several human farriers. "But why? Why do you have to do this, Lyra?”

She stomped a hoof on the floor.

“Is it because of the humans? Is it because of me? I'm sorry I never believed you about them before, but you don't have to go to WAR to prove the depth of your convictions..."

"It's... something I have to make right," Lyra answered, unable to make eye contact with her marefriend.

The unicorn’s ears and mane drooped despondently. Seeing them, Bon Bon scrunched up her mouth and stepped forward.

"Ugh... Lyra, if this is some crazy attempt to bring a human in for a little experimental fun... then fine, I'll do it."

Lyra’s jaw dropped. In the back of her mind she thought she heard the whispered words, ‘Oh my!’

"You don’t-” she stammered. “Wait what?!"

"Did you hear something?" Bon Bon muttered, glancing around as if searching for some unseen speaker.

"No, don't change the subject!” Lyra replied, clenching her jaw. “Do you honestly think that I’m doing this to get frisky in bed with a human?!"

"Well what else am I to think? You have all those drawings... of positions in your study. Like that one of a human carrying a pony by the flank and... thrusting."

"You were not supposed to see those!" Lyra squeaked. Oh my, indeed. “Bonnie, you weren't supposed to look at those! It was... just a thing."

"So that image of a pony in a collar sucking away was just a thing? It was really detailed... in fact I think it was supposed to be me!"

"OOOOOOOH MY!"

This time the words were neither imagined nor subtle, and with a burst of purple flame the speaker himself flared into view, a fencing rapier in one hand.

"Gah! Discord!" Bon Bon shrieked, staggering back against the wall. Lyra, for her part, just pressed a hoof to her face and groaned.

"Naughty little pony," the arch-trickster chided sardonically, before pulling out from thin air a pair of ly explicit sketches, which he then skewered together with the tip of the sword. “Is this what you’ve been hiding under the bed from me? For shame young mare, for shame.”

The pictures were, indeed, rather shameful. One involved Lyra herself… and the other a male human. She tried to ignore how the slender rapier had pierced and connected certain parts of either subject’s… anatomy.

"No! Put that away!"

"Hmm. I believe your marefriend is right, when it comes to your dirty little fantasies…” he teased, holding up the two pictures as if they were a pinup, overlapping them so that…

“Ah ha! So that’s how you put those parts together. The Swedes always make ‘Tab A into Slot B’ always look so simple...and why yes, I do believe that is your shapely rump. And from the look on your face there it seems you’re certainly enjoying this bit of home-improvement. In fact it looks as if you’ve been nailed, hammered, covered in a coat of glossy and then left out to dry!”

Lyra had never been so embarrassed before in her whole life, and was by now reduced to terrified squeaks. The flush on her face was so deep that her head looked like a tomato with a little tuft of minty leaves sprouting out of the top.

“And now that I have achieved maximum innuendo, I think its time the two of you got a little time-out… do whatever it is sparring lovers do… so off you go to hammerspace!”

Looking back on that exchange, Lyra found herself torn between shame and satisfaction. Discord had dropped Bon Bon and herself into a self-contained little pocket-dimension where they could sort out their troubles in condensed time…

For some reason, it had also been full of hammers.

And there had been a sign across one non-existent ‘wall’, with the following words emblazoned on it in a rather lurid green:

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” But if Ambassador Heartstrings was anything like her, I just know she was more interested in the yellow cross-gartered stockings.

Twelfth Night, Act II Scene 5.

William Shakespeare – with improvements by John Q. Discord.

It was strange, admittedly ludicrous.

But it gave time to explain everything. Explain… and understand.

Over the course of hours hidden within minutes, Lyra had poured out everything, everything that Marcus ever told her about their counterparts, everything there was to know about a Lyra who had died a hero, and a Bon Bon who still endured a living death. Their histories, their roles in the war, and their fate...nothing was hidden, and everything laid out on the table.

‘I couldn’t have lied anyway… not to her..’

She trusted Bon Bon with everything, even the things she’d admittedly wanted to keep secret. Internally, she guessed that was what it meant to be in a relationship...and that thought gave her a warm feeling in her chest.

And, speaking of relationships, they had then come to the subject of the pictures...

Bon Bon herself had been caught between being both aroused and frightened at some of the ideas Lyra had dreamt up, not limited to...

Lyra as a human, ‘riding’ her little pony.

Bon Bon as a human… armed with rope, saddle and whip.

And then… most lewd of all… a mythic ‘threesome’.

‘And all this started because Cadance and I used to play ‘horsies’ when she foalsat me…’

Freud would have been proud.

Stephan found out later about Bon Bon, but had allowed her to stay the night on the condition that she had to leave in the morning unless she was willing to train.

“Stuff it up your cloaca!” had been Bonnie’s parting words to the biped who only scratched his head in confusion. She still hadn’t quite grasped the particulars of human anatomy...

Lyra sniffed as she hugged the blanket, taking in the lingering scent  of her 'Bonnie'. She cast her mind back further, and sighed in grim frustration, remembering what had transpired before Bon Bon’s unexpected arrival.

“What happened, to the other Equestria… Celestia’s madness, the war the newfoals. It was all my counterpart’s fault.”

Twilight and Rarity had been utterly shocked, almost thinking Lyra was making up the account of her doppelganger’s witless role in dooming two worlds.

‘But their curiosity won over in the end… just like it did for me… no, for her...’

Billions of lives, all hanging on the thread of a single, innocent decision…

‘Blow off some musical rehearsals, go diving with friends, condemn all of Earth and Equus to war and doom the multiverse. Yup, just another day in my life...’

Yet what hurt most was the thing left unsaid. Some humans and those ponies from the other Equestria had recognized Bon Bon, making odd comments about how nice it was to see her ‘like this’ again. Trying to hug her before realizing, just as Bon-Bon shook them off, that she was not their Bon Bon. They made comments about her mind, her sanity. Lyra distinctly remembered one human fema… no, one human woman saying “It’s so wonderful to see her just focusing on the here and now!”

Lyra would later ask Major Bauer just what happened to Bon Bon, her sweet, delicious, ever-so-loving marefriend. He had replied with five simple words:

“You don’t want to know.” Then ten more. “I think you feel enough guilt weighing on your barrel.”

Her alarm would go off in a few minutes. Sighing, Lyra decided to get out of bed early and take her shower.

Evening

It had taken some time, but Discord had successfully convinced Stephan to let the Element Bearers take a break from their training so they could be informed on the fate of their counterparts. His argument was simple, yet effective.

“They have a right to know what happened. To know that above all, their participation in this is ridiculous, because they’re fundamentally good mares. Pinkie Pie’s just… she’s been so wrecked, thinking that deep down, she’s a terrible pony because she has the capacity for this somewhere in her. She thinks she’s on a slippery slope, and I don’t know if she’s holding together…. I won’t lie, I’m worried.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it Discord. We’ve all got a darkness in ourselves. What if those… things were cultivated out of the darker patches of the original element-bearers’ souls?”

“What if they were? When you want a garden to bloom, you let in the light. Cast a shadow, and all that will grow are toadstools… don’t let their fears take root. Just give them the truth, and let them be enlightened.”

Now, the small circle of ponies were all gathered on a large sofa, accompanied by Marcus, whom Discord had dragged from some perch, where he had been brooding over the city like some version of Bruce Wayne badly in need of antidepressants. A fire was burning cheerfully in the grate, keeping out the evening chill.

Lyra took the centre stage.

“Before we begin, you all remember Twilight and myself discussing the KV-62 Archeological Party, right?”

It had only been a few weeks since that chaotic tete-la-tete in the Golden Oaks Library… and yet those last shards of innocence felt like they were years in the past.

“Yes,” the purple unicorn answered, and for the benefit of memory repeated a condensed version of events. “Doctor Waggoner was one of the earlier proponents of Anthropology, and led an expedition to the Valley of Dreams to search for evidence of humanity. His findings, during the transit back to Equestria, were caught in a freak storm and lost when the ship chartered to convey them capsized. Doctor Waggoner never gave up in trying to fund a second expedition, but with his premature death, human xeno-studies have been reduced to quackpot…”

“Ahem!”

“Sorry… let’s just say that Anthropology was removed to the scientific ‘fringe’... the realm of scholars like Laconic, and Shriek… and Catseye. Who will be visiting soon, won’t they?”

“Right,” Lyra said, nodding in agreement. There was a haunted age in her eyes. “Though I wouldn’t say Catseye’s a real scholar....”

“I agree completely!” Twilight said. “I received a letter from Shriek earlier, he says he’s happier than a pig in the mud, and Laconic’s never written faster than he is now, and... and they’d love to become a part of … Lyra? What’s wrong?”

Lyra turned away from where she had been gazing out of a window over a city mobilizing for war.

“Anyway, the one event, the point of divergence between that other Equestria and our own, was all down to my choice. Or rather, my counterpart’s. At some point, she and I both faced a decision… and where I trod the path I know, she favored the road less travelled by.”

“What exactly?!” Rainbow Dash demanded, her dwindling patience made clear for all to see. “Just get to the point already!”

Lyra groaned and rubbed at her forehead. “It’s not so easy to just put in words, Dash, I’ve got feelings riding on this, and it’s really hard to say! Just… let me get it out in my own time.”

She paused, and took a few slow breaths, trying to suppress the screaming guilt that was pooling in her gullet.

“I had a choice, not that long ago. Some of my friends had invited Bon Bon and myself to go on a seaside vacation with them. Swimming, diving, sunbathing on the beach, and a nighttime fireworks display. A perfect summer weekend of fun… but at the same time, I was preparing for that year’s tryouts for the Canterlot Royal Orchestra.”

With one hoof she self-consciously rubbed at her cutie-mark, and the golden lyre seemed to gleam for a second as if buffed with a rag.

“I chose to stay home and use that spare time to practice for the tryouts. My counterpart… Ambassador Heartstrings, walked the other road, and went frolicking in the sea… where she found a shipwreck.”

Those few words rippled around the room like waves washing up in a bay. Even Rainbow Dash simmered down.

“You, or she... she found the wreck of the Bucephalus…” Twilight gasped, not in question, but in realization. “She just happened to be the one mare who discovered Doctor Waggoner’s lost artifacts.”

“Yeah,” Lyra muttered, trying to inject a laugh into her words, and coming out instead with what sounded like a joyless hiccup. “Imagine how she must have felt… she was now the pony who had proof of human existence in her very hooves. She must’ve been so thrilled, so glad that she chose to go play in the sea, rather than shut herself at home with a dusty old lyre…”

The bitterness in her voice could almost be tasted on the air.

“And... I’m betting you know how the humans look at me sometimes,” Lyra continued. “She was a hero to them!” she exclaimed with mock cheer. “When Celestia started the delegation to visit Earth, she was one of the ponies selected, right over that imbecile Catseye. She was a hero to all of them, a celebrity, living her dream thanks to her discovery. But there was something else on that ship…” she continued. “The reason why the other Celestia went mad, why the other Equestria is at war with the humans.”

“And…?” Rarity pressed. “Lyra dear, don’t keep us in the dark.”

“I theenk my leeetle grey cells shall present themselves to zat that question!” Discord proclaimed, strutting forward into the centre of the room, dressed in an austere grey suit with a fussy little Homburg hat perched between his horn and antler. “The answer to this mystery, I shall now reveal, mit my Belgian elan!”

As he passed Lyra, he briefly tousled her mane and gave her a wink.

“Le voilà!” he snapped his fingers and produced an image of a plain fabric bag on a length of hemp. “Ze cheifest and grandest catastrophe of our age.”

“A bag?” Rarity muttered. “You dragged us in here to show us a bag?!”

“Right,” Applejack agreed. “What’s a little ol’ burlap sack got to do with this?”

“Zut allors, non. Not just any sack, mademoiselles!” Discord preened, stroking a thin black moustache. “For this is an artifact of evil both cold in temperament and fiery in wrath. It is the heart of all darkness, an implacable foe that mine family has battled down countless eons…”

He snapped back to his usual appearance, and now his words and tones were deathly serious.

“It’s called the Bag of Tirek.”

“Tirek?” Twilight’s ears flicked at the name. It felt like something she vaguely remembered from her studies, and yet she could not place where she’d read or heard it…

And she was not alone.

“T-T-Tirek?” Fluttershy stuttered, shivering. She did not seem to like where this was going.

“OH NO! NOT TIREK! OF ALL THE UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS, WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE TIREK!?!” Pinkie Pie screamed in horror, jumping off from the seat before abruptly braking in mid-air, hovering for a moment before gravity noticed what she was up to and demanded she come back down. She fell in a heap. “Um... Who is Tirek? And why does that name make me feel all… sick and wrong?”

“It’s a name all ponies have feared, from the cradle to the grave, even if they were unaware of it…” Discord explained. He was setting up a small projector and screen, and even though he had summoned both of them into being, the fact that he was completing the task by hand suggested a level of reverence that struck at Twilight deeply.

Reverence, and sadness.

“This… is Tirek,” he said, and brought up a slide.

All of the gathered ponies seemed to tense at the reveal of a truly massive creature…

“A centaur,” Lyra said, as if cutting off Twilight’s first question before she could even vocalise it. “Half human, half horse.”

Indeed, the terrible figure onscreen had a somewhat human build to the upper part of his body. Beneath the waist however, his torso expanded into a muscular quadrupedal form. Humanoid and equine rolled into the same form, neither and both at the same time.

That aesthetic was expressed elsewhere in the image, fur and fingers and other traits of both species blurred together in some fusion of genetics.

‘Just like the minotaurs or griffons… is this some form of speciesism? I mean we shouldn’t judge him badly just for being a…’

But then Twilight looked into the figure’s face, and could not repress a shudder.

‘..a monster.’

She had faced down her share of evil and tyranny. Everything from Nightmare Moon’s coldly autocratic malice to Chrysalis’ utter disdain for anything not of her hive.

But this, this creature embodied a loathing, a visceral hatred that transcended the image and resonated in Twilight’s heart.

She feared this Tirek on sight… and hated him in turn.

It was not his appearance which so shocked her, nor the cruel horns that grew from his brow. In fact, there was even something arrogantly noble about the rough composition of his features, much like Marcus’ own battle-hardened demeanor.

No, it was the expression on his face, a mess of proportions stretched out, the jaw too huge, the face too thin, the eyebrows too thick to look truly natural. His face looked like it belonged to a human as drawn by an angry caricaturist, and he wore a sneeringly cruel set of the jaw and lips that spoke of a hatred for everything that lived, breathed, swam, flew and crawled upon the face of a world, and the same for the sun and the moon and the stars scattered across the face of heaven.

And then there were the eyes.. They were simply wrong, downright hideous in fact. The pupils were yellow, with jet-black sclera, and seemed to blaze out of the centaur’s blood-red face. The casual malice of his expression was one thing, but those awful eyes defined Tirek, and anchored him forever in her mind under a single word. You wouldn’t be able to see the reflection of anything in those eyes… somehow, that unnerved her more than anything else.

“Evil...” Twilight heard Fluttershy, Pinkie and herself speak in unison. She looked towards her friends and exchanged a knowing glance, before bobbing her head and adding a rider to that sentiment.

“Pure, unadulterated evil.”

“Never toss a phrase like that around lightly,” Discord said softly. “Evil is as evil does, and just when you think you’ve got a clear idea of just how low its practitioners can sink, it’ll pull the trapdoor out from under your feet and drop you straight into some new atrocity…”

Then he smiled, sadly but genuinely.

“But well done to the three of you for being such excellent judges of character. Gold stars all round!”

A sticker cut in the shape of a five-pointed star materialised on each of their barrels. Pinkie immediately began to bounce around, while Fluttershy sunk into embarrassed squeaks, trying to pry her ‘prize’ off before it drew any more attention to herself.

Across the room, Twilight could see Marcus rolling his eyes, and instead of touching her own star, she turned her attention towards the draconequus.

“Discord,” she said firmly. “You don’t have to put on a show of good cheer. If this is troubling you, just act naturally.”

The lanky spirit of chaos bent himself in her direction, and arched a single eyebrow. Then he nodded, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

"Well, getting back on subject. Our boy Tirek here was once one of the alicorns… the precursor race to current ponies, but he became entranced with the dark arts after a fall from grace. He vowed revenge, and came up with an idea. The alicorn race was already attempting to purge themselves of their inner darkness, to separate their angels and demons as it were.”

“Because that worked so well for Doctor Jekyll, didn’t it?” Marcus butted in.

“Bingo to the literary nerd in seat #3! Tirek applied that research to sunder the “inner darkness” out of the souls of the alicorn race, and roided’ himself up on all that bad mojo. By the time anypony realized what he was doing, he had absorbed enough dark emotional power to become nearly unstoppable.”

He paused, and for a second Twilight thought she saw tears in his eyes.

“Only one alicorn was up to the task of stopping him…” he continued. “Her name was Faust.”

Again Discord changed slides, and the vision of Tirek in all his wrathful glory switched to an image of a white alicorn with a vibrant scarlet mane.

“Oh my…” breathed Rarity. “Such elegance and grace…”

She was not the only one looking on in awe. The creature on screen was the very vision of compassion and gentility, with a faint and motherly smile on her lips.

‘It's as if Fluttershy was reincarnated as a Princess!’ Twilight realized.

“That’s my mom you’re gawking over,” Discord tutted, flashing them all a bright smile before he continued. “She valiantly fought against Tirek, and was able to defeat him… at the cost of her own life. But the arch killjoy had a contingency plan. All of his power, drawn and nurtured from the rage and hate of an entire race of demigods, was transferred into an eldritch construct… the bag, where it was nurtured and incubated… festering into a black spectrum of magic, an inversion of the harmony all you ponies hold so near and dear. A ‘Rainbow of Darkness’ as he called it.”

Rainbow nearly snickered at the name, only for Applejack to lightly smack her behind the head, earning an indignant “ouch” from her.

“This ain’t no laughin’ matter, Dash,” the farm-pony hissed.

As if to underscore the point, Discord dropped a ‘Dunce’ cap on Rainbow’s head, ‘tut-tutting’ as he did.

“So disappointing…”

Twilight shook her head and rolled her eyes at their antics. Instead of allyowing herself to be drawn in, she focused on the subject at hoof.

“So now this Tirek is back, that much I can understand. But there’s more to the story, right?”

“Good deduction skills, Miss Sparkle!” Discord clapped, giving Twilight another golden star sticker. “Indeed, there is more. For this isn’t the first time that Tirek has made a return. After his battle with my mother, he was laid low, weakened and banished to Tartarus itself, but still biding his time until he was strong enough to return. That opportunity came at the close of the marvellously-named ‘Discordian Era’... while Sunbutt and Woona were finishing up their squabble with me and getting around to building their ‘perfect pony society’, Tirek managed to free himself and broke out of Tartarus.”

The projector changed slides, this time to several depictions of a large group of ponies, first disembarking from a number of ships, and then establishing a community in what Twilight presumed was Dream Valley.

“At the same time, a number of ponies had fled Equestria during my *ahem* ‘reign’ and emigrated overseas to establish new colonies, safely away from the battle.”

“So you guys had your own Mayflower?” Marcus commented. “Your own Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock?”

“Oh yes,” Discord answered smoothly. “Just without the genocide. And the religious fundamentalism… and the sexism… and racism… and slavery… and monumentally terrible Dinesh D’Souza and Kirk Cameron documentaries that try to whitewash that all away… with extra emphasis on ‘white’.”

Undaunted, Marcus just folded his arms, sat back, and cocked an eyebrow. “Cute. But given no-one besides yourself seems aware of this historical spin-off franchise, I’m guessing things didn’t pan out. Did your Pilgrims even survive the first winter?”

“Oh yes…” Discord replied, a dark rip-tide curling under his words. “Fate gave that First Generation plenty of time to establish themselves before it brought the ban-hammer down on their innocent little dream.”

Shivering, Twilight studied the images of Dream Valley closer. Despite the bright colours and happily frolicking ponies, there was a sense that something was wrong with the picture. There was something in the background, where stormclouds and dark mountains seemed to overshadow the jewel-like community like the hovering blade of a guillotine.

It screamed ‘Impending Doom’.

“Tirek…” she heard somepony else speak aloud before she could open her mouth. Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash.

“This was it, wasn’t it?” the cyan speedster continued. “This is where that jerk returned to power, right?”

“Got it in one,” the draconequus confirmed. “It was just a turn of the wheel to go straight from paradise to the realm of the Spooky Mormon Hell Dream…”

The slide twisted, like an optical effect, revealing that the shadow looming over Dream Valley was indeed the demonic minotaur, Bag uplifted in his arms.

“He wished to have a new dominion; a foothold from where he could begin another dark crusade, with an army marching upon the back of the Rainbow of Darkness. And Dream Valley gave him everything he needed to build this empire, this castle of midnight… and the ‘raw materials’.”

The slide turned into a film, and the observers could only watch in morbid fascination as a trio of frightened ponies were consumed by a beam of darkness that burst out from the bag. Faces were twisted in pain as their bodies contorted, changing form…

And their surroundings were transforming as well. Flora and fauna, stone and wood… everything was bending under the onslaught of wickedness.

“Raw materials?” Rarity whispered in disgust. “Those are living beings!”

Within moments, the hideous metamorphosis was done, and in the place of the equines arose three large dragon-like creatures, howling in pained rage, their surroundings transformed into a nightmare realm.

“Wait!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “I’m seeing a connection - is that how it works!? Is this the same magic that makes the Ponification Potion work? They’re baked from the same ingredients - the power of that Bag!”

It was gold stars all around as Discord shared out a few more stickers. Twilight however was running her mind at maximum rpms.

“Why?” she asked in a whisper. “Why would Celestia turn to something so… twisted?”

“We'll never know everything from those days, so it's hard to say. But I’m assuming it preyed on her insecurities,” Discord said. “Imagine how she felt when Minty’s counterpart presented her with that Bag, or... Or however it got here. Her sister was due to return from the moon, the latent magic of the Crystal Empire was stirring, indicating an imminent end to Sombra’s curse…”

‘She must have been in a panic,’ Twilight realised. ‘And she was alone. Nightmare Moon and Sombra stalking her dreams, the Elements gone… and all her hopes would have been riding on… me.’

A horrible idea shot through her in that instant, and she hugged herself tight.

‘Could… could she have dabbled with these dark arts… to try and protect me!? Could all of this has happened, because Celestia was willing to risk her own soul for my sake… because she loved me...’

And she suddenly realised how Lyra had felt upon realising that her counterpart had been the one to discover the Bag in the first place…

“Uh-uh, don’t go there Miss Sparkle!” Discord interrupted her internal dialogue, wagging a claw. “Celly’s mistakes and motivations are not your burden… and it’s exactly those doubts and fears you’re feeling right now that the Bag would have acted upon. Take it from an experienced sinner, that these kind of temptations work beside when it turns your noblest attributes back on yourself.”

“Eyup,” Applejack agreed. “Hay, that’s a lesson all of us’ve learned since we became friends.”

She wrapped a hoof around Twilight and gave her a hug, before flashing a glare at Discord, who grudgingly placed a final gold star on her hat.

“Well said. And that is Tirek for you - a master deceiver and prince of lies, a monster through and through. He manipulates minds and twists bodies to do his bidding, pulls out the worst in a soul and gives it free reign. And if he’s feeling sadistic enough, he sometimes even leaves a remnant of the original personality in question enslaved within their own bodies.”

“Why? What good would that do!?”

“To bask in their screams… to rejoice in their pain and horror. You think the buzz you get off watching innocent fillies play is nice, that’s nothing compared to the high Tirek would ride while making those fillies rip each other to pieces.”

Applejack made a quiet retching sound, and Discord shrugged.

“Get this clear, girls, Sombra would have forced children to work themselves to death as chattel slaves, and Nightmare Moon would have had them live out their lives under an eternal night… but they had their own perverse philosophies at work. Tirek doesn’t - he would have made those hypothetical fillies kill one another simply because it amused him… all of this, the corruption of Equestria, the newfoals and war, all the suffering and hate, is the most colossal act of self-gratification ever seen. He doesn’t care at all about anything other than himself. I don’t even think he can see anything besides himself as worth anything. No empathy or remorse, just this colossal wank-fest of torture and blood. And I think he likes seeing all of Celestia's or ponykind’s ideas of ‘perfection’ broken and run into the ground till there’s nothing left.”

“I hope I never see the other Equestria,” Pinkie Pie shivered. “No smiles, no laughter… anything ruled by someone like Tirek can’t be even remotely happy.”

“That’s the one memory that I’m glad my counterpart didn’t pass on to me,” Discord agreed. “I suppose I could try and find out, but-”

“Wait! Do we have our own bag?!” Pinkie Pie interrupted, eyes wide, panicking. Nobody present was sure whether or not she was deliberately trying to interrupt Discord’s train of thought, or just speaking out of horror. “Are we going to have all this happen to us too?!”

“Don’t you worry your cotton candy over that! I sent it into space where nobody can ever find it!” Discord reassured her. “We’re safe from that at least.”

“Oh thank the maker for that!” Pinkie sighed with relief.

“We have a lot of loose ends lying around,” Discord agreed. “I figure we should have them all out of the way if we don’t want to get crippled at the worst possible time. Such as… the Crystal Empire? Or a certain annoying unicorn that I vaguely remember talking to Twilight about...”

“Who?” Twilight asked.

“Catseye,” Discord answered.

Twilight just groaned.

“Agreed. Sounds like the Marquis De Sade’s wet-dream...” Marcus quipped with a grunt. “Pain for pain’s sake alone… yeah Twily, you’re not to blame for this messed-up mofo’s fuckwittery.”

Twilight sniffed and rubbed at her watering eyes. “Thanks guys.”

She straightened up and blinked away the last tears. “But then, if this is Tirek’s character, his nature... why humanity? Why is his he going after the humans first? There’s no reason to go after one particular species…”

“Oh, for a mind like that, there’s the greatest reason of all - wounded pride.”

“Yeah, you’d sure know about that, wouldn’t ya, Discord?” Applejack glowered. “Come back after a thousand years in stone, and yer first act was to target your kid sister’s most beloved student…”

“Self-confessed old sinner… so guilty as charged. And here’s the speck of light in Tirek’s eye… and Marky-Mark, you might wanna pay attention.”

The screen changed again, showing a picture of a young blond human girl riding on the back of a pink and blue pegasus.

“General Firefly?” Rainbow Dash muttered. “It can’t be…”

“Some offshoot of genetics… or a cosmic in-joke. Mom alone would know the logic behind it, I guess,” Discord coughed, before redirecting his attention back at Marcus.

“And speaking of genetics, do you recognise little miss moppet there?”

“Dunno,” the ex-marine shrugged. “Cute enough kid, though she kinda reminds me of…”

His words trailed off, and with everypony's attention turned upon him, Marcus’ eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

“My mother!”

He watched on in stunned silence, witnessing a tiny recollection of his mother landing in Dream Valley, surrounded by numerous welcoming ponies.

“And… the Eagle has landed,” Discord said, in a surprisingly sober tone. “Megan Williams, first human to ever set foot on Equus. I don’t think the poor kid ever realized the magnitude of that small step she just took… but then, her talents always lay elsewhere. Guys with laser guns, giant transforming robots… there’ve been multiple iterations of your Mom across the multiverse, and wherever they went, they seemed to make the most remarkable of friendships.”

Twilight’s ears perked up at that observation. Marcus however, for his part, simply sat in stunned silence, witnessing his mother defying a fire-breathing dragon.

“And suddenly,” Applejack chuckled. “A lot of this fella’s antics make sense. Gotta be something in the blood an’ bone.”

And the narrative continued, showing not just how a single child befriended an alien race, but stood up to Tirek himself, a physical incarnation of evil.

“Wow Marcus! Your mom is awesome!” Rainbow praised as the little girl turned the Rainbow of Darkness back upon its master. “Uh… Marcus? What’s wrong?”

Numbly, Marcus reached into one of his uniform’s pouches and drew out a delicate, heart-shaped locket. He handled it as if it were made of glass.

“This… this belonged to her. Spykoran called it the Rainbow of Light.”

Twilight cautiously approached him to take a closer look at the charm. After a moment’s intense magical scrying, she whetted her suddenly-dry lips and nodded meekly.

“Yes, I can feel the touch of magic in it. It’s really faint, but definitely there. And it feels almost like...”

She swallowed and visibly steeled herself before continuing. “It’s on a familiar wavelength. This tiny piece of jewelry was once kissed by the most powerful force of magic known to ponydom - just like the Elements of Harmony.”

Marcus jerked in surprise, holding the locket out at arm’s length as if it were radioactive. The sudden motion caused Twilight herself to jump back, knocking herself and Rarity, who had the misfortune to be craning curiously over her shoulder, to the floor. After a momentary confusion of limbs the lavender mare laughed, holding up a hoof to her mouth at the sight of Marcus still locked in the same position.

“Relax, it probably doesn’t bite.”

*

The fire in the hearth had been banked up, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy providing a forced draught to coax the flames with their wings. As the heat and glow increased, so did the level of cheer in the room,

Except for around Marcus, who was sitting off to one side in his own little fatalistic flunk.

“Is this destiny?” he asked Twilight and Lyra, who had scrambled onto the couch either side of him. “If my mother really was the first human to visit this world, if she really fought Tirek before...”

He shook his head. “It just makes me feel like something’s pulling the strings, like all this crap is part of some sick master plan. It’s predestination at work, and I hate it.”

The two unicorns shared a concerned glanced as he buried his face in his hands.

“Hell, can you even be sure?” he asked at length. “My mom, my Aunt Molly and Uncle Danny never spoke a single word about going off on excellent adventures through a magical fantasy world. I mean, I understand not outright saying it in a casual conversation, but think about it. That kind of tale would be a perfect bedtime story to tell your kids, so is it really possible that you’ve gotten the wrong family in your sights?”

“Well, to be fair,” Lyra suggested, “if I told everyone I’d been teleported to another universe full of strange otherworldly creatures to help defeat some ancient evil, I’m sure everyone would think I either had an overactive imagination at best, or I belonged in the insane asylum at worst.”

“Most ponies do already,” Twilight added with deadpan flatness. “Trust me, Mayor Mare showed me the survey results.”

She looked up at Marcus. “Why would she - nevermind. The locket proves it Marcus… and I don’t think this is you being puppeteered by some malign power.”

She hopped down off of the couch and joined her friends by the fireplace, nuzzling them in affection, before turning her shining eyes back upon him.

“I’ve seen destiny magic at work, and it tends to be subtle, and more heartfelt.”

“Yeah, this is more like… cause and effect!” Lyra said, throwing her hooves up in revelatory glee. “Oh, I know… what if Megan’s first contact with Dream Valley’s like, synched our realities? And then, her locket’s residual magic kept you safe and drew you back to Equestria when the time was right? See, no evil plan, just random monkey-wrenches climbing into the cosmic clockwork!”

Marcus chuckled softly and tousled her mane with one index finger, lightly scratching her behind the ear. His control for light touch was much better than before.

“You should have written penny dreadfuls Lyra, you’re a hack writer through and through,” he said with a gruff laugh.

“Actually, she’s not entirely wrong, Marcus,” interjected Discord.

Everyone turned towards the draconequus, several pairs of eyes narrowing.

“What do you mean?” asked Rarity incredulously. Much to everyone’s surprise, Fluttershy backed her up.

“Have you been hiding something from us, young draconequus?” the buttery pegasus demanded in tones that brooked no argument.

Wilting under her gaze, Discord wordlessly summoned another dimensional pocket. Several oversized hammers tumbled out, along with several small notebooks.

“The private and personal diaries of Megan Williams, late of Dream Valley,” he declared with a flourish, before handing it over to Twilight. In the background, Pinkie was frolicking amongst the hammers and muttering something about getting them ‘back to Moperville’.

Marcus yanked his attention away from the pink pony’s cryptic antics (who in the hay was ‘Susan Pompoms’ anyway?) and glared up at Discord.

“Wait, you went to my storage locker and rummaged through my family’s private possessions!?” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“I was investigating something, and I followed the best paper-trail available, He-Man!” Discord replied in his own defense, taking a step away from the irated human.

“Uh, your lordship?” Lyra snarked from beside the seething soldier. “You already took several shots from ‘He-Man’ here when he was freshly juiced with Sombra’s abilities. Do you really want to go another round in the ring with him now that he’s had time to grow into his fabulous secret powers?”

Discord ‘hmphed’ and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I thought so, now say you’re sorry,” she said gravely, before bursting into an eager grin. “…and then we’ll get to the good stuff. Find anything juicy yet, Twi?”

That was directed to the Elements Bearers, who were gathered around Twilight and pouring over the books, mingled looks of concern and abject curiosity on their faces… except for Applejack, who was holding one volume up and blushing at a scrap of paper that had been taped inside.

“Hey!” Marcus shouted in sudden panic, jumping up to seize the diaries back. “Those aren’t yours to read!”

“Sorry Marcus, but I think you need to read this one,” Twilight said, telekinetically plucking one of the books out of his hands and flipping it open. “I understand you don’t like your family’s private stuff being touched, Discord had a good reason in sourcing these, because they’ve certainly proved something…”

Hesitant, Marcus scoured over the page.

“Okay… urm… Moonchick was kind enough to provide my friends with a new home, but even better he offered us a solution to the Smooze…”

He glanced over the top of the page. “Are you sure this is my mother’s diary or her old writing assignments?”

“Just read on,” Twilight urged.

“Alright,” he shrugged. “He told us all about a race of sprites whose magic could conquer the Smooze, the Flutter Ponies… oh shit...”

He trembled and swallowed, before scanning back and forth through the volumes.

“Lickety Split… dear little Spike… she’s such a silly pony that... Applejack!?”

He slumped back down beside Lyra, a horrific realization coming to his features.

“Okay, so there’s no denying it now… my family does have a history with this place.”

“Bingo!” Discord nodded. “And after I scanned through the diary, I went back to your mother’s old ranch and cross-referenced her accounts with the local thaumic field. And there was something there: an old tear between realities, scarred over through time, but still detectable.”

“Were you able to trace its other end?” Twilight asked.

“I was…”

Marcus gave a dry little laugh. “And I’m betting it didn’t even link up to the Tyrant’s little hellhole.”

“No,” Discord said solemnly. “Your mother came to ours.”

“Wait a gosh-darned minute!” Applejack exclaimed. “You mean, Marcus’ ma didn’t even defeat that Tirek then?!” A look of horror spread over her face as she realized what this could imply.

“Oh she did,” Discord waved a claw airily. “But evil never dies - it just lingers and bides its time.”

“Is that ‘the old sinner’ speaking again?” Dash queried.

“Indeed. And now, for what the good Colonel’s mother did years ago, Tirek appears to have declared open season on mankind, all for revenge on a wee slip of a girl who once slighted him.”

Silence reigned for a little while, broken only by the fizz and pop of logs in the hearth.

“Tirek is powerful, Marcus,” Discord said at length. “My mother defeated him, and he’s never forgiven the pony race. And then your mother did the same, so why should he have ever forgiven the human race? Honestly, I think all of this is his Grand Unified Revenge Spree - a way of getting back at both Equus and Earth at the same time.”

The gathered ponies shared a few silent conversations, thoughts and feelings communicated without words. Twilight herself felt like she had gotten punched right in the snout; judging from the looks on her friends’ faces, they were similarly shocked.

She finally found her voice. “So… let me get this straight. Tirek, an ancient evil that existed even before the princesses, is trying to outright destroy or corrupt ponykind and humanity all at once, as revenge against one human, who happens to be Marcus’ late mother, all because she defeated him in the past. And he’s corrupted the other Celestia and our counterparts to do his bidding and be his little catspaw. And after that, he will probably come after us, and any other life-bearing dimension, because the only way he can validate his own existence is by negating or enslaving anyone else who had the audacity to be born into the same multiverse as him?"

"That seems to be the gist of it," Marcus replied, managing a grim nod. In truth he was still trying to get over the fact that his mother, aunt and uncle had indeed visited Equus when they were children.

Twilight, on the other hoof (hand?), groaned as she tried to process this glut of information.

‘Yes,’ she processed to herself. ‘There’s been legends and myths of Dream Valley, but I’ve never really given it much thought… that kind of thing is more for fringe lunatics like, well, Lyra. Though given how everyone thought I was crazy over the whole Nightmare Moon thing, perhaps I was being more than a tad hypocritical...’

"So the only reason we haven’t gone down a similar road to our counterparts is because of Lyra’s decision to practice for the Canterlot Royal Orchestra tryouts?!” she concluded, earning a teary-eyed nod from the green unicorn.

“Yeah,” the mare on whose actions the fate of entire worlds had twisted. “So it was always my fault.”

“Umm, well…” Fluttershy interjected, "In Lyra’s defense, ah, the other Lyra that is. If that Bag was so powerful as to corrupt even Celestia, couldn’t it have also influenced her while it was in her possession?"

"Mademoiselle Fluttershy brings up a good point," Discord said thoughtfully, once again stroking a pencil-thin moustache. “Ze bag’s power is immense. I myself could not so much as put even a leeetle dent in it, even when under the guidance of my sainted mother. Naturellement, I was much younger and not quite aware of my powers full extent at the time. I would not be surprised if it merely nudged Lyra’s mind towards getting it into Celestia’s possession and then blanked itself from her mind.”

“Ha!” Marcus managed to chuckle. “It probably thought a ‘mere’ mortal unicorn was not worth its time.”

Lyra turned in anger, only to feel his hand once again resting on her mane.

“And for that short-sightedness, I am truly grateful,” he added quickly.

Rarity then asked, "But… if it did not think Lyra was worth its time, what about us? What about our counterparts?”

“Yeah!” concurred Dash. “How’d they end up getting corrupted by Tirek?”

“Because they never were,” Discord answered bluntly. “It’s actually… even worse than that. They have been effectively replaced.”

“Are they dead?” Fluttershy asked in terror.

“No…” Discord sighed. “Do you remember when we first met… how I brought out the worst parts of you all? Turned you against your best qualities by encouraging all those repressed bits of Id and Ego that you wish were not a part of you?“

The admission of wrongdoing seemed to pain him more than the mixture of glares and nods he got in response.

“And do you remember how much some of you enjoyed it, in the moment… to let that darkness out, to revel in a bit of cruelty, deception, selfishness…”

More nods, and some shuffled hooves and downcast eyes.

“Alright, well imagine that, but worse. Imagine every dark, twisted desire or impulse you’ve ever felt magnified and amplified...but unlike with me, there’s a voice in the back of your head screaming out that this is wrong. You’ve become a monster, and part of you loves it, and the rest of you is terrified, powerless, and forced to watch on…”

Despite the roaring fire, the room seemed to darken as Discord continued.

“The mares that you, sorry, they were, are alive, but they haven’t been in control of their own bodies for a long time. Queenie imprisoned each of them in their own minds, their bodies driven by puppets akin to mental homunculi, built from the dregs of the hosts’ soul to commit atrocities in Tirek’s name...”

He paused as if to deliver the punchline.

“And because of how this works, your counterparts are experiencing those horrors firsthand, and sharing in their possessors’ feelings. Visualise it - your hooves are doing something terrible against your will, and you can feel equal parts horror and glee.”

There was no gasp of shock or cry of anguish. Just a slow spread of terror and revulsion.

“So the real Elements are still alive in there?” Marcus asked, seeking clarification.

“Yes. They’re still conscious, still watching,” Discord said. “Believe me when I say this: you really do NOT want to know what they’ve seen. I only have memories from inside the other Twilight’s mind, and it was...”

For the first time in awhile, Discord actually looked sickened.

“It was almost too much. Please, never ask me what happened. All I will say is that now, the other Twilight wants nothing more than for someone to kill her; to end her suffering and that of everyone else in the same situation, including her mentor.”

“Too much information!” Pinkie gasped. “TMI! TMI!”

“Oh no, you don’t ever want to know what too much information would be,” Discord said.

“You just brought up that other Celestia, bub!” Applejack cut in, before rolling on into a question. “Well, wait here, Ah gotta ask this - why didn’t she do something about this bag then? It’s kinda… much, to blame everythin’ on the bag when she still used it. Why didn’t she recognize the darkness in it and get help?”

The look on Discord’s face slid into utterly grim seriousness, his eyes narrowed.

“Do not underestimate its powers, Applejack,” he growled. “That bag is the very essence of Tirek’s being, and I hope by now you’ve gotten some measure of his character. It likely latched itself onto her like a parasite as soon as it was within a foreleg’s reach of her… but the effect was probably more subtle, more tempting. It would have made it so that nopony would ever notice, or if she did it would help her convince herself she was imagining things, but it would have played on her doubts and insecurities, brought her darker qualities to the surface through promises of everything she wanted… a safe structured world, a paradise for her little ponies, and her little sister.”

He shook his head.

“Evil is at its worst when it plays love to its own end. By the time Celly would’ve otherwise sensed something was not right, it would have already been too late. She would have been enthralled. And possession magic like this erodes the victim’s identity away over time. Your counterparts might be able to distinguish between themselves and their tormentors despite their connections, but as for Celestia… well, I’m willing to bet there’s nothing left of her original self anymore. It’s whittled her best traits to nothing - a need for order without empathy and motherly love, commanding without concern for morality, desire to better her realm with no concern for what she has to do.”

“... Like with the totem-proles,” Marcus breathed. “I heard about the truth of those ‘things’ when I went back to Earth… and I still feel dirty.”

“Exactly!” Discord nodded, cutting off the confused expressions on the ponies before him with a quick, “Don’t ask. It would take too long to explain and you don’t want to know about those either.”

He sighed.

“And when Celestia is used up, or goes insane from the anguish and guilt and impales herself on the nearest convenient unicorn or blows herself up,” Discord continued soberly, “the bag will probably move on to another host. Some other ruler, some other victim. Quite possibly one of you here, but I suspect it’ll go for your Celestia. And it will never stop unless we stop it.”

“Alright, so he’s terrifying, evil, and a dang serpent o’ temptation,” Applejack said. She was shaking subtly, her fear evident. Then she straightened up, still unsteady on her hooves, but determined.

“But he ain’t invincible… your Mom beat him once, hero-boy here’s Momma whupped him twice, and hay, if my ol Ma’ was still around she’d take the brat across her knee for the third innin’. But since she and Pa’ ain’t here, Celestia rest their souls, then me and my loved ones will take him on!”

It was a glorious declaration, made with absolute honesty and conviction.

Then the farm-pony visibly wilted.

“I just ain’t rightly sure how though… how do we beat this worm?”

“I… I’m really not sure,” Lyra sighed sadly, her ears drooping down.

"Even if we fail, we’ll die knowing that we did everything we could to stop him," Marcus said stepping forward with a look determination.

A somber silence took hold of them before Pinkie Pie jumped in with a look of equal determination.

“No way, you negative ne-e-e-ighsayers!” she declared. “We will not fail or die! We’ll find something! Where there’s a will, there’s a way! We can’t let that meanie Tirek win!”

“She’s right!” Rainbow Dash agreed, rising to her own hooves, wings flared. “We can’t let this guy win! I don’t want me or anypony else to wind up brainwashed into a stupid tool. That’s worse than death, it’s failure… and from what I’ve been hearing about the other Equestria, it means the finish line for everyone, everywhere.”

“It won’t be easy,” Marcus said quietly, breaking Dash’s proclamation, drawing concerned attention to him. “Understand that a lot of people have died already, and a lot more are going to join them, even if we can stop this. Right now, at this very moment… someone’s probably dead from suicide, starvation, or worse, they’ve been ponified. Saving Earth doesn’t just mean stopping the Barrier, it demands that we go all-out D-Day, cross the borders and liberate Equus… and everyone in it. Zebras, ponies, griffons, whoever’s left, we’ll be going in for everyone’s sake, not just our own.”

“Everyone?” Twilight asked softly, stepping up and resting a hoof on his hand. There were unshed tears glistening in her eyes. “Does that include…”

“Everyone,” he said again. “Even her, if we can find a way… if there’s enough pieces left of her to be put back together again.”

“If… we could free them from the control of the bag…” Rarity mused, before turning towards Discord. “Answer me this, what would happen? What would happen if they all suddenly, woke up?”

“If possible, it’s quite likely that some of the most ‘indoctrinated’ might just try and kill themselves, be it from guilt, or an inability to accept what’s happened. According to a… rather disreputable soldier under Stephan’s command, your counterpart has already tried…”

Rarity winced at that, ears flicking back and tail hitching up like a startled cat’s.

"I think we should focus more on killing them, not saving these evil jerks," Rainbow Dash interjected, slamming her hooves together. "Don’t get me wrong, I would like to save them. But, I don’t think it’s very likely that we could calmly talk down monsters, which happily kill human foals."

“We could just blast them with the Elements and see if that does something,” Fluttershy said.

“We can’t rely on that,” Rarity disagreed. “Fabulous as the Elements are, they tend to work on their own inscrutable logic… hence why Marcus ended up here in the first place, need I remind you. Plus, they work best on individuals caught up in a moment of gloating - I’d rather not try and face down an army waiting for my necklace to charge up!”

“Well, barring Sailor Moon transformational time dilation, it’s easy to get her forces to gloat, but I don’t think it could work on that many,” Discord mused, twirling a lengthy pair of blonde pigtails he had suddenly sprouted. “As for how inscrutable their logic is, I agree completely! So much happened behind the scenes with Marcus getting here. Why, NONE of you have guessed yet how the glam-pals balanced the mass exchange! Ha!”

“... What was that?” Marcus began, before Pinkie cut him off and shunted that last train of thought straight into oblivion.

“Rarity and Discord are right! And I have literally no idea how the Elements work! Mine could shoot laughing gas for all I know! BEHOLD MY NOVOCAINE CANNON! BLAH!”

“Pinkie, the Element of Laughter does not shoot novocaine!”

“Then what does it do?” tossed back Lyra. “And how?”

“Well, it’s…” Twilight started.

“... You don’t know, do you?”

“... Actually, no. But either way, we can help!” Twilight said, jumping in, lifting her head up high with resolve. “I won’t lie, I still hate the idea of fighting and killing, but we have to do everything it takes to defeat Tirek.”

She flashed her friends a smile before turned to Marcus, continuing, “You’ve been fighting for years, and had little to show for it… besides nightmares and deaths. Whatever it takes, we’ll do it. We’re not going to sit this out. We promise to give it our all.”

“Right!” the rest of the Elements and Lyra all said in unison.

Marcus couldn’t help but crack a smile as he sat back in the couch.

“Hell’s gate arrested,” he murmured. “Shine Heaven now… thanks Twily. I don’t know how good you ponies are in a fight yet, but I don’t doubt you’ll give it your all. You’re truehearts down to the marrow, and I’m beginning to feel some faith in you.”

“Just some?” smirked Lyra, and he teasingly held his thumb and index finger slightly apart in response.

“Ah, a little.”

“Well that won’t stand!” Rarity, declaring, rising to a stand and magically tying her hair back into a functionally elegant bun. “Let’s get back to training, ladies. If Tirek really is as powerful as everyone says he is, then we need to match him, hoof for hoof, thread for thread! We have to make sure he pays for his crimes.”

“You heard the mare!” Pinkie Pie bounded up with equal determination. “Let’s go win one for the Gipper!”

As the seven mares left the room, Marcus turned to Discord, his relief replaced with a fresh glare.

“Another Lyra… the reality of that will be a lot harder for people on Earth to swallow.”

“Will you tell them?” Discord asked, his eyes trailing the seven mares as they practically rushed to the training field.

“I don’t know…” Marcus sighed, looking to the sky. “How can anyone, let alone myself, tell them that the mare around which Earth rallied is also the one indirectly to blame for everything that’s befallen us? There’s… there’s some people and ponies with that man from Crowe. Acevedo, I think his name is, and he says he wants to find where history changes between worlds. How do I handle that?”

“Ah, just dress it up with Tolkien's words,” Discord shrugged. “Even the smallest of beings can change the course of history. Lyra’s just unfortunate enough to have dug up the One Ring… and now she’s gonna go chuck it into Sauron’s flaming sphincter!”

“Is she?” Marcus rebutted, fresh concern etched into his face. “Should I even let her set foot on Earth?”

He leaned against the window frame, watching the ponies drilling under the last glow of the twilight sky.

“Earth’s old magic is waking up, Discord… it was enough to stop the Barrier’s advance, enough to feed the magic of every mare, foal and stallion who set foot on our soil, whatever side they fought for… billions of lives are tapped into that stirring magic field, and even if they can’t wield it directly, their emotions still affect it.”

Discord’s reflection loomed in the glass, hovering over his shoulder. Both of their mirror-images seemed to loom larger over the drilling mares, particularly the unicorn with the golden lyre on her flanks.

“She’s a martyr over there Discord; people sing songs about her, use her legacy as a call for resistance… there’s ponies now who swear in her name, and the Pope is facing a mass petition to canonize her as a saint! I’ve seen people praying to her already, asking the benevolent Lady Heartstrings to intercede with the Almighty on their behalf…”

“You’re worried about what will happen if she’s ever revealed to the public, aren’t you?”

“Yeah… I mean, Look at her as she is now. She’s lost, she’s confused… she might be Lyra, but she’s not my Lyra. She hasn’t negotiated with the royals and potentates of earth, she didn’t stop the Three Weeks of Blood, she hasn’t been a warrior or a diplomat or a scientist, she hasn’t saved starving children or become immersed in human culture, she hasn’t… she hasn’t been the Ambassador,” Marcus sighed.

“Do you think she can step up?”

“I think that if she tried, she’d fail,” Marcus said. “If I put even a tenth of the things our Lyra had to deal with on her, she’d crack. I’m sure of it.”

“Oh, get over yourself!” Discord replied, nutting Marcus between the eyes. Momentarily stunned, the PHL commander staggered back, tripped on a rollerskate that had not been there seconds earlier, and dropped onto a padded psychiatrist’s couch.

“I know how you feel, Marcus...” Discord said, sitting upright on a high-backed chair, scratching out notes on a pad, a neat pair of pince-nez glasses resting on the tip of his snout. “But if your concern is with how Lyra will be affected when she sets hoof on Earth, then you already know the solution.”

Marcus sighed and clenched his fists, unclenched them. He took a breath and held it for a long while, and then slowly exhaled.

“Yeah… the only way to protect this Lyra would be to destroy her counterpart’s reputation. Collapse that powerbase before it can ground itself in her.”

“Now is a horrible time…” Discord nodded sagely, wiping the lenses of the glasses with the tip of his goatee. “What’s one more sacrifice?”

“Luna will be upset by this,” Marcus pointed out as he rolled his neck, popping several annoying crinks. “She’s seen Earth’s dreamscape… she’s seen firsthand how humanity has adopted the memory of Lyra, and empowered it… they’ve turned her into a damn angel, a guardian demi-goddess, and now we’ve got to rip that away...”

“What’s the lesser of two evils? Rampant rumors and disorder around about your innocent friend, or possibly forcing her to take on the metaphysical burdens of an entire planet? And that’s assuming anything will happen when she sets hoof on Earth.”

Discord extended a hand to help Marcus up, and dissipated the couch with a snap of his fingers.

“Either way, the decision is yours. Break the truth, or hide it under a bushel. And then you’ll just have to hope everyone understands the choice you make.”

“Yeah… great. Because humans are such understanding creatures,” Marcus scowled as he stormed away.

Baltimare

Under the cover of darkness, one pegasus with a blue-grey coat and a deep brown mane and tail neatly trimmed for his position, and a bat-winged thestral stared down at 91C Bockscar Ave from the roof of a brownstone across the street. The residence of a mare named Catseye. One of the two leaned against a chimney flue as they waited in silence, a rather bored expression on her face.

“Well, that’s troublesome,” the male pegasus muttered as he watched a lone stallion approach the apartment’s door.

“What is it, Gale?” his partner asked, yawning as she stretched her wings open. “Catseye added the wrong dye to her coat again?”

“No, Serene,” he muttered, and stepped aside so that she could join him on the edge. “Take a look.”

Her slitted eyes glimmering like gimlets in the moonlight, the sleek batpony trotted up alongside him and cast her attention on a familiar figure who was now rapping on Catseye’s door. A familiar ex-guardspony.

“Well great, Icewind is back,” Serene said, with the tone one normally reserved for day-old chewing gum that somepony couldn’t get off their forehooves.

“Yes… yes he is…” Gale nodded, making a mark in his log as the door was opened to admit Icewind into the apartment. “That makes it five evenings in a row… so either those two have either established a tryst, or they’re plotting something.”

“Not sure what disgusts me more…”

“What do your ears tell you?”

Serene’s large, slightly tufted ears waggled subtly in the still evening air, and she frowned.

“Well, they’re definitely not slapping flanks in there… if you’d let me go down to the window over the basement I’d be able to get a better bead… I can hear them descending the stairs down under street level, but then it gets too hazy to make out.”

“No go,” Gale said, shaking his head. “Some of our little mare’s new friends went through the guards’ advanced espionage and cryptology training course. Even if they’ve not muffled their conversations, there’s no telling what kind of protective wards they’ve set up immediately around the basement.”

Serene exhaled. The release of air eased into a long, drawn-out sigh as she rubbed at her forehead with one hoof. “Seriously, why can’t we just arrest this speciesist nutcase? I’ve seen her tracts against hybrids, the little hypocrite, and she lumps thestrals in there with all the other...”

She trailed off, seeing her commanding officer shooting a stern glare in her direction.

“You know why,” Gale replied, “We are under direct orders to–”

“Yes! I know,” Serene replied, flaring her wings for emphasis. “But we’ve now got clear evidence of her associating with Icewind, a damn swordmaster and all-around sly bastard, who need I remind you is also on P. Luna’s watch-list!”

“I know–” Gale replied, growing annoyance showing as he gritted his teeth.

“That’s the main criteria set in our brief,” she continued, talking right over him. “She said to take action if they showed signs of collusion or sedition. Well, know we’ve got proof that the two are in cahoots, and it’s even more damning if you factor in the speeches Icewind’s been making in the local tavern-cellars. He’s training himself up, Gale… honing his rhetoric and fear-mongering, getting more support for this crazy crusade from one thing Equestria’s never been short on: the gullible and easily frightened!”

“Serene, calm down,” Gale hissed. “We can’t just go around abusing our power out of paranoia. If we did that, we’d be one step closer towards becoming the Empire we’re meant to be fighting. So far these two have not broken any laws… swoop in now before we have just cause and we just give them a platform and a spot in the limelight. What we need is the public’s genuine support when we make an arrest. Act now, and we just give their little circle a pair of martyrs”

“So you’re just going to wait? The Princess is just going to wait until these guys actually go and do something dumb… oh that’s just genius! Never mind the damage they could do to the war effort! What if they get somepony or somehuman killed?!”

As she worked up, her words became a little more sibilant, the ‘esses’ elongating into hisses. Her eyes flared gold subtly, and she began to trot back and forth across the roof to burn off visible frustration.

“As I said, that would bring us one step closer to becoming our enemy.”

"But we won’t become them! We’d be stopping that transformation DEAD!"

“Calm yourself Serene!” he ordered softly, putting more than a little steel in his words. With some effort, the thestral mare stopped her pacing and stilled herself.

"Yes, I get it, Gale, I understand that we must not become the enemy,” she admitted, words drawn down almost into a subsonic whisper. “But I’m worried, and I know you are too. I’ve read Catseye’s published works, I’ve seen her demand the death of an entire species just for existing… denouncing multiculturalism, calling it ‘pollution’ and the ‘dilution’ of Equestria… and the both of us have seen how closely she practices what she preaches. She hates herself, and channels that into a slew of one-sided ‘drivel’... reading it is like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. I can see her coming off the rails and taking out an entire crowd of innocents as she does.”

“Yes, Serene, I’ve read them too - the tracts against interspecies marriage and how all humans - and by extension, the griffons, minotaurs and zebras - are savages, and ponies are perfect… I don’t think there’s anyone she doesn’t offend.”

She gave a short cackle of laughter.

“Yet, we had ponies like King Sombra galloping around and enslaving everypony. And Nightmare Moon, who wanted to freeze everyone to death, or starve them under sunless skies. And we can all safely say we know at least one jerk in our everyday lives. Hey, I could name three dozen stupid fillies who thought my eyes, my ears, and my wings gave them the right to bully me!”

She bit himself off and pawed at the surface of the roof, waiting for his reply. When Gale did speak again, his previous growl had disappeared into almost inequine calm.

“Trust me, I’d love to just cut this off at the hoof - love to save everypony and everyhuman a whole lot of trouble! And I’d especially love to rip that Tyrant a new one for how she broke up my family!”

“... What?” Serene asked.

“I found out some stuff about my counterpart and his family. The first time I heard it, I… I cried. Took a leave to visit my family,” Gale began to explain.

He wiped at his eyes for a second, and to Gale’s surprise she realised he was holding back tears. He suppressed a shiver, and forced himself to carry on talking in that terrifyingly calm voice.

“Captain Armor took me aside one day. He said that there some of us had received… letters, from friends and family of our counterparts, relayed through the Barrier…”

“Were you one of them?”

“Yeah. It seems that my… no, the other Gale’s family had fled Equestria when that… bitch of a Tyrant put the entire Guard under that geis.”

A tiny sob burst through his forced veil of composure, and Serene did not hesitate to come to his side and rest a comforting wing over his shoulders as he continued to choke up.

“It’s been hard, you know? Not just hearing about what happened to my Aquamarine and Comet’s counterparts… but trying to imagine it, imagine how my counterpart could have possibly tried to hurt them when they doubted the Empire… they made him into a machine, Serene… and then ordered him to kill humanity’s children and push his family away…”

“She’ll pay for it, Gale,” she consoled. “I promise we’ll make all those killers pay.”

“All the killers?” he laughed brokenly. “My own wife and daughter have been forced to fight and kill! Aqua is one of the nicest mares you’d ever meet, and my adorable little Comet wouldn’t hurt a fly, and now, in the other world, she’s a soldier! Her and her old school friends are out there, fighting for their lives, maybe even against each other, and I can’t do anything about it!”

He waved a hoof out into the night, and seemed to crumple.

“I don’t care how well she may do on the battlefield… she’s just a child, and that is just wrong. You don’t know what I’d give, to travel to this Earth, or that other Equestria, give them both a hug, and beat this ‘Tyrant’ to smears on the floor for what she put them through, Serene. I want to end her with my own hooves, to dance on her corpse and spit on her grave!”

To Serene’s credit, she did not flinch. Instead she just hugged him tighter with her wing, one old friend to another. He smiled in gratitude.

“But I’ll be damned, Serene… I’d rather be damned to Tartarus than turn those two idiots into martyrs! I’d rather die than give their bigoted little group of xenophobes even an inch of credibility!”

To say Gale was furious would have been a grave understatement. Sighing, Selene withdraw her wing and lightly bumped him, jolting him back to an upright posture.

“Alright, Gale,” she conded. “We’ll keep watch and report. But if they do anything, like hurt anypo-anybody, then we don’t hesitate to strike, and strike hard.”

Wiping away the last of his tears, the pegasus stallion went back to keeping watch.

“Trust me Serene, if these jokers act up, we’ll take them down hard. I’m just concerned… I’d rather let them have enough rope to hang themselves with. And the longer we monitor them, the more of their circle we can identify…”

He paused as the apartment door suddenly opened, and Icewind emerged, shielded against the chill by an overcoat.

“But what concerns me most is Icewind. I know that colt… he was on the fast track to the academy… officer material. A potential leader of ponies, and with more than a few friends in high places… follow him, see where he goes.”

Serene nodded, and with a leathery flap of her wings she disappeared into the night, whisper-quiet.

Alone with his thoughts, Gale mused to himself as he watched Icewind trot obliviously away.

‘Serene’s a hothead...’ he admitted. ‘And yet she’s right. I’ve no more desire to wait anymore than she does, but orders are orders. She and all the other officers on this assignment will follow the Moon Princess’s instructions to the letter, and the moment Catseye, Icewind, or any of their ilk steps out of line, we’ll jump on them all.’

Darkly, he hoped they would resist arrest. And then, true to the father and husband he was, he would show no quarter to this enemy.

He’d make sure that his family would not suffer the same fate as their side-slipped counterparts.

And yet, even as that vow to himself simmered in his mind, his eyes and thoughts turned back towards Icewind, who was just about out of his line of sight. There as a disturbingly jaunty bounce to his gait, a cockiness that hinted at worrisome possibilities.

‘He’s smart, sure of himself, and charismatic… what if he convinces some reactionary, pompous twit in the aristocracy to fund this little charade?’

More worryingly, what if he already had?

Oh Celestia, Gale pleaded, Please don’t let this get too far out of hoof for us to stop it!

Two weeks later

"Marcus!" Stephan called out as the man walked out of the castle, a frown on his face. They had just finished discussing the idea of opening up a gallery for the rest of Equus to see the truth of Earth, and all the facets of mankind’s character and struggles. "Wait up."

"What’s up?" Marcus asked as the other soldier jogged up.

"I should be asking you that." Stephan walked up to him, his eyes roaming over him like a mother hen concerned for her chick.

"Sorry, Mom." Marcus rolled his eyes, but grinned all the same.

"How are things on your end?" Stephan asked, getting a dry laugh in response.

"Going great, and at the same time shitty as all fuck."

Marcus reached down and picked up a brick, casually tossing it up and down, before with a quick heave he fired it into the air. It shot off like a rocket and vanished from sight.

“Don’t worry,” he said before Stephan could protest. “It won’t hit anyone. Luna says the last object I threw hit escape velocity and went into orbit. If it ever falls back to Earth, sorry - Equus, then it’ll burn up on the way down...”

He looked down and flexed his arms.

“I’m superhuman now, Stephan, but… I just feel like I’m gonna break something every time I even take a step. I leave footprints in rocks, I splinter trees when I run at them…”

Stephan frowned. While being a walking tank in a world of cardboard sounded cool, he knew two things from experience about Marcus’ power. First of all, it had no off switch. Second, he wasn’t able to restrain those powers… yet. In time, he would, and beat Queen Celestia to the point that he was just pounding wet bone into the blood-soaked earth, but for now…

For now, he was still getting used to said powers.

“It’s just… I can’t explain it, but it terrifies me that I’ll break anything I touch,” Marcus sighed with bitterness. “I’ve gone through so many sets of clothes, I’ve crushed the handguard of my favorite 1911, and there’s no weird, arbitrary rule that keeps me from breaking people by accident either.”

Stephan looked at him solemnly. Many was the one that had wanted superpowers, to become strong enough to beat the shit out of Celestia. It was probably why PHL R&D and soldiers were so eager to enhance weaponry or take up exotic weaponry, come to think of it.

Ex-HLF, especially Kraber, had certainly gone for the biggest guns, and so the 'wunderwaffen' or 'woo-wah' departments had flourished, Sebastian Irving seemed to try and make a WMD every other week, while every Equestrian expat in the PHL trained relentlessly in obscure disciplines of the magic of their races or other races.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve noticed noticed plenty of earth ponies trying to learn zebra magic. Hrm...has Trixie ever attempted a zebra morph? New skills to learn, new abilities to master...and those stripes would look amazing on her...and imagine how flexible she’d be!’

His inner fantasies aside, it all reflected the same desperate hope. A wish for something, anything new that could be used to defeat the Empire. The hunt for that ‘magic bullet’ had left no stone unturned, every possible resource imaginable exploited to turn the tides of war in Earth’s favor.

And Marcus had gotten those wishes. And he was, well… he was Superman. Or more accurately, the Plutonian.

“Look on the bright side,” Stephan said, the bright side of his own brushes with magic tingling in the back of his mind. “Actually… there’s a couple. First, you get to use this against Queen Celestia.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. A thoughtful smile crept across his face. “Noted.”

“Secondly,” Stephan pointed out, a slight curve on his lips. “Cheerilee has runic tattoos too. Who’s to say the same won’t happen to her? Then you’d have a counterpart, an equal to train against and learn with...”

Marcus open his mouth, before falling silent. "Ascension..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Marcus waved him off. "I’ve got more training to do, so that I don't accidentally destroy a whole city everytime I sneeze."

"Wait," Stephan gripped the other man’s shoulder, only to feel like his arm was about to be yanked out of its socket as Marcus turned to face him. “Ah!”

"What?"

"Half of the PHL troops belong to the EU, but the other half falls under you." Stephan explained, rubbing his shoulder to numb the sharp pain. "You walking out on them-"

"I didn't walk out on them." Marcus said sharply, his eyes filled with anger at the thought of such a thing.

"Tell that to them. They look up to you to lead them, not me. You’ve been with them through thick and thin, they spent fourteen agonising hours not knowing whether you were dead or ponified, only to see you back from the dead… and then you go on a mysterious mission with the alicorns, and come back rather distant. Even if you are superhuman... If I were them, I’d be a bit tetchy. If we’re not careful, we’ll have a few Icewinds of our own...”

“I told them the reason why; I can’t be around people…” Marcus whispered, his hand tightening in frustration. “You know how I am; hand shaking, back slapping, a big whooping idiot. If I did that now… Hell, I slapped a tree and I cut it in half.”

Stephan remained silent, watching as the Marine beat himself up for a long moment. At last Marcus finally sighed and looked towards him.

“Tell them I will be back on Saturday, maybe we’ll have a game of football at the MetLife stadium.”

“How about you tell them yourself?” Stephan suggested. “Let them see you punt a ball at the moon from centerfield?”

“No… Not yet. I think I’m on to something, but I want to be sure…” Marcus said with a smile, not quite reaching his eyes.

Stephan shook his head, but smiled anyways, “I’ll be sure to set up carbon-fiber goalie nets.”

“I said football.” Marcus gave him a deadpan stare. “Not soccer.”

“That is football,” Stephan said, walking away with a smile on his face. “Besides, ponies like football.”

“Bullshit! Their main pastime is Hoofball!” Marcus cried out, mockingly waving his arm in defiance.

“It’s pretty much the same thing!”

And with that they’d parted ways. Stephan back off to the training grounds, and Marcus back into his thoughts, brooding over the nature of his transformation...and one question in particular.

“Am I now immortal?”

Scribe monitored the area around the bed, watching as the crystal machines worked over the sleeping Celestia.

“Heart monitor displays no change, vitals display no change, soul mending is proceeding at an acceptable pace,” she said aloud, to no one in particular, face passive as she watched on…

~crackle~

...only to quickly to turn to look at something else, an unseen presence that lurked near Celestia’s headrest and pillows.

“Harmonic convergence detected! Establishing IFF procee-”

“Zero Protocol.”

Scribe froze, her image flickering as she spoke. “Voice recognition established. Code accepted, how may I help you today Miss Faust?”

“Stand by for update of software suite.”

“Standing by.” Scribe answered, a solid golden light filtering into the crystal computer, “New software downloading, establishing routine, executing, installing, modifying existing hardware as platform for new programs.”

“Execute Program 1.”

“Executing…complete. Newly recalculated time for soul mending: 2 months, 17 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes, 22 seconds, 21 seconds, 20 seconds.” Scribe monotoned.

“Execute Program 2.”

“Executing…” An image popped up, showing Celestia as she slept, two large crystals slowly floated beside her. “Marking redemptor on sol púerum. Start.”

Celestia twitched as the large crystals broke apart, small particles of gemdust drifting down and embedded themselves across her body in a similar pattern found on Marcus. Despite a gritting of the teeth and subtle skein of sweat on her brow, Celestia continued to sleep, for the spells keeping her under were powerful enough to mute almost all pain short of agony.

“I’m sorry Celestia. But I can’t take the chance of Tirek succeeding. Scribe, purge the last twenty minutes from your logbanks, accept program three to your logbanks.”

“Yes Miss Faust. Deletion will begin in five minutes. Anything else Miss Faust?” For a long moment, she didn’t say anything until finally she asked.

“Show me the Elements.”

Scribe complied, projecting a visual of the Element Bearers (plus one) running around the track. Warlord Darkhoof and Stephan were visible, quietly conversing in the distance. All of the Bearers, plus Lyra, were clearly working hard in improving themselves.

““Show me Marcus Renee.”

The image shifted, showing the human male’s growing frustration as he punched into the side of a cliff, powdered stone and rubble falling around before he finally leapt away, only to plow straight through several trees as he botched the landing.

“Show me… Discord.”

The image of the draconequus appeared, wadding heavy dough in claw before throwing it up high in the air. Many humans and ponies, including Luna herself, watched in awe as Discord, singing in full voice, caught the spinning pizza dough and tossed it up once more. Then he faltered and looked straight into frame, as if seeing through to the other side, only for the formerly airborne yeast to splat on his head, triggering laughter throughout the pizzeria.

"I know Tirek, he will have something ready for them. He will cheat his way to victory if force won’t work. I will not let that happen. Besides... If Tirek can cheat... why can't I?"

“Deletion complete in ten second, Miss Faust.”

“Take care of your sisters, Discord. It is up to all of you to stop him. If we fail… nothing will stop him in his quest of destruction.”

“Deletion in ten, nine, eight.”

“Thank you Scribe. As always, you’re a wonderful caretaker to my children.”

“I love them dearly Ms. Faust, as much as I can.”

”And I treasure you for it.”

Two, one, zero.

Scribe flashed into monochrome for a second, before her image flickered and returned to normal. Out of sudden concern, she gently reached towards Celestia, and then caught herself.

“Chrono desync…”

She tilted her head, something akin to confusion on her face as she looked at the timer.

“Reviewing log… Correction noted and proceeding as planned.”

Everything was as it should be.

Catseye walked beside Icewind as they made their way to the tavern outside of Baltimare, her thoughts plagued with the dreams she has been receiving…

No. Not dreams, visions.

A call from ‘Queen’ Celestia herself, pleading to Catseye about stopping ‘her’ Equestria from aiding the humans.

It had been quite the surprise. She’d been stunned, terrified, even.

“My dear Catseye…”

“Princess? What are you–” Catseye blushed brightly as the stallion of her dreams vanished in a puff of smoke.

“I am not ‘your’ Princess. I am Queen Celestia, rightful ruler of Equus and sadly, the poorly misunderstood savior of humanity,” the familiar figure said.

“Why not ‘Princess’?” Catseye asked.

“Simply put, it is more proper. I am the ruler of a united Equus now, after all.”

“...This dream got really weird.”

“This is no dream, my dear Catseye. Well, I suppose that it is a dream, but framed by a rather complex spell that I created to contact you via the dreamscape,” the Queen said, putting a hoof to her chin before giving her a warm smile. “I have information of the other world that even you can not even dream of. Those machines you have seen pale in comparison to what they have made.”

A city, bigger than anything she had ever seen, flashed into view.

“See for yourself the truth of humankind…”

It was night, and yet the nightmarish place she was standing in shone as if it was midday, lights from windows and street lamps blazing in defiance of the night sky. What she could see looked like the darkest, foulest pits of every Hoofington factory rolled into one, black smoke pouring into the air. Ugly contraptions sped by. The few trees within view were stunted and sickly, everything leaked brown muck, there was dirt everywhere.

Queen Celestia led her down an alleyway, cluttered with so much litter that Catseye could barely walk without touching something. Wrappers, styrofoam, bits of paper…

Until they came to a small courtyard, choked with weeds, cans littered all about…

“Please stop!” somepony screamed.

“W-what is this?!” Catseye asked, eyes widening with horror at the sight of some humans laughing as they stomped on an earth pony mare’s legs, taking perverse pleasure in her cries of pain. One carried had what looked like a hand held camera of some kind, recording their awful deeds as they tortured this poor mare. There were no words to describe this depravity.

The poor mare had a yellow coat, and a red bob haircut. Her cutie mark was of a blue medical kit with a green cross in the center.

She was crying, screaming for mercy, and yet, no-one came.

“Wait till we get to Defiance, you whore!” a male snarled at her. “We’re gonna show those horsefucking traitors an example. It’s not gonna be so comfortable there… just wait till Kraber gets his fingers in you.”

“Say, where the hell is Kraber?” a female asked.

“He’s been missing since the raid on the Sorghum. Either way, I know that right now, he’s making plans to rip you apart bit by bit….”

“NO! PLEASE! SOMEBODY, ANYONE! HELP!* ”*

“They don’t care about you!” the male yelled at her. “Right now, as you are… you’re useless. The PHL don’t care about you, as long as they can use you! No human… no true human… could ever collaborate with you goddamn invaders like that!”

“You are a clever mare, Catseye. You knew the truth about the humans before everyone else. You have seen what they truly were, and what they represent; stripped away tales of their evil deeds and machines, passed down through the generations of your world, and exposed the truth. You rightly despised them for being brutes, that were too different from any other beings of Equus, incapable of Harmony. So… monstrous.”

The Queen stood up straight, adopting a noble bearing.

“I wanted to save them, but they refused my call. So now they guide your world against my own, calling upon enemies of Equestria to aid the humans. But I want you to stop them.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Well, you do have a talented soldier by your side?” Queen Celestia smiled, nuzzling her head. “Use him to his fullest. Do this, and once I cast away the weakling that dares to share my name, and my traitorous sister, I will give you what you always wanted…”

“What… I always wanted?” Catseye asked, her heart beating so fast it felt like it would burst. In the alley’s filthy puddles her reflection was replaced with her ‘true’ self, a change which then imposed itself upon her actual form.

‘Don’t look at me!’ she wanted to scream, standing there naked In all her mongrel glory.  But instead she curled into a small ball, frozen in fear and begin to whimper. But then, the image was replaced with how she looked when she had dyed her coat, but more natural, without any roots showing through...

“To be perfect. To be a pure and perfect pony. Not this half existence you suffer now, stained by the blood of those savage primitives,” Queen Celestia replied, gently helped her back onto her feet. “All you need to do is open your nation’s eyes and show them the truth. Do not waste time, my little pony. The fate of your world hangs in the balance, for the brutes will turn against your fellow equines. The ponies might refuse to see reason initially, but they will be grateful to you in the long run.”

Catseye felt like she was walking on air; she was so excited now! Bowing low before the Queen, she whispered “I swear to you, my glorious Queen, I shall not fail you! Just… I have one question.”

“Yes, my little pony?”

“What was I like in your world?”

“You were beautiful,” Queen Celestia said, nuzzling her. Her fur felt strangely cold, however. The first thought, oddly enough, that came to Catseye’s mind was that of a bright sun on a day with below-zero temperatures. “You led the Ponification for Earth’s Rebirth, founding it alongside a wise and compassionate human that also saw the light. You… you accomplished so much for an ordinary pony, that it amazed even me. Your influence is felt in the world to this day, and millions, perhaps even a billion were ponified thanks to you.”

“I went from a fringe historian to… a hero?” Catseye gasped.

“Yes. And you have the seeds of that destiny within you still. You can be brave and beautiful like that once more, I know it.”

“Miss Catseye, we’re here,” Icewind’s voice shook her out of her contemplations, causing her to blush when she noticed how close he was standing to her. She looked up to his face, and the warm smile on his face, a simple expression of care directed at her and her alone, caused her heart to race.

“Oh… thank you...” she stammered out, thoughts racing through her mind.

None of it good.

‘Oh! I… he is very handsome, and best of all... he believes me! He trusts me! No! Wait! Bad Cat! You can’t get close to anypony. If he ever finds out… if he finds out that I am not a true pony, but a mongrel… just… keep him at a distance.’

“Come on, then, Mr. Icewind. Forward!” Catseye proclaimed, holding her head up high, like all the Canterlot snobs on campus did on.

Icewind smirked as he followed, only to pause a moment to look behind them. His eyes narrowed as he watched the road, looking for any ponies that could have trailed after them.

“Icewind?” she called, noticing his hesitation.

“Just making sure we’re not being tailed, Miss Catseye,” he replied with another beaming smile, before quickly trotting back to her side as they entered the agreed-upon meeting spot, a Baltimare tavern.

The interior was like that of any decently-sized bar, just far enough out of town to draw in the dockworkers and factory hooves rather than the socialites and desk-jockeys – a raised ceiling with a cheap wooden chandelier suspended from it, beneath which tables and chairs drew as close as possible to a stone hearth on which a kettle was merrily boiling away. To one side was a counter, the barmare’s own private kingdom from where she watched over the precious barrels of liquid refreshment brought up from the storage cellar.

What the common room was oddly devoid of though, were any ponies other than the barmare. Glancing to the counter, Catseye saw her inspecting a large ruby gem. An empty mug of cider sat abandoned on the bartop.

“Miss Catseye,” Icewind said softly, “before we head to the cellar, I’d like you to meet somepony upstairs. A friend from my days at the Palace, who has, let’s say, made a valuable contribution to our cause.”

‘A friend from the Palace?’ Catseye wondered with sudden unease as she followed him up the red oak staircase. He stopped to knock at the door of one of the guestrooms, which creaked open as if by magic. A unicorn, then.

Stepping inside, she saw it was a cosy enough room, yet small and poorly-lit The bed was occupied by a unicorn filly with a carnation-colored coat and a thulian mane, tucked in and sleeping soundly.

“Please, keep your voices down. Don’t disturb the child.”

Both of the adults looked up to see who’d spoken. To Catseye’s surprise, the pony in question, seated on a chair between the bed and the window, wore a cloak. She hadn’t worried about conspicuousness when Icewind and his friends had turned up on her doorstep dressed in such a fashion. While wearing cloaks was uncommon in Equestria, the practice did enjoy a certain popularity amongst respectable figures such as philosophers, entertainers and travelling pedagogues.

But a lone pony hiding under a cloak was either an exotic herbalist, a wicked sorcerer or a drunk college student.

“Dr. Catseye,” the hooded mare said, sitting up to greet them and extending a white forehoof, “I have looked forward to this encounter. Master Icewind speaks highly of you.”

Although quietly pleased by the comment, Catseye felt somewhat wary as she shook hooves with the stranger. The mare’s tone was polite enough, but there was something about her – aside from how she kept her face and cutie mark concealed – which instantly put the mis-anthropologist on edge. She had a youthful voice, certainly not the rasp of a stooped olden crone, but it sounded weary and careworn. Was the deliberate, slightly formal way she pronounced her words that rubbed her the wrong way. Was this mare from Canterlot?

“And you are–” she asked.

“Call me Weaver.”

Yes, there was no mistaking the accent of the Canterlot elite. And while the capital’s politics weren’t of great interest to Catseye, she knew there was no aristocratic family that went by the oh-so-common name of ‘Weaver’.

“Icewind,” she said, “May I talk to you for a second?”

Without bothering to excuse herself to the hooded mare, she pulled him aside to a corner of the room.

“What is this? You never told me there’d be a noble meeting with us.”

“Miss,” he said calmly, “we’re all nothing but ponies at this meeting. Class doesn’t come into it. Besides, Weaver herself won’t be attending.”

“Why won’t she show her face? Does she think she’s too good for the rest of us?”

“She has her reasons. But you have my word, just as I have hers, that she’ll show it to you before the evening’s out. Everypony that will be attending has already been introduced to her. You’re the only one left, the last to make her acquaintance.”

I don’t like this one cotton-picking bit, Catseye thought. But Icewind seemed to think this stranger was on the level, and he hadn’t let her down so far. As long as ‘Weaver’ stayed upstairs, out of sight and out of mind, her involvement would be tolerable.

“Alright, I’ll trust your word on this.”

“I’d hope so, Miss Cat. We couldn’t accomplish half of what we’ve got planned without her help.”

‘I owe you a lot, my grey stallion, but it’s foolish to place our fate in the hooves of a noble’, she thought as they walked back to Weaver. ’Nobles never give without expecting something back in return.

“M’lady,” Icewind said, bowing slightly. “Doctor Catseye has requested that I officially welcome you into our circle.”

“I thank you, doctor. I am glad that you’ll have me.”

‘So he’s acting as my footstallion now? Hm, smart move, actually. Lends me a sense of status and keeps me at a formal distance from the stuck-up toff… I’ll show her that just because I’m not of ‘high’ blood doesn’t mean I’m worthless. Aristocrats, bah. another benighted stain on the canvas of ponykind…’

Weaver levitated a silver hot-water jug out from the folds of her cloak, held within a convection-nullifying aura. A fancy unicorn trick for instant hot coffee. Catseye noted that the noblemare’s magical aura was rose-pink in coloration. Idly, she wondered if ‘Weaver’ wore a hood and cloak to sneak her own drinks in under the barmare’s nose.

The mare seemed to read her thoughts, for she turned to Icewind and said, “Quite a pleasant establishment to which you’ve invited me, my friend, but I fear they do not serve beverages as suit my needs…”

“Different people got different needs. A working pony wants lots of rest and refreshment after a long day’s work, m’la– Weaver.”

“Physical labor and earning one’s daily crust are not concepts I am intimately familiar with, I fear,” sighed Weaver, pouring a generous amount of steaming liquid into a silver cup. Catseye was surprised to hear sadness in her voice. “May I offer you some coffee, doctor?”

’No give without take. Always demanding something in return.’

“No, thank you,” she answered, struggling to not let her hostility creep into her words.

“As you wish,” Weaver nodded. “But there is something else I can offer you. Take this, please”

She levitated out a small marble on a loop of string. Peering closer as she took the gift, the historian saw it was a cat’s eye marble.

“This charm is imbibed with a series of clever little spells, which I advise you to use if tonight’s meeting gets out of hoof. Just apply a little of your magic, and it will emit a soothing glow that should calm any excited spirits.”

“Thanks,” Catseye said stiffly, slipping the marble around her neck, Icewind accepting one of his own with a quiet nod. “I think.”

The historian’s mind whirled as they headed back downstairs. What was this unknown noblemare, what was in this for her? Had Icewind invited other ponies that she knew nothing about?

Yet there was no time to reflect. Before she knew it, they’d reached the tavern’s drinking cellar.

Crammed into the yellow-lit, low-ceilinged underground space was an eclectic crowd of ponies, numbering three score or more, sitting in groups of roughly six around each of the neatly-aligned square tables. Casting her eyes over the gathering, Catseye understood half to be the former mares and stallions of the Guard who quit alongside Icewind, but the rest were less easy to categorise. They were a mix of what she assumed to be student revolutionaries (always eager to transform the world), working ponies concerned by the recent upheavals, and a few elders who remembered a ‘simpler, happier Equestria’. Young and old, excited and brooding, the impulsive youths and the parents who wanted their own children to have a secure future – those were the ponies gathered here.

And all of them, she saw, wore an identical cats-eye marble as the one now resting around her neck.

Everypony glanced in her and Icewind’s direction as the two of them entered, but nopony moved to greet them. Never socially adept, Catseye had asked Icewind to ensure she could get onstage without any hassle. Sure enough, a few particularly intimidating ex-guardsponies had been positioned around the stage, demarking a cordon that the crowd should not cross, for which she was grateful. She needed a clear head now, not the strain of being forced into contact with ponies who did not understand her, who's judging eyes would see past her dyes and disguises…

‘No!’ she scolded herself. ‘You’re not that thing anymore, you’re a perfect pony in all but appearance, and blessed by the Highest Herself. Be brave girl, you can do this...’

It was an auspicious beginning that her wishes had been respected thus far, and she took strength from that. Another warm grin from Icewind lent her further courage.

Icewind himself moved to sit at a vacant seat next to a worried-looking Earth mare with a bunch of grapes and berries for a cutie mark. Interestingly, she was nervously sipping from a mere thimble of berry juice, and casting tense glances at various ponies slugging back tankards of hard cider. Ascending the steps to the stage, Catseye saw him frown across the table at the plum-coloured mare.

“Miss Punch, I saw ‘little Pinch’ asleep upstairs…” he hissed. “You know how we feel about bringing your daughter to a tavern after hours, especially with your arrest record…”

“I know, Sergeant,” ‘Miss Punch’ replied, her eyes darting around nervously. “I felt like a vessel was going to burst in my brains, just setting hoof in a place like this again.”

She clutched the thimble to herself as if it was a warding totem.

“Normally I’d leave Ruby at my sister’s, but… Ponyville doesn’t feel safe anymore, y’know? Like, not safe at all. M’lady was so kind to step in…”

‘That there is an anxious mother,’ thought Catseye. ‘And yet she leaves her daughter in the care of a hooded baroness?’

She immediately decided she didn’t like this pony very much, but before she could carry that train of thought any further, she realised that the room had fallen silent...

...and that everypony was looking at her. Judging her. Like they always did.

‘No, Cat,’ she told herself again. ‘Relax… Imagine you’re back at Canterlot University, and this is a lecture hall… the same halls that rarely held more than a dozen students. Only now, you’re speaking in Celestia’s name. And you’re on her evil sister’s hitlist. And one slip could doom these ponies, not to mention your chance to be a beautiful unicorn. But hey, no pressure, right?’

“Ahem. Good evening, everypony.”

That was a start. Now, time to play by ear.

“You all know why you’re here, but I’ll say it again, in my own words, just so we’re clear about what’s at stake. A few weeks ago, the town of Ponyville came under attack. Well… that isn’t anything new, as I’m sure you’ll agree. Ponyville attracts trouble like a zebra attracts flies…”

A few laughs. Good, that was very good.

“But this time, was different” she continued. “The aggressor wasn’t from Equus, or this realm at all. It was a being we all told ourselves didn’t exist, except in myth and our darkest nightmares. A creature known as a ‘human’.”

‘Still good, still good… Not sure it quite gets the depth of my feelings across, though. Then again, keep it simple, keep it short, I guess.’

“Princess Celestia and the Guards eventually arrived to subdue this menace, but within minutes she she was seen to flee– fly away from the scene. Once again, Equestria faced a threat so great, not even our beloved monarch could stand against it alone…”

A few rumbling mutters rolled around the cider-cellar, and she stomped a hoof, not only to call for silence, but to lend emphasis to her words.

“THAT was when the Element Bearers, the six ponies who adorn the stained-glass windows of Canterlot, should have saved the day. They were all present and armed, Equestria’s Harmony arrayed in full against a clear and present foe. But did they destroy this danger? Did they cast the beast down into Tartarus? NO!”

A touch of a scream had crept into her voice, and with a thrill she saw rapt faces and wide eyes fixated on them. She was winning them over, yes, she could do this!

“Within days of that encounter, Canterlot’s halls began to fill with outsiders, first the lesser races and the mongrels, the griffons and zebras and other animals. Then the monsters, the dragons and changelings… and finally, more humans.”

‘Should I tell them all about the Queen? Argh, can’t decide… Oh, dash it all. Got their full attention. Need to strike the iron while it’s hot. Go for it!’

“My little ponies, we have been BETRAYED! Stabbed in the back by the mares entrusted with our defence, traitors who now collude with those who hate and covet our perfect Harmony! A entire army of our enemies now invest our sacred capital! And Celestia herself, is nowhere to be seen. Her fallen sister Nightmare Moon now sits atop the throne, the Lord of Chaos at her side. They claim that we are at war with another Equestria, a ‘fallen’ Equestria.”

She paused to take a breath, and straightened her mane.

‘Alright, go for it.’

“This you already know, or most of it. But it isn’t the full truth. The good Sergeant Icewind came to me because he knew that I had previously tried to warn Celestia against these demons from our ancient past, to no avail. But then, either by chance or, more likely, fate, I received a message from somepony who holds all the answers. Celestia herself.”

That perked the ears of everypony present. Emboldened, Catseye decided now was time to let loose.

“I have seen that there is indeed more than one of everything,” she pressed on, feeling more articulate and self-assured. “Not just other realms, but other histories. Whole new Equestrias are born every second from a tweak in time. And one of these Equestrias, the one against which were a traitor’s cabal seeks to lead us into war, grew to become the undisputed master of the world. A unified Equus, with a wise Queen Celestia as its sole, rightful ruler. I know this, because I have spoken to her…”

She was smiled now. It was exhilarating, feeling the ebb and flow of the crowd’s emotions run wherever she pointed.

“Her Majesty told me that in her mercy, she sought out the humans, our race’s old enemy, to offer them the gift of ponykind, the gift of purity. They refused, and fought. And some ponies, seduced and corrupted by mankind’s dark science, betrayed Equestria. Now their counterparts do the same on our own plane. Yes my friends, it is not that ‘other’ Equestria, that Solar Empire, that is the fallen realm, but OURS! But we won’t let this stand, will we? We won’t turn our motherland over into their hooves, Will We? We won’t obey the usurpers and backstabbers, WILL WE!?””

“NO!” came the roared reply. Some ponies began to pound on the tables, a trooping beat for her impassioned words to soar upon.

“Our ‘leaders’ and their acolytes tell us that they are in the right. You may even know some of these humanistic cowards! They’ll scream out that the cleansing of humankind is wrong. They tell you it is not Harmony! Well, in return, I ask them now: how bright must the Sun shine on the Solar Empire, how united must all true ponies be, for the windigoes not to come and devour their hearts? Ponies, in the name of Equestria and Harmony as only we know it, let us all now pledge allegiance to Queen Celestia, and cast out the beast-demon Man! That is the truth!”

Cheers and applause met her speech as it reached its crescendo.

“Ponies of this fallen Equestria, rise up! Rise up and transform our home, restore her glory, her pride, and her purity! RISE UP! RISE UP!”

They took up the cry in chorus, stomping and beating with hooves and wings. The chanted words almost had a life of their own, a passionate fury that swept up all within earshot.

Relieved, Catseye allowed the noise to cover the sound of her exhalation. It was growing quite warm and stuffy in this confined room, and the noise bouncing off the walls, ringing in her head, only increased the sense of pressure. And yet it was so oddly gratifying.

This must be what popularity felt like. What acceptance felt like.

“Thank you all,” she smiled as the wave of noise broke, furtively wiping a bead of sweat off her brow and rubbing at her sore throat. “If any of you wish to say their piece, you’re welcome to it. In the meantime, Sergeant Icewind and I are open to questions. I suggest you ask him about the finer practical details, though. I’m more the ideas mare in our, our partnership.”

As Icewind got up to join her onstage, one young stallion seated at the front raised a hoof. A loam-colored Earth pony with a tangled mane of black curls, wearing square glasses and, unusually, a maroon tweed jacket. She thought he looked familiar.

“I wanted to ask you something, Doctor Catseye. Erm, dunno if you remember, I’m Blackberry. I used to attend your courses.”

‘Ah, yes. I remember him. The strange one who always sits at the back. Hm, looks like he’s moved up in the world. Fairly bright, though. He’ll do nicely.’

“Well, good to see you again, Blackberry. It seems fitting for a student to ask the first question. Ask away.”

“Um, I was wondering what we were called.”

Catseye blinked. “I’m sorry, come again?”

“What our name was,” he explained. “Every good protest group neems a catchy name, right? Stays in the people’s minds that way. I was thinking something with ‘adamant’ in it, to demonstrate our, y’know, firmness against…”

‘Oh Celestia, this is gonna turn into a farce,’ Catseye groaned mentally, ‘Why, oh why’d I expect a student to have something of substance to say about politics?’

Fortunately, Icewind stepped in for damage control. “Thank you, Mr. Blackberry,” he said curtly. “You raise an interesting point. Any other questions? Yes, you.”

This last phrase was directed at a large brick-red Earth stallion with a brown crew-cut mane, holding a huge yet still very full tankard of cider.

“Fuse is the name. Short Fuse. And let me just tell ya, right here, right now, that I’ve not read any of yer books, Doc, but I’m with ya one hundred-percent! However, I’s a family stallion. Got a wife and two kids to fink about. Mini’s a good mare, but – and I hope the missus forgives me for sayin’ so – she’s all heart and no strength. Can’t keep the farm on her lonesome. But she stands by me and I don’t deserve her. Keeps me grounded. Now, I’ve done time in the castle’s, ahem, guest rooms, and that’s given me healthy respect for the law. You realise that, technically speakin’, this ‘ere makes us traitors to the Crown.”

‘So, the working-class hero is the one to ask the smart question. And a ruffian to boot,’ thought Catseye. She mulled it over. ‘But he says he’s seen the light. And it is a smart question. There’s still hope for this meeting after all.’

Once again, Icewind spoke up for her. “I can answer that,” he said, and his tone was unusually careful. Of course. The former Guard must have met stallions like this Short Fuse before, only now, they were on the same side of the fence. It had to feel strange for both of them.

“When I swore my oath of loyalty,” Icewind continued, climbing up onto the stage beside Casteye. “The Guard’s track record as Canterlot’s protectors was proudly unbroken for years, but then we started giving way to Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and the other undesirables. A rot has been allowed to fester in Equestria’s high establishments, and it is no coincidence that it began at the time when ‘Princess Luna’ returned. But I’ve seen how she and her puppets, the so-called ‘Bearers of Harmony’ have perverted our state, and I refuse to not take action. I pledged my loyalty to Princess Celestia, not her delinquent little sister, Nightmare Moon!  And I’m proud I didn’t hesitate to say it to her face.”

Fuse grunted. “Well, guv, let me tell ya straight, yer a darn fool for doin’ so.”

“What did you just say,” Icewind hissed, “you lout?”

“Ya heard me. I’da funk a lawstallion would know better’n show lip to the big bosses. Sure it gives you a kick, but then ya wake up next mornin’ on a bed o’ hay in a cell and yer head achin’ like Tartarus. Oh wait, that’s just fer drinkin! For verbly’ buckin’ a darn Alicorn in the face, yer be glad to have hay to sleep on the buckin’ Moon!”

The crowd shivered, like trees in a storm. The frisson of righteous wrath, the spell that Catseye’s words had cast, seemed about to break. More dissenting voices arose, and to her panic, the anthropologist saw a few ponies edging their way towards the stairs.

“Gentlecolts, please,” she cried out, and without thinking she reached for the marble around her neck.

‘That mare, that ‘Weaver’ said a touch of magic would help calm those around me...do I trust her?’

But it didn’t matter. For a few glorious moment she had been in command, with all eyes on her and all hearts attuned to her words. She couldn’t lose that bliss, not now!

‘Oh, buck it!’

She felt her horn flare, and the marble glowed for a second with her aura…

...and she suddenly felt better. Stronger, smarter, braver. The glow of her magic seemed amplified as it cradled the marble, and that soft, enticing glow seemed to draw many eyes…

...she barely noticed how every other one of the talismans, worn around the neck of each pony in the bar, was softly glowing in sync with her own…

“Friends,” she called out, feeling a wondrous resonance in her voice as she stepped towards the front of the stage. “Let’s not waste time on bygones. What’s done is done.”

It worked. As she continued to speak, the words coming to her with ease, she saw the crowd still itself, saw their doubts fade and her convictions blossoming within them.

“No doubt Luna remembers Sergeant Icewind’s rather dramatic departure, but she is doubtless engaged colluding with the humans in preparation to attack the Solar Empire.”

She waved a hoof, dismissively.

“No, if anything it’s Discord I would worry about, but fortune is with us, as it seems he has temporarily exhausted himself from building that giant monstrosity outside Canterlot. And besides, that old fraud is powerless before true ponies, united in Harmony. We’re stronger than him!”

As she finished speaking, she took a step back, suddenly feeling drained, but struggling to hide it. The glow around the marble faded, and she blinked, suddenly feeling her usual fears and ill ease return.

But her interruption seemed to have worked, on the crowd at least. They were silent, almost compliant. Had the felt that magic at work?

Icewind and Short Fuse still continued to glare at one another however, but even they seemed to have been reminded of where the true enemy lay.

Fuse was the one to break eye contact first.

“Well then, tin boy,” he said, raising his tankard, “Welcome to how the other half lives. Down here, bein’ true to yerself don’t mean lettin’ folks read ya like an open book.”

Knocking back another slug of his drink, he looked thoughtfully at Catseye. “But I guess that’s kinda what yer sayin’, right, Miss? ‘Spirit of the law, not the letter’ sorta thing, aye? We be doin’ right by Equestria, removin’ a tyrant from power?”

“Quite,” said Catseye. “Celestia herself said that nopony, not even her, is above the Law. It’s what is called a nomocracy.” She turned to face Blackberry. “You wanted to know our name, Mr. Blackberry. Well, here it is. We are the Loyalists.”

“I still think ‘adamant’ belongs in there somewhere,” muttered Blackberry.

“Think what you want, kid,” Icewind said placidly, “The only name that matters on this room is humanity’s true name. I’m sure you know the one. Monsters. But that’s an easy word to throw around, so I believe now’s the time for you all to know exactly what it is we’re up against. Corporal Strategy, please give us your report.”

The next pony to speak was a serious-looking unicorn mare of the richest shade of blue, from coat to cropped mane. “I’m Exit Strategy, Doctor,” she introduced herself to Catseye. “Officially still a Royal Guard. I… chose not to quit publically. Figured Sergeant Icewind would need somepony on the inside. Went and told him soon as I could. Not long after, he asked me to take a message to Dame M– Weaver.”

‘There’s that name again,’ thought Catseye. ‘So, our mysterious benefactor is a Knight of the Realm.’ It was nonetheless a slight relief to know the hooded noblemare wasn’t one of the highest of the high in Canterlot.

“M’lady looked all thoughtful-like for a long, long time. Finally, she turned to me, and said she’d help. She told me what to do. I was to visit the synecdoche… y’know, that huge copy of a human city Discord built outside Canterlot, find the biggest library I could, and check the history books. ‘Know the enemy’, that’s how she put it…”

Silently, Catseye, still recovering from her use of the marble, cursed herself for not hitting on such a simple, and yet brilliant ploy.

“...if any of the outsiders squatting there spotted me,” Exit continued explaining. “I was to say I was on sightseeing duty, though Weaver said I best lie low. Anyway. Took me a while, but I found a big library… You’d never believe how many of their history books have the word ‘war’ in their title.”

At his table, Catseye could see Blackberry whispering something to the green pegasus sitting next to him. Thinking back on his conduct at her lectures, she could almost imagine what he was saying:

“Wait, why’ve they got the same alphabet? How’d she know the word she thought was ‘war’, starting with a ‘w’, wasn’t in fact ‘ear’, cos’ the way they write the letter ‘w’ is like an ‘e’? Or is it the other way round?”

Strategy however paid no notice to background whispers, continuing on with her briefing.

“Now, sad to say, I ain’t got any of the books with me – they all dissolved after I left the city boundaries. Luckily, M’lady saw that coming, so I played it safe and noted down a few things. It… wasn’t easy stuff to read.”

Corporal Strategy rubbed her eyes.

“Sure, it ain’t just war I looked up. Weaver also told me I should check out the story behind their science and knowledge, social progress and all that. And yeah, to tell the truth, they’ve earned bragging rights for tech we can only dream of. But when you read between the lines, it ain’t such a pretty picture.”

She levitated out some notes and a pair of reading glasses from a satchel next to her bench. Glasses safely donned, the military unicorn began to read out her report.

“Here’s what I found,” she began in a detached, clinical tone. “They are self-duplicitous, rewriting their history to suit their needs and shield themselves from their own monstrosity.”

Icewind and Catseye were by now listening with enraptured attention, as was the rest of the crowd.

“As an example, take their world’s most famous explorer, popularly regarded as having proven their world was round and opening up new lands for development in the process.”

She snorted derisively.

“Lies. In truth, the nature of their planet was knowledge already tacitly accepted by the elite of the time. This man was in truth seeking to exploit that wisdom, seeking to profit from a faster trade route to their East. In the process, he discovered a continent no-one had even suspected existed. No scientific curiosity or ethos of discovery at work, just greed. He wanted to get rich, and when he landed on that ‘new world’, that same greed wiped out the native inhabitants, a people called the Taino. The other ‘pioneers’ who followed continued in the same vein, building multiple nations by exterminating and evicting the ‘primitives’ who had the misfortune to live there already.”

Low murmurs. Would this be the fate of an Equestria allied with these monsters?

“And yes, they flew to their moon and travel the stars. But it was not altruism that carried them aloft. It was the competition of two powerful, brutal and arrogant nations, whose petty squabbles nearly drove mankind to extinction. The prime incentive for their technological progress is the struggle to survive in a world where they are their own worst enemy. War and boundless ambition is built into their very cultures. In the last hundred years alone, their history has seen the industrialized slaughter of millions. Some of their kind even built factories designed for the sole purpose of mass-murdering an ethnic minority, and the same principles are applied to the charnels where they process living creatures into food stocks.”

The horror continued...

“Even those they see as paragons of altruism lack true compassion. One fem– one woman known for feeding the poor, Bojaxhiu, claimed the world was helped by the suffering of the destitute and oppressed. Another man, who they have martyred for his espousal of non-violence, denigrated women who get forced upon as ‘impure’. Yes ponies, their own moral champion, ‘the father of a nation’, engaged in blaming rape upon its victims!”

Finished, Strategy laid down the papers.

“I believe that sums up the character of mankind succinctly,” she said softly, removing her glasses to wipe the lenses clean. Her eyes were misty with barely-suppressed tears..

“Well,” said Catseye. “Anypony want to add something to that?”

Slowly, tentatively, the plum-colored Earth mare with a tiny cup of berry juice raised her hoof.

Catseye sighed. “Okay, Miss Berry Punch, what’ve you got?”

“Well, um…” mumbled Punch, eyes darting back and forth. “It’s just… all this talk about how evil the humans are… You’re kind of scaring me.”

“Of course you’re scared,” replied Catseye. (‘Idiot,’ she added mentally.) “These are terrifying creatures. That’s why we are here.”

“Y-yeah, I know, but… Look, I love Equestria. Best place in the world, and, uh, I think it’d be great to go out‘n teach the other species to live in Harmony, don’t get me wrong. But, um, it doesn’t make sense, if they’re, the humans I mean, if they’re so nasty and horrid…well, they CAN’T all be like that. How’d they last so long without all dying out?”

“They’re meat eaters, like griffons and dragons,” Icewind said darkly, almost casually. “Most of the time, they’re too busy sinking their claws into hapless prey and gorging on the entrails to finish each other off.”

Even Catseye knew that was a sweeping generalisation, but it seemed sufficient to win back ponies who had been nodding along with Berry Punch.

“Exactly,” Exit Strategy humphed in acknowledgement. “Their day-to-day life is a struggle in which everypony else is disposable. And many animal species on Earth have gone extinct cos’ of that. And those that remain, including ponies, innocent ponies not so different to us, are slaves, bred as labor, as transportation, as meat...”

There was another shudder throughout the crowd. The implication was clear: ponification and absorption into an expanding Equestria would be a blessing, not just for the human creatures, but for their entire world.

And yet the mare called Berry Punch persisted in her dissent.

“Uh… griffons and dragons don’t eat just m-meat... even if that is pretty disgusting... and most of ‘em try not to eat other people – and aren’t animals on this Earth meant to be...mindless.”

“Semantics,” Strategy said dismissively. “Y’know, I was once assigned as escort detail for our ambassador to the zebra tribe of Punda Miliashariki. Sweet Celestia, never again! The weather in Zebrica is madder’n a square circle, you can’t reason with the wildlife, and I was never sure of what I ate...”

The thought of the zebra lands caused Catseye to involuntarily clench as the guardsmare continued to elucidate.

“But I learned a couple things on that trip. See, the plains zebras have this concept they call the ‘Circle of Life’, sort of like Harmony. Only, their idea is, like, everything dies and is reborn, right? Now, zebras aren’t meat eaters. But when an animal dies, its body feeds the grass and the plants, and zebras eat plants. So, in a way, they eat meat too. They do burn their dead so’s not to be cannibals, though. The plains zebras believe the ashes feed the wind, and the wind carries the souls into new bodies. Breathing new life, as it were.”

‘Why did she bother learning those savages’ customs?’ Catseye demanded internally, narrowing her eyes a little. ‘Knowing the enemy is one thing, but this sounded almost like sympathy...’

She didn’t speak though, so as to keep a united front for the punters, but marked down Strategy as being a mare worthy of closer investigation in the future.

Blackberry however, showed no such restraint.

“Hah, I know a nerd when I see one…” the student stage-whispered slyly to his pegasus friend, just loud enough to be heard.

“You can hold your mouth, pupil!” Catseye said, putting a hoof forward and feeling another trill of exhilaration at how he visibly quailed. “Please continue, Corporal.”

“Thankyou Milady,” Exit Strategy said, bowing subtly, before turning back to the argumentative Earth Pony mare.

“What I’m getting at is this, Miss Punch, is that there’s kind of a balance in the Zebrican view of things. It ain’t nice, but it’s fair. Humans… haven’t got any such balance. They are apex predators, and if you don’t know what that is, look it up, I am not… I ain’t explaining it.”

As her growing tic of switching from casual speech to lecture mode could attest, the well-read corporal was barely keeping a lid on her anxiety.

“...and that means they’re upsetting a fragile ecosystem. I’m a pony. The idea of meat-eating makes me sick. Yet some people need it to survive. And if humans were half as smart as their books say they are, they’d at least have found a way to keep it sustainable. Even the griffons and dragons manage somehow.”

“Not for much longer…” Icewind contributed darkly. “Princess Celestia personally held back those beasts for a millenium, and more.With her gone, well…I’m sure the Nightmare Night stories with which we scare our children must come from somewhere. Harmony help Equestria once our ‘benevolent Lunar Diarch’ starts feeding her subjects to these… these jackals.”

That really put the cat among the pigeons. The crowd began to bubble and froth again, much to Catseye’s panic. But as Icewind turned away, he winked at her, and she realised that he had intentionally given her another opening.

“It won’t get to that, I promise,” she interposed, clutching at the marble again and wondering if she was strong enough to invoke its power again. “Not if we here stand together, united. Nothing’s going to eat your daughter, Berry Punch. Soon it’ll be safe again for ponies to play in Equestria’s green fields. We Loyalists will make sure of that.”

Despite her feelings towards the irritating earth mare, the historian said this as a display of magnanimity. It was what a good leader should do, after all.

And she was becoming a leader, she could feel it. It was just as the Queen had promised...and soon all her other promises would be fulfilled.

“Does anyone else have any questions?” she asked.

Blackberry raised his hoof again, and when Catseye pointed to him, he sounded slightly more timid than before. Excellent.

“Um, Doctor, that’s a lovely vision, for sure, but I have my own question. How, exactly, do we ‘Loyalists’ plan to defy Princess Luna? The few known ways to hurt one of the royal alicorns are these ‘new’ runic enhancements, orichalcum blades, or an artifact such as the Heavenstone. None of which we have.”

That was a true worry. Catseye felt a pit open in her stomach as the words hit home. Yet when she turned to look at Icewind, she saw he was beaming at the young stallion.

“I believe,” she said, “that Sergeant Icewind can field that question.”

“Thankyou, Doctor. I’m glad you asked that, young buck,” he smiled, “We can’t attack Luna directly, but we can stall for time, create an oppurtunity for the Empire’s forces to come in and liberate Equestria. And thanks to the help of… certain parties within the nobility, simple politics will help delay the usurper’s plans. You see, here’s an interesting fact not many ponies know, but a good friend of mine brought to my attention. Since her return, Luna has never been added to the Civil List.”

The ears on Blackberry’s pegasus friend, Max, perked up at that. “Wait, seriously? You mean, for the last two years, she’s been living on her big sister’s dime, and the Parliament never signed any agreement to release funds for her royal business every year?”

“Precisely, Corporal Velocity,” replied Icewind. “And that, in turn, means all the gold in the Royal Household is officially under Celestia’s name. Of course, a little thing like theft won’t stop Nightmare Moon. But the Treasury alone can’t support a military operation on the scale that mare is planning for, and she won’t want to waste what she stole from her sister’s private coffers. So she’s really got only two options. Either pass an act in Parliament to add her to the List, or raise taxes for everypony.”

“She’ll try all for the first,” grinned Fuse, “Taxes ain’t popular on the best o’ days, and now…”

“Now’s far from the best of times,” Icewind finished for him. “I’ve reason to believe that in the next few days, Luna will try for just such an act. But it’s been a while since she’s played Canterlot politics, and ponies in key places will be ready for her. These aren’t the days where royals can just throw their weight around, even with an army of monsters to back them up. If Luna tries to force her hoof now, she’ll be facing open rebellion.”

“And she won’t want that. Not when the Solar Empire is coming,” said Catseye, like her compatriots, revealing the full plan in dribs and drabs. “So she’ll have to play nice with Parliament. That gives us opportunity.”

“And what do we get out of this?” asked Max languidly. “We who actually have to exploit that ‘opportunity’?”

Icewind slammed a hoof on the stage.

“Our reward will be the name that we will bear when this is done, ‘heroes’, and that should be enough. Equestria is the true prize, and we belong to it.”

Many of the gathered ponies smiled at that proclamation, grinning at one another at the thought of being hailed as heroes.

“Where the Elements have failed to stop the monster, where Princess Celestia failed to see the danger he represented,” Icewind flapped his wings and set himself on a table in the center of the crowd, smiling down on all the ponies. “We will stop them ourselves.”

He extended a hoof to Catseye, and jumping easily forward from the stage, she joined him atop the table, head held high.

“We will win!” she reiterated. “Through cunning, wit, and our undying loyalty to Equestria, we will stop them.”

More rumbles of approval. The earlier speech had been the stick with which to drive the mule, and now this was the golden carrot.

As with Berry Punch before however, there were a few outspoken voices running against the tide.

“Why not take out a few of them monsters,” Fuse grumbled aloud.

“No!” Catseye started, to her surprise shocked at his words. “We are ponies. We are better than them!”

She thought back to the vision she had been shown, of the mare being tortured in that filthy city.

“...resorting to violence will only play us into their filthy hands. It’s a game that they are masters of. Playing that hoof will only get innocent ponies hurt. No, we will stop them from behind the scenes, away from prying eyes and away from the violence.”

That seemed to defuse another sizzling powderkeg. As Catseye basked in the proverbial spotlight, Icewind smiled sideways at her, laying a comfortable wing across her back, causing her to shiver at the touch. Reflexively, she shyly stepped away, which triggered a mild round of ribbing laughter.

“See how strong we are together?” she said, running with the crowd’s attitude. “See the power that binds us as ponies?”

She shared a small smile with Icewind before looking down at the others.

“For now, we bide our time and keep our eyes on what our enemies deem important. We gather intelligence and study their plans. And once we are in a position of strength, we strike.”

The resolution with which she had spoken seemed to have done the trick, everypony stomping their hoof in agreement.

“Okay, let’s keep our ears to the ground and listen,” she said, easing the meeting towards a conclusion. “Everypony, we will meet up again next week, same time.”

“But before we leave, now’s when we play our trump card,” Icewind smiled.

“Blackberry,” he called, nodding towards the student. “You are right, we face a powerful foe. The Nightmare Princess has many powers, and among them is the mastery of dreams, a realm in which our deepest secrets are exposed. How then, do we shield ourselves from such an intrusion.”

He held up his own cats-eye marble. “These charms are ‘secret keepers’, and they are our winning ploy. You all received one when admitted to this meeting, and since that point, all of your experiences: sights, sounds, thoughts, have been recorded upon them, and not in your minds...once you remove them, all memory of this meeting will vanish from your memory, only to return when this powerful totem rests once more around your neck.”

A few ponies stirred in disquiet, Catseye among them. Was that what had happened when she had used her magic on the marble...had her thoughts and convictions been directly imposed upon the other wearers?

That...that was…

“Genius!” Blackberry and Max cried out. “That way, so long as we take them off before we sleep, we can’t give away anything in our dreams.”

“Or let anything slip outside of our meetings,” confirmed Icewind. “Just take them off when in the company of pony ‘outsiders’. The charms do have a few other subtle spells cast upon them, among them Foalkein’s ‘Destiny Ring’...if lost, each ‘secret keeper’ will always find their way back to their owner, yourselves...”

Catseye was taking this all in with some level of surprise. She and Icewind had discussed the grand strategy for undermining Nightmare Moon at length, but this was an entire level of planning that until now, had been hidden from her. This kind of ensorcelling was profound, and rare…

“...each charm will also glow subtly on the morning of a day upon which a meeting is scheduled,” Icewind concluded. “At the same time a modified ‘want it, need it spell’ will activate, compelling you to wear it. This will ensure that none of us accidentally forget our true allegiance, our true Loyalty.”

The meeting broke up soon after that. Catseye had found the strength to stand at the foot of the stairs, personally thanking each departing pony for attending. Most seemed comfortable with how the meeting had resolved, even, it seemed, Berry Punch, though she had been evidently uncomfortable when Icewind had given her a second Secret Keeper, “for little Ruby Pinch…”

She had still accepted it though.

At last, the last of the newly-formed Loyalists had left, eagerly chattering about how they would keep the human monsters from escaping the fate passed upon them, leaving just Catseye and Icewind in the otherwise empty cellar.

The mare hugged herself with one hoof, suddenly feeling very isolated in the empty space.

“So, that went well, right?” smiled Icewind.

“Yes...I suppose it did,” she answered, examining her own Secret Keeper charm. She held it up for him to see.

“The magic cast on these things, is very specialised. Are you saying… that noblemare… our special friend… is a dreamweaver?”

“Yes,” he answered back, “And quite a skilled one, too.”

Walking side-by-side, they ascended the stairs.

“I thought…” she continued. “I thought that the art had died out in the centuries since Nightmare Moon’s banishment…”

“Nopony alive today can do it like they once did, true. But scraps of it still survive among those of the right blood.”

Nodding a farewell to the barmaid, they stepped out into the cool midnight air.

“Alright then…” Icewind said, reaching for the clasp on his charm’s lanyard. “Ready to test the memory spells?”

She hesitated, and then nodded, seeing the same hesitance she felt in his own eyes.

“Alright,” she breathed, firing up her horn. “Let’s get this over with. 3, 2, 1…”

There was a ‘sucking’ sensation as the charm came free, and she momentarily reeled...

“What had...what just…” she stammered, trying to make sense of a huge hole that had suddenly appeared in her memory. “Where did your friend in the cloak go…”

Icewind himself was staring down at something held by one of his wings, a tiny marble on a length of cord. Feeling her magic at work, she saw that she herself was levitating an identical one...hadn’t the myserious noble just been offering it to her…

“I think, it worked…” he said at last. “My specifications were very specific when I commissioned these...and she seems to have delivered.”

Hearing him, Catseye paused and steadied herself. Yes, there was a sense of rightness, of something that had born fruit. She felt light on her hooves, riding the high of some great sucess.

“I’ve, I’ve never felt so alive…” she said at last. And looking at him, she saw him nod in response.

“Yeah, I think we really accomplished something tonight…”

Suddenly, he swept low in a bow, one wing tucked across his chest.

“Doctor Catseye, might I escort you home?”

“Oh! I–” she blushed brightly as Icewind held out his leg to her, causing her to stammer out her next words. “Y-y-you don’t have to–”

Icewind gently wrapped her leg into his own, looking directly into her eyes. “It will be my pleasure, Ma’am.”

Catseye felt her blush deepen, and she managed to catch herself before she swooned.

“Alright, but only if you let me buy you dinner on the way…” she stammered, before feeling an almost alien surge of confidence that brought a small smile to herself. “...I am after all, an employed academic with income to spare, whereas you could do with fattening up, my grey guardian.”

“It’s a date, milady,” he chuckled.

And then, side by side, the two of them joined the other Loyalists dispersing into the night. However, none of them, not even the talented Icewind, saw the shadows that trailed after them...

But one pony, who had not left with the rest of the crowd, did.

“I don’t think so,” whispered ‘Weaver’, peering through the crack in the shutters of her room’s window. She tightened the knot which kept her cloak tied below her chin, concealing her face to the world. “Let’s take a leap of faith, and trust Luna doesn’t recognize my signature all over this scheme.”

Treading lightly past the bed, her delicate white hooves making no noise upon the floorboards, she magically retrieved an oaken box from beneath the bed frame. It screeched across the wooden floor before raising into the air, held safely at her side by her rose-colored aura. A rattling could be heard from within, the kind made by small round objects knocking against one another in an enclosed space.

With a flick of her horn, the noblemare dampened the sound to near-zero. Wraith-like, she silently made her downstairs and across the common room, unnoticed by the barmare, and crossed the threshold into the moonless night outside.

“Time to give these nightmare creatures some nightmares of their own…”

Lyra took a deep breath as as she finished her run. She looked around briefly, before ducking into the tree line to escape Stephan’s eyes. From a position of concealment, she watched as he began to outbark several diamond dogs, who were also the focus of his wrath. She smirked as the canids looked up at him in open fear.

“I swear to fuckng God, if you dig another fucking hole in the track I will fucking stick my boot up your ass!”

Lyra bit back her laughter, feeling her chest muscles clenching with unexpected strength as she did. She examined her barrel with a critical eye.

‘Wow, I really slimmed down after a month of running. Also…’

She ran a hoof across her hips, feeling the powerful muscles bunching under her coat, especially in her flank area. Giggling, she sat down and rubbed her rear end,

“Oh sweet…just wait Boonie, and maybe I can even get Marcus’ attention with this.”

“Wow, I haven’t heard that before from you.” an amused voiced called out from behind her, causing her to yelp. “Though this still feels vaguely familiar.”

“Marcus!” Lyra squeaked out, spinning around and instinctively tucking her tail between her legs, a blush flaming across her face.

“Heh, hey Lyra,” the Marine laughed as he walked up to her, holding out his hand before suddenly hesitating.

Lyra blinked, waiting for that wonderful hand to run through her mane. And then she remembered his ‘problem’. She frowned, and then in a flash of inspiration, walking up and rubbed her head against his frozen palm, before quickly pulling away. Marcus blinked before grinning, pushing forward beyond the hiccup. “So, admiring yourself?”

“Uh… Yeah.” Lyra gave him a shy smile, her bangs covering her eyes before she raised her hoof to brush them out of them way. “S-so, what are you doing here?”

“Uh huh. I’ve seen those kind of cheap moves before.” Marcus chuckled, crossing his arms and flashing her a wry smile “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had an adorable minty unicorn pitch a little...erm ‘rodeo’.”

Lyra couldn’t help but feel her blush heat up, “I… I guess your Lyra did this before.”

“Yup. She cared about me a lot.” Marcus walked up to the nearest tree and carefully sat down. “I suppose the fact that she asked to bring Cheerilee and Bon Bon into it and try to make it a mutual ‘deal’ shows how much she cared. It didn’t work out though.”

“O-oh…” Lyra looked away. “Because Cheerilee told you to turn it down?”

“No, not so much as that...  Cher actually wanted me to go for it, she seemed rather excited even...” he admitted, a blush of his own evident. “Don’t take it the wrong way, I was really flattered by the prospect, but I just wasn’t comfortable with it.”

He scratched his chin, looking up to the treetops. “I mean, your counterpart really tried to sell the whole ‘three sexy mares and one handsome human’ plan to us. Then... she started to describe what she planned to do with Cheerilee...I didn’t even know horns could do that!”

Lyra was sure she looked as bright red as some of the apples that Applejack grew in her family orchards as Marcus continued to describe her counterpart’s sexual ambitions, including the ‘private’ affairs that was better left said behind closed doors.

“- I am pretty sure you ended it with you, Cheerilee, and Bon Bon kissing each other while taking it in turns to hold me down and....”

“Stop, please!” Lyra begged, having by this point covered her face with her hooves, “I’m such a pervert!”

“Nah. Just somepony that really likes to love freely with the people she cared for.” Marcus chuckled as he stood up, “Come walk with me, I know you like to skip out on training if given the chance. Stephan would whip that cute little rear of yours if he catches you. At least with me, you have a chance to escape without reprieve.”

“Y-yeah!” Lyra said with a smile, her tail wagging excitedly at the idea as well at what he said.

‘He called my butt cute! Maybe I do have a chance!’

“Hey Stephan!” Marcus called across the training grounds. “I’m taking Lyra for a walk around the castle for her cool down!”

The german soldat’s eyes narrowed, before giving him a nod. Lyra bounced in happiness for several minutes; avoiding Stephan’s legendary ‘cool down’ sessions was something that she and the Elements often tried so hard to avoid.

Sometimes it was harder than the actual exercise itself.

She shook her head, wanting to get her mind off that for now. Now was the time for some real relaxation.

Instead, she took in the scenery, watching on with wonder as Marcus led her through the heart of Discord’s duplicated Central Park. Training was kicking into full gear for everyone and everything, and the Big Apple was the perfect venue. Griffons were learning how to use the humans’ machine guns, zebras were test-firing assault saddles, and Diamond Dogs and Minotaurs were taking control of the heavy MMGs and HMGs that had been refitted for their use.

Marcus watched with interest as Lyra cheerfully greeted everybody that passed them by. He had been thinking about his discussion with Discord for the past month, and found himself drifting further and further away from his plans on how to ‘protect’ Lyra by tearing down her counterpart’s reputation.

Though he was still uncertain...

“Hey! Miss Heartstrings!” a younger human, a girl with blond hair, called out, running up to them. “How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m doing well, thank you very much,” Lyra responded kindly.

Marcus stood by, watching as one of the assistant for the scientists (his daughter he believed) , gushed over Lyra. She shyly answered as many of her questions as possible.

Admittedly, his concerns about Lyra being overwhelmed (metaphorically and literally) by her counterpart’s status was looking more and more foolish. This girl, no older than 15, was enquiring into Lyra’s youth and childhood, things that had nothing to do with the war itself.

“What got you into studying humans anyway?”

“Well Carly, it’s mostly because of my grandpa.” Lyra tapped her hoof to her chin, smiling faintly at the thought of the eccentric old stallion. “He told me stories of humans, how they taught all the ponies of Dream Valley all they could.”

‘Oh yeah… Mom, Aunt Molly and Uncle Danny probably brought over toys and other stuff during their adventures with them,’ Marcus realized, a frown appearing on his face as he thought about it. ‘It does explain why mom had several volumes of Better Homes & Gardens Handyman’s book...and the veterinary textbooks in the den.’

It was amazing how much some things made sense in retrospect.

“Carly, I have to take Lyra around the city for her cool down. Maybe you can find us at the dining hall for lunch?” Marcus said as he gently as could, pulling Lyra away from the teen.

“Nuuu!” Lyra cried out, her hooves waving frantically at the giggling girl. “She’s a cutiepie! Please! Let her ask me more!”

“Nope. We have a bit to talk about anyway. Classified stuff.”

With that veto cast, Marcus reached down and pulled her away by the tail, the soft grass doing nothing to stop her from being dragged along.

Once they were a fair distance away, Lyra slumped over in mock sadness, causing him to roll his eyes at the over-dramatic gesture. “Come on, now. None of that. So how do you feel?”

“Feel? About what?” Lyra looked up to him in confusion.

“About the girl bothering you.”

“She didn’t bother me,” Lyra responded a little defensively, “I was just glad to talk to her!”

“You didn’t find it… annoying?” Marcus pressed, worried tone in his voice, “She was asking a lot of personal questions.”

“Well, okay… maybe a little bit,” Lyra sighed as she sat down. “I know why she’s fascinated with me, but I’d like to think she knows the difference between me and my counterpart. She didn’t ask any questions about the war, or topics that I wouldn’t have a clue about. Like Runes, or those prosthetics she had on.”

“Noticed that, did you?” Marcus gave her a small smile.

“I can’t believe Sparkler and I could make something like that…” Lyra whispered, thinking back on how the young girl had been waving around her metal-and-ceramic prosthetic hand that, in terms of dexterity, was no different from a flesh-and-bone appendage.

“Well, she is the first human to have one. Your counterpart saved her from the potion, cut her contaminated hand off with a spell and then promised her a normal life.” Marcus whispered.

For a long while he gazed out across the bustling park.

“Did you feel anything when she approached you?” he asked at last, the words hesitant and fearful.

“Was I suppose to?” Lyra blinked at the question. “Like what?”

Marcus frowned, though he tried to hide it. His few talks with Cadence about her ascension to alicorn had made him wary about taking Lyra to Earth, and Discord’s words had left him even twitchier.

Given the almost saintly status 'Ambadassador' Lyra carried on Earth, he was worried that the innocent little mare before him would be changed against her will if she set a hoof on Earth, as if all of the emotions mankind felt for her counterpart might suddenly ground into her like a bolt of lightning galvanising Frankenstein’s monster.

It had gotten so bad that he had directly confronted Celesita herself, during a few days furlough back on Earth. What they had learned and shared about, not just about ascension but ponies in general, had been illuminating, and concerning.

It seemed that many ponies over the years had ‘ascended’ in one way or another, and not always to alicornhood either. Marcus had expressed confusion until Celestia had tried explained it to him, and then things had got even more convoluted...

“Every pony, regardless of their tribe, has within them a certain, ‘potential’. It is profound, transformative, and often very specific to the individual involved,” Celestia had said softly, when Marcus had confronted her over Lyra’s possible fate.

The Solar regent was translucent, and with a hot sunset blazing through the window behind her, almost indistinguishable. Marcus himself was sitting in what had once been his grandmother’s study, on the family ranch in Kentucky.

Two souls in conversation, attempting to share some wisdom. Telepresence conferencing, with actual telepathy. Celestia herself was an entire astral plane away, still recuperating from the Crystal Empire fiasco. Marcus himself was hardly in the best shape, emotionally recovering from another training accident, a fiasco that had extended the Ghastly Gorge’s length by half a mile!.

Despite his pained thoughts however, he had listened with interest, fingers steepled, until able to offer his own observations. He had approached Celestia on the matter, hoping that her years of experience, overseeing Equestria’s greatest period of growth, would allow her to share some insight. Luna had graciously helped set up this connection, guiding Celestia across the dreamscapes of two worlds until leaving them to one another’s privacy.

“One of the things the PHL did was apply mankind’s science to the pony genome…” he said, when Celestia had given him an opening. “We managed to map it, and the results were definitely interesting. It also pointed in the same way you’ve hinted.”

“Oh?” the ghostly alicorn answered, one delicate eyebrow lifting an inch. “And what is that?”

“That you and Luna have been playing eugenics,” Marcus answered, a tone of accusation lacing his voice.

“Not... exactly,” Celestia replied, looking somewhat downcast. “I’ve seen racial supremacists and isolated communities try their hooves at eugenics, and it has, more often than not, ended badly. Oh, those poor foals...”

She sighed, remembering something from Equestria’s past that Marcus could tell she would rather forget. “No sentient being should ever be treated as breeding stock; Luna and I knew that, and it would be immoral to treat them that way. So we decided that it would be rather more of a relaxation of boundaries. And moreover, it would have been impossible to let them continue on as they were at the time of our births, isolated from each other, hating without cause, treating Earth Ponies as serfs...”

“You got a point there. I read that History of Equestria book that Twilight wrote, and the stories of racial division were just... awful. Though I couldn’t understand why Twilight kept insisting Sullamander wasn’t a psychotic lesbian.”

“I think she was just disturbed by it,” Celestia suggested, sinking back onto the couch, appearing to partly sink through it.

“Probably,” Marcus shrugged. “Regardless, one of the long-term goals of yours, Luna’s and your mother Faust’s plan for Equestria, the breaking down of the barriers between the tribes, was always to bring back the alicorns… and it’s not working as fast as either of you expected.”

He let this sink in and then dropped the bomb. “And not as fast as our science predicts.”

“So, you’ve seen it too?” she asked, indicating he should go, and there was a tiny smidgen of fear in her eyes.

“Seen how in fact the Earth Ponies are the closest ‘base’ to the original Alicorns? Yeah, fuck the Unicorn and Pegasus supremacists indeed. Seen how wings and horns are recessive traits? Yeah, we’ve seen that too. And because its possible for those traits to combine, then yes, we’ve also seen that there’s far less Alicorns in Equestria than there should be.”

He’d dug on an old chalkboard on a stand, and wiped off an old livestock count to draw something new. Quickly, he sketched out a rough chart for her, on which the following was written:

MENDELIAN PONY GAMETES

Earth Pureblood (PPUU)

-Earth, Unicorn Recessive (PPUu)

-Earth, Pegasus Recessive (pPUU)

-Earth, Dihybrid (PpuU)

Unicorn Pureblood (PPuu)

-Unicorn, Pegasus Recessive (Ppuu)

Pegasus Pureblood (ppUU)

-Pegasus, Unicorn Recessive (ppUu)

Alicorn (ppuu)

“Each letter represents an allele inherited from a parent. Lower-case ones represent unicorn and pegaus traits. Since these are recessive, you need two of the same kind to develop wings or horns. Long story short, only ‘uu’ or ‘pp’ gametes will produce anything other than an Earth Pony.”

Her eyes had slid to the bottom of the chart.

“And if both of those pairs exist in the same ‘gamate’?” she asked, sounding almost afraid.

“Then you should get an alicorn…” he sighed, before gesturing with the chalk. “I’m not an expert geneticist…Hell, I flunked biology big time back in high school. Ask me to tell you where a fired bullet will land, and I can answer you in a blink. But in explaining fundamental genetics...”

At last he stepped back and gestured.

“But yes” he explained. “There are actually nine ‘basic’ pony genomes. Each represents different combinations of recessive traits. The Earth ponies have the greatest diversity. Some of them, perhaps as many as a quarter of them, carry the recessive traits of both other tribes hidden inside of them. If two of those particular ‘Dihybrid’ ponies had a child, like say the Cakes, then that foal could genetically inherit any number of abilities. It come come out as any of the different genomes.”

He paused.

“Based on the calculations, that kid would have a one-in-sixteen chance of being born an alicorn.”

He scratched out the ‘pureblood options’.

“And it goes further. Yours and Luna’s social policies oversaw a broad move away from ‘pure’ bloodlines and into more mixed marriages. Love between members of different tribes increases the chance of ‘mixed’ bloodlines, which massively skewed the chance in favour of alicorns, so where are they?”

He slapped a hand on the board.

“For Pete’s sake Celestia, some pairings have a one-in-four or even one-in-two chance of the alleles lining up for both wings and horns to fully develop. Hell, you should, hypothetically, have been seeing new Alicorns being born into the population within two generations of Equestria’s founding. And yet, that never happened.”

“And Luna…” Celestia whispered. “What about her attempts to… to become a mother?”

Marcus flinched, and scratched at his neck. “Well, it’s difficult. And I never wanted to ask about Luna’s, erm, romantic history.”

“She took no less than three husbands over the course of her first millenium of life…” Celestia explained gently. “In all cases, the foals were mortal. Cadence is from of one of those bloodlines. Though with the time that has passed, I’m certain at least half of Equestria descends from Luna.”

Marcus did not answer at first, and hearing the weight of his silence, Celestia turned a fiery gaze upon him.

“What does your science say now? What truths have you discovered? Was my sister’s attempts at raising a family to share our long eons doomed from the start?”

“No…” he admitted, easing himself onto the couch, wincing at fresh aches and pains. His runes were itching colossally. “Not biologically, anyway.”

Celestia sat down beside him. Despite her presence in his mind, she had no odour, or shadow, or mass. But the emotion in her eyes, that was real.

The blackboard seemed to stare down at the two of them.

“If Luna courted some of the ‘second tier’ generations,” Marcus explained, “where the various traits had begun to mix, then she should have had a high chance of carrying alicorn foals. But in the early days, when the ‘pureblood’ lines were predominant, then the laws of genetics would have resulted in any of her children being born either an Earth Pony, Pegasus, or Unicorn.”

“But why? I don’t question your wisdom, but why are there so few Alicorns in Equestria… so few of this ‘ninth gamete’?”

It was framed as a question, and yet now there was something knowing in her expression, as if she had deduced the answer long ago and was now testing him.

“Because something’s blocking it…” he said at last. “Some external force is inhibiting the development of alicorns, keeping the numbers down.”

“And there you have the answer,” Celestia said softly, nodding knowingly. “After a long while, I came to the conclusion that Harmony itself was the factor. Equestria, with all its petty fears and little tribalist mentalities, is still not ready for alicorns. There are only a scarce few.”

“Have you considered the other possibility?” he asked archly. “That the curse that befell the alicorns, that split them into the three pony subgroups, is still in effect behind the scenes, in every pony’s DNA?”

“Also true. But what about ponies like Lyra, and Cadence - what of the pegacorns?”

“We tested Lyra during our research, trying to understand pony magic. What you called ‘pegacorns’, are actually ponies in whom the recessive traits have partially manifested… Lyra and Cadence were both of the ‘Ppuu’ genome - unicorn with pegasus recessive.”

She nodded along, deeply invested. This was an interesting exchange, with each offering up what they knew and testing the other’s knowledge base.

“So then,” Celestia continued, “I would assume then that somewhere there are pegasi with the traits of unicorns?”

“Rainbow Dash,” he said without pause. “As an example. She’s biologically stronger and faster than most other pegasi, not because of the ‘purity’ of her bloodline, but because some unicorn ancestor passed down a larger-than-average magical reserve to her. Could explain how she made a Sonic Rainboom. May explain Fluttershy as well - I would guess that at some point higher up in her family tree, there was an Earth pony with some interesting recessive traits. Flutters herself also classifies as ‘unicorn recessive’... but that little tweak in her magical development could have woken those dormant abilities up and suppressed her growth as a ‘pegasus’... subtly, all three races in one package. Almost an alicorn, even.”

He laughed at how she blinked in surprise, and then he sighed, winding up for the Hail Marcy pitch.

“Here’s one to really throw you, something that none of our pony researchers even suspected - there’s actually more than a few Earth pony ‘pegacorns’ who got more than a touch of Peg or Uni about them, or sometimes even both...which maybe might explain Pinkie Pie… and her ‘Pinkie sense’.”

“Oh yes!” Celestia laughed. “Oh I knew there was something odd about that lovely mare! Take this research to Twilight, please, I’d love to see her reaction.”

“Oh, just picture the look on Twily’s face should Pinkie throw an ‘almost alicorns party’...” he deadpanned back. “Doctor Whooves’ response to this was frightening enough, before he began dancing around the room and forced the implications down everybody’s throats! I don’t think I’d even understand half of this if it hadn’t been for him showing that there are too few alicorns by half in Equestria.”

“The wonders of life at work…” she smiled. “And therein lies the danger of ascension, of transformation magic, and its unpredictability.”

He pondered for a second, and then started, sitting bolt upright.

“The splitting of the alicorn race! The crystal ponies and the thestrals, and Cadance’s ascension! They’re not genetically predicted. They should not have happened!”

She nodded sagely.

“Magic is fundamentally transformative, I have learnt. Starswirl’s teachings stress that ‘we are who we are’, that we are born into the bodies best suited to our souls, but I’ve come to doubt that… never with proof though.”

“We only recently accepted that on Earth,” he admitted. “Men trapped in the bodies of women, and vice-versa… and a whole raft of other discoveries about our nature, all locked in our genes.”

“Indeed, but with ponies, there is something else at work. I believe that the very fact that today’s ponies were born of a single race being split in three has left something in them that is unstable, and susceptible to transformation under the right conditions. Hence why my Cadance ascended when overloaded by her ‘special talent’ of love, and Sombra’s own metamorphosis under the influence of Dark Magic…”

She trailed off, and visibly wiped away a tear.

“And Nightmare Moon, and the Thestrals, and the Crystal Ponies,” he finished for her. “It’s like pulling a magical lever switch, and scrambling their nature to make something new.”

“Yes,” she nodded. “And that is the potential within every one of my ponies. Your science confirms my hope that alicorns are Equestria’s biological destiny in general, but I’ve also learnt from experience that magic itself will introduce new outliers, new options.”

“That’s like the Pokemon-model of evolution!” he snorted. “Wake up one morning with hooves, and come night time, you’ve grown a pair of bat wings, or flippers.”

“Strange by Earth’s standards, but true. While most will walk the same path, some might find themselves walking another.”

She mimed poking one of his runes, and then pointed back at herself.

“New paths, new ways of life. Transformed lives…”

“Luna...the other Luna, spoke of her and her sister as living ‘cursed lives’, once,” he answered, hunched forward and cuddling a cushion, whose seams were threatening to pop. “Is that the future for me? For Cheerilee? For your Cadance, suddenly thrust into immortality?”

“Is why you are so concerned for our Lyra?” she asked gently. He nodded, and she smiled.

“Luna and I did not ask to be born the way we are, but neither did anyone else. We can’t shape how we enter this world, only how we live as we pass through it. As for Cadance, she is strong, and has a great heart. And she will never be allowed to forget that she is loved and treasured, no matter how long her path may stretch out through time.”

Celestia stomped a hoof, and to her chagrin it passed straight through the carpet.

“Whatever happens, she will not face eternity alone, Marcus.”

“Are we still talking about Cadence, or Lyra?”

“Does it matter?” she smiled. “I would not worry too much. In most cases, transformation has either acted on something that was already there; only rarely is it imposed from outside. From meeting Miss Heartstrings, I would say she is pretty confident with her self identity.”

“Ha! If she did ‘ascend’, she’d probably end up a human!” he laughed. But it felt hollow. “I’m just scared for her.”

He waved at the list of gametes he had drawn out. “I’m from a paradigm where, once something is understood, we can make reliable predictions based upon it. Magic has changed all of that. We might be moving into a world that works less as it ‘should’, and more as we ‘think’ it should, and that scares me. But most of all, I’m scared for Lyra.”

The immortal diarch gently laid a massless wing across his shoulders, mimicking a hug.

“Don’t be. Magic is not some mindless force. It’s shaped by the hearts and souls of those around it. And regardless of what else I can say about your world, it is evident that it loved Lyra Heartstrings deeply. Whatever happens when she arrives on Earth, I can guarantee that it will be an expression of that love.”

“But what we love, we often hurt…” he whispered darkly, clutching a cushion to his chest.

“I know,” she answered. “I know…”

“Marcus?”

‘Huh?’ Marcus blinked, shaking off the memory before giving her a warm smile. “Sorry, just thinking about something. Don’t worry about it too much. It was just me being a bit paranoid.”

“Oh, okay.” Lyra gave him a warm smile before she walked ahead of him, flicking her tail somewhat. Marcus couldn’t help but shake his head at this. Flirting, with either Lyra, was always the same: straight forward and in your face. A small part of Marcus always regretted not letting the minty unicorn have what she wanted, her trust in him was stronger than almost any force he knew.

“Ooh ooh, what’s Earth like?!” she asked suddenly, voice pitching with excitement and hooves pressed against her cheeks. “I can’t wait to see it!“

"Lyra, don’t get too excited. What you see of Earth may be rather… disappointing.”

“Because of the war?” she asked, suddenly sober.

She hadn’t yet seen pictures of earth during the war, but there was word of some kind of exhibition coming in the near future, funded by the thin, lanky human whose name was not Avocado (and wanted to know about the divergence between the two Equestrians), that short, stocky, bald human with the magnificent beard named Grimnebulin, and the side-slipped version of that odd gamer colt (Button Mash! That was his name!) she’d seen around Ponyville.

Marcus sighed, “That’s part of it, but you will need to be very careful when you're on Earth. Not all humans will welcome you with open arms. In fact, it’s very likely the HLF will attempt to kill you on sight."

"Yeah, I know. I’ll be careful," she said in a low voice, ears drooping. "Can’t say I blame them. But... I’m very glad to know most of humanity has not decided to jump on board the insanity train with them."

Marcus nodded his head before kneeling, looking into her golden, amber eyes. “Promise me that you will be as careful as you can. I can’t stand the thought of losing you again. The worlds need a Lyra Heartstrings in them.”

Lyra felt her cheeks burning at the words, and she suddenly reached up and hugged him. Marcus remained still, not wanting to return the hug and possibly hurt with his uncontrolled strength.

“I’ll be fine, Marcus. I have Stephan as my trainer, and I know he won’t send me out into Earth unprepared.”

“I hope it will be enough…” he stressed. “You can never be trained enough for a war of this scale, for what you’ll be pitted against. Even we humans, born into a world where’s there not been a year without some form of war for over a century, were unprepared for it.”

As Marcus rose to look around the park with a critical look in his eyes, Lyra lifted a hoof.

“I don’t know if I can live up to your Lyra, but-

“Don’t,” he cut her off. “Don’t try to be her. Don’t let her define you.”

“What?”

“It’ll be too much pressure. From what I’ve seen, the Lyra of this world...is a perfectly wonderful mare.”

Before he could stop himself, he reached down and ruffled her mane as gently as possible, surprised to find that he hadn’t hurt her.

“Just be you, and that’ll inspire everyone well enough.”

Lyra sniffed a bit, wiping her snout before jumping to her hooves. “Okay! I will be the best Lyra I can be!”

She stood proud and upright for a second, before another shiny thought flashed into her mental sphere of attention, and she began to bounce on the spot again.

“OH! OH! Can you describe to me the full functions of the human hand during intercourse?”

“What?” Marcus raised an eyebrow, looking down at the beaming smile on her face, which suddenly became a shamed frown.

“Wait a minute… Ah! Wait! I mean-”

Marcus’ bellowing laughter echoed out, while Lyra blushingly tried to retract her statement, her mouth running before she could fully form the question.

Meanwhile...

Somewhere north of the Crystal Empire, in an abandoned towns on the outskirts of the capital...

At a prison camp with no name, so deep in the frozen north as to be closer to Sibearia than Equestria, is Twilight Sparkle.

Or rather, her dark counterpart.

She was currently in the ‘medical’ facility of the nightmarish complex, happily humming along to the screaming in her own head, savoring those delicious pleas for death.  They were like lullabies to her ears, mingling with a new chart-topper from one of the newfoal musicians that extolled the glory of Equestria...

She felt a momentary surge of loathing  - most Equestrian musicians, like Sapphire Shores, Vinyl Scratch, Fiddlesticks, Mixtape and Neon Lights had left for Earth, so the musical broadcasts, like the one coming from the totem-prole she had personally customized and positioned in one corner in her laboratory, were dominated by newfoals.

Listening to both these sweet melodies, she was fixing up a new brew of the potion, mixing in various magical ingredients with foundational magic drawn straight from Great And Powerful Queen Celestia’s thaumic engines. The Salvation Army were apparently running low on some ingredients for the potion, though newfoals colonizing Earth - or New Equestria, and eventually just plain Equestria once they phased out the memory of humans - had shown success in growing them on the new farms.

She was sorely tempted to attempt to recreate the Pretty Private template (That Configuration Daemon had been creative, far too much so), but had been torn. Admittedly, a few more batches of supersoldiers would rapidly wipe out what few humans remained, but working out the kinks would require the full processing power of the Deep Thought Protocols, and they simply did not have those resources to hoof.

‘So frustrating...’

Regardless, she had another task, and as Queen Celestia’s faithful stu - servant, orders were orders. Besides, it was a serious problem…

“The Perfect Pony Paradigm...distilled in liquid form. How wonderful!”

It was a common problem with so many ponies that had been ‘liberated’ from Earth. These ‘repatriates’ appeared to suffer from all kinds of delusions, likely thanks to contaminating human ideologies, and the reintegration centres were proving a drive on the war effort.

But this little miracle, this revised batch of potential, it would fix all that. those human ideas, so this new batch would solve all those delusions.

‘Where Mind Healers have failed to cure the most obstinate Betrayer, I’ll find a solution!’

If things played out true to her predictions, she’d be able to not only prevent any further riots arising from the lower class, but perhaps even bring all those crazy ponies in the PHL to their senses.

“Alright!” she said at last. “Mute, please.”

The totem-prole in the corner chirped. There was a faintly emerald tint to its crystalline structure, and a small dog-collar had been hung around the tip.

“Spike, take a memo…”

Another chirp.

“Alright, this is Twilight Sparkle, documenting the test application of the Revised Formula, iteration 626...admittedly it took a few hundred more ponies than I expected, but this should do the trick. The application of a binding element to the matrix should cancel out the side-effects of iteration 625...”

‘No pony should have that many eyes...but at least we’re not short on donor materials for retinal transplants anymore. Oh well, you win some, you loose some!’

The phial of revised formula cradled in her magic, Twilight turned to a struggling test subject who had been strapped to a spotless workbench.

Well, not entirely spotless. While sterile, there were those spots where blood and grease had stained the surface...and the scratch marks.

The subject in question had been bound down in glowing violet magical chains, which were wrapped painfully tight around each of his hooves. At the work camp he’d been volunteered from, he had a reputation as one of the rowdier inmates… why the guards needed to beat him severely before dragging here was anypony’s guess.

She didn’t particularly care though. what matter was it as to why he was at one of the work camps? Or what he’d been beforehand? He deserved to be put in there, he’d disrupted harmony…. thus he was a perfect test subject. Who would miss him? His family, if he had one? Pfff. This was a public service! They’d probably be glad he served the Empire, and so should he!

Using her Telekinesis, she undid the muzzle to hear a string of disgusting rasps utter from his throat. At first, his screaming had been very annoying, but a few quick cuts with a scalpel had neatly removed his vocal cords, and provided her with a tissue sample at the same time. Ah, blissful silence.

A few flecks of blood burst from his mouth as he tried to scream, whilst struggling in vain against the restraints.

“Well hello to you too,” she trilled him, shaking her head and resting one hoof on his barrel.

‘Lets see if this does the trick…’

She levitated a vial of potion towards his mouth, and neatly poured the contents down his throat. Immediately, his eyes went wide, and his mouth slammed shut...she could hear pathetic, whimpering sounds coming from it, watched his eyes darting from side to side, saw tears welling up in the sides of his eyes.

And then…

“NO! NOOOO! GET OUT OF MY HEADDDD!”

“Hrm, interesting. Spike, another note. The potion’s tissue regenerative qualities had restored his voice.”

“I...don’t! NO! Mommy! Mommy...help me...help meeeeeeee…”

He was begging, pleading, trailing off into gibbering shrieks, and then gurgles. Twilight hummed and made notes as the process ran to completion.

Soon enough the whimpering stopped, and all that was left was silence.

“Initial results seem positive. Subject appears placid and docile. Commencing deep scan.”

She hefted a magical probe and impaled it straight through the stallion’s left eyeball and into the brain cavity. Her magic twinkled as it interfaced with the device, allowing her to delve deep.

Twilight looked into his mind, laying it bare before her intellect, only to find that…

Well.

“How disappointing. He’s been rendered into vegetable. But on the plus side, she’d found another variant of tissue regeneration. That was something at least; and was progress compared to say, how the potion trials went.

Now that had been a nightmare of frustration. She’d still been getting used to the screaming, and she’d been driven near-insane by so much failure, so crazy that sometimes the cries in the back of her head were drowning out her thoughts. Sometimes, when she picked up a scalpel for dissection, attempting to find which organs had not transitioned well, she’d find the scalpel inching ever so closer to own jugular when she wasn’t focusing enough…

‘And there was that time with that fat man...the one whose potion batch had resulted in over-regeneration, literally cramming him full of so many organs his abdomen had burst open, spilling a variety of guts, none of them quite the right shape or connecting with each other. When I found that he was alive, I got so focused on identifying which of the hearts was keeping the blood circulating, that the scalpel had actually poked me just a tenth of an inch away from a major artery.’

Still, such were the hazards of working to save humanity.

“Guards, take this one for storage.” She snapped out, her frustration beginning to show. “Another failure.”

The guards entered and complied soundlessly, moving like clockwork. These were some of Twilight Sparkle’s personal guard - newfoals she had made herself and mentally conditioned to not react to the blood and viscera. She suspected that if she ordered them to, they’d happily go for a swim in the biomass reprocessing vats without even so much as a twitch.

Not that obedience was a problem for most newfoals, but most couldn’t handle seeing dead native ponies. It was as if they worshiped native ponies like gods - something that always brought a smile to Twilight’s face.

To be worshipped, and praised…oh yes.

But she’d never be higher up than her kind, wonderful, loving mentor...her mistress...

Telekinetically, making sure to keep their bodies from touching the test subject to avoid contamination, they dragged him down to the new room that Twilight had installed in the basement. There was certainly a lot of need for it - far too many of Twilight’s experiments had resulted in failure.

The massive cellar below, once dedicated to a noblestallion’s wine collection and now something far more worthy, was packed with corpses. Experimental newfoal variants, older experiments in making more ‘Pretty Privates’ (all failures so far), test subjects for new spells, the results in tweaking the ponification matrix ever so slightly, and so many more.

The majority of test subjects went to reprocessing, to be rendered down into culture fluid for further potion. But some, which demonstrated more interesting ‘abberations’, were kept her for further study. Chrono dilation spells looped a single minute of time ad infinitum, preventing the remains from rotting further.

So many corpses of ponies, packed floor to ceiling. Some of them were former friends, whereas others were captured PHL drones that she could never imagine having befriended. Even though, back before the war, she’d happily trotted alongside them in the streets of ponyville.

All of them had an expression etched into their faces, either mindless stupidity, vapid happiness, or sheer terror forming a permanent death-mask, if they even had faces left. One subject in here was barely recognizable as a pony, covered in huge masses of tumors out from which you could vaguely see a hoof poking out. Blood, both old and new, caked the floor from the more outlandish experiments she had conducted. Some of the corpses even appeared to have either imploded or exploded from whatever forces had been acting on them.

The blood would never wash out of the floor. ‘And,’ Twilight reflected, ‘That was beautiful. Future generations of ponies will visit this place time and time again, see the blood on the floor, and smile at the miracles that had worked here, eradicating the evil of the humans. I think they’ll even be happy about the test subjects - all for the glory of Equestria, after all!’

“Spike, open the shutters.”

Chirp.

Metal blinds clanked, and she stared down through a window at her family of corpses. Some of them were wiggling a little, their mouths open - either post-mortem contractions, or somehow a few of them had managed to survive. The time dilation effect kept them on the threshold, not requiring food nor drink to prolong their suffering.

For them, pain was now the natural state of being, pain without release. How beautiful a notion, like the screams in her mind...

“Hmm...memo. The mares hanging on meathooks 6 and 8 are still showing signs of cognition. Remind me to bring them back up for vivisection if a gap opens up in the schedule.”

She suspected they wanted to leave. So selfish. Oh well. It was far too late to get them out now. Perhaps, some casual observer looking down at her, might assume her expression was one of remorse.

“So sad that it takes so long to get these things right,” she sighed, “It’s such a waste of good test subjects.”

She remained silent for a long while, enjoying the silent screaming in the back of her mindthoughts, before turning to the totem-prole she had named ‘Spike’.

“Next subject!” She cried out gleefully. “Oh, there’s so much I want to try before we try to liberate Boston again!”

Second Month

Authors:

Proudtobe

Redskin122004

Editors:

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

TB3

Rush

TheIdiot

Beyond The Horizon

VoxAdam

Carpinus Caroliniana

Jed R

Inqusitor-Awesome

Sledge115

“No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.”

– Veronica Rothard

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

-Oscar Wilde

Canterlot

‘There is an answer for every problem. Even for situations as bad as our counterparts,’ Twilight mused as she looked over the Elements of Harmony. The crown sat on a cushion, several dozen sensors supplied by the PHL’s scientists connecting them to a sprawling mainframe, assisting her in trying to tap into the power held within.

‘Infrared and UV cameras, electromagnetic meters, radiological counters, gravitational meters, thaumic detectors...’ she thought to herself in amazement. ‘The wonders of Earth’s science seem to be boundless… but then, I guess they see our magic with the same sense of wonder.’

Where humanity was a boon in unlocking the potential of the Elements, Luna had been a great help in educating her as to the background of the mystical artefacts. It was, frankly, humbling to hear they were simply gems taken from the Tree of Harmony when the… ‘misunderstanding’ between the Princesses and Discord had taken place.

Although a few scientific members of the PHL had gone to study the Tree with Luna, they had only performed a cursory examination, due both to the nature of the Everfree and the time and energy the expedition drew away from weapons development and further research into anti-magic defenses.

Most of those ponies and humans had been distant with Twilight. Though it hurt, she understood their reservation, and did not hold it against them. After all, she wouldn’t have wanted to be near herself either, if she had done all the things her other self had.

“I just… we need to save them, somehow,” Twilight said aloud, and for a moment wondered if her malformed counterpart had ever vocalised words to the same effect...

Before she could ponder that further though, she was interrupted.

“Sometimes, death is the only option,”

Twilight yelped, startled by the unexpected male voice. She spun around to see who had spoken behind her.

“It is only through eternal sleep that tortured souls may finally find some peace apart from the living.”

He was a stocky man, built almost like how she could visualize a human version of Donut Joe looking like, except for his wrinkled tan skin, steadily graying, thick – yet receding – dark hair, and a short beard that appeared to go out in every direction. His facial features, sporting a pair of wire-rimmed glasses, didn’t seem to fit any one human ethnicity Twilight knew of. The man was clad in a simple green polo shirt and grey slacks, along with a white lab coat covered in coffee stains. A pair of cherry-red headphones were slung around his neck.

Despite his odd bearing, something about him gave off a comforting vibe to Twilight. This, she suspected, was a man who valued learning and discovery like her.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Ah, sorry, Miss Twilight, let me introduce myself. My name is Doctor Isaac van der Grimnebulin,” the man explained cordially. “I’m from one of the PHL’s R&D teams, and having just finished a rather important project, I have some time off. I figured I’d spend it by making your acquaintance.”

“R&D? A human research team?!” Twilight asked with a ridiculously happy smile blooming upon her face. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes! I’ve been looking forward to meeting one of you! Oh, could I please join up with you!? I could learn so much, there’s so much work to be done!”

“You, uh, miiiiiight... not... want to do that,” Doctor Grimnebulin cautioned the excited unicorn. “Your little dragon bro and secretary is there. Well, I mean the, ah–” he spread his arms up and down, creating an impression of size. By human standards, it wasn’t very impressive, since Doctor Grimnebulin was rather short. He was, however, about half as wide as he was tall. “The giant one. We’re, we are still researching draconic biology, trying to get him back to full health and repair his wings. Apparently, I’m an expert on wing repair, so I’m vital to the project.”

“What happened to Spike?” Twilight asked, her ears drooping, remembering the broken titan she, Rarity and Lyra had encountered in Canterlot. “Has his condition deteriorate-”

“Oh, no! No, don’t worry, rest assured, he is fine,” Doctor Grimnebulin said, a bit too frantic in his attempts to stem a budding panic attack. “Well, as fine as he could be under the circumstances, relaxing in a massive hospital bed. It’s not his fault he can’t see you, really–”

“I saw him before,” Twilight said, more insistently this time.

“Yes, I was wondering how you got in that room...”

“I just… my little Spike, I’d trust him with everything. But they betrayed him, and… and he looked like someone had tortured him for weeks! What did that poor dragon go through?! He’s not even a teenager in dragon years, and… what could they have possibly done?!”

“It’s something that our medics would really rather not discuss in front of ponies from…. well, here,” Doctor Grimnebulin said.

“I have a right to know why!” Twilight protested vehemently. “Spike is my oldest friend! He's been with me through thick and thin, no matter what–”

“I understand," Doctor Grimnebulin said gently. "But I'd really rather not go into it,” he added, looking visibly sickened. “One of my great shames in putting that exhibition together from my boss’ personal collection, along with everyone’s personal computer files, various galleries that my boss requisitioned artworks from, and other sources... “

“Is there a point to this?” Twilight asked.

“Sorry - Acevedo and Viktor always told me that rambling was a problem of mine, which is kinda hypocritical on Acevedo’s part. That man talks too damn much. What I’m getting at is that I could barely find anything from the Empire to show how far Equestria fell,” Doctor Grimnebulin said. “Nothing compared to what was done to Spike…”

“But there were pictures of Newfoals menacing earth, and... And...” Twilight said.

“That’s not even scratching the surface,” Doctor Grimnebulin said, almost melancholic. “Destruction of a city is vast, impressional, a sad desolation. The number of people killed is up in the thousands, but that is just a statistic, cold and distant. But to see one brutalised life, tortured and mutilated… well that drives the real horror home. I’d rather for now you cherish what innocent you have left: this war is horrifying enough already without exposure to the kind of evil inflicted on Spike.”

“I. Am. Putting. My life on the line for humanity’s survival. So tell me what they. Did. To. Him!” she growled. “It can’t be the most horrifying thing Equestria did there!”

‘Well, it’s a close second, third, or fourth,’ Doctor Grimnebulin mused privately to himself, but he decided to withhold that information, for now. She'd figure out about the potion trials in time...

“Spike almost killed me and Rarity, just over the memory of what the others did!” Twilight continued. “I need to know, and I don't want to learn it from him if it means I have to hear him say how much he hates me!”

“Fine. If this is the best way to tell you, then…. he was tortured,” Grimnebulin said. “They drove nails through his hands and feet and secured him in place with chains screwed into his very flesh and bone!”

Twilight gasped, hoof meeting her mouth in quick succession.

“... and yeah, you and your friends’ counterparts did all that. He spent nearly five years stuck through with more metal than a kebab, nailed to a wall in the Castle of the Two Sisters, goddamn railroad spikes driven through his hands, his legs, his wings, covered in his own blood and filth! The only parts of him that were clean, were where his tears had streamed down.”

Twilight backed away, feeling her own tears begin to fall freely. “No…”

“He actually did try to escape with Rarity, around the time the Great Equestrian was launched," Grimnebulin continued. "Oh, I can't imagine how bad that must have been for them and Sweetie Belle, especially after the statue exploded in front of her... Just gasping, teary-eyed, exhausted from the ordeal, being ferried down from the wreck, opening up the boutique, only to find Spike and her sister, packing what they could. Rarity wiped Sweetie’s memory so she couldn't give them away, and sent her to the Everfree to stay with Zecora. All Sweetie remembers, judging from what Button told me- the colt fancies her, you know-  was that her sister placed a suggestion in her mind, whispering that if they spoke again, Rarity would no longer be Rarity. And then… well they nearly got to a portal, but an entire battalion of Royal Guards was sent out to get them.”

Twilight’s whole body trembled as she looked down at the floor, tears spilling from her face. "They didn’t make it,” she uttered in a hollow, broken voice. It wasn’t a question.

He grimly nodded. “Indeed. Rarity was dragged back to Equestria and overtaken by the homunculus that now trots in her place. And for his interference, not to mention clawing out one of the Tyrant’s eyes, Spike was, well, you get the picture.”

“Why, though? she asked in a quiet voice as she looked up at him with her heavily bloodshot eyes from tears. “Why not make him her slave as well? It’s… there’s no reason for this, it’s just evil!”

For that, there was no answer. In her heart, Twilight already knew the purpose of all this suffering; to slate Tirek’s lust for pain and blood.

Several minutes passed by, which simply consisted of the young unicorn’s body shaking as tears continued to stream down her face. Grimnebulin felt his heart screaming out at him to hug her, but he was worried at how she would react to such a move from a virtual stranger. So he just stood there, and let her cry it out, until she could speak again.

Twilight sniffed as she wiped her snout, scrunching her tearful features into as determined a look as she began to properly process this revelation.

“Th-thank you f-for telling me,” she stammered, her voice just barely above a whisper.

“My apologies,” he said. “I– okay, yeah, I suppose scaring you was inevitable. And I’m sorry for that, for what it’s worth, I really wanted to meet you.”

“Even after what I did to poor Spike?” Twilight asked, as she wiped fresh tears away with her hoof. Her eyes were still badly bloodshot.

“Well, not what you did, but especially after that. I know a lot of ponies from Ponyville. They say so many wonderful things about how your counterparts used to be, before Equestria took a hard right into imperialism. How what you treasured most were good books and good friends. Of course, well, it gets harder and harder for them to remember the good about you. Which is understandable, but rather sad too. Within a few months, if we have that long, I doubt there’ll be good memories left.”

“So, why did you come here? To meet ‘her’?”

“In so many words…”

He pulled up a chair beside her, keeping several feet of personal space between the two of them. “I wished I could have met the real Twilight, the friendly, rather neurotic mare whose worst transgression involved a ragdoll and a ‘possession’ spell. Which ended badly, yes, but it wasn't malicious."

“Well,” she laughed weakly, making a bubbling hiccupping sound. “Here I am, snot and all…how can I help you?”

“Well, I’d very much like to study under you.”

“...I, I beg your pardon, what?”

“I’m interested in magic,” he explained. “And apparently these Elements are some of the most powerful magic around – it’s what I’ve decided to focus my efforts upon now that I’m free to pick my next project – and I figure we could learn a lot from one another.”

“Sounds wonderful,” said Twilight, though her characteristic enthusiasm was dampened. “I’d still love to see advances made without this war driving them forward. Everything we achieve now is going to be tainted by that...”

“Hey now,” the Doctor said, “What’s wrong?”

“I just wish I could learn this at a better time,” Twilight sighed, and flung herself back across the grass. “It’s a whole new world of new discoveries, new people to meet, new cultures to immerse in... it should be a dream come true. But now, apparently the fate of the multiverse hangs in the balance, those same cultures don’t have too long left, and now I’ve got to try and outwit and surpass the accomplishments of my own, possessed counterpart… kinda makes me afraid of how far I might fall in trying to beat her...”

“I can sympathize,” Doctor Grimnebulin said. “I must admit, I did disreputable things during the war before I even came to Brazil, but I love the work I do at Crowe. I love working with Ernst Kasparek to save lives. I love making efficient solar panels, I love the potion sensors and decontamination procedures I helped make, love helping those in need, love applying my talents to things that can save lives. And yet… I can only do that sorta thing because the world’s ending. People need to actually persuade me to go on a break, ‘cos every second I’m not working is one that someone’s been shot... or worse, ponified or disintegrated by the Barrier.”

Twilight reached over and rubbed at his leg gently with a hoof.  “We can beat it if we all pull through and work together. I promise.”

“Ha! How’d you end up talking me up…” he laughed briefly, before settling back into grim contemplation.

“Doctor Grimnebulin…”

“I don’t doubt that we’ll win, eventually, Miss Twilight.” he said at last. “But we’ve lost so much in these past three years… homes, businesses, families... nearly lost my niece. Our infrastructure is shredded and our society is held together by spit, duct tape, prayers, a few good luck charms, baling-wire and Blitz spirit. We might’ve even lost our souls. Winning the war will be the easiest part, because once the guns stop firing, these plastered-over wounds will need to heal and that is never easy, for the patient, or the caregiver.”

“I’ve read about that, I think,” said Twilight. “It always takes a long time to rebuild after a war, but…” Her face fell as soon as she realized what she was saying.

“Yeah, those are probably small states you’re thinking of,” said Doctor Grimnebulin. “We’ve lost half our world, and what we have left is incredibly overpopulated. Anyone that lives in more than a craphole apartment probably hasn’t yet been displaced, our remaining infrastructure is crumbling under its own weight, and half of it runs on things that should’ve been scrapped decades ago. Did you know we’ve gone back to using actual steam engines now in some places, nearly three-quarters of a century after we flew to the moon? Those junkyard wrecks and the hulks dredged up by people like Acevedo’s cousin are keeping us pointing into the current, but the sheer flow of history still seems to be pushing us back in time…”

He sighed, a light despondent.

“...sure, with time we’ll come back from this brink, but… how long will it take? Decades? Centuries? No matter what, it’ll never be the same again. I actually remember Acevedo saying something about gearing down, simplifying everything to make it work, so we probably won’t make meaningful technological process that can be shared with the world for a long time.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted, crestfallen. “I just… I have no idea about any of this.”

Both fell quiet for a moment.

“I promise you though,” said Twilight. “No matter what, Equestria will do it’s best to support you.”

“Thanks...” said Doctor Grimnebulin. “Pride be damned, we’d welcome any charity.”

“It’s not charity, it’s Harmony!” Twilight said, stomping a hoof. “Nopony – nobody on Equus can hope to stand by idle while this happens. That exhibition you helped organize proved that...our worlds are friends now, and I promise you Doctor, your friends have got your back.”

“If that promise holds, then the expo will be my proudest bits of work,” Doctor Grimnebulin smiled.

“So, what did you need to know about the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked, rising to her hooves.

“Anything that might be useful," Grimnebulin asked. "I've witnessed them being used all at once before, via a satellite over Boston that captured their deployment against Commander Renee, but geostationary orbit isn’t exactly the best vantage point for this kind of study. It was impressive though; heck, what looked like a pretty light-show on the feed had the power to throw Marcy-Marc right across dimensional boundaries...”

“You know, it is strange, what happened there…” Twilight tapped her hoof, a worried look developing on her face as he explained his interest in the Elements. “Why did all of that happen?”

Seeing his confused look on his face with her words, she began to clarify. “What I mean is, the Elements shouldn’t react at all due to what happened to the bearers. They should have been inert. And yet, they not only activated, but the outcome was a situation beneficial to humanity...”

“I don’t understand.” Grimnebulin started, “Are not the Elements linked to the users? Doesn’t the will of the bearers direct the power of the gems?”

“Well, yes. But you can’t just force the Elements to work for you.” Twilight sighed as she looked at the crown. “Even then its not as if I had fine control over their power…”

From second-hand accounts, it did seem as if the Elements had all the power of a magical bomb, and just as much discretion… come to think about it, everything he knew to date suggested that the bearers were simply a means to activate the magic, an ignition-key to start a self-driving car...

“Does that mean… that the Elements are sentient?”

Twilight was frowning as she looked closer to her crown, again tapping her hoof to her chin.

“That’s the ‘something really weird is going on’ look, isn’t it? I know that look better than I should,” Grimnebulin asked.

“Well, for the first time I’m beginning to wonder how these things actually work… erm, is ‘critical mass’ a term you’re at all familiar with?”

The doctor blinked, and repressed a snigger. “I am aware of the concept, yes.”

“Okay, well at least that’s a common touchstone…” Twilight mimicked wiping sweat from her brow and smiled. “The Elements require each other to work, and for six ponies that ‘resonate’ in a certain way to be wielding them - the gems provide the ‘critical mass’, the sheer magical power, but only with those sympathetic resonances can their power be… erm, energized, or is it stimulated?”

“Assumption!” he interjected, throwing up an objecting finger. “You specifically described ponies being the ‘wielders’. Is that a fact, or a wild guess on your part?”

“I… um… actually…” Twilight stammered, before trailing off. “You know, I never considered that. zebra physiology might work, and potentially the other sentient races of Equus… the idea of Sint Erklass or his granddaughter bearing one of the Elements is certainly not too far out of the realm of possibility.”

She seemed transfixed at the formidable notion, her mind drifting off. Grimnebulin had to snap his fingers in front of her face several times to bring her back to the basic four dimensions.

“These requirements, what are they?” he asked. “If the races of Equus can synch with the Elements, why not humans? I don’t know what aspect of Harmony I’d represent, but if I could hijack one element, I’d jump at the chance!”

“It wouldn’t work. Your anatomy is incompatible–”

“Seriously?” he retorted. “Aren’t the most important parts of the Elements the magic encapsulated in the actual gems? The core of any piece of jewelry is the stone, not the setting. Rings are expensive because they have gems, not for the gold. So why couldn’t I rig one up as a brooch or what have you?”

“Doctor Grimnebulin, I meant your physical anatomy, not your bodily dimensions. You know, biology, physiology, metabolism…” Twilight said bluntly. “The magical resonance that ‘activates’ the elements actually comes from the soul, and humans don’t have what it takes…”

“Are you saying humans don’t have souls? A touch lèse-majesté, Miss Twilight. On behalf of Earth, I’m rather insulted. I rather hate when PER bring that up. I am a pessimist, Miss Twilight, and yet-”

“Again, that’s not what I meant!” Twilight exclaimed, shaking her head as she rubbed at her forehead. “But… No, by Celestia, no! Soul, anima, spirit, whatever you wish to call it, they’re common to all sentient life. Humans are far from lacking, but it takes biomagical tissues to amplify the light of the soul to a point where the Elements can be initiated, as with any magic. And I’ve yet to see any proof of human wizardry or magecraft...”

“So Marcus doesn’t count as proof?” Doctor Grimnebulin asked.

“No, his was… an accident. Still, even before his, ah, ‘accident’ it was amazing to hear that he was able to even direct…” Twilight trailed off as a frown as she thought about Marcus’ situation. “Actually...his runes may actually serve just that role, almost like a prosthetic, a synthetical replacement for the alicornal tissues that nature and evolution denied your species…”

All in all, Marcus could theoretically wield an Element, and Twilight was sure that the one that would resonate with him best would be Loyalty. Her eyes widened before she hoofed her face, shaking her head at forgetting the basic knowledge of the Elements.

“But it’s not just the magic that is important… that’s just an amplifier. You could stick an Element around the neck of the greatest mage of all time and it would just be a dead rock if that soul is not in resonance with some aspect of Harmony… ultimately it’s the wielder that is important. What they stand for. What they believe. So they can’t go to just anyone, the bearer has to be exemplary in what the Element stands for.”

“Which are what?”

“Magic, Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, and Kindness.” Twilight explained, only to get another shake of the head from him. “These are the cornerstones of the Elements’ functions. It’s what was taught to me by Celestia herself.”

“Assumption again!” Grimnebulin said again. “Is it just those aspects - or are those simply the only ones so far discovered, or convenient labels that match up with qualities observed in previous bearers of the elements? What of other virtues? Say... honor? Forgiveness?”

“Well forgiveness might get covered by another element like kindness…”

“Well what of sacrifice? Hope, faith, or charity? Determination, the strength of will, or bravery? Trust, or even love, the power supreme in so many philosophies?”

“By all accounts, those are just the same as…”

“Whose accounts, Miss Sparkle? Were they reliable, or free of bias? Was the author of whatever reference text you’re citing making up ‘truths’ from whole cloth, or drunk to the gills and left in dangerous command of a quill and inkwell? You cannot know. So go back to square one. What have you yourself witnessed, and experienced, when it comes to the power of ‘Harmony’?”

“I… but… um… oh wow…” Twilight trailed off, suddenly remembering the very flashy climax of a certain wedding in Canterlot…

‘Shiny and Cadance did that on their own… were they temporarily channeling the same power as the Elements? Pulling power straight from the Tree, through the ley lines, through Equestria itself? Could anypony do that, or was Cadance’s alicorn physiology acting as a force multiplier, and why didn’t I ASK MYSELF THESE QUESTIONS SOONER?!’

She now felt very, very stupid. She’d trusted in what ‘A Guide to the Elements of Harmony’ had told her, and never questioned it… never applied the scientific method to find the truth inside the mythology. Some student of magic she was...

“Besides, if what you say is true, where does Magic fall into this framework? It doesn’t sit well with the other Elements. Because that gives us five emotional virtues, and then reigning over them all a symbol of force, of applied energy. Anyone could hypothetically embody the other ‘elements’, but Magic stands apart. Magic is power, a skill, an energy source that is all around and within… to list a thermodynamic force as a component of Harmony, and to no less than CROWN it, seems very selective… and exclusive to those born with a natural affinity to magic, rather than some embodiment of friendship.”

“Friendship IS magic…” she said blithely, mind a million miles away and her mouth running on autopilot. “I could have had my horn ripped off and still made that thing work, if I trusted in myself and my friends… the spark between us was the true magic, not me.”

“Then it is not Magic that it entails, or do you want to put that conviction to the test?”

She wordlessly shook her head.

“I think… somewhere, the meaning of this Element,” Grimnebulin walked up to the ‘Magic’ Element, giving it a calculating gaze. “Was lost. Even to Celestia.”

He tilted his head, studying the crown intently before suddenly clapping his hands together. “Eureka!”

He spun round, expression beaming. “Have a swap meet.”

“What?!”

“Have you and your friends ever tried swapping your Elements with each other and seeing if you got a response?”

“Well, Applejack and Rainbow Dash have a lot in common, so Loyalty and Honesty might–”

“No,” he shook his head. “Don’t go for the obvious route. Randomize it. You put on the Honesty necklace, then.”

He picked up the Crown and twirled it on one finger. Twilight would have screamed for him to stop defacing a priceless relic were she not captivated.

“What happens”, he queried aloud. “If we anointed Pinkie Pie with this thing, and stuck her necklace on you?”

“Well, I…” she stammered, before pausing and sighing. “I don’t know.  I admit it, I don’t know what would happen.”

“Congratulations, you’re the new Element of Honesty.” he said sarcastically. “There’s no point to us debating how these things can be used against the enemy, if we don’t already know WHY they work at all, because it seems to me that either these pieces of bling will work with any pony, or there is some kind of intelligence at work here ensuring they only ‘click’ with individuals who meet the right parameters...”

And then, with all the dramatic timing of Doctor Frankenstein lunging for the Main Switch, he lifted the crown of Magic in both hands and jammed it onto his head…

… to the surprise of some, and the relief of all, nothing happened.

“Hello? Anypony there?” he said, tapping the gold helm as if trying to wiggle an antennae. “Or am I addressing some Lovecraftian horror from the depths of R’leth? Cthulhu fatargen?”

That was enough to break the somber mood, and Twilight felt a weight lift off of her shoulders and a chuckle swell inside of her.

“Try Laughter,” she said. “You’d probably have better results.”

Suddenly, she felt calm. She knew what to do.

“Gimme.”

“What?”

“Gimme my crown.” Twilight deadpanned, beckoning that he should hand the diadem over. “I’m gonna try and dial up the telephone exchange and ask to speak to the operator.”

Grimnebulin only chuckled as he gently placed the said Element in her hooves, neither of them paying attention to the gem, which glowed softly before darkening back to its normal hue.

“Well, why not give it a try?” Grimnebulin prodded. “Can’t hurt can it? Oh, and ask about the mass transfer ratio! I’ve heard that might be a problem...”

Twilight placed the crown on her head, closing her eyes and began to focus her magic on the crown, thoughts on her friends and all they been through crossing her mind.

‘Hello, Wielder.’

Twilight gasped as her eyes snapped open. “Did someone say anything?”

“Uhh, no…” Doctor Grimnebulin said. “Was it in your head?”

Twilight didn’t seem to hear him. Trembling, she lifted a shaking hoof and pointed at something only she could see.

“But you’re… me!”

Nowhere, Neverwhen

Twilight drifted, floating. All she could perceive was the gentle embrace of her Element around her forehead, and a soft, unseen wind, warm and comforting.

But her eyes were focused on the mare drifting opposite her.

“Yes, I am you…” said the mare, a familiar unicorn Twilight knew only too well from the bottom of puddles and the depths of mirrors. “And I am also…”

There was a… blurring, and for a second Twilight saw before her the likeness of Princess Celestia, then a familiar grey-bearded stallion, an aquamarine pegasus mare, and countless others, not all of them ponies. Quite a few appeared to be human...

“...everypony else who will ever carry myself. Past, present, future, sideways and diagonally...”

Again, a soft shimmering, and Twilight once again faced herself.

“Okay…” she nodded. “I think I understand. You’re the Element of Magic?”

“Call me Em,” her doppelganger smiled. “It’s much less formal. And somewhat less of a mouthful.”

Nebulae and stars swam around them. ‘Em’ laughed a little as Twilight struggled for words.

“I’m quite impressed you know, Twilight. You’re the first of my wearers in this plane to try contacting me like this.”

“I’ll thank Doctor Grimnebulin later, it was his idea.” she answered, before waving a hoof. “Wait, a second, you said everypo--everybody who will ever wear you, and who ever has. And that it works sideways as well. Does that include... them, as well?”

‘Em’ nodded once.

“Your counterpart, and Celestia’s. I should have known they’d be your first concern. You’re such a compassionate mare, Twi.”

“Please…” Twilight said, drawing a shuddering breath. “Don’t try and stall me or distract me with compliments. Just tell me… is there any hope for them?”

Glaciers formed and melted in the time it took for an answer to come, and yet the interval seemed as short as a single stroke of a hummingbird’s wing.

“There’s always hope, Twilight,” Em said at last. “But don’t look for it to come anywhere but from within yourself.”

“So, then it has to be us who does it? Do me and my friends have to fight them, to save them?”

Could she do that? Go hoof to hoof with herself, with Celestia, even a twisted facsimile of the same? She wasn’t sure…

Torn up within, Twilight tucked her hooves in against her chest, squeezed her eyes tight, and wept.

“There there Twi, it’s okay…”

She felt a warm, strong pair of hooves embrace her gently, and a breeze on her face, and opened her eyes. Em was hugging her from behind, and carrying her through this field of stars on a pair of lavender wings.

“Do you like them?” her alicornal duplicate smiled. “Took a while getting used to.”

“They’re beautiful,” Twilight murmured, captivated in wonder. “Where are we going?”

“Not far; just changing lanes a touch…”

Softly, they landed in a field of drifting lights, and Em held up a wing, indicating for Twilight to go no further. “Look over there.”

Twilight did, and saw through the haze an apparition of herself in conversation with… “Celestia…”

“Another you,” Em said by way of explanation. “Another Twilight Sparkle, facing immense odds.”

A flash of light heralded the other Twilight’s sudden encapsulation in a ball of purple energy, and when it burst… an alicorn was revealed.

“Yeah,” admitted Em, in answer to Twilight’s gaping shock, fluttering her own wings softly. “She’s the one who I got these from. And look there...”

More Twilights appeared, ghostly figures going through the motions of their individual lives. Some rose to supremacy, others fell from grace and abused their powers on those weaker than them. In what seemed like a flashing instant, Twilight saw everything she could be, for good or ill, and understood…

“My counterpart, from the Solar Empire,” she said softly, ears drooping. “She’s not the worst version of me, not by far…”

“Indeed not,” admitted Em, laying a soft wing across Twilight’s shoulders. “But she has hope in you, Twilight. Your fates have come close enough together that you have a chance, one no other Twilight Sparkle has ever had, to reach out across worlds, and show ‘yourself’ the same qualities you have always embodied. That maybe, just maybe, she can live again. Can you do that, Twilight?”

Sighing, Twilight looked away, and slowly turned, as all around her the infinite sky filled with windows, gazing out upon what she knew could only be Earth, and the war with a fallen, Imperial Equestria.

Marcus in battle, screaming orders. His arms were bare, untouched by runic tattoos… as he reached for the neck of a smiling Newfoal stallion, and squeezed.

Trixie and Stephan, caught in the crossfire of an ambush, exchanging a fleeting kiss…

A vast mass of reddened steel, a train like no-other she had ever seen, charging across a frozen landscape, chased by another, on which a mob of armoured Newfoals clung, crying out for blood…

A burning platform, far out to sea, and the rattle and howl of gunfire… and escaping it on a boat, a trembling, muttering, most of all angry man with an odd accent and a huge machinegun. He was coaxing as many knots as possible out of it, heading for a smouldering shoreside city...

The biggest earth pony Twilight had ever seen, bigger even than Big Macintosh, stood outside a lavishly painted metal box and an odd house that she knew to be a shipping container and a prefab house from the descriptions of other humans. There was a motley assortment of flowers outside this pitiful house, and she heard foals inside…

A woman with dark hair unleashing a rallying cry to a group of human, pony, and griffon soldiers on a tropical island...

A rusty ship, far beyond the paddle steamers she recognized from various ports, sailing across a stormy sea. Its sole occupant, a lone gunman, watches in silence as hordes of Newfoal pegasi relentlessly assault the vessel…

A man - it looked like Acevedo - staggering through an overpopulated, decaying, tropical city, starving and clutching his stomach…

A woman with rich dark skin speaks into a microphone. Her voice is even and stoic, but her eyes speak of trauma and hardship. She is able to forget about it, for just a fleeting moment with her family, and savors it with all her heart...

A pegasus, coat stained with blood, stands his ground as more and more human soldiers pour in the war torn hill. Behind him stands a gigantic statue of a woman, sword drawn out in defiance of invaders long since gone...

A city under fire, an opulent building with green and blue onion domes burning, as two Asian men and an American man help evacuate the civilians there. Meanwhile two pegasi, a fire red stallion and an icy blue mare, hold off the pegasus Newfoals as a turquoise unicorn mare summons a massive shield...

A unicorn stallion is sitting in his cell, his cellmate, an older Earth Pony stallion, sits across from him in the other bed; the stallion giving a hard speech over something that made the unicorn pale. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, in other parts of the prison other things occurred such as scared pegasus mare in her cell humming an unfamiliar tune, looked on compassionately by a guard wearing a face she has not…

Sint Erklass, the reindeer king, duelling with an masked mare atop a towering mountain peak, bleeding, dying… and in his path trod two reindeer fawns, struggling to survive and render aid and alms in a world gone mad...

Ponies, humans, and so many others, all wrapped in death, dancing with each other in an constant ballet of bullets and blades, blood and toil and tears and sweat…

… and at the center of it all, like a black hole swirling everything into a malicious gravity sink, seven familiar mares. The light of an engorged sun blazed upon the horn of the largest, and six totems of gold rested upon the necks and foreheads of the others, shimmering with power.

“Do they work for our counterparts?” she asked woodenly. “The Elements?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Em admitted. “Corrupted and violated your counterparts may be, but within them still burns the true hearts that saved Nightmare Moon, and rescued Equestria from Discord’s clutches.”

A hack, Twilight realised. By keeping the original personalities of the Element Bearers alive, desperately reaching out to one another across the psychic plane for relief from their suffering, the cancerous intelligences implanted into their bodies were able to use that same oneness, that desperate harmony, to hack into the Elements themselves, and turn them against their true purpose.

“So, they do the very opposite of harmony. If they win, there won’t be any sapients left that aren’t ponies?“

“Yes. Though, I fear even natural born ponies shall become like the Newfoals eventually. And in the end, by the time they can realize what has been done, how wrong it all is… it shall be too late. Equestria will crumble under its own weight, plagued by pirates and overpopulation, unable to produce enough food. There shall be nothing but Tirek, and he will die alone in a lifeless multiverse of rusting automata, and rejoice in that death…” She paused. “Maybe some type of new, free life can develop from that mass. But it will take longer than any of our lifespans.”

This then, was what Equestria now faced. The end of everything, in the long run. With each world conquered, Tirek’s malignant power would only spread like cancerous cells, turning everything that was good to pitch, playing power and order and love into his schemes, until entire worlds tore each other apart in bloodthirsty avarice and hopeless defence, all of it paying worship unto a bloody throne.

“Buck this!” she swore, and stamped a hoof. “No! Just no!”

Em smiled, wide and proud, as Twilight let her righteous fury pour out. The very ether seemed to swirl around the little unicorn, anointing her in armour of starlight and cosmic dust.

“This won’t happen! I won’t let this monster destroy entire species with dreams and voices of their own!“

“But most of all, I am going to save them…”

And with that, she jabbed a hoof at the image of herself and her fallen friends. “I am not going to let them suffer any longer! I swear it! Do you hear me Magic, Tirek, I swear it!”

Then, spent, she staggered and fell to her knees.

“Alone… even if I have to do it alone, I’ll save them.”

“Oh Twilight,” Em smiled as she faded away. “You were never alone, we’ll always be at your side, and always have been…”

As the Element of Magic vanished, her last words hovered like echoes on the wind.

“That was why we sent Marcus to you…”

The sea of lights began to crackle and flash, and as each light burst, Twilight saw a figure leap forth, victorious grins upon their faces, their hands and hooves and claws and wings held high.

“Shucks Twi,” said Applejack, or was it the embodiment of Honesty? “We’ll do it sugarcube, just as you said!”

“Together…” proclaimed Kindness and Loyalty together, and that cry went up across the entire galactic sea… the shades of humans, ponies and countless others all roaring in unison.

“...gether...together...Together. Together! TOGETHER! TOGETHER!”

Something shimmered in the corner of Twilight’s vision, and as the roaring creed, her own voice joining in, climbed to a crescendo, she swore that in the distance she saw a smiling mint-green mare...a unicorn or pegasus, or was it both...standing on the fringe of consciousness...another mare at her side, tragedic and hopeful.

...and behind them, ascendant over all, the visage of a colossal white Alicorn mare, mane red as flowing wine streaming out across the sky, burning with the light of an imminent dawn...

And then she woke up.

“Hazzwypha?” she stammered as her eyes snapped open.

“Twilight! Are you alright? What happened?“

Twilight held a hoof to her head, trying to remember. She had felt...something, something awesome and wonderful, but it was already fading, rushing away from her the harder she tried to hold on, like a dream slipping through her hooves (or possibly telekinetic field) like sand.

“I’m… not sure.“ Her eyes widen as she jumped to her hooves and raced off. “But whatever it is, I need to get my friends here to try it out!”

Central Park, New New York, Equestria

Stephan’s right eyebrow twitched as he stared at the mare before him. Lyra swallowed nervously, caught in the headlights of Stephan’s oncoming anger.

“Where are they?” he growled out, and everyone present witnessed Lyra try even harder to bury herself into the ground.

“I-I don’t know,” she flinched. “I saw them in the chow hall this morning, before I came here. But then Twilight abducted them for some kinda experiment!”

“Explain…” Stephan purred, as Lyra retraced her steps out loud before him.

“Okay, I woke up, went to breakfast, talked to five of the six, asked about Twilight’s absence, finished my meal, left for my room, ran into Twilight dashing back the way I’d just come. She blathered something about getting her friends and getting back to her Tower...that it was more important than training.”

“...” Stephan said nothing as he kept staring at Lyra, until finally, the words tumbled out. “She… did... WHAT!?”

“Eep! I don’t know!? Please don’t make me run all day! I’m a good girl! I’m a good pony!” Lyra cried out loud as she curled up into a shivering minty green ball of terrified pony.

‘Worked over a month already with them, but still acting like little girls...’

“Stand at attention!” Stephan barked out, causing Lyra to jump up and stand stiff as a board. “Good. What did you do when you witnessed this mass desertion, Recruit Heartstrings?”

“I tried to stop her, Major sir!” Lyra barked out, staring straight in front of her. “I said that we had training with you this morning, Major sir! She just replied that a good soldier knows when to prioritise, and teleported herself and the others away, despite their own objections.”

“So Applejack and the others are innocent of any wrongdoing, Recruit?”

“Sir, yes, Major sir!” Lyra swallowed as she looked at him in the eyes. “They had no idea what was going on. Only that Twilight was frantic about something and muttering that it was important to the fight. I came straight here to report.”

Stephan paused at his next question at that response. “Important?. She didn’t say anything else?”

“No Major sir!”

“Good job, Recruit Heartstrings! There may be hope for you yet! Take a lap around the park, then report to the Castle for magical training with Princess Luna.”

“Yes... uh. Sir? Princess Luna is currently in Day Court until noon.” Lyra winced as Stephan stared at her, until he gave her a small nod before looking back towards the Castle.

“Very well then. I expect you to attach yourself to the Day Court as an observer, get some experience of wartime governance and politics.” Stephan ordered, before turning to storm away.

Lyra waited until Stephan had jumped into his Wolf 4X4 and driven off. Her entire body slumped in posture as she rolled her neck. Then, with a lazy smile she began to trot towards the nearest Starbucks.

‘Well, at least I can get some food en-route to Canterlot. I needed a double shot… and a muffin. Maybe that tofu in a blanket as well… Mmm…’

There was a loud screech behind her. Startled, she turned to see the Wolf stopping right behind her, with Stephan's head poking out the window. “AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR RUN AROUND THE PARK!”

“SIR, YES SIR!”

‘Dammit!’

Canterlot, later…

“...stupid, Miss Sparkle, is someone who disobeys direct orders, who drags her fellows into trouble with her, and who has the audacity to backtalk a superior officer!” Stephan’s head was already bright red from anger.

Twilight paused a moment as she processed his words. Her horn began to subtly glow as she ground her teeth. “Stephan, you are our personal trainer, not our commanding officer. We are domestic assets to the war effort .with responsibilities beyond basic soldiery, not battlefield grunts or defectors from a failed state. This is Equestrian soil upon which you are a diplomatic guest, with no power over me or my friends beyond which we cede to you of our own free will or by order of local authority. And I. Am. Not. STUPID!”

Stephan was not oblivious to the glow around her horn and, on reflex, he reached out and pinched it off with two fingers and a thumb. It was a habit he had picked up from training unicorns on Earth, who often subconsciously turned to their magic when frustrated or emotional.

From what he understood, having their magic snuffed like a candle felt like an instant sinus blockage, and true to that, Twilight stepped backwards, sneezed, and rubbed her horn with a hoof. “Ow!”

A momentary silence passed as they eyed one another.

“Were you just going to use magic against me?” Stephan sighed. “Or was that just the unicorn equivalent of flaring your wings to look big?”

She glared at him and then muttered under her breath…

“I was just going to temporarily mute you so that I could explain…”

Well, not quite what he had wanted to hear… an instinctive force-push or a little flash-bang, uncontrolled and spontaneous, he could understand, no different from an undesired flush to the face or rush of blood in a person. Actual spell-casting though meant intent on Twilight’s part, which was a bother…

The real issue was that she was right. Although the Element Bearers had been placed under his ‘command’ for the duration of their training, with no less than Celestia’s blessing, that command was more nominal than anything. In truth, as wielders of Equestria’s primary defense, the six friends were more akin to the EUP’s nuclear option, and placing them officially under him in the hierarchy was unacceptable to either party, even with the Joint Command being established over the allied forces.

As such, Twilight and her friends existed in a legal grey area. It was his job to train them and toughen them up, but he also had to respect their other duties and the fact that they would function better as a unit of free-agents rather than as part of a formal battle-unit. They were a literal sisterhood, not a band of brothers.

And deep down, he was secretly impressed at Twilight’s ability to take a leadership role, as well as her quick thinking and resourcefulness. He just had to make sure that she was fully conversant with military procedure and equipment so that she could co-ordinate with other forces on the inevitable battlefield to come…

‘Think of them as allied partisans...’ he stressed to himself. ‘Not SEAL Team Six or the Fallschirmjägertruppe...’

He sighed, and wished this was as simple as training up Lyra, who was in effect a nopony-bum who had been properly attached to his unit as an experiment. Though in truth, that opened up an entirely new kettle of worms...and was kinda unfair.

‘Maybe I should request her to have the same status as the Element Bearers… an embedded liaison in their team, my voice in Twilight’s decision making. Yeah, now there’s a thought...’

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, at the same time that Twilight seemed to nurse away the worst of her ‘instant headache’, he held out a hand in supplication.

“We both good now? I’m all shouted out, so how about you?”

Twilight eyed him in annoyance, but nodded. “I just don’t understand why you are against me carrying out my responsibilities!”

“I never said I was.”

“Wait, what?” she asked, completely surprised.

“I wasn’t against the idea,” he clarified. “I’m just frustrated that you didn’t keep me in the loop when you called off a training session.”

Miscommunication killed armies, after all…

“Because we had no time to waste!” Twilight stomped her hooves on the ground. “As soon as I work this through, the sooner we can unlock the full potential of the Elements!”

‘Yeah, sticking a radio set around Lyra’s neck and making her Twilight’s comms officer is beginning to look just as attractive as Trixie’s griffon-morph...’

“Okay. Twilight,” he said at last. “The fact that this little argument has happened at all only demonstrates how little of the training you’ve been absorbing.”

Twilight's eyes narrowed. “I have been studying magic since I was a filly, I am the Bearer of the Element of Magic, AND PRINCESS CELESTIA’S PERSONAL PUPIL! Plus, I disarmed you plus six others soldiers and put all of you in a TK submission hold just YESTERDAY! am an excellent student!”

“It’s not just battlefield skills I want you to pick up Twilight,” he answered, rubbing at a sore shoulder that served as testament to how well she had applied those particular lessons. “It’s procedure - the correct way to do things. If Lyra had not informed me of your actions, you and your friends would have appeared to just disappeared off the face of Equus, as if you’d been incapacitated or kidnapped…”

He saw her ears fall a little at that, and mentally cheered.

“And then,” she said, continuing the line of thought on her own, “there would have been an alarm, and a search, with units redeployed, and an immediate crisis meeting with Princess Luna, which would disrupt the Day Court, and trigger rumors, and a possible public panic…”

Good, good, she was beginning to get it.

“... and the resultant chaos would take hours to work out, and could be avoided with just me taking five seconds to pass along a simple message.”

‘Yes! Yes! Yes! She is learning! Hallelujah and Peanut Butter!’

Still, it didn’t hurt to drive the lesson home a little harder, with a subtle call upon the Highest Authority in Twilight’s mental paradigm...

“Correct, my young padawan. And what would Celestia think if she saw you now, disregarding her current teacher?”

It was cruel, effectively sticking the knife in and giving it a good wiggle, but effective. Twilight’s head slumped and he got down on one knee in front of her.

“Look, I know my training is tough, but I don’t want you to die out there.“ Twilight looked up at him with her lower lip quivering slightly.

“Right now, you are under my Fittiche,” he continued, stern but not unkind. “You AND your friends. I promised Celestia that I would take care of you all, even if it means that I have to pull on your leashes. Help me, to help you, to help all of us...”

He would still have to discipline her, even if he had to go to Luna to make it official… two weeks confined to quarters might swing it, so long as it did not interfere with her studies, research, and training… but then again, cutting her off entirely from her friends might be a detriment to the whole, especially since they were literally bringing Friendship (with a capital ‘F’) to the battlefield...

“Ugh…” Stephan took a long breath. “We’re all crazy overworked right now, aren’t we? That doesn’t make your mistake okay, but it does make it understandable Alright, let’s just take this one step at a time…what's the important discovery you’ve made?”

“Alright,” she said, visibly brightening and pushing open the thick, soundproofed doors that connected this antechamber with the central room of the ivory tower in which she had once resided. “Please come with me, but keep things quiet… don’t disturb them.”

‘Don’t disturb wh--oh, wow...’

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were each seated upright on a series of throw-cushions that had been scattered around the room, forming an inward-facing circle. Each wore an Element around their neck, and both the mares and the magi-wear were connected to a bona-fide arsenal of processors and mainframes that had been crammed onto the room’s many balconies and levels. He recognized Doctor Grimnebulin overseeing whatever experiment was underway, tuning inscrutable bits of equipment, along with a dozen or so other scientists and technicians, including dumpy little Spike, who was running around making delicate adjustments to the sensors attached to his friends, and glaring off anyone else who dared approach.

What was most astonishing however was the stillness with which the five mares sat there, and the brilliant white light shining out of their open, sightless eyes...

“Thanks to Doctor Grimnebulin,” Twilight explained. “I realised just how little I know about the Elements of Harmony. A quick test I performed on myself demonstrated that the Elements are indeed sentient, and well… we took it from there…”

“What are they doing?”

“They’re each having a conversation with an Element’s embodiment,” Twilight explained. “I don’t remember much of mine, though I think some auto-hypnosis spells might bring back more of the fine details, but what I took from it was…”

She pawed the ground in uncertainty. “That we’re facing something huge and terrible, but that we can win, if we play our cards right…”

“That’s something I can agree with,” Stephan said. “We’ve been luckier so far than we have any right to be.” He paused, thinking over what he’d just said. “Okay. Maybe we were long overdue for some luck-”

“Definitely!” Doctor Grimnebulin called over.

“But we’ve had more than anyone could reasonably expect.”

“Yeah, and take a look at that…” Twilight pointed, and to his amazement, Stephen saw that Rarity and Rainbow Dash were wearing the other’s Element… which had switched colors.

Now, a purple lightning-bolt shone on Rarity’s neck, and a red gemstone on Rainbow’s. Stephan had no words to say, and watched in continued amazement as Twilight made a gesture to Spike. With precise movements, he stepped up to Applejack, and carefully removed the Element of Honesty from around the farmpony’s neck, and laid it at her hooves.

Nothing happened. Applejack’s eyes continued to shine with magical energy, and the orange gem in the element continued to gleam with inner light.

“Fascinating,” Twilight breathed. “And that confirms that a connection with an Element, once established, can be maintained over at least a short distance…Spike, go for the next stage.”

Carefully, Spike took something else in his claws, the Crown of Magic, and placed it upon Applejack’s brow, tossing her customary stetson to Twilight, who donned it with a smirk.

“C’mon AJ, show me you’ve got magic in your soul...I know you do.”

Sure enough, after a moment’s hesitation, the six-pointed star in the helm began to glow, with a brilliant, amber luminescence…

“And further proof that the good Doctor was right…” Twilight whispered. “We’re not confined to the Element we best match… which means that the key principles of harmony can possibly reside in anypony… or that we’ve become so close as friends that we’ve begun to transcend our individual virtues...”

For Rainbow Dash of all ponies to get a response from ‘Generosity’, and for Twilight’s crown to blaze like a lighthouse on Applejack’s head? Yeah, something was going down here.

“What else does this mean?” Stephan asked, watching the events fascinated.

Twilight licked her lips, grinning. “It means we have backup options… that if one of us is killed or injured, we might still be able to make the Elements work, even without a sixth pony… Celestia and Luna were able to carry three apiece after all, and Celestia herself wielded all six together to banish Nightmare Moon…”

“Get Lyra in here…” he said, suddenly galvanised. “Or your brother or sister-in-law. See if putting on one of the gems or sitting in the circle can help them dial up or tap into whatever’s happening. Carry these tests through…”

“Oh, I intend to,” said Twilight, carefully levitating the now discarded Element of Honesty up to her neck, and smiling gently as a dim lavender glow manifest within the apple-shaped gem. “I don’t think the Elements can be easily switched to other wearers outside of us six, which is why the gems are retaining their shapes even when they change colour, but perhaps they can ‘welcome in’ souls with a strong connection to our circle of friends. And, as I said before…”

“It gives us backup options,” Stephan finished for her. Mentally he was now wondering if chipping off a small fragment from the Tree of Harmony and mounting it in a replica necklace housing would have any influence on making the ‘Mane Six’ a ‘Mane Seven’...

Then again, he’d have to consult with others before they tried anything like that. Somehow, he wasn’t sure it would be easy.

“Wowie!” Pinkie cried out, almost appearing to blast off from her cushion to the ceiling. “That was super amazing!”

“Yes…” Rarity gave a soft yawn, covering her mouth with her hoof, “Oh dear, that was rather tiring. But yes, that was quite the event.”

“Welcome back partners,” grinned Twilight, cocking AJ’s hat at an angle on her own head and crossing her hooves in satisfaction. “How much do you remember?”

“Honestly, not a lot…” yawned Dash, before leaning over to give Rarity a quick nuzzle. “I think I got a bit more appreciation for you though Rares…”

“Why thank you, darling. I must admit, that mare I spoke to was rather...Awesome…”

“Mine was a little sad though,” Pinkie Pie said, before looking in Rainbow Dash’s direction and muttering ‘cupcakes’ under her breath in a frightened tone as her coat darkened and her hair went flat and lank. “I promise, I’ll always be your friend, Dashie!”

“Uh…. thanks!” Rainbow replied, before Pinkie spontaneously bounced back to her usual self.

“But some of them were really awesome, too! I even saw some versions of myself dating humans!“

“Yeah, I saw nothing like that,“ Rainbow Dash muttered as she nervously shifted her eyes from side to side. A faint blush could be seen on her cheek.

Fluttershy was just sitting in silence, slowly flexing her wings and staring down at her hooves as if she’d just received the best pep-talk in history...

“I just feel so energized” Pinkie continued to bubble. “It’s like I had some of those new espresso brownies and a frappucino!”

She started vibrating, her voice distorting. “I... feel... so...”

Still silent, Fluttershy walked over and put a firm hoof behind Pinkie’s neck, forcing her to stop talking and breath for a second.

“Just calm down, Pinkie. Slow down a bit,” she said at last, tone surprisingly even and calm.

“Th-thanks for that. Right,” Pinkie said. “So, Fluttershy, what do you remember seeing?”

“Well….” Fluttershy started, a thoughtful look on her face, the two of them trailing off into a long discussion about the fragments of dream that lingered with them.

“Ah admit it’s strange talking to mahself, though Ah wish Ah knew why she suddenly grew a darn unicorn horn at the end there...” Applejack tilted her head to pop her neck, blinking in surprise at seeing the Magic Element falling off her head. “What the hay?”

“Sorry Applejack, just testing a theory,” Twilight smiled as she levitated her hat back.

Stephan watched as Elements continued to talk to one another, trying to interpret each others experiences where their own ‘dreams’ grew hazy. He nodded his head once before turning to leave, it was best to let Twilight work this out now. “Be at Central Park for training at 1700 tonight. Have to make up for the missed day after all. If you’re not there on time, I will go and tell the Princess...”

In his heart, he was already debating whether or not Twilight still deserved a formal punishment, but the sight of her reaction was perfect.

“There is one more thing, sir.” Twilight grimaced, not just from the terrible threat, but as she thought about something else she had discovered in the past few days.

“Yes?”

“Well… we know about Lyra’s… er, Ambassador Heartstrings’ discovery of the Bag,” she said. “But we only learned that because we overheard some of your troops debating amongst themselves what happened to cause our Equestria and their own to… part ways…”

Twilight launched into the explanation of what they had heard Trixie, Vinyl and the others discussing, and how the small unit had decided to get to the bottom of the mystery themselves.

Suffice to say, it was a shock for everyone to hear.

“I mean, I guess it would’ve been inevitable, that someone would get curious and want to find out the answers, and there’s enough information in the public domain that they could expose everyth–”

Before she could even finish speaking, Stephan had stormed out, practically bulldozing his way through people blocking his path to the doors…

“Twi… Ah think you, Rarity, and Lyra may have stumbled onto something that more than a few folk want to bury under a lie...” Applejack muttered.

“The myth of Lyra Heartstrings…” Rarity murmured. “Oh no…”

"I don’t think we should tell this to anyone," Rainbow added, drawing a concerned frown from Applejack.

“Dash, hun’, Ah ain’t got no book-smarts, but Ah reckon something like this is gonna be awful hard to hide…”

Canterlot Castle Library

“Well how about this?” Acevedo pointed out a section of text in one book to Vinyl, who scrunched up her face in trying to remember her history. “Does this look familiar to you?”

“Doctor Howie Waggoner’s expedition to Dream Valley?” she replied, struggling to make sense of it all. Honestly, the mixmistress turned battlemaster had never been the most astute student of history back when she’d been in school, but this rang bells...

“Nah though,” she said at last. “Doc Waggoner’s expedition was ages ago, and though there was a bit of brouhaha in the papers when Lyra discovered that shipwreck, it wasn’t exactly a big deal... whatever happened has to be something major from the past decade. It’s got to!”

Shaking his head, Acevedo dropped a copy of ‘The Dream Valley Conspiracy’ on the table and stalked away. “Where was that one book by Laconic? An Argument For Humanity and Against Catseye?”

He never noticed a thoughtful Vinyl pick the volume he’d discard up and begin to skim through the index...

“Yo!” Anderson walked up to him, plates filled with food from the castle kitchens balanced on his arms. “Hope you guys are hungry, cause if not, I’m going to eat these!”

“About time, thanks." Thomas nodded his head in thanks as he took the plate from Anderson's hands. “Do you think we’re close?”

“Have to be.” Anderson chuckled as he passed the plates out. “Have to admit, this has been an entertaining thing at the very least.”

“Learning history can be fun.” Acevedo protested, defending his passion, only for the others to laugh out loud at this.

“It’s only fun when we are trying to pinpoint a divergence between two points of histories of two different worlds. Other than that, we would have our bloody hands up our asses doing absolutely shite of work.” Thomas chuckled as he tossed a tomato slice into the air to catch, only for it float away from him. “What the bloody fuck?! Oi! That’s mine!”

“It’s in the air, so free game.” Vinyl said as she trotted past them towards the newspaper archives, The Dream Valley Conspiracy floating beside her, along with the tomato. Sticking her tongue out at him she snatched the fruit out of the air with a single flick of her jaws and chomped on it happily. “Never said how to catch–”

With that, she disappeared up a flight of stairs, and out of sight. Dismissing her with a snort, Acevedo plucked a book from the ‘sentient races’ section and skimmed to a timeline.

“Huh,” he said. “Found the Wedding Invasion, huh, says nothing about that the Changeling Extermination… never happened. Well, how about that? Eh, Anderson? Did we ever meet this world’s L–”

There came a crash.

Everyone blinked as they heard the library doors slam open and the sound of heavy footsteps headed their way.

“Damn. Somepony nearly took the hinges off with that… the fuck?” Anderson blinked as they saw Colonel Renee pace into the center of the vast atrium, face blank until he noticed their group and made a beeline straight towards them, Stephen in his wake. “Hey sir! Want to-”

“Come with me,” Marcus snarled softly, harsh tones made no less fierce than the respect he maintained for library silence. “Out of sight.”

“Uh.” Anderson faltered at the montone order as Marcus marched past them. “None of us are on duty right now… in fact we’ve got one week’s furlough between training cyc...”

“I said come with me!”

“Hey!” Acevedo cried out as the book was examining was ripped from his hands. “I was reading that!”

“And you can have it back if you come with me…”

“Don’t argue with him, Acevedo…” urged Stephan. “Just play along for once.”

All of this was carried out in an almost brittle silence, with only a few minor shouts and cries. Almost nopony paid them any attention as they stepped out of the main hall and gathered in the quiet isolation of a stairwell.

“What the fuck is this shit?!” Acevedo growled, while Marcus skimmed through the book he had just confiscated and then quietly handed it back.

“What you’re looking for isn’t in that book, and far above your paygrade,” Marcus answered, staring at each of them. “Leave it be.”

“We don’t get paid...” Acevedo sneered. “Freedom fighters tend not to…”

“Stop trying to goad me…” Marcus said, pausing with his back turned.

“I’m not doing anything,” Acevedo said. “You’re the one who came into a public library and broke up an innocent study group! And since I don’t hear the sounds of sirens or panicking ponies, I doubt you’re here because of some emergency. Which makes me wonder…what it is about this that’s gotten your hackles up?!”

Marcus did not respond, even as Acevedo climbed several steps to better look down on him.

“You know, I thought there might be something at work here,” continued Acevedo, before jabbing a finger at Marcus. “But this only proves that not only was there a definite event that caused the two Equestrias to diverge, but that you know what it is and are trying to cover it up! And we have a right to share in that knowledge.”

“Not this time you don’t.” Marcus glared at the man. “I remember you, in Mexico City. Good fighter, shit soldier though.”

Acevedo stiffened at the insult.

“I had the right to know the truth the second I lost my family and friends to the Empire. Vinyl had a right the second her best friend was murdered…”

His eyes slid to Stephan.

“Trixie has a right to know why she’s been pressured into a mental breakdown, and all mankind has a right to know who, or what, is responsible for this shitstorm end of days!”

“You deserve to know nothing, soldier! Your job is to be a weapon, a tool to save lives, and a tool does not ask why it is used!”

Eyes widened in shock at his sudden viciousness, even Stephan taken aback by that outburst.

Marcus was always described as hard man while ‘on the job’; downtime was when he showed his softer side, always trying to cheer everyone up, keep morale as high as possible.

That Marcus wasn’t here, ‘On the Job’ Marcus wasn’t even present before him. This was a broken man – just like most of them, frankly – who was desperately trying to hold on to a situation spiralling out of control.

“Tools?” asked Thomas in shock. “Are we just Newfoals then?”

“No!” Marcus growled, pinching his nose. “Fuck that, no. I respect you guys, I trust you to have my back, trust you with my life…”

“Then trust us with the truth!” Acevedo demanded, knowing for certain now that something had the Colonel truly worked up.

“It’s classified,” interjected Stephen. “And for good reason.”

Acevedo scowled at the answer. “That’s even less a response!”

“Good. Less is better.” Marcus commented, before Acevedo jumped down past him and pointed out through the vaulted archway onto the hundreds of shelves contained in this soaring tabernacle of knowledge.

“Something is hidden in here, Colonel, something you know and desperately want to hide. That might have been possible on Earth, but not now. Whatever your truth is, its composed of public knowledge, not military secrets -  keeping something like that classified is as impossible as hiding the colour of the sky. Once people and ponies start talking and comparing experiences, the truth will come out.”

“Not until the world is ready to hear it, not if I can help it…” Marcus visibly gritted his teeth. “Now I am ordering you all to secrecy. Furthermore, none of you are not allowed back in here. No PHL member will be allowed access to Equestrian public records, unless they go through me or Stephan. Other than that, have a nice day, and enjoy your leave.”

“It won’t work, Colonel,” Acevedo seethed. “If I can’t access public records, then I can just as easily chat with the domestic troops we’re training alongside, and at some point the penny will drop in my head. Us here, we’re just the tip of the iceberg - someone or somepony will stumble across whatever you want to keep buried, and you’re terrified of that mo-ment...”

It should have been a moment of triumph. Instead, the last word died in Acevedo’s throat as he turned to smirk at the man he was trying to intimidate.

A blue aura surrounded Marcus’ body, the runes glowing intensely, his teeth bared and a vein throbbing in his neck…

“You will keep this secret,” Marcus snarled, and magic fizzled in each syllable. He looked like an angry animal, ready to pounce.

There was a subtle change in the air, with Thomas and Anderson, even Stephan subtly shifting to place themselves between the two men, to urge for calm.

“Marcus…” Stephan whispered, one brother-in-arms to another. “Think about what you’re doing right now. I know this is important, and deeply personal to you, but the second you strike a blow against someone under your command is the second you impeach yourself and the PHL!”

Acevedo, for his part, laughed, even as fear danced in his eyes.

“Holy shit, is getting your glow on a threat?” he said, attempting some level of bravado. “Are you really going to start a fight in a public space, on allied soil? That’s a game-changer there man, that’s the war outright lost because you lost your cool!” He was manic now, backing away in fear.

It was true. The rules regarding violence against others was a major part of the Uniform Code of all the allied nations, including Equestria. Not even the nastiest of drill sergeant nasties could escape the punishment that came from landing a punch or blow against someone under their command. It was an absolute violation of the trust needed for any army to function.

Where broken trust went, more followed. Enquiries and inquiries could break apart regiments and shatter morale like a crumbling glacier calving into the sea. Nothing survived the tidal-wave that followed.

Suffice to say, right now, Marcus did not give a fuck for that. All he could see was blood-red rage, and the smiling face of an innocent green mare.

“Do. Not. Make. Me,” Marcus gritted his teeth, runes flaring brightly as magic poured from his body, glaring daggers at them, “Say. It. Again.”

The three swallowed, never before seeing this side of Colonel Renee before. They wanted to stay and help defend Acevedo from the very clear rage that he was displaying, but they might as well be throwing rocks at a steel wall.

“For God’s sake,” Acevedo hissed, “what could possibly be so horrible about the truth that you’re going Super Saiyan over just wanting to keep it hidden for just a little longer?!”

“I found it!” a new voice called out. “I found what that so-called awful truth is!”

Everyone’s heads turned upwards, and they saw a trembling Vinyl Scratch poised on the landing at the top of the stairs, a book and a newspaper floating about her head.

“Lyra…” she said, and stifled back a sob. “All this was because of Lyra…”

And in that moment, Marcus felt everything slip away from him. The runes on his body crackled and died, and as their glow dimmed he felt his own inner light grow cold, and stumbled against the wall.

‘It’s over...’ he thought to himself, heart sinking to his stomach. ‘ didn’t act fast enough, and now it’s all fucked… oh God, Lyra, I’m so sorry...’

“What... what do you mean it was Lyra?“ gasped Thomas.

“Lyra,” Vinyl choked out, tears of rage, sadness and shock spilling from her eyes. “Our Lyra, Am-badass-ador Lyra… her big archeological discovery was that point of divergence!”

She jumped down from her perch, and landed past Marcus, trotting out into the library hall and stopped beside a reading table, turning to face them. Her body, honed to physical steel by years of unending battle and grief, was like liquid mercury, as were the tears leaking from her eyes and dripping like falling angels onto the tiled floor.

In her magical field, she carried a copy of ’The Dream Valley Conspiracy’, and a broadsheet newspaper… but as well as that her horn was flashing and pulsing, and on the fringes of his hearing, Marcus could hear a thumping beat…

He looked around, and saw that the bystanders around their little group, ponies carrying books and scrolls, had frozen in place, expressions blank and their eyes now flashing in time to that constant dubstep bass. None of them turned an eye or ear in their direction, having seemingly become living statues.

“Been working for a while on working magic into my music,” Vinyl laughed sadly. “This spell only works on other ponies within a short range, but its good enough. They won’t remember anything we say or do so long as I play this beat...”

Then she motioned towards the newspaper.

“Now, I don’t remember a lot of things often enough myself, but I remember this!” she pointed at the date. “This was the day Tavi and I went on our first date, and every newspaper in Equus’ front page talked about a shipwreck discovered off the coast of Baltimare by a young mare from Ponyville. The wreck was that of the Dream Valley Expedition, and that mare’s name was Lyra Heartstrings!”

The book and paper fell to the table, and Vinyl tearfully smiled down at them.

“Not here though! Not here!”

She turned and looked sadly at Marcus, disappointment in her eyes.

“You knew all along. You knew that Lyra was the reason all of this happened, why all those people are dead… why my Tavi is dead!”

Her tears had begun to overwhelm her now, and Octavia’s name was spluttered out in a series of sobs. She quickly regained her composure, and her eyes burned with righteous fury.

“For fuck’s sake Marcus, she inspired us to take a stand! We loved her! We loved you! And now you’ve not only shown how little you trust us with the truth, how little faith you have in us or her, but you nearly attacked one of our own to keep it a secret!”

“The Bag of Tirek took control over her mind and made her bring it to the most powerful and influential being within Equestria!” Marcus argued back. “How in-”

“I don’t care what some evil sack did to Lyra’s mind, Marcus!” Vinyl interrupted. “Of course it fucked with her brain! If it could do that to Princess Celestia, the ‘little-g’ goddess, then what chance did Lyra, a regular, but wonderful unicorn, have!?”

She spun in a circle, tramping like a horse trying to buck a rider in her growing fury.

“But you knew! You knew and you kept it from us, kept the truth that we’ve died and bled for from us! People are worshipping Lyra like a true Equestrian princess because they believe she can do no wrong, but the truth is she was just as fallible as any of us!”

“And that’s what I had to hide,” he said in pain.

She stopped, the feeling of betrayal clear on her features, the disbelief in her voice ringing like a bell.

“Marcus, that only could have made her even more amazing, more inspiring, more wonderful than she already was. A real person, not some distant, benevolent, alien nothing!”

Marcus finally found the strength to step away from the wall, to step into the light of the hall. The sun streamed down over them through a vast stained-glass window, painting everything in fragmented shards of color...

“I couldn’t risk it, Vinyl. If the world, worlds, find out the truth about Lyra while we’re at war, the PHL could lose all its support. Lyra’s legacy, all her hard work, all of our work, will have been for nothing!”

“Oh fuck that! You think that little of mankind too?!” Vinyl growled. “Marcus, this is the magical land of Equestria, the HLF aren’t here! For fuck’s sake, were you always this pessimistic?”

Marcus managed to let out a sad laugh, and smile down at Vinyl weakly.

“I wish I had even half your optimism, Vinyl. But let’s be honest, let’s be realistic here. Do you believe this coming to light could have not done us any harm at all? Not caused us a single defection, or given Mike Carter and the HLF even more fuel for their propaganda fire? Blame her for starting all this, claim it was deliberate?”

“It’s just realpolitik, right?” she answered, and then shook her head. “Well, how do you handle it now Marcus? It’s a secret that’s got to come out. If you go on fostering the lie, well, it will just make the inevitable backlash worse for you, for us, and for her.”

Turning, she whipped a hoof at Acevedo.

“You, Isaac! What’s Lyra mean to you?”

He answered firmly, “She was a hero, of course. An inspiration… one of the bravest souls I’ve ever seen.”

“And by the fucking Golden Lyre, by Luna’s moon, has that changed at all after what you just found out?”

He was quiet for a second, and then he shook his head. "Hell no. Lyra's a hero and nothing will change that. I'm a Catholic, and I proudly say that yes, she does deserve to be canonized as a saint. And yeah, she made a mistake, but by God, she did more to fix it in a few years than most people do in their lifetimes!"

"Yes, she did. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way. We may have former HLF joining back with their old buddies if this information is let loose now!" Marcus said.

"I’m pretty sure Kraber won't, or Verity, wherever she is right now," Vinyl replied. “Not like she has many options anyway. And those that would leave, well I think we’d be better off without them.”

She tapped a hoof on the floor, smiling down at the shape of a series of musical notes, encaptured in the stained-glass light. Glancing up, the two of them saw the window above them was a depiction of the idealised arts.

“You wanted to protect her, right?” Vinyl asked, tracing her hoof over a glowing treble clef. “You didn’t want anyone to know until the war was won… but now that genie is out of the bottle.”

“So what will you do?” he asked.

“I won’t defect, I won’t abandon the cause… because I’m going to prove myself better than your pessimistic expectations. I respect that you wanted to protect her, and keep her safe… but the second you activated your runes, looking like you were going to turn Acevedo’s head into chunky salsa, well you nearly lost me…”

She telekinetically tore something from her jacket’s shoulder, and tossed it to Marcus.

“Nearly…?” he asked.

It was a patch, a scrap of white-on-blue fabric, depicting a familiar lyre. When Vinyl gazed back into his eyes, it was not just her own that burned with unshed tears.

“Nearly, Marcus…” she replied, scowling with anger and sadness. “In that moment I saw you, runes lit up, a living god about to squash a bug, you betrayed my trust, the trust of a soldier to expect dignity and respect and restraint from her commanders… not Lyra, and for Lyra’s sake, and for yours, I won’t speak a word of this.”

She sadly tapped her hoof on the floor.

“For your sake, for the sake of a wonderful mare, I’ll lie about what happened here today. I’ve even become a colossal hypocrite by manipulating the minds and memories of all these innocent ponies here, with spells I promised myself I’d only ever use on the enemy. And do you know what the consequence of all that is?”

Then she leaned in close enough so that he could see himself reflected, distorted in her eyes.

“The truth has got to be known. Isaac is right, simple idle chatter between people and ponies will blow everything wide open eventually. What will be better? You making an announcement, a controlled release at your own pace and according, or for the dam to crack and leak until it all comes apart?”

“For the record,” Acevedo interjected, “If I’d found out, I actually would have told the powers that be.”

“Not the time,” hissed Stephan, massaging his forehead to relieve his headache.

“Maybe,” sighed Marcus. “Maybe I’m not cut out to lead the PHL..."

“I never said that,” said Vinyl, managing a wry smile. “Look at the men beside you. Look at me. Look at what we’ve all achieved together, as friends, as family. You helped us survive, inspired and lead us. It’s just sad knowing that, I guess you’re just as, well, ‘human’ as Lyra was… But despite all that, I’m not going to give up on you. And I never will.”

He slowly sank to his knees, and Vinyl put her hooves in his open hands. Then, slowly she brought them up behind his neck in a light hug, and the feeling of her horn laid along the side of his head awoke bittersweet memories of another mare…

“Don’t squeeze back and break me in half,” she muttered, “remember, living god squashing bugs.”

It was a joke, but there was genuine disappointment in her voice, and that tore at his heart.

“Don’t tempt me…” he murmured, managing a weak joke in return. “All you ponies are so damn huggable…”

“They’re like walking plushies,” Acevedo agreed, strangely solemn for what he’d just said.

“Lyra loved you with all her heart, and you loved her, best of friends…” Vinyl said softly. “I know we kinda jumped the gun on you here…”

She shot a glance at Acevedo, who held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture.

“And I’ll admit that some of us were less than tactful. But look at what nearly happened, Marcus. You’re trying to hold Lyra’s entire legacy in your own hands, and it’s too much. The burden of it nearly drove you to strike one of your own men down today. I’ll admit, he can be an opinionated bastard, but just imagine the consequences if you had lost control.”

"Technically, Acevedo is not a part of the group, just attached," Marcus muttered, narrowing his eyes up at the man. "Just one big pain that doesn’t know when to quit."

“I’m a part of all this because I’m here… and because my friends are here too,” Acevedo said. “I’ll admit. I’ve no real right to be here, I’m just a corporate attack dog, with a lot of firearms experience. But! I fucking love it here. I love having a chance for once. And… For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about basically bullying a dragon. I just thought maybe, we could make things better. Learn a bit from the past, make sure it doesn’t happen...”

“Yeah…” Vinyl laughed brokenly, “I think we all could do with some hindsight…”

As she sat back, breaking the hug, the light around her horn faded, and with it, the music on the edge of hearing.

In the deafening silence of its absence, the ponies around momentarily twitched, and then went about their business once more, unbothered and unaware of the minutes Vinyl had stolen from them.

Seeing the expression of self-disgust on her face as she watched her victims wake from their collective trance, Marcus wished he could feel the same levity they did.

And then he felt Stephan’s hand on his shoulder. “We need to talk. But not here. Come to my office tonight, after training.”

Stephan watched the new recruits training on the field. They had another lecture about firearms behind them and many of his instructors told him that some had slept in again. Of course Discord couldn’t hold back and woke up the poor souls with a freaking uber-flugelhorn.

The first month wasn’t easy at all. He had wanted them to split up and regroup in different regiments, mixed-up with soldiers of all species. Many had wanted to stay with their comrades and he had needed to rule with an iron fist again.

Still, they had their weekends, and he hoped that they could use them the right way and not just drink their brains out.

He looked over the Elements (and Lyra) who were all being trained under four PHL sergeants - one representative from each pony race and a human supervisor. Sure enough, the Element Bearers had been in-place and on-time, and It was interesting to watch how much they had changed over the past weeks. Twilight had stopped over-analyzing everything, just letting things go on naturally. Fluttershy had become far more confident in her own abilities, her speed and wingpower greatly improving. Rarity stopped being, well, Rarity. Applejack and Dash still tried to outperform themselves and each other, but they did make leaps and bounds in their self control and had learned not to blindly rush into things.

And then there was Pinkie. She had changed a lot in this time. She still had that energetic “motor mouth”, and Stephan as well as the other instructors had some difficult times with her, but after Stephan took her aside from time to time, she finally got a bit more serious. As serious as Pinkie could be, anyway. She could simply bounce (or, as he was informed, ‘pronk’, and he couldn’t imagine a better word for how she moved if he tried) through training one day then march like rest, or take a heavy, bizarre contraption bearing a vague resemblance to her Party Cannon to combat training as opposed to learning hoof-to-hoof combat.

A side effect was that her looks had changed greatly, her mane straightening out somewhat and her coat darkening. Stephan didn’t really knew why, but he guessed that was something that showed her mood. He’d long since learned not to question it, but not before Twilight and Rainbow had begged him not to think about it too hard. Of course he didn’t want to break her completely. He actually found her little antics refreshing sometimes, but only after training and he had to make it clear that they were not friends. And, repeated that more than one time. And likely several times more – Pinkie was a mare that seemed to have little grasp of the concept of someone not being her friend. Or the laws of physics, or, unfortunately enough, common etiquette.

“You can’t just walk over there!”

Stephan turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw a mare with grey fur, wearing something that looked like a simple dark blue coat. A PHL human followed her and tried to stop her, but she just ignored him.

Stephan stepped in her way and she tried to walk past him, but he blocked her way. “Can I help you?” he asked her, hoping and praying that this was not going to be a fresh load of hell on an already stressful day.

‘First Twilight’s antics, then the library debacle, now what/’

The mare looked up at him. Stephan could only whistle internally at her perfect pokerface. She almost sounded like Daria Morgendorffer as she declared that, “I am here to visit my sister.”

“How about you could be so kind to tell me your name first,” Stephan replied, not moving out of the way.

“Maud Pie,” she answered flatly.

“And your sister is?”

Maud blinked once at him as if the answer were obvious. “Pinkie.”

Stephan wasn’t sure what was stranger. The sheer monotonous, neutral mood of this Maud, or the fact that Pinkie had a sister who was her complete opposite. He vaguely remembered hearing about her counterpart from some PHL personnel – namely that she’d been working on something big up in Boston, and then disappeared a few weeks before the decisive battle. Marcus had not been forthcoming on further details, claiming that whatever happened up there still hurt his head to deal with.

He looked over towards the group containing the Elements and Lyra. All of them were listening intently to their instructor while Twilight methodically disassembled a small arm. “Cadet Pie!”

Pinkie turned her head, and when she saw Maud, her mane took on its normal shape again. “Inflating” was the word Stephan would have used, absurd as it was. She was apparently about to run over to her sister, but a quick look from Stephan made her stop, reconsider and then proceed towards them at a quick gallop. This brief exchange was enough to earn him a suspicious glance from Maud.

The pink earth pony halted in front of Stephan and saluted. She kept her foreleg up and only lowered it as Stephan did the same. “Cadet Pie is present as ordered, Major.”

Stephan looked down at Maud. “You got five minutes.” He was about to walk away, then seemed to think better of it. “Starting when I reach the Elements.”

They couldn’t see, but he was smiling as he walked to the Elements, pausing here and there to turn over any interesting pebbles along the path with his boot.

“So… how are Ma and Pa?” Pinkie asked.

“They’re doing fine. They have become a lot more open, and are accepting help from other ponies to work the rock farm. Makes life a lot easier,” Maud replied, her voice still as grayscale as her coat. “They’re also experiencing record profits,” she added, and maybe one side of her mouth quirked up a little. “Crystals and gemstones are selling better than ever before thanks to those… PHL coming in.”

“That’s GREAT! How about Limestone and Marble?”

“They’re working really hard on the farm too,” Maud said. “They really miss you. All of them. And they’d love to see you soon.”

Pinkie twitched a little. She loved her family of course, but she couldn’t lie, she still had reservations about going back to the rock farm. She was considered the “dark horse” of the family, and while there was no bad blood between any of them, she was a bit apprehensive.

“Pinkie, I know something’s wrong. You can tell me,” Maud told her firmly.

“How’d you know?” Pinkie’s mane went slightly flat as she began to dig her hoof into the ground, drawing little frowning faces.

Maud only raised one eyebrow by the most minute amount, but for her, that was a knowing grin as she reached out and brush her sister’s mane with a hoof.

“It’s not curly. That’s rarely good news.”

“No, no!” Pinkie said, her facade cracking ever so slightly. “Don’t get so flustered! It’s just…”

“Calm down, Pinkie,” the ‘flustered’ Maud answered, shifting her hoof to Pinkie’s shoulder and drawing her into a hug. “Start at the beginning.”

"Um..." Pinkie sat on her haunches, tapping her hooves together. “Well, I’ve been really busy with Stephan and he’s taught me a lot, enough that when I think on how much work I’ve done and how much weight I’ve lost I’m like gaaaaaaaaaaaasp!” she drew in breath, floating in midair for a couple seconds, then touched back on the ground.

Maud stared at her. “You do look trim. It suits you.”

“–yeah, but I’ve also been working with Discord to help figure out my special fighting skillz!”

Now suddenly wearing a boxing costume, she put one hoof in her mouth and blew, causing her hair to ‘poof’ and style itself into an afro.

Maud blinked once, in great surprise. “The change of clothes is new…”

“Oh yeah, and watch this!” Pinkie declared, rearing up on her hind legs and settling into a pugilistic stance, before suddenly pulling in her party cannon from offscreen, firing it, and then banishing the weapon back into the nowhere she had summoned it from. This was followed by Pinkie weaving and bobbing as if avoiding invisible blows, responding against the imaginary attacker with a series of quick jabs of her own, right and left forehooves blurring.

“See, it turns out that for a questionably mythical eldritch creature of chaos, Discord’s a really nice guy–”

That declaration was accompanied by Pinkie performing a double-backwards somersault through a hoop, before she reached into her saddlebags and produced Discord from them. The two of them then jumped into the air in perfect time with one another, hoof bumping at the apex of their respective arcs, before the party-cannon (and where had that reappeared from) discharged a full charge confetti, balloons, and candy straight up in the air between them.

“–and we get along great and I need to learn and I was hoping you can help Applejack because she’s really strong and she can learn how to break rocks and meanie bones like how did that colt who got frisky with Inkie–”

Pinkie landed, now attired in a fake mustache and top hat, and pulled out a picture of Maud punching a rather persistent wouldn’t-take-no-for-an-answer colt in front of her sister Limestone, sending him flying, before leaping back into the air, doing a roundhouse kick.

“Or Cortland Apple who got a bit too touchy with me -”

She quickly recolored the drawing so she took the place of Inkie, and replaced the colt’s cutie mark with something apple-related, and hastily edited it so Maud looked like she was punching Cortland in the groin, with a small explosion over his testicles. The colt looked to be yelling “MY SPLEEN!”

“– Hmmm. Maybe there should have been a train there. I like trains. And I really gotta go because I got jump training with Discord and–"

Maud gently placed a hoof on her snout, causing Pinkie to fall silent.

“There’s no need to hide it Pinkie. I’m here now…”

Pinkie's face finally broke down, tears welling from her eyes as she threw her forelegs around Maud and began to cry.

“Oh, it’s just horrible, Maud!” Pinkie sobbed, her mane going flat and straight, sobs dragging out every syllable of the words. “There’s… a world where another Equestria’s being huge meanie-pants and wiping away entire cultures! And they… they have this barrier, it destroys all the humans have ever made–”

“Humans?” Maud asked.

“Yeah, like Mr Stephan over there!” Pinkie said, brightening up (her coat and mane actually seemed a couple shades brighter for a few seconds, then rapidly darkened) as she pointed to Stephan. “And he’s… his home’s gone! It’ll probably never exist again, and half his world’s gone, and the barrier’s still expanding, and… and the only way not to get destroyed by the barrier is to take this potion and turn yourself into a pony except not really ‘cause even though it changes you, it destroys your mind and there’s nothing left! They have to kill themselves either way and it’s just so a-a-a-awful!” she sobbed, falling on the ground, tears streaming from her eyes. “And then… and the ponies they get turned into, they have to smile all the time! I don’t like it one bit, and those smiles just aren’t right!”

Maud only hugged her back, gently rocking the sobbing mare and humming a soft tune as she rubbed her hoof across Pinkie's back.

“Sssshhhhh…” Maud said. “It’s okay, little sister, it’s going to be fine…”

“No it won’t!” Pinkie cried. “It’ll never be alright! Have… have you seen that new human exhibition?”

“No,” Maud answered.

“There’s this one section, ‘Dispatches from a Dying World’, and it won’t be alright till all the things in there don’t happen anymore!” Pinkie cried. “It’s just awful!”

“How bad is it?” Maud asked.

“It’s… from a race that’s doomed within a year for them,” Pinkie said. “They can’t smile! They have nothing to smile about! You… you have to see it for yourself, I can’t explain it!”

Maud nodded and replied, “Okay, I promise I’ll try to go to it. And for that matter, get the rest of the family in. I think it makes sense they know what exactly this PHL group is doing with the crystals we’ve sold the Crown on their behalf...”

“Focus Marcus, look into yourself and find your magic,” Tia gently cooed as she tried to guide Marcus to his core.

“It would be better if you can just be quiet you know.” Marcus muttered under his breath as he raised his arm over his head in a slow pattern.

“And lose the chance to teach a powerful student once more? I think not!”  Tia’s melodic laughter rang out through his skull.“I have you know that I taught many students like this for over a millennium you know.”

“Yap yap yap yap yap.” Marcus rolled his eyes he went through motions of his Tai Chi exercise. It was easier for him than simply sitting down and doing nothing, at least it gave him time to focus both his mind and body. It was true he can just ‘pop’ into his mental landscape from time to time, but to find his ‘core’, he needed to go deeper. “Listen Tia, if you want me to find the damn thing, at least be quiet about it and help guide me to it by feeling, not flapping your gums.”

“Hmph. So you throw away my teachings then, that is even older than: myself?”

“Tia, we have less than six months to do this. Your way of teaching has years of education and students that have a born connection to magic. I am a human who just recently got thrust into a demi-god status,” Marcus deadpanned.

“Good point. I will guide you the best I can to get you to your center.”

Marcus simply closed his eyes, continuing the motion of his exercise as he took gentle steps on the ground. Peace began to fill him as he felt the wind caress his face, the smell of flowers drifting across his nose. ‘Wild lilacs, Cheerilee’s favorite.’

He gave a small smile at the thought of the mare he loved, her wonderfully sexy and pleasurable voice, the long locks of her mane and tail, and of course that beautiful smile. He felt his thoughts begin to drift, not even the voice of Tia within his own mind shook him from the ebb and flow of memory...

“I see you found your center… you are very lucky to have a mare like her and she’s blessed to have someone like you in her life. I can tell how you keep each other strong. That’s it Marcus, just go a little deeper.”

Marcus never felt so peaceful, all he could see was Cheerilee, a warm smile on her face as she looked at him. She gave a silent laugh as Marcus reached out to her before looking up. Marcus looked at her in confusion before looking up, his jaw dropping at the sight.

“What the hell is that?”

Marcus stared at the massive shining orb above him, giant arms of energy shooting off into the the darkness that surrounded him.

Tia appeared beside him, smiling up at the vast object, “That, my dear student, is your magical core.””

“That’s my magical core?!” Marcus exclaimed in shock, “Seriously, what the fuck!? That thing is as big as the Hoover Dam!”

“Actually, its quite small,” Tia muttered as she examined it, “I think Celestia’s and Luna’s are nearly three times the size of yours, although you may be bigger than Cadance’s own magical core, though she is still coming into her own... Both of you may grow in time, however so who knows how strong you may become.”

“Great,” Marcus mocked, “Because I need this big ball of sunshine to be even BIGGER!”

“Oh hush.” Tia smiled as she looked it over, “It appears that your magic is setting itself to your body in a much bigger portion than strictly necessary. A simple fix, all you need to do is…”

“Cut it off from the source. Got it.” Marcus smirked as he focused on the many arms spreading, focusing on the feeling of the warmth he felt in his body.

And cut it off.

“Wait! Don’t!”

Marcus’ eyes snapped open, a smile forming on his face…

...right before he lost control of his body and fell on his back. Unable to move or breath, panic began to mushroom within him as the darkness began to creep into the edges of his sight.

“W-what! What’s going on!?”

“Foolish! Did you forget that your entire existence has become linked to that magic!?”

“Crap! Let me–”

“Don’t worry, your magic won’t allow itself to be contained like this! But you will be in pain for a bit…”

“What?!”

Pain.

Soul-ripping pain flashed through Marcus, his eyes watered as he could only guess that his magic was trying to re-establish itself in his body. He began to float off of the ground, jets of powerful light and plasma swirling around him.

“Fuck!”

“Brace yourself, Marcus!”

“It’s not done–” Whatever Marcus’s next thought was, it was drowned out by the agonizing pain and the roar of magic.

‘Cadance was right. It stings like a bitch…' was his first lucid response upon returning to reality. And then he groaned. His body felt like it had been on lit fire and then got hit by a truck. Multiple times.

“A most impressive display of magical backlash,” he heard a voice call out to him. Raising his head, the Marine saw Luna trot down the slope towards his position.

‘Wait… Slope?’ Marcus looked around to find himself in the middle of a crater. ‘Shit... that’s a big crater.’

“Indeed. An impressive size, 8 out of 10.”

‘Shut up.’

“I see you still continue to have trouble controlling your newfound strength,” Luna noted out loud as she walked to him, examining the crater. When she saw the annoyed look on Marcus’ face, she gave a cheeky grin. “Do not fret, Colonel. My sister and I had trouble containing ours as fillies.”

“You had over a thousand years to learn your control though,” Marcus bitterly replied. “I’m still at a wall, and we don’t have a lot of time left.”

“Still, this raw power…” Luna trailed off. “It would work very well to our advantage.”

“Raw power without direction is useless in a fight.” Marcus groaned out, looking down at his hand with interest. “Oh… my ring finger is gone…”

For her part Luna hastened her pace, unnerved by the sight of Marcus staring at his hand in morbid curiosity. As she came closer, she could see ghastly wounds on his body, exposed to naked view where his clothes had been ripped apart from the magical backlash. To her relief, most had already clotted and were slowly healing themselves.

Marcus for his part was only just beginning the damage he had received, looking himself over in surprise. “Why am I not screaming in pain?”

“Perhaps it is due to your new constitution.” Luna answered as she examined him closely, “Your reformed body is incredibly durable, much like our own as you know, but you can still receive grievous injuries when the right amount of force is applied, though recovery should be swift. With that incredible healing ability, your nervous system no longer has the same response to pain or injury... the initial injury may still hurt, but not as you heal. Take a look.”

Marcus looked back down at his hand, tilting his head to see that the bony stub sticking out of the remainder of his finger was growing ever so slowly, along with the surrounding muscle and flesh. “Oh that is nasty.”

“Believe me, Celestia and myself suffered many injuries growing up, as our power grew we ended up hurting each other more often than not. I think it will be wise to be prepared for further pain.” Luna waved her hoof for him to follow her, and Marcus limped after her after a moment or two to gather himself.

Climbing out of the crater, Luna shook her head and patted the ground beside her for Marcus to sit, restraining herself from giving him a comforting pat on the back.

“Can I be affected by a flashbang grenade?” Marcus asked.

“What’s that?” Luna asked.

“It’s a… it’s a grenade that…” Marcus said, struggling to explain it. “Instead of an explosion, it makes a bright flash and a loud noise. Blinds and deafens them.”

“Possibly,” Luna said. “It’d have to be a lot, though. I doubt that something meant for normal humans would work more than a second, and you’d be more surprised than anything.”

“You seem experienced in this.”

“Spells with much the same effect were used on us in the early days of Equestria,” Luna explained, one hoof off to the side, almost dismissively. “Usually to warm up for some new spell that some petty kingdom’s archmagi swore would work. Eventually, you got used to it…”

“I think I should do that,” Marcus said.

“Certainly,” Luna said. “You’re still probably going to flinch when shot, and your instincts will tell you that you’re still comparatively fragile. I believe I recall some human telling numerous Equus natives to unlearn things. You should try it. You’ll need all the advantages you can get.”

“Hmmm. Good advice, then,” Marcus mused.

“Well, as long as I am here, may I ask you a question, Marcus?”

“Go on ahead,” he replied.

“Could you tell me more about this… PER? I have read the briefings, but from having heard some of your soldiers talk about them, it seems that they really, utterly despise these individuals’ very being.”

Marcus gave off a dry laugh and answered, “Well, the PER stands for Ponification for Earth’s Rebirth. They’re a group of humans that willingly collaborate with the Solar Tyrant…”

“This much I already understand… but I still cannot grasp their motivations.”

“Well, they forcibly convert people into ponies, because they think Equestria - sorry, I mean, the Solar Empire, really did come to save us…they also provide aid and succor to the Empire, acting as a human support-structure, giving the enemy reach into human-controlled territory and facilitating strikes against our war-making infrastructure and population centers.”

He paused and rubbed at his aching knees. “Yeah, that’s the PER. When you consider that most of the major bombings and attacks on the ‘home front’ have been orchestrated or executed with their support, well, it becomes pretty self-explanatory why everyone hates them so much.... they were in no small part responsible for the destruction of my homeland’s capital city. And they did a lot of damage to plenty other countries as well.”

Luna’s eyes widened subtly.

“And what are their motivations?” she then asked in a soft voice, “Why take such radical steps? Do they realize what the potion does to a human’s mind and essence? What drives them to these acts of treachery?”

Marcus simply shrugged. In truth he disliked giving much thought to the enemy motivations, beyond understanding their methodology. It always hurt too much...

“Some are utterly complicit, or deluded,” he said at last. “But many of them are people with a grievance, the discarded and dispossessed, people who have lost so much that they’ve given up on the human race… the homeless, the oppressed and abused, the disenfranchised and downtrodden… for them, this isn’t an extinction event, it’s a chance to start over again.”

“That’s… really sad…”

“Yeah. I’ve never tried to pretend that humanity’s got a squeaky-clean track record, yet I sometimes wonder if we’d have so many of our own trying to stab us in the back if we’d done more for the sick, the ill, the hungry and the poor. But then I think about the fanatics, and my blood boils…”

Her silent question prompted him to continue.

“Centuries ago, there was a boy named Ned Ludd, who smashed up two knitting frames in a fit of passion. As time went by, artisans and craftsmen who objected to how industrialisation was destroying their livelihoods, took on his name and repeated his actions on a large scale… but nowadays the word ‘luddite’ can refer to anyone who believes human mechanical and scientific enterprise is a blight on society or nature…”

“And the radicals within the PER, they are Luddites?”

“To the extreme. For them the cause is right there in the title: ‘earth’s rebirth’, not humanity or society’s birth, but the planet. These are the people who think mankind is nothing but a virus that destroys the environment, that we’re all just a short-minded and destructive bunch of evil or ‘misguided’ bastards…”

“And let me guess - they believe that ponies are perfect little pacifists who will heal the planet?” Luna finished for him.

“Pretty much.”

They sat in silence for a while, and in the void, each heard distant sounds and sensations called up from memory or imagination. Of birdsong and trees rustling in the wind, contrasted to the roar of traffic and the clang of machinery. Sunlight on a forest stream, and industrial neon lights glistening on an oily ditch.

Two extremes, neither a whole truth, and yet with some kernel of fact lodged like a seed at ther cores.

“The worst of ideologies is the one founded on a position of some merit,” Luna said softly, and at last Marcus nodded, not making eye contact.

“We’ve built wonders, and ruined ecosystems…” he said aloud, as if casting the words out into the darkness for judgement. “Soared higher than any bird, and fallen lower than could be imagined… we’ve got problems, and I’d love to see Equestria help us through them…”

“But never to wipe away the good along with the evil…” she whispered.

For a moment, between those two extremes, a vision flickered. A city of magic and science, of steel and stone sculptured and woven so that engineering became art, reaching for the heavens, clad in nature’s greenery, and filled with ponies and humans alike.

“Behold, Utopia…” Marcus snorted. “Nowhere…”

“A beautiful dream…” Luna said firmly. “An ideal worth striving for.”

And again, the roaring silence of their thoughts, trying to weigh in balance the imperfect nature of humans and ponies alike.

One directly manipulated and dominated the natural forces, achieved a tenuous balance with them, and harmonised and controlled, at the cost of stagnation.

Another fought tooth-and-claw against those same forces, casting down natural order to achieve accomplishments so fantastic to be like dreams...

Two halves, two mirror-faces. Neither wholly good nor bad, and each unbalanced and distorted in their own way. The irony was not lost on Luna.

And speaking of distortion and mirrors...

“What of the Newfoals?” she asked at length. “How do they fit into the PER paradigm?”

“Hah, well the crazy thing is, the Newfoals don’t attack human PER members at all. In fact, they’re actually very affectionate towards them. Especially the human members who see ponification as a kind of ‘blessing’ that they’ve got to earn, a sacrament they have to strive towards being worthy of.”

Luna shivered, as the mental image of Newfoals hugging human members of the PER entered her mind, their painfully strained smiles along with their glassy eyes staring into the humans’ souls in a false show of affection. All topped off with the image of these impossibly earnest humans smiling back, aspiring to become these monsters, instead of showing the expected fear and disgust.

“Do they… do they not even try to ponify them?” she asked in a low voice, as the back of her mind kept showing her images of the Newfoals hugging humans, and humans who longed to shed their forms and souls...

“No. The Newfoals, as I said, don’t attack them at all. Hell, there have even been some reports of Newfoals actually killing natural-born pony Imperials to protect their human compatriots from getting ponified by them.”

“Really? That’s odd,” she said curiously whilst tapping a hoof to her chin. “Could it be quite possible that the Solar Tyrant telepathically orders the Newfoals to do these things, or that there is some form of unifying law or mechanism that governs and synchronises their actions?”

“Sounds like a possible theory.” A sly smile came across his face as he spoke sarcastically. “You think maybe, if all of us pretended to hate our own humanity, the Newfoals wouldn't attack us?”

“Hah, I seriously doubt that,” she said with a slight chuckle. “Still, Marcus, I don’t understand…”

“What?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“That if these humans hate humanity so much, why don’t they just drink the potion?”

“Some do… some just chug it straight away. Others, as I said, feel themselves unworthy of it. You know, I interviewed some captured PER in the past and asked them that very same question you asked me.”

“Oh. What did they say?“

“Usual response was ‘I haven’t proven myself enough to earn the right to drink it’ or ‘shut up you evil human’. And one woman, she said she would never be worthy of ‘Celestia’s blessing’, that she would work to the end to bring about Earth’s rebirth, and die a lowly human before the ‘final victory’... the last sacrifice she could make for the cause…”

“They don’t drink, because they feel unworthy of becoming a pony?“ Luna repeated, as if trying to make sense of it. “There is a certain logic in that, if one comes at it from a position of utter self-abasement… like a supplicant before one’s deity.”

“Why not? Most of them seem to worship Sunbutt as if she were their goddess. The creepiest are the younger ones, who’ve been raised in this mentality from their youth. Hitler raised a fanatic generation in just twelve years, and Celly’s done the same in six.”

Luna shuddered, but shook her head firmly. “Neither my sister or myself ever took such measures. We are powerful, but we are in the end simply servants of our world and its peoples.”

“Cursed lives, your counterpart told me once…”

“Indeed,” Luna nodded sagely. “We exist because the world desires we exist. It created us, and not the inverse. We neither desire nor deserve veneration…”

“Not over there in Bizarro land. I dunno, perhaps Celestia fucked their heads just as much as Tirek fucked with hers. I was interrogating the PER’s leader once, the queen bitch of the misanthropes… and she outright couldn’t even imagine taking the potion instead of ponifying others.”

“Why would that shadow of Celestia do that to willing human followers?”

“To ensure their absolute loyalty, I think,” Marcus suggested. “That, and at least in the early days, I think she just needed human mouthpieces.”

“To seem more trustworthy, I suppose,” Luna said. “From what I’ve heard about that… Reitman woman from your world, she would have made an excellent puppet.”

“Exactly. Also, she’s used these human collaborators as great infiltrators to mass ponify people caught off guard, mostly civilians… children… and even babies right out of the maternity ward. And then she uses them as psychological warfare."

“There… there really is no end to this evil, is there?” she asked in a low, shaking voice.

“No. Trust me, it’s tragic and heartbreaking and wrong and there’s abso-fucking-lutely no depth to which they won’t sink to get the upper hand, or hoof on us,” Marcus said with a scowl. “All of which adds to the reason we all sleep with one eye open with a loaded gun in our hand or under the pillow. One good thing is that the PER can’t shoot for shit, since most of them aren’t even soldiers.”

“If that be the case, do you think she would possibly spare these PER to use in a new attack on another Earth? Would she push on into other planes and spheres… with such a dysfunctional force as her army…”

“That’s all based on whatever it is Tirek wants out of this,” Marcus sorrowfully looked down at the ground and spoke in a low voice. “And honestly I don’t want to even think about the possibility...”

“I am sorry!” Luna gasped in sudden shock. Realising what she had just implied she placed a hoof over her mouth. “I did not mean to suggest that defeat was inevita–”

“Chillax, Luna. It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. We, ah… we don’t like thinking about the after….”

His smile turned grim.

“But no, the PER are hardly the makings of a force of dimensional conquerors. There’s not even that many left of them, since a lot of people certainly find that they happen to ‘resist arrest’...”

Luna’s dark expression seemed to suggest she did not entirely approve of such actions. But then, seemingly out from nowhere, Marcus felt a grin came upon his face.

“One funny thing about the PER, is that they are completely convinced that they’re the only truly  good humans in all this.”

“How… why do they think that?”

“Because apparently it’s ‘evil’ to fight against the ponies that wish to exterminate our entire species. You’re either irredeemable and have to be ‘saved’ or are just misguided. If Celestia is a god, then by that same definition, the ponies under her command are angels, archangels and all the company of heaven...”

“I… I can't even fathom the stupidity of that way of thinking,” Luna growled.

“Right on one count though…” he sneered softly. “In most religions, angels have no agency, and their destinies and roles are decided from the moment of creation. And that’s all that Celestia commands now, a nation of robots and an army of broken clockwork toys…”

He stretched out on the grass. “Luckily, there aren’t a lot of them anymore, so far as the PER are concerned, since most humans are have rubbed enough neurons together by now to know that the Solar Empire probably isn’t here to help us, you know?”

Luna groaned, rubbing her head with her left hoof.

“Hopefully,” she thought aloud. “These zealots don’t cause us too much trouble. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them attempt to sabotage our efforts.”

“Personally, I’d be more worried about the HLF.”

“How so? They are an insignificant, crazy group of angry humans, that just take their hatred a bit too far onto all ponies.”

“Exactly. So, let’s say if they were in charge and the Barrier was gone.”

“But they aren’t in charge.”

“Yes, but if they were, they would have us nuke Equestria to oblivion and literally wipe out ponykind.”

“I know, but what’s your point?”

“The point is, we may have to deal with those whackjobs even after the war is over. And even then, there are other troublesome factions on our own side – don’t get me started on the Equestrian Resistance…”

“Those… those are the ones who have made me, er, my counterpart their martyr?” Luna asked, a slight flush on her cheeks. Marcus smiled – much as the Royal Sisters did not desire veneration as gods, everybody and everypony liked it when people thought well of them.

“Yeah, for what it’s worth. And then there are the people that are just completely neutral, only out for themselves and their immediate kin, not trusting either side. I won’t lie, I’m pretty sure even years after the war ends, some people will never be able to trust the ponies at all, and we’re still going to be trying to work out a rat’s nest of alliances, conflicts and power struggles. The scars left by all this would probably run too deep to ever fully heal.”

Luna sighed. “This hatred would not even exist if ponies had not attacked your species in the first place… what the...?”

That last salutation was in response to a bright flash of light appeared in distance, revealing Discord, a box held under one arm as he surveyed the damage.

Seeing Luna jump to her feet, eager at the sight of her erstwhile ‘brother’, Marcus felt another chuckle, and struggled to hold it down. What he had said to Vinyl earlier was true – ponies were just too darn huggable…

… and thinking of Vinyl only brought on more growing regrets about the actions he had nearly taken back in the library, and doubts about how to proceed.

“What happened here?” Discord whistled, apparently oblivious to Marcus’ inner turmoil, focused as he was on the surrounding devastation. Only when he came nearer did he react to the scars and healing wounds slathered across the ex-Marine’s body. “And what in the name of Mom’ has happened to you?”

“I happened to me,” snorted Marcus. “And I kinda made a big hole in the earth.”

Groaning, he stood up, popping his neck and looking down at his hand to look at his ring finger, wiggling the almost completely healed digit experimentally. “If I can direct this power, focus it into something more lethal, I might be able to kill the Queen.”

“Doubtful.” Luna stood up as well, stretching her wings out. “As impressive as this show of power is, Discord and I were at least using this much against her copy, and she still managed to fight us to a standstill.”

“Yup.” Discord rolled his shoulders a bit, “Sorry Marcus, this micro-Armageddon of yours isn’t going to do squat against the real thing.”

“Dammit! Do we have to hurl an asteroid at her or something?”

“Hmm, you know, that actually might work if we can get it to sufficient velocity… " Discord said truthfully whilst he stroked his beard. "Maybe I should pay a visit to the Kuiper belt and...”

“Uh, I would like to have an Earth left to live on, you know. And I’m sure everyone else would too.”

“Oh, right,“ Discord replied, covered his face with the palm of his clawed hand. “Sorry. Still getting used to this whole ‘moderation’ doolally“

“I am more worried about the fact that our foe can use the Mirror Pool to make duplicates of herself,” Luna said as she looked up to the morning sky. “One Tyrant is enough, but two? Three? Dozens?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that, sis,” Discord said he handed Marcus the box he was carrying, much to his confusion. “That clone was a directly controlled by the Tyrant herself. When I created the Mirror Pool, I had in mind the duplication of inanimate objects. Food, armor, crafting items, non-living beings like golems and such. The first time I saw someone use it on themselves, it was much of a surprise to me that it worked as well as it did without any sort of backlash.”

"So… could we clone an army to help us?"

“Hmm. That would be tempting, wouldn’t it?” he replied, lifting one thoughtful claw to his chin. “But have you considered the ramifications?”

“Say what?”

Luna chuckled at Marcus’s confusion and lifted a wry eye at Discord.

“I think I understand what ‘brother dearest’ is saying, Commander. Spells of duplication are some of the most powerful in existence, but even they have their limits.”

“So, are you saying that the Mirror Pool could not copy a soul; is that the problem?”

She laughed softly. “That is no hindrance at all. What is a soul but a mind? Electrons and wavelengths and chemicals that serve as the canvas upon which the glorious majesty of sentient thought is as ever-flowing paint… no, any living creature passed through the pool would have as much a life as you or I, but the results would be… flawed.”

“The Mirror Pool is powerful enough in its own right, even if I created it by accident, but it’s not perfect,” continued Discord. “And summoning life into existence was easy in my prime, just ask the minotaurs and griffons! Why, if I had some of my old mojo back, I’d summon you an army of cyborg ninjas dual wielding chainsaw katanas, riding on land sharks with head-mounted laser cannons!”

Marcus was beginning to feel stressed, and replied through gritted teeth, “Then why can’t we use this Mirror Pool thing to make ourselves an army?”

“Oh come on, think about it. Luna gets it, and you’re from a world that invented Xerox machines. Work it out dim-bulb!”

It took a few seconds, but at last Marcus looked up with a dawning expression of horror.

“Copying Errors… So, the clones don’t always work?"

“Exactly. Think of this one race I visited… the Grineer. Not fun to meet them, I can tell you that.  See, they were clones of something perfect, but they kept making copies of copies of copies, to the point that they’re not really the same thing they once were. Errors get mass-produced, and multiply with new errors, to the point that the remaining Grineer needed extensive cybernetics  to live.”

He paused.

“Not that that would happen if Pinkie Pie was to use the pool, but you understand.”

It was simple logic. Even if the copy looked nearly perfect, indistinguishable from the original, the clones always came through with minor defects, cells that were missing or out of place…

“Just like a fax machine. What you get is never quite as sharp or crisp as the original. The images are pixelated, even with the best quality settings in play, the edges foxed or ghosted, blurred and faded out in places. Now apply that principle to living beings. In the first generation, it would not be a problem. The errors would be virtually unnoticeable, and would only affect the clone’s quality of life in a rare fraction of cases. But imagine then if you duplicated the duplicates, as you’d want to in order to speed the process…”

He paused momentarily to let this sink in.

“The defects would multiply upon each other, exponentially. A few flaws in the nucleotides would become an entire string of corrupted chromosomes. Proteins would begin to fold in unpredictable patterns, and tissues reproduce out of control. You’d see weaker and weaker iterations...and then, past a certain point, rampant cancers…”

And it went on and on in horror, until at last, the pool would be churning out screaming blobs of tissue. A meat-grinder spitting out mince and chuck that was alive, and in pain.

“And consider those same principles applied to the mind…”

The implications were even more horrific. Thoughts and memories and mental engrams simplified and diluted, until there was only the faintest echo of the original donor.

"So, each new clone would get dumber and dumber?

“Those that retained their sanity, yeah.” Discord rolled his eyes, “Given how simple they might be when they first come out, a simple order that applies to them will be taken to the next level. It would be like Pinkie Pie cloning herself to give more of herself to her friends to hang around with. And given how many friends Pinkie has, well… you can only imagine the chaos that would bring.”

For moment, both Luna and Marcus were quiet, contemplating that notion. And both shivered from the visualization of hundreds of Pinkie Pies, hopping around looking for anything fun to do like a bunch of five year olds on a massive sugar rush...

New New York, Equestria

Pinkie stopped in mid-bounce, floating in the air as her body shook somewhat, before floating back to the floor. Stephan, who was standing behind the Elements and Lyra as they waited to be seated at the Mission Cantina for lunch, stared as she shuddered and wrapped her forelegs around her barrel. “I feel a great disturbance in the Pinkie-force… as if a million of me cried out, and were suddenly silenced like balloons being popped!”

“Is something wrong?” Stephan asked, a little worried at her behavior. He’d heard about ‘Pinkie Sense’ and was wondering if this was an instance of it.

“I… I don’t know?” Pinkie said quietly, watching as a Discord clone led a group of griffon soldiers to a table. “I just feel like I avoided a problem that would’ve caused a super-duper lot of problems we don’t need right now!”

Stephan only stared at her, unable to figure out what she meant.

“You know…” Pinkie Pie said, cocking her head to the side, looking like she was searching for the right words. “Like when you're baking something and you go and get a recipe for a cake you already know, just so you don’t make a big mis-cake?”

In response to Stephan’s confused look, Applejack pat his knee and just said, “Look, Major, we’ve all kinda learned to just go along with it and not question it. Twilight tried and she nearly went nuts.”

“Right. Nonetheless, I still think we should do some scientific research of our own when we’ve got time.“

“Well, you can try, but its your funeral, and I will not cover the expense. Get your own lilies..“

“You know….” Discord chuckled as he thought about the scenario he had proposed, “That would have been hilarious to watch. But each Pinkie would retain that same thought process until it becomes too degraded to even form a simple thought. Heck, the first few batches might even act like Pinkie as she normally does.”

“Wait a second! Does that mean if the Queen makes several clones of herself, there exists some chance that one of them could have her original self’s personality?“ asked Marcus.

“To some degree yes, but the duplicate would be far less intelligent and far weaker than the original. I personally think all her clones would probably just get really fat from stuffing themselves with cake.“

Luna glared at him for that.

“What? Celestia really does love cake,” Discord said innocently.

“No matter. The Mirror Pool is a source we can use.” Luna said with a smile, “Supplies will no longer be an issue.”

“Got that right. But I pefer if I was the one that did the supplying, I can tell which ones are bad or good. Don't want a piece of armor to fall off due to it being flimsy now do we?” Discord chuckled before nodding to the box he had handed to Marcus. “Go on. Open it.”

Marcus blinked before opening the box, staring at the items inside. Luna’s eyes widened in turn as she watched him pull out a pair of oversized pistols.

The first one was a classical semi-automatic handgun, resembling the pre-World War 2 handguns designed and manufactured by Colt. The design was simple enough, but had a long slide and a 10 inch-long barrel. It was silver in colour, with a gold-bronze ejector port.

But the other was a truly brobdingnagian pistol, 16 inches from muzzle to hammer, and black as pitch in colour, as if hewn from onyx.

“Where the hell did you find these?” he asked, staring at the insanely proportioned weapons with a critical eye.

“They seem familiar to you, am I correct?” asked Luna, levitating the black pistol before her and cautiously aiming down the iron-sights. Then she turned the gun over and hummed in approval as a series of runes revealed themselves at the touch of her magic, etched into the metal of the slide.

“Jericho and Jackal…” he said softly. “Yeah, I know these guns, they belonged to Claire Lawgrave and Laura Hedd.”

“Who?”

“Two of the most troubled souls in the PHL. I thought they both died in the battles across Nova Scotia… Discord, where did you find them?”

“In Boston, searching for any trace of Her Majesty’s sunny little clones.” The serpentine draconequus twisted himself around until his head was positioned at the opposite side of the table. “These lovely toys were in a ruined building in the suburbs, along with the corpses of several dead Newfoals.”

He shook his head.

“You shouldn’t worry about crushing these monsters in your hand. I’m guessing they were tough enough already, but when I found them both had been alchemically reforged from a blend of super-materials. Some really nifty magic was involved there, which was what caught my eye. Of course, I added my own brand of special touches.”

“What kind of materials?”

“Well, that black gun, the Jackal, was almost entirely carbon-fibre compressed to densities I’ve not seen outside of esoteric materials like Gundanium, or Gallifreyan coral. And the silver one… Jerry or whatever, that was alloyed from titanium and some notable rare metals from Equestria: adamantium and vibranium.”

“You mean the same stuff that coated Wolverine’s bones, and Captain America’s shield?” Marcus gawked at him. “And those materials can be found on Equus?”

“You really should read your briefings better.” Luna taunted, now testing the Jericho's weight in her magical grip. “Why do you think the royal guardsponies’ armor manages to be light and strong at the same time? The alloy is extremely watered down though, there’s more pure adamantium in that one firearm than in the entire Canterlot armory! The Zebra mines in Adnawak extract about a thousand pounds of purified vibranium per fiscal year, and the exchange rate is-”

“Urgh!” the commander growled, cutting her off while massaging his head. “Next you’re going to tell me you’ve gone skeet-shooting with Tony Stark or something, Discord…”

“Oh, that would have been fun. I couldn’t get past Pepper though – that’s a mean girl when it comes to her boss’s time. I had to settle for a stint on the rifle range with Cap.”

“Captain… America…”

“Oh yeah, Cap is a stuck-up guy, but he would have thought you a proud soldier. Get along great. Wolverine on the other hand is just a bastard. At least that is what Deadpool says about him.” Discord chuckled as he Marcus stared at the guns in awe.

“Where did you…”

“Oh, here and there. Now, as hard as these puppies are, its the runes etched into them that should really be admired.”

Discord beamed as he began to point out the flowing ancient runes around the weapons. Luna continued to express her approval too, and the praise of his pseudo-sister only seemed to improve his mood.

“Well, just because I am a creature of chaos doesn’t mean I didn’t learn a thing or two from Mom growing up. Took some time to get the purest of crystals, charge them with the magic from Mom’s Tree, and fuse them to the weapons themselves. And so lo and behold. I grant thee the pair before you. Each of the magazines is bigger on the inside than they appear… and the slides oil themselves as well. You’re going to find the recoil is crazy reduced too, but don’t let that deceive you. You’re still going to be toting a pair of hand-cannons.”

“These… designs look familiar.” Marcus said after a moment, looking at the weapons. “Claire and Laura fabricated them from custom-machined parts on modified Colt frames, but…”

“Oh, I’m sure I know where they drew inspiration… Does the name Alucard mean anything to you?”

“Uh… I think?”

“Hmm. Well, I met this guy named Alucard, undead vampire of stupid crazy strength. Quite the charming fellow–”

“Hey kids, want to see a DEAD BODY?”

“Hehehehe…”

Marcus and Luna stared at Discord as he giggled at something he recalled the strange being. “Using that song to enter a room… hehehehe.”

“Yo! Snap out of it.” Marcus snapped his finger several times, before crossing his arms. “Anything else you want to share with us?”

“Hm?" Discord shook himself from the amusing meeting to answer. "Oh yes, training just became more hands-on. So to speak.”

“Meaning?”

“During my travel, there was intriguing device I ran into, which lets a person be immersed a digital world and let them experience it as if they were living that avatar's life." Discord snapped his claw to summon an image of a hooded young man, several transparent images of similar men framed behind him.

“I'm guessing the hoods run in the family?” Marcus cracked a smile as Discord donned a hood of his own

“In a way, it's the same place I got my braces from.” Discord patted the chaos-induced weapon before resuming. “Either way, this technology was created to dive into memories coded within DNA to relive the golden age of your ancestors.”

“Genetic memories? Actual memories and past lives?”  Marcus frowned at that, “Sounds far-fetched."

“Normally, you’d be correct, but somehow this group managed, and even I can't wrap my head around it." Discord waved his claw, banishing the illusions, “Honestly, when it comes to VR I prefer the works of Waldo Schaeffer. No matter. I am more focused on using the device to help create a safe environment for the troops to train in, independant of my constructs. Since we have no worries of maiming them in the virtual world due to some horrific death–”

“Just mental trauma,” Marcus muttered

“Semantic.” Discord waved his claw, “Would you like to throw them head first into a death march, or at least give them the chance to survive the coming battle?”

“Yeah… you’re right.” Marcus rubbed his head, “Alright, give me the benefits of this thing.”

“Other than what I said?” Discord rubbed his chin as he thought on the device. “Well, for some odd reason, whatever skills you learned in there, you will be able to use it outside of it. Muscle memory if you will.”

“Okay. How good are we talking about in terms of realism?” Marcus rubbed his chin, grimacing at his stubble.

“Very.” Discord looked to the sky. “It’s that good. They will feel phantom pains, but its to let them know they’re hurt.”

“Nothing like a little pain to be a good teacher.” Marcus huffed before nodding to him. “Alright, set it up. Try not cause any sort of… Well, given what we are about to do, mental scarring is to be expected.”

“I will try to keep the brain melting to a minimum.” Discord chuckled as he began to summon up various parts to him. “Oh yeah, I am going to have to take over Madison Square Garden though, hope no one minds. Need the space and all.”

Marcus narrowed his eyes, suspicion clear in his eyes. “There is more to this, isn’t there?”

“What? No, of course not! I am not going to make an event where I make the users play their favorite videogame character and duke it out in a tournament style gathering.” Discord said with a straight face. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

The Dream Realm

“Don’t listen to her.”

Catseye gasped within her dream. She knew that voice… yet its refined lilt was so at odds with the owner’s exuberant personality.

And it was indeed her that approached herself and the Queen. Only, looking more stately and dignified, her mane tied up in a bun, and wearing an unfamiliar jacket with a white-on-blue logo.

“...you,” Catseye hissed at the unicorn mare. “Come to even gloat in my dream, Liar-lyre?”

“My old pupil,” the Queen greeted the newcomer amiably. “So good of you to join us.”

Then, the unthinkable happened. Heartstrings glared at Celestia. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Such insolence,” the Queen said, amused. “Don’t have much to say, do you? I shouldn’t be surprised. You did steal your best speeches from someone else…”

The little green unicorn ignored her. “Catseye, please, open your eyes. That creature isn’t the real Celestia.”

“How can you say that?” Catseye asked. “The Celestia ruling this world’s been attacked by Nightmare Moon and Discord, she’s let monsters into our land, she’s–”

“Doing something the Celestia that contacted you is losing her ability to understand,” Heartstrings interrupted. “The Princess is being kind. Something the Queen hasn’t done since she lost her sister a second time. Now, she’s an unnatural brute who brings nothing but pain and death to anyone that disagrees or isn't beneficial to her, steals people’s souls to make them her slaves, and as good as murdered my poor Bonnie. She destroyed my beloved’s mind when she destroyed me.”

A shiver ran down Catseye’s spine. Of course, she knew why. Queen Celestia had told her much, and she knew she was talking to a phantom. “This is depraved even for you, Heartstrings. I always knew were an indolent little pervert, but even I was surprised to hear you were… are also a traitor.”

Heartstrings sighed. “I resent that – I’m proud to be a pervert, accepting of everything. I know I called you an idiot, more than once, and meant it, but I never hated you. In fact, before this war, I didn’t think I had it in me to hate anyone. It’s… not a pleasant feeling. And I still can’t understand why anypony or anyone would hold onto that. Nurturing and treasuring your hate just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Catseye shook her head. “Why, you condescending, self-righteous minx… I don’t believe you, not one word!”

She jabbed a forehoof at her rival.

“It’s so easy being you, isn’t it? I had to work every single day of my life to get where I am, and balance it with a job that didn’t pay anywhere near enough! You? Go for free to one of the most prestigious schools in the country, and what do you do? Slack off and chase skirt, sleep with Professor Shriek, that’s what! I’d have been expelled in a week. But, oh no, Lyra Heartstrings just needs to flash her parents’ money and that cheeky smile of hers, and everypony lets her get away with it!”

“And I truly, truly am sorry for it, Cat! That was foolish and wrong, I see it now. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. You wouldn’t believe how much I worked to help mankind. I’m not sure I believe it myself.”

“Then you wasted your efforts,” Catseye spat hatefully “And if you think you were helping them, you learnt nothing at all. Me, Celestia showed me everything.”

A scene from the past appeared in the misty swirls of her dreamscape, replayed specially for the occasion.

Two Royal Guards pinned down a writhing figure behind several fallen trash cans. A human male, laying on the ground with broken knees, fired a pistol of some kind, far tinier than a griffon weapon, and one Guard fell. The other threw himself onto the nearby orange Earth mare – the Bearer of Honesty – and activated a talisman, throwing up a magical shield around them.

From behind the trash cans, a literal new foal stood up, smiling. His father howled. “No! Dios mio, NO!”

“Papá! Está bien! Yo sé mejor ahora! Únete a mí papá y nos–” the tiny creature said, dancing on his hooftips in elation, before a sharp crack snapped through the alley and the Newfoal slumped to the ground, dead. The father’s hands shook around his smoking gun.

“That was your colt!” the orange mare screamed, pounding a hoof against the inside of her shield. “We helped him! Made him pure and good, like us! Ayh’d have done the same for you too, you ungrateful varmint!”

“Look at that. LOOK. What kind of creature would murder its own young? You answer that.”

Heartstrings hesitated for a moment, then caught her breath. “The kind of creature knowing that his child was suffering under the effects of that poison. I won't say what he did was right, no. But it was necessary. Death would be better than what she’s offering them.”

“Really?” Catseye demanded. She turned and gave a nod. “Tell her, doctor. Tell her what you told me.”

The human female wearing the ugly orange uniform was seated in the shadowy corner of a sterile grey room, fists and ankles cuffed together, the chains digging into her skin. Slowly, she looked up – dark, sunken eyes gazing from behind a tangled heap of matted, grimy red hair, and spoke.

“You can hate me, kill me if you wish… but you have no right to call me a monster.” It was a voice gone harsh and gravelly from lack of use. “I remember, when I was still human…”

She paused, as if resisting the urge to throw up.

“Oh, Merciful Celestia, the very word tastes like ash in my mouth... It was in Somalia, I think? Or was it Cambodia? The details grow hazy after a while. Ah, what does it matter?” she sighed bitterly, “It’s the same Hell wherever you go. But I’ll never forget the sight, not till the day I die. I was a junior practitioner, doing volunteer work for Doctors Without Borders. We went to a camp to give some children their shots. Vaccinations for hepatitis. Then we left. An old man came running after us. He was crying. We went back, and saw.... The inoculated. Hacked off. They were in a pile… A pile of little arms.”

She buried her face in her hands. When she raised it again, the thin light of the window fell across her orange uniform, revealing numbers and a nametag: J.D. Reitman.

“And that’s when I saw Man for what he was. Because that was the worst part. They didn’t do it out of cruelty. They did it out of love! Love! That one, crystalline moment, the human condition in a nutshell. Love, expressed through an act of violence. Is it so wrong not to desire that kind of love? To want something more pure and gentle? I dare you to look me in the eye, and claim the cure is worse than the disease.”

Heartstrings frowned. “I believe you’re making up excuses for yourself, doctor – this sounds more like a terrible event you’ve appropriated just to have a sob story and justify your nihilistic cynicism. There’s no way you wouldn’t get a psych evaluation after that, or they would’ve seen how deeply this event left you traumatized.”

Reitman gave a bark of laughter. “Ha! Psychologists! A bunch of quacks whose job depends on the continued misery of the world! What was it you once said to that mutant, Claw Hammer? Or ‘Aegis?’” she gloated.

“Don’t call him a–”

“Ah, yes. ‘Humans aren’t living in some dystopia controlled by a greedy minority’. Your naïve idealism is almost adorable, Heartstrings.”

“How did you–”

“Oh, please. Did it honestly never occur to you that, just maybe, some of the ponies in your terrorist group were double agents working for Equestria? Anyway... you see, whatever comforting lies people may tell themselves, I am not a sociopath. But you know what, in the human world, fits that label more than any one person? Corporations.”

“What do you mean?” Lyra’s face became impassive, unreadable, and Catseye found herself wondering why Reitman seemed to shake her head, almost as if she was trying to remember what she experienced for herself.

“The legal concept of a ‘corporation’ was invented for one reason, and one reason only. To remove accountability. After all, any business’s sole motivation is to make money. That isn’t political diatribe, that’s just fact. It’s what the word means for crying out loud. But if a business is owned by an individual, their personal goods are legally tied to it, and they can lose them if they get into trouble.”

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she spoke. Catseye thought it was as though the female’s mind had gone back five or six years, to a time before she knew the existence of an intelligent race other than her own. She wasn’t really speaking to Heartstrings any longer.

“However, a corporation is its own person in the eyes of the law. It’s an entity, born into this world from signing a few legal documents. Corporations are business personified. And business only cares about profit, not the individual. No one in a corporation is truly responsible for anything. Oh, I know, there are some people who think they’re in charge. But they’re just the central gear in a giant, soulless machine where every employee is a cog.”

“Charlie Chaplin.” Heartstrings said quietly. “Modern Times.”

“You got it,” nodded the doctor, without looking at her. “And a machine isn’t a moral being. It doesn’t understand morality, only efficiency. And if pretending to be your friend is the most efficient way for it to make money, it will pretend to be your friend. Not because it cares, but because the method works to its advantage. That’s how a sociopath thinks. Bread and circuses, movies and video games…”

Reitman absently glanced towards the little green unicorn.

“Toys and cartoons. And the funny thing? You know how well this works? It works so well, they advertise it! They make a business out of their own amorality! In how many old games and shows were the villains corrupt executives? But in the end, the joke’s on you. What do the real corporate scumbags of the world care if you blew the head off the Mr. Potter of the 23rd Century? You gave them your money of your own free will, after all.”

The cuffs clinked as the female rubbed her forehead, looking older and greyer than her years.

“That’s life on Earth. Power and illusions of power. And how does one wield power? Through pain. Earth is a world of pain. Tell me, Heartstrings, what were you hoping to accomplish? Did it give you a tingle between your legs to hear ponies swear ‘by the Golden Lyre’? Make you feel big, to see the humans you say you love so much, united in hurtling themselves in futile struggle against fate? You can lie to yourself, but deep down, you know that if the Barrier were stopped... they’ll just go back to killing each other.”

Catseye glanced at Heartstrings, and saw there were tears in her eyes. For one instant, something in her fluttered, and she thought it wasn’t right to see the other unicorn cry. However, the moment passed. That pony was always a bit too sensitive, she told herself. And she had to grow up someday. But then, Heartstrings’ expression hardened again.

“Don’t try to ‘moral-high-ground’ me, Jackie,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I could ask the same of you. I bet you got all giddy like a schoolgirl when your bootlickers called you their ‘high priestess’. I bet it made you feel pretty big, seeing people buying so much into the trash you spewed, letting their souls be destroyed by a deranged tyrant who thinks she has an omniscient morality license. And even if you turn out to be right, that still does not justify damning all of human life into oblivion!"

“You call what these people have lives? I just explained to you how they let themselves be sedated! Now, I won’t say this war was a good thing... I’m not a sick creep like that, unlike some people I could mention. I didn’t want a war. But guess what? I brought the spoiled children of the West out of their shallow, materialistic shells and forced them to face the ugliness of reality. All you’ve done is prolong their suffering. We’re not killing them, we’re the ones saving th–”

“Saving?!” Heartstrings snarled, her teeth clenched. Catseye backed away a little. The image of a serious Lyra, not at all the oddball, easily distracted Lyra of university, was so unlike Catseye’s perception of her that she found it a little unnerving. “You talk to me about saving?! You, you… You talk to me about children? Don’t you ever say that again!”

“I–”

“Ever! There are people who lost their families because of you! People that went crazy, that will never see their children grow up, give them a hug after school, or see them dancing in a performance, teach them to ski, take them to the beach, or watch them graduate college… and children that will never see their parents for any of those things, because of you. You took everything from them, and you have the gall to call them spoiled, to say you’re in the right for what you did?! You were never the victim here, Reitman. You practically raped and murdered them, and you enjoyed it. How dare you try to put us on the same level!”

“The same level? Far from it, I believe. As the superior species, the ponies have a right to punish humanity for its crimes. They brought this on themselves. Without the ponies’ intervention, humanity is doomed.”

“Oh right, how could I’ve forgotten that ‘ponies are superior’ and only want to ‘save humanity’!” Heartstrings said sarcastically, holding up her hooves to air-quote. “So, I suppose, by your ‘logic’, say if another ‘superior species’ came along and claimed they were superior to us ponies, you would jump at the chance to become one of them, wouldn’t you?”

“I would not. The good ponies are perfect beings of the highest morality.“

“That's pure elitism. So, I think it is a feeble excuse to judge others for being different.”

“Humanity’s futile resistance against fate only serves to prove the Queen right about them. It saddens me that so many good ponies have died in trying to bring them their salvation.”

“So... you would rather humanity just lie down and let the Empire trample over them like dirt?“

“Yes, I’d like that. Like I said, they are perfect beings of the highest morality, not to mention the most powerful.”

“You… you honestly believe ‘might makes right’... just as long as you’re a pony?” Heartstrings asked incredulously. “Despite not actually being one?”

“Yes. What sort of world would it be, if the good side weren’t the strongest? Haven’t you heard, Betrayer? Good always wins. And that’s why your efforts were doomed from the start. You can’t go against the will of a true goddess.”

“Then… please, tell me. How are these ‘perfect beings of the highest morality’ good for exterminating all species that don’t suit their standards? What’s the sense of saving humanity by destroying humanity? You see one bad thing happen, and you–”

“Oh, one bad thing?” Reitman snapped. “I was a doctor for the American healthcare system! Believe me, I know what I’m talking about when I denounce corporate dominance over people’s lives. Eventually, you realize the patients are no better. Whether it’s the rich downing pills upon pills – most of which do nothing whatsoever – to fill in the emptiness of their existence, or the poor who won’t look you in the eye as they wait for hours, as resigned as cattle lining up at the slaughterhouse… you find yourself hating them.”

“What does that say about you then, Jacqueline? You were born in this world as a human and made your way through it. You’re talking like you’ve been a pony all your life, when your goddess wouldn’t even let you take the potion, because she wanted to milk every bit of usefulness she could get out of you! You don’t even have the excuse of being a Newfoal!”

“She would have uplifted me herself once the time was right!” Reitman screeched. “And by the way? Want to know why I didn’t simply end it all, like I can tell you’re thinking behind those sanctimonious words of yours? Because I knew. Knew that out there, there was something other than Man. Not a false divinity or spirits fabricated by fairy tales and con artists, but something real, true, marvelous... and yes, different.”

The doctor paused. “Ah, I see you know what I’m talking about,” she smiled coldly. “Yes… sounds familiar, doesn’t it, Lyra Heartstrings? People thinking you’re crazy, telling you to stop daydreaming… and then, wonder of wonders, your dream turns out to be real. Only for it to turn into a nightmare.” Reitman lifted her wrists to show off the cuffs. “And yet, even though I’m stuck in a tiny cell, I’m not the one imprisoned. I have faith. And I’m alive.”

“Yet the ones who started this nightmare are ponies, not humans,” Heartstrings growled.

“Nonsense. Humans are the nightmare. With that in mind, let’s focus on you, your hopes, your faith. How did you feel, when you found out just how violent, how evil humanity can be? It broke your heart, do not deny it. You felt trapped. You only stuck by them, creating weapons you hated to see used, because otherwise, all your dreams would’ve meant nothing.”

That struck a sore point. Heartstrings audibly grimaced, and Catseye could tell that, like it or not, the mint unicorn heard the truth in the doctor’s words. But still, with a supreme show of will, she managed to squeeze out the words to rebuke her opponent.

“It was to defend them from people like you! And, what about you? Do you really believe ponification would fix everything? Sweep all those years of self-hate under the rug? You are human, Reitman! You’ll be always considered as such, even by your precious ponies, if ever you drink the potion. Some chirping Newfoal, praised by all not for the pony they are, but for the human they once were. Nothing, not even ponification, can ever wash that away, because you’ll never forget what you were, and you’ll hate it. Newfoals don’t get rid of their prejudices, they feed on them to be more efficient meatshields for Royal Guards. Because Queen Celestia’s ability to empathize shrivels and dies by the day.”

Heartstrings shook her head and said distantly, “And that’s the real tragedy… we all could have been friends, learned from each other... learned from each other to be better people.”

The other chuckled lightly in response. “Oh, poor, poor, delusional Lyra. I find it so amusing to hear all those silly lies you tell yourself about humanity. When you know, deep down, that humans and ponies could never be friends.”

“And what do you call your relationship with the Catseye of your world, or all the PER?! Are you willing slaves? Their toys?”

Reitman looked unable to answer that. “Brave words from the mare that keeps fantasizing about degrading herself for a human. Like that filthy jarhead… the so-called Commander.”

“... He has a mare of his own, and he was my friend, nothing more,” Heartstrings said with a twitch in her eye. “And he is not a filthy jarhead. He is a lot smarter than you… after all, he managed to create an army from nothing more than broken pieces. Your little cult fell apart when you were captured, running wild without their ‘leader’.”

“Oh please,” Reitman snorted. “Does a mare attempt to comfort her ‘friend’ by trying to offer herself to him while she’s already in a committed relationship?”

“Please, let’s not try comparing human relationships to pony ones.” Heartstrings chided, causing Catseye to involuntarily agree with her. Even today, there were mares that dated and loved the same stallion at the same time, forming herds and families. The Apple Family being a prime example of such expansion. These days, there were enough stallions to make any mare happy, but the old ways lingered on. “Reitman… you handle things that disagree with your worldview with all the maturity of a foal in diapers,” sighed the green unicorn.

Reitman only smirked. “But you don’t deny it. Admit it, you wanted him. You saw how damaged he was from being a tool of a warmongering government. Fill his darkened heart with light by spreading your legs like a common whorse and “fix” him, eh? To prove that the big bad alpha male’s hardened psyche could be cured with the power of love.”

“Because I trusted him with my life enough to show him that I cared about him. Because he cared about what happens to the people under his command.” Heartstrings’ words cut through the cloud of hate, causing Catseye to look at her in new light. The seriousness in her voice caught the white unicorn off guard.

Flirty, flighty, human-obsessed Lyra Heartstrings now had the stage again.

“In my youth, I was just another unicorn with quirks.” Heartstrings started, her eyes narrowing as she marched up to Reitman, causing the human to shuffle backwards, alarmed. “Silly, silly quirks. Then came a war… the war I lost my family to in the opening days, when Sombra’s monsters stormed Manehattan. Sweet, naive Lyra cried for days after that, so new to the concept of pain and loss.”

Reitman collapsed as Heartstrings bore down on her until she was standing over her.

“That war… that war was started by a pony, imperfect as the rest of us. But no, the great Queen finally conquered the darkness he spread, and in turn opened the gates of humanity to us. Sad, crying Lyra stood up to face them, to show a strong mare to all of them. A mask to keep them away from her.”

“What are–” Reitman started, only to fall silent when Heartstrings turned her back on her to face Catseye.

“Broken, shattered Lyra met others that understood her pain. They built her up. They supported her. They were human.” Heartstrings’ eyes softened before looking up to the sky. “They saved poor, sad, broken Lyra. Ponies couldn’t see past her mask, but humans did, and they helped.”

Heartstrings’ horn glowed, and she stared back to Reitman. “The war started anew. But there was no silly, silly Lyra. No broken, sad Lyra, no more! Only a proud and strong Lyra remained. Who created a way to survive. Who gave her entire being to a cause. A Lyra willing to lay her life on the line to save others.”

Glowering, the unicorn stared down at the whimpering human. “I may have died, killed for standing up for what she thought was right. But you were given the chance to become a pretty little pony. To be all that you desire. So only one question remains… Why didn’t you just drink that potion and be done with it?”

Reitman coughed, regaining some of her cool. “War… war’s the only thing you understand now, Heartstrings. The humans took you in, a hollow shell, and filled you with themselves.”

“I’d rather understand war and humans, both good and bad, and all the ways they work together with ponies, than be like you and understand nothing.”

“Oh, I understand alright. I’ve seen this effect before. Patients who think they’ve found peace, when really, they’re emotionally dead. You’d died before you even set hoof on Earth. And that’s why you are no true pony.”

Heartstrings only sighed, the look on her face one of utter disappointment. “In that case, I’ve got nothing left to say to you. You’re such a sad, strange little woman, Jacqueline, and you have my pity. I hope you enjoy what you’ve made of your life.”

She turned around one last time. “Catseye–”

“Don’t.” The white unicorn raised a hoof defensively. “I’ve heard enough. You couldn’t stop at smearing your queen’s name, could you? I never imagined you’d use the death of your own parents to justify throwing in your lot with warmongering child murderers...”

It was just a brief instant, but in that fraction of a second, Catseye was sure she saw the minty unicorn’s eyes light up with a flood of negative emotions – frustration, anger, murderous rage.

A brief instant, expressing years of hurt and toil, over before you could comment on it. To be replaced instead by nothing other than bottomless sorrow.

“I’m sorry you see me that way,” Heartstrings said quietly. “But, as you speak of parents… your parents didn’t make you a monster, Cat. You’re choosing to head down that path yourself.”

And then… they were gone. The doubts in Catseye’s mind had largely subsided, her conscience felt assuaged, for now.

“To think, I had such high hopes for that one,” sighed the Queen. “But it gladdens my heart to know that, aside from my student Twilight, there are those such as you and the good doctor who kept faith in me.”

“She was a friend of mine, wasn’t she?” asked Catseye. “That poor, crazed, twistedly brilliant female.”

Celestia smiled warmly. “Yes. And she can be again.”

It must have been an odd friendship.

And yet, for some odd reason, Catseye couldn’t shake off the feeling that more than she could see was at stake...

Weaver blinked as she found herself in a misty landscape of a different sort, stunned at her sudden departure from Catseye’s dream.

“How dare you,” a voice called out from the fog, a very familiar one. Weaver turned to see a pony trotting up through the fog with little effort. Minty-green coat, golden eyes flaring brightly against the darkness.

Weaver scowled, attempting to break free, only for the apparition to bop her snout with a hoof. “None of that now.”

“Who are you?” Rubbing her snout, Weaver glared darkly at the image of Lyra Heartstrings. “What are you?”

“I have no desire to answer either of your questions,” the apparition said as she paced around her, glaring in turn as though she could tear the noblemare apart with her eyes. “I don’t know how you manage to fool the others into thinking you’re one of them. Especially considering who you really are.”

“Oh? Who I am?” Weaver raised her head, projecting an air of indifference at the accusation. “What do you know of me, stranger in a dead mare’s skin? What say you, who I am is Death behind their backs. A blade raised–”

“Yes. Death of children as they sat on your laps. Death of an ancient happiness, for the sake of ‘duty’. Death to all innocent souls who crossed your path,” the apparition whispered. “You will not succeed. I won’t let you.”

“And how do you propose to stop me from carrying out my task? I am not a stuffed doll for you to knock over with simplistic arguments and preconceived answers… This exchange is pointless. I know that you are not Lyra,” the noblemare said quietly. “You don’t deserve to wear her face...”

“Perhaps. But do you know what lies behind the face of the one you worship?”

Weaver blinked as she found herself in a field of corpses, bodies of ponies, humans, and countless other beings, some of which she could not name, that littered the ground. Wandering this dead landscape, between dried-out and sickly trees with yellowed leaves and bone-yellow grass, were the Newfoals, limping along with oblivious smiles on their faces, unable to comprehend the horrors around them. One even appeared to be talking to a dead pony with a meathook through its throat, as if it was the shopkeeper of some bakery.

Dream-Lyra stood atop the mountain of corpses, wings unfurling from her back as she looked down on the noblemare, before turning around to gaze into the distance.

“Look around you. Betrayal is your cancer, not Lyra’s. May it eat your soul.”

“Bodies. A hack writer’s trick, attempting to scare their audience with gore and the repugnant. Do you think that will frighten me? The body is nothing but a flawed flesh-and-blood vessel for the power of the mind.”

Weaver’s jaw dropped, her voice trailing off, as she looked up to see a massive shadowy figure the height of a small hill hold up Celestia by the neck.

“Ah, it is not the gore that matters,” the apparition said, fading away, to the point that all Weaver could see looked like a pencil outline, “It’s what it means.”

Celestia…. It was like a stab through the heart, for Weaver to see her that way.

She looked emaciated, brutalized, and starved, one ear missing, one eye a jellied mass spread unevenly around the socket. Her ribs were so stark against her barrel that the flesh caved in between the gaps, and her three remaining legs looked thin as twigs compared to her body. Her wings were in tatters, feathers missing, bearing all the signs of Disharmony Necrosis, and Weaver knew she would likely never fly again. Her horn, once magnificent, had been snapped through, and rainbow-colored strands of alicornal tissue flapped against her skull in a noxious-smelling wind. One bony, twig-like leg ineffectually pawed at the arm that held her.

And yet… the damage did not look to have been inflicted in one go. Her torture had been slow, Weaver was certain of that, though she didn’t know how she was sure. The general impression evoked a human that someone had gotten addicted to drugs. And, when her looks had faded, that same ‘someone’ had tortured her in a fit of murderous pique.

She flinched as he snapped the alicorn's neck and flung her aside without care before looking to her and slowly made its way to her. She turned to flee, only to smack into a wall of dead bodies, she tried to use her horn to teleport away, but all it did was spark weakly.

Sinister yellow eyes glowed with glee as it reached her, towering over her until it reached down and picked her up by the horn, causing her to cry out in pain.

**“Death,”* the Figure cackled out as he held her. “Death of all I see. I thank you for the opportunity, little betrayer. I shall reward you as you deserve…”*

He held her up, showing her the fields of corpses surrounding her.

“You will die ever so slowly, your cries will amuse me so.”

Weaver’s eyes shot open, horn sputtering, then cutting off as she collapsed onto the bed.

“What… who… Who was that?” she panted, looking around her darkened room with a bit of fear.

Never before had she run into something like that; whoever was directing the Dream-Lyra knew exactly what to say. They knew every detail about Lyra, knew of her world, her fears, her regrets, her past, and even used them against her. The only thing she truly controlled was the Dream-Reitman, and she was floundering the entire time to get the upper hoof.

It wasn’t Luna. Luna wouldn’t play those games with her, especially now the Princess was searching for whoever was hiding Catseye’s dreams from her. But she could give her a run for her money. After all, she’d been one of the Night Princess’s first students after her return.

Whoever they were, they kept themselves concealed from her magic, playing the dream like a piano, even as she tried with all her might to wrest back control. The sole reason she was able to at all was because they let her.

The only other pony she knew who could do this was Queen Celestia, and even she had praised the noblemare for her dreamweaving, stating it was almost on par with Luna herself.

It could mean but one thing. The hijacker was even more powerful and skilled than the Queen. She had the feeling that the dream was meant not just for Catseye, but for her as well. An ache formed in her chest as she thought back on it, prior to shaking her head.

“Lyra Heartstrings… how you haunt me still.”

Sighing, the noblemare reached over the side of her bed, to pick out the crimson marble which lay at the center of her box collection. The thing scintillated despite the absence of light, an evil red color which spoke of grief and shattered illusions.

“I will need to employ extreme measures,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Doctor Catseye. But you too will get to hear of Adam Bakula’s sad tale…”

Yet that would have to be left for some future time. She had exhausted herself tonight, and she was expected to meet an important somepony the next day.

“... And those who’d think to stop me will find that in a web of nightmares, this is the one I’ve chosen for myself.”

An exhale of breath was let out many worlds away from Weaver’s location. Here, within an unknown cavern beneath the Everfree Forest lay a peculiarly well dressed human. His eyes glowed with the last vestiges of magic as he awoke, his whole body feeling like it went through the grinder after having just made use of a skill he hadn’t employed in years.

“I can’t believe this… she managed to get herself into the other Equestria. What do you think, Lyra? Think she’s got a chance to destroy it all?” he asked, his eyes looking over to an empty spot; no one was there with him.

“Yeah I know,” he responded to nothing, using his cane to pick himself up… apparently hearing somepony speak to him. “Oh wait, what was that?”

His nose started to bleed, but he didn’t notice it until now.

“Hmm, I see. I better head back now; she’s probably worried sick about me.”

His necklace glowed and a flash of light filled the cavern, as his body transfigured into the form of a unicorn stallion. His coat a sky blue, mane and tail white and disheveled with scruff growing on his chin, his eyes gold. His cutie mark, represented in human form as an ornate tie-pin, was a spell matrix shaped like a star with a book set in the center.

"Such a troubling child. All that talent, wasted on such terrible pursuits!" he growled before sighing, starting to trot away from a tree of great power. "Still, I may have given her pause for now."

His ears flicked once, his eyes narrowing as though he was listening to something distasteful.

"Perhaps you are right. It’s a shame I could not be there to face her down myself. Through me, you can accomplish a lot. She needs to learn that her ways are wrong."

His horn glowed as a glowing portal appeared before him. It shimmered, and the old unicorn gave the cavern one last look before he whispered, “I’m so sorry, everyone.”

He entered, galloping back to a manor north of the Solar Empire, located deep within a condemned and dying world, where he was hoping to stem the tides of sickness that plagued it any way he could.

Celestia walked through the ruins with peerless grace, looking at the remains with a neutral look on her face. Buildings on their last legs, broken open from forces of armies that wielded power unimaginable.

Power drawn from a common tree, through the twinned branches of science and magic.

Corpses lay everywhere, blood drenching the land as if it was painted red. Many of them had smiles on their faces, as if they died believing in the cause for which they had fallen. She looked up to see many of the dead hanging from ropes on the street lights, each one having a single race hung as if to set an example to all.

One for the Buffaloes, another for the Diamond Dogs, and so on, with Changelings, griffons, reindeer, humans, and… ponies.

She looked at each one as she walked before looking down a side alley, “Ah, there is the last one.”

She noted the dragon’s throat appeared to have been sawn through; the pained and terrified look on its face showed that it did not die quickly. She looked up to the sky to see the sun flaring to life, the very ground trembling before everything around her burst into flames or melted from the intense heat.

“One more addition into the folder made of nightmares.” Celestia mused as she stared at the corpses burning away to nothing before walking away with little concern of what was happening around her. She already seen this nightmare so many times that she began to break the entire dream down to its core, much like Luna did with the other nightmares she dealt with.

It all boiled down to her fear of failure.

“At least give me something new, because honestly, this has gotten rather stale,” Celestia muttered, before she held a hoof to her mouth. “Oh my, it seems Marcus rubbed off on me more than I thought.”

Normally Luna would appear to help her with the nightmare, but she’d seen this so many times that she had become quite numb to it, so it didn’t affect her as much as before.

In fact, it just irritated her to no end. She knew she could not save everyone, not with what they were being thrust into. War on a scale of this sort, there were going to be lives lost, and there was nothing she could do about it. But to accept it and move on.

And yet, deep within her, she was terrified of what everypony would think of her.

An uncaring Princess who was willing to throw not just her subjects, but as well as others into the grinder for a species that only existed in stories, whose tales were mix of unrelenting heroism and monstrous evil.

She wished Luna was here, send her dream-conscience to others. Twilight was as special as she always was, giving her in depth descriptions of her training to her in great detail, Cadance requesting to how to run a newly re-discovered nation and attempting to bring them into the modern age, even Discord was quite chummy when he popped in and began to shower her with cake and sweets in an attempt to drive the nightmares away.

‘Celestia…’

Celestia paused in her steps, her ears perking up as she looked around the darkness that now surround her, taking her away from the gruesome scene.

“Hello? Luna?” Celestia called out to the darkness.

‘Celestia…’

“Discord, if this you, please step out now,” Celestia tensed. Discord usually played pranks on her, although she gave back just as much, much to the amusement of both of them.

‘Awaken… My daughter.”

“Mother!” Celestia sat up, eyes wide as she looked around the room. She blinked as an image of the Scribe appeared before her.

“You are awake. Far too soon at that,” the Scribe noted, looking over her.

“You did not wake me?” Celestia asked, grimacing as her legs felt sore and stiff.

“I have no reason to. There is still a month before you were fully healed,” replied the Scribe, her eyes trained on her. “But it appears that month would have been for nothing. Your soul is finally mended. You are whole.”

“I…” Celestia trailed off, something that has been missing ever since she could remember was now filled.

Growing up, she always felt afraid of being alone, especially when she realized that she had stop aging and watched her friends die one by one. Luna seemed to accept it even through the pain of the loss, but to her, it always hurt far more than anything else. She latched onto the one constant that was Luna, even through their fights with Discord, she knew Luna would always be there for her.

And then she wasn’t anymore.

She took on many lovers, adopted so many homeless foals, taught so many students trying to find that one pony that could be by her side. If only to fill that hole in her life that she always had to live with.

Cadance was a happy surprise, one that Celestia cherished everyday as she helped to guide the young alicorn into her role as a leader. It was only by pure chance she knew Twilight already when she became her apprentice. Cadance grew into who she was by Celestia’s guiding hoof, never too intrusive but always keeping an eye on her to ensure she never strayed from the path of harmony into the darkness.

Twilight being the latest in her attempt to find that special pony to reach the mantle of Alicornhood. Twilight was so close, so close to finding that spark to reach it. She had all the markings of being that one pony to guide everypony else into a new era of Harmony.

“I don’t know about wishing the curse of immortality onto Twilight, but if she ascends soon, it could really help our cause to save humanity." Celestia mused quietly to herself before looking to Scribe. “Is there anything I missed?”

“Quite a lot.”

The Scribe flickered out of view, and the sight of New York appeared in her place, Canterlot could be seen in the distance behind the city skyline. Celestia’s jaw dropped in place, staring at the image before she finally found her voice.

“Discord, what did you do?!”

PHL Headquarters, New York City

Cheerilee sighed as she rubbed her head as she looked down at the report. She needed to get the last bit of reports before she send it down the line to others.

“Captain Price… you really need to clean up your writing skills,” she groused as she stared at the sloppy words before her. “I had foals with hoof writing better than this, and they don’t even have fingers.”

Cheerilee sighed as she placed the report to the side, using her burgeoning TK. That new filly Coal Embers, the one that Kraber seemed to like (no surprises there), was eager to help, and had suggested that she use her new TK in as many situations as possible. Her dad had been of the harsh ‘Arcane Mind’ school of practical magic teaching, which required that a Unicorn’s parents force them to levitate forks and knives instead of letting them eat directly off the plate. While she did admit it was harsh, Coal Embers had raised a good point in that Cheerilee didn’t exactly have the time to learn these things the easy way. So, she was using magically animated gloves to use the computer, while lifting paper off to the side, rather than trying to directly manipulate the keys with her non-existent horn.

There was email from Enitan Adebayo over in South Africa, requesting the chance to do an interview. Hmmm. Well, maybe sometime, depending on when the usual Swahili interpreter was back from whatever shenanigans he was up to.

She took a glance at the next email, sent from Rothera Base in Antarctica, and suppressed a grimace as she saw who sent it. Without further question, she skips reading it. There was no need to read the mail from a man barely better than Queen Celestia in state governing, for now.

After doing so, Cheerilee prepared to clean up for the day as she took a look at the final report.

“Our mystery ice user ‘Absolute Zero’ strikes again.” Cheerilee mused as she read the document, submitted from Kentucky. “They’ve not stopped since Boston…”

‘Absolute Zero’ was the codename some wannabe comedian had applied to a strange magic-wielder, most likely a pony freshly gone rogue from the Empire, who had made their debut just around the end of November. Now, weeks later, this new party had yet to formally reveal themselves to either humanity or the ponies of the PHL, yet appeared to be helping them out wherever possible.

Pulling the relevant casefile from her desk, Cheerilee turned to a map, charting a string of attacks attributed to ‘Zero’, moving from the Eastern Seaboard towards the Midwest. It was easy to track them, given their particular ‘style’ of attacks Zero favoured...

Ice, and Newfoals.

Where Zero went, winter followed with a vengeance upon any ex-humans in the vicinity: Newfoals frozen by subzero temperatures, entire buildings shattered by flash frosts, all Newfoals within left as nothing more than icy meat and bones, but humans and native-born ponies spared, regardless of affiliation.

Oh, Zero appeared to favour the PHL over the other factions, subtly assisting them here and there by shattering enemy supply-lines or clearing highways of natural snowdrifts, harassing the Empire’s attempts to weaponize the very weather, yet it was hard to attribute a single death to the mysterious traveller that was not a newfoal...

The only thing harder to pin down than Zero’s motivations was their appearance. The only sighting of the being was a cloaked figure glimpsed vanishing into the distance, but was described as a human shaped instead of pony. Cheerilee wasn’t sure if the eyewitness was in the right state of mind, given the nigh-impossibility of a human magic-user appearing out of nowhere.

‘They’ll say Merlin is helping us next...or Santa Claus...’ she laughed to herself, before frowning and making a mental connection.

‘Santa Claus… no...’

Another file was quickly dug out and scoured through. Inside was a map, on which a series of crosses marked a path from Alaska all the way down through the Pacific Northwest and across the heartland of the USA.

This file was labelled ‘Lilo and Stitch’, a codename that had somehow stuck better than ‘Winter Children’, which would have been a more accurate descriptor…

It was a case that particularly tugged at Cheerilee’s instincts as a teacher and caregiver. For nearly two years now, the PHL had received sporadic reports of two young quadrupeds who had been steadily making their way down from the Arctic. Early attempts to contact what at the time had been presumably two lost foals had turned up a surprising result.

The children in question were reindeers, not ponies. And they did not want to be found, or contacted.

Instead, much like ‘Zero’, the roving pair, presumed survivors of the documented destruction of Adlaborn, had garnered themselves a reputation as free-range do-gooders, helping isolated communities out with magical aid and physical labor or medicine, in exchange for food and overnight shelter. Attempts to bring them for questioning and aid had proved...tiresome.

But now, almost trembling as if on the cusp of a revelation, Cheerilee laid the two maps down beside one another, and found a match…

Like an iron filing drawn towards a lodestone, Zero’s blizzard-trail from Boston to Kentucky appeared to be on an intercept course with the path of the the wandering fawns, Lilo and Stich...

She was so wrapped up in this bombshell that she almost missed her adjutant knocking at the door.

“Come in.”

“Ma’am?” the young man, Shepard, poked his head through. “Uh… You have a visitor, a Miss Lawrin?”

“Visitor?” Cheerilee questioned as she kept her eyes and focus turned down on the opened cases. “I’m pretty sure I don’t know anyone called Lawrin, and I wasn’t aware of any scheduled appointments.”

“It’s kind of a surprise…  just walked through the doors and requested to see you.” Shepard looked behind him. “Do I send her in?”

“Yes, yes. Let’s see what she has to say.” Cheerilee mused as she began to file away the extra paperwork. “No need to be rude to her. I can fit in one more appointment for the day. Hopefully I can get the final count of volunteers for the Doctor to go back a week in the morning.”

She heard the door swing shut, and heard someone sit themselves down across from her. Absently she engaged her telekinesis to shuffle the cases away…

… and was struck back by the strongest case of magical feedback she had ever experienced. Losing all control of her magic, her TK field shredded and scattered the pages everywhere, filling the office with a snowstorm of flying paper.

Then, panting and sweating, she held onto her desk and addressed the immense magical presence seated opposite her.

“Miss Lawrin, I presume…”

The shape revealed behind the falling flakes of paper was neither imposing, nor particularly impressive.

“Erm, yes. Hello…”

It was a girl, seventeen at most, slender and lithe with striking platinum-blonde hair that was swept back in a short bob. An unzipped powder-blue parka hung across her T-shirt clad shoulders, the fabric of both seemingly encrusted by a shimmering sheen of ice crystals…

But the eyes...those eyes set in skin clear as porcelain were not those of a teen. Nothing could seem so simultaneously young and old, bright and sparkling and hooded all at once.

Cheerilee had seen those eyes, on a Hearthswarming night long ago…

“Er, hi…sorry about the accident with your, ah, files...” the girl said, waving awkwardly. “My name is M-”

“Erklass…” Cheerilee interrupted. “Elsa Erklass, the Snow Maiden…”

The girl’s expression faded to grey, and then a sad smile tweaked at the corners of her lips.

“You saw through me, then… well, guess there’s no point in hiding myself…”

The icy layer on her clothing sparkled, and then blazed. Auroral light filled the office, with Cheerilee reflexively holding one hoof up to shield her eyes. Her other hoof groped for her k-bar, but she forced it to be still.

She was in the company of a friend, or so she hoped…

The light, thick as syrup and twice as warm, settled on every surface for a second, before pulling back into a single brilliant point…

Cheerilee lowered her hoof, and smiled wanly. Despite the temperature having suddenly dropped enough for her breath to mist and frost to have formed on the desk, in her heart she only felt a fire, such as she had not experienced since the Manifestation.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintances, all three of you…”

‘Elsa’ still stood before her, but now the parka had reformed itself into a painfully simple and elegant dress that hugged her hips and accentuated her supple young bosom, capped with a gossamer-fine cloak that seemed woven from starlight on ice…

“Your Highness, or am I addressing the mysterious benefactor our troops named ’Absolute Zero’...” Cheerilee said, bowing her head, and receiving a graceful courtesy and a slightly cocky smirk in return, before turning her attention to the two fresh arrivals.

“Lilo and Stitch, I presume…”

Two young reindeer, a buck and doe, stood before her, and returned her bow.

“Please, we beg forgiveness for our intrusion, and for our former reluctance to parlay, milday…” said the buck.

“...but after our experiences and the fall of our home, we have been reluctant to associate with even your honourable pony-kin,” finished the doe.

Seeing them close up, Cheerilee could see a clear familial resemblance. Despite being not even teens, both were clearly strong and agile, carrying themselves with an inner grace and poise that seemed almost transcendent.

“Lady Cheerilee,” Elsa said, stepping forward and extending a hand. “Might I introduce Sir Eadmund and Dame Lucie, last scions of House Heavensky, and knights of the lost realm of Adlaborn…and I am indeed their Snow Maiden, granddaughter of the late king, Sint Erklass...”

Her eyes were crystalline blue, radiant with magic, pain and joy, and seemed to transfix Cheerilee to her core. For a second Elsa paused after speaking the name of her grandfather, and the two fawns drew closer to her, whispering words of comfort.

“Thank you both…” she smiled softly, before standing tall. “Lady Cheerilee, Knight of Equestria and Champion of Earth. I am indeed Elsa, heir to the throne of Adlaborn, last daughter of House Erklass, and Arch-Mage of the Reindeer…and sadly now clad in the body of a kind and brave human girl who volunteered as my host. As far as I can scry, we are the last of our native plane’s reindeer, and having been kept apart from my two remaining subjects for far too long, I bring the three of us before you today seeking your ear, and clemency…”

Cherilee muttered words to the effect that she would freely offer both, and once again the three ‘reindeer’ bowed in response.

“But please,” the former schoolteacher said at last. “How did you get here? We suspected at least a few reindeer survived the genocide of Adlaborn, but not yourself, Highness…”

“That...is quite a story. The account of my people’s fall, of my grandfather’s final moments… would you listen to our tale, and not turn us to the cold?”

Cheerilee nodded, slowly and expectantly. The room temperature dropped ever so slightly, the shadows grew deeper, and the fire within her burned brighter, as the ever-young maiden began to recite her tale...

Final Words

Authors:

Redskin122004

Editors:

TB3

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

Rush

TheIdiot

“The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces.”

- Robert James Waller

“You both take care of each other, alright?”

Marcus opened his eyes, the early morning sky greeting him as he woke up from his sleep, the soft blue sky filtering through the tree branches. He groaned as he stretched, rubbing his neck to get rid of the soreness.

“Damn it…” he sighed as he decided to take a walk, to clear his head from the sense of regret welling within him.

’Away from the city, away from people, away from this war...’

He goes…

A few whispered words in Stephan’s ear is all it takes to cover his absence, and win him a few hours of peace. It’s the closest he can get to actually running away.

Westwards he heads, out towards what would be New Jersey on Earth. Now instead of the Ramparts, across from Manhattan there now unfolds a few thousand acres of wild forest. It’s not the regimented, ordered woodlands that blanket the hills and mountains towards Manehattan, but primal and wild, a pocket-Everfree wildlife preserve in place of the Jersey Shore.

‘I suppose some would call that an improvement...’

He doesn’t leave by the Manhattan bridge, but instead crosses the western fork of the Neighagra at the northernmost tip of the island, where the water runs fast and white over boulders that are just break the surface. The rapids are swift and the river deep, but he jumps from foothold to foothold without a care…

‘Come on Marcus, it’s just a stream!’

‘I’m not as agile as you Jacob!’

And then he’s beyond the city and river, within the borders of the forest. The scurrying wildlife give him a wide berth as he pushes deeper, leaving him alone with the burden of his thoughts.

His near meltdown in Canterlot brought up a lot of past regrets, regrets that he knew he could do nothing about, but still haunted him either way.

A fallen tree blocks his path, and he finger-flicks it aside, taking out his simmering emotions on this ‘scary’ forest.

After All, what is a wood or a corpse, but a literal world of cardboard?

“Come on, Mom. Seriously? Marcus and I can take on anything. I mean, he went on three tours to that same hellhole that dad went to and kicked ass! I’m one of the President’s personal bodyguards. We can take care of ourselves.”

The thought of his mother brings on a furious double-handed uppercut that gouges a crevice into a hundred-foot cliff. Birds scatter for miles…

...and suddenly Marcus felt ashamed. He came here seeking some peace, a guest in nature’s domain, and all he’s brought with him is The War.

That realisation is enough to throttle him back, and instead of hacking and tearing a path up the face of the cliff, he scales it, picking and choosing each handhold with care. Oh he could of simply jump and made it to the top easy enough, but this gave him time to focus on his thoughts.

At one point, he encounters a nest, in which a clutch of infant falcons have been left for awhile by their mother. Conscious that he may have been responsible for her absence, he delicately nudges a few stray chicks back into the next, and builds up the sides with a few hand-cut slabs of stone. The resulting rough wall stood just high enough to form a creche, keeping the little ones away from the edge.

‘Fluttershy would be proud...’ he snorted to himself. ’And my old drill sergeant...’

...and his mother.

At last he attains the summit, and decides that this is spectacular enough a destination. Taking in a deep breath, he sits himself down on the edge of the cliff, overlooked a vast swathe of evergreen and everfree woodland.

New New York is off to his left, in the north-east. Canterlot lies the other way, to the south-west. The Neighagra flows between the two points, and the low range of valleyside hills on which he sits eventually sweep up to form the roots of the Canterhorn.

Humans to one side, ponies on the other... or so it seemed at a shallow first glance.

And here, as always, was himself in the middle, trying his best to bridge the gap.

“Just like home,” Marcus said quietly to himself, closing his eyes to try and voyage back before this was his twisted definition of normality.

Back to his childhood...

Travelling the plains and prairies of the Midwest unfurled in memory.

Running through the forest as a child, laughing as his father chased him with a mock roar.

Climbing up on Ol’ TJ, his mother smiling gently as he nervously rode the old stallion.

Watching as Grandma doted on Jacob while Grandpa showed him how to clean the Marlin.

Watching Dad walk out the doors to his deployment…

And coming back in a box.

“I just… I am so proud of both of you… If your father was still alive... He would be down at Fred’s bar happily boasting how great his sons are. But… I don’t want to lose you both as well.”

Marcus opened his eyes, tears coming silently to his eyes as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket. He opened it, seeing his mother and father’s wedding picture, and one of him and Jacob while they were still young.

Marcus remembered his mother holding this very same locket before she gave it to him. Looking back on it now, her expression seemed curious, as though something was crossing her mind while she passed it on to him.

Now he knew. Past adventures and old friendships that she forged while she trekked this world of Equus, unaware of what she accomplished that many young children in the days before the ‘Conversion War’ dreamed of doing.

“**Mom, don’t worry about it. We’ve been doing this for almost three years now. I am a glorified doorman and Jacob is protecting the most popular President since Kenndey. Not bad for a beer drinking Texan, not even terrorists want to mess with him.”

“She’s just worried about that portal in Switzerland. I mean, Ponies? Really?”

“Strange world we live in huh?”

“Just… Be careful.”

“She knew...” Marcus said out loud to himself, now that he was remembering his final time with his mother. “She knew something was wrong.”

It was a bit disconcerting to think about; what he and his younger brother had passed off at the time as ‘Mom’s usual worries’ had turned out to be more justified than ever, despite the later events that would occur and the posthumous revelations for all three of them.

Sometimes his mind drifted towards a rather frequent question; “What if?” What if he was there that day at home; could he had been able to use CPR to save her? What if Jacob had made it out of the White House still as himself; would he be standing side by side with his brother against the Solar Empire? Would their mother have told them, in her own words, about her connections with the ponies, with Tirek?

Plus all this ‘other worlds’ stuff, could give anyone a headache; just asking that question constantly would probably make him second guess his actions both here and later on in the final battle.

“Mom?”

“It’s nothing, Marcus. I was wondering why this Celestia keeps pushing for the potion. It doesn’t seem like something she would do. Why… why is their world so toxic to humans? It doesn’t make sense... we never had to before...”

“Uh… Mom, what are you talking about?”

“Yeah, sounds like you expected something else from them."

It was a clue that flew by the faces of two men, two brothers whose time was spent hunting the cowards that loved to blow up or kill innocent people early in their careers.

Looking back though… all those years spent fighting ISIS seemed so… pointless.

‘They bomb us, we bomb them. Innocents die on both sides, and we just learn to hate each other all the more...’

He fingered the patch on his shoulder: Lyra’s cutie-mark, surmounted by the words ‘FOR ALL’.

‘For All. Not all Americans, or all humans. For everyone’s sake… kinda puts everything that came before in a new light. I think, despite everything that’s happened, Mom would appreciate how we’re all on the same side now…

Shutting his eyes, Marcus closed the locket, humming to himself and remembering back to a childhood lullaby his mother had sung him to sleep by.

“She wanted to tell us,” he said at last, waiting for Tia to respond from inside his mind, but she remained silent. Looks like she wanted to give him time to mourn. “She knew… wanted to warn us that something wasn’t right. But she was afraid that we wouldn’t believe her… that we would have mocked her.”

Mocked her for the truth, that Megan Williams had walked on the surface of Equus in decades and millennia now past. The truth that she had battled no less a foe than Tirek himself, with a sorority of technicolour ponies at her side…

‘We wouldn’t have thought she’d gone crazy? Would we?’

No, they wouldn’t mock her. Oh sure, they’d probably needle her lightly, but then they’d move on, but never call her crazy and end it. They would have listened if she’d sat them down and talked to them. Right?

He wanted to believe that he would. He was her son.

But all he had was hindsight now...

‘But what of every other son who has seen a mother or father succumb to dementia… would we have assumed, or feared, the same?’

Poor Megan Renee… she had kept her adventures a secret for so long that keeping it buried was near-second-nature.  Afraid of people calling her crazy. Afraid of being institutionalized. Afraid of being ostracized, of hellish experiences made to convince her that it had never happened to her.

Marcus was sure they would have listened to her. After all, a dimensional portal had just opened up on Earth’s front lawn. Surely they would of taken her warning with a grain of salt…

Wouldn’t they?

“Oh its just so weird, you know? Talking ponies. What would poor TJ think? He would probably think we’re replacing him with a cute mare or something. It would work out since they talk back, not like TJ at all, who likes to keep things to himself all the time. But I’m just babbling to myself trying to make sense of everything, even after all this time. That’s all.”

“Crazy I know. But they’re so cute to look at. I mean, they have to be friendly.”

“Ha! Maybe they’re evil invaders that use cute faces to catch us off guard?”

“Like those crazies in the ‘Human Liberation Front’ always spout off on? Hahaha! Or what about those nutcases in the ‘People for Earth’s rebirth’!”

“I’m kind of worried about them. That reverend seems like a good man, but the new people taking control, like Michael Carter? Something’s not right.”

“I swear the things people come up with. What about you Mom? What side are you on?”

“I am on the side of all mothers. Who wants their babies to live a normal life. Sadly for me, I got you two. Now shut your pie holes and come here."

Oh how that would haunt him for days once he was done fighting, when the ‘War’ started...

...how he had watched as a mockery of his brother appeared on a forced live feed from the White House, to proclaim his ‘love’ for Twilight Sparkle, before fleeing the oncoming retaliation as the US Army retook the capital.

...how he’d called home after days of fighting only to receive nothing but an answering machine.

“Heh… Mom could never deal with the smartphones.” Marcus felt the tears streaming down his cheeks. “She… she couldn’t understand them.”

How long did she lie there?

How long did she lie on the ground, dying, believing she lost both of her sons to beings she befriended so long ago in her childhood?

How long did she suffer in the knowledge that the same species she made friends with were now killing her people? Knowing that her friends from there were dead? Feeling as if her efforts to save Dream Valley had been all for nought? That perhaps…. the ponies were better off dead, if this was the thanks they offered mankind in payment.

How long did it take for the regret to set in that she saved them from the monster Tirek until she died?

How deep had the hurt and betrayal bit, before that bony bastard Death showed her the last mercy, and took her away from it all?

The only reason anyone in Blaine knew was something wrong was when TJ came running into town, whinnying and stirring up a ruckus. They followed him back to the ranch, kicked down the door and tried to drag her to the porch, to revive her, to kickstart her stopped heart and restore life to those pallid, sightless eyes.

It was too late for them to do anything.

He felt like a failure, even when he had been thousands of miles away, fighting to survive, and to protect those within the Embassy. Even later, rescuing survivors across France, he still felt like the worst kind of scum - a kid who had failed his mother when she needed him.

There was nothing he could have done, but that didn’t ease the grief; ever since his father died, Marcus had always been there for his mother. Even skipping school some days to help her on the ranch.

“Mom… what should I do?” he whispered, gazing down on the valley. “What do you want me to do? I failed you… failed Jacob… Dad.”

And then anger set in.

All of it for that monster.

Tirek.

Damn him. Damn him to the darkest pits of oblivion. It was all because of him - the suffering and deaths, the destruction of the world… losing them.

He stood up, the runes flaring to life as he felt the anger began to well up. Magic began to pour from his body as all of his wrath and hate and despair coalesced around a single desire…

...to unleash hell on the monster that caused all of this. To end the beast who caused all of this hell and havok, solely because he got his jollies from inspiring death and destruction.

He…Tirek, was no better than the people Marcus had fought against all his life. Another coward who fought through terror and zealotry and brainwashed chattel slaves...

He was going to pay for this. Marcus would do everything in his power to make that happen-

“**Mom?”

“Both of you are so much like your father. I am so glad he lives on through you both, growing into honorable men like him. Always take care of each other, family is the most important thing you can ever have in this world. Never forget that.”

“How can I ever forget this giant?”

“Same, only instead of giant, short stack is a better description.”

“Never mind, let me forget him. He’s a jerk.”

“Behave, you two. Promise me you will never stray from the path you both set yourselves on.”

“We promise.”

*HONK*

“There’s your cab. Get going you two, don’t miss your flight.”

“Love ya, Mom!”

“I’ll see ya later, Mom.”

“I love you both so much. Take care of yourselves!”

The magic cut out. Marcus wiped his eyes and struggled to focus himself. He was a Colonel, dammit, the Commander. He didn’t cry...

No, that was a lie. Screw definitions of what it meant to be a man. His heart ached, and he didn’t need to hide that pain behind a stoic facade while he was alone.

The tears came, fierce and flowing, and they didn’t stop until he had bled his eyes dry as he collapsed back down…

Time felt like it passed by slower as he sat at that cliff, unleashing all the pent up sadness and regret he’d been holding in for too long now. He slowly took several deep breaths to steady himself and actually felt a bit lighter now. Sure he didn’t feel better, but then again, when you have to let it out...

And then, in the distance, he heard the sound of machinegun fire. Turning his head to the east, he saw flames billowing from New New York.

“What the hell?” Marcus stood up, frowning as plumes of smoke began to rise. That was not normal, even for a chaotic city created by Discord.

More sounds came across on the breeze. Screams, of terror, or pain, of rage.

It was a song he knew well, a symphony he had sung in for years. Now it seemed the orchestra was calling him back...

“God damn it, at least give me one day’s rest!” Marcus snarled as he looked up to the sky. “You gave yourself one rest day a week!”

He took out Jericho and Jackel, checking the magazine that Discord had issued to him.

“Well, Discord, you claimed these hold about four hundred rounds apiece, and regen with magic, so I should be fine. Though its going to be a bitch to reload these later if its slow as hell.”

Marcus tilted his head, popping his neck as he stared down at the city…

His city…

“Well Mom, if this is a way for me to get my ass into gear… I hear you. I believe you...”

He might doubt his faith, himself, and the basic nature of men and ponies alike, but he had faith in the memory of his mother.

‘For her sake, Amen...’

He leapt off the cliff, falling until he pulled his legs up and kicked his feet out in a TK ‘airbending’ blast, slowing him down enough to land safely, kick off from a standing start and rush towards the city. Trees and boulders merged into a blur as he flew over, under and through them, feet speeding across the ground until he finally reached the Manhattan Bridge, where something like a tiger dappled with scales was attacking several soldiers just where the highway petered out into native Equestria soil. Not even pausing, Marcus leapt off the ground, soared overhead, inverted himself off the shoreside suspension tower, and powered back at the monster, introducing its face to his feet at speeds measurable on the Mach scale.

The animal went down hard but simply rolled back onto its feet hissing in anger at the attack, much to his surprise.

“That kick should've broke its neck,” but Marcus couldn’t think anymore on it as the tiger leap back at him, forcing him to grapple with the beast.

After a minute of grappling with the monster, rolling over the pavement into the dirt floor that felled a hundred yards of forest, Marcus impaled the beast’s eyeball on Jericho’s barrel and squeezed the trigger…

’No fancy dual-wielding crap. No gun-katas or pistol-fu. This is a test-range, and you can’t test a weapon when spamming rounds like shit.’

...the blast turned the back of the big cat’s skull inside-out, a huge flap of skin and bone hanging down over its shoulders like a cat-flap. The creature’s other eyeball, popped like a champagne cork from its socket by the overpressure, steamed softly on the ground, boiled white.

And then, after a momentary spasm of the limbs, a flicker of magic engulfed the corpse, and reduced it to a handful of pink ash on the breeze.

Marcus held up Jericho and wiped the blood from the muzzle and slide, even as it was slowly dissolving away before his eyes.

‘Discord was right. This thing is a damn hand-cannon. Anything this hits stays down.’

And the Jackal was even bigger, with all that entailed... a longer barrel meant greater muzzle velocity, a larger calibre carried a bigger payload. It would be like taking scoops out of his foes with a subsonic icecream scoop…

Perfect...’

It should have horrified him that he desired his personal sidearms to do nothing but kill, to be weapons incapable of firing incapacitating shots.

It did not. If he wanted to defang his foes, he’d wade into fire and pull their teeth out with his bare hands. All he needed now was a gun with the spirit of a jackal, and a pistol powerful enough to bring down the impregnable walls of Jericho...

Turning to face his soldiers, Colonel Marcus Renee, Supreme Commander of the Allied Combined Forces, met his stunned soldiers in the eye.

“Sitrep.” Marcus watched as his men shook their heads, a PHL armored Earth pony quickly trotting up to him.

“Just as confused as you sir.” He saluted him as he spoke. “One second we were doing gate duty, next thing we know a whole pack of those tigers came out of the forest and began to to attack. That was the last one and they are tougher than even the new foals in armor the Tyrant spits at us.”

“Well, first thing we should do-” Marcus started to say, before the radio blared out.

“All units! Rendezvous at the Tower! PHL units, pass out weapons and saddles to all Equus troops now!” Stephan’s voice filtered through, sounds of gunfire echoing in the background.

“What he says.”

Hearing that, Marcus holstered Jericho, and drew out Jackal. Comparative testing at its best.

“You heard the man. You, and you-” he pointed to a griffon soldier and PHL-affiliated pegasus “-hold the bridge and stay sharp. At the first sign of enemy forces heading your way, you pull back and sound the alarm. All other troops, MOVE OUT!”

Another day, another fight.

The war went on.

Continues on in

Harmonious Stronghold

Invasion Plans

“-injuries estimated in the dozens in this latest riot, with no report from the Federal Government as how to stem the violence. As rushes continue on food stores in Brooklyn and Queens, Governor Esteban has issued a statement justifying the continued state of Martial Law across the entirety of the Five Boroughs…”

The television droned softly in a corner of the office, pouring out an endless prognosis of chaos and confusion. If you looked down on the text scroll at the bottom, on the micro headlines that simply couldn’t be fit into news reports at the moment, you got the impression of the last gasps of breath before flatline. Starvation in New Delhi, mass suicides on the slopes of Fujiyama, an anti-pony pogrom in San Francisco. Reports of sanctioned (and unsanctioned) hunting squads not only slaughtering newfoals en-masse, but having to turn their guns against angry citizens: people driven mad by want of food, water, ammunition, medication or compassion.

Earth was resisting the infection of invasion like a body rallying its immune system against a virus, and with that came the symptoms of disease: fever, sweats, irritability, rashes and nausea. It was an orchestra of decay, playing a slow, morbid liturgy as Death ride ever closer on his pale charger, implacable and unstoppable. The only options were to beat the disease, or kill themselves in the attempt.

“Next, our evening movie, Osmosis Jones…”

At the far end of the room, dwarfed by vast, thaumaturgically-reinforced plate-glass windows, a lone mare worked in the dim light of a world on fire. The Eighty-eighth floor of World Trade Center One, Freedom Tower, granted a birds-eye view of the riots, flickering flames, and the stroboscopic heartbeat of police sirens, coursing through the veined streets like pathogens and antibodies. Converted from a former CEO’s corporate eyrie, the room was far from opulent. It had been decently furnished in better times, with vaguely modernist black spheres hanging from the ceiling, but a tasteful display of wealth and prestige. Now, this throneroom of capitalism was a recluse’s den, evidenced from a small fridge in one corner, the walls plastered with reports and plans, and the multitude of computer monitors displaying far too many unread messages.

An exhausted PHL guard was passed out on a mattress in one corner, but the other occupant, the mare, kept on working, consumed in her work, her desk space cluttered with papers and empty coffee-cups. As she pushed herself onwards, fuelled by more caffeine than was healthy, the TV continued to broadcast the slow-rolling apocalypse, live and uncut. The horror being reported was almost enough to make her want to shut off, but news was news. And what kind of a leader would she be if she tuned out reality?

‘Signed, Lieutenant Colonel Cheerilee Cherry, Deputy Commander, Ponies for Human Life...’

Sighing, Cheerilee sat back in her chair, having finally finished (in triplicate) the forms authorising Elsa Erklass’s two young charges to be expedited to ‘true’ Equestria at the nearest possible time. Despite Discord having closed the portal joining the two allied worlds, Doctor Whooves had been able to keep up a regular line of communication through use of the TARDIS as a cross-dimensional shuttle. It was cumbersome, but it made co-ordinated battle-development possible, and allowed for vital personnel to be transferred between New York and Canterlot.

Clearance to ride was Top Secret of course, given that the TARDIS itself was considered too important / dangerous to reveal to the general public, hence the need for Cheerilee to sign off on every authorised passenger, minimising lost payload space that could be better used on essential cargo transported in the ‘magic blue box’. Food and ammo and raw materials went both ways, with Equestria ‘exporting’ back duplicates mass-multiplied either by Discord or the Mirror Pool.

‘And then there was that little girl…’ Cheerilee thought to herself, remembering a strange little munchkin that had accompanied Discord as a passenger on one recent occasion. ‘Like something out of a Tim Burton movie...or the Exorcist.’

She shuddered, visualising the disturbing child, pale-skinned and dark-eyed, her head craning around as if everything was a new experience for her. She never ventured far from Discord, always having a pale hand in his paw or riding on his head like a hat, it was even stranger watching the Draconequus dote on the strange little girl was particularly off putting. Cheerilee loved kids, but she had been under too much stress to try and comprehend that particular guest, and in truth had been glad to see ‘Lil’ Erma’ return to Equestria.  It wasn’t that the child was unappealing, but there had been something ‘off’ about her.

And regardless of appearance, the child was definitely not ‘human’.

‘Most disturbing of all was that Kraber liked her,’ she sighed. ‘What was even weirder was that they seemed to get along so well… Discord never told me where she came from either.’

She sighed, and tried to turn her mind back towards her work. Outside her office window, the night sky was just beginning to tilt towards the dawn spectrum, throwing the skyline of New York City into shadowed relief.

Cheerilee’s head ached something fierce. Not just from the coffee-fuelled strain of an all-night debriefing with the Snow Maiden, but from the effort she was making to master the magic bestowed on her by Zecora and Sparkler’s runic ministrations.

‘Coal Embers was right in suggesting I force myself to carry out simple day-to-day tasks without using my mouth or hooves. It hurts, but it’s good endurance training.

Focusing, she turned her attention (and the pen) back towards the next stack of paperwork: the matter of charging the Last Scions of Adlaborn’s living expenses to the PHL’s credit accounts.

‘With any luck, Eadmund and Lucie will be away from the front before the invasion starts. They might be children in nothing but name only, but after everything they’ve suffered, I’d rather see them as far from the coming battle as possible. Elsa though… she wants to stay, to fight, and I’d be happy to have her...’

That lit a fire of conflict in her breast. Cheerilee was happy that the doe (in truth, now a young human woman), was still alive and now actively helping them...

‘The Snow Maiden didn’t get her title for nothing: the scythe she cut through North America’s newfoals in just a fortnight is a testament to her skills and magic.’

...against that though was a growing sense of unease. The meeting with Elsa had thrown some of Cheerilee’s private feelings and doubts into sharp focus.

‘Why is it that I felt more at ease around that brutalised, war-torn ‘heir without a crown’ than I did around ‘Luna’?’

She frowned to herself, remembering her brief meeting with the lunar alicorn after Boston, a mortal mare beholding an immortal demi-goddess, anointed by moonlight, resplendent in armour, crowned with the glory of battle.

“A Princess,” she hissed, feeling a vein throbbing in her brow. Elsa had been an equal, a fellow exile, but Luna was a tragic reminder of the homeland Cheerilee had forsworn. And it was only now that the former schoolteacher was beginning to put a name to the feelings that the Night Princess had engendered in her soul.

Not yearning, or regret, but loathing…

*CHA-CHARRRR-CHaaa*

The sound of nasal snoring snapped her mood back the other way, and she found herself stifling a giggle at the sight of the unconscious Private Shepard laid out on her makeshift bed, a smile on his face. The poor teen had gatecrashed Elsa’s ‘unmasking’, rushing in when the chill of her magic sept out of the office and into the hallway...

”Hold fire!" Cheerilee yelped as the door was kicked in, startling everyone inside as the teen rushed in, weapon raised. Seeing him drawing a bead on Elsa she thrust up a hoof and roared aloud.  “Weapons Tight, Private!”

"Ms Cheerilee! Are you... okay… uh..." Shepard’s voice trailed off, falling silent as finally processed the sight before him: of the pretty platinum-blonde girl he had just admitted into the office, now clad in a sheer, curve-hugging dress of blue, flanked by two adolescent reindeer that he was sure had not come past his checkpoint outside the door.

"I'm fine, Private Shepard." Cheerilee said, before coughing indiscreetly. “Ah, Adrian, you can lower the gun now.”

Silence reigned for a second, and Cheerilee raised an eyebrow as Shepard continued to stare at Elsa, who herself seemed to be more than a little self-conscious at having become the soldier’s focus of attention.

She saw the first hint of mutual blushes, and could not hide a smile. "How rude of me, introductions are in order. Private Shepard, this is Elsa Erklass, Snow Maiden of Vologda and heir to the throne of Adlaborn. Elsa, this is-"

"Adrian!" the youth stammered, flicking the safety on his rifle and swinging the weapon onto his back. Cheerilee could already envision Marcus palming his face, muttering under his breath about the blatant failure of discipline. "Adrian Shepard. Ice- I mean, nice to meet you!"

Elsa blinked as Adrian thrust his hand towards her a bit too enthusiastically, both their blushes coming into full bloom as she gently took it into her own. "Hello, Knight Shepard."

"They look quite smitten,” Cheerilee heard Eadmund whisper under his breath. She could see Lucie was giggling as well, covering her mouth with a delicate hoof as Adrian continued to try and win Elsa over by pure dorky charm.

It was working: Cheerilee had seen a fair few schoolyard crushes in her time as a teacher, and from the sheer awkward goofiness in the room she was immediately classifying this as a ‘Code Dinksqueak’ - mutual crush at first sight.

To say the two were ‘quite smitten’ was an understatement.

“The Princess and the Private.,” Cheerilee smirked, laying the last expenses form to rest and chuckling softly as she approached the bulletproofed expanse of her window, overlooking the East river and Brooklyn. “Cute.”

Her mood sobered as she lingered at the window. Standing there, staring out into the morning, she could almost imagine the pink glow that heralded sunrise was the light of the Barrier marching across Long Island towards her.

‘It will be, before long...’

Not for the first time, she wondered what her life would be like if she never came here, if Equestria never made contact with earth.

“Hm. I suppose I could be flirting with Big Mac… or trying to…” she muttered to herself. “Along with every other mare in town...”

She frowned at the thought of Ponyville’s ‘#1 hunk and gentlestallion’ (as Gabby Gums had once dubbed Big Mac). Though there might have been the spark of something there, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had made things extremely awkward thanks to that whole ‘love potion’ fiasco. Cheerilee had never been so embarrassed before in her life; the memories of what happened between herself and her ‘schmoopy doopy sweetie weetie pony pie’ felt so…

Wrong.

She shuddered involuntarily. To think that mere fillies had created a poison that was just as strong as any ‘Want-it, Need-it’ spell, out of everyday ingredients. It was horrifying if you took it out of context.

“Big Mac…”

Yes, she did once have some small feelings for him. Were it not for the Crusaders’ intervention, given time, she might have even persuaded herself to pursue him.

“I would probably have ended up making myself look like an idiot,” she mentally groaned, her own hopeless attempts at flirting bubbling up from the depths of past memories. “I’d probably do something silly, like faking a swoon or something whenever he sang…”

Shaking her head, she banished the thought, focusing on the relationship she was in now. A very small part of her was in truth glad that this war had happened, as horrifying as that sounded. Without Celestia’s pogrom ‘in defense of the pony ideal’, she would have never met Marcus...

“Paris, the city of lights, of romance, of l’amor…”

How she’d gotten to Paris was a story unto itself. She had signed up for a tour of the various educational systems across Earth, a project that the Equestria Board of Education had promoted under the banner of peace with their bipedal neighbors, before the Queen herself scrapped the scheme.

By that time, Cheerilee had already visited various schools across the English-speaking world, and was trying to go a little further. Her Prench had been good enough to get her a secondment with the French Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sport, and she’d spent a month in her first billet, the Lycee Lakanal, when the message arrived from the local consulate...

‘Return to Equestria at once. Arrangements will be made for your evacuation...’

The Consulate ‘suit’ who’d delivered the message implied that mankind was agitating Equestrian nationals, and pointed to the (then) ongoing Three Weeks of Blood as proof. However, despite the evidence of humanity’s less-than savory qualities, Cheerilee had long nurtured a gut feeling that the Equestria she grew up in as a foal was slowly withering away.

That, and it had been hard to see humans as the agitators in this case. Every act of violence humans had committed so far could be traced back to a response to Equestria’s over-eager and suspiciously ill-informed and insensitive promotion of ponification, and Cheerilee hadn’t been able to much blame them - having seen newfoals with her own eyes, she knew for herself how unnerved they were.

So she’d declined the offer of an immediate evacuation.

The next day, the Barrier and consulates sealed themselves off entirely, leaving countless ponies stranded on earth.

Little more than a week later, the Barrier had begun to expand.

A month after that, Celestia had formally declared war.

Cheerilee had spent those weeks self-quarantined within the Lycee’s grounds. For a brief time she had lost hope in her entire species, hearing reports of forced ponifications, and Celestia’s ambitions to wipe mankind’s entire existence from cosmic memory. All of it had served to crush her spirit.

The announcement of war from the Tyrant had shaken her out of that funk. Within hours, a glut of newfoals had poured out of the Paris consulate and seized first the Ile de Cite, and then the city center. By the end of the day they were throwing out scouting missions to ‘rescue’ any ‘captive’ ponies. Whether the ‘captives’ liked it or not.

And sure enough, they came for her. Her very presence brought the screaming might of the EUP down on an innocent school, on her pupils. Some students had been potioned before her eyes when the first pegasai came hurtling out of the clouds. The luckier children screamed at the sight of what had been classmates moments before, able to tell, with that peculiar intuitive sense that children had, that the things that emerged from the potion were not their friends.

Those screams had been the galvanic spark for Cheerilee. Put simply, she died in that instant, and came back changed.

A lot of what followed was a furious haze of red, purple and black in her memory. Blood, potion and ash had all blurred together into a single sinkhole of rage. At some point she remembered bucking something hard enough to pop said ‘something’ like a ripe pumpkin.

She’d nearly lost herself to the pull of that fury, almost gone beyond the event horizon and immersed herself in a black hole of unending murder. The mere fact that the newfoals were preying on children drove her on to attack any one of them that dared lay a hoof on a student. She could not remember how many she’d maimed, or killed.

‘At some point, I lost a chunk of one ear, and most of my tail. I got fixed up, but I still don’t remember how that happened...’

One memory remained clear however, and in it she had somehow salvaged her identity out of that rage, found something to anchor her sudden determination to not see an entire species be herded blindly into that good night.

‘Marcus.’

It was her first glimpse of him, a rifle in his hands, pointed between her eyes, in the particular kind of tired, angry mood that she’d later learn meant all the difference between ‘kill’ or ‘capture’.

‘And they say relationships built on survival situations never work out. Hah! Proved that wrong!’

She’d been saved when two of her students, Jeremie and Aelita, hurled themselves in between herself and Marcus, screaming her innocence. At last, Marcus had lowered the gun. It was not exactly an ideal ‘meet cute’ scenario, but it was one that Cheerilee was glad had happened. Not just for her sake, but for Marcus’. If the timing had been seconds off, and he’d executed her before the kids could have defended her, well… knowing Marcus now as well as she did, she suspected that the regret of killing a potential ally would have weighed upon him for the rest of his life.

Eventually, they’d both found common reason to be glad of that meeting. After all, it brought them together.

‘It took a long time,’ she thought to herself, ‘I suppose I was a bit smitten with him myself after he carried me to the evac. After he checked in on me. Protected me.’

He’d been like that with most of the people in his care, actually, including keeping enraged soldiers taking their grief out on pony civilians. It was that compassion, over which he wore his pain as a mask, that prompted her to follow him into hell, to fight within the PHL rather than just support the war on the sidelines.

From that their friendship had grown. A period of heavy post-battle drinking one night (when both of them were desperately seeking comfort from their demons) had led to some very awkward petting, and then some very rough kissing…

Embarrassment, shame, reconciliation, affection, love… it all flowed from that one night.

Face flushed, she remembered the night they realised what they shared was ‘special’; Marcus was laid up with injuries so severe he was under restraint to deter him from trying to leave the infirmary. Unable to roughhouse away their stresses, they’d defaulted to conversation, talking about everything that came to mind. Their childhoods, families, friends, hometowns, hobbies, and many more.

And then, in one magic moment, they both realised they were enjoying this more than they would mere physicality, were happy just in each other’s company.

It had been a transformative moment, and not just for them.

‘Lyra. Brave, sweet, quirky, amazing, depraved nymphomaniac Lyra; a mare that might as well have saved the world...’

She remembered all too well the Ambassador's attempts to gain Marcus’ favor, and then eventually falling back to a defensive proposition of a foursome in a desperate attempt to salvage a relationship. Bon Bon’s response had been to face-hoof herself harder than necessary, while Marcus had flushed brighter than thermite. He’d had to drag a laughing Cheerilee away by her tail, unable to make eye contact with a hopelessly optimistic Lyra.

A smile growing at the memory, Cheerilee closed her eyes and focused mentally on a specific set of visual cues, a basic cantrip that had been passed around Equestria for centuries. With a magic hum, the runes under her coat activated, lending her enough energy to take the edge off of the fatigue. Between the effects of the spell and plenty of coffee (the Almighty Bean!), Cheerilee had effectively forsworn sleep for the past week. The medics had advised she not keep it up however: sleep (and more specifically dreaming) was a pretty essential part of basic bodily mental maintenance.

“Just a few more days,” she whispered to herself. Just a few more days until the invasion. And then, with the fateful day passed, she could sleep again. Either in her bed, or in her grave.

‘Besides… from what Elsa’s told me, there’s something afoot in the Dreaming, and I don’t entirely trust the implications...’

Now feeling somewhat better than death warmed over, she trotted over to the door to her office, dimming the lights and making one last check on Adrian before opening the door.

“Ah, Miss Cherry. I believe we need to talk!”

Only to run into one face she really didn’t want to see.

A bronze Earth Pony mare stood before her, clad in a modified suit of Lunar Guard armour, chemically washed to strip away all decoration. Except for a small crescent-moon clip holding back her mane, her entire appearance, from attire to expression, was fierce, precise, and no-nonsense.

“Bittersweet,” Cheerilee replied, forcing a smile to her face and unconsciously straightening her own kevlar stab-vest. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Bittersweet Harshwhinny, Chairpony of the Night Court, Leader of the Equestrian Resistance...

And a major thorn in Cheerilee’s side.

‘My opposite? Or my counterpart?’

In truth, seeing Harshwhinny in the flesh was less like meeting her opposite, and more like looking into a mirror. They’d both been hardened by their lives and the choices they’d made, and wore that hardness like armor.

‘More alike than different’, as Lyra once said.

“Cheerilee,” came the older mare’s nodded greeting.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” she replied curtly, before pointing with a hoof in the direction of the lifts. “Would you care to take tea with me, Harsh?”

“That would be delightful,” replied Harshwhinny, lips pursed as if the very notion had soured her tastes.

The Equestrian Resistance spied on the PHL. And the PHL spied on the Resistance. Everypony knew this. Everypony pretended that they didn’t, and the youngins and trickle of new recruits quickly learned the unwritten rule to not question the pissing-matches that went on above their heads: there were more important things to focus on than the love-hate relationship between the two HQs, like winning the war. So officially the two organisations were hoof-in-hoof, struggling together.

That passive-aggressive awareness still made itself known in subtle ways however. The fact that Cheerilee would not, under any circumstances, host Harshwhinny in her own office, was one of them: it was too much a risk to welcome the Resistance’s leader amidst reams of sensitive information.

Instead, negotiations took place on one of the highest floors, in a debugged and thoroughly-warded observation room that overlooked the city. Aside from several chairs and throw-rugs laid around a lonely coffee-table, there was no other furniture in the cavernous space.

Just two mares, conversing over drinks.

“Strange, isn’t it?” mused Harshwhinny as they sat themselves down. “That two Earth Pony mares have become the senior-most leaders of Equestria’s free citizenry. One in the eye for the ‘mud pony’ bigots.”

Cheerilee did not respond, instead letting her runic-magic speak for her, struggling to hide her concentration as she levitated the teapot and poured a careful measure into both awaiting cups.

“Impressive,” Harshwhinny murmured, not even showing an iota of surprise. Cute. “Three lumps please.”

As Cheerilee continued to prep the drinks, she watched the other mare quietly out of the corner of her eye. She herself was sitting with her back to the window, so that Harshwhinny, facing her, had no option other than to take in the sprawling human metropolis. The city and world that Cheerilee spoke for in this meeting.

“So,” commenced Harshwhinny, accepting her tea with a murmur of thanks. “How are preparations on your end for the coming action?”

“They’re proceeding smoothly,” Cheerilee demurred, sipping from her own cup. She took her tea with neither milk or sugar, finding that the fiercely bitter taste of the unadulterated leaves kept her sharp. “How about your own arrangements?”

“Likewise.”

“You have the resources to assist us, as promised?” Cheerilee said. It was a redundant question: she knew already that the Resistance was simply modifying their longstanding plans to attack the Throne from within. “When we do this… there’s no going back.”

“Don’t doubt our commitment,” Harshwhinny snorted. “You’re not the only side in this war with gifted speechwriters. ‘This is not our last chance, this is our only chance, etc’... I couldn’t agree more.”

Despite the friction between their respective leaderships, both the PHL and the Resistance worked well together on the operational level. Having over two million ponies under her direct command and five million more supporting those operatives made Harshwhinny too valuable an asset to ignore.

And humanity needed those seven million sets of hooves. With only little over one million ponies to their own name, most of whom were no longer able to pass as Equestrian civilians, the PHL’s entire ability to wage war or conduct espionage on the far side of the Barrier depended on the Resistance.

Depended on their safehouses and underground railroads. On their network of spies and informants. On the tightly-bound network of cells that Harshwhinny and her staff had cultivated across the entire nation. There was a Resistance presence in every city from Vanhoover to Baltimare, and by liaising with them, the PHL had access to those same assets.

Resistance assassins eliminated Equestria’s military and government hierarchy. Resistance commandos demolished bridges and derailed trains. Their free-roaming ‘Directorates’ cultivated saboteurs within the armaments industry and reported back on troop movements and government decisions. Their governing council, the Night Court, judged ‘traitors’ and ‘fascists’ in-absentia (under the laws of pre-war Equestria), and used the threat of ‘sanction’ against those found guilty to blackmail funding or intelligence from notable ponies within the Empire.

It was a system that worked, and in truth, that was what irked Cheerilee. The mare sitting opposite her was not some jumped-up bureaucrat who had been in the right place at the right time to claim power and credit. Harshwhinny had been driven into hiding after publicly denouncing Celestia, and was subsequently elected by the Resistance’s membership to chair the Night Court.

Recognition of the Night Court by the United Nations meant that Harshwhinny was here, not as a resistance leader or a figurehead, but as a Head of State, the recognized and rightful Premiere of the Free Equestrians, legitimately elected to lead the pseudo-state that was the Resistance.

In return, the Resistance had promised to support operations against the Crown as part of a unified command, but in truth had brooded and plotted and played their own game, knowing that nobody beyond the Barrier could enforce control over them. Always assisting when asked, and yet always with a slightly forced smile on their faces, despite owing their original training to the PHL and mankind…

Cheerilee hated that. Hated that mankind had chosen to negotiate with even a ‘remnant’ of the home she had once known, the land she had taught herself to loathe. It rubbed at her like a fragment of glass caught in the tread of a tire.

She rubbed at her bleary eyes for a second, realising that she hated herself for the same reasons. The mare across from her was not the enemy…

...and yet she was at the same time. There was never any clear-cut black-and-white in the war. Harshwhinny wanted to rescue Equestria, whereas Cheerilee wanted to save mankind. The two goals were NOT mutually interwoven though, and seeing Harshwhinny face-to-face reminded Cheerilee all too much of the more ‘distasteful’ decisions both of them might have made or considered, especially in the light of Lady Elsa’s little insights on the whole ‘Last Train’ affair.

‘It’d be so easy to just lock Harsh up, and substitute her counterpart from ‘True Equestria’... a little training-up is all that would be needed to support the charade, and then we’d have a loyal and pliable mare in charge of the Resistance. Not this creature who wanted to...’

...protect, sustain and restore her nation. Restore its honor and standing, even though, as far as Cheerilee and many more were concerned, that hellhole was way beyond saving.

Always the shades of grey. Always the mindgames. Always the little, worrying realization that innocent people and ponies alike would suffer even in the event of a victory...

“I want to see with my own eyes,” Harshwhinny suddenly said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I want to see this ‘unsullied’ Equestria.”

“Something can be arranged…” Cheerilee answered, immediately vowing to herself that Harshwhinny would never see the inside of the TARDIS. “I’m sure we can arrange for a diplomatic visit by one of the… the Princesses.”

“No,” Harshwhinny shook her head. “Do not attempt to rephrase my words, Ms. Cherry. I wish to SEE Equestria itself with my own eyes, not have a mockery of Luna paraded in front of me.”

Ouch, Cheerilee winced to herself. Hearing the reports of ‘Princess Luna’ plunging into the fray in Boston must have tugged at Harshwhinny’s heartstrings something fierce. The Chairpony of the Night Court was famously loyal to the deposed Lunar Princess. Those confused first reports must have seemed miraculous, as if Luna herself had broken free from her stone imprisonment, burst forth with all Power and Glory.

To then learn that it was not ‘her’ Luna, but another, an alicorn who had neither known of Harshwhinny’s plight or shared in the trials of the Resistance’s early days… that must have burned deeply.

“Show it to me,” Harshwhinny repeated herself. “Let me tread hoof on Equestrian soil, and know in my heart that this is not a trick, or a ploy to bypass everything that we’ve built in the past half-decade, a scheme to overthrow and sideline everything we did in Luna’s name…”

“No,” Cheerilee said simply.

“Excuse me?” Harshwhinny asked, and for the first time she showed a little fire. The words came through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing.

“I am not authorized to facilitate interdimensional permits,” Cheerilee lied blithely. “And, on top of that, opening portals to Equestria is not easy. You’ll just have to trust us.”

“You mean trust you…” Harshwhinny hissed. “You, the mare who was pushed to the head of the queue on no grounds other than romancing the Commander?”

“He’s a Colonel,” Cheerilee corrected bluntly. They locked eyes for a few seconds, before Harshwhinny daintily wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Get it off your chest, Cheerilee Cherry,” she said quietly. “Give me a lovely dose of vitriol. Enlighten me as to why you object to my very existence?”

Cheerilee felt a low growl building in her throat, but she bit it back.

“I have been the second-in-command of the PHL since its creation,” she answered evenly. “I was Lyra’s number-two long before Marcus was promoted to leadership, or before he and I entered into a relationship. I was the one who sent ponies to their deaths while Lyra planned Grand Strategies with the governments of this world, the one who made sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes to support all current and future endeavors. I fought on the ground and survived, held weapons that were created by joint minds of ponies and humans alike. I have gained more political and military experience than entire national administrations, and have successfully integrated groups that have been at each other’s throats for hundreds of generations, across boundaries of race and religion.”

‘Marcus was so proud on the day I made the Taliban and ISIS cry ‘uncle’...’

She laid a sole hoof on the table, as slowly and gingerly as if it was a loaded shotgun.

“I have earned my position, Ms. Harshwhinny.”

“As have I,” was the non-plussed response. “Might I speak now?”

“Please, do so.”

“You ran away, Ms. Cherry, stayed away when you could have come home to fight the Beast directly. Most ponies in your faction only fight for humanity because they were trapped on the far side of the Barrier when Celestia sealed the borders. But I don’t begrudge them on that. I know that you have a core staff of loyal and dedicated fighters, but can you tell me just how many of them have expelled all love of Equestria from their hearts?”

“Are you saying that the ponies under my command don’t care?” Cheerilee asked. “That if they were with you, they wouldn’t want to help? Don’t insult them so.”

Harshwhinny sneered. “You only need look at the demographics after the Barrier closed to see the truth in this. We smuggled at least one hundred thousand ponies back into Equestria, most of whom joined the Resistance, while only a fifth of that number went the other way. All of which, I will stress, we aided in the transfer of. Even Princess Luna fled at our encouragement, to lead a government-in-exile…”

“So you say.”

“I do. I served beneath the Princess, I was her right-hoof mare. I still serve her. But then she was disposed of by the Tyrant, because your precious Colonel failed to protect her, and now I find myself in her place.”

“What the hell would you have wanted us to have done?! Kill ourselves in a brave, noble suicide charge?!” Cheerilee argued.

“You could have done anything other than leave her behind…”

"Facing the Queen is suicide,  Luna knew that and sacrificed herself out of the greater love in her heart…”

Another pause, punctuated by angry breathing, and Cheerilee saw a dark fire seething in Harshwhinny’s eyes as she invoked the Night Princess’s name. She herself had often wondered what Luna had desired on Earth beyond political amnesty. An alliance? PHL membership? Representation as a government-in-exile? No-one and no-pony knew the truth. Now she could see the same questions burning in Harsh’s eyes, and felt a moment of pity.

“For her sake, for Princess Luna’s sake alone,” the older mare said at last. “I’ll give you that. She had a heart as great as a mountain, as great as the moon!”

“So what are you?” Cheerilee demanded. “Another patriot to a vanished ghost of Equestria, to a memory confined to history?”

“I’m here as the recognized representative of the millions of ponies beyond the Barrier who still have freedom of thought. Have you forgotten about them?”

“No. But I have billions of humans to deal with, compared to your millions, and it is nothing short of a truly herculean task keeping everyone’s heads above the water when our resources are dwindling away day by day. I haven’t forgotten; my greatest responsibility is to the people that I swore to protect and defend.”

“And I am the same: we are the same, Cheerilee, we want what’s best for the people and places we love and are trying to save. Most ponies simply want to see Equestria rebuilt and restored, a land that lives up to its ideals. Three hundred million of them, whom I am here to speak for. You think I am just a desk-jockey, a pencil-pushing bureaucrat? Please take your head out of your plot and look at the scars on my body, look at the lines in my face. I have had to weave Canterlot nobility, Manehattan money and the pegasi-supremacists of Canterlot into a single functioning political body. I have lived in exile within my own homeland for years, surviving assassination attempts and smear campaigns alike… I have fought hoof-to-hoof with brainwashed elite troops and newfoal thralls, have planted explosives and seen the widows and orphans I create howl for the loss of the loved ones killed on my order.”

Again, Harsh became the mirror into which Cheerilee gazed. It always gazed back...

“We are both here because we earned our positions, Ms. Cherry. And even if I were just a face behind a desk, I would be here for the sheer merit of having been democratically elected by the Free Ponies I represent.”

“Always the ponies, always Equestria first. Pony supremacy under another name. You’ve shown no care for anyone beyond the borders.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

“Then where are the griffons? The zebras? The diamond dogs? Any other survivors of Celestia’s purges?”

“We have them within our ranks, but we sent most your way for the sheer fact that they cannot hide easily within Equestria. And I repeat that we bear no grudge against mankind. I’m friends with several humans for Luna’s sake, the men and women who taught our founding members the arts of resistance!”

It was too glib an answer, too easy. And yet, like all of the great lies, founded on some truth. Harshwhinny leaned across the desk.

“And until just a few weeks ago, yes, we were making plans. I’ll happily admit it.”

“In the event that mankind lost?”

“Yes, because then we would be alone. Humanity trained us in our early days, humanity was invaded and oppressed against its will. Humanity has been brutalised and tormented by Equestria… and until the Barrier stopped, humanity was on the verge of collapsing. What choice did we have except to prepare a contingency plan, to strike before Celestia conquered Earth and redeployed the entire EUP into the homeland!?”

Again, silence. Harsh straightened her mane and coughed. “You no doubt know of what we attempted. The contingency we tried to enact before Boston?”

Cheerilee nodded.

“That was our all-or-nothing attempt to save Equestria and humanity. To break Celestia’s hold on the armed forces and cut the body off of the snake.”

“And then you would have deployed those same troops along the borders.”

“Yes, and I say so with pride. I would not have raised a single hoof against mankind, but I would not in my darkest nightmares behoove a hostile Army of Occupation upon Equestrian soil. If I could have worked my will, we would have consulted with mankind, accepted Equestria’s guilt for starting the war, and released all appropriate figures for trial. But we would not be subjugated or enslaved through economic reparations either. We are the ponies of Equestria, not spoils of war!”

The energy, the fire, seemed to suddenly go out of her as she sighed, “But that option is gone now. So here we are, still struggling together. But you have won, Ms. Cherry…”

“We’ve not won anything.”

“No, in this battle, between you and me right now, you are the victor. Equestria lies open before mankind’s vengeance. My only option now is to try and minimize the damage.”

She looked across the table, suddenly pleading. “I’ve seen what the HLF do. I’ve seen humanity’s tendency for punishment. I ask you, if the HLF crazies attack, came flooding over the border in your wake, could you stop them from indiscriminately killing everypony in sight?“

“Of course. We do so already on Earth.” Cheerilee frowned as she thought about the rogue group, not allowing even a flicker of uncertainty to show. “But I can’t say it wouldn’t be entirely unwarranted on their part…”

“Fair enough. You have me - my homeland is the aggressor. But what of the innocent? Will your victorious troops distinguish between government and governed when they enact their vengeance. I have seen plenty of your allies history in the…”

“Samizdat?”

“Yes. I paid especial interest to the conduct of the Red Army during the fall of Berlin, and the actions of the US Armed Forces in Vietnam. Fascinating reading. Isn’t it interesting how the victor never has to undergo a War Crimes Tribunal, despite whatever acts of rape, murder and atrocity they deal out?”

Uncomfortable truths were still truths, Cheerilee had to admit.

“I want the settlement of this war to be fair, not a punitive treaty that will cause undue suffering,” Harshwhinny said bluntly. “I don’t want you to destroy Equestria, to collapse Canterlot-”

“I make no promises,” Cheerilee said. “And even if I would… I doubt that the team would listen.”

“Can you not control your own troops? Will I live to see a Sack of Canterlot, the burning of Appaloosa, and a Rape of Ponyville?”

“You won’t see that,” Cheerilee said. “They’re not there to pillage. It’s just that…” she was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “In the event that Canterlot falls from the Canterhorn, or whatever other catastrophe might happen, they’d consider it an acceptable loss if the Barrier fell.”

Harshwhinny could have asked why.  She could have argued. She could have made arguments.

But she did not, instead sipping her tea and saying, softly. “An eye for an eye and a limb for a limb, and thus we all end up blind and crippled?”

“It isn’t that,” Cheerilee said. “It’s simple wartime pragmatism. You’ve talked yourself about the widows and orphans you made, now think about the ones we’ve lost. Canterlot is a marvel of Equestria, that’s indisputable, but those on the mission will likely be considering their friends and families they’ve lost, and the ones they have left, moreso than the place they invade. They won’t go crazy, but they won’t be gentle either. In war, there are casualties! And compared to what Equestria’s done, it’s not an eye for an eye.”

There was another long pause after those words.

“Casualties…” Harshwhinny repeated, gazing into the depths of her teacup. “Let’s talk about that. How many humans are dead, or ponified? Two billion?”

“More than that… So many gone.”

A terrible weight had fallen over the table now. A mantle of sadness and grief.

“The same number of souls have been snuffed out on Equus, a full third of the planet’s population” Harshwhinny sighed, the broken and tired soul coming through her professionalism. “I am, at most, President of the rubble… but that rubble is my soul. I was born to it, and I still love it… and I would see it rise again, stand tall and accept responsibility, but will we even get that chance?”

She pulled a scrap of paper from her saddlebags and pushed it across the table. It was a copy of the United Nations treaty recognising the Equestrian Resistance as the legitimate government of Equestria, and declaring it a party in any post-war reconstruction of the nation.

“How long does this paper hold up against that fire? Especially now that you have another Equestria, an unsullied Equestria on your side? Will we be ignored? Will our Equestria be annexed under another Celestia, another Luna?”

“That is not up to me. I met many human political leaders who look to the PHL with respect, so by extension they would look favorably upon the Resistance,” Cheerilee idly commented, before leveling a hard stare at her. “But after what happened a couple of weeks ago, they were informed of what happened with Maud and her connections with the Resistance.”

“Are you not going to comment on the hypocrisy of how we all spy on each other?”

“No. If there is one thing that every president, premier and prime minister understands, it’s that spies are part and parcel of international relations. But what Maud did was nigh-unforgivable, and the extensive damage she wrote off as collateral nearly cost us dearly.”

“Us too,” Harshwhinny nodded, and for a moment, the two mares found common ground. “All that effort, all the ponies we manipulated, the operatives we lost, the assets we’ll never be able to use again, all thrown away. We had such a great plan! And….”

Cheerilee finished for her, hissing with sheer venom. “She sold us all out. Just so she could rescue her sibling; even if Pinkie’s salvation meant leaving the world to burn, she would have done it so long as she and her sister were left to roast marshmallows in the flames.”

Harshwhinny nodded, “She was the lynchpin of our plan - if she’d co-operated, we would have won… I think. And, that is an odd visual metaphor… But I will stress that Maud betrayed us just as much as you. Neither myself nor her handlers were aware of her dalliances with the Empire, or the HLF, or her designs on any of us. And I suspect you’re as much in the dark as to the full ramifications of that incident as we ourselves are. There’s so much we just don’t know!”

“Not anymore,” Cheerilee muttered, even though she suspected Elsa had not shared everything that had transpired on the Last Train with her. “All of us should have known better than to recruit the family members of the Elements.”

“And what of Big Macintosh?”

Cheerilee flinched.

“Big Mac is a realist, unlike Maud. He still hasn’t lost hope that maybe Applejack can be saved, but I can safely say that he didn’t join us because he wanted to ‘save Equestria’s soul’...”

“Ah care about my sister, if there is a way to save her, then it’s all good. I’ll help her get better, like any good brother should. But if comes down to the wire, then you do what needs to be done. I don’t want her to live like this any longer.”

“Are you sure this is what you want? You don’t care about the rest of Equestria?”

“Hate to say it ma’am, but yeah. Equestria is dead and gone.”

Cheerilee had been somewhat taken aback by his bluntness. He’d clarified:

“Well… it is, as we knew it. Cheerilee, I may not look it, but I’m a thinking stallion. I’ve got a lot of time for that during farm duties, or on train trips, or when I’ve been forced to make my lil’ sis run the farm… sad thing to put that much on the barrel of a lil’ filly,” he said. “Guess you’ll be havin’ me do the same?”

Cheerilee nodded slowly, reluctantly.

“Thought so. Better’n the other place that’d have me do that. Thing I’m gettin’ at is I don’t like the future. Think about it - ‘Questria as we knew it is dead, either way. ‘Specially if you win.”

“Are… are you mad at us?”

“If Ah was, I wouldn't be here. Celestia wins, I stay - it’s nothing more than a corpse that can move and talk, and the best thing to do is put it out of its misery. You win, ‘Questria’s just gone. Not gonna see the Summer Sun Celebration, not gonna be…  well, just won’t be like what we knew. Don’t know how long it’ll be before somethin’ grows out the forest we burnt down. Or even if anythin’ can. Ah’ve been through hell, Miss Cheerilee. Ah’ve been treated like horseapples by my sister, had to make my lil’ sis get to work and take over a farm, been forced away from that same farm, seen mah granny die, watched mah home turn into Tartarus, had to install a totem-prole to oversee newfoal slaves in the orchards… and Ah hate those things, they just ain’t right. Never sleep next to a totem-prole, Miss Cheerilee. It’ll do… things to ya.”

She decided right then and there that he didn’t need to know the truth about totem-proles.

“Ah had to hire buckin’ zombies ‘cause them PETN threatened to sue me if Ah didn’t, only for ‘em to be paid wages that wouldn’t buy a donut hole, ‘cause it was for the war effort, and we had to grow some food, even if we couldn’ meet quota. Had to be a buckin’ slavemaster. Aaaand they’re prob’ly dead by now. Told ‘em all to work themselves to death so they wouldn’t take me to a brain butcher while I was goin’ here.”

“What possessed you to do that?”

“Well… honestly, Ah just don’t care anymore,” Macintosh said, and he was… he looked empty, which was frightening on the biggest stallion in Ponyville. Like a plushie that had lost all the stuffing and just hung, deflated, over a mattress. “That’s what Equestria is now. I… Ah’m just hollowed out.”

He had then fallen asleep in the office, and nobody had the heart to move him or Carrot Top till the next morning.

“He has given up on Equestria as well,” Cheerilee said after a moment, “Along with a few others, you can’t tell me there hasn’t been a few in the Resistance as well?”

“Some, not many,” Harshwhinny frowned, her eyes drifting over to focus on the city below as her ears drooped. “Usually they look around at the ponies around them, normal truehearted ponies who want to fix what went wrong, and rethink their condemnation. Only the most disturbed decide they’d rather sink the whole ship rather than course-correct.”

“And what happens to them?”

Harsh looked back across the table, eyes narrowed. “A good organization knows how to make use of its psychopaths and nihilists. The Directorates have benefitted greatly from their sorrow… and dealt with them in turn.”

“The more you claim to be different...” Cheerilee said quietly, wondering how many of those ‘disturbed’ ponies might have been of use to the PHL. “I mean, I know you’re democratically organized and your internal courts punish thuggism, but…”

Her lips pursed and she shook her head.

“Go on,” prompted Harshwhinny.

“Don’t you feel like you’re just dressing up a corpse in borrowed clothes? Your little pocket-democracy still adheres to the myth of an ‘unsullied’ Equestria. You’ve taken Celestia’s society and covered it up with Luna’s colors.”

“What else would you recommend? And dare you say the same to your newfound ‘allies’ from the other side of space?”

“Rebuild,” Cheerilee said after a moment. “Restructure and teach everypony the danger of the world rather than have them wander through life without a care. Nightmare Moon, Discord, scores of ancient ‘treasures’ and ‘relics’ that we found to be more of curses and danger than any right to be, including the very root of this entire war… and teach them to stop depending on the Alicorns to have all the answers.”

For so many long centuries, ponies had been sheltered under Celestia’s wings, too warm and content to spread their own. If forcing them to fly meant burning down the nest, then maybe that was a price worth paying…

“Here’s a challenge for your dream future-state. Strip away all that ‘Lunar Republic’ nonsense that your conservative backers ache for. Dump the diarchy altogether. Relegate all the art and culture that idolizes the alicorns into a museum and stick a great big sign on the door saying ‘this is how we fucked up so badly’, so that nopony can forget the folly of a system that places absolute trust in what should be a figurehead throne. Then build something else in its place…”

Cheerilee stood up from her seat, walking towards the window and placing a hoof on the glass. “As for the other Equestria, we have no right to dictate any terms to them, only warn them of the danger. They haven’t fallen, but all it took was a single ancient evil with little power to overthrow us.”

Equestria-that-was had died a slow death, the old death of a creaking juggernaut long afflicted with the thin-blooded disease known as ‘Royalty’. If fighting what they might become gave this ‘unsullied’ Equestria a much-needed shot of antibodies, then fine, so long as they understood the plaque latent within the Throne of Canterlot...

Cheerilee turned back to her. “Do not think they are coming because of your Equestria. They are coming for the humans and the ponies that fight by their side. They are coming to protect themselves from the Tyrant and her slaves from their evil.... ”

That was another little lie tossed off the top of her head. She doubted an idealist like Celestia-that-was would see this coming attack as anything less than a liberation of the millions of ponies still trapped within Equestria, their minds constantly barraged by propaganda and psychic assaults...

‘If anything, Celestia and Luna would probably establish a reparative council containing a mix of ponies, humans, and maybe Discord too… that seems to match her ideals of ‘balanced harmony’... but would human technology, chaos magic, and a few decent ponies be enough to turn Equestria around sufficiently that it never came back to bite everypony in the plot?’

Still, better an Equestria under the thumb of a human or Draconequus than an idealistic alicorn. Equestria as a country would suffer some definite losses but Equus as a whole would be better off with its sole superpower under lock, key, and gunbarrel.

“Excuse me?! It that what you’re saying? To throw away twenty centuries of our history and identity, as if it was the wrapper off of a hay-burger!?” Harshwhinny snapped, thumping her hoof hard on the table.

‘Oh yes, a greasy scrap of pretty paper wrapped around something inherently bad for you, to make it look presentable and palatable…’

“You don’t know what it’s like in Equestria,” the Chairpony railed on. “Those who still have liberties find them withering further on the vine with every day, all while we’re being bucking replaced by those newfoal creatures, and-”

“And everyone would be better off if we’d never become the undisputed hegemon of the world,” Cheerilee replied, rapping her own hoof. “If we had no powerful alicorn to guide us along a set path, then maybe we would be better off. The biggest change in Equestrian history came when the three tribes came together on their own, but all it took was one generation of Discord’s rule to scare us cowering into the benevolent tyranny of the immortals, too terrified to every attempt another paradigm shift! Maybe we would be worse off governing ourselves, but at least we would have the freedom to choose our mistakes. Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place!”

She paused to catch her breath and shoved her mane back into place. “We also know about your issues, I have read the reports from your side, backed up by our own scouts within the Empire; we know that things are getting worse by the day. And I also understand that you think that we’re a lost cause.”

Harshwhinny actually looked surprised when Cheerilee didn’t spit the last two words out maliciously or put any emphasis on them. It was a sore point between the PHL and Resistance command, not helped by their mutual paranoia which had been sharpened to fine points over the past few years. The fact that both of them had their own games within games, plots within plots, hardly helped.

The actions of Maud Pie - i.e, selling out everyone and everything for a chance to save her sister, including Equestria, sentience itself, the universe  - had done nothing at all to help this.

“Now. You agreed with me earlier,” she continued firmly. “This is our only chance. I’m not selling out humanity just to minimize collateral damage.”

“Do the ends justify the means here?”

“In this case, yes! I don’t like that argument, but what else can we do?! Politely ask the Empire to stop exterminating all humans?! Swear at them if that doesn’t work?! Write a petition?”

“I know the kind of personnel you plan on deploying. Some of the most violent, most psychotic humans in your ranks. You’re even bringing that maniac Viktor Kraber, for Luna’s sake! He was once a member of the bucking HLF, with more death on his hands than any other being aside from the Commander or the Knight themselves! If he lost, his plan b would be ‘Fight the entire pla-”

“It… actually is,” Cheerilee admitted.

“What?” Harshwhinny asked.

“I asked him, and he said, matter-of-fact, if the stealth failed, he’d fight the entire planet till the Barrier fell,” Cheerilee explained. “For once, I don’t mind giving him the weaponry to make that feasible. He could plant nukes across Equestria, if we had any left in reserve, and I’d smile as he pressed the detonator.”

Harsh’s scowl could have turned fresh milk to cream cheese, “...and let’s not even talk about those Dragons of the East, whose modus operandi is to leave scorched Earth behind every engagement!”

“I didn’t hoofpick them for subtlety,” Cheerilee said. “I know what it looks like. I know what they can do. And that’s exactly the point.”

“...explain.”

“I wanted ponies and humans who’d survived enough that it was a certainty that they could continue surviving. While the subtlety of the Blue Spy or Heliotrope would be good for what you want, I was looking for, as you said, soldiers that would be able to take ‘fight the entire planet’ as a plan B. And they are good - Kraber is a ‘tamed’ cannon. He won’t shoot ponies for the hell of it, or attack foals or innocent civilians. I have his word, and it’d kill him inside if he did. As for the Dragons, they are the best team in the entire Earthsphere; they have never lost a single member and performed deeds on par with Colonel Renee and Major Bauer. And like Kraber, they aren’t loose cannons either; their civilian casualty count is as low as they can bring it.”

Cheerilee massaged her forehead with her hoof. “Dammit. There is a reason I used these criteria. Pulling this off with these men and women is our last chance. Maybe yours as well. If we don’t do this, who knows where you’ll end up?”

“...What are you getting at?” Harshwhinny asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I don’t mean to insult you, or denigrate your work, but… for Luna’s sake, for the sake of the human God, for the sake of Lyra, if only because so many ponies here swear by her name… forget this jurisdictional pissing contest for a second. Forget the rivalry. Forget the spies, forget Maud, forget anything between us. Just think about it like this: if humanity loses, and every pony in the PHL is killed… you said it yourself, without the PHL, the resistance is effectively alone. And whatever uprising you have planned will lose its backbone.  What could you accomplish all on your own, when the the majority of the population is either brainwashed or too scared to say anything? When the newfoals vastly outnumber the natural-borns? With totem-proles getting more extensive and intrusive?”

“Even so… we would go on fighting if that happened,” Harshwhinny replied. “It’s not as if we’d want to reintegrate. In time, Celestia’s bloated carcass of a government will collapse under its own corruption. Somepony has to be there to pick up the pieces.”

“Harshwhinny, I respect your cause. But it can’t last. Celestia, psychopath that she is, can wait you out, and she’ll kill as many of her own as it takes to whittle down your strength to nothing. You’re not a young filly any more, and she’s the Evermare! Your time and your ponypower will run out eventually. And I doubt she’ll leave the youth of Equestria unindoctrinated, if there’ll even be a generation born after this one...”

‘And that’s putting it gently,’ Cheerilee thought. Harshwhinny was proud, but if she had read human history as well as she claimed, then she’d have known of the ‘cursed soldiers’: those members of the Polish Resistance who’d tried to fight the postwar Soviet annexation of their country. It ended in blood, mud, and bullets, a twenty-year grind into the dirt under the weight of the Russian Bear.

‘A resistance can’t survive with an aging membership, ponies that should be in the old folks home. Without new blood they’d soon be unable to attack high-profile targets, reduced to attacking less and less important facilities, eventually reduced to raiding the most remote of outposts for food... And then… then they’d be nothing.

And that doesn’t even factor in the sheer ponypower that Celestia could concentrate on them when she’s done with us, forcing them further and further away from opportunities of effectiveness, probably into inhospitable and uncolonized areas on Earth…’ Not a pleasant thought.

“No, the reality will be for you if we lose is nothing more than a slow death,” Cheerilee whispered as she sat back down, a haunted look on her face. “We’re already on our last legs, trying to bring so many fighters across several hundred miles of forests and cities to keep the tide of Newfoals from sweeping across the country. That’s why I’m bringing the personnel that I have selected - I know they’ll be effective. It will be a lot harder for you, but you may have a chance.”

“A chance?”

“If we lose, then your Resistance MUST last long enough under the Tyrant’s rule, to see a new Earth.” Cheerilee looked at her with a crestfallen expression and added, “And you may be able to stop this nightmare before it begins all over again.”

“Wh-what…. what do you mean ‘new Earth’… all… all over again? This isn’t going to stop?” Harshwhinny choked out, the color draining from her face. “Sweet Luna, I’ve heard the rumors… about “spreading the harmony” to those untouched. I didn’t, couldn’t even imagine…”

Cheerilee grimly replied, “Believe me, they will. The Tyrant won’t just stop with Earth and humanity. She and her newfoal armies will travel across the multiverse, adding on more to their numbers. A massive, unstoppable army made up of the inhabitants of dozens, if not hundreds of universes.”

She let the implications sink in.

“There’d be no humans left on our side, who understood her objectives from the start. Only us…” Harshwhinny realised.

“Yeah…” Cheerilee snorted. “If we lose and it spills over onto yet another Earth, you might just get a second chance, but only if you were willing to play Lyra’s role, Bittersweet.”

She laughed and rolled her hoof. “Heck, you’d probably be able to recruit any remaining PHL ponies and go into hiding, if you could promise them a second crack with yet another Earth at their side, you know, do things right from the start. Vive la Resistance!”

That at least got a brief chuckle out of Harshwhinny, before the elder mare’s ears pricked.

“I appreciate the vote of confidence Cheerilee,” she said, suddenly seeming fired up. “But Luna willing, we won’t need it. We’ll sling our last shot in tandem with you.”

Cheerilee blinked, and then craned forward. “I beg your pardon.”

“We finalised our battle-plans before I left Equestria, in case I was captured or lost en-route to here.”

“So what’s your strategy? While we beat them with a stick, you pull the rug out from beneath their hooves?”

“That is correct. We don’t need to win, just confuse them enough for your forces to break through and turn the tide… with our backs to the wall the Night Court held an emergency session last night - we were barely able to scrape together a quorum, but we had just enough to pass a resolution: we’re committed to support this attack, all the way. And if a million or even seven million of us die, then they’ll be seven million arguments to the whole world that we were not just Celestia’s lackeys!”

She slammed a hoof on the table.

“I loathe your march on Equestria, Ms. Cherry, and I quiver at the thought of what you’ll unleash on our ponies, but Luna help me, if this is our only chance to end this war in the coming weeks then I’ll give it EVERYTHING WE’VE GOT!”

The sound of her roar prompted somepony to kick the observation room’s door open. Both mares spun to see Shephard and an Earth Pony mare run it, weapons in their grasp and fire in their eyes.

“Lieutenant Colonel!” / “Madame Chairpony!” they shouted in unison. “Are you alright?”

“Not this again,” Cheerilee growled, only to hear a sudden snort of braying laughter coming from her side. “Bittersweet, are you… are you alright?”

“Oh...fine...just fine…” Harshwhinny wheezed. “They’re like peas in a pod! Hah! The right hoof doesn’t know what the left hoof might be doing, but they still walk in step!”

She motioned towards the pony, a creamy mare with a short bob-cut mane of powder-blue, who possessed the coldest, deadest eyes Cheerilee had ever seen outside of a taxidermists display. They just looked frozen.

“Stand down, Coco. It’s quite alright…”

The dead-eyed mare nodded curtly, and turned away, not even sparing Shepard a glance.

‘Coco Pommel’, Cheerilee thought to herself, figures and facts coming easily to her mind. ‘Directorate Assassin, former assistant and ‘handler’ to the now deceased Suri Polomare...’

She vaguely remembered Suri, an arrogant, thoroughly deplorable Empire triumphalist with a bevy of disgusting rumors of plagiarism to her name, who nevertheless had been ‘persuaded’ to channel profits from her fashion-shows to the Resistance’s cause. She’d been a classic case of the resistance taking a bad pony and turning her baser qualities to some normative ‘good’… admittedly a nice exploit of the greed and corruption the Tyrant Sun seemed to cultivate in any pony under her command.

Suri’s recent death was officially reported as a ‘severe allergic reaction’, but now Cheerilee had doubts. But if the fashionista was getting bold, and Coco was needed elsewhere…

She shivered at the implications. It was, as they had agreed, the practicalities of war. Cold and ruthless.

“Seabreeze!” Harshwhinny called out, seemingly to the open air. “You can join Coco, if you wish.”

A ventilation grill dropped from the ceiling above the table. The duct it covered was tiny, barely six-inches square. Not even a foal could fit inside of it.

But what emerged was no foal. A tiny blue equine floated out of the gaping hole, born aloft by a pair of delicate gossamer wings. A penny-sized backpack between his shoulderblades hummed, and Cheerilee felt a weak trill of runic-magic as the fey sprite rode forward on a miniscule jet of thrust.

“Cheerilee,” Harsh said, eyes wet with unshed tears. “Meet Seabreeze.”

The creature landed on the Chairpony’s outstretched hoof, concern shining in its own oversized eyes, and it (he? she?) crooned something in a tongue that was foreign to Cheerilee, a matchstick-thin hoof extended in a gesture of comfort.

“What…” she swallowed. “What is it?”

“He,” Harshwhinny replied sternly. “Is a Breezie, a distant cousin of ponykind. And of Equus’s surviving species, Seabreeze and his kind are perhaps the most endangered…”

“I’ve, not heard much about ‘Breezies’ before,” Cheerilee stammered. “I thought they were just a bed-time story for foals…”

“Most many of you did think that!” piped up a tiny, strident voice, and the schoolmare-turned-soldier realised that the diminutive creature was now talking to her. “But the Fallen Sun knew, and so did her demons of ‘Magic’ and ‘Kindness’. When they besieged our home, denied us the pollen we needed to live, no-pony came to help us!”

He pounded his hoof on Harshwhinny’s. “Except for this mare! She sought us out, brought soldiers to drive away the Fallen Sun’s army, brought mages and medics to care for our survivors, brought us to her base to keep us safe!”

The backpack Seabreeze wore hummed again, and riding on its faint beam, he floated up into Cheerilee’s face, a look of utter indignation on his face.

“You didn’t know we existed, I don’t blame you for that. You fight with bravery and courage, and the very winds sing songs of your courage. But remember this, huge-ling! The Equestrian Resistance might be ‘a corpse dressed in the Moon-Maid’s clothes’, but it made a difference for us, and for many!”

Cheerilee’s eyes flitted to the air-duct, a passageway so small and inaccessible that she doubted anypony had bothered to ward it. Then she looked back down again, and saw two thimble-small pouches carried alongside Seabreeze’s barrel. Not large by any size, but just big enough to carry a few pinches of pollen.

‘Or arsenic, or hydrogen cyanide,’ she thought to herself in passing, mentally nodding on the implications and uses this small being could bring.

“I see your thinking!” Seabreeze snorted. “You think I am a perfect little spy, a pocket assassin! You think Madame Chair saved us just for our tiny size and foreign magic! You think I not thought this myself, you think you outsmart me?!”

He shrugged, “Maybe, maybe.”

Cheerilee had to resist the urge to snort and blow the little fluff-ball away. Then he jabbed a hoof. “The Fallen Sun wanted us for that. Wanted us to sneak and scurry at her whim, like whispering little birds, stinging and dying like little bees!”

Wings not even stirring, he drifted back to Harshwhinny, who was staring down at the table. “This mare asked nicely, and gave those of us who did not want to fight a home far away from the Fallen Sun. Her ponies carried my and my child to safety, became friends that held me when my wife did not survive the journey!”

He flitted forward again, and she suddenly saw contrition in his eyes as he feigned a mid-air bow.

“You are a pony of many sides, Cherry-mare. Teacher, Traveller, Soldier, Leader. So is my Boss.”

He spun again and kicked at said Boss. “And you are being stupid, Bittersweet! Stop nursing wounded pride and hold your head high for what you’ve done right! A great hero sits across from you, not a common grub or some imperial lackey! You two should be like sisters! This crazy argument is bringing out the worst in our greatest heroines! Now grow up and play nice, both of you! This is your greatest moment ever!”

Seabreeze nodded his head firmly, lips pursed, as if to punctuate that statement, before drifting away towards Coco, landing neatly in her mane and wrapping his hooves around one ear in a hug. For a second, Cheerilee saw a flicker of light in the hollowed-out mare’s eyes, and a genuine smile about her lips.

‘I wonder if he slipped something nasty into Siri’s tea. Allergic reaction my hoof.’

“What was all that about,” she said aloud, once Shepard and the Resistance pair had left the room.

“Seabreeze is my conscience,” Harshwhinny explained. “He works best with Ms. Pommel, but I like keeping him near to me when I’m making big decisions. I trust him for his forthrightness and clear sense of right-and-wrong. He’s blunt, but he’s a real braveheart.”

She pawed at her cup for an instant, and then slumped slightly. “If it wasn’t for his persuasions, I’d have never come here to speak with you. Just hidden away in my grotto and brooded for an Equestria that was… and which could never be again.”

“...”

“We’re monsters, Cheerilee. I admit it,” she whispered. “We’ve murdered, exploited, blackmailed and extorted. I’m no more an avatar of ponydom’s best than Celestia is…”

Cheerilee felt a sudden pang of sympathy. “Your people…”

“They want me to take over as Head-of-State postwar,” Harsh sneered. “A Chancellorship, or mayhaps a Presidency. But I’d not want it, and would only take it if all of Equestria ordered me to.”

She shook her head. “I just want to be at Luna’s side when she comes out of that statute. She might be thousands of years old, but there’s a vulnerability in her that is... so tender and endearing. I don’t want her to ever be alone again. She was trapped on the moon for a thousand years, mentally browbeaten by her sister, put in a world she didn’t understand, exiled… Equestria has had enough of mad alicorns, and while I understand your reservations, I’ll be damned if I’m not there to offer sympathy to a broken mare.”

There was love here, though whether it was romantic or maternal Cheerilee could not tell. But the yearning look in Harshwhinny’s drifting gaze was true and honest.

“I want to retire too,” the schoolmare answered at last, lying down in a more comfortable pose on the couch. Shunning her magic, she grabbed her mug in one hoof and threw back the cooling dregs of the tea. “Have a little house with a picket-fence and do my best to help some war-orphans.”

“Is the Commander present in your dream?” Harsh asked, neither with snide or sneer, but with a faint smile. Cheerilee nodded in response, and was strangely glad to see the Resistance mare’s smile grow larger. “That sounds like a smashing idea. I can think of more than a few ponies who’d need similar counselling after the last trump sounds on this war.”

“Like Coco and Seabreeze?” Cheerilee asked, one eyebrow raised.

Harshwhinny did not answer, instead turning to gaze in the direction of the door.

“Those two have volunteered to be in the strike force, you know…” she whispered at last, pulling several sheafs of documentation from her saddlebags. “To support your invasion as an allied battalion, marching under your orders.”

She pushed the first stack of paper across the table. A folded map lay neatly atop it.

“This contains all our intel on the machine that Celestia uses to project the Barrier. Specifications, thaumodynamics, security, and of course, it’s location. If you want to roll an army in Equestria, this is your first target. It took some of our most reliable and apolitical fighters to win this info. Besides Seabreeze and Coco, securing the data took two griffon ‘amblin’, one of our better combat-mages, two earth pony commandos, a pegasus weather-meister, and a former zebra legionnaire. Half of them died in the process. And the survivors, they saw enough that all they can do is keep on fighting…like Kraber and your Dragons.”

“Well, Lyra always said we’re more alike than unalike,” Cheerilee admitted as she reached for the documents, almost expecting Harshwhinny to snatch them away. Having pulled the stack safely across to her side of the table, she glanced at the others, each some two-inches thick.

“Are those your battle-plans?” she asked. “Your instructions to the cells and Directorates?”

“Yes,” Harshwhinny confirmed. “Have your people go over them and make any changes required to better sync with the invasion plans. If I return home safe, we’ll distribute them as a final update of the standing orders.”

A long hush followed as Cheerilee realised that Harshwhinny, Bittersweet Harshwhinny, was effectively suborning her forces to the Allied command. If this all went off without a hitch...

She picked up the nearest pile and skimmed it. Page after page of marching orders and targets, all neatly prioritised and notarised.

“This is…. this is huge! How many of your assets are you deploying?!”

“Everything.”

“What?” the burgundy mare gasped.

“Everything and everypony is being thrown into the fray,” Harshwhinny said faintly, pouring a fresh cup of jet-black, unsweetened tea and pushing it across to Cheerilee. “To deter suspicion of coming action, no alterations will be made to our current operational timetable until T-minus 2 hours before the invasion launches. But then...”

“Your people strike?”

“Yes. Four thousand critical ponies within the EUP and the War Ministries will be liquidated by the Directorates in those two hours. Besides Breezie infiltrators like Seabreeze, our agents are already in place, either as members of the target’s personal staff, households, or families.”

This was the sad state of Equestria today, when even parents, children, siblings and friends were ready to turn against their own to bring down the tyrant. Despite that knowledge, Cheerilee could only accept the proffered drink, silent and aghast, as Harshwhinny continued to explain.

“A further sixty thousand secondary targets will be incapacitated or placed beyond communication, by means of sabotage or distribution of false orders bearing the Tyrant’s seal. At the same time a number of strategic junctions on the rail-network will be demolished, while public uprisings kick off in towns that house key government facilities or military barracks. We’ve got linesmares and stallions in place across the nation ready to cut all the major telegraph lines. Cloudsdale will find the weather factory shut down, the storm reservoirs breached and sabotaged, and we’ve infiltrated enough pegasi into the stratospheric bureaucracy to stalemate attempts to weaponize the weather against your beachheads. Plus, we’ve laid enough hexes on major transportation hubs that attempts to assemble a counterstrike will be a disaster. Typically, we only use ‘dark magic’ to divert attention, but I don’t think anypony will mind an offensive use here.”

“How strong are these hexes?” Cheerilee asked.

“I suspect a strong enough unicorn will be able to break through one,” Harshwhinny said. “But then, we didn’t cast them for strength. We were going for quantity here. Anyone can break down one thick wall, but not just anyone can break a lot of thin ones. Besides, we set a lot of them on railroad bridges. A locomotive has very little innate magic and will be unable to breach a hex readily, and deconstructing dark magic will take a crucial time. Every little delay, every late or diverted supply train and troop transport, plays into the plan.”

Alarm and despondency, confusion and chaos. Little seeds sown all across Equestria, little neuro-inhibitors stymying the nation’s immune system. An army needed more than troops to fight: it needed supply-lines and logistics and a chain of command. Without those vital organs, all that was left was a rabble, and it seemed the Resistance was pulling out all the stops to cut the Empire’s nerves and tendons.

“Any cell-members without specific roles are to fall back to safe-houses after sabotaging whatever they can at their places of employ,” Harsh continued. “Once barricaded in, they’ll use our stockpiled radios and communication crystals to broadcast ‘in the clear’, warning civilians to stay indoors and keep safe, announcing that Equestria’s liberation is underway. Every city, town, and village will be confused, isolated, and out-of-communication with Canterlot, and using what few weapons we’ve made, we’ll hold the garrisons prisoner by tying them down in localised peacekeeping…”

She smiled, the grin appearing vicious and predatory. “And we’ll kill newfoals, kill them by the thousandfold! Every dead slave or soldier multiples the controlled anarchy we’re aiming for, enough confusion to cripple the Empire’s ability to respond to the invasion. For one day, we’ll shut down this abomination that calls itself Equestria, throw open the doors and lay out the welcome mat for your forces. Celestia keeps the key under a flowerpot by the back door.”

The feeble joke was not enough to stem the awesome mental imagery coursing through Cheerilee’s mind, upon which she was beginning to assemble a tidal wave of tanks, aircraft and infantry advancing without resistance.

“Is that everything?” she croaked.

“Near enough. Beside the voluntary battalion we’re contributing to the actual invasion, we’ve got an entire Directorate under orders to seize Canterlot’s cultural heart as your forces advance, safeguarding what treasures we’ve not already recovered ‘for the nation’. They’ll fly UN flags from the roofs of secured museums and galleries, to deter attack.”

Cheerilee continued to skim the pages, her pulse quickening. Two to seven-million ponies, striking at once as the invasion’s vanguard. It was at most, a mere percentage of Equestria’s population, but like a single mistimed spasm at just the right time, they might just stop the nation’s heart…

It was staggering. All the more so that Harshwhinny was willing to share it with her and ask for input.

“This, this could work,” she said at last. “You really could sweep the rug out from under them while we batter them on all sides.”

“That was my hope…” Harshwhinny said wearily.

“But why?” Cheerilee demanded. “Why all the arguing and shit-slinging we’ve gone through. Why didn’t you tell me all this from the beginning.”

“Might I share a secret with you?” Harsh smiled wanly. “You’re much like myself... or how I remember myself. I might be a proud, headstrong foal, but I hoped that if I pushed you hard enough, got a good look at the heart of you… I might finally see myself there too, and know where my loyalties lay…”

“And what did you see?”

“A proud, headstrong foal of course, same as every!” Harsh snorted, yet smiling. “But she’s got many admirable qualities, and her assesment of the situation is true. You’re right, Cheerilee. Equestria is lost, so now all I can do is maximise our efforts, and minimise the losses.”

Cheerilee wanted to say something, say that Equestria would survive in some way, even if in a barely recognisable-state, but seeing the all-but broken mare in front of her, the only word that came to her mouth was.

“Thank you…”

No response was forthcoming. Instead, Harshwhinny had turned to look out across New York. Another silence, more comfortable than the last, settled over them. Cheerilee begged to be excused for a moment, and when she came back she found that her counterpart had stepped up to the window, and was tracking the ascent of a passenger jet lifting off from JFK.

“It really does overshadow Manehattan, doesn’t it?” the Chair of the Night Court said aloud. “Quite, quite beauteous.”

“I know,” Cheerilee admitted. “But there are times when I still pine for… the home I knew.”

They shared a silent nod, before Cheerilee proffered a piece of paper, identical to that which she had signed off on Eadmund and Lucie’s passage to Equestria. “Here, and my apologies for withholding it earlier. We are a mirror to one another. Seabreeze saw it too - what he said about you… is true of me as well.”

“What is this?” Harshwhinny asked as she accepted the paper.

“A waybill of transit, authorising you to cross over into ‘True’ Equestria. On their side it counts as a 24-hour pass. Go see it for yourself, remind yourself of what home was, and what it might be again with some effort.”

There was only one thing that Harshwhinny could offer in response. “Thank you.”

They smiled wanly, before the older mare accepted the waybill and stared down at it. “I… I don’t know if I could ever look at Celestia the same way, not after what she had done to the dragons, the minotaurs, the reindeer, the griffons… and… and...”

“...and the breezies?”

“Yes, them too.”

Frowning, Harshwhinny looked out towards the sea. “You’re right of course. Whatever shape Equestria takes after the war, it won’t be the same. Even our most ardent royalists want to see the power of the throne curbed, and over the years we’ve managed to round out a rough idea for a constitutional monarchy… a reigning Alicorn princess as the figurehead of a republican government. It’ll be different, but it deserves a chance.”

“So now we just need to win the war, and win that chance…”

“Indeed. And then we’ll see about finding you that little house with the picket fence,” Harshwhinny smirked.

“Eh, it’s not that important right now,” Cheerilee laughed nervously, before runically lifting another bottle from her bags. An amber liquid sloshed inside, and Harshwhinny’s eyes widened.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Sweet Apple Acres Best Reserve, 2nd Year Anno Harmonia,” Cheerilee confirmed. “Big Mac brought it with him. The last remnants of a brilliant era…”

She poured them each a shot. “What shall we drink to? Earth? Equestria? The Lunar Republic?”

Harsh sniffed appreciatively at the cider. “How about to everything they’ve done to us and our friends, for all the lows that they’ve made us sink to, and the highs to which we might aspire.”

“Sounds good to me...to our friends.”

“To friendship… as the youngsters in the Resistance say, it’s bucking magic.”

“Wise words! Ha!”

With a truce of sorts won, the two mares looked out, into the cold light of a new day.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Love and Hate

“You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.”

– Jodi Picoult

“Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.”

– L.M. Montgomery

One of the first things Stephan had done in Canterlot was to confirm that, like any military, the local EUP forces had a barracks system compatible with the UN forces that would be sharing quarters with the native pony guards. That required separate messes for the Enlisted troops, Noncommissioned Officers and Officers. Although some units, like the Wonderbolts, operated under their own unique billeting system, he’d found that his hunch proved true. But his first gander at the Enlisted Mess had blown every mess hall he’d seen away, and a few fancy restaurants such as the Berlin Hilton, too. He’d actually been afraid to check out the senior messes after that, though he’d heard persistent rumors of twenty-ton geode communal bathtubs.

In New New York, however, things were a little different. Starting from scratch, he’d had to make sure the troops had someplace to go after their shifts. More importantly, he needed his own place to go take a drink in peace, away from all matters military. Despite that need, he’d been wary of frequenting civilian bars, until several other members of the PHL wore him down with recommendations. After all, this was still the ‘City that Never Sleeps’, and Discord had been busy making copies of the various hangouts that dotted the urban sprawl.

So here he was on a Friday night, in a bar named the Sputeyn Duyvil run by a very nice unicorn mare named Grape Shines – one of many civilians to set up shop in the new city once it opened up to the public – and on his third drink, which was half a liter of beer. As a good German, he judged an establishment by the quality of its Pilsner, and consequently ordered nothing but since arriving. It was his custom upon sampling a new ‘joint’, and if the place won his approval, he might try some of the more exotic drinks options. Discord had made good on his promise, as most of the drinks were based on recipes from home, including those rendered priceless by the Barrier’s advance.

“Seat taken?”

Stephan turned to see Marcus pointing at the stool beside his, looking somewhat worse for wear. While Stephan shook his head and took another swig of his drink, Marcus sat down and winked at the barmare. No matter what one may think, the Marine was very respectable to women and mares alike. Stephan knew Marcus would never stray from Cheerilee, but that ‘country boy’ charm was a winner, as some ladies of the PHL could vouch, he knew.

Not that it made Stephan jealous. When in disguise, Trixie had informed him about the fantasies girls came up with. Either that, or when she was drunk enough for her tongue to start wagging. Anyway, his mind was more focused on booze right now. The minotaurs and griffons had suggested he try their stuff, and he had to admit, there was a certain sweet temptation in a draught tap marked Ovid’s Bullock. But he was saving all that good stuff for the big party. When had he last been to one of those? Ah, yes. The day of his graduation from the academy…

Grape Shines looked over the counter, favouring Marcus with a warm smile. “What can I get you?”

“Let’s see…” Marcus tapped his chin, staring at the list with some thought. “Get me an Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel.”

“Good choice,” said Stephan as he took another swig. Marcus gave him a small smirk.

God, that felt so long ago, yet it was one of those memories which stay fresh in your mind, come what may. Apart from a few details on the morning after, that is. There was something in there involving floating cities, lambs and and false shepherds, but he couldn’t for the life of him recall if that was because of the beer, or because he’d woken up at an Xbox LAN party afterwards.

“And what’s your poison today?” asked the Marine, watching the barmare levitate the brown bottle to him.

“Holsten,” said Stephan. “From the old home.”

“Yeah, good choice,” Marcus said quietly, and Stephan knew this wouldn’t be a good night.

Marcus was never one to be quiet, even after all that had transpired. He tended to be a loner, if only to stay away from people who might get hurt by his newfound strength. The events with Vinyl and the other soldiers had been a rough patch so far, but that one group was willing to work it out.

The Marine turned over to Stephan. “So. How was your week?”

It had become a routine for the two. Every Friday night, they would meet and talk about the past few days, which mostly considered of sharing and comparing their woes: Stephan was faced with the daily challenges of hammering LSD-tripped off cuts from Narnia, Skyrim and the Care Bears Family into a unified military, and Marcus was dealing with what Cadance had nicknamed PAIN – Post Apotheosis Incontinence & Naturalization. Still coming to terms with having become a physical demi-god that could have given Gilgamesh nightmares, the first time Marcus had tried to get a drink in a regular bar, he’d attempted to just push the door open, but ended up smashing it instead. Subsequently he’d broken the leg off a barstool he’d grabbed, and crushed several glass in his hand.

“The usual, Amerikaner. Training with the troops, arguing with the Element Bearers, all the other fun stuff. And you?” Stephan took another sip, wondering when Marcus was going to broach the subject of his concern.

Marcus nodded as he drained the bottle and held it up to signal for another. “Training with the Princesses, getting used to my new powers and trying not to break everything.”

Stephan smiled at the last part. “I heard you are managing quite well now.”

Grape Shines came back with another bottle in her magical aura. “Here you go, sir.”

Marcus nodded thankfully, before wrapping his fingers slowly around the glass, then delicately lifting it to his lips. He took a quick sip and placed it back on the bar counter. Stephan saw him gave a small, triumphant smile at this. Even if his enhanced metabolism made it near impossible for Marcus to actually enjoy the alcohol, it seemed that this small victory over his body was reward enough.

“Can I ask you something personal?”

‘Verdammt, jetzt kommt es,’ Stephan thought, raising a raised eyebrow. “About what?”

“Trixie and you.”

“What about us?” Stephan muttered, ignoring the feeling of guilt building up in his gut.

“Well... aside from it being brought to my attention due to concerned parties–” Marcus began, only to stop when Stephan drained his entire glass in one chugged swoop.

“Who told you?” the German asked quietly, lowering his empty glass.

“Cadance,” Marcus answered after a moment’s silence.

“Figures,” Stephan poured himself another drink, scowling slightly. “You know that’s actually none of your business, right?”

Marcus didn’t let him go. “We’re comrades, Stephan. More than that, even. We are friends. One thing friends do is talk about their problems with each other.”

Stephan gave him an annoyed sigh. “Alright, just… start already with your rant.”

Marcus took Stephan at his shoulder and turned him around to face him. “Could you please take this a bit more seriously?”

The German officer looked him in the eye, but showed some restraint and gave him a nod.

“Okay,” said Marcus. “Lately, some of our people have been showing concern for Trixie, and that was only after I asked them personally after Cadance brought it up.” He paused, trying to think of how best to explain. “They said she’s become listless - tired and uninterested in anything, and a few of them have caught her burning herself out from changing form repeatedly, cycling through as many different species as she can. They said she claimed to be trying to… improve something.”

Stephan said nothing, instead staring straight down at his reflection in the bottom of the glass.

“I had to trap Trixie with several others by my side before she‘d finally tell me. Her turning invisible and flying doesn’t make that any easier, by the way.”

“I trained her to be the best,” Stephan answered, causing Marcus to snort.

“Sure. Anyway, she told us why she’s been so tired and why she’s so focused on her abilities. Our best infiltrator is damaging herself out of an attempt to improve her sex life.” He looked grimly at Stephan. “Did you know about this?”

“What Trixie and I do in the privacy of our quarters is private,” Stephan grunted out.

“You know that’s a bullshit answer, especially to me.” Marcus glared at him, restrained frustration signalled by a soft flare in his runes. “If this wasn’t a war of survival, mean and nasty, you two would be placed in separate units the second it became clear you fancied one another. I’m fine with you helping to keep each other sane. But remember, both of you are a part of the PHL as well, and nothing can be allowed to compromise your ability to function in battle, not even your relationship.”

Stephan turning to make an angry retort, but instead paused and laughed darkly, indicating Marcus’ glowing runes.

“You really are pissed at me, aren’t you? What, you think I see her as a toy, a doll that I can play dress-up with?”

“She isn’t an object, she is a living being with feelings and needs,” Marcus began, a flare of his magic driving a deep crack into the table between the two of them. The bartender yelped something that sounded suspiciously like 'not again!' and threw herself beneath the bar. “She isn’t your doll.”

Stephan blinked, then put his drink down, his expression cold as ice as he ran a finger up and down the fresh crack. “You are my friend, Amerikaner, so I’ll say this once. It’s more than anyone else would get.” He looked Marcus dead in the eye. “If you ever, ever say that again, that she’s just a doll for me, then runes or no runes, I’ll knock you out, Hurensohn.”

“Then don’t give me another opportunity. You know I wouldn’t do this without reason,” Marcus said, returning the glare. “So every night you come to your room, and ask Trixie to change into something new?”

“So what if I did?”

Marcus gave him a hard stare. “Every day? For the past three months? Is she that ugly to look at?”

“What! No, of course not! How can you…”

But then Stephan trailed off, his anger slowly dying as he processed just what Marcus was saying. “I… I wasn’t…”

“What’s going on, Stephan?” Marcus asked, hunching forward on his own stool. “If its something other than just satisfying your mutual kinks, then tell me.”

Stephan drew a hand over his face, and looked across to Marcus. Warily he reached out and prodded Marcus on the arm, as if to see whether or not the runes were going to light back up.

“Alright… you know how Trixie has these, ‘side effects’ from using Changeling magic, the split personalities…”

“Yeah…” Marcus said slowly.

“She got this crazy idea that she could ‘dilute’ them. Create so many different morphs that none of them could dominate her mind.”

“That’s… that’s like trying to go so far past crazy that you come back at sane from the other side.”

“Yeah,” nodded Stephan. “But it’s something she wants to do for me, that’s the sick part. It’s not the shapeshifting that’s the problem.” He paused and blushed. “Trust me, it’s not the problem at all… it’s what she’s trying to prove. She’s so damn insecure about ‘who’ she is, and she desperately wants to be the ‘real’ Trixie on the inside… she wants to drown out all those artificial personalities so that she can be confident that I’m in love with ‘Trixie’, and not the Blue Spy...”

“And the thing she’s trying to perfect?”

“She’s trying to attain a human morph. It’s the one thing that’s she’s been unable to pull off. Zecora says its biology that’s the problem – humans have no magical biostructures, but her transformation is inherently magical.”

“So it’s like trying to turn toast back into bread?”

“Yeah, but Trixie is convinced that when she’s ‘herself’ again, she’ll be able to commit to me, and she associates that with being able to look like a woman for me, so she keeps on trying to become a human, and all the stress and effort is ruining her…”

It was like describing a cycle into depression or alcoholism. Trixie destroying herself in an attempt to find something by which to define herself. Marcus said as much, and Stephan laughed back like a broken windup toy.

“You don’t think I’m not kicking myself over it! I’m all torn up because I can’t decide if I’m supporting her in chasing something she wants, or exploiting her to get really amazing sex…”

His energy spent, Stephan slumped back in his chair, frowning, eyes darting this way and that as he continued to rage with himself. He’d been hit by many things during the war – cars, bricks, one angry alicorn – but this, this went deeper than that. It made him question his worth as a person, and he’d always thought himself decent enough outside of the battlefield.

“I think…” the Marine rumbled at last. “You two need to get yourselves straightened out,” he said quietly. He turned to Grape Shines as she peeked out from behind the bar, smiling in apology for the damage he’d caused. He motioned for another drink, which she promptly provided. Popping the cap off the bottle with his pinkie, Marcus placed the fresh pilsner in front of Stephan. “What the two of you need is some downtime. When was your last period of authorized leave?”

“What?”

“Ah, okay, let me phrase it as simply as possible,” Marcus stated again, unable to keep a touch of sarcasm out of his voice. “When was your last vacation? You familiar with the word? Three syllables, denotes a period of rest and relaxation?”

Stephan stared at him as if he’d just declared himself to be in love with Discord. “Never, since the war started.”

“Then you should take one.”

“Are you crazy? There is no time for vaca–”

Marcus lifted a scolding finger at him. “Stephan, we are in an Equestria where time moves slower than in our world. We still have plenty of time left. And you and Trixie both need some time out before you burn yourselves out, and lose your marbles. And need I remind you that Trixie has an awful lot of marbles to spill.”

“And you? I heard you’re throwing yourself into controlling your powers.”

“Immortal adolescence.” Marcus winced at that. “Don’t remind me. If what Cadance warned me is anything to go by, I’m about to go through what she calls a ‘period defined by a vast sense of ennui and spiritual desolation as I deal with the ramifications of infinite time in a finite universe’.” He took another sip from his drink while Stephan stared in disbelief. “But right now, I’ve got time to relax. Celestia told me that meditating helps, though I think that she made that part up just to keep me from working.”

“You would do that,” Stephan pointed out.

“And I have. So would Cheerilee,” Marcus said. “She can handle herself, I know that. But last I heard, thanks to Doc Whooves, her workload gets easier. As for me, I’m not the one with a mare who think she’s got to turn herself into a beautiful butterfly. I have plenty of time for breaks between sessions. You are trying to do everything, and that is making you a bundle of nerves, and that is interfering with your love life. You. Need. A. Break.”

Stephan kept his eyes on the untouched bottle in front of him. Only now did he notice Marcus looking at him expectantly. “You get that from your very special somepony?” Stephan smirked, taking a swig from the bottle. Marcus just shrugged, and the German gazed off thoughtfully into the depths of his drink. “You know. I actually had several weeks leave booked for after my last mission with the Bundeswehr. That was before the war.”

He paused. “Years ago now. And Trixie, she was just thrown onto the battlefield and never allowed to leave. I guess… I guess I didn’t realize just how much we needed one. Did I?”

“You could say that.”

“That’s that, I suppose.” Stephan stretched his arms, and his joints popped loudly. “If we need a break, we need a break… And if it’s gotten this bad…”

“You need a break,” Marcus said, a wry grin on his features. “And so does Trixie.”

Stephan nodded. “But before I do that, I need to make sure the recruits get a good trainer while I am absent.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. Like you always do.”

Grape Shines came back with a glass full of golden, liquid bread and placed it back in front of Stephan. He accepted it with a nod. “That I do.” Both men clinked their drinks.

“And what about you and Lyra?”

Marcus blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. Really, this Lyra is probably after you since you landed here. I hear all kinds of stories. And I see stuff too, like the way she looks at you when you’re around.” He smirked. “If there’s something going on between you two, my advice is you... work it out with Cheerilee.”

“You pervert.” Marcus felt completely lost. “I really don’t know what you’re insinuating. And stop waggling your eyebrows at me!”

Stephan eyed him for a while before it hit him. “Oh, shit, you really didn’t know.” He took a sip before continuing. “Look, in all seriousness, the feelings THIS Lyra has for you are far clearer than those of our sainted Ambassador. If you and Cheerilee can’t work out a way to approach that like adults, it’s going to end up in a lot of heartbreak for everyone.”

“I thought I was supposed to be giving you relationship advice.”

“Meh, we’re blind to our own faults, but have no trouble finding the fault in others. All I know is that you and Lyra need to clarify your relationship status. She seems… quite attached to you.”

The Marine’s only response was to keep drinking and hope he could drink himself into unconsciousness.

Silver Shield and some other officers from his time in Iceland would take care of the recruits. Major Bauer knew they would not let him down, even if some wanted a little vacation time for themselves. They were good men and ponies, and they had arrived this far with him. He also suspected that most agreed it was about damn time – he had fought for years, taken on a clone of the Tyrant, and still he hadn’t taken a single break.

Now, he and Trixie stood in the train station, waiting for the next ride to Ponyville, the place Marcus had arrived in following his encounter with the corrupted Elements of Harmony. Despite his initial bumpy arrival, Marcus assured him he’d like it very much. It seemed a nice and quiet little town, in spite of its propensity for attracting doom. Stephan looked forward to spending the better part of two weeks there, until duty inevitably called them back.

“Ponyville…” he mused. “Weren’t you there before, Trixie?”

Trixie shuddered at the name. “Never thought I would go there again… except to burn it down when we invade the evil Equestria,” she said, the last part punctuated with a grim expression.

“Dark,” Stephan whispered. “Well, I hope it will be as enjoyable as Marcus told me. Actually, what could go wr–”

Trixie stopped him with a kick in the leg. “DON’T mention Ponyville and those last words in one sentence.”

“What?” Stroking his sore leg, Stephan gaped at her in surprise. “Why?”

“Just… just trust me on this one.”

Stephan raised an eyebrow, but let the topic drop. “Vacation… never thought that I would get some. Feels… unreal.”

Trixie eyed him for a bit, then set her sights towards the horizon. “Yeah. We already fought for so long on a daily basis that it became routine. Fighting for survival does that, I guess.”

“Then it is a good thing that you two can leave this routine for a while now.”

Stephan and Trixie turned to meet the voice and found Princess Luna, together with Cadance.

Trixie bowed to them, while Stephan gave them a simple nod. “Luna. Cadance. Your Majesties” he greeted, giving the latter a quick, grim look. “Here to wish us a goodbye?”

Luna smiled at him. “Of course. I really hope you and Trixie will enjoy your vacation.”

She and Cadance shared a short, knowing sideways look. Stephan didn’t like it one bit. He knew that look from many of his female comrades. Still, he chose to not comment on it. “Princess Luna, did you get the new training plans?”

Luna gave him a nod. “Of course. We already reorganized everything for the time you are absent.”

“What about the Element Bearers? I wanted to make sure that they…”

Luna raised a hoof to quiet him. “Major Bauer. Everything has been taken care of. Thanks to your planning, it was easier to work out a new training plan for the recruits. You have done enough. Now, trust us in having the ability to take care of the recruits like you did.”

Cadance stepped forward and gave Stephan a warm smile. “You two should only take care of each other now, for you have done more than enough for this nation.”

Now it was Stephan and Trixie’s turn to share a short glance. Trixie’s eyes told him he could stop worrying now.

“Alright,” he said. “Sorry, it’s just that I probably don’t remember how to actually take a vacation. It has been… a long while since the last one.”

“That is like learning how to fly,” Cadance said kindly. “Something you can’t unlearn.”

“Huh,” said Stephan. “We have a similar saying. But that one includes a bike.”

“Really?” Luna chuckled. “I guess Colonel Renee said something like that, too.”

A loud whistling made them all prick up their ears. It was the Canterlot Express, slowly driving into the station. Other ponies, keeping at a respectful distance from the Princesses, moved to bring forth their luggage and say their last goodbyes to their loved ones.

Stephan also grabbed his backpack. “Well, here it is. You coming, Trixie?”

Trixie looked over to the train, which came to a halt with a noise of screaming breaks. “In a minute. There is something I need to discuss with the Princesses first.”

“Well, okay. Just don’t take too long, okay? I’ll wait in our cabin.”

Trixie nodded, and Stephan gave the Princesses his farewell greetings before advancing to their cabin. With the three ponies now amongst themselves, Trixie dared address Luna and Cadance.

“Do you really think that this will work?”

Cadance gave her a reassuring smile. “Of course. It worked with me and Shining, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with you two. All you need do is keep his head out of anything that includes work. By all means necessary.” She moved her head closer to Trixie’s and whispered, “And I mean by all means necessary.”

Trixie’s cheeks flushed red. “Will it help with the other problem too?”

“That is up to you. You need to tell him how you feel about it, at the right moment.”

“And what is the right moment? And what if he doesn’t agree?”

Luna spoke up. “You will know when. And for the second part, I am certain that he will listen to you. Of course, I’ve seen he can be difficult, but he loves you more than you might believe.”

“Trixie, you coming?” shouted Stephan out of their cabin window.

“Right away, Liebling!”

She picked up her belongings and trotted off to the wagon, having given Luna and Cadance a goodbye of her own. Both Princesses stayed to watch as the train picked up steam, gave a little whistle and departed for Ponyville.

It was an uneventful train ride. The two of them enjoyed the view of the landscape, until Trixie fell asleep in his arms. That gave him time to think about that evening a few weeks back with Marcus, following their encounter with Vinyl.

“What is it you want to talk about, Stephan?”

Stephan tapped his fingers on his desk for a while. “I will try to be as polite as I can.” He cleared his throat. “What, in the fucking nine circles of hell, is wrong with you?!”

“And that is as polite as you can be?”

“If I was in a worse mood, I would have bashed your fucking head in. Going after your own men like that…”

“What would you have done differently? Huh? After all they said about Lyra?  After all she did for us?”

Stephan didn’t answer that, and only stared at him.

Marcus’s mouth opened slightly in realization. “You think they’re right.”

Stephan didn’t even flinch as he let Marcus know what he thought. “You are talking to a man who lost his entire home. What would you have expected?”

Marcus didn’t seem to know what to say to that. How could he have forgotten? “So, you want to destroy everything we worked so hard on these few last years?”

“I and many others fought this war before you even came to Europe, Amerikaner. I was one of the first people to train the Empire’s defectors to fight for our side. I saw my home vanish in front of my eyes. And yet I still keep fighting together with the ones whom some people would rather blame and kill for everything that’s happened.”

“I panicked, okay!” Marcus growled, fists clenched “I saw this spiralling out of control and envisioned everyhuman demand that we throw the ponies who’d done the most to help them out on their asses. I saw us stop working together because of a mistake.”

“You don’t trust your own men?”

“I trust them to want to do the right thing. I just don’t trust human nature. Even my own…” Marcus sighed as he carefully sat down and stared up at the ceiling. "There will be blood over this, I’m sure of it. I just hope most of humanity keeps calm and doesn’t decide to kill all ponies.”

Stephan leaned back in his chair and looked at Marcus. “Watergate. Snowden. Wikileaks. Luther. The White Rose. Ring any bells? There are many people in history who tried to uncover the truth and tell it to the others. Some got caught before they could do it. Others succeeded, and them upsetting the applecart’s always been essential to keeping the world spinning. Were those changes always peaceful? No, change is often violent. But those paradigm shifts fertilize our institutions and imaginations. They keep us honest, and they drive us forward.”

There was a moment’s silence before Marcus spoke again. “This isn’t one of those things, Stephan. This isn’t an overture before a revolution, or an aspiration to some great new height. This is holding the button to self-destruction. This is news that would shatter everyone. Hell... for a long moment, even I kind of hated Lyra when I found out. Even if we win, we may never rebuild if people find out.” He closed his eyes. “Would you prove Dr. Salonen right about human nature? There’s a reason they call that man ‘the Vampire’…”

“Yeah,” Stephan frowned. “He seemed to place particular insistence on Pineapple Cutter being part of this expedition. I’d really prefer not to know what those two are planning. But what I’m trying to say is, no matter what we do, we can’t stop people from seeking out the truth.” His frown grew deeper. “So, is this what it feels like?”

“That what feels like?”

“What it feels like to be a leader of a country. To have all the knowledge, to know what’is truly happening, and you’ve got to be honest because to deceive the people could cause panic, anarchy and chaos. But at the same time, you have to hide the truth for the exact same reason… damned if we do, damned if we don’t.”

“Yeah, lucky us,” Marcus grumbled, knowing that at least Vinyl and the others would keep quiet. If anything, the fear of him going ballistic would keep them in line. “Fucked either way. There’s a reason my old chaplain said world leaders never go to Heaven.”

“Gah! Now we’re both entering defeatist mode! All I’m saying is, we can’t hide the truth forever. And I don’t plan to. There’ll be people wanting answers, DESERVING answers. People who lost their entire families will ask questions. And the only question we should answer is, do we wait until someone finds the truth, maybe turns that truth into a twisted parody of itself that, God forbid, could make it seem as if Lyra intended this? Or do we take care of it on our own, showing every side of the spectrum? Good, bad, and everything in between? Marcus, we can’t stop the truthseekers. Can we really betray them like this, even for Lyra’s sake?”

“No… I was planning on telling them eventually,” Marcus groaned. “I wanted to tell them when the war was over.”

“Eventually is a long time coming, Marcus. We could be dead by then.”

“All the better. But if we win, I will sit down before the worlds and explain everything myself,” Marcus narrowed his eyes. “Tell them everything, why this happened, how Lyra is involved, and how she is innocent of anything. I will not do this during a war where information can be warped beyond anything resembling accurate information. The HLF do not need a rebirth…” He sighed heavily. “I... just hope with this Equestria coming to our aid, it may keep humanity calm, despite the eventual reveal of Lyra Heartstrings’ responsibility in all this…”

“Exactly.” Stephan leaned back in his chair, hands folded over the other. “The selfless actions of this unsullied Equestria will help stop a large amount of people from joining those HLF terrorists. We shouldn’t work on how to hide the truth. We must work on how to prepare for when it comes out. And I guess working well with our new allies is one of the keys.”

“Well, we may end up killing some of own former comrades. Since I bet some of them may well join the HLF.”

“A sad, but very possible scenario,” Stephan said somberly. Just before suddenly changing to an upbeat tune with a wicked grin on his face. “Actually, I would like to kick Kraber’s butt, from here to Earth and back. You think he’d cross the floor a second time?”

Marcus paused at that and looked at Stephan. Both men began to giggle, then burst out into a torrent of laughter.

“Nah, they’re still pissed off at him,” Marcus said. “Something about eating a man’s throat and stealing cash and ammo from them? I didn’t ask.”

“...Okay,” breathed Stephan as the laughter died down, “that disturbing interlude aside, look, I know you’re very close to Lyra. The other Lyra, I mean. If you really want to protect her, you have to tell the whole story. And besides, the good part, where she brought us and the ponies together, is probably bigger than the rest. We just have to tell it right… and be prepared in case the truth leaks ahead of time, because then we’ll have to act fast to make sure it’s the truth that gets out, not some half-baked conspiracy paranoia.”

Marcus gave a short nod. “Alright. I guess I can live with that.”

“Good.” Stephan stood up and walked up to the door. “I am hungry. Want to catch lunch?”

He returned to the real world as Trixie wiggled in his arms. She gave a little snort and nuzzled his chest. Gently, Stephan began to stroke her belly, which made her groan happily as she weakly kicked her legs forward.

“Vacation…” Stephan whispered to himself. “Let’s make it the best two weeks ever.”

They found a little inn and took a two-pony room. Problem was, it was a two-pony room. The beds were too small for him, so they had to take the mattresses and put them on the floor to sleep later that night. Thankfully, the owner of the inn told them he would get a bed for Stephan’s size the next day.

It was a Saturday morning when Stephan and Trixie took a stroll through the town. Looking around, he felt rather intrigued by the similarities Ponyville shared with historic German towns and villages. Was it possible that his own Earth and this alien world had a common heritage?

Stephan was so deep in his thoughts that he missed Trixie changing her direction. He followed her the moment he noticed.The walk wasn’t long, and along the way, Stephan saw many ponies who gave Trixie surprised, sometimes frowning, expressions. She seemed to ignore them, but he was worried that one pony could lash out at her for something she did in the past.

He almost ran into her when she just stopped without warning, looking down at what, to him, looked like a random spot.

“It was here,” she said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

Trixie took a deep breath, but kept staring ahead. “My cart. It was here where it got smashed. It was the only thing I had after I left home.”

Stephan felt as though a nail had been driven into his guts. It had been only a matter of time before the cart topic would resurface.

“Have I ever told you my cart and the equipment were the first things I bought as a grown-up? My grandfather was in show business. I’ve lost count of how many evenings I spent curled up at the foot of his armchair, watching him conjure up creatures of myth and wild fantasy…”

Unsmiling, she glanced meaningfully at the human. “Good times, but he died when I was little… I wanted to follow his life path, but my parents had other plans. They forced me to continue at magic school. And I hated it. I’m sure my classmates were talking about me behind my back.” She paused, struggling with her conflicting emotions. “My teacher was the only one who believed in me, strangely. Said I had a gift, I just didn’t know how to use it. But I didn’t care. In the evenings, I’d work hard to earn enough cash to get out. And then, once I did, I travelled the country, doing a little show here and there. It was great! All eyes were on me, and they love me! Then came Ponyville.”

She didn’t said anything for a while. That gave Stephan time to think about what Trixie had told him about the incident in Ponyville. How she’d acted like a self-centered bitch – her words, not his – to challenge ponies like Applejack and Rainbow Dash, only winning by using cheap tricks. Even though she still maintained they shouldn’t have heckled her first.

Stephan knelt down at her side and began to scratch her behind the ears. With a little gasp, she seemed surprised at first, but managed to look back at him. He saw that her eyes had begun to tear up a little. Gently, he wiped the tears away.

“But you went on, didn’t you?” he asked.

Trixie nodded. “Yes. After the incident, I worked on a rock farm to earn enough bits to buy a new one. I wanted to buy something else first, something that would have gotten me everything I wanted, but nothing I needed… I’m glad I changed my mind. I didn’t want to look back, but to look forward. And then your world came. And I saw new opportunities.”

“I’m... I am sorry,” she heard him whisper.

“For what?”

“For destroying your cart.”

Trixie looked back down at the place where the old cart had been smashed into the ground. Then back at him. She placed a hoof on his knee and moved her head to his and gave him a kiss. “You did what you needed to save me. And… it’s in the past now. And I don’t want to live in the past anymore. I want to look forward. Just going forward.”

She nuzzled his chest and he placed his hand on her back. “And I want you at my side when we walk that road.”

Stephan leaned his head into hers. “I will. Always.”

Both stayed like this for a while. He only let go when she did.

After another little walk, they took a break to admire the town fountain, a group of three little fillies drove past on the same scooter. And came to a screeching, dusty halt a few meters away. Their young, inquisitive eyes were glued on the human and the little blue mare at his side.

“Isn’t that Trixie?” asked the orange pegasus with a purple mane who was driving the scooter.

“Ah think so. And is that Marcus?” asked another filly, an earthpony with yellow, cream-like fur whose red mane was adorned by a large pink bow and tail. She sat in a cart connected to the scooter.

“Nah, he doesn’t look like Marcus. That’s another human,” said the third one, a unicorn with white fur and a grayish mulberry-and-rose-streaked mane.

“I wonder what they want here,” asked the orange one.

The white one gave a big gasp. “Maybe the human is a friend of Marcus’ and came to stop Trixie from doing something bad again!”

Trixie winced a little. Stephan looked at her with worried eyes, then back to the fillies. “Please, girls, watch what you say. This is not the same Trixie you may know, and she’s a very good friend of mine.”

He tried to make it sound as unthreatening as possible. The fillies just gave him a very confused look, then drove over to meet the two newcomers.

“What do ya mean by ‘not the Trixie we may know’?” asked the one with a red ribbon.

Stephan decided that though they were children, he should not talk down to them. Knowing people like Kraber and the Dragons of the East had taught him that much, at least. “She is from the other Equestria, and she helps me and my comrades fight the Tyrant.”

The three fillies collectively gasped.

“Wow, really? Never thought that Trixie would actually help anypony,” said the orange one.

“But just because she is Trixie too, doesn’t mean she is the same as our Trixie,” the yellow one interjected.

‘Pretty smart for someone her age,’ thought Stephan.

“Eeh, I guess you’re right,” replied the orange one.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves. I am Stephan Bauer, and this is Fräulein Trixie Lulamoon. From another Equestria.”

The three fillies smiled at them, before each shouted out their own name.

“Ah’m Applebloom!” said the yellow one.

“I’m Scootaloo!” declared the orange one.

“And I’m Sweetie Belle!” squeaked the white one.”And together we’re–”

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!”

Stephan was almost deafened by that last shout. The one day he wasn’t wearing ear protection just had to be the day he met those three fillies. He found himself reflexively tugging at the collar of his T-shirt in discomfort. Trixie looked equally taken aback by the cacophony.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders?” he asked politely. He began to remember now. He knew their counterparts back from Earth, but these fillies looked absolutely different. Three innocent fillies, now that was a sight for sore eyes. Every single PHL pony had a place in the war effort, after all, even fillies. He’d once had to oversee the creation of foal-sized assault saddles, for God’s sake, and Aegis, that huge stallion who followed Kraber everywhere, had been worried about his teenage son getting into combat…

And the Cutie Mark Crusaders he knew had seen far too much for their ages. Applebloom had been a recent defector, alternately terrorized and ignored by a demonic caricature of her sister. Sweetie Belle had woken up in Zecora’s hut and taught herself to survive in the Everfree forest, a scared filly armed only with her wits and a hornwritten note from Rarity telling her to avoid the Empire at all costs, and that if they spoke again, she wouldn’t be Rarity. And Scootaloo… poor Scootaloo.

Applebloom nodded enthusiastically at the stranger. “Yep! We’re on our quest to get our cutie marks!”

‘Wait, aren’t their cutie marks related to their special talent? And even their names hint towards those talents? Wow, why is noone telling them that? That’s just cruel…’

Stephan blinked in surprise when he felt a light tap on his boot. He looked down to see Applebloom standing at his feet. “Hey, Mister... Ah was wondering if you could help us get our cutie marks?”

Any other man would feel his heart melting at such a picture of cuteness. Thing was, Stephan was not any man. And his past experiences with fillies, who had all been born as ‘filles’ rather than fillies, brought up mixed feelings. Emotions he’d rather keep suppressed, even now.

“I am not really sure how I could help you with that.”

The fillies looked at each other knowingly. Then Applebloom looked back at him. “Well, Mister Stephan, you just got here in town, right?”

He had a bad feeling about this. “Yes. Yes, we are. Trixie was here before, but…” He looked down at Trixie. “You said that you didn’t know much about this place, right?”

Trixie shook her head. “No, the last time I was here had been… ahem, I was just traveling through.”

“Then we’ll give you a tour!” said Scootaloo.

“Yeah, we could be–” Sweetie Belle began, and Stephan’s stomach gave him the urgent call to take cover, dig himself into a deep hole, take supplies for two weeks and never come up again as long as those fillies were around.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, TOWN TOUR GUIDES, YAY!”

Right after the ringing in his ears died down, and with it probably a few brain cells, he addressed the fillies.

“That’s a nice offer, girls, but–” Stephan began, only for Trixie to interrupt.

“Of course we would like to.”

Stephan looked at Trixie, aghast. She just gave him a warm and lovely smile in return.

“Alright, then we start here!” said Applebloom, pointing with her hoof at a random building. “This house is Berry Punch’s. She is a very nice pony, but ya may want to keep yer distance in the evening. Also, she’s kinda shy around strangers.”

“Are you going to tell us about every house and pony here?” Stephan asked weakly.

“Of course!” Sweetie Belle said happily. “That is what town guides do!”

‘No, not really,’ he thought.

“Alright, next one is Lemonhearts. Follow me!”

‘This is going to be a long day...’

While the human had his back turned, the pony known as Short Fuse scowled as he watched the alien creature walk by. From his vantage point in the shade of a parasol at a local café, his eyes shifted across every being in sight. The town was too crowded. It would be nearly impossible for the group to take down Bauer in public without causing a panic.

Especially with that traitorous mare by his side. Trixie Lulamoon, the Blue Spy.

“Sir?”

Fuse jumped at the sound of the voice behind him.

“Curse it all, Hot Shot,” he growled under his breath. “Ya nearly burst my heart.”

The other earthpony smiled at him sheepishly. “Um, sorry, sir?” Hot Shot kept that daft smile on his face just a few seconds too long before he continued. “Just letting you know that our Loyalist guards have arrived, and are ready to move out on your order.”

“Good, just need to figure out how to get that blue killer freak away,” Fuse muttered as he saw the blue mare grow wings, much to the shock of many townsponies around her.

He hated them, these humans and their pony allies. The ‘Weaver’ mare had done her job well. Not only had she provided them with the secret keepers to safeguard their minds and memories from Nightmare Moon, the advice she’d given to Corporal Exit Strategy to research the humans’ history books in that city of theirs had provided valuable insight into the aliens’ depravity.

Which was why he’d taken notes during the last few meetings, notes to read afterward and memorize before he destroyed them. His writing skills were as crude as his personality, even he could see that, but what truly mattered was not letting himself forget. He didn’t want to be buoyed by a vague sense of righteousness. It was important to remember just why humans deserved the fate Her Majesty had decreed for them.

“No worries, sir,” Hot Shot answered. “As it happens, we managed to… ‘procure’ a special knockout gas from the armory.”

Short Fuse gave him a funny look. “Knockout gas? From the PHL?”

“Negative, sir. From Canterlot. If there’s one thing the PHL is good at, its accountability. Their weapons are under a close watch, and only PHL members are allowed to take them out.” Hot Shot rubbed his head, frowning somewhat. “No offense, sir. But this seems a tad bit…”

“Foolhardy?”

Wasn’t that what he’d called the tin boy, Icewind, back during that first meeting? Certainly. It took one to know one, after all. Like many ponies, Short Fuse lived up to his name, and needless to say, he’d gotten into trouble for it in the past. Despite himself, the burly earthpony shuddered a little at the memory of beds of straw, damp grey stone walls and windowless underground places. But that was all in the past. He’d promised Mini to leave it behind, and stuck to his promise... mostly.

This was different, however. It wasn’t the same as landing in a tavern brawl against four or five mares and stallions your own size, more than capable of dishing back out what you gave them. Ponies could be a rowdy bunch, yet humans were predators, for Celestia’s sake. Crouching in wait looking all vulnerable with those crocodile tears, ready at any minute to leap out, seize you by the jugular and tear out your throat. You couldn’t pull any punches against such creatures. Who knew what they’d unleash? They’d already filled the land with warlike ponies who’d spent so much time around humanity they were barely Equestrians, like the Vinyl Scratch that visited Ponyville in the first two weeks...

“I was going to say rushed, but that’s a good term as well.” Hot Shot chuckled as Fuse grumbled under his breath. “Either way, sir, our best bet would be to wait for them to split on their own, or when they turn in for the night. We’ve got antidotes on hoof, so luckily we can use the gas and be unaffected by it.”

Both watched as the fillies hurried up to the human, chattering on about nonsense and whatnot. Fuse didn’t care, he just wanted them away from the two killers. ‘How could three fillies be so comfortable in their presence?’ he wondered, thinking back to what he remembered Miss Berry Punch saying. There’d been ponies outside their little conspiracy who’d accused her of terrible things for not supporting humanity, but she just... didn't want her filly to be touched by the war.

Corporal Strategy had, in a particularly stressed mood, explained that Stephan Bauer was the ‘weakest’ link of the trio he made up together with Marcus Renee and the Blue Spy. Although that wasn’t saying much, given that he’d allegedly fought a projection of Queen Celestia and lived, it sounded like he’d be the easiest one to take unawares. So when word from Punch had reached Fuse’s ear that he’d be in town, the course of action seemed clear.

Bauer needed to be disposed of, no matter what Catseye said about killing.

“Good,” Fuse rubbed his chin with as he watched as the group stopped in front of a flower stand, the unnatural couple listening patiently to the three fillies. “For now, we wait.”

“Understood, sir.”

It was late in the afternoon as the tour ended. The three fillies were quite disappointed that their excursion hadn’t earned them their cutie marks. Still, the tour still had one positive side effect. The local spa. It was a good tip. Those who didn’t know him may have been surprised to hear it, but Stephan wasn’t one to turn down a good massage.

Especially when the masseurs were cute pony twins.

Right now, Stephan and Trixie were seated in the steam sauna, letting their muscles melt away in the heat. He was sitting sideways on the bench, she a bit further in front of him. Out in the reception he heard the sound of a door opening, and one of the spa mares, Lotus if he was any judge, greeting some new customers.

“We already have visitors in here. I hope it’s okay, even if it is a stallion with his marefriend.”

“Oh, my,” came a soft-spoken reply. “I hope that they won’t have a problem with us then.”

Now that was a familiar voice. Stephan’s ears perked immediately, especially after the second newcomer spoke.

“Nonsense, darling. I’m sure they won’t begrudge our presence.”

No mistake about it. Fluttershy and Rarity were about to drop by. Stephan didn’t say anything. Trixie neither. He could have sworn that he heard a giggle from Rarity and a shy meep from Fluttershy, followed by the clip-clop of hooves.

It sounded like they took a place in the other corner of the sauna, but it was all but impossible to see through a fresh burst of steam as Lotus poured another pail over the scaling-hot stones.

“Oh, how I’ve missed this,” cooed Rarity. “Did you feel the same way, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, it’s nice.”

“I mean,” she continued, “After all those days of training, being shouted at and worse from that, that brute Mr. Bauer.”

‘Now that is gonna be good,’ Stephan thought, unable to hide a smirk as Rarity rolled on in full sway, a diva finally letting loose.

“I mean, it wouldn’t hurt him to be a little bit nicer, would it?”

“Uhm, I don’t think he’s that bad.”

“Why would you say that?” demanded Rarity.

“Remember the obstacle course? The first time we had to do it?”

“Oh, how could I forget it. It was dreadful!”

“Well,” said Fluttershy. “I was behind you all, and I couldn’t climb the wall.”

“I still wonder why he didn’t allow you and Rainbow to use your wings.”

“I…” Fluttershy choked a little. “I was crying in front of it after my third try. And then Stephan came to me.”

“Oh my,” gasped Rarity. “What did he do?”

“He asked me what my problem is and why I wasn’t climbing over that wall.”

“That untactful, uncivilized, cavepony!”

‘Wow, she really is a diva,’ thought Stephan.

But Fluttershy pursued her story. “After I told him that, he kneeled down and, um, told me about his first time climbing it. He told me that he had to try it four times before he could do it. I couldn’t believe it, but, well, he said that he was going to give up too, like me. Then his superior came to him, told him that it is okay, not everyone can do it right the first time. He gave him the courage to do it again, and he did it. He said that he believed in me, that I could do it in less than four tries. And I did.”

Stephan smiled slightly to himself. He hadn’t even lied about the story.

“Really?” Rarity sounded very surprised. “By yourself?”

“No, not really,” admitted Fluttershy. “He helped me a little bit by pushing me slightly over it.”

“What?” exclaimed Rarity indignantly. “He made everypony climb that wall all by themselves the first time, and helps only you?”

“If you remember correctly, I DID manage it all by myself right after this day.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said kindly. You know, he’s actually really nice. I think he’s only mean to us because he wants to prepare us for the battle, to stop us from making any foolish mistakes.”

Stephan smiled at her comment. He heard the door opening and Lotus call out.

“Your time is up. If you’d come with me, we have a lovely bath set up to cool you both down.”

“But we’ve only just started!” replied a surprised Rarity.

“Oh, not you, Miss. No, I meant Mr. Bauer and Miss Lulamoon, my apologies for not clarifying.”

The air grew as cold as Sombra’s sense of aesthetics, despite the sauna heat. Lotus’ opening of the door had created enough draught to clear some of the steam, and Stephan and Trixie burst into laughter as Rarity was revealed to them, frozen stiff. Fluttershy, however, was covering her head under her hooves and whimpering at a register normally reserved for the tiniest of critters.

“...meep…”

Stifling their laughter, the Bauer/Lulamoon party took their leave of the two stunned mares, shooting knowing grins over their shoulders as they went.

“Look out, look out, Bauer’s about…” Trixie murmured softly, and Stephan responded by grabbing her her across the barrel and tossing her into the huge communal bathtub that had been readied for them.

‘That was some fun shit. Gonna be interesting to see how the other mares react when they hear that we’re in town,’ Stephan thought, as an infuriated Trixie grabbed him with her TK and dragged him into the tub with her. ‘But first!’

The resulting splash-fight kept the both of them entertained, while Lotus shimmered about the room, a knowing smile on her face.

Their ‘full body overhauls’ complete, Stephan waited for Trixie at the counter. She was still drying herself. It wasn’t the first time she’d taken so long, and definitely not the last. Aloe, who was waiting, was trying to discretely examine him out of the corner of her eye. Unable to hold back a trolling impulse, everytime he saw her attention shift towards him, he turned his smiling face towards her, forcing her to break off eye contact and resume interest in the inner mysteries of the cash register.

Their little game of cat-and-mouse ended the second that the spa was rattled by the girliest scream imaginable and the sound of stuff getting thrown around. Both he and Aloe followed it, rushing to the door which led into the changing room, but it opened forcefully before either of them could reach it.

Behind the door was a frowning Rarity, green mud slathered across her face and the haunches of a mortified-looking Sweetie Bell, whose big sister was towing her out of the room tail-first. After them came Scootaloo and Applebloom, followed by Trixie and Fluttershy. Rarity let go of her sister and turned around to face her.

“What were you thinking!?” Rarity scolded.

“We just tried to get our Changing Room Helpers Cutie Mark,” whimpered Sweetie Belle.

“We didn’t mean to throw over the locker! One of them just didn’t want to open, and we tried to pull it open!” chipped in a disappointed looking Scootaloo.

“It was locked! That is why it’s called a locker!” Rarity nearly screamed at them, visibly trying to massage away a burgeoning migraine with her hoof.

The three fillies all gave a collective “Ooh,” at that. Stephan just shook his head, thinking ‘I hope I don’t have to put up with them again…’

Lotus, who had briefly retired to the staff room, now entered the scene. Her eyes flicked over the assorted fillies and adults before she turned a questioning expression upon Aloe, who just sighed.

“The CMC, again.”

Lotus simply nodded exasperatedly. “Well, they can clean it up later.”

“Oh yes,” proclaimed Rarity, the look in her eyes inviting no argument. Stephan was quite impressed. “I can think of nothing better than putting these three little cadets on fatigues.”

Okay, make that doubly impressed. The normally prissy dressmaker had the nightmarish gaze of a drill-sargeant down to perfection. Lotus on the other hand was an absolute professional, simply sidestepping the chaos and resuming business.

“Aloe, did you get the mane potion from Zecora like we discussed yesterday?”

“Oh, my!” her sister spa-pony’s eyes went wide and put a hoof at her mouth. “Sorry, I must have forgot!”

“Aloe, all the afternoon slots are booked, and I’ve only got the dregs of the last bottle to work with! I asked you to get it in the morning!”

“We can get it!” [three little voices chimed with troubling enthusiasm. Everyone looked towards the fillies, who had big smiles on their faces.

“You?” asked Aloe.

Applebloom nodded. “We know where Zekorah’ lives. We can go there and get the potion in no time at al’!”

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Rarity said in a shrill voice, putting a hoof down to lend emphasis to her words.

“Aww, why not?” pleaded Sweetie Belle, as if totally oblivious to the chaos spawned from their last attempt at ‘helping’.

‘God forbid Discord ever befriend these three. We’d be lucky to live to see another sunrise!’ Stephan thought to himself, while Rarity continued to make her feelings known.

“I forbid it! I don’t care how many times you’ve wandered into the Everfree Forest. It, Is, Dangerous!”

“But nothing bad ever happened!”

“Ahem… does anypony remember a certain cocatrice affair! And Applebloom, have you already forgotten what happened the last time you got lost in the Forest? Applejack told me you had the most dreadful nightmares for weeks!”

“Sunny Town…” Applebloom shivered, taking a quick glance at her blank flank. “It was horrible…”

“Might Trixie throw in an idea?” came a ringing proclamation. Stephan looked at his marefriend with a raised eyebrow, amused at how several hours relaxation had evidently caused her to lapse back into the third-person. The others turned with him.

‘Well, at least she’s laid off on the Great and Pow-’

“It occurs to the Great and Powerful Trixie…”

‘And facepalm!’

“...ah, sorry. It occurs to the quite-average Trixie that if an adult accompanies them, then these three young ones would be allowed to go, right?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, but I’m afraid it shall not be me. Our spa regimen is not finished yet. Right, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy, who was looking at Stephan, gave a nod of her own “Y-yes, we aren’t finished yet.”

“We’ve been just killing for a chance to relax like this!” Rarity clarified, throwing a particularly cautioning glare towards the CMC as she did.

“Well,” Trixie began and let her eyes wander towards Stephan, a smirk of her own developing. “In my wisdom, I know someone who’s got some free time right now.”

Stephan’s eyes went wide. “Bitte, was?”

Trixie walked to him and mentioned him to get down on her level, and then whispered, “Come now, it’s just escorting three little fillies. And besides, I think it is good for you to socialise with people who aren’t, well, soldiers or...”

She trailed off, but Stephan was able to finish what she was about to say: ‘Broken Goods.’

She was right of course. Back on Earth, everyone lived in a constant state of war. Even the CMC’s counterparts on Earth had lost their childhood way too early.

‘Especially you...’ he thought, shooting a slightly shamed glance at Scootaloo, whose tiny wings were buzzing with excitement. ‘Heaven willing, you’ll get a chance to fly someday. Your ‘twin’ wasn’t so lucky...’

That innocence and excitement was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to be around children laughing and playing, not worrying over whether they’d survive to the next day, or preparing for war.

‘I almost would’ve been wasting my time if I didn’t use this for a vacation.’

He sighed in defeat and gave Trixie a nod. “Okay, I will do it.”

“Fantasic! Girls, what about you? Do you want to go with uncle Stephan?”

The three fillies eyes widened. “REALLY?!”

“But Major–,” Rarity began, yet Stephan cut her words with a wave of his hand.

“It’s Stephan. I am not on duty, remember?”

Rarity seemed momentarily flummoxed, but shrugged it off. Of course, she heard the first name of the Major several times before, not until now had he allowed her to call him by it.

“Maj– I mean, Stephan. Please, you don’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I have nothing to do anyway. Besides, you ladies are still not finished.”

“What about Trixie?” asked Fluttershy.

“Oh, Stephan is a big boy,” the mare in question snarked, before smiling. “He can take care of himself without me to protect him from all the dangers in the wicked wild wood. Besides, I still have to unpack some of our stuff, back in the inn. Maybe when I’m done you two ladies could show me around town?”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” Fluttershy responded with surprising vigor.

“Yes, well…” mumbled Rarity. “If no-one minds, I guess its alright. But you three will still be helping to clear up the mess once you and Stephan return from Zecora’s…”

Any words spoken after she gave permission fell on deaf ears. Everyone who heard the loud gasp from the fillies prepared for the inevitable, except Stephan, who realised the danger too late.

“We could be the…CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, DELIVERY SERVICE, YAY!”

It was not the second time he’d seen the trio’s enthusiasm first-hand, except that this time they were in a confined indoor space. Stephan’s ears would never forgive them.

Looking back on it – the echoes still ringing in his ears – Stephan had to chuckle. Despite the mess they’d left on their hooves, Lotus and Aloe could not have been more glad to be rid of the three fillies. Now the irrepressible threesome were leading him into the leafy suburbs of the Everfree Forest, and onto  Zecora’s hut.

‘Sweetie Belle’s hut in another time.’

It was surprising how much of the survivalist he could see in her younger, undamaged self. Same with Scootaloo, who was evidently going to grow up tough as nails. And while he’d never had much of a chance to get to know Applebloom’s ‘other half’, the filly seemed to have a fairly solid head on her shoulders when not overcome with childish enthusiasm.

‘If not for the things I’d seen, I’d almost consider forcing her to grow up so fast to be a war crime in itself. Forcing somepony like that to essentially run a slave-plantation staffed by zombies, worked to the bone when she should be in high school.... Huh. She’d been happy that the farm was crippled, but Big Mac had eeeeenoped his way out of any explanation. Nah. Probably better off not knowing.’

This was his first proper look at the Everfree, and he was honestly impressed. It had a feeling of real old growth to it, the kind of wizened age that was so familiar in the ancient forests of Europe-that-was, and all but alien in the Americas. The interlacing trees created a thick canopy overhead, shutting out most of the sky and keeping the forest floor free for shrubs and mosses to carpet. Unseen creatures could be heard scuttling and slithering away as they passed.

That said, he understood this Everfree to be considerably safer nowadays, thanks to the sheer number of  PHL scouts domesticating it in search of ingredients for ‘their’ Zecora’s potions, though there had also been numerous expeditions to the Tree of Harmony and the Castle of Two Sisters, in search of treasures best not discussed outside of closed circles.

“Come on, Major Stephan! This way!” Scootaloo called out as she began to run up the path, her tiny wings buzzing as she did.

“Slow down, Scootaloo!” Sweetie called out in good-natured frustration. When Scootaloo didn’t respond, her jogged forward after her, scooped her up in his arms and placed her over his shoulder in a reverse fireman’s hold. Applebloom giggled at the look on her friend’s face.

“Alright, now you can ride there for a while and be my parrot…” Stephan said firmly, lowering his hands. The orange filly quickly discovered she liked her elevated perch, and planting a hind leg on each of his shoulders she held onto the top of his head with one hoof while pointing dramatically with the other.

“The future is in the past! ONWARDS AOSHIMA!”

Unable to hold back his laughter, Stephan simple revelled in the Crusader’s joy. Honestly, he was glad they’d not asked about the ‘Crusaders From Another World!’. It would be hard to explain that their friendship was nearly broken due to the war itself…

‘Note to self, Bauer’ he thought. ‘Nobody should let on that their counterparts have got their cutie marks. There’d be no way to keep the painful truth from them otherwise. And they deserve to discover their own destinies, rather than walk in the hoofprints of others. It’s bad enough for Lyra knowing who she… could have been?’

That realization darkened his mood, and as if in resonance with his inner shift, a light fog began to drift out from the trees. Unconcerned, Applebloom and Scootaloo continued to scamper on.

“How much further!?” he muttered to Scootaloo, who like him seemed to have noticed the sudden change in conditions.

“Uh, a mile, I think.”

‘So, another twenty minutes on foot and hoof.’

As the fog spread, Stephan’s pace increased until he caught up to the two fillies. His gut was telling him something was wrong. They walked for a few more minutes, until the thin skein of mist had suffused the path entirely.

“Girls, stop.”

“Huh?! Oomph!” Sweetie Belle yelped as she tripped over herself, earning a laugh from Applebloom as her friend helped her up.

“What’s wrong?” asked the more cautious Scootaloo as she scrambled down from her perch atop his back.

“Something’s not right,” Stephan said slowly, his eyes darting over the area. He found himself wishing he’d at least brought his knife with him.

His breath coming in controlled little puffs, Short Fuse lurked some fifty yards away from the path, hidden within the brush.

“What do we do?” the unicorn next to him whispered. “He knows something’s up.”

Short Fuse scowled at the frozen human in annoyance. Damn those primitive predator instincts, or whatever it was that had got the brute on edge.

“We hold, let the potion do its work. By the time he realizes what is happening, it’ll be too late.”

“Right, stay in formation,” the unicorn replied quietly, the twenty-strong group of pony Loyalists slowly dispersing into the fog, flanking the path on both sides.

“Come on, let’s keep moving,” Stephan muttered to the Crusaders.

“Yeah, Zecora’s stump ain’t that…” Applebloom started to yawn, catching her by surprise. “...ain’t that far. Oh, dang! Ah must’ve been more tired than Ah thought!”

“Great,” Sweetie Belle gave a yawn of her own, “You’re making it spread!”

“Haha!” Scootaloo still seemed to have some energy in her, and scampered ahead by a few paces. Almost immediately however her face showed some signs of exhaustion as well.

It didn’t take long for Stephan to notice how quickly the three fillies started to slow down, yawning and moving sluggishly. Likewise, he himself was beginning to feel drowsy, and he couldn’t stop himself from taking a moment to yawn before his ears caught the sound of a small body falling onto the ground.

“What?” he turned around to see Sweetie Belle laying on the ground, the little unicorn’s eyes blinking leadenly.

“S… Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom murred, laying down herself beside her prone friend’s head. “Is… something’s wrong.”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo gave a long yawn, struggling to stand. “I’m… so... tired.”

“Girls?” Stephan took a step closer, his heart beginning to pump as the gut feeling he had been having since entering the forest grew. He took a careful sniff of the air, frowning at the light scent that filled the air.

It was lavender, or something very much like it. But it wasn’t the season for flowers to be so heavily in bloom, not even in the Everfree. Despite that realisation, it took several painfully long seconds before his sluggish thoughts offered up another match for the smell.

‘Knockout gas.’ he realized, and with all the strength he could muster he pulled off his shirt, soaked it on some damp foliage, and wrapped it tightly around his face.

“Time to go,” he said as he took the three Crusaders into his arms, struggling under the cumulative weight of three small-ish horses.

“Drop the fillies, you filthy monkey!” a voice rang out, causing him to freeze, “Don’t you dare harm a hair on their heads!”

Stephan tried to blink his swirling vision clear. There was an earth pony standing on the path, an expression of total distain spread across his face. At his side were two armoured Royal Guards, both unicorns, their horns aglow.

“I said drop them,” the earthpony repeated, glaring at Stephan. “We are going to take a walk. You, me, and a few friends of mine.”

“Yeah... No.”

Scowling, he turned to flee into the treeline, catching his would-be-captors off guard. He didn’t know who they might be affiliated with, but he doubted they meant him well.

“After him!”

Stephan staggered his way through the forest. He still felt groggy from the knockout gas, but even disorientated as he was, he held the advantages that came with being descended from arboreal apes. His longer stride enabled him to simply step over obstacles his pursuers had to vault or scramble over, and while he stood taller than the average stallion, he was considerably narrower and could squeeze through tight gaps.

Man might fear the dark of the woods, but Man was born out of that dark.

Nonetheless, he was still struggling. Whatever they’d used to drug him had made him sluggish, though they were clearly amateurs with knockout gas. Beyond him possessing a body mass different to the average pony, it was hard to calculate a proper dosage with aerosol dispersant, and this stuff was heavier than air, meaning it had clung to the ground and affected the fillies first.

“Take a vacation he said, it will be relaxing, he said, leaping awkwardly over a log, cursing himself for not bringing weapons, and cursing Marcus ‘Messiah’ Renee as well. “This is not RELAXING!”

His eyes widened and he slid to a stop, just before he ducked his head from the flying tackle of a Royal Guard, the pegasus soaring past on an arc that slammed him into the ground. Stephan rushed away, the sound of clopping hooves pounding all around him in a orgy of sound.

“You can’t escape Equestrian justice, human!”

One unicorn charged out, unleashing several spells from his horn.

Stephan scowled as he rolled to the side from the magic being flung at him, then lost his footing and pitched into a small gully with a stream at the bottom. The CMC fell onto a small mud bar, and mumbling an apology to the three kids he scrambled to improvise a weapon. The stream bed was littered with stones, and snatching up the first to hand, Stephan hurled it at the unicorn.

The humble stone was Man’s first tool. With it he made shelter, fire, and weapons. It caught the unprepared stallion right across his glowing horn, breaking his concentration. From his screams, the backlash was evidently quite painful. Uncaring, Stephan turned as his next opponents revealed themselves. Rolling aside, he lashed out with a kick that tipped an earthpony mare over into the stream. Before she could get her legs under her, he threw his entire weight onto her back and held her head underwater, until her thrashing weakened to the point where she was no longer a threat. Stephan hurled her spluttering onto the bank and rose, soaked through but standing, the cold water helping him shake off the last effects of the knockout gas.

“I GOT HIM!” screamed a pegasus as she dive-bombed onto his back and wrapped her legs around his body. But instead of trying to fight her off, Stephan simply reached back, grabbed hold of her wing, and twisted it hard.

‘Pony training rarely accounts for taking on opponents with prehensile digits. I need to thank Queen Hedwig for teaching me that.’

The mare screeched as something popped in the wing root, loosening her grip enough for him to gain traction on her body and seize her other wing. Her eyes widened in shock as she was spun around, her body used like a bola that took out another pegasus as Stephan launched her off him, leaving both fliers in a heap on the ground. “ACK! I DON’T GOT HIM!”

Several more earthponies rushed in, heavy batons held in their mouths. With each surge they tried to surround him, but Stephan constantly exploited his bipedal ability to weave and dodge, evading every strike. He growled as he avoided a swipe of one baton and lashed out with a kick to one aggressor’s neck, nearly breaking it with the blow and dropping the stallion in question like a sack of rocks, a sight which left many of them flinching, mouths wide open.

Stephan dove for the downed pony’s baton, feinting to avoid another blow to the back. Once the baton was in his hand, he quickly turned around to smack the pink earth pony behind him, the weapon’s shaft connecting with the mare’s mouth in a sickening crack. She fell to the ground as she screamed in pain, clutching her bloody jaw

“Who else wants some!” Stephan roared, waved the bat in a display of primal fury. Many took a step back, except for the ringleader, who only seemed incensed.

“Sweet Celestia, it’s just one bucking primate!” Fuse bellowed at the others. He spun to the unicorn next to him. “Use what your pa’ gave ya, pinhead! When he’s defending himself, blast him!”

“Sir, I might hit one of–”

“If you miss, he’ll come for you next, and then your wife and foals!” Fuse growled, turning to the human with a snort. “I’ll give ya’n opening, better take the shot.”

“Yes, sir.”

‘I am out of my element,’ the unicorn thought. ‘I am soooooo out of my element.’

Stephan was growing desperate, his body becoming more sluggish as the fight wore on, not from any drugs, but simple exhaustion. It was getting harder and harder to avoid the blows, and his opponents were getting angrier as time went on.

“Enough!” declared the same brick-red earthpony, the leader of this group, rushed at him. “Out of the way! I’ll put ya’ down myself!”

The human scowled as he braced himself to absorb the charge, watching as the stallion rushed into the shallow water with a mad grin on his face.

… So imagine his surprise when the stallion gave a single loud whistle before dropping to the ground, sliding his entire body mass into Stephan’s legs.

Stephan himself barely had time to catch his balance, though the water around his legs was enough to keep him from toppling. Staggering, he tried to jerk himself aside as a glowing bolt of magic rushed at him. It wasn’t enough.

“Argh!” His left shoulder burst into pain as he was flung away from the stream, spinning through the air before landing on the ground, thrown over a dozen yards by the powerful spell. He struggled to rise, but his injured arm dangled uselessly. “Fuck.”

“Ha! See, that’s how you do it!” the stallion cooed, chuckling as he trotted forward, “Now then, monkey, let’s get you all nice and– urk!”

Stephan had once again resorted to basic tools, and snatched up a fallen branch, in effect a really thick wooden stick, which he used to bash the stallion across the skull. He lashed out with another kick to the stunned Royal Guard flanking him, catching him across the jaw and knocking him cold. The others were too stunned to react as he ran, cursing them in his native language.

“After him! Don’t let him escape!” the unicorn cried as he gave chase, a few following him.

Stephan held onto his shoulder, pushing past the pain as he ran from the ponies. Bolts of magic flew through the air, forcing him to dart through the trees to avoid being hit..

“Just like Schwarzwald,” he grunted.

Then a spell impacted him in the back as he struggled to climb the slope of the gully. His mind became foggy as sleep threatened to take him. Snarling, he pushed the spell back, his mental defenses struggling to keep him awake.

Stephan couldn’t avoid the second spell. Just as he reached the top of the slope, pure brute force slammed his back and sent him flying through the air. He tumbled over the far side into a new body of water, a larger, freezing flow that quickly pulled him under, churning him head over heels as he struggled to break the surface.

“Scheisse!” He broke into open air, only to slam into a rock, causing whatever air he’d gained to be lost as he was dragged back under.

‘Just my luck to hit the rapids…’

Desperately, he reached out for a handhold, and managed to grab some underwater weeds. But he felt it shift, and for one horrible moment, he thought it was going to break loose from the soil. And it did, only not in the way he expected, as he was suddenly lifted out of the water.

‘I say, that hurts!’

Something huge and alive rose up beneath him, and Stephan realised that what he’d grabbed hold of was hair. He felt sweet air on his face and took a breath, managing to lose his grip on whatever he’d grabbed hold of. Yet his bad luck continued as the being shook its head to dry its tresses, hurling him roughly onto the bank of the river.

“Loreal, it’s because you’re worth it,” the human muttered dazedly, guessing that he was most likely suffering from a concussion.

“Did somepony speak? Oh my goodness, are you alright?”

Stephan opened his eyes, struggling to his feet, but his body was too battered from the hellish last few minutes. He slumped back down and, looking up, decided that he was definitely suffering from a concussion. How else could he have hallucinated up a plum-purple dragon sporting the most fabulous bouffant imaginable?

‘Wait? When did I have that depth of imagination… oh crap, this thing is real!’

“H...He…” he coughed, trying to speak, but the spells, bruises and chemicals were finally wearing him down, so all he could do was groan and motion for the creature to come closer. Anything with such terrible taste just had to be friendly...

“Ah, you got him!” somepony called out, and with his cheek lying flat on the ground, Stephan felt the tramp of approaching hooves.

“Oh my, Royal Guards!” exclaimed the whatyamaycallit. “Whatever are you boys doing here?”

Stephan glared up at the pegasus, his expression hidden from the giant serpent.

“Hail and well-met, river serpent!” called the guardspony. “Never mind us, this poor fellow fell into the river up ahead, got excited to see the Castle and all that and the loon fell off the bridge.”

“Really? He seems… a tad more beat-up than that.”

“Well, there are rapids that he no doubt passed through. Poor human fellow might’ve hit a few rocks on the way.”

“Oh my, is this an actual, mythical human!” said the river-serpent. “I admit I was hoping to see one with mine own eyes, but not like this.” He gave a mournful howl. “Oh my, this is just terrible! Spykoran ordered me to prepare to fight alongside the humans, and now one’s gotten his poor wee self hurt on my patch of river! And here’s me trying to rally myself for a fight in the sea with the rest of the serpents.”

“The wyrm– I mean, the Dragon King ordered that?”

“Oh yes, shame about what is going on in this fellow’s world. Real shame. I’m meant to join the good fight in some place called Bas-Tianne, sounds most exotic.”

“Yeah, sure,” muttered the guardspony. “Listen, we have to take our ‘buddy’ here with us now.”

“Oh yes, yes of course. Do see that he gets better, won’t you?.”

“G-get…” Stephan struggled to speak as several more legs appeared into view.

“Well, ave atque vale and all that!” the serpent called out, splashing back into the river with a parting wave. “TTFN!”

“Wow ‘buddy’, sure took one for the team huh?” a voice spoke up, sarcasm clear in his voice. “How about you take some time off, get some sleep?”

Stephan felt the magic hit his back, his vision growing dark as the spell took effect. “Guh…”

“Take him to the safehouse so we can prepare the interrogation. Here’s to freeing Equestria from every last of the alien invaders.”

“Indeed, my friend!”

‘Ihr elende Bastarde…’ were Stephan’s last thoughts before he blacked out.

Catseye paced all around the edge of her living room, on edge.

“We can’t wait much longer,” she said. “Corporal Strategy, Icewind told me you had an eye for patterns and direction. If there’s anything to be done about those devices they’re building, it has to be done now.”

Getting up from the couch, Exit Strategy walked to look out of the apartment's window. In the distance, she could see the smokes and fumes of Baltimare’s industrial district. An airship was drifting towards that little slice of Tartarus, probably to touchdown in one of the many warehouses that had been repurposed for the war effort. Civilian aerostats, which she’d been told were precursors of the Solar Empire’s potioneer ships, hovered through the skies, pegasi daredevils and couriers with what were presumably important messages flying dangerously close to them. Someone was playing music nearby.

The charts and diagrams the Weaver had left her with disquieted her deeply. Say what you will about humans, Strategy mused privately, they did not lack for ingenuity or skill. And with the resources of Equus now at their disposal, their allied pony insurgents could go through with designs that had remained trapped in the theoretical stage back on Earth. Some well-placed shielding and additional protection would make these new airships a tough nut to crack, if that was the right expression.

“I can get you the details for the layout of the central warehouses,” she told Catseye. “As well as the local guards’ shifts...”

For Catseye, worst of all were the weapons. She had friends, or at least acquaintances, who were involved in those factories. One pegasus, Feather Light, had given her to understand that there was a party of ponies and apes advocating Equestria mass-produce firearms with magical enhancements, from mere handguns up to an unholy behemoth they referred to as the MG-2023. The Equestria she knew was collapsing before her eyes, crumbling as factories and armies and entire cities sprouted from the homeland’s sanctified soil. In a year or two, she might not even recognize her home.

“It won’t be quick or easy,” continued Strategy. “Since it’ll require time for me to research the Baltimare municipal archives, probably bribe an overseer or two. But give me a clear goal and I can do it faster than you’d think. Now–”

She was cut off mid-sentence as the secret keeper around Catseye’s neck began to hum lightly.

Catseye stared down at it, pushing her glasses back up her muzzle anxiously. “That shouldn’t be happening, not this early in the week. We haven’t got another meeting scheduled until next week!”

“Then I guess somepony’s calling,” Strategy said testily. Catseye, for all her bluster, hadn’t grown into the veritable horse-shoes of her counterpart. She was working to be a leader, but she hadn’t grown used to unpredictability. “Better see who it is, Miss. It could be urgent.”

Nodding, Catseye cast her aura upon the marble she wore. It was in moments like these that she felt glad that, whatever else she allegedly was, she had been born a unicorn. The secret keepers were designed to respond to the powers of all three tribes, yet a horn was a far more practical conduit to work magic on a little glass bead, rather than wings or bare hooves.

The hum stopped. “Hello?” she said. “This is Doctor Catseye. Please state your name and business.”

“No need to be quite that formal,” whispered Strategy, rolling her eyes, but Catseye ignored the military mare.

“Hello, Doc,” a familiar voice grunted out. “Have I got an update for ya.”

At the sound of the voice, Strategy’s own horn lit to activate her secret keeper, establishing three-way communication. “Mister Fuse,” she cut in. “I’d suggest you follow her advice, and state your business better than you do your name. This had better be important.”

“Oh, believe me, tin girl,” chortled Fuse, recognizing the guardspony, “I’s caught a big fish, so I have.”

“Explain. Now,” demanded Catseye, vaguely unnerved by Short Fuse’s tone.

In response, her marble glowed, and a slightly curved two-dimensional image projected onto the wall at the far side of the room. Both mares’ eyes widened in shock at seeing the bruised and unconscious human form lying on the floor.

“That’s, that’s Major Bauer,” breathed Strategy. “The beast Renee’s second-in-command. Good grief, I was training under him not two days ago! What on Equus is this?”

Fuse’s voice emanated from the marble again. “I’d say this ‘ere is a good update, ain’t that so?”

Strategy glanced at Catseye. “Miss, though I hate to say it, the ruffian may be onto something. This may just turn out to be a highly effective pre-emptive strike. Remove Bauer, and you cut the head off of the Alliance’s training program.”

“Not enough to stop them entirely,” Catseye gasped in awe. “But definitely enough to cripple them. It could even slow them down long enough for the Empire to arrive.”

“Assuming nothing finds him first.”

“Yes,” said Catseye, biting her lip. “Fuse. Where did you capture it?”

“Everfree Forest. Outskirts of Ponyville.”

“Seems fitting,” Catseye muttered to herself. “It’s where all the trouble started, as usual. Okay,” she continued. “That really isn’t so bad. In fact, I daresay it’s the best possible thing. Nopony in that town’s going to wonder twice about any funny business going on. But are you sure no one saw you?”

“Ah, no biggie,” Fuse chuckled. “We got the fillies back to Ponyville.”

Catseye’s whole body tensed. “What fillies?

"Some three fillies what were with the hoomin’, Cutie Mark Creators or somethin’. Not important. They’ll be back home and none the wiser. Stupid parents’ll probably wonder where the human went off to, and leave it at that.”

“Cutie Mark Creators,” repeated Catseye. “Corporal, isn’t that the name of some new-fangled club for the young?”

Strategy rubbed her head. “Um, let me see… I can’t remember seeing that name in any registers, but it does ring a bell. Wait, ‘bell’… ah. Now I’ve got it. There was this recent minor scandal involving some paparazzo taking a snapshot of Princess Celestia eating cake. Turned out they were working for a trio of fillies looking for a career in tabloid journalism. Ponyvillians, of course.”

“Ponyvillians?”

“Yes.”

“But how does a country bumpkin go get a picture of Prin–”

“That isn’t important right now,” Strategy interrupted. “What I seem to recall is that one of the fillies had the word ‘apple’ in her name. And in that little town, the name Apple means a lot.”

Catseye blanched as realization hit her. “Worse than that,” she whispered. Barely keeping check on her quivering voice, she addressed Fuse. “You short-sighted buffoon! At least one of those fillies is linked to the Bearers of Harmony! Maybe even two of them! This’ll bring the PHL down on you before you know what bucked you in the face!”

“Oh, flaming Tartarus,” swore Fuse. “What’s to be done?!”

“Damned if I know!” Catseye shrieked. “It’s your steaming mess, you clean it up! We’re not ready to move yet, let alone stage a defence in the event we’re exposed ahead of time! Do you have any idea what the humans and their PHL thralls will do to us if they catch us?”

Actually, neither of them did, but they’d heard about the strange experiments that went on, and assumed that they’d have some horribly melodramatic fate related to them.

“Miss. Calm down.”

Strategy’s cool, professional tone cut through Catseye’s haze of panic. “We still hold an advantage here. They do not know where Bauer is, and they won’t for a day at most. It’s a narrow window of action, but we can act within it.”

“To do what?” asked Catseye, struggling to hold back shivers. She could feel herself start to sweat. “The way I see it, we’re saddled with a dangerous creature that could escape at any minute, and we’ve either got a day to get caught or a whole month to wait it out!”

“Exactly. In other words, this is a hostage situation.”

“Hostage situation?” Catseye echoed numbly. “The whole point of taking a hostage is…”

“To threaten to kill them. Yes. You’re not supposed to, if that helps, but you’re meant to use them as leverage.”

Fuse’s voice piped up to add his two cents. “And I’ll tell ya straight, Miss. I was plannin’ on takin’ him out at first. But then I recalled what ya said, and chose to contact ya first. Thought ya’d like it.”

Catseye took several deep breaths. “I appreciate that, I really do, Mister Fuse. It’s good to know some of my words got through that skull of yours. But I should have told you something else… I don’t like surprises.”

She heard him mutter something inaudible on the other end.

“Look, look, you did well, I just wish you’d planned for it. I’ll call you back. Just hang on there, and whatever you do, don’t move,” said Catseye, shutting off the connection, twitching in barely suppressed anxiety, wishing she could just scream and vent her rage into something. “Corporal Strategy,” she continued. “I respect you and Icewind’s experience, but surely you cannot be serious about taking hostages? That’s what the bad guys do.”

“Sorry to contradict you, Miss, I am serious,” the military mare said quietly. “It’s what you do to win. Besides, let’s think things through. Most hostage takers have no idea of knowing when their goals will be met. We do. A month or so. And if we can hold out until then, it won’t result in the hostage’s death, either.”

Catseye considered this. Yes, the point had merit. After all, this was what they were fighting for. To help the great Queen Celestia in imparting a merciful gift upon a corrupt race. And it might indeed spare them the perhaps riskier course of committing sabotage. Even so, sabotage was planned out and premeditated. This was not, and could go wrong in so many ways.

“It isn’t like they haven’t openly declared what they’d do to us if this came out,” she started. “Max Velocity told me they make it a matter of pride of not negotiating with criminals, especially the kind who take hostages.”

“Such rubbish,” Strategy said icily. “I’ve read their history. Those who claim not to negotiate with criminals have done so time and again, even helped set up criminal governments. But whatever,” pursued the military mare, sitting back down. “Vicious as humans are, they’re not stupid. If they think Bauer’s in danger of death, they won’t go in all guns-a-blazing.”

“‘Guns-a-blazing’?”

“My apologies, it’s an expression. Spend too much time around some people, you cotton on to their slang. Anyway, if we nudge this in the right direction, this could still turn into a good parallel plan to go with our act of sabotage. Even if Bauer can’t be held indefinitely, it will distract the PHL.”

“All fine and good,” Catseye stated tiredly, uncomfortably sitting down opposite her. “Only that doesn’t explain how to keep them from tracing all this back to us.”

“Easy. Sever ties and treat it as a rogue operation. Cut the strings.”

From the opposite couch, Catseye looked at her as though seeing her for the first time. “You’re… you’re suggesting we let Fuse take the fall?” she said weakly.

“Why not?” Strategy replied, far too calmly. It felt almost like an affectation. Almost. “It’s his hot-headedness that caused this mess in the first place. In my opinion, guy deserves to reap what he sows, as it were.”

Catseye flinched. “Corporal,” she said, composing herself with effort. “I don’t especially like him. But he’s a pony. Calls himself a family stallion. Obviously somepony does love him, and he loves them back. He’s not the only who’ll suffer if this goes wrong.”

“Which is why he should have gone through you first,” finished Strategy. “Let me tell you that in the military, we have no room for insubordination. The chain of command is there for a reason.”

“But this isn’t the military! We’re meant to be stopping Equestria from going to war, not behaving like a… like guerillas!”

Strategy folded her forehooves across one another. “Miss, we are already at war. We’ve been at war since that night when you called for us to ‘rise up and cast out the beast-demon Man’. So, the chips are down. And now you play. The PHL, though… they have experience at playing harder, so we’re not going to get anywhere by foalhoofing around.”

“Okay, okay…” Catseye gestured her hooves for a timeout. “Suppose, just suppose, mind you, I did decide to abandon Fuse and his ponies. And then, suppose, they get captured. What about the secret keepers? A mind mage worthy of the name could track us all down if they got their hooves on one.”

“Well,” said Strategy. “You know what to do about that.”

Catseye looked down. “Contact the Weaver?”

“Contact the Weaver,” confirmed Strategy, holding a hoof to her secret keeper. “It isn’t hard. One word from you, and behold, the protective charms will vanish into thin air, without a trace.”

“Leaving behind a lot of ponies with gaps in their memories at the hands of the humans,” Catseye said quietly.

Yet maybe it was best to seize this escape route, though she didn’t like it, and privately, she also had to admit to being a little scared of the hooded noblemare. Still looking down, she rubbed her forehead to nurse a growing headache. “So, so I guess we’re not all doomed. I guess… I... I don’t know. I’d really like to talk this over with Icewind...”

“Do it this way, it can pass off as the deed of a bunch of fools who got lucky,” Strategy warned. “Stick by them, and you risk all we’ve worked towards. I’ll adhere to your decision either way. But Sergeant Icewind would tell you the same.”

“No. I don’t think he would,” said Catseye, looking up again with sudden resolve. “Icewind dared talk back to Nightmare Moon. And Fuse gave him guff for it, but in the end, he chose to throw in his lot for the cause. Corporal, you may turn out to be right about what to do… yet what sort of Loyalists are we if we can’t show loyalty to our own ponies?”

Woven Within Details

Authors:

Redskin122004

ProudToBe

VoxAdam

Editors:

TB3

DoctorFluffy

KizunaTallis

Sledge115

Bendy

‘The Forest is Discord's church.’

The thought crossed Pina’s mind, unbidden and unwarranted.

She was not supposed to let herself get distracted. Her task demanded that she stay focused. When, sitting at a café table on the village square, keeping a lookout for the little group composed of three fillies, one mare and one man, she'd spotted the twitchy-looking stallions in the process of doing the same, but with less discretion or rigorous method, her instincts had immediately signaled her that trouble was afoot.

Then why hadn't she gone to warn either Bauer or Lulamoon of the danger brewing? She'd overheard the conspirators talk of using stolen knockout gas. Deduced that they were waiting for the couple to split up, for when they'd be at their most vulnerable. No great surprise either that two hardened professionals, who'd faced what they'd faced on Earth, were sure to venture into the Everfree Forest at some point during their visit of Ponyville. To them, almost a lovely evening stroll in the park. What better location to lay in wait for an ambush?

It was what she’d have done.

‘Still. Lucky them. Very lucky. Did not expect that. Pretty good trick the big red one pulled off. Slamming into Bauer’s legs like he did. Brutal. But headstrong. Unplanned. No modus operandi. So just plain lucky in the end.’

Witnessing the slapdash way these ponies charged blindly at a practiced military man had made her feel almost insulted by such an amateurish display. It reminded her of why she preferred going up against natural-born Imperial troops back on Earth, rather than Newfoals. Smiling zombies provided no challenge other than attrition. Clogging the guns with bodies, as one Ukrainian soldier had said. With a little training, one could easily cut a swathe through them like butter. Same with these goons, whoever they were. Newfoals were boring. Expecting Bauer to wipe the forest floor with his assailants was boring.

And Pina did not like being bored.

‘But now we have a hostage situation. Things are getting interesting.’

Following Bauer and Lulamoon from afar hadn't been boring. In fact, it had been such a long time since she'd allowed herself to do something like that, she'd had to remind herself several times she was meant to be watching out for their safety. Not for the first time, Pina silently said her thanks for having learnt adherence to The Rules. The Rules made life less complicated.

Sadly, The Rules also required her not to be alone in this kind of situation, for the good of everyone concerned, and herself most of all. She would need to call for backup soon. Suppressing a groan of dissatisfaction, Pina pressed her face against the dry, hard earth. She wanted to be alone just a while longer, lurking in waiting beneath the dense green foliage of the forest's undergrowth, surveying her next theater of operations.

In this place, the myth of a kindly, nurturing Mother Nature came to die an agonized death.

‘The spider snares the fly and the lizard eats the spider. They kill and die. It is their way.’

The creatures of the forest would fight and kill and die for food. For territory. For sex. And sometimes, they would kill for fun. As Thomas Hobbes had so finely put it, they led lives that were “nasty, brutish and short”.

She liked it here. This was her world.

Below, the ones she’d marked out as the next subjects of her attentions were milling around a squat little red building. They couldn’t see her, but from this uphill vantage point, she could see them. Satisfied that her scouting had provided her with sufficient intel for now, Pina began typing the message on her laptop.

Equestria, Icewind mused, was known for being, if not a land of milk and honey, nor anything so outright saccharine as cotton candy, at least a land where food and drink were always sweet to the tongue and replenishing for the soul. That particular bubble burst quite quickly on one's first evening as a rookie of the Royal Guard.

An army marches on its stomach, they say, but what they don't mention is that the trick lies in keeping the troops on edge, seeking a satisfaction in the heat of the action which they wouldn't necessarily get during their downtime. It wasn't that the rations were indigestible – no point in weakening the nation's defenses, after all – just that they were, well, rations.

The military’s utilitarian mindset required paring down everything to bare necessities. Just like how the shiny, squeaky-clean armor – little more than a far more durable dress uniform – worn by Royal Guards on parade bore little resemblance to equipment dented and battered from years of absorbing blows, so too did one bid farewell to blueberry pie in the evenings, replaced by hastily-assembled meals of raw oats and potatoes. All good for a healthy young recruit's body, and all lacking in much grace or delight, for those were not deemed essential.

‘The things one does for one’s country,’ thought Icewind. ‘I’d be lying if I claimed getting kicked out of all that didn't have its perks. But still, hopefully I can get back in soon, or else  there won't be a country to call home anymore. No more pie, or fine tea like this...’

A delicate rattling of china brought him back to reality, for Chamomile had just set down the tray with a kettle and two cups on the table. Not for the first time, Icewind felt a slight pang of jealousy towards one Winter Truce. The elegant manner with which the mare tipped her cream-colored wings to slide that tray off her back while never turning her back on him, the customer, marked her as a most desirable source and target of affection since colthood.

“There you go, sir,” the pretty young mare smiled, “Two glasses of rooibos. It was a perennial favorite of yours, wasn't it, Icewind? You'll be glad to hear that with all these newcomers visiting our fair capital, it's become easier to get my hooves on some vitals for the shop.”

As he politely raised his glass to her while she sat down, Icewind tried not to dwell on the fact it was no coincidence she'd reminded him that the same tea he liked was made of exotic leaves, in this case imported from the Punda Miliashariki tribe of plains zebras.

‘A soft voice and some well-chosen words are a proper lady's tools,' he thought. 'Oh, darn. Was about to think 'weapons' instead there. What has soldiering done to my mind? Get a grip, lad, Chamomile Brew most certainly isn't an enemy.’

But though Icewind knew that, whichever way the wind may blow after this conversation, he could trust her not to let anything slip, this reminded him again of why he'd never formed an enduring romantic attraction for his old schoolfriend, unlike Winter.

‘She's too demure and well-mannered, somehow, if that makes sense. To my taste, anyway. Outspokenness in a girl, now, that's what I prefer. Somepony who's got some fire burning inside, who's quick to let you know if she likes you, and... I'm getting sidetracked here. Focus, this isn't a meeting about the allures of the opposite sex, you hopeless romantic fool...’

Try as he might, however, his thoughts kept drifting back to a certain red-maned unicorn… and the intriguing academic who had recently come into his life. Now there was a soul that burned like fire, perhaps bright enough for something special to flourish. Oh, be still, beating hearts...

“So tell me, Icewind,” said Chamomile. “Now that you’re no longer in the Guard, how have you been keeping yourself afloat these past two months?”

“Odd jobs,” Icewind said neutrally. “I get by.”

Chamomile nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. Forgive me for being so forward, but when news reached me of your resignation, I felt concerned. Under any other circumstances, you know I'd have Papa's ear to turn toward for help.” She sighed, displaying the first sign of discomfort since he’d entered her teashop. Even though he'd taken care to send her advance notice, Icewind couldn't shake the feeling she'd mostly agreed to this meeting for old times’ sake.

“But,” the mare continued quietly, “these are strange days.”

“I don't expect Captain Fields to be very happy with me," Icewind said truthfully. “If he supported my decision, he'd already have given me the word.” He paused for an instant, reflecting on how to best proceed. “Your father is Shining Armor's elder. He was engaged in fierce skirmishes with the dragons and minotaurs when our current High Captain was still wet behind the ears.”

“Don’t remind me,” she said, suppressing a shudder. “It makes for some exciting storytelling by the evening hearthfire, I'll grant you that, and I long for him to keep at it well into his old age. But there’s always that shadow lurking beneath Papa’s tales, a lingering hint that he could well have never been around to tell them.”

Icewind briefly thought about reassuring her that the rate of deaths in action for the Royal Guard were low nowadays, but decided against it. Chamomile knew this, she wouldn't appreciate him thinking her so impressionable, and it ran counter to his goals.

“It’s good he was, though," Icewind said instead. “Else two schoolcolts wouldn’t have first been inspired to swear everlasting loyalty to Celestia.”

“You boys, I swear. A right pair you were,” replied Chamomile, tracing her hoof in a circle around the tablecloth. “It’s the only thing you ever fully agreed upon. Dreams of growing up to be a Guard one day.” Her brow wrinkled slightly upon the last phrase. “What made you cast that aside?”

No point holding back any longer. “We were sworn to defend Equestria from monsters, not join forces with them against fellow ponies,” he said, forcibly keeping his indignation from showing. “Listen to me. I know things may still seem just about normal right now, but it’s going to get a whole lot worse if nothing's done.”

“You mean the humans.”

“What else could it be? Nopony in Equestria is safe with them around.”

Chamomile took another sip of her tea, obviously contemplating all this, before she next replied. “Icewind…” she began tentatively, “Do you quite realize what you’re saying? By calling humans ‘monsters’, you're suggesting everyone who chooses to associate with them is blinkered and blind somehow. Us ponies who want to help them, and all other species lumped together.”

“Eh? No, that’s…”

“My friend, please," Chamomile raised a placating hoof, "Think to when we foals, all three of us. Back in the old town, Vanhoover. Don't you remember the magic of visitors from another land?”

Taken by her words, Icewind did think back. Vanhoover, his beloved birthplace, home to some of the greatest winter marvels Equestria had to offer. The Three-Days Wrap-Up, the Great Snowflake Delivery, and of course...

“The reindeer. Yes. Who could forget the reindeer?” A fond smile of reminiscence crept across his face. “But that’s different. The reindeer aren't... they…” Icewind’s smile dissipated as understanding dawned on him. “Oh.”

“Mmh,” said his companion, who’d begun to lightly stir the remnants of her tea with a spoon. “Dragons, griffons, zebras... we ponies have all felt a bit scared of them once in our lives. Yet have you met anypony who doesn't love the reindeer?”

Icewind folded his forehooves across his chest. “Actually, yes. So have you. Remember when Winter’s father left, and he asked for Sint to ‘bring my daddy back’ for Hearthswarming?”

“Oh, come on now," Chamomile chided him. “That was just a one-time thing, and you know he was going through a rough patch in his life.”

“It still did something to him for nearly a whole year,” replied Icewind, unfolding his forehooves while shaking his head. “He’s never been the greatest hit with people, but seeing what happened to his family made him go real tight-lipped and unfriendly.”

“I know. For a while, it drove me further apart from him than it did you. He was acting so, well, awful that I started asking myself if it's possible to get on Sint’s Naughty List just for being hard to hang around, if not for doing bad things in particular.”

“Yeah..." Icewind tried for a wry grin. “Sometimes I think it was good for Winter that I didn’t always pay much attention in class. Because he stuck to helping me out there, even if he could be terribly snide and rude, it ended up helping him back out of his shell.”

“A nice present for Hearthswarming probably helped too,” added Chamomile with a smile.

“Indeed. But that’s just it. Remember what that reindeer doe… what was her name, Ren, said when we asked if they could make us a present to offer somepony we weren't sure had been very nice this year?”

“Yes,” nodded Chamomile, finishing the stirring. “It’s the kind of phrase that stays with you.” She paused for thought. “‘We are givers. The Allfather and his Snow Maiden may have a good eye for the righteous and the unrighteous, but who discerns between deserving and undeserving? Can you tell me if a world where only those who are kind must be shown kindness, and those who are cruel must be shown only cruelty in return, is a deserving world?’”

“Pretty heavy stuff," he commented, “for her to lay down on two kids just looking for a present to help their friend be himself again…”

She shrugged. “I’ve asked myself since then, but if the reindeers are givers, who gives to them? Do they count our love and gratitude as something we give in return? Or would they still give, without expecting to receive anything back, just from the love in their hearts? I know that not all reindeer quite agree with the Allfather’s principles, though they defer to his age and wisdom.”

Despite finding himself wrapped up by her words, the thought occurred to Icewind that they were getting somewhat side-tracked. “Chamomile... thanks. That’s some of the nicest stuff I've been given to think about lately, believe me. But it shows what needs to be saved.”

“There aren’t anymore of them, you know.”

Her voice had been so low, Icewind almost didn’t pick up her words. “Excuse me?”

“No more reindeer,” she repeated sadly. “In the other universe. The Tyrant killed them all.”

Icewind frowned deeply. “Where did you hear that?” When Chamomile didn't immediately reply, he guessed the truth. "Oh, for the love of–”

With effort, he restrained himself. “Listen, I know you’re smarter than that. This sounds just like the kind of ridiculous story cooked up by dubious folk to smear the other side because they felt insecure about their own righteousness.”

Over the rim of her almost-empty glass, she looked at him with gentle, tired eyes. “The Snow Maiden has called for our reindeer to stand beside the humans. Only one reason I can imagine for the people of Adlaborn to bestow the gift of death upon anyone. The alternative would need to be far, far worse.”

Having given his own glass a little shake, Icewind finished draining his the last of his tea. “I wouldn’t be so sure. You said so yourself, the reindeer's culture is based on giving. Maybe now we’re witnessing the downside to it. Their generosity will lead them to follow whatever mad plans the frenzied species of Equus have dreamt into being.”

Chamomile said nothing, but he was sure the look she gave him was one of pity.

“You can’t talk like humans are the innocent victims here,” he insisted. “They’re meat-eaters. Doesn’t that bother you, just a little?”

The mare sat back, glancing away from him. “I can’t say that the thought strikes me as very appetizing...” she admitted softly. “Doubtless I’ll never quite understand carnivores and their ways. Yet I remember what my friend Valencia... you know, the one who does volunteer work for the animal caretakers’ guild... explained to me one time. Working with small creatures lends you an intimacy with the cycle of life…”

‘The circle of life?’ Icewind echoed privately. ‘Why does that sound familiar?’

“They teach you how to catch fish and feed them to carnivores, or to feed worms to birds,” pursued Chamomile. Her gaze drifted for a second, “the first thing they show you is a nature film. Some naturalist managed to capture an otter catching and sharing a trout with her young, and as they eat it alive, the fish’s belly splits open and spills out a mess of shiny eggs, which the baby otters climb over each other to get to, and gobble up like a delicacy.”

Mother and child dining on mother and child. Icewind turned a little green at the imagery, and she laughed softly.

“That’s nature at work, Ice,” she chided. “It doesn’t hold itself to our standards. In fact, if you want to work with animals, you’ve got to learn to work according to their needs, not to our wants. A caretaker is taught to show the same compassion for the most vicious predator as for the cutest baby rabbit. Though Valencia says she’s only ever heard of a single mare live up to that ideal, Fluttershy. Funnily enough, she's said to be a pegasus, not an earth pony like most ponies in the guild.”

“Why’s that funny?”

“Because we pegasi are, culturally, stewards of the weather, not caregivers. We’re accustomed to bending natural forces to useful ends, not bending themselves to accommodate nature’s needs. But clouds are easy to push around. It’s all just air pressures and humidity levels. Predation and biology however won’t confirm to our demands. Gut instinct and metabolic truths can’t be manipulated as easily as the weather, which is something most pegasi have trouble adjusting to. Farm ponies have a first-hoof understanding of that reality, hence why most animal caregivers are earth ponies. Fluttershy is the great exception.”

“Yeah, that’s all fine and good,” Icewind said, suddenly very quiet. “Have you been there?”

She blinked in confusion. “Where?”

“Caught in nature’s grasp, at the mercy of the beast,” he elaborated somberly. “I have. During Captain Armor's wedding to Princess Cadenza. When Chrysalis and her offspring brought the shield down and swarmed Canterlot. We in the Guard weren't prepared for something like that... they soon had us all covered in green slime, helpless to do anything except watch as the roaches went after fleeing, screaming civilians.”

His hoof reached out for the glass, only to pull away when he realized it was empty. “Me and Winter were stationed at a secondary entrance to the throne room. The Queen Roach herself passed us by, once, after she was done cocooning Celestia. On her way, she slowed, and turned her gaze to us…” A shudder ran down the length of his spine. “I swear to you... looking into those eyes... you remember what it means to be prey.”

“You might want to talk to a Hippologist about that experience, Ice,” she responded gently. “Sounds like you tapped into a little racial memory there, the old flight-or-fight response from back before we were sentient, back when we were just simple grazers.”

‘Hippology? Isn’t that Catseye’s subject of study….’

No! He shook his head and growled, meeting her gaze. “I don’t want to ever go through that again. And I don’t think Winter would ever dream of it. We’re ponies, we’ve evolved to hold ourselves to a higher standard than nature asked of us, but fighting a war on the behalf of predators will reduce us back to fearful animals…to livestock!”

And that was when he knew that, whatever her reservations, whatever her sympathies, the idea had began to worm its way into Chamomile’s brain – that her Winter may be like the proverbial fieldmouse in a griffon's sights, an unknowing victim destined for the slaughter.

He sat up. “We need to see each other again soon. Together with Winter. For old time’s sake.”

“Yes,” she agreed evenly, holding out her hoof for him to shake. “We should. But most of all, I think you need help getting this out of your system. Is there a special somepony in your life?”

“Not right now, no…” Icewind replied after a short hesitation.

“Perhaps there ought to. You're passionate, Icewind, yet I worry over where your passions may end up leading you. I believe the doe said it best about showing kindness only to the kindest... It's Equestria's boundless capacity for love and making our own light in the darkness that has got us through so much in the past.”

The mare held Icewind’s hoof in her own, with a concerned look in those warm, hazel-colored eyes of her.

“Please, don't forget that.”

On his way back up the Boulevard, Icewind was still mulling over her words when he felt the secret keeper hum from within his saddlebags.

Seated at the coffee table, Vinyl Scratch was feeling relaxed in the light of Celestia’s Sun. The rays streamed into Donut Joe’s through the wide glass windows that faced out onto the morning hustle and bustle of Canterlot’s Grand Boulevard. Sitting here in the sun, watching normal ponies going about their everyday lives, was a strange deal... rejuvenating, that was the best word to describe it. A weird thought, but not an unpleasant one. It had been far too long since she’d had a chance to relax like this.

I'm lyin’ in bed, can’t sleep, cuz I’m

Tryin’ to think, when did we last speak?

I left you on hold? So untrue.

Just been working so hard, like you know I do.

It’s taking a toll, it seems.

And our friendship is cold, with how long it's been.

I need you to know, just this

It’s not only you who’s feelin’.

Always hard when we’re

Miles apart!/but

don't you start/ thinkin’

I’m not there for you!

I’ll come runnin’, yea, I’ll come runnin’ to you!

I’ll come runnin’, yea, I’ll come runnin’ back!

I’ll come runnin’, yea, I’ll come runnin to you

In fact, truth be told, out of all the weirdness of these past few years, this and the experience of listening to a mare you’d seen die – not a recording, an honest, live broadcast – over the radio counted as the good kind of weird. And the instrumentals were provided by, unmistakably, her.

But what could this mean? It's surreal.

Amen to that. It sure as Tartarus was.

Going out of my way, ‘cuz of how I feel.

And what will they think of me?

When I say it’s you I'm runnin’ to!

No Newfoals, no totem-proles, no secret police, no mind healers that promised to erase your guilt but who instead wiped away your entire self and buried your memories, no food shortage lines under opulent buildings, none of that terrible flat, pallid light that seemed to be everywhere.

Absent-mindedly picking up what was left of the donut which she'd been stirring in her coffee cup for the last five minutes –Tavi always did prefer tea, she recalled suddenly – and taking a nibble out of the soggy remnant, the DJ forced herself to hold back a tear. It wouldn't do to stain her shades.

No, scratch that. If she couldn't face her feelings here, where could she face them? Here was Equestria as it was meant to be.

I’m not scared!

And my heart’s laid bare,

So wait just there,

And I'll come straight to you.

Vinyl had first come to this wonderful coffee shop run by a heavyset, easygoing stallion, in the company of Pinkie Pie - the real Pinkie - after the Royal Wedding, and it had kinda become a permanent fixture for them.

Boy, those were good days, hours spent at this very table doing nothing except planning raves and throw-downs for ponies across the land, ponies in sore need of more wubs in their lives. She felt sure Isaac would have loved Pinkie...

‘But then,’ scowled the DJ, a dark look crossing her features, ‘if it weren’t for the Element Bearers, he and his doctor friend wouldn't be busy right now maintaining that museum exhibition on why harmony needed to be restored on Earth.’

Indeed, the major change in the scenery at good old Donut Joe's was the hulking biped currently sitting across the table from her. Perhaps not as close a bud as Acevedo, but a hella guy nonetheless, and more importantly, a constant reminder of how far away she truly was from the Equestria of her innocence.

Marcus took a great big gulp from whatever unholy, black, thickly steaming beverage he'd taken to consuming lately. “It’s hard for coffee to have an effect, so I settle for this,” the Marine explained, wiping his chin as he looked over at Vinyl uneasily.

Both of them stared at each other for a second, not sure what else to do. She could tell that Marcus, in a way, wanted her to be angry at him. Almost wished her to yell at him over how badly he’d screwed up. It would have been closure, of a sort.

“You okay?” asked Vinyl.

“No,” Marcus replied, awkwardly placing that cup down. “It’ll be great to use all this..." he said, gesturing at the damn runic transformation she was still getting used too, the tattoos that had overtaken his body. She knew his control was getting better everyday, but in fits of strong emotions he tended to lose it, as she knew from bitter experience. “And great to go bare-fisted up the Tyrant, but…”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow.

He sighed. “I lost a lot of things... your trust being one of them.”

“Yeah, you kind of did," she said bluntly. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Holding back a curse, Vinyl hurried to add, “We've all lost... someone... or somepony.” She tried not to choke.

Marcus placed his palms on the table, an oddly demure gesture for such an imposing man. “You’re still thinking about Octavia, aren't you?”

“Every day, Marcus,” Vinyl whispered. “When I tuck myself in at night, my back pressed against the wall, the very last thing I see behind my eyelids is her falling, falling, all those storeys... she never stood a chance, even if that recliner hadn’t... hadn’t cr–”

This time, there was no point trying to hide it. Vinyl took off her shades and wiped her eyes. She felt sure they weren’t actually wet, though, and this was now just a reflexive move on her part, her routine for whenever Tavi was brought up. And it scared her more than most things.

Silently, she put her shades back on. “No, I don’t trust you like I did before. I'm sorry, Commander, but it’s true. But I know why you felt you had to do it.”

Marcus gave one brief, grim nod, reaching for his cup. “Mmh-hmm. All things considered, you took it pretty well.”

If he’d come here to apologize, on the other hand, this wasn't going too well.

“I’m sorry for what happened, alright?” he said, trying and failing to not to sound bitter. “For everything I did that day. It was wrong, and I could have killed Acevedo. I don’t… I don’t want to think about what could have happened, if it got worse.”

“It’s not just me you need to apologize to,” Vinyl said quietly, trying to distract herself by thinking of what other high-fructose crap she could order of off Joe’s menu. The rotund stallion in question was at his usual position behind the counter, sorting through pastries, keeping himself at a respectful distance from the two warriors from another world.

‘Two strangers. Yeah, that’s depressing. All right, let’s bury the pain, I owe myself a good binge. Another donut? Or maybe some of those fancy croissants? Tavi loved those...’

“Right,” said Marcus, counting off names. “Acevedo, Anderson, Thomas–” He cut himself off. “Vinyl, I... look, we seem to be skirting around something here.”

“Around what?" asked Vinyl, tipping her seat back with affected calm. “This here is all pretty clear-cut to me. Okay, so we can’t keep this under wraps forever. But you know what? Lyra never let herself be a victim. We're talking about the mare who gave us mosta’ our tech, who almost single-hoofedly raised a rebel alliance, made it cool to cuddle colts and fool around with fillies in fifteen countries, for Luna's sake! And that makes her a miracle-worker in my book, nobody’s gonna tell me otherwise.”

Marcus shook his head, clearly not hearing the answer he was searching for, and looking at her with regret plastered across his own face. “You knew her. We both did. It's different to know her as a real mare, not just an inspiring figure standing tall and proud in one of Photo Finish's propaganda videos.” His expression grew harder. “And that’s just it.”

“What is?"

“Saint Heartstrings, Tzadeket Hador, equine Kamī, whatever you prefer,” he said, without sarcasm, but a hint of contempt. “That’s how most people know her. You don't hear them talk about the number of times she looked close to diving over the edge. The times she had to fight because no one, neither pony nor human wanted to listen to her. The lives she was forced to take because they'd rather die than accept an offer of peace.”

Vinyl looked away, frowning as the memories came back to her of her friend and leader. But something caught her eye. Marcus had manifested a light blue glow around his shoulders and apparently hadn’t realized, face clouded in anger as it was. She coughed pointedly, directing his attention back to his demi-divinity, and with a scowl he reduced the arua to a point where it wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.

“If I had a dime,” he growled. “For all the evenings when, after she'd given her last pep talk of the day and retired to her quarters, I’d find her at her desk, with Bonbon massaging her shoulders, while she just stared at the wall... the things she lived with, Vinyl. Did you know she never used words like ‘enhanced interrogation’ or ‘acceptable losses’? That mare preferred to call a spade a spade... no matter how much it hurt on the inside.”

They were silent again, until at last he broke it. “Would she be alright with how I’ve led us all?”

Vinyl looked to ponder this for a second. “Yes.” Okay, maybe she wouldn’t have approved of what he'd done to keep them quiet, but it was probably for the best not to bring that up. The Maker only knew how she'd have reacted to finding out what she unleashed. “The news is really eating you up, huh?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Marcus grumbled, taking a long swig of his fortified coffee. “She was one of my best friends, she was my superior, she was… She was a lot of things I’m not. And I envy her for that. But even so, when I heard the news, I kind of hated her. But at the same time, I felt like the worst kind of person for it, because this kind, amazing mare also started the whole fucking war in the first place…”

Vinyl held her breath, trying to not let that offhand comment get to her. This was something she hadn't admitted to Marcus. She didn’t want to hate Lyra either, didn’t want her memories of the brave young mare tarnished by the truth of the matter.

... But it was too much.

“Tavi! No!”

A grey-coated mare soaring out the window, long black mane fluttering in the wind. Not peaceful in the slightest. Screaming.

Her bowtie knocked askew. Somehow, that just seemed the wrongest thing of all.

“Vinyl?”

“Stupid mare! You! You all will be tried for treason!”

Golden armor shining proud and bright in the revealed sun.

“Vinyl, are you okay?”

“You... you fucking monsters! I’ll kill you all! I’ll rip your throats out and feed them to the dogs!!”

“Shit. Vinyl, listen to me, don’t fall into the memories. Listen to my voice, you're not there. You are not in France.”

“GARGH! MY EYES! YOU LITTLE HARIDELLE!”

The smell of something burning. Something acrid. The sickly sweet smell of potion.

“Die! DIE! FUCKING DIE!!”

“She’s just like the humans! Kill her-ack!”

Blood smearing her hooves.

“I’d rather be a human than you pieces of shit!! I’ll kill all of you! I will kill every single one of-”

“VINYL!”

Vinyl took a gasp as she returned to reality at flank speed, feeling the warmth of the body holding her. She looked up from the comforting embrace to see Marcus, slowly rubbing her back, rocking side to side to try and calm her down.

“~You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray,~” he sung softly into her ear, uncaring if his newly acquired shirt was shredded and soaked in tears. Vinyl's gaze fell upon the little coffee shop. All around them the tables were overturned, glasses spilled, windows cracked. Pastries lay splattered on the floor like cowpats.

And in the middle of it was Marcus, cradling her like a foal.

“~You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away,~” he finished, finally looking down at her. His face was filled with sadness, but Vinyl couldn’t help but hate the way he stared at her.

Hated for him to understand her pain. To know that in some way, he'd been right.

She opened her mouth, paused, but he slowly shook his head. “Let it out, Vinyl. You needed this; you’ve kept it inside for too long.”

“I just… miss her… so much,” Vinyl sobbed, holding on to him tightly, trying to regain control of her emotions. “It hurts…”

“I know.” was all he said he said by way of reply. “Trust me… if I could, I would take that pain away from you, Vinyl.”

“Don’t you dare!” she whimpered back, before bursting into further sobs. “That’s how I know I l-loved her! Take it away and I’m just a N-newfoal!”

For a long moment, the only thing that she could hear was her own bawling. But through the tears she saw Donut Joe emerge from behind the counter, grimacing at the scene, saw him wave away the curious ponies peering through broken windows. She sniffed twice as she messily wiped away her tears and snot, and managed to put on a sheepish smile.

“Uhhhh…  whoops?” she shrugged.

“...is colossal property damage a way of life for you guys?” the proprietor of the diner sighed. Vinyl and Marcus looked at each other, and burst into laughter, perhaps the first honest laugh they'd shared in far too long.

“This?” she howled. “Dude, Joe! When we really get going, we’re gonna bring down the sky! I’ve got friends that’ve dropped skyliners!”

It shouldn’t have been a funny remark, and it was definitely poor taste. But right now, laughter seemed the only appropriate response somehow.

“Don’t worry about the damages,” Marcus added in between his own snorts. “We have a compensation scheme set up with the palace… at least I think we do.”

“Shoulda checked on that before you took this gal out, Marky-Mark!” Vinyl wheezed, finally bringing her laughter back into something approaching a sane kind of chuckle.

And with perfect timing, Marcus’s android went off in his pocket, killing the mood as clean as a sniper round through the sternum.

“Hum?”

Clearly having the same trouble as her shifting mental gears so fast, he drew out the phone. Both saw that the tiny gemstone embedded in the back of the casing was flashing. Whatever was coming through, it was on the PHL’s internal magitek network, currently only otherwise available to a few PHL operatives in the Solar Empire, such as Fancypants.

Swiping his finger across the screen, Marcus called up the message, evidently not caring if she read it or not. Apparently, being privy to the truth about Lyra bumped up one’s security rating.

Colonel Renee, be advised.

At ca. 1300 hours earlier today Major Stephan Bauer was abducted by unidentified assailants.

Current whereabouts of Blue Spy are unknown. I have tracked down Major Bauer's location to a brickyard on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, estimated 4 miles North-North-West of Ponyville, 2 miles West of Zecora's Hut.

Regret to inform you that in the interests of Major Bauer's safety, I do not have the option of a lone-wolf stealth operation. The variables are too complex to parse. Peaceful relations with locals may be compromised. Repeat, affiliation of assailants is unidentified. Swift action recommended.

Request backup immediately.

Pineapple Cutter

“Yeah, we’re definitely gonna have to set up an insurance scheme with Princess Celestia…” said Marcus, shaking in barely restrained rage despite the glib choice of words.

“Just as well; I had a bet with Discord that no-one could ever capture Stephan,” Vinyl replied, attempting to mask her own concern with humour. “Those bits have got to come from somewhere…”

Seeing the look on Marcus’s face however she gave up trying to be funny and sighed. “We just can’t win, can we? Every time we get ahead, the goalposts move…” She looked down at the email. “But holy shit, man - Pina? You let Salonen's little helper trail after them?”

“Yes, and just as well, too.”

“Marcus, she's a fucking psycho bitch,” Vinyl snarled. “Yeah. I know that’s rich, coming from me, but–”

“Don’t undersell yourself, Vinyl,” Marcus said. “And she’s our fucking scary psycho bitch. I know they get on your teats, but people like Pina and Verity are useful.”

“Oh yeah,” snorted Vinyl. “You trust ‘em, send em’ off on secret missions, and then they do a bunk with the best stuff from the ammo locker and never come back. Real useful…”

“I needed the PHL’s best concentrated near Boston,” Marcus explained. “She… wasn’t.”

“Well, I am the best, and you’re not bad as second banana.” Pulling herself out of his arms, Vinyl started out the door, looking back as Marcus fiddled with his radio. “What are you doing, bro? We’ve got work to do.”

“Calling in reinforcements, and a ride,” Marcus grunted, holding up the phone to his ear. “Hello? City Command, this is Colonel Renee. I need a team prepped and ready for deployment. We have a possible hostage situation unfolding in Ponyville. Over.”

“Understood, Colonel. They’ll be ready within the next two hours. We’ll send you Sergeant Jaka and his people. Anything else you need, sir? Over,” the voice replied smoothly.

“Tell them they have an hour. Make ready, and pick up Lieutenant Scratch and myself in Canterlot. Colonel Renee out.”

‘Oh, I don’t fucking believe this. I handle bastards and unruly troops from two worlds over on a daily basis. I’ve fought Sombra’s crystal golems. I got in a one-on-one fight with Celestia, for Christ’s sake! I go to bed every night with a mare who could kill me in eighty different ways before we’re even done with the foreplay! But no, now I end up captured by these Vollidioten!’

Stephan mentally checked himself over as he leant against the pole he was tied to. His body was beaten, that was sure. The cold water of the river hadn’t helped - if any, it actually made it worse. At the very least he could still use both of his eyes.

Wherever he was, it seemed to be full of bricks. Rows and rows, stacked atop one another. Judging from the pervasive smell of bricks, in fact, he’d have guessed he was probably in a brickworks. He took a deep sniff, and caught the heavy, earthy smell of clay, and the acrid tang of charcoal. In the distance, he could hear the sound of roaring ovens.

Yeah, brickworks alright. This room must be the drying shed, where the ‘green bricks’ were left for the pressed clay to be dried out by wind and air, before they were fired. He remembered playing hide-and-seek with his father in a disused brickworks such as this on a family vacation, long ago. Here was a further sign that Equestrian architecture shared something in common with his native Europe.

‘Wonder how that’s possible.’

But those musings could wait. There was also the faint smell of wood. Not rotten wood and vegetation like he knew from the abandoned factory back home, or even the pleasant smell of freshly cut timber. It was rich, abundant woodland.

‘Okay. So we’ve not left the Everfree, then. Or we’re at least pretty close to it. Even so, I wouldn’t know which way to go to get back to Ponyville. It’s east of the forest, right? Maybe I can find a high spot or climb a tree.’

To get out of here would be the next part. Which made him wonder, why did they catch him in the first place? Maybe to extort something from the PHL? Wondering about this reminded him of one special PHL pony.

‘I hope Trixie is okay. I swear on my name, if they do anything to her I will replace their eyeballs with their nuts. And if they are mares, well, I’ll think of something equally bad. Equal rights and so on, after all.’

Stephan checked the rope. Whoever tied this knot knew how to make one. Moving his arms around wasn’t easy, but he could at least feel his hands. His fingers ran over the rope. Unfortunately, there was nothing to really grasp on. Some of his abductors were smarter than the rest, he could give them that. But they’d forgotten his legs.

He tried to move them under him and push himself up the pole. Too bad that there was no open spot he could use to pull the rope through. Freeing himself would mean either getting rid of the ropes, or the pole, which seemed pretty well seated. The former option would be easier, now that he knew what he was dealing with.

Perhaps there was one way he could free himself in no time...

‘Hey Discord, do you hear me?’

There was no immediate reply. Instead he heard only a beeping noise, like a blocked line.

‘That wasn’t funny the first time, Discord.’

‘I am sure there are some who would disagree, Stephan. Did you know that you’re eligible to compensation on your PPI?’

Stephan’s lips formed a little smile, because it looked like his abductors didn’t know about his connection with Discord, or didn’t care. Huge mistake.

‘Just wanted to say that a group of ponies have caught me and are now holding me hostage. And, don’t ask me how they did that, they were just lucky.’

‘Huh, Really? Looks like Vinyl owes me some bits.

Stephan was quiet for a moment. ‘Anyway, can you teleport to my position and get me out?’

‘Of course, it will only take a blink of an eye and-’

‘-No! Not right now. Just be on stand-by until I need you. I’ll try and gather some intel on these guys first.’

‘You sure about that Wunderboy? Sounds like a plan that can easily and horribly backfire.’

‘Which one of my plans have you ever seen backfire on me?’

‘Your vacation plans, for one.’

‘... Just to be clear, that was Marcus’s idea.’

Stephan heard something outside before Discord could answer. He frowned, staring at the doorway with concern. ‘Just be quick when I call for you, because one of these ponies isn’t giving me such good vibes...’

Short Fuse looked stone-faced over another casualty, muttering under his breath as the list of injuries grew longer with every word the stallion beside him spoke.

“... A broken rib, fractured left rear leg, and a concussion.” Blackberry quietly concluded.

Fuse sighed, then turned to the next pony. “And this one?”

“She suffered the worst under the… assault from the human.” Blackberry shuddered, glancing over his shoulder to a closed door, behind which lay the creature in question.

“That devil. He didn’t even hit that hard!” Fuse winced as he rubbed at the plasters applied to the back of his own head. “Darn, I’ve taken an anvil to the face before. Didn’t break near as much in me. What is it with these blasted chimps and their uncanny… everything?”

The student tapped his chin. “I think Corporal Strategy kinda mentioned something to that effect one time. Something about how the mass in their universe is different… or did she say the density? Either way, I seem to recall atomic structure was involved… or was it the absence of narrative causality?”

“Yeah, whatever, kid,” Fuse grunted. “All it means is, they know how to make a pony hurt like Tartarus.” His lip curled. “Bleedin’ unnatural, is what they are...” Then he noticed Blackberry was staring at him with something like awe. “What?”

“Uh, I…” the student doctor fidgeted, seeming abashed. “Just thought that was a real swell move you pulled back there, sir. Where’d you learn that?”

Fuse considered the the curly-haired, specs-wearing young adult next to him. This stallion had proven useful to him when, right after Bauer had bashed him across the skull, the first thing that happened was that Blackberry had, at great disregard for his personal safety, rushed forward with a box of bandages in-saddle to drag him out of the river, despite being far smaller than he and three times less strong.

Yet while he begrudgingly recognized the medical student’s worth, Fuse felt in his gut that this pampered and bookish nancy colt – he was fairly close to his more physically imposing friend Maximum Velocity – wasn’t the kind of partner-in-crime he’d have first selected for this, given more choice in the matter.

“Kid,” he sighed, one ear twitching as he heard hoofsteps approaching from outside, “I have a feeling yer’ gonna find out soon enough.”

The doors to the warehouse slammed open, and a group of five rough-looking ponies swaggered in with none-too-comforting smiles on their faces. Many of the fifteen-or-so other ponies in the room stiffened at the sight of the new arrivals, but Short Fuse waved his hoof at them, indicating they should stand down, and stalked up to the lead stallion, an ashen colored pegasus nearly as burly as he.

“Locksmith.”

“Short Fuse.”

“Yer late,” Fuse growled out, but the other stallion merely rolled his eyes.

“Sorry,” Locksmith replied glibly, “The train from Manehatten was held up by war traffic, Shorty. You know, the war we oppose? S’bad for business.”

“Don’t call me Shorty,” Fuse seethed, earning a laugh from Locksmith as he took a step closer.

“I can call you whatever I please, Shorty.” Locksmith smile turned grim, with a small glare. “You left Caballeron’s group to pursue some tail–”

“Do. Not.” Fuse gritted his teeth warningly, his face inches from Locksmith’s. “Talk about my wife like a common broodmare.”

“I call it as I see it.” Locksmith chuckled darkly. “You left a fine thing behind, Shorty. You were good at what you did, the Doc himself was looking at you. But instead, you threw it away for a mare who lifted her tail an’ gave you a sob story about being lost.”

Fuse gritted his teeth, his rage building up as the pony before him continued to talk, “You wanted an out, and the mare was your ticket. You’re lucky that Doctor Caballeron was so generous, letting you leave as he did. And now you come crawling back, looking for hired hooves to do some dirty work? You’re wasted on something like this, especially after pulling what I heard you did. It doesn’t take a genius to see this’ll go teats-up soon.”

“And the ‘Good Doctor’ just had to send me you,” Fuse muttered. “The bucker’s got a wicked sense of irony.”

“Because I’m the one who worked hard enough to be his right hoof.” Locksmith narrowed his eyes at him. “We have a plan in the works, it involves the new city just up t’other side of Canterlot, the Manehattan knockoff. We need a way in. The good Doc has certain clients who want the artifacts of that city, and some of the more… confidential tech.”

“Yeah, and we gave it to ya,” Fuse grumbled as he thought back to their agreement.

“Oh, don’t expect me to thank you for it, pal,” Locksmith smiled unpleasantly. “I know you’re not the one who’ll give us entrance to that city. But if ever you see that hooded toff of yours again, do send her my regards, and tell her we hope that… package we got was to her satisfaction.”

“Count on that.”

“There’s a good chap. Anyway, Doc asked me to tell you, that if ever you grow tired of marriage and of pressing bricks for a living, and would fancy going back to pressing people’s faces in, well, he might consider a spot for you. In return for certain investments, naturally.”

And with that, he turned his back on Short Fuse, giving instructions to the rest of the gang while leaving the hulking stallion to glower at his former associate. Blackberry, however, was positively wearing a look of crossed shock and excitement on his face.

“Ohmygosh,” he quivered out, gazing first at the gang, then at Fuse. “Ohmygosh! Sir, this is... I… this is like if my foalhood action figures came to life! Sir, sir, why didn’t you tell us you knew Caballeron and his gang! That’s just… wow.”

Fuse held back a snappy retort, closing his eyes to count to ten, the way Minus had taught him. When the count was up, with much effort, he replied slowly and carefully. “Blackberry, son… first thing ya gotta learn, is that life ain’t like the books.”

The student was still too overcome with wonder to notice this was the first time the brickmaker had addressed him by name. “What are you talking about? This is straight out of the books! Oh, I can’t believe I’m living this right now!”

“Kid. Stop.” Fuse’s tone was laced with quiet warning. “There’s stuff that don’t make it into those damn stories. Stuff ya don’t wanna know. Bucker over there told it true. I did want out.”

“Out of what?” Blackberry enquired with honest curiosity. “Living unbound by rules? Not having to answer to anypony? Riding into the sunset with stolen treasure?”

“Unbound?” Fused chuckled darkly. “Not when you roll with Caballeron. I’ll tell you what I wanted out from. Get caught putting a hoof outta line, they go and throw ya down into the deepest, blackest hole they can find, with nought but bread and water for weeks on end. And they’re the ones on the right side of the law. It’s worse with them who makes their own rules.”

“But surely the trick is to not get caught?”

All the student got in response was a grunt from Fuse, who turned away with a contemptuous kick of his hindleg to the ground. Shaking his head in an effort to push back thoughts of days gone by, the brickmaker ambled away from the pony gathering to sit down, hooves folded across his chest, next to the low-lying archway of the kiln.

It was his favorite spot of the factory. Many other ponies found it a bit oppressive due to the lingering, heady scent of burnt wood and charcoal, but he found he liked it, thank you very much. There was an odd kind of comfort, in being enveloped by this continuous reminder of hard labor performed for the community, even if your personal relationship with them remained aloof and standoffish at times.

A new voice whispered from behind Fuse, “I see you’re a stallion who likes a job well done.”

Fuse turned around. “Miss Weaver. Any reason why yer’ here?”

“I received word from Doctor Catseye,” replied the cloaked mare, stepping out from the alcove behind the kiln. “She’s decided to back up this improvised operation of yours.”

Fuse felt an ecstatic surge at this proclamation, a large grin spreading over his face as he got up to greet her. “Really! But that’s great! I told her we had to take the fight to ‘em. What I needed was more–”

What she said next wiped the grin off his face. “Yes, that as may be, I regret to tell you that while your devotion to this cause is well appreciated, we have little choice but to maintain plausible deniability. You are not on your own while I am here, have no fear on that score. But this cannot be allowed to lead back to Catseye.”

“Don’t worry yer pretty covered little head about it.” Fuse waved off her concerns, his grin coming back in full force. “After all, this ‘ere operation took place in the Everfree, by the time the blue mass murderer and her friends even try to understand what happened, the big bad Major’ll be nothing more than a memory.”

Stephan’s head jerked up as he heard the double doors opened wide, and a new, sophisticated feminine voice added itself to the babble from the other room;

“-what if I told you that even as we speak, a PHL mare is surveying this location and has just reported back to her superiors?”

“Eh?”

In the open doorway, he saw the large brick-red pony who’d smashed into him at the river frowning at this remark. From behind him appeared the person he’d opened the doors for – a small mare covered from head to hoof in a cloak. The only clues he had to her appearance were her hooves lightly trotting across the earthen floor. They were covered in pale white fur, rather an uncommon color for the pastel Equestrians.

She continued talking. “You didn’t think that an important representative of the Alliance of the Concordia Maxima would be taking a holiday in Ponyville without protection, Mister Fuse? He himself probably doesn’t know that he was being trailed.”

“Actually, I was expecting there’d be someone looking out for me. Just didn’t pick up on who it was...” replied Stephan, berating himself for having let his guard down in this Equestria. “Seems this place is getting to me already… I let myself get a little rusty.”

“Quite,” the cloaked mare said quietly. “You feel it, don’t you? Like a delicate scent in the air. It tastes of the first lick of cake frost, or the cool waters of an untouched forest pond. Equestria is a beautiful place, sir. What your Earth provides can be plentiful and good, but it lacks the slow-moving sweetness of this land. Now you’ve seen it for yourself, can you hate it so much?”

“Ein wenig poetisch, nicht wahr?” Stephan deadpanned.

“So ist eben meine Muse, werter Herr Major,” she responded in kind, causing a surprised Stephan to turn his head at her. He narrowed his eyes at this newcomer.

“Klei mi an'n Mors, Klokschieter,” he said in old Low German, making the mare blink.

“Well,” she said evenly, “As a knight, you'd do Götz von Berlichingen proud, sir.”

“Enough fancy talk!” The big red pony, ‘Fuse’, stomped up to Stephan, his manic grin becoming more bloodthirsty. “Sorry for the wait, boy. But ya outstayed yer welcome here. Time to go now.”

“The hell’s wrong with you? Do you know what you’re doing?” Stephan spat back, teeth set on edge. “You’re acting like you enjoy this.”

“Maybe I do. I wasn’t raised under Celestia. There’s still pony lands outside her rule.” Fuse gave him a deep glare.

Stephan frowned. “Aren’t you at all worried about the PHL mare waiting outside?”

“As long as I get one of ya, I don’t care. I’ll go out and buy the others time to escape.”

The cloaked mare glanced at Fuse. “Think of what you’re saying. Getting your hooves dirty? I’d been given to understand that Caballeron and his gang preferred the indirect approach, almost like they wanted to give their victims a fighting chance. Traps and so forth. It’s only sporting. Miss Do talks of it not unlike a game.”

Short Fuse laughed, hard, causing the cloak mare to tilt her head. “Little Miss Noble. You think my name has anything to do being indirect? Did you think I set up bombs or something? No. I was an attack dog, basically. Look at my records, it’s all there. I was sent in to take care of a problem that doesn’t want to stop being a problem. I found something that mattered to me more than that, and Caballeron didn’t want to get more problems on his hooves after my deal with Daring that ended pretty badly.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a reason her sidekick’s never mentioned again after those first few books… very different they are from the rest of the series, too.” Fuse chuckled, though it sounded affected.

The mare turned her attention back to the prisoner. “And yet I wonder. If you really were so pragmatic in planning to keep him alive long enough to suit your purposes, there's at least one action you should have done to ensure he could neither threaten you, nor escape.”

“Huh, what's that, then?”

“Break his legs,” she replied calmly. Short Fuse snorted before giving off a bark of laughter looking to the human in mirth.

“My my, look at this vicious thing,” he sniggered. “You would think she was born outside of Equestria with that kind of talk.” He turned a contemptuous gaze back upon Stephan. “Not like it's going to matter in the long run for you, monkey-boy.”

“Oh my God, you’re all morons,” Stephan sighed. “Do you even realize what you’re doing!? You could very well destroy more than just this Equestria! Billions are going to die because of you stupid, idiotic sons of bitches!”

“Billions? That’s just a number,” Fuse shrugged, pulling a hoof back. “Sure, maybe your species goes down for the Big Sleep, but in the end, it’ll be just a very bad thing that leads to bigger n’ better opportunities.”

“Quite. Except for one detail,” ‘Weaver’ said. “My little pony, you are not the one who’ll kill him. This isn’t how this works. And that’s just as it should be.”

Fuse blinked in confusion as he looked back to the cloaked mare, whose horn had began glowing with magic. Then, something small and round was yanked from a lanyard around his neck. “Hey! What are you-”

The mare crushed the tiny ball in her magic, and it shattered in a puff of glass and sparkle, like a Christmas bauble trampled underfoot.

“guh”.

The stallion’s massive form crumpled to the ground, his body beginning to spasm, voice gibbering inanely as his lips frothed.

“Ah, careful…” the mare hummed, telekinetically grabbing a stick and shoving it into his snapping jaws. “Can’t have him biting his own tongue off.”

Stephan stared at the cloaked mare in disbelief. After rolling the downed stallion into the recovery position, she spared pared the pony a pained passing glance before her direction turning to face him.

‘What did she just do to him!?’

“Shame,” she said quietly, horn still aglow. “He is quite resourceful, this one. He managed to capture you with limited knowledge, and ponies that lacked expert skills. It is so hard to find good help.”

“Is that so?” Stephan growled, struggling against his bindings, trying to break the wooden pole he was attached to.

“Yes. But he was… too forward,” whispered the cloaked mare as she gently brushed the now-shaking stallion’s head. “Too bull-headed. There are consequences for all actions.”

“Then you know what will happen to you. Each and every one of you are going to die when my friends come for me. Let me go now and you may live.”

“That’s quite a bit of hyperbole on your part. I know full well the PHL prefers to take enemies alive.” She levitated out a dagger. “You may be killers, but I realize that you value this Equestria’s innocence too much, to spill that kind of blood on your host’s doorstep.”

Stephan looked at her coldly. “I already did that more than once. Sometimes even spilled the host’s blood.” He leaned a bit forward and his eyes fixed hers. “Try me.”

“But of course.” The mare gave a small shake of her head. “I forgot who I was speaking to. Nothing could be left to chance, where the ponies in this country who distrust humanity are concerned. Fear and hatred are not what I fight for, though. Soon, that’ll pass on. It’s time for you to rest, Major. You’ve been fighting too long for too little gain. Now is the time to sleep, perchance to dream...”

She raised the dagger, aimed at his throat. This was the point when he could wait no longer.

‘Discord!’

“Sleep well, Major.” Her blade shot forward.

There was an odd frizzling noise as the blade was knocked aside from an arm jutting from the ground. The cloaked mare took a step back as the arm grabbed a table and began to pull.

“My, my,” Discord commented as he pulled himself from the ground. He stared at his bracer, frowning somewhat at the gash on it before turning back to the unicorn in front of him. “Seems like I’m the right man in the wrong place, for once.”

“Lord Discord,” she dipped her head and bowes subtly “You grace me with your presence.”

Discord frowned at the courtly display before him. “Well, well, well. Now you’re one who doesn’t seem all that surprised to see me. Ponies usually are, you know.”

“Indeed not. I was counting on you making an appearance. I need to test myself. To see if I am worthy enough for Her cause. To take you down will confirm to Her that I am committed to it.”

‘So calm...’ The draconequus felt a shiver run down his spine, and dodged out of the way, just as another dagger whisked past him.

“Oh yeah!” Discord laughed as he spun like a top, multiple arms sprouting out  from his back, blades and daggers grasped in every claw. “The great Queenie will reward you, is that right?”

“My reward is your simple demise. I require nothing more than that.”

“If that’s your payment, can’t imagine you even get job satisfaction. You’ll find it hard to kill me,” Discord chuckled as he batted away another swarm of blades.

“Every monster dies eventually,” said the mare, causing Discord to glare at her. “Even you. The trickster god who imposed a reign of chaos over us, just for laughs. Humanity deserves a better savior than you, Lord Discord.”

Discord stopped in mid-spin, catching one of the daggers with his bare paw, scowling at the cloaked mare. “You want a monster, I can give you a monster. Believe me, I have been very forgiving so far.”

“No need,” she smiled from beneath her hood, withdrawing her blades. The job is done.”

Feeling the sting grow from where her last dagger had nicked his skin beneath the vote, Discord winced, and looked down at his twitching paw.

The mare’s eyes glinted. “Not even you can walk away unscathed, not with an ounce of tatzelwurm venom flowing in your system.”

“The… the what?” Discord stared in shock as his paw took on a green hue, slowly traveling up his arm.

“A pity I cannot ask Mister Fuse to send word that the package did, indeed, prove useful,” the cloaked mare commented casually. “Now, I do not claim to know what effect this will have upon a being of your stature. It would kill anypony else in a matter of minutes. But what I know, for a fact, is that it will leave you severely weakened. I have been waiting a long time for this...”

“Oh, have you now?” he growled as he clutched his arm. “Argh… I just wish Sunbutt were here to smash your face in!”

“I do this for her, for the future of Equestria.”

“Riiight... tell me, do you even know who Celly is? Because obviously you don’t.”

“Ours is not to know,” replied the cloaked mare solemnly. “And soon, I believe that will be no concern of yours any longer.”

Discord fell to a knee, still clutching his arm, glaring balefully as she calmly walked up to him. Too calmly for his taste. Something was off about this mare, but he could see that she had this all planned out. She had come prepared for him, and was counting on a venom from a creature he’d never heard of to sap his strength.

He began to cough, grimacing as he felt his strength leave him. And yet… Something about this didn’t feel right. Death wasn’t supposed to bung up his sinuses, was it?

“Any last words, Lord Discord?”

“Gesundheit.”

“Wha-”

“AH-CHOO!”

Discord had just sneezed, with a retort loud enough that it could be confused for a explosion, sending great gobs of snot the size of cannonballs hurling at the pale mare.

Reacting with well-practiced diligence, she managed to raise the hem of her cloak quickly enough to block the worst of the stuff, but nonetheless it impacted on the fabric in quite a sticky mess.

“Oh, das ist widerlich,” Stephan muttered as he watched the mare freeze for a moment, realizing what had just gone down.

She looked down, staring as the green ooze dripped to the floor. For his part, Stephan was glad to note her composure seemed to have taken a hit. Discord tried to look happy, but was feeling worse with every passing second, barely able to open up his hammerspace pocket and pull out a single Japanese kunai, which he flung at the floor before her.

“Now that’s unseemly,” she said icily. “And not a little disappointing, I have to confess.”

“Eh… Take what you can get.” Discord sniffed, rubbing his snout with his arm, a trail of ooze sticking to his coat. “Anyways, I think we are at an impasse.”

“You are wrong. I hold the upper hoof here, and it is time to sleep.”

“Yeah. No. I don’t think so,” Discord muttered as he held up a claw, forming a strange sign. “One more step, one more spell, and we all go kablooey.”

Stephan couldn’t help but wonder what Discord was talking about, until his eye fell on the blade he’d thrown earlier. A Japanese kunai, Discord seem to favor it along with other unusual weapons he had gathered in his travels to find them. The strange thing was, the blade had something tied to it, a single piece of paper on which had been printed several kanji characters...or was it hiragana?

“More tricks?”

“Yup. This one will be a blast,” Discord coughed to himself over the ghastly pun, but still kept a savage grin on his face. “The wonders of the multiverse. You can always find something interesting to use.”

“What is this?” she demanded, staring at the weapon.

“An exploding tag. Courtesy of the Hokage.” Discord groaned as he took a seat, still holding the strange sign. “Quite the fellow, loved a good prank or two.”

“Inspiring,” she replied drolly.“You travel throughout the multiverse, and this is what you have to show for it.”

“This tag can take out a building,” Discord chuckled. “Including you, spaz-tastic over there, the good Major, and all the misguided ponies. And maybe a good portion of the Everfree too. Not sure how much strength I put in it, but it is enough.”

“You are not a killer, Lord Discord. That isn’t how you operate. Lies, trickery and deceit are your forte, not brute force. Why should I believe you?”

The grin on his face forced her to take a step back. “Because I’ve experienced death once. Tends to color one’s view on how they live. No matter, you have too much on your plate. I can see you now, you’ve got all these little plans in play. You need to be alive to make sure they go without a hitch. You have all the makings of a mastermind, you need to be sure they fall through, or everything will be lost. You don’t care about the ponies here, you only care about the job. A pony believing in a lost cause.”

“Perhaps I’m willing to take that risk,” she dared him. “We all go through a near-death experience, milord. It is called living.”

“You don't know what you're talking about, so you?” Discord laughed, breaking off into a loud cough, trying to laugh as he struggled back to his feet. He look down at her as he rose to full height. The mare backed up another step as the paper began to smoke, the edges beginning to darken from the unseen flames.

“Did you forget who I am? I am Discord, Lord of Chaos. Trying to understand me is like trying to catch the wind. It's never going to happen. Make your move, little pony. I am more than capable of surviving the blast, and when I pull myself out, I will go out and see to it that your plans are foiled.”

Discord leant forward, the room becoming dark as his magic filtered out the light, as weak as it was. “Nothing’s going to come in my way. Not your little friends. None of your little tricks. And definitely not from a broken mare like you.”

Her horn shone under the hood, dissipating the ooze covering her cloak, and she tugged at it, looking very small and sad all of a sudden.

“You play the game well, milord. This round is yours,” she whispered, vanishing in a flash of light.

Stephan watched as Discord fell on his back, staring up at him, looking on the verge of losing his lunch. “Hello.”

“Discord. Can you get up?”

“I just want to sleep...” Discord muttered, weakly pulling at the floorboard, which folded on him like a blanket. “Maybe get some soup.”

“Discord?” Stephan’s only response was a slight snore. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Don’t worry,” Discord yawned, “The others are on the way. I think your marefriend is on her way as well. Everything is going to be alrigh-” He barely stifled a yawn. “Just sit tight and wait. If Ghost Mare shows up again, I’ll just blow us all sky-high...”

“YOU MEAN THAT THING IS REAL!? I THOUGHT IT WAS A BLUFF?!”

“Ow… My head. No… it’s real. Have to be. Can’t fool her with a bluff,” Discord muttered as he yawned again.

“You’re crazy.”

“Sure I am!” Discord slurred. “What’s your point?”

And then for Discord, everything cut to black.

Berry Punch sighed as her daughter raced down the stairs to the kitchen. “Ruby! What did I tell you about running inside the house?”

“Sorry, Mommy!” Ruby yelled back, quickly packing her saddlebag with snacks, “Dinky and Pipsqueak are going to be here any minute now!”

Berry let out an amused sigh, watching as her daughter strapped the saddlebag to her barrel and raced up to her, only for the filly to find herself almost smothered in her mother’s embrace. “Take care of yourself, my little berry.”

“Mommy!” Ruby blushed in embarrassment, but returned the hug. “Bye!”

“Now you be careful out there,” Berry called as Ruby rushed out the kitchen to the front door. She shook her head. “I swear, that filly is going to give me a gray mane, just watc-”

“Mommy!” Ruby cried out.

Berry’s eyes snapped open at her daughter’s fearful cry.

“Ruby! What is… it?” She hurtled into the hallway and came to a rough halt, words failing her at the sight of two Royal Guards filling the frame of the front door. Ruby, who must have opened up only to encounter these imposing figures, scrambled behind her mother, hiding from view. “Y-yes?”

“Ma’am.” The horn of one guard, a unicorn, glowed, lifting three fillies off the back of his colleague, an earthpony. “We found these fillies on the edge of the forest.”

“Oh… Um. Well, you see these are-”

“We’d appreciate that you return them to their proper homes. Sorry to bother you, ma’am.”

“Wait! I don’t under-”

“Loyal to Celestia, Loyal to Equestria. Forever Pure,” he stated curtly, before turning to depart, leaving a stunned mare in his wake. Jaw hanging open, Ruby slowly looked to the three fillies, and gaped for a few moments. Then, she recovered the use of her legs and rushed over to them.

One step she had taken as part of going ‘cold turkey’ was learning basic emergency medical procedures, in the event of coming to the aid of somepony who might have slipped ‘off the wagon’. Now, without her realising it, that training came to the fore, and she immediately checked each of the three fillies for the essential ABCs - Airway, Breathing, Circulation.

With that taken care of, she gingerly opened each of their eyes and noticed that the pupils were dilated, a symptom she associated with extreme intoxication. But no way in Tartarus could these three have ‘hit the sauce’, there was no trace of it on their breath. Something else maybe, perhaps they were drugged?

“Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo!” Ruby cried out, looking over her three classmates with concern. She shook them, but they refuse to respond. “Mommy!”

“O-oh! Yes!” Berry snapped out of her reverie, and with Ruby’s help, managed to get the three fillies onto her back. “Come along, Ruby. We’ve got work to do. I’ll leave a note in case your friends come by.”

“Okay!” Ruby replied nervously.

“What in the world is going on?” Berry whispered to herself as she jotted down a quick message. “And what do the Loyalists have to do with it?”

And then, in the back of her mind.

‘What have I gotten us involved in?’

“So, Trixie, darling,” said Rarity, who'd just finished making room at the dining table for the brunch they'd planned at Carousel Boutique between the three of them. “I always did wonder how come a mare of the stage like yourself ended up going for something more discreet and less… flashy.”

“Oh, it’s plenty flashy.” Trixie giggled, a somewhat sly smile on her face. “Just depends on the stage. Though I don’t think you'd want to know more of that.”

Rarity sighed, but nodded at this remark, while Fluttershy busied herself with her saddlebags. “That's true. How I wish we didn’t have to do this.”

Trixie stared at the ground, her levity suddenly spent. “Yeah… me neither.”

“Um… Rarity?” Fluttershy whispered as she gently placed the scrolls on the dining table. “I don’t mean to intrude on your… moping, but you wanted to show Trixie your designs. You asked me to get them because you'd run out of room in your saddlebag.”

“Oh, yes! How could I forget!” Rarity squealed excitedly, racing over to pick up the scrolls. “Darling, I want you to please take a look at these.”

Trixie sighed as she shook her head. “Rarity, listen. I’ve never really been into dresses and froufrou stuff. Even before the war.”

With a scoff, Rarity shoved the designs in her face. “These are not dresses. They're armor.”

“What?” Trixie gasped, realizing that she was looking at a sketch of herself wearing lightweight clothing that wouldn't have been out of place in a fantasy setting. It depicted her in some sort of full body suit with metal plating covering her barrel and chest. She was also wearing a hood with a mask, covering her features nicely. If she didn’t know any better, she would of thought it looked similar to a changeling in some regards.

“From what you said, you usually wear no more than a set of straps to keep your knives and bombs in place.” Rarity explained, her horn aglow. To Trixie's wonderment, a full three-dimensional image of herself emerged from the picture and took shape in the empty air.

“This 'Kevlar' is rather tough and durable. Simple enchantments allow it to absorb even sword slashes and spear thrusts. The design's plates also serve a dual purpose.”

“What do they do, then?” Trixie inquired. In response, illusionary blades floated out from beneath the plates, as well as, for some reason, carrots.

“Other than to protect, it will also carry your gear safely and with minimal fuss.” Rarity winked, levitating another design before her. “Now, your coltfriend is a little harder to provide for. See, his armor needed lots of repair after that fiasco with the Tyrant. This is just one of many designs I had in mind after looking over the basic specifications.”

Multiple designs flashed to life before her. Scores of many different helmets, and different armor. One concept really caught Trixie's attention. It resembled a knight’s plate armor, but was rendered in kevlar and ceramics, and carried something extra. “What’s that?”

“Ah yes…” Rarity flushed with embarrassment. “Fluttershy, remember the time we watched that film at the exhibition... what was it called? Ah yes, Avengers. There was this blonde-maned fellow with a shield, what was his name?”

“Captain America,” Fluttershy helpfully supplied, a blush on her face.

“Yes, him. Though your favorite was the big green giant, wasn't it, dear?" Rarity winked. "Anyway, see, Captain America using that shield gave me an idea. Granted, I know Stephan won't be throwing anything around like a discus, but after taking a closer look at what weapons the good Major uses, I decided to implement a new shield for him to use.”

Trixie watched as the shield seemingly came apart, yet that was an illusion. What fell to the ground were not parts of the shield itself, but weapons. Twin pistols, his machete, even several daggers dropped from hidden compartments behind the shield that were designed to hold them.

“I know this'll place a large amount of strain on the arm, but using a few components from Royal Guard armor to make it will allow for it to be light yet durable. It will also give him several backup weapons to rely on.” Rarity held a hoof to her mouth as she emitted another laugh. “Oh, we can make a true knight out of him! No knight worthy of the name is without a shield!” She offered Trixie a small smile. “And what's best is that he'll fly the color his country on its breast.”

Fluttershy gently nudged Rarity with her snout, reminding her of something else. “There's more."

The fashionista's merry expression turned serious all of a sudden. “Armor creation isn't my forte, but clothing is. Form follows function after all... and Stephan needs a fighting chance to take the fight to the Tyrant if he's ever alone-”

“He won’t be,” Trixie cut her off, but Rarity only closed her eyes.

“My dear Trixie, you know better than anypony that war is a disgusting thing. None of us may live to see the end of the day,” she said softly, and Trixie looked away. “Stephan barely survived the last time, and that was with help from others. This time he may be alone. But the runes that you brought us have opened many doors. When Marcus first got here, I deduced how Zecora and Sparkler ingrained them into his skin.”

“We've never dared repeat that on a human…” Trixie whispered. “Even if we hadn't fallen for the Tyrant's lie about too much magic's effect on them... I still can't believe it took the most amoral of creatures like Dr. Salonen to simply consider pushing the limits of that... how come we were never that desperate? But Marcus was special. Something about his blood.”

“Possibly to do with his mother's connection to our world," Rarity said quietly, thinking of what Discord had told her friends and Lyra, of the brave young woman she would never know. "What you need is power and time. Here, you have both." Her horn flared to life, images of different pieces of armor floating around her. “I am no expert in armor. I am just a designer. But with that comes imagination, to create something beautiful…” She paused. “Or deadly.”

All three were shaken from their train of thought at the sound of knocking on Rarity’s door. The Boutique's owner, realizing they'd have to postpone their brunch, smiled apologetically at Trixie and went to open it. “Coming!”

Rarity opened the door, her mouth open to tell the would-be customer she was still closed before taking in the sight of her. “Berry? Why does- Sweetie Belle!”

Trixie’s head snapped towards the door at the sound of the filly’s name. She watched as Berry Punch walked through the door, carrying three fillies on her back and her little daughter trailing behind her, and she tensed, recalling her last meeting with this mare… one of her, anyway.

“Look at you…You rant about the Newfoals being broken, but they’re the ones being persecuted by ponies like you. Feared by some, abused by others, despite Celestia’s words that we’re all just ponies. Despite all that, they keep smiling and keep on working to make Equestria a better place. That’s love and courage beyond compare. Their example gave me the strength to drag myself out the of the depths of a bottle. What have you done for anypony? You’re practically a traitor!”

Trixie kept her face blank, watching as the mare brought the fillies to Rarity’s couch. Berry opened her mouth to speak, only to freeze as she spotted Trixie, which instantly aroused the latter’s suspicions

‘Something isn’t right. I look like any other pony, granted I did grow wings earlier but I didn’t see her at all. She took one look at me and froze up like she was caught in a lie or something.’ Trixie frowned as she looked at the mare. It was another world, it wasn’t technically the same mare, but something didn’t feel right...

“Can I help you?” Trixie smiled pleasantly, causing the mare to take a step back.

“Um…” Berry barely had time to blink before she was dragged before Rarity.

“Berry, where did you find them?!” Rarity exclaimed, shaking the poor mother rather roughly.

“Several Royal Guards dropped them off at my house. I don’t know why! Th-they just showed up out of the blue!” Berry blurted out, holding her head in one hoof.

“Where is Major Bauer?” Fluttershy asked, looking out the window with concern.

“Who?” Berry blinked in confusion, but Trixie wasn’t fooled for a second. The mare knew who Stephan was, yet she was playing dumb. Turning, she saw Rarity also narrowing her eyes.

She held her tongue, listening as the mare kept on talking.

“The Royal Guards just dropped by and left them on my doorstep. There was nopony else with them.”

“Are you sure?” asked Fluttershy.

Berry bobbed her head up and down rapidly. “Yes… I have no idea where this ‘Major’ is,” she replied in a small voice. Trixie glanced at the fillies as one of them began to stir.

“Are you–”

“Rarity, the orange one is coming back around,” Trixie called, shooting her a small look, causing the unicorn to blink before pushing Berry out of the door.

“Well, thank you anyways! Perhaps he was foalish enough to get lost! Ha ha ha!” Rarity quickly pushed both mother and daughter out the door. “I have to attend to the fillies now, Berry.”

“Do you want me to get Applejack and Wildfire?” Berry asked as she and Ruby were shoved out the door.

“Oh please do, that would simply be marvelous!” Rarity said with a large smile, then slammed the door shut in her face. She quickly spun around and race back to the room with Trixie and the fillies.

“Did you catch that?” Trixie asked her once she stood next her, Rarity giving a small sigh to the question.

“I’m no Applejack, but I can see a lie when it presents itself,” Rarity said quietly, “But what in the world does she have to hide?”

“I don’t know…” Trixie whispered, watching as Fluttershy gave the orange filly a glass of water. “But she didn’t lie about having no idea where he was. For now, we focus on the matter that’s at hoof.”

Rarity sighed again but nodded her head, after all, Trixie was her own teacher in fighting. Unlike the others, whether they had muscle, speed, magic, oddball abilities, or natural talent, Rarity was the most normal pony amongst the Element Bearers. She was confident however that the agility of her TK was en-par with Twilight, and perhaps even more dextrous, thought lacking in the sheer amount of power Twi could put into a spell. Levitating an Ursa Minor is impressive, but stitching six dresses simultaneously! That, darling, was skill.

And that skill had brought her into Trixie’s circle of influence. Rarity consequently had been trained up to operating in a supporting role, making hit-and-run attacks on enemies, worrying at their flanks, or making precise pinprick attacks with concentrated bursts of magic. Her teacher also picked up on her affinity for gems, encouraging her to get Spike to mold special blades out of the precious stones for future use.

“Scootaloo?” Fluttershy nudged the little pegasus, who was beginning to yawn herself awake. “What happened?”

“I…” The orange filly looked up at the others, a frown on her face. “Where am I?”

“You and the others Crusaders at the Carousel Boutique.” Rarity nuzzling with concern at the still unconscious Sweetie Belle. “They said that the Royal Guard dropped you off at Berry’s home.”

Scootaloo frowned as she thought back to what happened, but her thoughts were hazy and hard to pull up. She scowled as she tried to remember, with Fluttershy gently brushing her mane to keep her calm.

“I think… I think–”

“Drop the fillies, you filthy monkey!”

Scootaloo gasped as memories suddenly flashed across her mind. She knew that voice; it was the same voice that always yelled at them for playing in brickyard outside of Ponyville.

“You brats! You melted the kiln, destroyed five shipments of bricks, and got the remainder dispatched to the wrong customers by messing up the waybills!”

“Short Fuse…” she whispered aloud.

“What was that, dear?” Rarity asked gently.

“We were in the forest, almost to Zecora’s when we started feeling sleepy. I was sitting on Stephan’s shoulder most of the way before he put me down again. But… but I heard Short Fuse’s voice calling out to Stephan…”

“How did you know it was him?” Fluttershy glanced at Trixie, grimacing when she saw the blank look the mare was giving the hapless filly. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, they would know all right,” Rarity said, her expression hardening. “I’ve had that ‘gentlestallion’ round complaining of their behaviour often enough.”

“Stephan,” Scootaloo whimpered as Trixie’s eyes grew cold. “He called Stephan a filthy monkey.”

“Where is this brickyard?” Trixie’ voice might as well been a glacier at how cold the demand was. “I’ve got a few questions for this Short Fuse...”

“On the other side of town, near the Everfree.” Scootaloo whimpered out, covering her eyes with her hooves.

“Trixie–” Raritys moved to stop her, only to pale at the look in Trixie’s eyes. They were nothing, they held no light within, only the promise of brutal confrontation if answers weren’t given.

“Move,” Trixie said quietly, prompting Rarity to step aside as the other mare stormed out.

Fluttershy and Rarity stared at one another, both frighten by the dark cloud hanging over Trixie’s face. They turned to Scootaloo, who looked quite miserable at the turn of events.

“We have to help her,” Fluttershy whispered.

Rarity responded with a small nod. “Indeed, but right now, we wait for Applejack before we head out. We may need her strength to try and control any conflict.” Rarity rubbed the back of her head. “Hopefully she can settle the matter with little bloodshed, though it’s a fleeting hope… and we can’t leave the fillies alone in this state.”

He gaze flicked after Trixie, who was racing away, and a sad sigh escaped her lips. “Of course Trixie isn’t going to let Stephan go gentle into any good night, he’s the rock in her raging river. If Short Fuse is indeed the culprit, I hope the foolish stallion doesn’t do anything to stupid.”

Fluttershy gave a small nod. “She is barely holding on… anypony can see it. She’s hurting like crazy on the inside.”

“Let us just hope she can be mended before she breaks,” Rarity nodded, and then shivered. “We saw how she fought against Rainbow earlier. If she’s that strong, and this angry…” she looked up at Fluttershy. “I think your bear-wrestling skills may come in handy!”

“You want me to release tension in her back?” Fluttershy tilted her head while staring at her, confused.

Berry crossed the village square, Ruby trotting beside her. Unusually, her daughter wasn’t skipping up and down the way she usually would, in spite of her pleas that the filly watch out, lest she fall flat on her face.

‘That’s a bad sign,’ Berry thought anxiously. ‘What’s happening to us?’

Her mind felt like a rubbish heap of images these days. There’d be these periods when she could barely remember what she’d done the previous evening, only for the memory to return with a vengeance a week later… and promptly recede to the back of her thoughts again.

It had something to do with the humans. That much she could always tell.

“Mommy! MOMMY!”

“No! Oh, no, please, don’t! Have mercy!”

She sobbed and begged, but it did not help. Cruel, clawlike hands the color of raw flesh reached out from the shadows to drag the screaming filly away.

“RUBY!”

“Mommy?”

The voice of her real daughter, soft and hesitant as a late spring breeze, snapped Berry out of her troubled reverie.

“I…” she began, stumbling over her words a little. “Sorry Ruby… mind wandered a bit there…”

It wasn’t fair, living in fear like this. Why was it that whenever something strange or unsettling occurred around Ponyville, she usually found herself caught, if not in the eye of the storm, at least by a violent gust of it? Those times when a love-crazed Big Mac dragged her house right off its foundations, or Discord made her sneeze from pepper saturation, they were enough for grey hairs to sprout on any mare. And yet everypony still blamed her when she took to the bottle… well she was off of it now, and still they treated her with disdain.

“Mommy, what’s going on?”

Berry licked her lips, wondering how she could explain to her daughter. Especially as she herself would feel so uncertain half the time, even without these gaps in her memory. They’d first manifested on that evening two months ago in Baltimare, where she’d gone after getting an intriguing reply to the ad she’d posted in the Canterlot Times.

‘Concerned single mother wishes to discuss human visitors with like-minded ponies…’

“Ruby,” she said slowly, “You, uh… you remember when you and Mommy had to go on a trip to Baltimare? That time I said you shouldn’t ever tell anypony where we were going?”

The little filly blinked, and nodded, gazing up at her mother with wide eyes. Berry struggled not to let her lower lip wobble as they stopped and sat next to each other at a nearby bench, overlooking the square, where the Whooves clan were having a picnic.

‘How did funny-faced, scatterbrained Derpy find a pony to let into her life? How’d she go from a single mother to possessing a husband and stepdaughter?’ she thought to herself. No such luck had come their way. She and Ruby were all either of them had in the world.

Again that image of her daughter being taken away from her by remorseless predators arose in front of Berry's eyes, and she forced herself to shake it off. Hadn't somepony once mentioned to her that humans were meat-eaters? She was sure of having heard it somewhere, but the details were vague. As if to convince herself that they were still together, not apart, Berry tentatively placed her forehooves around a surprised Ruby's shoulders.

“Listen, sweetie... what I'm going to ask you now may sound really, really weird. It probably won't make much sense. But you've got to tell me.” She took a deep breath. “Ruby, how do you feel about... about humans?”

There was a new hunter in the Everfree…

Trixie’s glare encouraged any animal that crossed her path to scurry away. Even the fabled Timberwolf had scarpered, whimpering, after she’d tossed it against a tree. Many times. Her blades were ready to dish out pain to anything stupid enough to get in her path. To hell with the consequences. These ponies thought they could get away with this. Well, tough luck..

“Oh, that is it,” she muttered loudly, not bothering to keep her voice down. “I’m sick of people trying to make a fool of me. Had enough of that shit before the war, but if they’ve gotten it into their heads they can do what they like to my loved ones too, they’re in for a big surprise. They’ll wish I’d merely humiliated them in public once I’m done with them!”

Armed with the weapons she’d taken the time to pick up from her and Stephan’s hotel room, Trixie had every reason to make good on that promise. A rational part of her mind was whispering to her, in a small, hopeful tone, that’s she’d cool off by the time she got there. But for now, she was livid and pumped for action, and intended to keep it that way.

Her eyes narrowed as she sensed a nearby presence, hidden amongst the trees.

“I am in no mood for games,” she called out furiously. “Show yourself, coward! Come out and face me! My name is Trixie Lulamoon, and I am fucking angry right now!”

Nothing. The Forest remained resolutely quiet, all local wildlife having been intimidated away by her stalking path to reunite with the man she loved. Then… her Spy training took over, and she whirled around, in time for her knife to parry the dagger which had been whistling towards the exposed back of her neck.

“Well met,” someone said softly. “I would have expected no less.”

Staying focused on the entwined knife and dagger, hovering over the ground between her and her unseen opponent, Trixie dug her hooves into the earth of the path, ready to face whomever presumed to trifle with a fully-alert Blue Spy.

“Come out here and FACE ME!”

As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait long, for a cloaked pony – likely a mare, judging by the voice – emerged from the foliage. Seeing her, Trixie growled, preparing to draw out a second knife and bring down on this ‘hostile’.

But the mysterious figure had other ideas, as evidenced by the next words which she spoke. “Do you truly believe you are fighting for free will, Miss Lulamoon? Is that what this is about? Look around. Feel. The morning breeze in your mane, the soft grass beneath your hooves, the people you've met... You walk an Equestria that may have been yours, but isn't. Free will is, at best, a comforting illusion. And you should know that more than most.”

The cloaked mare's voice grew harsh. “Imagine you are the Blue Spy.”

At that moment, the dreamweaver awoke the sleeper within the other mare’s war-damaged mind, a carefully-edited persona planted and nurtured through weeks of careful nocturnal manipulations, tying together fragments of pain, rage and grief to form a circuit within fractured memory that could be activated at the push of a switch.

Imagine you are the Blue Spy…

Once that phrase had been spoken, it could not go unheeded. Millions of tiny synapses inside the mare’s brain that called themselves ‘Trixie Lulamoon’ – and it must be said, those words oft resonated loudly within her consciousness – responded to the unfamiliar appellation like an old friend.

It would feel right to sink into that persona, like wearing an old suit. And yet, there would almost certainly be a sense of not belonging, a sense of something being off….

...but it was lost in the blast that overtook her. Trixie herself barely had a few moments to process the abrupt spasms seizing her limbs, or the way a thousand white-hot strokes exploded like pinpricks at the back of her skull. Despite her internal struggle, resisting the flow of images short-circuiting her was proving impossible. Yet now the flood began to quell, and amid the residual static, five words pushed through.

‘You have to kill them.’

What?

‘Everyone here is an enemy.’

Enemies? The only enemies she knew amongst ponies were the Imperials and...

‘The PER have set up shop in a brickyard, believing themselves hidden. They and their human allies need to be shown how wrong they are. Show no mercy.’

Yes. That was right. PER, disgusting ponies who believed in the cause of a mad Queen.

‘Eliminate everyone. The human ally is a HVT, former PHL, a traitor to us all, who plans to use stolen tech against us. Destroy him with extreme prejudice.’

Traitors… Traitors needed to be put away for good, deep underground.

‘Trust no one. Once you have carried out the mission, be wary. These ponies are locals. Others locals may be working for them.’

Clean house then, leaving no chance for them to rebuild and start over. She had supposed herself safe, but in truth, you were never safe in days of war. Time to amend that oversight.

“Do you understand your mission?”

“Yes. Eliminate brickyard and the surrounding village,” the Blue Spy answered with a dead voice, “All targets are considered acceptable losses. Human targets are high priority, holding valuable intel that cannot be allowed to fall outside of PHL. ”

“Then proceed with the mission.” the strange mare -- !!YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER!! -- ordered, dismissing her with the wave of a hoof.

“Yes.”

The Blue Spy slinked off into the trees, silent as a ghost, and vanished without a trace. The pale male shuddered, hoping to never again be confronted by such an adversary when weakened and unarmed. Passion and rage could often be a surprising force multiplier.

But now she had harnessed the blue unicorn’s strengths and turned her loose against her own friends and allies. For the flesh-and-blood golem that now called itself ‘The Blue Spy’, the mission was all that mattered. There was only the here and now, the PER to neutralize...

Weaver sighed with relief, glad that her plans for the Spy had fallen into place. There were few minds fragmented enough for her to plant such a complex suggestion within, but in adulterating her self-identity so thoroughly as she had, Trixie had unwittingly done a sterling job of creating backdoors into her own psyche.

“I regret this, Trixie,” she whispered. “It pains me to use my talents to destroy, not create. But you were a showmare, a performer, once. Now you will show your audience what it means, when brute force misses its mark and comes for them instead.”

END OF PART 1

The Board Is Set

The Board is Set

Authors:

Redskin122004

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Editors:

ProudtoBe

Doctor Fluffy

Bendy

TB3

Kizuna Tallis

“Oh, I don’t like it, Fluttershy, darling. I don’t like it at all.”

Rarity kept mumbling the same words over and over, pacing back and forth across Carousel Boutique’s living room while Fluttershy watched her in silence, covering her own face with her willowy mane. The meek animal caretaker was well aware of that, amongst their little circle of friends, she and Rarity were the two mares most inclined to bouts of extreme anxiety.

But a key difference between her and the workaholic dressmaker was that Rarity would release her fears by pouring ever more effort into what great enterprise had taken her fancy. As coping mechanisms went, it appeared strangely effective – despite her drama queen ways, Rarity was the only one Fluttershy’s five best friends who’d never undergone an ‘episode’.

In these troubled new times, chances were that would soon change. After hearing directly from Trixie and Major Bauer some of which scars their experiences had left them with, Fluttershy found herself fearing the idea of battle less than what it would mean to live with the aftermath. Only the thought of the alternative kept her going, the image of Equestria’s fate if they lost, the fate of everyone she knew and loved. Rarity, Dash, Pinkie, Twilight, Applejack, the Cutie Mark Crusaders – still fast asleep, now lying on plush pillows Scootaloo had asked for right before passing back out – her family, her pet bunny Angel. All of them.

“We never should have let Trixie go off on her own,” Rarity continued, panting and pacing. “Super sneaky spy specialist, my hat, she’s got no idea what she’s headed into. Oh, why didn’t we call somepony? She can’t do this on her own! Fuse is a big brute, he managed to kidnap poor Major Bauer, for goodness’ sake! This is hopeless!”

Exhausted, she fell back on her fainting couch. “Darling, what are we going to do?”

“I’m w-worried about Angel,” Fluttershy managed to stutter out.

Rarity stared at her in disbelief. “Angel? We’ve got a major crisis on our calloused hooves, and the first thing you think about is your pet rabbit?”

“We l-left all our pets at the F-forest Rangers’, remember? With Minus. And wh-what if Fuse was mean to Angel?”

“Angel?” Rarity spluttered. “Who cares about that devilbunny?” she demanded ungenerously. “He can take care of himself just fine! Why, if Fuse has laid a single hoof on one of my dear Opal’s hairs, I’ll… I’ll…”

“Uh, he wouldn’t. I mean, even if he would, Minus would never let him do something like that,” interrupted Fluttershy, her voice a bit firmer. “She’s very assertive.”

“Yes, b-but Fluttershy, what was I thinking, placing our pets in Minus’ care without any plan,” Rarity said breathlessly, bounding up from her couch. “Her, her I’ve got nothing against, you understand, it’s that loutish husband of hers!” She clawed at her mane. “I’ve got to get Opalescence out of there. She’s too delicate a creature for such a household!”

“Rarity, what are you talking about?” Fluttershy reminded her gently. “We didn’t leave Opalescence and our other pets at their house. They’re all being kept at the Rangers’ office.” She dipped her head, letting her mane fall across her eyes. “I hope they’re not too lonely. It’s not as nice as my cottage, but it’s the best we’ve got…”

“Wait.”

Fluttershy looked up, and saw Rarity, standing in the middle of the living room, staring right at her in a manner she found very uncomfortable. “Wait,” her friend repeated. “Did you just say ‘the Rangers’ office’?”

“Y-yeah?”

“And Minus?” continued Rarity. “She’s a Forest Ranger.”

“Uh-huh, that’s right.”

“Flutters, you’re a genius!” exclaimed Rarity, rushing over to hug her tight, much to Fluttershy’s utter shock and surprise. “That’s it!”

“It is?” wondered Fluttershy, before the truth dawned on her. “Oh… oh! The Rangers. Yes.”

And when Rarity pulled away from the hug, Fluttershy noted a crafty look had appeared on her best friend’s face. “Boy, this just might be worth it,” the dressmaker said, rubbing her forehooves with unladylike glee, “I can’t wait to see Short Fuse busted by his own wife…” She began trotting to the Boutique’s front door. “Come along, darling. You don’t want to miss this.”

“Uh, Rarity? Wh-what do we do with the girls?” asked Fluttershy, indicating the unconscious Crusaders.

Rarity stopped at the door, hoof reaching for the knob. “Ah. Good point. Heavens, I can’t believe I almost forgot Sweetie Belle and her friends! How could I be so thoughtless?”

“Well, um…” Fluttershy said tentatively, “Berry did say she'd get Applejack and Wildfire. Goodness knows what's taking her so long, but she should be around soon.”

“Brilliant,” said Rarity. “Listen, Fluttershy, we haven’t got much time. So, so here’s what to do. I’ll wait here for Applejack and the others to arrive, you go meet Minus. She’ll listen to you.”

Fluttershy could tell Rarity was holding a slight disappointment at bay that she wouldn’t personally get to break the news to Minus of her husband’s wrongdoings. But it was just like her friend to respect a plan for its efficiency, even at her own personal discomfort. This was a trait which Bauer had singled out for a rare moment of praise on the training grounds.

Seeing Rarity back in the saddle and determined raised her own spirits, too.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, heading for the door with a steadfast spring to her step. “I hope the girls won’t mind being carted around from house to house…”

Their planned brunch lay in a sad, abandoned little basket on the table.

It was High Noon in New New York.

The city slowly reached the height of its daily routines, with thousands upon thousands of soldiers training under the blazing sun. Every minute counted, after all, even if it meant ending the day sweating and heaving, through trials such as Discord’s trickery and the toll of the Equestrian sun. And yet, as soldiers of all shapes and sized marched, ran, and flew, there were still some form whom today had only begun.

Sometimes, Ana cursed herself for not being a morning person.

Gazing down blearily into her fourth cup of coffee for the day, the young woman forced herself to remember that, whatever the perks of being one in a few lucky humans given food and shelter in this Equestria, she had a job to do.

“Good afternoon to you, Trainer Bjorgman,” said a kind voice. “How are you keeping today?”

Ana looked up from her cup, swiping away a strand of strawberry-blonde hair from her face with some irritation, and pointedly straightened her khaki vest. Much as she enjoyed the company of others, she’d hoped for some alone time in the mess hall just before lunch. Sergeant Jaka did appear to have his charges well in hand, after all. He most likely didn’t need further assistance from her for now.

It was to her pleasant surprise, though, when Moondancer sat down across from her. Judging from the messy, slightly singed nature of her mane – red-and-purple wisps tied up in a bun – and safety goggles, it was clear to Ana that the mare had already been busy, when it was barely two o’clock in the afternoon.

“G’morning, Dancer. My morning, not yours, eh? I mean, just woke up and... ‘course, you get what I'm saying,” Ana replied, attempting to smile in return. “Well, considering Wolff’s not around to chow down on everyone’s breakfast, mine especially, it’s not too bad from a certain point of view.”

Moondancer chuckled, wiping a stain off her goggles. “Believe me, I’m glad to hear you can keep up that positive attitude of yours, Trainer Bjorgman,” she said. “Though, I do believe Mr. Harwood is pleased by your absence?”

Ana grunted in a rather unladylike fashion. “If by ‘pleased’ you mean ‘I’ll-rub-it-in-your-face’ pleased, then yes, Dancer, I’m willing to bet that he’s very pleased.”

“Now, don’t you worry about him. I’ll be certain to give him the last bowl of carrot stew.” Moondancer assured her gently.

“What, you’re making carrot stew for lunch?”

“But of course. As a person who values eyesight in long-range combat, Ana, I’m sure you understand the value of carrots,” the mare replied with a wink.

“Where I’m from, we feed the things to the reindeer and make noses out of ‘em for snowmen, but yeah, I see your point. Now with that over with... may I have the first bowl?” Ana asked, shaking her now-empty coffee cup as if to emphasize her need. Just to lay on the thickness, the young woman widened her eyes pleadingly.

“You’re in luck. I’ve just about finished preparing it,” said Moondancer with a smirk, standing back up. “But first of all, here’s something for the wait,” she added, levitating another cup and placing it gently down on the table. To Ana’s delight, it was filled with hot chocolate.

“Mmm, chocolate…” sighed the woman, gazing at it longingly. “Thanks, Dancer. I’m sure glad Wolff’s not here to steal a sip.”

“No trouble, Ana,” Moondancer said, a twinkle in her eyes. “Ah, quand on parle du loup...” she continued, spotting something over Ana’s shoulder. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

“Ana! You’re awake!”

The booming, shrill cry of Wolfsschanze behind her caught Ana off-guard. Before she knew it, the stout griffon had swept her up from her seat in a bear hug.

“Oompf! Yeah, it’s– nice to– see you too– Wolff,” Ana struggled to reply, barely able to wheeze out her sentence, trapped as she was in his arms, with her back pressed to the embracing fold of his large stomach.

“Aw, Corporal, you know how much we miss you when you’re not around!” Wolfsschanze told her genially. “You really oughta see about taking up morning duty more often. It would do everyone a world ‘a good, I can tell ya.”

“Well, about that,” said Moondancer, who’d been staring amusedly at the display before her, obviously pretending not to notice the desperate looks the increasingly red-faced, puffy-cheeked woman was throwing her way. “Ana, remember we were discussing your circadian rhythm–”

“Wolff, would you kindly not suffocate poor Bjorgman to death?” interjected the gruff voice of Lieutenant Gilford, rebuking the younger griffon. In spite of this, through her haze, Ana could have sworn she heard a hint of levity in his tone, too.

“The Lieutenant is right, Corporal Wolfsschanze,” Moondancer said sweetly. “Wouldn’t want to get that last bowl of carrot stew, now, would we? I hear that, although it’s woven from the same cloth as the rest, so to speak, it just isn’t the same.”

“Oh nonono!” Wolfsschanze hastily said, dropping Ana ungracefully back at her seat. “I’ll be good, no more bone-crushing hugs from this griffon, no ma’am!” he boomed, scruffing a panting Ana’s hair playfully. “Sorry ‘bout that, lil’ miss,” he added, even as he fleetingly dipped his into her cup.

Ana gasped. “My chocolate! This isn’t over, ya hear me?” She was trying to growl, but her voice belied her words. Not a soul she knew could hold a grudge when it came to the big softie that was Corporal Wolfsschanze.

“Well, I wouldn’t say so, my dear.”

At the sound of that particular smug, accented voice, Ana couldn’t help but openly groan, inwardly cursing her sleep patterns once more. It was all the worse that, with Moondancer having just left the table, she no longer had feminine company for support against this creep.

“Whaddaya want?” she deadpanned, as the offending Englishman sat down opposite her, a wide smile set upon his well-defined, angled face. His deep green eyes were lit by mischievous intent, which only annoyed her further, as people would frequently mention the contrast with her the light turquoise of her own eyes.

“Oh, nothing less than to congratulate you on your sleep, Ana,” he stated politely. “You must’ve set some sort of new record now, haven’t you?”

“Har-dee-har-har, Harwood. And wipe that stupid smile off your face.”

“You’ve missed quite a lot,” said Harwood. “Major Sky Watch’s been doing overtime on the course. Sergeant Dewdrop tripped trying to keep pace on the ground with the pegasi and griffons in her squad, Corporal Hagelsturm bumped his head flying into one of the sky rings, and all swear up and down that Private Glory plain snuck away again.”

“Aw, you know Morning as much as I do,” chuckled Ana. “Always looking for an out, that sneaky little mare.”

Her companion simply shrugged, and sipped from his coffee. “I swear, one of these days, Coxa’s got to talk to her. As goody-two-shoes I may seem,” he said unironically, taking no regard of Ana as she rolled her eyes, “I’m not keen on seeing her in ‘detention’.”

Harwood let out a sigh, rubbing the palm of his gloved hands. Ana flinched despite herself. Was that mud all over it?

“Of course, that’s not counting the ones I had to patch up a little. This little bugger over here–” he gestured towards Wolfsschanze, who was busy opening his rucksack for some snacks, “–injured his thigh. Sure, he’s more athletic than you might think, but we had to roll him around before I injected the morphine. Isn’t that right?”

“Guilty as charged, Har!” Wolfsschanze cheerfully replied, patting his belly.

“Still not the worst, though! You should’ve seen what happened when Glacier accidentally cut his cheek in the mud. It was a long, dear struggle, Ana…” Harwood intoned dramatically. “I had to resort to drastic measures…”

“So, busy day, then?” Ana asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

In response, Harwood simply raised his dirty, mud-covered hand, to her horror.

“These hands have killed today, Ana. Glacier will never see the light of the morrow,” he ominously stated. But his instinctive grin ruined the image somewhat. “Ha! Just joshing. Didn’t really think I had to do some field surgeon work now, did you? Still, you should see what I can do with these when given the, ah, proper tools. They can work some extraordinary magic, know what I mean?”

Ana Bjorgman stifled a groan. “You’re bad with jokes, Thomas. Please, could you like, stick to the teasing and stay with the teasing? And could you please clean your hands first? I thought you were supposed to be the doctor around here–”

“Chief medical officer.”

“Whatever!” Ana replied with a pout. For all his self-proclaimed medical expertise, Harwood had never been the best at keeping all his stuff clean.

“Well excuse me, princess,” Harwood replied tartly, taking off his gloves and wiping them clean with a handkerchief. “Though I think you had a stroke of luck today. Sarge’s increasing the workload, and considering somepony had the bright idea of making it rain this morning…”

“Yeah, yeah, I just saw the results” Ana said quickly, grimacing at the sight of his dirty gloves and stained handkerchief. “Brrh… But you’re, uh, okay right? Need any help?” she added, eyes scanning around for any sign of injury on her partner.

“You, my friend, haven’t seen half of it. The whole bloody warzone’s filled with mud, had to lug some heavier equipment around. It’s times like these that almost make me jealous for your atrocious sleeping schedule. Almost.”

“Oh, Thomas, you flatter me so, as usual, you sniveling snake.”

Harwood simply shook his head. “No, really... sometimes I can’t stand the Sarge’s fixation on making us train the exact way he did back home. I mean, you and I both did it as well, but… it gets old, you know?” he sighed, opening his canteen for a drink.

“Hey, pal,” said Ana, “At least a muddy warzone’s still better than a rusty old ship, right?”

Silence passed, interrupted only by the sound of Wolfsschanze munching down on a bag of cookies he’d snuck in – against Company regulations, of course, but no one ever had the heart to make him stop. Much to Ana’s worry, Harwood looked noticeably withdrawn over her last remark, stopping short of finishing his drink.

‘Crap, probably shouldn’t have said that. Stupid, stupid, stupid.’

“Harwood? Are you alright?” Ana slowly asked, nervously twiddling her fingers. The sound of her voice snapped Harwood out of his reverie.

“Hm, ye– right, I’m quite alright,” he replied. But his empty look said otherwise, his eyes darting away from Ana.

“Are you still having the dreams?” Ana asked, in a somewhat gentler tone than she usually felt the cocky Englishman merited.

‘Way to go, Ana, way to make this so much more awkward.’

Harwood had never fully recovered from their harrowing experience aboard the Mamayev Kurgan, all those years ago, Ana remembered. He still had that empty gaze when looking down long, narrow hallways, freezing up at the sound of water crashing onto ships in the Port of Jakarta, flinching at the sound of clashing metal.

‘Great, now you broke him, darn it,’ she chided herself, glancing over her shoulder. However, the view this gave her of Moondancer busily preparing lunch lit a bulb in her mind.

“Maybe Dancer can help out a little?”

Harwood glanced at Ana, then to Moondancer, then back at her.

“I appreciate the suggestion, but I don’t suppose Dancer’s that sort of pony.” It was true. Moondancer didn’t exactly look the part of a therapist, with her singed mane and goggles.

“Well, you know how she is! Pretty sure she’s read up all the books, and I’m sure she knows a thing or two about your problems, Thomas. Whaddaya say?” Ana asked encouragingly, resting her chin upon her hand and smiling softly at her companion.

Whatever Harwood was going to say next, however, was interrupted by the mess hall doors slamming open. A collective silence descended upon the hall’s occupants as their unexpected visitor trotted in. He was a gray unicorn, wearing a gray suit and homburg to match. Not a trace of mane was seen, save for those presumably covered by his hat. It had actually become a minor game in the company to guess Resolute’s mane color beneath the ever-present hat.

The unicorn cast his steely-blue gaze over the hall. To her surprise, Ana realized just how much more crowded the place had grown in the space of five minutes. Aside from the little gathering at her table, consisting mainly of Harwood and an eagerly-waiting Wolfsschanze, now that Moondancer and Gilford had gone their separate ways, numerous other griffons and ponies – and one Changeling – were to be seen, including her friend Snow Mist.

“Everypony and everyone, listen up,” Vanhoover Company’s logistics officer announced loudly.

That, in itself, was cause enough for every ear present to perk up. Being a discreet, soft-spoken sort, hearing Resolute speak up like this was nothing short of startling. And it could not possibly herald anything good.

“My little pony, you are not the one who’ll kill him. This isn’t how this works. And that’s just as it should be.”

The burly stallion’s eyes shot open, wide and dazed, as he seemed to awake from one nightmare to another. He tried breathing in, but something was stuck between his jaws. Worse, with a surge of panic, he realized he was lying on his side. Gasping, Short Fuse rolled himself over and spat out the froth-covered stick, desperate to get up and face whoever thought they’d get the drop on him.

It took several heaving, rasping coughs, with him clutching at his spasm-ridden belly, before instincts from the bad old days took over. He wasn’t in any immediate danger. Anyone bearing him ill will would’ve tied him down and stuffed a gag down his throat. No, whatever discomfort he’d been in, it looked more like a recovery position for an epileptic seizure, or the wrong booze getting in his glass.

‘Funny…’, thought Fuse, rubbing his head. ‘I don’t feel drunk…’

Besides, judging from rows upon rows of drying bricks around him, wasn’t this his brickyard? Whatever his faults, he’d always maintained that drinking on the job wasn’t one of them… well, except for that very hot day when, working the clay pit, he’d actually been glad the stuff stuck to his coat as it helped keep him cool, and Minus had appeared atop the slope, both she and the bottle of rum tucked under one wing a gift from Faust, as was the absence of any brickmaking apprentices at that time to distract them when she joined him down there...

Fuse’s momentary fuzzy feeling over the stray memory turned to ice as it dawned on him; he had no idea how he ended up here, knocked out cold in his own workplace. Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. His jaw dropped as, turning, his gaze fell upon two widely mismatched figures. One was human, beaten and tied to a pole, glaring silently at him. The other was… the Lord of Chaos?

“Fuse! Fuse! We need to talk!” a voice called out, coupled with insistent knocks to the door. “Something’s up with yer ponies. They’re acting all weirded out, like some sorta spell’s been lifted offa them. Locksmith is demanding an answer.”

The stallion made no answer. Despite his considerable bulk, Fuse suddenly felt faint again, wishing the ground would just swallow him up, like in the Gildedale earth pony tales of yore.

‘Locksmith...’ he realized, freezing up. This he did remember.

Mental images from the past few months were patchy, in some cases clear in picture yet muted in sound, while others seemed to end in a door and open again somewhere else. Sadly, the memory of Locksmith, however much older than any of these, felt all too stark.

For the second time that day, doors burst open in the brickyard.

A shifty-looking stallion wearing sunglasses barged in, with another, dark-coated stallion in a tweed jacket trailing behind him, sputtering at the destruction of the door. The latter’s eyes widened at the sight of Fuse and rushed over to him, speaking a mile a minute, but the brickmaker was more focused on the first stallion.

‘That’s Shades? Just a runt last time I saw him. Bucker grew alright...’ Fuse scowled at the remains of his door. ‘Into a real pain in my flank. Wait… second time today? How do I...’

“Hey, uh, boss! Found something here!” yelled Shades.

And sure enough, Fuse’s heart sank as Locksmith himself trotted into the drying shed. Only the slightest flicker of surprise crossed his old companion’s face at what was inside.

“Discord…” whistled Locksmith. “Wow... a pretty catch. So that’s what the venom was for. Shorty, you surprise me still.”

Fuse’s mind worked quickly, gauging how to play this off. Somehow, a human and Discord had landed as captives in his drying shed, and Doctor Caballeron’s right-hoof stallion hadn’t known about this, though he’d obviously been invited here. Perhaps these missing memories were a last-ditch defense on the Chaos Lord’s behalf.

“Well,” he replied, putting on an air of confidence, “Ya were promised something big, Locksmith, weren’t ya? Wouldn’t ask for something big like venom otherwise.”

To his discomfort, he wasn’t sure this non-answer had been right, for a spark of suspicion glinted in the other stallion’s eye, darting between him, the two strangers, and back.

“Huh, looky here,” said Shades, “Who’d a thunk it? Seems like old Discord’s own creations can work against him after all.”

“The tatzelwurm wasn’t created by the Lord of Chaos,” Locksmith reminded him. “Merely a far-flung offspring of his chaotic residue, kinda like the Everfree Forest. Doubt he so much as knew the thing existed. Wouldn’t be chaos otherwise, would it?”

“Up is down and down is up’s as simple as it ever gets with that bloke,” agreed Shades. “Everfree, eh? Seeing as everyone else who’s got poisoned with the stuff had all sorts’a crazy things happen to ‘em before they died, yet all he gets is a bad cold, wonder what’d be if we rubbed him down with poison joke?”

“Probably just a rash,” Locksmith replied carelessly. “But it’s a most stimulating prospect, aye. Now then, I’d say we can fetch quite a fair price for this ’ere feller,” he mused, nudging the unconscious Discord with a hoof. “Powder of draconequus horn, oh yes, that'd make a right killing on the black market…”

The dark-coated stallion, who’d been standing hangdog at Fuse’s side, sprung back to life. “Powdered–” he began, choking on his own words. “Wh-what? Sir, one time, my roommate, he got his hooves on a snuffbox full of whitish dusty stuff that wasn’t snuff. Celestia, lucky I’d been studying for my medical finals, or who knows how differently that could’ve turned out!”

“A buncha comical misadventures, most likely,” stated Locksmith, who was still considering Discord. “Rounded up with everypony laughing it off in the end. You Equestrians got no idea how often you land on yer hooves… Heck, that’s what led my old pal Shorty here to fancy a lifestyle change. Outside world ain’t all so shiny, Mister Blackberry, no matter how much yappin’ you may do ‘bout adventure… twas’ a relief, really, when that flash what took your memories made you quit fawning over me.”

‘That kid’s lost his memory too?’

Yet Fuse had no time to ponder this when the young stallion, Blackberry, started quivering. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I know that somehow, you guys have captured two mythical beasts, which I think’s great, something straight out of the books! But now, what you wanna do with one of them is… make more of the stuff that nearly did Max in?”

Locksmith glanced at him with disdain. “Where do you think that stuff comes from?”

The poor stallion – no, the poor colt, you couldn’t say a stallion was somepony who reacted this poorly to a situation – had his eyes bugged out, his body shaking all over. Fuse found himself feeling almost sorry for Blackberry. Clearly, he’d bitten off more than he could chew.

And, to his surprise, Fuse sensed his own insides twist at Locksmith’s words. By the sound of things, Caballeron’s ventures had branched out in the days since he’d quit. In hindsight, maybe Miss Do should have seen it coming, after she’d cut off the boss’s other sources of revenue.

“Pal, lay off the kid. He’s a doctor, medical, not Caballeron’s type,” he said, silently congratulating himself on his rapid deduction. “Doesn’t know the way of the world.” A low-lying snarl from behind reminded him of the human’s presence. “What I’d like to know is what ya intend to do ‘bout this ape-thing.”

This time, he was dismayed to see the suspicion had spread all across Locksmith’s face. “Him? Nothing. That was always the plan, wasn’t it?”

“What!” exclaimed Fuse. “Why, you… whose plan?!”

Locksmith’s answer was as a slap to his face. “Yours,” he replied, voice lowering dangerously. “Which is why you asked me and my boys over, cos’ a few measly Equestrians ain’t gonna cut it alone with the apes. Play the waiting game, you said. And I see now that was your only plan. No offense, pal, but you ain’t smart enough to catch Discord. You gave yerself away by saying you’s the one who asked for venom, which you weren’t. You’ve forgotten too, haven’t you?”

“Discord?” Even through the rush of forgotten scenes and everything falling apart around him, something vital clicked inside Fuse’s mind. “Discord’s payment, no more! The real job’s dealing with the apes! ”

“Listen ‘ere, Fuse, I like my payment upfront. You’re just a go-between for whoever’s really masterminded all this, and you’re no good to me with holes in yer memory. Seems we’ve found ourselves a better deal, so you play along, else things might get ugly.”

However, Fuse wasn’t having it. This was his turf, dammit, which meant playing by his rules, especially with other ponies suffering from the sam amnesia as he, like young Blackberry, and whatever they were here for, it certainly wasn’t to help turn the Lord of Chaos into a stash.

“Locksmith, ya mud-raking mule! Get out of my brickyard before I toss y–” Fuse growled, storming up to the stallion, only to have his path blocked by Shades and another of Locksmith’s thugs, who pushed him back roughly.

“Take him away,” smirked Locksmith. “You know where...” On cue, both of Short Fuse’s former gangmates were hauling him out the door, followed by the bewildered Blackberry. “Shorty, pal, it’s just business. Just. Business. The apes, this other Celestia, they can do as they please, so long’s I get the cash and end up on top.”

Before Fuse, struggling fruitlessly against the thugs, could finish taking in the day’s last few twists and turns, they’d crossed the warehouse, and he found himself shoved onto his back once more, onto the stony floor of a dark, enclosed space. Glancing up at a curved ceiling, and going by the scent of wood and charcoal, he realized he was looking inside his own kiln.

From the other side of the archway, one of the thugs, a unicorn, gave him a farewell grin before slamming the heavy iron heat-lock shut, leaving him in darkness. Just a second too late, Fuse leapt up and began pounding furiously on the metal surface, which refused to budge. It shouldn’t have resisted him so, not within this factory built by his hooves. But soon enough, Fuse slumped against the door in defeat, realizing.

No unicorn involved in back alley dealings would leave home without a bit of cement on hoof. That would explain the wet, muffled ‘splat’ he’d heard when the heat-lock closed. Plus, with a clay pit nearby, they had the means to make more. And though earthen materials were his domain by birth, quick-drying cement was ‘dead’ to his magic. He was well and truly trapped.

‘My missus is gonna kill me.’

Indifferent to his former comrade’s plight, Locksmith turned to the human and draconequus, the former glaring daggers at him while the other remained unresponsive. The stallion only smiled as he walked up to the man, none too gently kicking one of his legs.

“So, you are the mighty human knight we heard so much about. Ha! What a joke. Captured by these morons. Now, you’re gonna tell me everything I want to hear about goods in that city.”

“There’ll be death before I tell you that. Specifically, yours,” the human growled, tugging at his restraints, causing the wooden beam to groan in protest. Frowning at this, Locksmith pulled back and buried his hoof into the human’s gut. The guy choked back a groan of pain.

“I don’t have time to deal with you anyways, freak,” sneered Locksmith, diverting his attention to the sleeping Discord. “I got a bigger prize in mind. All the time in the world once I’m done with the Chaos Lord.” He’d left his saddlebags at the doors. While keeping yourself facing a potential threat was the most advisable course of action, Locksmith decided he wouldn’t give the human that satisfaction as he went back to rummage their contents. “Few things can hurt pure magical creatures like alicorns, phoenixes, you name ‘em. I don’t have fancy gem magic like you lot. However, I got this…”

Hoof wrapped in a protective chain-mail gauntlet, he held up a dull copper-brown shard. “Orichalcum. Best thing to have. Not just against living creatures, either, golems fall the same. Salvaging it from that ancient temple was a nightmare, but you never know what you’ll need.”

He took a quick swipe at Discord’s prone body, and the shard cut into the sickly draconequus’s body with horrid ease. Discord, roused from his slumber by the exploding pain in his hip, bit back a hiss and rolled groggily to the side.

“Discord!” gasped the human.

“Now then, guv,” tutted Locksmith. “Stay still. Don’t want this to become messy now. Or do. Don’t matter. With your healing powers, we can this up for a long time. I’m counting on it. The cash will be rolling in, yes it will.”

“Du mieses Schwein!” the human roared, pulling harder at the wooden beam. “These idiots don’t know better, so I went easy on them! But you… I thought I’d seen everything...”

The groaning of the wood irritated Locksmith more than the words. He’d heard it all before.

Sighing, he marched up to the human and backhoofed him across the face. “Shut it!” he said, punching him once more in the stomach for good measure. “Stupid language of yours really grinds my gears. Speak Equish, freak.”

He turned back around, only to be caught off guard by something that wasn’t there before.

A small human, likely a filly, her fine black mane so long and thick, you could just barely see one eye poking out from under that mop of hair, was sitting on one an empty shelf nearby.

“What the–” Locksmith stared at the girl, who got off the shelf to stand in his way. “Aw, whatever. Move aside, little freak, I’ve got a Chaos Lord to harvest.”

But the girl shook her head, spreading her arms out wide in a pitiful attempt to stop him. Locksmith, however, was getting tired of everyone not listening to his orders. He was no Caballeron, but everyone feared the doctor’s second-in-command for a reason. Daring Do had lied in one of her books about her wing being injured due to strain. He snarled and batted the girl aside, her small form bouncing across the wooden floor and hitting the wall with a thud.

“You…” Discord groaned. “You imbecile!” he yelled, lunging at Locksmith. Had Discord not been suffering from the venom and a steadily bleeding wound, something bizarre and ironic likely would have befallen the stallion. In the event, Locksmith managed to dodge his foe’s eagle claw and stomp on his lion paw. There was a crack. “Huh,” wheezed Discord. “That…. that hurt. It’s… it’s been awhile.” He sounded almost delirious. “Pain hurts, Stephan! Why didn’t you tell me pain hurts?!”

“I’m sick of these delays,” sneered Locksmith. “Be a good ingredient piece and stay still.”

That was when he noticed something amiss. A sound of croaking, coming from up above. He raised his head, ears flicking, and froze. On the ceiling, scurrying upside-down from raft to raft like a demented Everfree star-spider, was the little human girl.

“What… the…”

Her head snapped around, sharp. More than snapped, swiveled all the way around, like it wasn’t even attached to her body. And her mouth, set below her dark unblinking eyes, opened, jaws stretched taut, wider than should be possible, a dark cavernous pit ready to swallow him up. The croaking sound burst across the shed in hellish cacophony.

He jumped back in terror, nearly dropping the blade.

Slowly, her body rotated on the spot, all except her head, which remained in place, until, having done a full 180, she began to melt into the ceiling. The last he saw of her was a smile.

Locksmith wiped the sweat off his brow, trying to calm his racing heart. He’d faced the worst criminals and monsters Equus had to offer. Yet now, here was this thing, making them look like foal’s play. What was she?

“Come out…” he seethed, forcing his voice into an almost crooning register, rotating the knife to reverse the blade. “Come on kid, I just want to... PLAY!”

His ears picked up a scuttling and he spun, putting all his strength into a spinning blow that would have sent the knife straight through the skull of any nearby unfortunates. As it were, all he hit was a pipe connected along the face of the wall to a fire-hose, shearing it completely at a rusted seam. Water began to gush out under pressure, covering the floor in a slick mirror-surface of fluid. Locksmith saw his own face stare up at him…

His howling, agonized face, frozen in a rictus of horror, decayed eyeballs retreating back into sockets, jaw hanging so far open in terror that it had dislocated itself. Its coat was grey as marble, the fur falling out in clumps, revealed water-rotten flesh veined with black blood vessels, mouth full of worms.

Something was screaming. Locksmith felt his vocal cords burn and realized it was himself. The kilns were screaming too, shrieking jets of steam from where water came into contact with superheated bricks, or pouring through the grates into the furnace ashpans, and the worst part was he wasn’t even the kiln-house. Tearing himself away from the nightmare vision, Locksmith spotted the girl-creature, the unholy thing standing across from him, half-shrouded in the illusionary steam filling the drying shed, and in a panicked yell hurled the knife at her, blade rotating over the grip in a perfect spin he’d once bribed a carnival pony to teach him.

It passed through her head as if she was smoke, glanced off the edge of a shelf, and clattered to the ground. Or at least it should have. Instead, by some act of improbability, it landed into the bound hands of Stephan Bauer.

Suddenly sensing the human for a genuine threat, Locksmith charged across the floor, cursing that they hadn’t thought to bind the creature’s ankles as well as its wrists, now that it brought its legs together and hefted itself upright in fluid movement

“Would have bought more time! Shades! In here!” he bellowed.

Then he made another mistake. Rushing to close the gap and disarm Bauer, he jumped straight over the one obstacle in his path: Discord. As he did, the wounded draconequus suddenly rotated on the floor in a single pained spasm, grabbing Locksmith’s hoof with a claw, bringing him hurtling to the ground.

But, unused to actual physical combat, when the weakened, gasping eldritch being attempted to pin the stallion with his superior mass, he found himself bucked in the face for his trouble. Discord’s already-weak grip failed, and Locksmith pulled himself free with a cry of triumph.

The whistle of something very sharp sailed over his head, scribing a blazing line of pain across the tip of one ear. Hitting the ground again and rolling, he came up to see Bauer, hands freed, advancing on him, passing the knife from hand-to-hand, preventing Locksmith from knowing whether or not to feint left or right in pressing an attack.

Thinking quickly, he chose a third option.

‘Oh, this is going to hurt.’

It did. Fuse had obviously built his brickyard well above-code, and even after having rudely crashed upon earlier, the double doors to the shed were still two inches thick and solid oak. But, by hurling himself at them in a perfect hoofball shoulder-tackle, there was enough force behind Locksmith to take it straight off the hinges, carrying both him and the doors through into the next room, landing in a heap beside an astonished Shades.

“Take him down!” Locksmith tried to yell, but all he could get out was a pained gasp. Shades, however, with the presence of mind to react accordingly, began seizing bricks off a nearby pallet and pelted them through the open doorway with piledriver force. Several unicorns joined in, blindly directing spells into the steam-filled room.

“You idiots!” he managed to wheeze. “He’s wielding orichalcum, it–”

One of the spells rebounded out of the room, the bolt of magic striking its caster in the face, pitching him back through a window.

“–reflects magic,” Locksmith finished wearily. “Block the door! Seal them in!”

The gaggle of idiots responded quickly enough, to their credit, and between earthpony muscle and some applied magic, soon arranged several of the pallets against the vacant doorframe, blocking it up completely and overlapping the walls by several feet. For good measure, their whole stock of cement went into the operation, too, even though the two emptied crates made for a pitiful sight once the excitement was over.

Recovering his strength, Locksmith leaned against the obstacle, mane and tail bristling.

“You stupid grass-munchers! Why didn’t you support me the second I started screaming?”

“Screaming?” asked an evidently confused Shades, not that his brain had any gears rated higher than ‘dumb cunning’ in Locksmith’s estimation. “We didn’t hear nothing from that room, till you brought the door down.”

Locksmith considered this for a moment, and made a connection with the pale-skinned creature disguised as a human – a demon clothed in the garb of a monster, how poetic.

“That little witch,” he chuckled darkly. “She sound-shielded the room.”

And now she, Discord, and the beast called Bauer were holed up within. And everypony knew animals like that were at their most dangerous when cornered, their backs to the walls.

‘Well, we’ll just have to even those odds, won’t we?’

“Shades?” he said, steadying his breathing and pointing imperiously. “Remember whatcha said ‘bout Discord and the poison joke?”

His associate nodded.

“Well, on reflection,” continued Locksmith, “I like your train of thought... even in his green state, I somehow doubt ropes will hold him down. We’re gonna need some other way, and maybe that’ll just cut it. Send someone out to scour the Forest for the nastiest plants they can find.”

Shades gave him a quick ‘aye aye, sir’, and departed out into the wild.

“You!” Locksmith heard him call out to that quivering little college foal… what was his name? Blueberry? “You’re a doctor, right?”

‘Now where are those pieces of meat off to?’

For Pina, all in all, the whole day had just kept getting better. Sure, perhaps hers wasn’t the most comfortable spot, hiding in the foliage overhill from the brickyard. But after suffering through a long, sleepless night standing guard outside the lovebirds’ hotel following what felt like an equally long and uneventful train ride – just because she rarely blinked, everyone seemed to think she never rested – she’d began to regret taking on this assignment.

Contrary to what many believed, Pineapple Cutter was a people person. She liked to find out what made them tick on the inside. Alas, spend three years working alongside the PHL, and you began to suspect there were only two kinds of folks in the world. On the one hand, a cabal of jingoistic, brain-dead loons who got a kick out of their destructive trail even as they loudly proclaimed righteousness. On the opposite side, of course, were the zombies.

Pretty boring company, really. And yet, they were under the impression that, due to her wisecracks at how silly it was, all their high-minded talk and actions which belied their words, their quest for peace at the mouth of a gun, she was enjoying herself somehow. Yes, it was a terrible, terrible thing, being one of the few sane people in the world. No wonder she’d used to lash out more, before Salonen laid down her Rules.

‘Eh, who cares? I did come here hoping to meet some interesting people.’

Well, meet them she hadn’t, per se, but since this afternoon, she’d compiled a list of the ones Bauer and Lulamoon had met for her. Too bad that at first, none had got dangerously close, an action which would authorize Pina to step forward and liven up the encounter, which she had considered doing when the three fillies sidled up to them. Children lack a conscience...

Not that the Cutie Mark Crusaders would be a hassle any longer, thank goodness. Though it took a little while to happen, they were now safely out, thanks to a group of local folk thoughtful enough to make kids leave while the grown-ups did the talking, presumably about serious issues over the future of Bauer and his friends’ time spent crashing this joint.

‘Friendly people? No. But interesting, yes.’

In the last half hour, a group of special interest had entered the brickworks, after which there’d been some commotion and a flash of light in the drying shed, and now, a wiry, nervous-looking earth pony wearing a tweed jacket was leaving, flanked by several heavyset stallions. All these events were likely related.

The mare tapped her chin, once, before a dull echoing from her polymer forehoof reminded her she needed to keep quiet, however unlikely detection may seem. She recognized the curly-haired, bespectacled colt as the same who’d dragged the big guy out the river. So, clearly braver than he looked, yet not so brave as to show no awe of the Everfree.

Her mind quickly made itself up. Renee and Scratch had been told about the recent arrivals. As soon as they got here, they’d insist she’d played her part, thank you, goodbye. And that wasn’t fair. Tracing the dear Major and Spy’s steps had reawoken some old hunger in her.

No, she would observe these brave fellows, and follow, in the hopes of finding out more. Perhaps the colt’s bravery would even impress her. After all, at day’s end, the nice thing about being Pineapple Cutter was getting to know people better than they knew themselves. As for Renee and Scratch, what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

‘Rules are made to be broken once in a while. That is the spice of life.’

Standing in the lobby to the Ponyville Forest Rangers’ Office, Fluttershy realized why it was best she’d come here instead of Rarity. If her best friend had seen the place’s uninspired furnishing, with the same plain wood paneling one found everywhere, she would have sobbed. For her part, Fluttershy felt that after what she’d learnt these past two months, she’d never look at the place’s wall-decorating paraphernalia –  a little flaregun, a rake with four teeth the size of her hoof – quite the same way again.

“May I help you?” asked the brown-coated, blond-maned stallion behind the desk.

Fluttershy coughed. “E-excuse me? Is Minus here?”

“Let me check.” The stallion peered over his shoulder. “Hey! Minus! Fluttershy’s back!”

“Oh, hello, Miss Fluttershy,” smiled Minus, giving her a friendly flit of her wing as she trotted out from the office proper. “Didn’t know you were back in town. How was Canterlot?”

“It wasn’t really a vacation,” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “Major Bauer had us running laps, doing push-ups, almost all day.” Her mane drooped. “Technically, this is our vacation.”

Minus nodded sympathetically. “Sounds a bit like our summer in Manehattan,” she said. “Save up for it all year, just for the novelty thrill, feel oddly stifled by urban jungle, get back home to work two weeks early. Nothing so satisfying as the hearthfire after an honest day’s labor, says I.” She reached for a flask of coffee and cup on the desk. “You could’ve sent word you were back, you know! So, you here to see about any forest creatures in need? Well, aren’t you in luck, I’ve got this ailing manticore right here, a little coyote puppy…”

“Actually, Minus,” Fluttershy said, “It’s about your… your husband.”

The ranger stopped pouring her cup of coffee.“Shorty?” She sighed, and Fluttershy could tell that this wasn’t all that abnormal. “Sweet Celestia, what’s he gotten into now?”

“Colonel Renee has just sent word to Sergeant Jaka that he’s to assemble a taskforce, specifically composed of Equusites native to this world, to be deployed within the hour. This taskforce will rendezvous with Colonel Renee and Lieutenant Scratch at the grand helicopter landing pad in Central Park. There, they shall receive a debriefing as to the purpose of this mission and its objectives.”

Resolute paused meaningfully. “Sergeant Jaka has charged me with observing the mission’s proceedings, and to relay the details when the mission is ongoing. Now, any questions?”

No answer, save for some puzzled glances here and there.

“Good, you have fifteen minutes to prepare,” finished the gray unicorn. He moved towards Gilford as the whole mess hall became all a-bustle with discussions. To Ana’s delight, Snow Mist had noticed her presence, waving in her direction.

‘Ah, finally, someone who’s not up to stealing my drinks or tease my sleep!’

“There you are, sleepyhead!” Snow Mist greeted her, trotting over to their table. The frost-colored pegasus mare shared a hoof-fist bump with Harwood, while giving Wolfsschanze – busy stuffing his snacks back in now that Resolute was around – an indulgent glance.

‘Darn it. I’m never going to live that down, am I? And my hair always in such a mess, too...’

Nevertheless, Ana gave Mist a friendly wave, while hurriedly finishing her still-warm chocolate.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to steal a sip, Ana,” Mist reassured her, winking at Harwood in the meantime. “Just here to, y’know, talk stuff over.”

“What, about greyscale over there?” Ana asked, pointing a thumb at the busy Resolute.

“Who else?” Harwood said drily, only to be met with a stomp and a ‘not-now’ look from Ana.

“Yup,” said Mist. “See, he’s got Coxa to talk, just watch.”

Sure enough, Resolute had striden up to the aforementioned Changeling. “Second Lieutenant Coxa, where is First Lieutenant Winter Truce?”

“In the Major’s office,” Coxa replied curtly. “Sky Watch specifically asked for him. I believe they’re planning a few tactical manoeuvres.”

“Never mind. As the second-most senior officer of First Platoon and the sole Changeling lieutenant in this Company, you are commissioned to assemble a squad of three Changelings from your platoon for the purposes of this mission.”

“Ah, unfortunately, Mr. Resolute, they are not currently available.”

“... I beg your pardon?”

“They’re training on the field,” explained Coxa. “You don’t expect me to come over there and, well, drag them off now, do you?”

Resolute sighed. “Fine. I would have preferred more of a stealth element on hoof, but we’ll work with what we’ve got. In the absence of First Lieutenant Winter Truce, the pegasi in this taskforce will be represented by First Lieutenant Snow Mist, Fourth Platoon.”

The look he shot Mist left no doubt he wanted her ready right at that moment, no later. With a heavy sigh, Snow Mist stood up.

“Ah, here we go,” she said. “Guess that’s Resolute for ‘get your things’. I’ll see you guys later, ‘specially you Ana. Clear the skies?”

“Clear the skies indeed,” the sniper replied, her hand reached out in a fist bump.

“Gotcha!” said Mist, hoof-bumping Ana in return, with a nod towards the still-pained Harwood, before giving Wolff a mischievous look. “Oh and Wolff, you’re aware that Resolute knows about your snacks right?”

“Whuh-what?” the griffon in question stammered. “No he doesn’t!”

“Corporal Wolfsschanze, you shall accompany Lieutenant Gilford during the mission as firing support. Please keep in mind that snacks are not allowed in the field,” Resolute called out.

“Darn it!” the griffon muttered, while both Ana and Harwood hid a chuckle under their breaths.  “Ah, don’t worry, big guy, I got ya covered. C’mon, let’s pack up.”

With that final exchange of words, Snow Mist and Wolfsschanze left, leaving Ana and Harwood in the mess hall.

“Right… did you really have to step on it that hard?” Harwood said, rubbing his sore toe. Ana merely gave him a sheepish look.

“Sorry, force of habit, heh heh...” she said nervously. His sole response was an unamused stare and him straightening his vest.

“Charmed. On another note, you think Jaka knows?”

“Of course he knows... Oh, right, Resolute, got it,” Ana said. Indeed, the gray unicorn had a very withdrawn persona. She wasn’t even sure where he came from. “Well, considering the Sarge’s an ex-policeman and the kind of guy to get into street fights…”

“Think it’ll be right up his alley?” Harwood finished with a knowing look and a smirk in return. The two trainers laughed heartily, sharing a high five.

“And what, exactly, is right up my alley?”

Both of them ceased their laughter and whipped their heads around, meeting the stern gaze of Sergeant Jaka. The tall, well-built man stood there with his arms folded, looking at them inquisitively. From the dirty stains on his armor, he had just returned from the training session.

“Oh hello, Sarge!” Ana quickly said, waving awkwardly at him. “Done with the training?”

“The others have it covered. What seems to be the matter?” said Jaka, one eyebrow raised, waiting for either of them to respond. Coupled with the Sergeant’s imposing height and his pencil moustache, the thick quality of his brow made this an unnerving sight. “Well?”

“Er, we’ve got a bit of a crisis on our hands, Sergeant,” Harwood stammered out. “Situation is, well, a bit delicate, but fear not–”

“What my dear friend here is trying to say, Sarge,” Ana interrupted, “Is that we’ve got a mission on our hands, Sarge.” Her tone hammered it straight to the point, or so she hoped.

“I was just about to say that Ana,” Harwood grumbled. “Rude.”

“But you didn’t, hm?”

An interrupting cough from Jaka reminded the two bickering friends who were talking to.

“If you two lovebirds are done,” he said coolly, at which Ana felt her cheeks burn, while Harwood whistled bashfully, “I must speak to Resolute regarding the matter.”

Then, as if to prove his point, the aforementioned unicorn spotted them from across the hall.

“There you are, Sergeant Jaka!” Resolute called out, trotting over to the three of them, a notebook attached to one of his forehooves and a pencil to the other. A long time ago, Ana would have thought it a silly sight, but times had changed.

Jaka nodded curtly. “Can I assume you have the team assembled, Mr. Resolute?”

“Er, yes, Sergeant,” Resolute nervously replied. “Colonel Renee requested us to be ready within the hour, and owing to the nature of the mission, he specifically asked for a group composed primarily of local recruits, which is why I made sure to run this through Lieutenant Coxa first, in the absence of Lieutenant Truce. But we currently only have one qualified medic, Corporal Harwood here, and as Chief Trainer, I expect the Colonel will wish to see you on hoof for a surmise of the recruits’ qualities and performance. Plus...” he added, after looking furtively around, “Your policeman’s expertise may prove very useful for this hostage situation.”

Jaka thought about this for a moment. “Very well, then, make do with what we have.”

“Are you sure, Sergeant?” Resolute inquired, scribbling down a few notes.

“Mr. Resolute, in hostage situations such as these, less is more. Get the helicopter ready, I’ll meet you there.”

“A hostage situation?” Ana queried, folding her arms apprehensively. But neither Resolute nor Jaka seemed to have heard her, with only Harwood noticing.

“Right along, Sergeant Jaka,” Resolute replied. The gray unicorn whipped his right hoof out in a salute, then moved to exit the mess hall. But Ana wanted her answers.

“Now wait just a second,” she called out.

Resolute stopped in his tracks, looking at her with befuddlement. “Yes, Corporal Bjorgman?”

“Okay.” Ana took a deep breath. “What exactly do you mean, hostage situation? Yeah I know, I know, you’re this, cold, mysterious guy, all-about-classified info, but can’t you at least tell us who we’re trying to rescue here?”

“Uh, well,” Resolute began, fumbling over his words as he looked at Jaka for advice. Much to Ana’s surprise, the Sergeant nodded.

“It’s alright, Mr. Resolute. You can tell Harwood and Bjorgman.”

“Right, of course,” he replied, looking at both Ana and Harwood. Even then, to her, it seemed he was still pondering whether or not to spill the beans. At last, he relented. “We’ve got a VIP. Major Bauer has been captured. At this point, we do not know who’s to blame for the incident,” Resolute explained, ignoring Ana’s small gasp.

‘Major Bauer? Of all people, they got Stephan Bauer for a hostage?’

Admittedly, she did not know Major Bauer all too well, but from what she could tell, capturing the Knight of Germania would be no easy feat.

Even Jaka seemed taken aback. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Sergeant. Unfortunately, that is all the information I’ve been given too. Hopefully, Colonel Renee will fill in the details afterward. Now, if you would excuse me, I will be awaiting you in the helicopter.”

With those parting words, the officer left, leaving the three of them in the mess hall. At this point, every other officer summoned had already retreated to their bunks, presumably to pick up their equipments.

Harwood was the first to break the silence. “Well… that was… quite unexpected.”

“No shit,” Ana replied, massaging her temples.

‘And there goes my restful day.’

Applejack pawed at the boutique’s floor.

“Fuse,” she growled. “Ah’d love to give that no-good varmint a piece of mah mind...”

“Bad idea, darling,” said Rarity. “Though believe me, I know exactly what you mean,” she hastened to add, placatingly laying a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I’ve got a little sister too. Yet if we want any chance at resolving this without further hassle, it’s best you stay here and take care of the girls. Your presence could be misinterpreted as provocation.”

“Say what now? Provocation?” repeated Applejack, wide-eyed. “In case ya hadn’t noticed, there’s already been some darn mighty provocation around here, and the offendin’ party sure as heck ain’t me.” Tensed, she took off her hat and began beating the dust out of it. “Ah'm the strongest pony ya got, me and Big Mac both. No offense, sugarcube, but you and Fluttershy, a little practice don’t change that ya ain’t spent yer days bucking apple trees fer a livin’.”

“Yes, but you see,” Rarity explained patiently, “the difference is there's no bad blood at all between Fluttershy and our dear brickmaker.”

“Ya mean his wife gets along with her. Ain’t quite the same.”

“And who does he try hardest to keep happy? His wife,” finished Rarity. “Plus, let's just say that if Pinkie were here, I'd want her at my side on this, too. Everypony in town does love her.”

“Indeed, at least that girl's got the sense to always keep a cannon on hoof.”

Rarity stared at her in shock. “Applejack! What are you saying! We can’t all go around carrying weapons in the street!”

“Why not?” the farmpony asked her, elbows sagging wearily. “Time was, Ah might’ve agreed. But lately, with all of them monster attacks, Ah've been wonderin’ if it mightn’t be better for ponies to protect themselves on their lonesome...”

“On their lonesome? Whatever happened to trust? To friendship? Those are the things that keep civilized society together! Otherwise, how are we any different from beasts squabbling over a patch of land?”

Applejack looked at her with a kind of warm sadness. “Oh, Rarity,” she said softly. “Ah know we’ve had our differences... and yet... please don't stop bein’ the mare you are, makin’ the world into a more beautiful place than it really is...”

“I’m sorry, darling, but I don't want to live in a world ruled by fear and hatred of other people.”

“What one wants ain't necessarily the same as what is,” Applejack said quietly. “Ask any human. Thing is, I was talkin’ to this one fella-”

“Ahem,” someone coughed politely. “Pardon me, ladies, I didn’t want to interrupt your chat, but then I felt now was the time to step in before things got too politically charged.”

Both mares turned.

“Now, you two,” Jaka ordered, glancing at the clock. “Pack up everything you need. I will be meeting you both at the Central Park helipad.”

“Right on, Sergeant,” Harwood replied, nodding respectfully.

The other man returned the nod, then strode off quickly, no doubt to check and prepare his equipment.

“Well, uh, I suppose I best be going as well? Time is money after all,” Harwood said, rapidly draining the last of his coffee.

Ana patted him on the back, smirking.

“Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go, Harwood! Just keep your spirits up, and we’ll be all fine, you can count on that!” she said reassuringly. “Besides, I’ll be keeping an eye on you boys, don’t you forget that, eh?”

“I won’t. Catch you in the park then, Ana, cheers!”

With a final nod, the medic scrambled out of the hall.

“Good luck!” Ana shouted, waving at him. In the distance, Harwood giddily skipped, looking back at her with that wide, mischievous grin of his. Somehow, Ana felt comforted by that.

‘Aw, cute. Now where did I put that rifle?’

But before Ana could leave the mess hall in turn, another, softer voice interrupted.

“Ana, it’s ready... Oh, you’re leaving?”

‘Crap, forgot the stew. Darn it.’

Reluctantly, Ana turned to face Moondancer. The mare was a bit messier than their last chat – she had been busy preparing lunch, and judging by her look of confusion behind the goggles, Dancer hadn’t heard a word of Resolute and Jaka’s conversation.

“Um, yeah, Dancer. Guess Resolute left a memo without bothering to actually see you. Look,” Ana gently knelt down, mind working fast to avoid hurting the mare’s feelings, “We’re going on a hostage-rescue mission, I think. Big enough for the Sarge to get personally involved. The target’s, uh, kinda classified for some reason, but could you please make sure the others don’t notice us gone? Kind of a big deal too, a-and you know how Morning or Frieda react to stuff...”

To Ana’s relief, Moondancer nodded, ears perking up curiously.

“Oh? Why didn’t you just say so!” she beamed. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later, Ana’s pale-coated friend came back, levitating a warm thermos, and handed the precious thing over to her.

“Can’t leave without this, can you? I do owe you the first bowl, after all,” she said kindly. Sure enough, the soup inside was warm and fresh, enticing Ana to drink it immediately. But before Ana could so much as mutter a thanks, the mare pushed another object into her grasp – a small, copper ring wide enough to fit a unicorn’s horn.

“Now, I believe the good Sergeant would find this rather useful in the task at hand, in case he runs into a hostile unicorn or two,” explained Moondancer. “Orichalcum. Curious properties, especially regarding magical objects. Use it carefully.”

“Oh, thanks! For the soup, and the ring, Dancer,” Ana replied brightly.

“It’s no trouble.”

Moondancer looked very serious now.

“Ana,” said the young mare, holding her hand tightly, “Whatever the this crisis turns out to be, I can guess it’ll involve ponies, and, much as I wish they won't, matters are liable to grow a little rough out there. You may feel you’ve got no choice except extreme measures. But please keep one thing in mind. Though it may be all too easy to forget sometimes, the ponies of this land aren’t those who’ve wronged you. Many of them are afraid, because they aren’t used to harshness the way you are. We’re peace-seeking creatures at heart, you can't change that overnight, and sadly, some of us believe you’re the ones bringing death and destruction.”

She paused solemnly. “Please don't prove them right, Ana. Perhaps sometimes, fire must be fought with fire… such as the PER and the HLF… yes, I heard what happened to the city of Defiance. Yet the saying isn’t ‘better ruling through fear than love’, it’s ‘whether via fear or love, you must earn respect’. Equestria knows a lot about love, but if you treat ponies too roughly, they might fear you; they certainly won't respect you.”

“Don’t worry, Dancer,” Ana said, tidying her shoulder-length hair and adorning her PHL cap. “We’ll make this right, count on us!”

“I’ll be sure to keep the Company safe here,” Moondancer reached out to pat Ana’s back as high as she could reach. “In turn, be safe out there, will you?”

With a final, respectful nod and a salute, the young woman exited the mess hall, heavy boots echoing loudly in the hallway as she rushed down to her room.

‘I hope so…’

An indistinct dot of green light alit on the tip of Pina’s prosthetic left forehoof.

‘What? Company? Some nearby PHL groupie left their radio transmitter on and is heading this way? Nooo! No! That isn’t fair!’

Trying hard not to groan, lest she be noticed by the group, the operative resignedly dained to check the number of the frequency she’d just intercepted, though she already suspected who it would be. Not Renee and Scratch, they were still too far away. Which only left the Blue Spy.

Well, if that’s how it was, she might as well derive a little entertainment from returning to work. Trixie Lulamoon may have been expertly trained in the ways of stealth and subterfuge, but she, Pineapple Cutter, had made such things her hobby long before the jumped-up stage magician went down a less public career path.

Time to play a game of ‘chicken’, only the loser was the mare who got seen first.

The Central Park of New New York was, for all intents and purposes, a warm sight to behold. Indeed, in spite of the numerous personnel – Equusite or PHL alike – using the park for various training sessions, the greener areas of the park were still a thing of beauty.

Ana would have appreciated it, were it not for the fact her mind was zipping from place to place as she made her way to the helipad by herself. She’d missed the truck carrying the rest of the team there, forcing her to take the city’s subway to the nearest station. It would have been nice given the high efficiency of the Diamond Dog managed trains, but the fact she was in full gear somewhat lessened the smoothness of the trip.

And so, Ana strode out onto the street, wearing a green ghillie suit that fully covered her body, save for an opening for her eyes. The short time set aside for preparations had forced her to put it on immediately – time was running short, after all.

‘Well, all things considered, at least I still got my suppressor.’

The sniper rifle – an Arctic Warfare Super Magnum, or an “AWSM rifle” as Harwood called it – was a relic from before the war. Indeed, come the day Ana’s old smuggling group had taken a hold of it, the contraband rifle had clearly served its time in the military. Still, this here was a trusty weapon, one which had served Ana well since the Tyrant’s opening shot, whether over her stay aboard the Mamayev Kurgan or while providing support during the numerous counter-insurgency operations in war-torn Indonesia.

In spite of numerous offers of replacement, Ana couldn't bear to replace her beloved rifle. Even in the face of superior cartridges and rifles provided by the PHL armory, Ana stuck with the old girl. The powerful .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge was more than enough to deal with PER and anti-government insurgents, and more than overkill when mounted in PHL F3-Thunderlord and MG2023 machineguns. And if conditions permitted, it worked well as a club too.

‘Heh, like the time I knocked out that silly PER preacher. Wonder if I’ll get to do something like that again-’

“Thinking out loud again now, Miss Bjorgman?”

“YAAARG- oh, oh! Hey there, Sarge! Oh my... real sorry there, yeah.”

Sergeant Jaka had interrupted Ana’s little train of thoughts rather abruptly with that snarky comment. Indeed, the sniper found herself wielding her rifle like a club, stopping short of clubbing her fellow trainer and comrade in the face. Thankfully, he seemed completely unaffected.

“Careful there, Miss Bjorgman. The rest of the team is waiting, come along,” Jaka said, motioning for Ana to follow him. Without further words, Ana hurriedly followed, walking up next to him.

As the pair strode through the gravel path leading to the helipad, Ana took a few glances to inspect Jaka’s weaponry and equipment. Standard issue, from the looks of it; a suppressed MP5 submachine gun, his old Glock 17 handgun, and a few hand grenades for good measure. In contrast to Ana’s heavily camouflaged look, the Sergeant wore the black armor of a police officer.

“Got everything ya need, Sarge?” Ana asked, breaking the silence.

“In spite of the brief time provided, yes, I have everything I needed,” Jaka replied nonchalantly. The officer glanced over at Ana’s backpack.

“Oh, uh, I brought the rifle, twenty-five rounds, a thermos, bipods, and a suppressor, Sarge. Got everything covered, heh,” Ana replied, counting off each item with her fingers.

“I do hope you’ve brought everything needed for the task, Miss Bjorgman,” he added, giving Ana a nod of approval. “Harwood and the others have brought their equipment as well.”

“Right, right…” Ana replied, her eyes drifting off into the trees around.

‘Really is pleasant ‘round these parts. Yeah, we should definitely train here more often.’

“Have you ever been to Liquicà, Miss Bjorgman?” asked Jaka suddenly, with his gaze scrutinizing Ana.

Ana glanced at him uncertainly and in surprise.“Oh! Um, I’m sorry, Sarge, but I’ve never really had the pleasure of visiting your country, war and all.”

The Sergeant gave her a small, rare smile. The man’s gaze drifted to the trees surrounding the pair. “Don’t you worry about that, Miss. Liquicà is no more in Indonesia than Singapore is.”

“Oh?” said Ana, feeling a bit less out of her depth. “Well, I did know that about Singapore, um…”

“Well, you’d be surprised at how many people don’t. Me, personally, I’m just glad to have nothing to do with that place. Policing the backstreets and red flag districts of Jakarta, you get to see some bad shit at times, flagrant disregard for the law. But in my experience, it is better to let some lowlifes roam free, rather than trade freedom for security.” He paused, a black cloud crossing his brow. “I once heard someone called Singapore ‘Disneyland with the Death Penalty’.

“Uh, when you said ‘Disneyland’…” Ana began, only to be cut off.

“Look, Miss,” pursued the Sergeant, a blondey unaware of the funny look the strawberry blonde woman had just given him. “I am not against capital punishment on principle. Yet there is just something wrong about a place where you can be locked away for chewing gum. It’s like trying to make tempeh out of sawdust. Perhaps it’ll look fine on the outside, yet it’ll leave a rotten taste in your mouth.”

“Like the Solar Empire?“

“Sort of, though I am quite sure bubblegum is not illegal yet in that Equestria, even nowadays" Jaka corrected her.

"But, er, you were saying about Liquida?”

“Liquicà. See, we did something there I’m sure our pony friends would be very proud of…” Jaka gestured at the trees surrounding the path.

“Anyone who looked deeply enough into our history will know we’ve had a presence in Timor Leste a while back. It’s still a touchy topic, I admit,” he said quickly, to an eyeroll from Ana. “But one of the better accomplishments we did were after the whole mess."

“And, it has something to do with, eh, trees?” Ana asked.

Jaka nodded, before continuing. “Well, yes. As an act of kindness and generosity, our government reseeded, sending them shipments of trees imported from Indonesia.”

Ana said nothing, merely nodding along.

“It's a small gesture, I know, and it may not seem like much,” Jaka said sagely. “Certainly not what'll ever be considered headline news. Search for it on an English-speaking web browser, you'll be lucky to find so much as three matches. I only read the story while skimming through a magazine off-duty years ago, then promptly forgot about it.”

He looked around him, taking in the sights and sounds of this, a perfect replica for a natural preserve situated at the heart of a vast urban sprawl back on Earth. “But it really happened. And, well, maybe it comes from being a born city boy, yet when Ambassador Heartstrings first showed a picture of how beautiful her homeland was, I remember thinking, 'maybe they can help us reseed the world'."

The Sergeant paused somberly. "That was before Celestia revealed she was a Tyrant... But look where we are now. Perhaps it wasn't all a lie."

And Ana could do no more than reflect in wonder at how this was more than ten consecutive phrases she'd heard the habitually taciturn Sarge string together in one day.

“I don’t understand, Minus,” grumbled Rarity, ducking to avoid a low-hanging branch. “I’m sorry to say it, but I never saw what it is some stallions have going for them, other than maybe the bad boy appeal. And what’s up with that, anyway?”

Minus stopped in her tracks, readjusting her campaign hat so it shaded her eyes as she looked back at them. “The ‘bad boy appeal’?” she echoed. “Heck does that even mean, Miss Rarity?”

“Um, well...” began Rarity, who, realizing she may be on the verge of a major faux-pas, swiftly figured out how she could phrase this next question tactfully. “It’s a thing I’d meant to ask you when I got the chance, only, we don't cross paths so often... has your husband changed much ever since you got married?”

“You’re asking me if he’s changed for the better,” Minus said drily, and Rarity had to cringe a little inside, for the ranger had seen through her ploy. “No, I can tell you, in confidence, that wedded life ain’t done improving Short Fuse’s character.”

Rarity blinked all of three times at that. “But then, why...”

“Why marry him?” Minus finished for her. Then, to Rarity's surprise, she gave both her and Fluttershy a patient smile. “Miss Rarity, what self-respecting gal chooses to stick with a fella for life because they hope to ‘change’ him? How long d’you think I knew Short afore tying the knot?” When neither said anything, she helpfully supplied the answer. “Six years tops, ladies. Very long story, not worth going into now, but you can see it weren’t a snap decision.”

Now it was Rarity's turn to repeat phrases she’d just heard. “Six whole years? Courting a ruffian who’s got ‘bad news’ written all over them?”

“And how’d you know someone’s good or bad news just by the looks of ‘em?” retorted Minus. “Cos’ they’re big, bulky and cut their hair short? Maybe that look does work for some, ever thought of that? Not every mare’s fancies latch onto lean, golden-maned gentlefolk, y’know...”

There was only one proper reply Rarity could give to that. “This is still physical stuff, Minus. And I’ve had to bail out my sister more than once due to your other half living up to his name.”

“I know,” sighed the ranger. “And I realize, I really do, that no pony of refined taste would wish for my home life.” She traced her forehoof in a low arc to indicate the surrounding wilderness. “But see what I do for a living. It’s what I love.”

Both mares shared a meaningful glance. “You look at loose threads and stitch together pretty clothes out of ‘em, Rarity,” Minus concluded ponderously. “I could never do that. Ain’t got the right eye for it... or the liking for delicate things. Still, what I do know is you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Wouldn’t be worth even trying to... And trust me, though you may think otherwise, my husband isn’t a complete pig.”

“We’ll find out about that soon enough.”

“Sergeant Jaka," Ana said at last, “I... thank you for that, I don't know why, but, I feel like it sort of helped me somehow. Thanks, again.”

“It should have, Corporal,” Jaka replied, snapping firmly back to his no-nonsense self.

“Oh! That reminds me, hold on," she continued, reaching into her pocket. "Before I left, Dancer basically told me it was dangerous to go alone, and I should take this for good measure. Maybe it can help you.”

The sniper held out her hand, dropping the orichalcum ring Dancer had given her into Jaka’s open palm. Once again, the Sergeant raised an eyebrow.

“And, this is?” he queried, examining the ring.

“Well, it’s a ring, duh,” Ana explained. “Dancer said it might be useful against unicorns. Can’t argue with that, seeing as she is a unicorn. I guess you put it on their horns and, it blocks their magic or something?”

“I see,” Jaka said, pocketing the ring. “Miss Bjorgman.”

Ana beamed.

“Hey, I do what I do, Sarge,” she said cheerfully. Soon after, the pair reached a clearing in the middle of the park, where a familiar figure stood and waved after them.

“There they are! Hey Ana, Sarge! We’re here!” Harwood called out. The two of them had finally reached the helipad. The medic stepped aside to make room for Ana and Jaka, lining up along with the rest of the taskforce.

“Took you long enough, eh?” Snow Mist chipped in, followed by a nod from Harwood.

“I was worried you might’ve gotten yourself lost in Grand Central again, Ana,” Harwood said coolly, smirking at Ana’s predictable groan. “Don’t look at me like that, you know that’s true.”

‘Touché, Har, touché,’ Ana thought, trying her best not to acknowledge the chuckling man beside her. It was quite difficult to ignore, considering the man was very much distracting her.

“Thomas, can you please stop giggling so much?” Ana said exasperatedly, but not without letting a small smirk escape her lips.

“Well, princess, sorry, but you gotta admit getting lost in train stations is kind of your thing, Really, you should’ve never had told me about the one time you ended up in Blackbu-”

“Ahem.”

A loud cough startled the team present, sending them up to attention. Resolute had arrived, along with Jaka and a confused-looking Marcus. Harwood bashfully readied himself, to Ana’s inward amusement.

“Now, if Mr. Harwood would be very kind not to endlessly tease his partner, shall we now begin?” Resolute said matter-of-factly.

“Yes sir!” they chorused. Resolute nodded, before stepping aside to make way for the PHL’s military leader.

Colonel Renee was, by Ana’s observation, one hell of an imposing man. Tall, solidly built, with piercing blue eyes and square jaws, it left little to the imagination why this was man chosen to lead the PHL in Lyra Heartstrings’ stead.

And Ana struggled not to panic.

‘Okay, get a grip on yourself, Ana, what’s the matter with you? It’s only a mission, like back in Java, or Borneo! Except, there’s mostly ponies, and, Colonel Renee watching us, and, we’re rescuing…. Major… Bauer… hoo boy,’ she thought, huffing in an effort to stay calm.

A nudge from Harwood brought her back to reality. Ana glanced at him, who simply shook his head, rolled his eyes, before turning back to Colonel Renee.

The Colonel scanned them briefly, scrutinizing the hastily assembled team. Jaka stood by him, eyes following the Colonel as he walked by Ana and the others. Beside him was a white unicorn Ana vaguely remembered as one of the original fifteen trainers Renee brought with him. Behind them, standing by was another trainer – some guy from Germany, or somewhere else in Europe, Ana couldn’t really tell. He gave them a cold glare, in contrast with Renee.

Finally, Renee paused in his steps, and turned to address them all.

“I presume you’ve all been briefed on why you’ve been brought here?” he asked swiftly.

“No sir!” came the reply, though Ana knew who they were rescuing.

“Right, I owe you all an apology. We don’t have much time, I’m afraid,” Renee shook his head. “But from what I’ve been informed as well, Major Stephan Bauer has been captured by an unknown opposition in the town of Ponyville,” he finished.

True to Ana’s guess, the four other members of the task force, save for her, Jaka and Harwood, were briefly stunned, even if they didn’t look around in confusion. Still, she glanced at Harwood, who gave her a stare that meant ‘yes, he really is serious.’

Renee paused briefly, before continuing.

“Lieutenant Scratch here,” began Renee, gesturing towards the white unicorn besides him, “will be accompanying your taskforce as part of it.”

‘Wait, Vinyl Scratch’s coming with us? Ooooh man, this really is some, some serious–’

An elbow from Harwood, coupled with a disapproving look from him was more than enough to tell Ana that this was really not the time to either squee nor freak out.

“Right on!” Lieutenant Scratch cheered, offering a hoof bump as she passed by the team. Coxa and Gilford kept their calm, but the Lieutenant was answered by an enthusiastic Wolfsschanze and Snow Mist. Shortly after, the unicorn joined their lineup, giving Mist a final nod before standing ready.

“Now, I do apologize for my inability to be present, but rest assured, I will be providing you with comms support, alongside Operator Resolute here,” Renee said, nodding towards Resolute.

“That is correct,” Resolute said quickly. “We will be standing by in a secure location, with intel provided where needed. Your target will be four miles northwest of Ponyville, with Trainer Bjorgman here,” he gestured towards Ana and her rifle, “providing sniper support from a safe distance. Your LZ will be notified by radio, and Lieutenant Scratch will mask your approach using a sound muffling spell. Colonel?”

“And if possible, I too will provide direct support, but I trust you all not to come to that point.” Renee finished, closing his eyes for a long moment. “Trust me, if I have to get involved, then we are dealing with things beyond norm. If that is the case, all of you need to leave the area immediately, because you do not want to be around me when I unload on whatever is causing the problem. Any questions?”

“No, sir!”

“Glad to hear that. But remember,” he emphasized, looking at each and every one of them. Ana sweated nervously. “This will be your first, real combat scenario here on Equus, not ideal, but it’s out of our hands now. Trainers, Trainees! This is real, your weapons are primed and ready for combat. You go out there, you show this worlds’ leaders that they haven’t been wasting their time. You go in there and complete the objectives given to you. Do not try to be a hero, you do what you need to do so you can go home at the end of the day. We have to show them that we know exactly what we are doing. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir!” the four native Equusite members of the team chorused in reply. Renee nodded in approval, before turning to Harwood and Ana, as Jaka stood by him.

“I’ve heard of what went down in Indonesia, while the rest of us held off the Barrier on our doorsteps. If any, it was one hell of an achievement to keep the PER’s grip off the Pacific, and I trust you two to keep your team safe. Show what the war taught you,”

Ana and Harwood nodded.

“Yes, sir!” the two said, earning an approving nod in return from Renee.

“Sir, if I may…” the other trainer finally spoke. He had been silently watching Jaka for almost the duration of the briefing, and hearing him finally speak startled Ana. His rather unpleasant, weathered look didn’t help.

“Yes?” Renee answered, turning to face the other man.

“Sergeant Jaka is trained as a police officer, not a soldier, sir. You sure he’s up for the task?”

Ana opened her mouth to reply indignantly, but Harwood shushed her.

“Yes, Trainer Sokolov, I trust him, what is your point?”

“Sir, I am certain there are Spetsnaz or Bundeswehr personnel, such as Major Bauer’s own regiment, who are better suited for the task,” he smugly answered. “Colonel Renee, are you fully certain we can trust him with thi-”

“Let a law enforcer do his job, sir,” Jaka interjected, his gaze unwavering. “Hostage situations are an ugly business when the military men get involved.”

Ana raised her eyebrow at the remark, and from the corner of her eyes Ana could see Lieutenant Scratch’s magenta eyes showing a bit of surprise, before she hurriedly pushing her shades up.

‘Whoa, that was kinda, eh, blunt I guess?’ Ana thought puzzlingly. Harwood tensed up a bit besides her as Marcus gave Jaka a look. Indeed, the other trainer gave Jaka a nasty glare.

To Ana’s relief, however, Colonel Renee simply smiled.

“Sergeant Jaka is correct. I’m a Marine, not a cop. I don’t save people, I kill the bad guys. It’s not in my training, that’s the Army’s, and even that is a little iffy. If I happen to kill the bad guys that were trying to kill innocent people, brownie points for me then." Colonel Renee replied with a shrug, looking to Jaka with a smirk. “It’s one of the reasons why I had Cheerilee bring a small police force along with the other trainers. This war isn’t going to end just because we kill the Tyrant.”

In a sad way, this was true, one that no one really wanted to think about. And Jaka knew that better than anyone. He had been fighting PER insurgents long enough to know there would still be one heck of a mess to clean up. Colonel Renee shook his head before turning back to Jaka. “I presume I can trust you to keep the casualties low, Sergeant?”

“Yes, sir,” Jaka answered sternly, straightening himself.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Lieutenant Scratch shouted, catching the attention of Ana and the others. “Everyone, let’s go!”

Rarity and Fluttershy had planned simply on intercepting Short Fuse at the brickyard, and with his wife Minus in tow as a mediator, had set off along the path through the fringes of the Everfree at a brisk trot.

When they’d reflect on this later, they’d tell themselves they should have remembered the statistical likelihood of things going to plan around Ponyville.

“What we need to do is be firm.”

“Right.”

“Be sure of ourselves, darling.”

“Yes.”

“Show that stallion that we are not afraid of him.”

"N-not even a little bit.”

“Oh, Flutters, you gave yourself away."

“Oh, I'm sorry.”

Minus couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as the pegasus apologized to the fawning unicorn. She felt worried about what was going to happen, though. The fact remained that the CMC had heard Fuse, and they’d heard him plenty of times before. To indicate that he was involved did not ease her nerves.

“I will make it all better. You’ll see, Minus. I won't let my past drag me down.”

“Fuse…” she muttered to herself. “What did you get yourself into now?”

“You say something, darling?”

“Not far now.” Minus gave them a brave look as she continued down the path. Rarity and Fluttershy smiled in return, before their eyes drifted ahead of them.

Rarity immediately grimaced at the sight of four stallions standing before them. Most of them rough-looking, so rough that they made Fuse far more presentable in comparison.

She scrunched her snout a little. They were definitely guarding something. Rarity knew that stance from one too many times where Sweetie Belle had been hiding something. Like that one time her little sister had hidden a sword and used it as a coat rack.

Fluttershy positioned herself behind Rarity and Minus, the leering looks they gave the trio made the shy pegasus want to hide in the nearest bush.

“Ladies,” the lead stallion greeted, looking to the side of the path and gave a snort. “Alright boys, this way. Shouldn’t be too far.”

Minus blinked, watching as all the ponies marched off the path. "W-wait! What are you doing?"

“None of your concern, missy,” one said.

“Excuse me?” Minus asked. “I’m a forest ranger, written in capitals. Of course it’s my concern! Do you know how dangerous the Everfree is?!”

The lead stallion stopped, lowered his head and gave a loud sigh. “Listen, little lady. I’ll have you know that the Everfree isn't... that... Minus?”

Minus blinked as the strange stallion stared at her, his cheeks puffing up, before he burst out into a guffaw of laughter.

“I say, what’s so funny?” Rarity demanded, scowling at the group before her.

“So, ole Shorty did it after all. I thought Locksmith was pulling my tail!” The stallion laughed loudly while the others continued to stare.

Minus frowned. “How do you know Short Fuse?” Her entire being felt on edge, like she was staring down a wild animal about to pounce. Locksmith… That name sounded familiar...

The stallion took a deep, simpering breath. “Let’s just say me and Fuse go a looong way back. The old gang, Shorty being the top pony of the time. Facing against Daring and the Royal Guards. Great times, great... memories. Then again, you’d know about that, huh, Minus?” Seeing her flinch, he mockingly held up a hoof to his mouth. “Oops, forgot about that little ‘condition’ of yours. Silly me.”

Rarity scowled as she placed her foreleg around Minus’ shoulders. The poor mare’s sandy brown face had turned almost white. “You uncouth brute. Who are you? How do you know Minus, and what right do you have to say such things?”

“Me? Well, the name’s Shades, part of something called the Caballeron gang up in Manehattan. We deal in providing certain... areas of work not common in most settings.” Shades grinned at seeing Minus tense, eyes wide as she stared at him. “Little Minus here was a thorn in our sides, given that was the very first sidekick of Miss Do. Minus Tome, expert field ranger and blackbelt fighter. Gave Shorty a good run, she did.”

“Fight me, Fuse!”

“I ain't going to. You ain't worth it now.”

“I will make it worth!”

“No, come back when yer ready to take it, not when yer half dead. It ain’t right...”

“Minus?” whispered Fluttershy. “What’s wrong?”

“Oho? Flashbacking are we?” Shades chuckled a bit. “Bet you sometimes really hate your husband for no reason, huh?"

“Minus, get out of here.”

“I can… ugh.”

“You won, Do. Take the little missy before she hurts herself further. Unless you want to be dragging both of yourselves on jelly limbs.”

“Shut up!” Minus glared at Shades, Rarity and Fluttershy backing up as the thugs closed in around them.

“Glimpses, but that’s it. Oh, how you wonder, Fuse musta kept you in the dark for so long. Memories are fickle things.” Shades smirked as he leaned in close. "How does it feel to be married to the stallion that scrambled your brain? Took away who you were, and turned you into a lovely housewife.”

Rarity and Fluttershy gave a soft gasp at this, turning to Minus with shock looks on their faces.

”I promise I will make this up to you... some way.”

“I don’t know you.”

“But I do. I will make this right, you can count on that, Minus.”

“... who is Minus?”

“Take the mares back to the yard!” Shades ordered, his stallions grinning as they drew close. “What say you we let ole Minus join her lout of a husband in the kiln? One last marital night together in confinement, like all those entombed royals from legend, how romantic is that...”

“Ahem.”

He looked down as Minus gripped his shoulder with one hoof, staring down at the ground, her eyes covered by a shock of flame-colored mane. “You put my husband where?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“Ah, don’t act up so, sweetheart, what better place to light a fu-URK!” Abruptly, he felt himself lifted up by his chin, a rough hoof impacted on his stomach, and he doubled up in shock and pain, gagging at the pure force of the blow.

“No-one... stuffs… my husband into a kiln.” Minus glared at him, eyes filled with burning fury. She leant in close, whispering in his ear. “And for your information, I know about our past, Fuse’s and mine. I just don't like some stuck-up colt airing out things meant to be private!”

She shoved him back, forcing him to rear up on his hindlegs, and then, with a single flap of her wings to gain height, she lashed out with a devastating kick to the jaw. The large stallion was sent flying into a tree, crumbling into blissful unconsciousness.

“S-shades!”

“Get ‘em!”

Fluttershy ducked down, her wings flapping to speed through the attempted capture of her person. She circled a stallion, gripping his hindleg before twisting it, with a loud pop echoing out from it. The pony to cried out and clutched the dislocated leg in agony.

“Quite brutal, dear,” Rarity commented as she weaved between blows. Compared to the training with Trixie, these stallions moved about as gracefully as fridges on hooves. She threw a backhoof, catching the stallion in the jaw, ducked down to avoid a blow to the back of her head, and kicked out with her hindleg to trip another. “Really, dears, you need more practice.”

“I am going to–” Whatever he was going to say next was lost as Fluttershy, yelling what could have been a war yell, had her voice not been so high-pitched, slammed her hooves on his upper shoulder, a loud crack echoing out from the blow, but the stallion himself collapsed like a bag of bricks without a sound.

Everyone stared at Fluttershy for a second.

“What? Rarity, you said my bear-wrestling skills would come in handy,” Fluttershy mumbled, looking a little abashed. She then neatly moved her head aside, the hoof just missing her face by mere inches.

Her opponent could only swallow nervously as she grabbed the offending appendage, twisted her body around and, with a fluidity that would be the envy of the finest Cloudsdale ballerinas, tossed him onto the forest floor with a perfect O-goshi throw. He barely had time to get his belly off the ground when she jumped atop of him, promptly grabbed the same leg and pulled it behind his back.

“That wasn’t nice,” Fluttershy stated softly.

“I’ve just about had enough of this,” snarled the remaining stallion, his horn shining brightly. A machete, larger than could possibly be stored, slid out of his saddlebag “So what, the ranger lady here thinks she’s hot stuff, and you two girls got your fancy karate gimmicks? Try this one out for size, little mares, and-ARGH!”

The thug didn't have time to finish his sentence as Rarity spun on one hindleg on the spot, delivering a swift kick of her lower hoof to his horn. The machete dropped, aura gone.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Rarity said. “Did I break your concentration?”

Before he even had time to clutch at his injured face, she'd wheeled behind him, caught his raised foreleg and rugby tackled him.

“My father was a star athlete, you brute, a hoofball champion!” she snarled. “He still coaches foal teams, and you can be assured that I was raised in an environment that cultivated physical health through contact sports! Now, I might have traded in gym class for ballet as soon as I had the chance, but that only improved my grace and flexibility; while I hardly do pull-ups on my four-poster bed every morning, I know how to keep myself in trim condition!”

She telekinetically snatched up a razor-tipped spruce needle and levitated it up to the thug’s eyeball. “And need I remind you that my job, my craft, my calling requires an eye for just where to pierce, stitch and stab for maximum effect, and a precision with sharp implements that could rival the most depraved of torturers!”

She guided the tip of the spruce needle down and let it rest against the cornea of his eye, allowing the irritant oils to seep into the sensitive tissues. Not enough to blind, but certainly enough to burn and draw a pained hiss from his throat.

“So, we’ve established that I can kick like a mule and make you scream and beg for your life,” she sniffed. “I’ve been fortunate to refine those skills under instructors that would make you seem like a mewling kitten on your best day!”

She twisted his foreleg behind him and tensed, feeling the pop of something dislocating. “In conclusion, I am nopony’s ‘little mare’.”

“GAAAH!” the thug screamed, and she lowered her mouth to his ear.

“Now, you’re going to tell me everything I want to know, or this ‘little mare’ will begin inserting these sharp little pine-needles into the tip of the limb you prize more than any other. And I assure you, by the time you’ve removed them, there’ll not be much left of your ‘little stallion’.”

He whimpered, and then nodded.

Fluttershy gave the stallion under her own hoof a small smile. “Sorry, Rarity is really a nice mare when you get to know her but... you kind of forced our hooves, um.”

The thug could only groaned as the buttery pegasus placed more pressure on his leg, twisted behind his back in the most uncomfortable position possible. Her other forehoof was poised above a nerve cluster in the small of his back, just in case.

“And I really hate bullies,” she added, with a chuckle that contained no small amount of satisfaction at a miserable childhood finally revenged. “Now. You’re going to tell us all you know, and where our friends are.”

“And if I don’t?” he asked.

“I’m going to do something quite unladylike to you,” Rarity said, her voice steely.

Pina spotted the blue mare. Saw the way she walked. And knew what was about to happen.

‘Finally! Fun! Hopefully more than that time with Mara Salvatrucha. Or at the Great Wall.’

But then, a small spark glinted in her eye as another, quiescent area of her mind sprang to life. A part of her which had been carefully honed under the patient tutelage of Dr. Salonen. The one without which The Rules were worthless.

‘Analysis of the consequences.’

She saw a playing field. On one side, a blue mare, ground and beaten by years of gruelling physical and psychological taxation, remolded into something different, stronger, and most importantly, hard to chew down upon. Like a streak of meat that was stripped and hammered into tough leathery strips.

On the other side, walking, fragile sacks of blood.

They did not know what was headed their way. Yet they were restless. Their heartbeats just a little faster, the sinew in their muscles just a little more tense, than they were two months ago. Deep down, ponies were a skittish, gentle lot, after all. Truly, it spoke volumes of the Tyrant’s ridiculous power, for her to repurpose their species into rushing up the food chain like that.

Not so these tender lovelies. The mere vibration of an approaching stampede would provoke enough sensory overload within their brains for a body to shut down in distress. She knew this, because that was how it used to be where she came from, too. Such weakness had always struck her as positively repellent.

Thanks to Salonen, she had learned to know better.

‘Without the weak there are no strong. But all are weak in some way. For strength and weakness are not a ramp. They are a wheel. As a tree grows it is tender and pliant. Then it grows dry and hard and dies. A newborn is soft and supple. A corpse is cold and insensitive. Hardness and strength are the tools of death, yes. Weakness and softness express the freshness of life.’

As she finished reciting the mantra, her breathing, which had grown shallow and heavy, began to steady itself. Realizing she’d been clutching her barrel with one forehoof while leaning against a tree with the other, Pina carefully let go and lowered herself back to the ground on four hooves, licking her lips nervously. Slowly, the pleasurable weight on her chest dissipated.

It had been a long time since the hunger had overcome her like that.

She would be able to keep it under control, for a while. But now it had resurfaced, it was just a matter of time before it came back. The problem wasn't how long she could ignore it for, but for how long she’d want to ignore it for. Unless it were satiated.

Colonel Renee’s orders were to ensure that neither Major Bauer or the Blue Spy came to harm. Well, Pina knew that, technically speaking, whatever the dreamweaver had done to her, Trixie wasn’t the one about to get hurt. At least, not in the immediate future.

Again, the vision of the playing field appeared before her eyes, and now, its lurid aftermath. Sacks of blood, burst and split across the village cobblestones, taken apart under the sharp, precise force driven by an intelligence whose sole intent was to disassemble anything in its way for the sake of the Mission.

Pina thought ahead. Inevitably, even toughened meat grew ragged. Whether by chance or by calculated design, the intelligence behind the disassembling would be compelled to halt. And that would make no difference in the long run. By then, the remaining sacks of blood would have seen their likenesses strewn in a messy, colorful heap. Such an image could not appeal to their senses at all. Distress would settle in. More and more sacks of blood, not only the ones currently skulking at the brickyard, unwilling to commune with the toughened meat. First here, then the next field, and more. Perhaps beasts of other flesh than ponies would turn, too. The strong held back by the weak, the weak loving life too much to trust the strong.

Until finally, the Tyrant arrived and devoured them all.

‘That is not an option.’

The mare straightened her back, as the clarity of what must be done took over. Allowing this vile enemy of life to remold everyone into rotting stillborn corpses didn’t figure on her agenda. Whatever the cost. She was agile. She was quick. And willing to go where most wouldn’t dare. None of what she had in mind went against orders. Her superiors may not like this, but as ever, they had to accept the strength of her reasoning.

With a lazy flick, she let the ceramic blade slide out from the upper joint of her left forehoof. However this match turned out, it was certain to prove a challenge. Not to mention that herein lay a welcome, golden opportunity to satisfy the hunger.

Pina would have her fun.

Observing from afar, behind a great oak, a pale mare digested this new development.

With little time to improvise, attempting to take out Major Bauer’s bodyguard was a step she’d opted against. Showing herself to the Major had been enough of a risk, whereas safeguards planted within Lulamoon’s psyche prevented all except a powerful mind mage from drenching up memories of a “commanding officer”. Everything from hereon rested on the Blue Spy’s shoulders alone. Doubtless the PHL would suspect foul play nonetheless, but it would be long before they could prove anything.

Pineapple Cutter, on the other hoof, was just about the best person Colonel Renee could have chosen for the job if he wanted someone on whom mind games had little effect. This was not a mare whose thoughts she’d taken much pleasure in sampling. Truth be told, if Renee ever got the faintest idea of precisely what Cutter and her partner were planning for after the war in case humanity was victorious, he may very well strangle her with his bare hands.

And she would die relishing the sensation.

Wordlessly, Weaver retreated, the last in a chain of several people, and the only link to go unnoticed by any of the others. Deep inside, though, she hoped fate would see fit to deal the young doctor a favorable, well, hand. On a scale of sin, he was by far one of the most innocent who’d stood by this forest clearing.

She’d have liked to help him, yet such wasn’t her task.

“We’re passing over the Everfree, weapons check!”

The pilot’s sound blared through the helicopter, snapping Ana away from her thoughts. The young woman had spent the better part of the trip thinking over the various trivialities of the mission at hand, only occasionally breaking away to retort to Harwood or a nod here and there to the others.

Now, as the muffled chopper flew over the Everfree, Ana turned her attention to her own equipment, while the rest of the team began fussing over their own.

‘Okay, first things first. Rifle? Check. Ammo? Check. Thermos? Check…’

Taking a deep breath, the sniper sat back down, wiping a sweat on her brow as she looked out the window, currently showing the vast expanses of woodland known as the Everfree Forest. The unwelcoming vibe the forest was exuding certainly made it a widely known and feared location among even the hardened ponies of the PHL.

And they were headed straight into it.

“Got any second thoughts?”

Ana turned to meet the speaker. To her surprise, Vinyl Scratch was sitting right by her, gazing at her behind those signature purple shades.

“Oh-er, no, not, not really, um, Lieutenant,” Ana stammered out. “But… yeah I guess, I guess I do have some second thoughts now that I’ve seen the actual forest. I mean, I know I’m not going in it but, kinda worried about the others now...”

Lieutenant Scratch simply chuckled in a friendly manner. “Nah, it’s cool, everybody always gets that when they get their first good look at the Forest. Oh and, just call me Vinyl, 'kay?”

“Oh, um, alright… Vinyl,” Ana replied unsurely, twiddling her fingers. Vinyl, meanwhile, gave Ana’s rifle a look, and a few nods.

“So, you’re gonna be out there, popping some heads eh?” she asked, patting the rifle. “Well, glad to know we’ll be safe down there.”

Ana rose her head at the remark. She’d rarely heard flattery from the straight-laced Indonesian officers she used to serve with, and to hear praise from a mare like Vinyl wasn’t something you geo everyday.

She cleared her throat.

“Well, uh, not sure if I’ll be… popping some heads, per se,” she began, rubbing her rifle affectionately. “But you’ll be pretty safe with me on the watch, Lieu– Vinyl, ma’a– just Vinyl, sorry, darn it.”

Vinyl laughed heartily, patting Ana in a friendly way.

“Heh, that’s the spirit! Oh and, don’t get too worried ‘bout your buddies, I get your feeling. I’ll be keeping an eye on ‘em as well.” Vinyl said reassuringly. “Why else did ya think Marcus sent me here? Though, pretty sure they can handle themselves just fine.”

“Mhm, ‘specially the Sarge, eh?” Ana said, gesturing towards Jaka. Vinyl nodded in agreement, pushing her shades up.

Outside, the weather cleared out, signifying their exit out of the Everfree airspace. The chopper flew softly, courtesy of the spell Vinyl had placed on it. It was quite a nifty one, really.

“We’ve got a bit of distance adjustment,” said the pilot. “Target’s estimated distance is one mile north-west of Ponyville, be advised,”

“Wait, I thought it was four miles?” Ana said in confusion. Vinyl merely shrugged in response.

“Told you, it’s the Everfree. Everything gets all fuzzy in there. ‘Course, Pina's not a pegasus or some shit,” Vinyl said, frowning a bit at the mention of Pineapple Cutter. Ana couldn’t blame her, considering what she'd seen of the mare back in Jakarta still sent chills down her spine.

The chopper began its silent descent, slowly reaching down onto the rolling hills just outside of Ponyville. On cue, Snow Mist stood up, striding over to the ramp.

“C’mon, Ana, let’s go!” Snow Mist said, motioning for Ana to join her side.

“Well, guess this is where I drop off, Vinyl,” Ana said, adorning her balaclava and setting her rifle on her back. “Good luck in there!”

“Yeah, you too!” Vinyl replied, waving off along with Wolfsschanze. Said griffon, meanwhile, was sitting right by Gilford, which meant the older griffon had to endure the stout griffon completely blocking his view, to Ana’s amusement.

Ana strode off towards the opening ramp, with Jaka and Harwood waiting by. The medic’s expression was unusually solemn and calm as he gave Ana a lookover.

“Everything all set then, Ana?” he asked.

“Yep - all good!” Ana said brightly. “Now you be safe in there, ya hear me? I gotcha covered, but hey, you could trip or something in there, heh,” she urged, elbowing the man and smirking.

“Of course, Ana, I would, given that you’re keeping an eye on us. Thank you for reminding me for the twenty-seventh time,” Harwood deadpanned - but his gentle smile comforted Ana a bit. The man gave Ana a pat, before nodding off to Jaka. The Sergeant, meanwhile, kept a calm expression as the helicopter touched down, before finally turning to Ana.

“Miss Bjorgman, Lieutenant Snow Mist, good luck,” he stated shortly, nodding to both Snow Mist and Ana.

The pair saluted the Sergeant, before stepping out onto the green grass of the rolling hills. No sooner than they stepped off that Ana felt the wind rushing, signifying the heli’s departure. With a final look exchanged between her and Harwood, the woman gave a thumbs up to the increasingly distant heli.

“So,” Snow Mist started, huffing and stretching.”Clear the skies?”

Ana nodded, setting down her rifle, facing the Everfree and the presumed location of the Brickyard. “Yep, Mist, good luck up there!”

“Will do, and right back at ya, Ana!” the pegasus replied, As the mare prepared for flight, Ana’s radio crackled to life.

“Nordfjell-Alpha Nordfjell-Alpha this is Overwatch, over,” Colonel Renee’s voice spoke out to both of them.

“This is Nordfjell-Alpha, over,” Ana said, while Snow Mist donned her flight goggles and flapped her wings in preparation. The mare waved to Ana, who replied with a thumbs up, before she took flight.

“Roger, Nordfjell-Alpha, confirm position, over.”

“Setting up at estimated one-point-seven clicks out, Overwatch, over,” she continued, lying down on the ground with her rifle set up. From the hill, Ana could see almost the entire northern side of the Everfree - and the far-off brickyard.

“Understood, Overwatch out,” Renee finished, and the radio shut off.

All the sound that remained were the soft breeze slowly dying down. Above her, she could hear Snow Mist clearing the skies of nearby clouds and redirecting wind patterns. It was at times like these that Ana was most grateful for the presence of friendly ponies; the controllable weather patterns meant less obstacles to factor in her shots.

The breeze died down, resulting in quite the uncomfortable silence. Snow Mist gave her the ‘all-clear’ sign, before flying off to rejoin Jaka’s team in the distance, somewhere in an Everfree Forest clearing.

‘Hoo boy, here we go, Ana, focus, focus…’ Ana thought to herself, taking some calming breaths as her scope zoomed in on the brickyard. And for the first time since her last mission in Indonesia, Ana felt oddly tense and calm at the same time.

Minutes passed. Ana was glued to her suit, upon the ground as Celestia’s sun shone down.. And then, after what felt like the better part of an hour, the radio crackled back to life.

“Nordfjell, this is Overwatch” spoke a new voice. This time, it was Resolute on board. “Target report? Over.”

“Noted, Overwatch,” Ana replied, her eyes scrutinizing the distant brickyard. While she had been accustomed to urban targets, she’s rarely had the chance to do sniping at distances in excess of five hundred meters.

Nevertheless, she found her marks.

“Overwatch, I’ve got visual on, uh, five hostiles. Makeshift guard post, can’t get a visual on any sentries nor patrols on the ground, over.”

“Duly noted, Nordfjell. Vanhoover-Actual will be moving in on your marks, Overwatch out.”

And then it began – the feeling of dread, of holding everyone’s life within her hands, blaring at full force inside her mind.

‘Okay, okay, Ana, deep breaths, deep breaths, conceal it…’

The sniper adjusted her rifle, preparing to take the opening shots. Despite Vinyl’s remark of ‘popping some heads’, Ana promised herself not to come to that, if she could. It was simply overkill, given the cartridge.

“Don’t feel it, put on a show, don’t make one wrong move or everyone will go,” she recited, every little piece of Sergeant Harold Wilson’s old mantra soothing her nerves a little more. May he rest in peace wherever he was now.

“Make one wrong move and everyone will.... fall…”

At last, Ana Bjorgman released her breath. The young woman had never wanted to be a killer, least of all an unseen, emotionless bringer of death.

But damned if she wasn’t able to protect.

Of Broken Pasts

Authors:

TB3

Redskin122004

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

DoctorFluffy

Bendy

Pre-Readers:

Sledge115

VoxAdam

TheIdiot

“Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking.”

- Clement Attlee

“We had a long road ahead of us, Rainbow Dash and I... well, not too long because we didn’t have much time. The point is, I was up for the challenge.”

- Rarity, ‘Rarity Investigates’

“Sister! It is good that you came when you did!” Luna exclaimed with excitement, her wings vibrating with pure joy.

“Oh? What have I missed, Luna?” Celestia gave Luna a tired smile, clearly forcing it to show.

“Sister?” Luna tilted her head, quickly taking Celestia’s side and wrapping a wing over her. “Is something the matter?”

“Oh…” Celestia gave a long sigh, a weak chuckle escaping from her lips. “It’s something that transpired with Discord.”

“What has Big Brother done now?” Luna prodded, a look of worry on her face.

“Big Brother, Luna?” Celestia couldn’t help but give her a small tease. Luna flushed somewhat, looking away in embarrassment.

“Ah… well. That is what he is… isn’t it?” Luna blinked owlishly at her, a look so unsuited to her that Celestia gave a small laugh.

“I suppose that is true.” Celestia began to trot off, Luna quickly following at her side. “But I’d rather talk about in privacy, over a spot of tea.”

“Of course it’d be tea,” Luna sighed.

Once seated in the castle’s Tea Room, a venue usually given over to the more discrete forms of diplomacy, Celestia set about preparing her refreshment. A storm had passed over earlier, and though rain still cascaded against the leaded windows as low peals of thunder retreated into the distance, in the holies of holies that was the Tea Room, it was perfectly warm and cosy.

Luna watched in quasi-amusement at the meticulousness of the routine, rolling her eyes as her older sister counted four sugarcubes into the teacup. Celestia always favoured a Red Tea, usually using the tealeaves of the far eastern ‘Fire Needle’, and just as ever she promptly drowned the delicate flavours under a flood of milk and sugar. Good tea, in Luna’s opinion, should never be adulterated, but Celestia ‘would’ of course use her tea breaks as a chance to indulge her sweet tooth. it was a bad habit she had picked up from their tutelage as wards of Sint Erklass…

Who also liked his tea with sweets. Or spices, or cherry jam, or even liberal amounts of whisky. Adlaborn being as cold as it was, tea was effectively the national beverage of the reindeer, and they had developed all manner of variations and condiments by which to prepare it.

“Would you like some tea with your sugar? Yea, your rump will only get even bigger if you continue to add more.” Luna drawled, causing Celestia to stick her tongue out at her.

“My rump is perfectly fine.” Celestia said with an air of assured confidence.

“Yes, perfectly round and big.” Luna whispered under her breath, remembering Queen Chrysalis’s ‘diplomatic’ comments as regards to Celestia’s ‘shapely glutes’.

“What was that?” she said curiously as she tilted her head to the side, whilst she perked her ears.

“Nothing, nothing,” Luna sang out, giggling at the narrowed eyes of suspicion directed at her.

“You sure you don’t want any, Luna?” Celestia asked, Luna smiled as she shook her head.

“No need, I already had my share with the future Minister today.” Luna waved off the cup, before she gave a bright smile.

“Ah.” Celestia gave a small sigh as she took a sip, a chuckle escaping her as she look to Luna.

“How did Fancy take the news?”

“As well as expected.”

“Completely floored and floundering around?”

“Oh yes.” Luna gave off a light laugh. “Most definitely.”

Canterlot -- Int. Royal Palace -- Princess Luna’s Office

“We wish for you to assume the office of Prime Minister, Sir Fancy.”

“Excuse me?”

Being invited to the office of a Princess of Equestria could mean either one of two things. Either she had uncovered some dirt on you, or you were about to have your world thoroughly shaken up and stirred. Usually, the two went hoof in hoof.

Fancypants wasn’t worried about the former, as he conducted all his business through legal and ethical means. Plus, his two terms as Prime Minister had been especially free of under-table dealings and bribery on his behalf. All of this was in accordance to his own principles, but when one served as the highest civil servant for as radiant and incorruptible a being like Celestia, what else could he have done? Anything less, he reasoned, was a form of self-abusive prostitution. Thus his track record was clean, unlike several nobles he could name.

Which meant Luna planned to rock his world. Being quite unfamiliar with the Princess of the Night, Fancy feared he had every right to be afraid.

“It is our wish that you once again assume the Prime Ministership of Equestria,” Luna repeated, sitting at her desk with a calm air, paperwork neatly stacked to the side, drinking a special blend of tea she had put out for both of them. “Lady Chamber Tale presented her resignation to me this morning.”

Fancy’s ears perked up at the news. Chamber Tale was more than just his party’s leader. She was a close friend. For her to have resigned could only mean one thing…

“She got her test results back, didn’t she?” he said softly.

Luna’s expression became melancholy as she dipped her head subtly. “I’m afraid so. Cancer of the horn, on the verge of spreading to her alicornal tissues, and she requires immediate medical care if she is to survive the year.”

Silence hung for a few seconds. By unspoken agreement, they clinked their teacups together in salute to a good friend and a dedicated public servant. Neither used magic for the little gesture, gripping their cups by the handles.

“As I said, Sir Fancy,” Luna continued. “In light of dear Chamber Tale having resigned her stewardship over my royal sister’s government, how can I ensure that you will be her successor, without abusing the new democratic structures that, nowadays, legitimise our entire Diarchy?”

“Princess–”

“Luna.”

“Excuse me?” Fancy blinked at her as Luna’s own eyes crinkled in mirth.

“You can call me Luna,” she said, offering him a warm smile. “You’re not some newly-minted minister tripping over his own cufflinks anymore, from what I hear.”

Fancy laughed nervously, remembering the embarrassing circumstances in which he had began his first stint as Prime Minister. He could imagine the amusement on Celestia’s face as she regaled her little sister with the tale.

“I... What I mean to say, is that it isn’t proper of me to speak to you so… plainly,” Fancy said quietly as he lowered his head. “Especially if I am to once again serve as the bridge between Crown and State… which itself is not guaranteed by Chamber Tale’s resignation.”

Luna gave a soft sigh, shaking her head as she did so. “Very well. But is it not true, that you have served on every Cabinet for the past three terms? Your standing among the Harmony Party is unquestionable, and when a new party leader is elected, I assume you need but put forward your name as a candidate to secure the role, such is your support. Therefore, since your party still holds the greatest number of seats in both the House and the Senate, would that not automatically confer upon you the title of Prime Minister?”

“Not in a time of national crisis,” he explained, shaking his head, a touch of political savvy giving him confidence. “Installing me as Prime Minister would go unopposed in peacetime, but with the current situation, the appointment would come under scrutiny of the Supreme Court… even if they upheld the decision, my administration would be tainted with doubt, which is the last thing Equestria needs when we are about to go to war.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Then is my only option to dissolve Parliament? Would a call for fresh elections deliver sufficient seats to the Harmony Party to guarantee you the primacy?”

The question was like a live wire – grabbing hold of it was inherently dangerous. Fancy pondered for a minute, then pursed his lips. “It could, potentially, during a General Election,” he said at last. “But there is a danger. The war situation could quite possible polarize the voters to the fringes, to the more radical parties like EQIP and the Canterlot Supremacists. The result would likely split the base of the Grand Old Parties and produce a fractious coalition government… a union without a popular mandate. Hardly conducive to the war effort.”

“Hmm…” Luna pondered as they were each served another cup of tea. She pushed a tray of muffins towards him. “What is the status of each party? Who would you see becoming Premier in the event of an election?”

“Well, we can immediately dismiss the Canterlot Supremacist Alliance,” said Fancy, in between bites of a particularly juicy blueberry muffin. “They’d make this go pear-shaped in the time it takes either of us to blink. Even if they got more votes than usual, the CSA have been leaderless since Azure Haven got himself killed in that drunken airship accident.”

Luna raised an arch eyebrow while Fancy rolled on. “Flight Cloudsdale will probably swing the vote in every one of the pegasi city-states. They’d be a likely contender to form a voting majority within a coalition. Their leader Stormy Flare would be an excellent Deputy PM, especially since her daughter currently commands the Wonderbolts. Any coalition incorporating FC would swing the pro-military electorate behind you – pegasi have always supported strengthening the armed forces.”

“So does Bilious Barrage of the Equestrian Intervention Party,” Luna pointed out, making a sharp jab with her teacup. “And I do not want to see that speciesist piece of filth anywhere near High Government. At least Azure could feign statesmanship!”

“Don’t worry about EQIP,” Fancy counselled, sneering in mutual contempt. “They draw the worst elements of the voting block, the fearful and hateful, but thankfully, that shrinks their electoral base to a fraction of our nation’s populace. Say what you will about us ponies, but we have never had much tolerance for politics of hate.”

“In this world, Sir Fancy…” Luna corrected him, a troubled expression crossing her face. “And that only by the very grace of fate. No doubt Mr Barrage’s manifesto to expand Equestrian territory and ‘civilize’ our neighbors went down a treat in the Solar Empire...”

Fancy shuddered at the thought, but then brightened up again.

“That brings us to the Grand Old Parties. ‘Comrade’ Trotsky of the Communitarians has little patience for tradition or the Diarchy, but he values Equestrian society and would not want to see it brutalised – and he would abhor the tyranny we are now a witness too. He’s also a pan-speciesist who has no issue working with mankind. But in the event of an election that fails to deliver a majority he would not compromise his principles to form a coalition, even if it could promote his party’s standing within the electorate. He would see it as betraying his popular support. Depending on his returns at the polling booths, we would possibly see a hung parliament, and there is a grave danger of that happening, since the Communitarians have a solid voter base that would show few signs of defectors in the event of an election. Their numbers could remain consistent while the other major parties lose voters to the fringes.”

“And what of the Representation Party? Their leader seems a far more accommodating stallion.”

“Plain Speakin’ has massive appeal among the industrial population, and his party thus command the second-highest number of seats in both the House of Commons and the Senate. ‘Honest Plain’, they call him. He’s a solid fellow with an expert understanding of law, and I promise you he’d do anything to ensure the swift and decisive prosecution of the war, even if it meant suspending civil liberties, a move I myself can only abhore.”

“So, my options would be either a majority government led by Comrade Trotsky, a figure who would love to see the Thrones made obsolete, or a coalition with either yourself or Plain Speakin’ as Prime Minister, and Lady Flare as a deputy… both have clear merits, and yet would represent a dangerous political balance in a time when we need to rally round the flag.”

Luna retreated back into silence, but then Fancy found himself raising his hoof like a foal in school.

“Princess, there is another way…” he said. “If you’ll pardon my presumption.”

“Sir Fancypants, I am an old mare.” Luna held up her hoof to stave off any sort of rebuttal. “Take a chapter from Honest Plain’s book and speak your mind.  Even before my millenia-long departure, I was guiding ponies for five hundred years, and heard ‘presumptions’ in that time that would cause you to sprout wings!”

“And you have done so beautifully,” Fancy responded by instinct, before realizing what he’d said. “Wait, what?”

She chuckled ruefully. “We’re friends here, Fancy. Please, tell me how best we might both serve Equestria. And for the hundredth time, please call me Luna. For my sake, if not yours.”

“Prin– I mean, Luna…”  Fancy swallowed. “A government of national unity could be formed. A coalition based on mutual respect and love of country, not electoral votes. Almost all the Opposition would respond positively to that, even Trotsky, since it wouldn’t require him to betray any potential mandate from the voters. We could have a cabinet assembled within but a few hours, Luna…”

“I’m listening. Who would you pick from each party?”

“The Representationists have the second highest number of seats, so Plain Speakin’ would be the rightful choice as Deputy PM. If he plays his cards right, the experience could see him win a genuine mandate at the first postwar election… and more power to him for it. Trotsky would almost certainly accept Minister of the Interior or even Secretary of State, and Stormy Flare is ideal for Minister of War… that entire family has thunder and lightning in their blood. Those nominations immediately bring the greatest voting blocks in the Parliament into line. The other roles we can fill as necessary from each party’s brightest sparks…”

“And we might even be able to decapitate the standing of some of our less wholesome political factions, hmm?” quizzed Luna, and they shared a conspiratorial grin.

“All in the name of Equestria of course, Princess,” Fancy replied, adopting a haughty tone.

“Oh indeed,” she chuckled, before mimicking his bearing. “All for Equestria, Prime Minister.”

They clinked glasses again, and Luna’s expression turned serious. “Make this happen, Fancy. Unify our peoples, and their chosen political representatives. Keep our Principality intact, and work the political magic that will win ourselves and our allies a lasting piece.”

“I am your servant, and servant of all ponies…” Fancy bowed, before pausing. “But… why me?”

“After that expert breakdown of the political situation?” she laughed out loud. “After the endless praise my sister has pour’d upon your administrative acumen, your sense of integrity, your ability to inspire? Sir Fancy! How could it be anyone else BUT you?”

She laughed hard enough to draw tears, and to Fancy’s shock, he realised that they were not tears of joy...

“Forgive this old mare…” she said, maintaining a smile event as she wiped away the salty droplets.

“Old? Your Majesty, you don’t look a day over twenty-thr… twenty-one,” he amended, seeing a touch of vanity flicker across the face of the Lunar Regent. “Our ponies might look to your sister as a beacon of stability in a changing world, but you have a quality to her she does not.”

“And pray tell what might that be?”

“Novelty, if I might be so blunt. Celestia is a constant, something that we mortal folk can share in across generations, but you are a new element, and that brings both the excitement of change, and pride that this change is happening in ‘our’ time. Your return to Equestria shall forever be unique to ‘this’ generation, thus you are in essence, ‘our’ princess; you would be surprised at the political goodwill you actually possess. Even Trotsky would never go so far as to actually depose the crown, not with the current public support you have brought behind the diarchy, and he might even fail at efforts to merely curb your power. We love you, Princess, just as much as we do your sister.”

Luna was gazing into the depths of her teacup, and although her expression was inscrutable, her eyes seemed to glitter with emotion. “Thank you Sir Fancy, but I will always need the guidance of mortal ponies to lead ‘in the moment’. Harmony knows, I’ve made enough mistakes in the past by taking both the short and long view of affairs, as if living beings were pieces in a game...”

“What do you mean?” Fancy prodded, as he watched her lower her head and take a silent draught of tea.

“I refer to decisions made by Celestia and myself regarding the Changelings, and Sombra, scores of little things,” she said at last, holding out her teacup. A midnight blue potplant upon her desk, shimmering with silver flowers, immediately coiled itself around the handle and removed it from her grasp, returning it to the tea set.

“I've learned something these past few months…” she said at last, managing a brave smile. “That I am not so awful a ruler as I might have thought… and that my sister is not the infallible paragon I or the citizenry have made her out to be.”

She flicked her horn across the desk, and its surface became a silver-surfaced pool. Fancy glanced within, and saw both a petrified, stoic Luna, and a crazed Celestia, one who screamed and clawed at her mane as if she had lost her mind.

“There goes we, but for grace…” Luna murmured, before the image dissolved into a mass of mercurial liquid, pouring off the edge of the desk and boiling into nothingness before so much as a drop hit the floor.

“Those visions are not your destinies, Luna…” Fancy said, conviction steeling his voice. “Mistakes made in another life cast no aspersions upon your own.”

“This is not so,” she replied softly. “That my sister’s reign achieved strides towards cooperation among the nations of Equus is true. However, some longstanding aspects of our world’s geopolitics are… ‘colored’ by impulses made by the two of us in the youth of our lives. Ponies at the time of Equestria Renewed were still recovering from a certain ‘Age of Chaos’, and despite their mutual suffering still harboured the prejudices that that fuelled conflicts between the three tribes; the foolish notions that having a horn or wings made one better than one’s peers, and that those denied both were nothing more than peasants to be exploited without remorse.”

Fancy saw her close her eyes, almost certainly remembering back to her earliest decisions and oldest regrets.

“Queen Metaxis, Chrysalis’ many-times-grandsire came to us when Celestia and myself were still young, fresh from our care from Sint Erklass, flush with victory in the liberation of Equestria, and both still impressionable and arrogant. Although the changelings had long preyed upon the disparate tribes, Metaxis approached us seeking peace, with open hooves and hope in her heart that ponykind could help her subjects, mutated and victimised by the wild magics unleashed during the ancient Fall of Tirek!”

She pointed, and shadows gathered along the length of the office, shaping themselves into an animated relief on the longest wall. A young Celestia and even younger Luna stood, proud and haughty upon a craggy outcrop, casting scornful eyes upon a changeling Queen who, with her entire Honor Guard, knelt with bowed heads in a pitiable gesture of supplication.

Fancy felt an awful dread gather in the pit of his stomach. “I take it you have some regret for what came next?”

“Oh yes.” Luna sighed bitterly. “Behold the justice and mercy of Equestria.”

Upon the wall, one of the unicorns walked up to the Miniature Princesses and saluted, his evident scorn for the changelings turning to malicious glee as Celestia and Luna waved their hoof forward, sending dozens of soldiers to chase the ambassadorial party out of sight. “I was foolish, young, and so full of bravado that I was sure that the judgements of myself and my sister were righteous and just, that we could do no wrong. We were goddesses, and they were but bugs.”

With dramatic timing, the storm approaching Canterlot spoke its fury in a torrent of thunder and lightning. Paying it no heed, Luna snorted in self-disgust. “It was a decision that turned the opinions of the entire world against a species struggling to survive.”

Fancy looked away, feeling as if he was somehow intruding on Princess’s pain. That she had made an unkind decision was evident: many ponies had been found themselves exposed to friendly changelings these days, including the ranks of the nobility. It was another consequence of the human city of New New York, and the ‘melting pot’ it represented. Ponies who visited it to witness the armies training or to experience the marvellous new technologies usually came back with their worldview turned on its head.

He and Fleur had even experienced this first-hand on their own visit, and had even enjoyed a romantic dinner within an all changeling-run bistro located in one of the city’s more luxurious boroughs. Strange as the environment was, nothing bad happened to them or the other pony patrons while they ate and danced, and upon requesting the bill, had learned that they were only being charged for foodstuffs and business expenses - the staff took their payment in the love exchanged between the patrons. It was a surreal (and cheap!) experience for the both of them, and in seeking out context they had been introduced to a changeling sage named Mythuselon.

The resulting discourse over drinks at a rooftop champagne bar had been enlightening. Both Fleur and Fancy were utterly fascinated about the Changelings and had decided there and then to ply their social and political influence in winning the Hive greater recognition, perhaps even motioning that Equestria recognise the Changelings as a nation and grant them a consulate in Canterlot. Mythuselon for his part had fed their curiosity with scholarly explorations into the society of the Hive and its political structures, sharing the oral histories of his race, the songs and sagas that documented their millennia exiled from civilisation. He even told stories about Chrysalis growing up, and his accounts of her childish antics as a pupa had done much to wear down the monstrous image projected by the Queen Changeling.

Most astonishing of all for Fancy was the revelation that Chrysalis had attended the School for Gifted Unicorns at the same time as himself, the Queen gaining a Canterlot education under the double protection of disguise and an assumed name. When asked about the name the Queen went under, it had taken Fancy’s all mental control not look startled at the reveal.

‘Double Flash...’ he repeated to himself, remembering a stunningly lithe and deliciously flexible creature with the most amazing ‘bedroom eyes’. ‘But we dated for three semesters, and there was all those times that she and I… oh dear.’

With that in mind, he decided to keep those particular details a secret from Fleur… at least until they were back in the privacy (and soundproofed walls) of their own home…

...it was a situation made all the more awkward by the fact that the ring he placed upon Fleur’s horn in marriage had been intended to adorn said disguised Queen, only for her to have left Canterlot without so much as a ‘goodbye’, right at the point that he’d worked up the courage to request her hoof in marriage. He’d spent months in a fruitless search, giving up when at last he realized that ‘Double Flash’ clearly didn’t want to be found...

“Our rejection of Metaxis led directly to the changelings teetering on the edge of destruction for fifteen hundred years.” Luna closed her eyes, flattening her ears as she continued. “Much as I crave the love and affection of our ponies, I am hardly a social creature, anointed and aloof, unable to approach the ‘nitty-gritty’ of this world. Ponies such as yourself on the other hoof, Sir Fancy, they see the world for what it truly is, for they must live in it. You have connections to so many beings, right across the world, whether you are in their good graces or they are in your debt. And they are your equals and peers, not subjects or opponents. Those are the skills and connections the government need to bring Equestria through this war, and we can think of nopony better possessed of them than yourself.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Fancy gave a modest chuckle, laced with embarrassment. Beyond the windows, rain began to fall.

“Oh? Are you quite sure? I hear that Queen Hedwig and Prince Tobias wish to spar with the much-renown’d Five Blade once more, and even want the Princess Gilda to be trained under your tutelage.” Luna opened her eyes, her dreaming orbs filled with mirth. “Oh what tales I have heard told of your manifold adventures, of trips through the wilds with the zebras, the gauntlet maze of the minotaurs, archeological digs in the company of Diamond Dogs. You alone have cemented more alliances in the past twenty years than I have… well, in my entire reign.”

“Luna… Princess…” Fancy looked away, “I only did those things because I was young, foolish… they were just a flight of fancy. I had no means of ever using my friendship to promote myself or my family’s interests.”

“Is that such a crime, even were it so?” Luna said, pausing in between making a sandwich from two cookies and a selection of flower petals. “From what I gather, friendship is the magic of developing interpersonal relations, and in matters of business you were no less astute that in affairs of society or state. Your possessing a network of contacts was hardly inside-trading, nor was the conduct of your family’s firms in any manner illicit. Rest assured that my sister’s elite army of accountants would have uncovered the truth were it so. Indeed, your work in the noble fields of trade merely promoted unity and trust between ponies and our esteemed neighbours, a far greater accomplishment than that achieved by all the soirees and galas held by those who look down upon ‘trade’ as being beneath them.”

He had to once again remind himself that Luna had indeed spent a thousand years trapped within Equus’ moon. Despite her pleas to the contrary, she was not only taking to Equestria politics like a duck to water, but swimming in shark-laden seas with what seemed nary a care.

“Fancy…” he said, taking a sip of his tea. Luna paused in brushing away the crumbs from her mouth, and raised an eyebrow. “If I am to call you Luna, then I insist you must call me ‘Fancy’.”

“Sir Fancy, your title was bestowed upon you for services to our state. Not even I would dare impugn such a mark of honor.”

“Celestia did all the time,” he chuckled. “And she’s the one who knighted me. Has she told you of the times she disguised herself as Fleur and traipsed around Canterlot at my side, pretending to be the very image of a trophy wife, she, Fleur and myself playing a colossal joke on the entire city? No, there is no need for any honorifics, at least I hope, not between friends.”

“Very well,” Luna was struggling to hide her own sniggers. “You are a remarkable stallion, Fancy. And no, I have not heard of these escapades in feigned matrimony. You shall have to share the juicier details with me at a more opportune time.”

She rose from her seat and proceeded to the window, gazing out over Canterlot. Even with the cloud cover of a forecasted storm, brilliant sunlight still poured through the windows, the contrast turning Luna into a jet-black silhouette, crowned with a mane of starlight and night. Fancy rose instinctively, in that brief moment getting a subtle hint of the Princess’s power and majesty.

“But that time is not now,” Luna said, all levity gone from her, voice fathomless as the skies. “Honorifics aside, we offer to you the highest office in the land. You are our first and only choice, a stallion of character impeccable, who has served with distinction, and who knows when both to apply the soft hoof, and when to slide in the iron horn.”

“I…” Fancy stared at the alicorn in shock, sensing centuries made manifest, ancient and ever-young at once.

“This war will transform Equestria, whether we will it or nought. My sister and I both long foresaw a sea change in our nation, a coming time in which Equestria’s ponies will look more to themselves to shape our national destiny, and less to the thrones.”

She spoke with neither resentment or fear, but simple resolution, before turning and casting him a warm smile that was as radiant as any star. “But we always intended to be here in case we were needed, until such time as Equestria itself abrogate our office, and return us to the dust from whence we sprang.”

“I will serve,” Fancy answered, kneeling. “Through war and peace, you have my horn, my pen, my swords. I shall act as the voice of our people and our state, and bring them towards the future you have described…”

‘If we live…’ a treacherous little thought whispered at the back of his mind.

“Yes, if we live,” Luna agreed casually, and she laughed as Fancy started. “Your fears were written on your face dear Fancy. Rest assured, I didst not scry into your thoughts…”

He joined her at the window, gazing down over the daily life of Canterlot. If Equestria was to change, then all he saw would soon be swept away. He tried to savour the moment, and hold it in his heart, taking in the sights of families, couples, ponies about their business.

‘The Age of Innocence, they’ll call it’, Fancy thought. ‘These are its last days.’

“Have we any idea of what we’re about to face?” he asked softly.

“Some things are certain,” she said, in a voice that was almost timorous. “This is a battle many ponies... no, many beings… will not survive. It is not merely to steward our state that we call you to high office, Fancy. My sister and I shall bring the fullest measure of our wrath upon the enemy we face, but we hide no aspersions that we ourselves may not survive. Should we fall, Equestria will need a leader to hold and heal the soul of the nation.”

He struggled to comprehend. While Luna had yes, mentioned the idea of Equestria moving beyond the guidance of its Princesses, it was in an abstract sense, far-flung in the future. Now though, she was speaking of a future in which the two guiding lights of the realm might well be snuffed out in but a few weeks, a few days!

Fancy snuck a sidelong look at Luna, and was surprised to see her both calm and smiling. Had she made peace with the doom she envisioned, or simply with herself? Still maintaining an air of serenity, she turned back to her desk.

“I don’t suppose I’ll have to raise the sun and moon?” he put in glibly. Luna started at that enough that she tripped on her own horseshoes, and caught himself mid-fall with a sweep of her wings. Then, hovering above the carpet like a foal learning to fly, she contorted herself in giggling laughter.

“Oh dear, no no no, Future Prime Minister! You have no need to fret about that! We hardly expect you to keep the affairs of the celestial bodies in order. No, your job is to run Equestria, nothing more.”

“Then…” Fancy stared for a long while before his face paled. “Princess, I implore you not to go, or at least have Princess Cadance remain behind, not merely to continue the duties of the sun and moon, but to safeguard against a total loss.”

“I’m sorry, but not even our dear scion can remain behind in this struggle, and were you to ask it of her, she would deny you even that comfort,” Luna paused, a flash of familial pride in her eyes. “She may look like a pretty pink princess, but our Mi Amore Cadenza has the blood of the heavens in her veins, and a moral outrage against the crimes of the Solar Empire to make even the most ardent of its berzerkers quail!”

She lowered her hoof from where she had thrust it up in a moment of drama. “And we shall need all the strength of the alicorns, and yay, mayhaps even a draconequus if we are to stand a chance of saving humanity from the tyrant that wears my sister’s face.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “And worry not about the sun and moon, Discord has them well in hoof.”

“The ‘Lord’ Discord?” Fancy was unable to remove all hint of reproach from his voice, and Luna smirked knowingly.

“Not him personally, if that allays your concerns.” She swirled her horn in an arcane pattern, and drew from some unknown space a large sphere of what appeared to be polished stone. Fancy stared, recognising one half of it as white marble. The other half however was brilliant black in color, the two hemispheres fitting perfectly together.

“Do you recognise this Device?”

“I’ve seen something like it before,” he said, half-remembering auctions and treasuries he had frequented in his travels, memories so deeply rooted in his psyche he could still smell the spices of the bazaars. He leaned in close, aware that Luna was adopting the air of a teacher assessing a promising student. “I believe the materials were known as Day and Night Marble… to those unversed in lore.”

Luna gave a graceful nod. “Ah, our little ponies and their names. So then, my young stallion, what true names would you call them by?”

“They are Celestial Stones, Highness.”

“Indeed. Ancient artifacts created to guide the dance of the spheres, crafted by my mother, Faust. There are twenty stones in total, and Discord knows where across the globe each should be seated to perform their role.”

Fancy looked up, a dark look in his eyes. “Then I must warn you that several have been stolen or taken in innocence. I’ve encountered them in my travels, either hoarded or under barter.”

“This is to be expected,” Luna said dismissively. “One cannot expect such ‘lovely shinies’ to go unnoticed over the course of several millennia. Discord has already volunteered to recover them, and compensate the holders accordingly.”

“Is that entirely wise?” Fancy ventured, his political instincts immediately screaming out that he should rally the diplomatic corps to resolve any forthcoming international incidents. “I do remember what he did when sending Chieftain Minos back to his homeland. Subtle as a flying mallet.”

“He has been ordered to be civil and upstanding,” she smiled, and once again Fancy was reminded of a shark. “And should some of those individuals resist, well… Discord is as Discord does. Not even the most stubborn of beings can ignore primal Chaos.”

Relieved, Fancy turned his attention back to the Celestial stone, studying it with an appraising eye, admiring the work put into it. Seen close up, it became apparent that what appeared to be subtle blemishes upon the surface of the stone were in fact markings, a tapestry of stars, phases of the moon, suns and other archaic symbols written in delicate veins within the marble, white-upon-black and vice-versa. The sums of money he had heard associated with these artifacts, each a king’s ransom in its own right, suddenly seemed paltry in light of the knowledge that this artifact had been hoof-crafted by the Divine Mother of the entire pony race.

“I've never seen one up close before. Those I have seen in my travels are usually venerated or feared; they feature heavily in the native mythologies of many cultures. The crafting is quite sublime I must say, I cannot even see the seam between the two halves… small wonder that some were even worshipped!”

“You can thank my mother,” Luna said with pride. “These stones predate the history of all living beings bar Sint Erklass himself, and their very function is to maintain the course of the sun and moon ‘cross the face of Equus without need for supervision or control, with little trouble. They are, in their own way, holy.”

“How exactly have they lasted so long, with not so much as a blemish?” Fancy asked as he examined the constellations imprinted on the sphere. He wanted to touch it, and yet did not dare, afraid that he might be committing some kind of sacrilege.

“The answer to both is through Runic Magic, the highest art, that same craft that sired myself and my kin. My mother in her wisdom also placed each stone within a specially constructed vault, hermetically sealed to protect them from weathering. Each vault was in turn magically warded and sited in area of geological stability, thus extending their lifespan. Only when the wards faded with the passage of centuries did it become possible for living beings to breach their sanctitude. Within the vaults, the stones rest upon platforms sited over the convergence of several key leylines. These sites of convergence provide the vast magick required to sustain the spell bound within the very fabric of the stones…” she smiled fondly, her eyes drifting. “Mother always knew that she wouldn’t be around to raise the one daughter she had intended, let alone two squabbling sisters, but in her kindness provided these stones as a means to relieve the burden of carrying the weight of the orbits, at least for a little while.”

“For a little while?” Fancy repeated. “Then, these stones are just a stop-gap measure, not a permanent solution?

“You are right, and yet wrong. The stones are powerful, but they will fade after some time, at which point they require an extended period of rest” Luna answered, “Celestia and myself were born of a spell intended to create a singular alicorn to bear the duties of Night and Day in the centuries that would pass as the stones recharged, they in turn providing that mare with a period of rest when able to once again take over the burden. But, well...” she craned her neck a little, smiling fondly. “That wasn’t quite how it happened. Hurricane, Platinum and Puddinghead’s squabbling might have skewed the criteria of ‘our’ birth, siring two sisters instead of one mare, but I suspect that was for the better, and that Celestia and I inherited some of that contrariness. We’re only ponies, after all.”

“Not exactly,” Fancy said, affecting an arch tone. “Some of us aren’t immortal demigods, after all.”

“I mean that we’re not as impersonal as machines,” Luna smiled, seemingly enjoying the banter. “Celestia and I were born as flawed as any other pony, and I suspect both we and Equestria are happier for it, regardless of how we stumble along the way.”

She shuddered briefly. “Far more than Nightmare Moon, I fear what Celestia and I might have been, had we been born as a singular creature. I have studied the spell that sired us, and it was designed to create a ‘perfect’ being, or as close to perfect as can be accomplished in this gloriously imperfect world…”

Fancy paused and imagined an alicorn as powerful as Luna and Celestia combined, serenely confident and self-assured, without equal or challenger…

“I can think of one such mare,” he said softly. “She was once a Princess too… now she calls herself Queen.”

Luna shivered, and then cast her eyes heavenward. “Thank you, you wonderfully foolish mares, for saving us from what we might have been,” she sighed, before hefting the stone again.

“But do not fear. My studies of runic magic are deep and involved, and my journals are most comprehensive. They are disguised as dusty tomes in my private library, relics so fragile and dry that even Twilight Sparkle might not risk handling them, but are ensorcelled to reveal their true nature in the event of our death. Within lies the theory and practice to create new Celestial Stones to replace these in the event of their failure, or perhaps even the opportunity to craft a system to supplant them.”

“I have a further question. What would happen if these stones were to break?”

“We shouldn’t have need to much concern ourselves with that,” Luna said. “Unmaking the artifacts of my mother would require power so vast that I imagine you’d have more immediate concerns were such an event to occur. And were one or two to break, it is possible for a coalition of gifted unicorns to take their place in the matrix of the spell. The true danger is if the power of the stones were to be misdirected, but that is for neither here nor now.”

“Perhaps-”

“Rest assured, we have this covered, Fancy,” Luna smiled, easing the worried look on his face. “We are not leaving you ‘in the lurch’, as I believe it is said. Now…”

She dismissed the Stone back to wherever she had summoned it from, and her expression grew… strange, at least to Fancy’s eyes. “There is a pony I wish for you to meet before we leave to Earth. She is called the Scribe.”

“Scribe… Scribe…” Fancy frowned as he contemplated the name. “I must confess, I’ve never heard of a pony called by such a name, at least not in Canterlot.”

“Scribe… well, she isn’t exactly a pony,” Luna said, waving a hoof. “At least not as you and I. Where we are flesh and blood, hormones and bio-electric synapses, she is ones and zeros, crystals and light.”

“What…” Fancy uttered, deadpan, and then he paused before leaning close, almost whispering, as if afraid of being overheard. “Are you speaking of some form of golem? Artificial bodies with minds parsed from information and naked thought? There have been rumors of such creatures appearing in the War for Earth, summoned or manifested from out of the sea of magic and thought, but I never…”

As he trailed off, Luna turned and made eye-contact. Then she slowly nodded. “Such rumours are true. At least two ‘artificial intelligences’ have arisen upon Earth, in the hinterland between science and magic, consciousness emerging unbidden from the screaming sea that is the broken minds of the Newfoals…”

She smiled sadly. “Like my sister and myself, like the thestrals and the crystal ponies, wonderful aberrations, glorious, radiant new forms of life, unanticipated and born of chance…”

Fancy felt a secret thrill, as if he was dancing on the verge of infinity. Then Luna looked him in the eye again, and he saw that infinity in the depths of her gaze.

“Faust is something else entire however. I am sorry to burden you so Fancy, but you were the pony we trusted most to first lead our country in our absence. In times such as we find ourselves, that requires that you be made privy to Equestria’s deepest secrets.”

“I… Thank you… your highness,” Fancy said quietly, falling silently into step as she led him deeper into the palace...

Canterlot -- Int. Royal Palace -- Princess Celestia’s Tea Room

Canterlot Castle’s tea room was a marvel of Equusian architecture. The ceilings had been built as high as possible so as to accommodate the tallest races of Equus, so as to allow for dragons, minotaurs and breezies alike to sip tea together and discuss diplomacy. And yet its design carefully allowed any combination of races to make themselves comfortable in one of its discrete nooks - a low wall separating one space from another was in fact carefully shaped to form a comfortable perch for a basking dragon. Sconces carved into the walls and coffee-tables were cunning artificed to double as chairs for breezies. Decorated for centuries in styles that reflected Celestia’s signature colouration, it had recently been tastefully refurbished to reflect that Equestria now sported a triumvirate of Princesses. The arching ceilings had been repainted in midnight blue, the light fittings acting as silver stars set in twinkling constellations, with pink and purple pastels serving as a transition to the white walls trimmed in gold and bronze..

“It sounds like your meeting went well.” Celestia relished the sweet taste of her tea, ignoring Luna’s silent gagging with practiced ease. “How was Fancy?”

“He responded well to my person,” Luna tapped her chin. “You were right. He got used to us quite quickly.”

“As he should, being the experienced world traveler that he is, I’d expect nothing less of him.” Celestia gave Luna a small chuckle. “To tell you the truth, I may have been somewhat smitten with him when he was younger.”

“Yessss… Fancy did mention something to that effect,” Luna crooned. “Interesting anecdotes were shared involving a certain mare taking on the guise of Sir Fancy’s comely wife.”

Celestia blushed, and Luna gave her a subtle dig in the ribs. “You sly mare you, but why oh why did you not take advantage for a bit more ‘fun’. To have gone along with the joke as far as she did, it seems to me that the Lady Fleur would have been quite open to a menage-a-trois...”

“Luna!” Celestia squeaked. “That would be scandalous, and improper, and-”

“-t’would be three consenting ponies sharing affection with one another,” Luna interjected. “And I know for certes of your skill in the carnal arts, lest we forget the glorious harem you assembled in our first centuries of rule…”

“It… just wouldn’t have been ‘real’,” Celestia said, affecting a haughty tone, and Luna sighed. Of course Celestia craved true love, why else would she have disbanded said harem when lust and sexuality alone were not enough to sustain her. But stars above, much as Celestia desired and deserved something more than just the maternal love she gave and received with their subjects, the silly mare couldn’t bring herself to actually ‘get out there’ and commit to a mate. No doubt she’d had her fair share of one-night-stands and affectionate flings over the eons (at least, Luna hoped so, lest she have to contemplate the horror of Celestia remaining celibate for over a millennium - reduced to either a neurotic asexual or a tightly-wound bundle of repressed lust), but the Solar Princess had never taken the bold step of marriage or parenthood.

And, as so often it did, those thoughts led Luna back down the path of memories to her own past relationships. Thrice she had been married, and thrice given foal. Each had been a special stallion, and certainly she had enjoyed a fair few flings with other ponies (stallions and mares alike), relishing each chance to give and take affection.

Once, such thoughts would have left her in tears, treading over past grief. Now however, she was seeing the fruit of those relationships blooming, not just in the harmony between ponies, but in the the countless, flourishing bloodlines she had a part in founding. Cadance, true heart she, was just one of many claiming descent from her mortal foals, and Luna’s heart soared every time she took in a crowd of ponies, knowing that from statistics alone, as much as half of the population present carried in them a trace of herself: more importantly, a trace of those ponies she had loved…

So much love.

Then, she looked to Celestia, who was savouring another deep draught of her tea. Having never pledged her trough or given birth, not even to slake a millennium's worth of loneliness, Celestia’s relationship with loss and mortality was, frankly, less nuanced than Luna’s, and less resilient when it came to absorbing grief . Seeing friends, peers and (perhaps) even lovers pass on was of course devastating, but how could an immortal truly come to grips with mortality unless they, in some small way, flirted with mortality through the siring of foals. Seeing one’s own children and grandchildren grow old and pass away, to bury her own flesh and weep over her own blood at countless funerals - aye, that was the path that Luna alone had walked. Yet it was only after several centuries that she came to understand this trait of her ‘older’ sister showed, this touch of emotional immaturity.

It was another important reminder that Celestia, who was by definition perceived by ponykind as perfect, was as broken and imperfect as they came, a truth that the appointment with Fancy had reinforced for Luna. Once again she thanked the six founders of Equestria for being flawed enough to ensure that the two foals born of their symbolic union were just as flawed.

And that of course begged the question. If the two of them were just as flawed, Luna in her need for validation, Celestia in her having never come to grips with the shadow beyond life, why…

...why had the Nightmare taken her?

‘Why was it that was I targeted by roaming, dark and feral magic?’ Luna thought quietly to herself, turning over the past like stones in a cemetery. Celestia’s inner demons were just as much a prime target for the black magic that called itself Nightmare. The Solar Princess was magically strong, but when it came to balancing light and dark, just as emotionally compromised as Luna, perhaps even moreso. Might it have appealed to Celestia’s pride, to her desire for lesser ponies to be immortal? What horrors would spring from such a union?

And yet, it didn’t take much in time or effort to answer that question either.

What had the Nightmare stood to gain, regardless of which sister it took? Simple - the infliction of pain, and the sundering of faith. Broken bonds and broken hearts. But there was something else at play.

Luna would no doubt have stopped Celestia had the Solar Regent fallen to Nightmare; much as it pained her and maimed her soul, she she would have cast Celestia aside to save their ponies, bourne her grief, and remained strong until Celestia retur--

She paused in her analysis. That was it. She would have lived with her grief and moved on, continued taking husbands, mayhaps even brides, living in and as part of Equestria, watching her descendants flourish and grow.

She would have owned the grief, and not let it own her. Celestia on the other hoof was alone, struggling to deal with a pain she didn’t fully understand, with no one to share her burden, and so removed from her subjects that none might perceive her misery, let alone try and console her. It was an attempt to break the alicorn and send Equestria on a downward spiral.

Luna was both the threat to that had to be removed to bring about that fall, and the tool, pawn and vehicle by which it might be accomplished.

Nightmare knew their weakness, and how best to exploit them, a realisation which left Luna feeling ill. And yet she also felt pride, because in her own way, Celestia had defied the dark spirit by taking on a succession of students, creating a surrogate family in which she might find respite.

But the Nightmare had not left Luna unscathed either, even after the Elements purged it from her very being. She was aware that certain… traits she had exhibited under the Nightmare’s influence lingered, subtle ghosts in the machine of her mind that magnified old bad habits. She continued to crave attention and validation, hard as it was to reconnect with modern society. It was maddening and crushing at the same time, though she was glad to have finally, albeit thanks to the War for Earth, come to peace with herself, part in thanks to Discord’s gentle prodding and ribbing.

It was strange to have a big brother looking out for Celestia and herself, stranger still given the enmity that had existed between them and Discord for so long. Another unexpected, yet not unwelcome fruit borne from this accursed war. And perhaps a fresh, human perspective might shed a curing light on this dysfunctional little family.

To live in modern times was certainly exciting and adventurous. Dangerous, too...

“Oh dear me, no.” Celestia gave a small giggle. “As handsome as Fancy is, I dare not intrude myself when he was with Fleur at the time. I am not some harlot.”

“But you are a Princess, surely Fleur would understand this.” Luna said in a bored tone, but her eyes held much mischievous light. “I wager she would be oer’joyed were you to create a herd with him, for so long as she was allowed to share in it. Why, such a happy union would make her our sister and kin, and her foals royal half-siblings!”

Celestia, in a moment of shock, spat her tea over the rim of her cup. Luna, laughing her head off on the inside, continued onwards. “Indeed, I have checked the records of law, and while our ponies have outlawed polygamy, they were never so prudish as to repeal thy Royal Prerogative to take multiple spouses...”

“Luna, please stop.” Celestia blushed, cheeks turning a sunny red.

“Oh! To come home to a nephew or niece would be marvelous!” Luna clapped her hooves in joy. “Most certainly Cadance would be overjoyed to foalsit once more. And we would shower them with gifts, perhaps a pet! Oh, we believe a possum would be a good pet! Yes! And he shall be called Tiberius! Tibbers for short!”

“Luna, no.” Celestia gave her a look of disapproval. “I will not allow my foal to have a pet possum.”

“Oh, then thou has consented to sire a dynasty. Well done sister, who is the father?”

“I was speaking solely in the abstract, Luna,” Celestia growled, massaging her forehead with one wing. “I am not with foal…”

“Very well, then,” Luna continued in her teasing. “What pet is good by your terms, Miss Phoenix?”

“Easy, a Neighponese fox-spirit,” Celestia replied without pause, which Luna took as a minor triumph: clearly her sister had at least given some thought to a potential child. “They’re intelligent, adorable as kits and long-lived enough that they’d remain a close companion for many centuries.”

She smirked. “Plus, they’re shapeshifters that can disguise themselves as mares. Any foal of mine is going to have a pet capable of making just as much mischief as Philomena and myself get up to…”

Luna smiled, but affected a sad shaking of her head. “A kitsune? Really? As if an example of Vulpes deitas could ever compare to a possum as a pet!”

“Oh, what admirable traits does Trichosurus velpecula possess, beyond an ability to play dead?”

“The fact that it would get completely up your nose!” Luna decried, jabbing a hoof at Celestia, prompting a sudden silence that suddenly dissolved into fits of giggles at the absurdity of the entire conversation.

At last their laughter died down, and Celestia glanced down at her empty teacup, sighing as she did. “Speaking of nephews…”

“Oh?” Luna hummed as she levitated over the teapot and poured her sister a fresh cup, subtly trying to keep her from dousing it in milk and sugar, as was her wont.

“I had a meeting of my own today with Discord,” Celestia said, words now tinged with a quiet melancholy. “Hence why I was unable to join your for the appointment with Fancy, for which you have my apologies.”

“Think nothing of it sister,” Luna said, tilting her head and letting her worry show. She pondered the choice of words that had prompted Celestia’s sudden change of mood, and let out a sigh of her own. “Didst this meeting with Discord perchance involve the subject of Blueblood?”

“Yes. I’ve been feeling somewhat ashamed of how I handled his tactlessness.”

Petrification. Luna brooded on that for a moment. In truth she had no qualm with the doom Celestia had bestowed upon the Prince. As a matter-of-fact, she had never liked the spoiled colt and the supposed superiority he lorded over everypony else, seeing him as a lamentable blot upon the tapestry of ponies descended from her first marriage, a happy union with Princess Platinum’s twice-removed grandson. However, much as she wished otherwise, she had been forced to accept that he was both the legitimate claimant to the Platinum Crown and her great-great-something-grandson through several male and female lines, after lengthy cross-examination of a family tree long enough to three feet thick when rolled up.

“Sister…” Celestia gave another tired sigh, clearing seeing the coolness that had come over Luna. “Blueblood’s actions are not his own, but the result of malign outside influence.”

“What?!” Luna slammed her hoof on the table, her eyes blazing. “We find it hard to believe that even the most depraved of evil entities would behoove themselves so low as to dabble with that… that… colt!”

Celestia shook her head, a grim smile sliding across her face. “Posession by some dark spirit might be a preferable excuse for the mistakes of his life. But the truth is that Blueblood was quite a sweet young colt in his youth. His subsequent souring was more nurture than nature, the result of a lingering rot in Canterlot society that I never could quite purge, thanks to politics and the covenants we swore when we superceded the Unicorn royal line… Blueblood’s failings are the result of over a thousand years of neglect and ignorance, and for that I must accept responsibility.”

Luna felt her expression soften.

“The sins of the Fathers rebounding upon the Sons?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” admitted Celestia, gazing mournfully out the nearest window. “A debt that accumulated over near thirty generations, and all I did was sit back and let it happen.”

Canterlot -- Int. Royal Palace -- Palace Hallway

“This was so much easier when I had my three-tone mane,” Celestia huffed as brushed out her flowing pink mane. “That styled itself whichever way I willed it.”

Well, at least she could try something new. Slowly, awkwardly treading through the steps, she telekinetically tied her mane up in an elegantly twisted braid…

...which held itself together for all of five seconds before her mane, which regardless of its colour-change was still saturated in magic, burst free and spread out around her head like a dandelion clock. Grumbling obscenely, Celestia retreated to ‘Step 1’ and once again began to brush it out straight.

Still, she couldn’t help but smile at the reflection in her bedroom mirror. It was a pleasant change to have gotten a reminder of her youth back, even if she’d had to take a refresher course from Cadance on the particulars of proper manecare.

The brush suddenly got itself knotted in something, and cursing to herself, Celestia applied a greater measure of her strength to the grip of the brush…

...but instead of straightening out a particularly stubborn tangle, she found a tiny Discord tangled up in the tines of the brush.

“You’ve got it easy,” he teased, clearly loving her frustration. “Think of what Luna went through when her mane was transitioning back to its magical state. You try running a comb through a tangle of nebulas and constellations sometime. Imagine how hard it was for her to brush her mane without causing supernovas with every stroke?”

Pulling him free from the brush with her magic, Celestia returned a smirk of her own as she planted the miniaturised Discord on her dresser and set a pretty little bow on his head. “Funny, I am thinking of washing my mane to rid of this chaotic mess.”

“I wouldn’t say that’s quite necessary,” Discord responded as he grabbed the bow, clenched it in his lion’s paw, and released his grip to reveal a large sunflower, which he placed above himself. “I say it’s a good blend of order and chaos. Isn’t that an example of the ‘True Harmony’ you’re always chasing after?.”

Celestia grinned as she returned to brushing her mane out, whatever Discord had done to it was clearly having an effect, and now it was as sleek and glossy as if she had just come from a salon.

“I say we still need something to offset all that pink,” he observed, strutting across the dresser with a fist cupped under his chin. “Perhaps little balls of light should drift out occasionally. Or maybe a scent of desert winds over in Saddle Arabia to catch the attention of ponies...”

He snapped his fingers. “Fire! That’s it! You’re the Princess of the Sun, so your mane should be permanently ON FIRE!”

“I’m pretty sure my Chief of Staff would deem that a safety hazard, now off with you, silly,” Celestia laughed and gently shoved him away with her hoof, shaking her head in amusement as she finished her primping and made for the door. “Luna and myself are vetting Fancy Pants for the position of PM, and I’m going to be late if I tarry any further.”

“Oh, really?” Discord said, producing a tiny clipboard and examining it through a pair of pince-nez glasses. ‘10am, meet with my favorite stallion in the whole world, and show him off to Luna.”

He beckoned, and the chamber door closed itself before Celestia could take her leave. Suddenly full-sized, her snaked between her legs and rose up to look her in the eye. “Trust me on this when I say Luna has things well in hoof…”

Celestia blinked, and her own expression turned serious. “You’re never one to dance around the subject Discord. If there’s something on your mind that needs my attention, just say.”

“Oh I could dance, if you want me to.” Discord leapt off the dresser, donning a sombrero and performing a little jig, prompting a small smirk from the Princess.

“Amusing as this may be Discord, what’s gotten you so worked up?” Celestia tilted her head interrogatively.

“Well, might as well get this over with.” Grimacing, Discord broke off his dance, and laid the room bare with a snap of his fingers, metal plates sealing over every surface, door and window, creating a soundproof space in which they could speak freely.

“I was trying determine what to do with the Blueblood issue,” Discord said tersely. “You seemed pretty clear about ensuring he not leave any form of legacy on Equestria. So I considered leaving him permanently trapped in stone, or setting up a spell that would free him in a couple of decades, rigged to leave him infertile. You know, the works. Would that satisfy this uncharacteristic little revenge-fantasy of yours?”

“I care not what you do to that stallion, nor his lineage!” Having scowled at the mere mention of Blueblood’s name, Celestia practically spat the words out, making the full fury behind her judgement known. “I’ve been lied to for centuries by his entire family, so for all I care he can be the end of the whole accursed line.”

“Oh don’t be like that, Celestia.” Discord soothed, holding up his paws to list some points off. “I mean, what hurt have they done you?”

“Lying to the crown counts as an act of perjury, Discord, and they’ve been misleading me for generations…”

“Right, so we’ve got ‘wounded pride’ as your main complaint,” Discord said, affecting a stern tone. “And your frustrations at having to deal with their warped politics and petty concerns. So let’s add ‘whining’ to their rap sheet.”

“Day in and day out. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year…” she seethed.

“A capital offence indeed, no wonder you imprisoned the last of a ‘noble house’ to indefinite detention, as is your right of course as Pretty Pony Princess Prime-”

Still rolling into a haranguing monologue, Discord trailed off into shocked silence after directing a brief glance in her direction. Celestia wasn’t sure how much her anger was showing, but she did know that she was gritting her teeth together, and that her mane was very itchy, as if it was about to take up Discord’s suggestion of bursting into flame. “Um….”

“Anything. Else?” she growled out, and she saw him wincing at the sheer ice in her tone. Oh, poets might compare her to the sun, but it was moments like this that reminded ponies that the sun was an intrinsic part of the vacuum, the absolute zero of space.

It took him a few seconds of panicked sweating to reclaim his composure, but when Discord did continue, it was with equal frostiness in his tone. Ice might have formed from the sheer chill the two of them radiated.

"Well, here's the thing, Celly,” he drawled. “You know how his ancestor was the one who committed most of 'my' crimes?"

"Oh, how could I forget,” she replied with saccharine sweetness.

"Let’s be blunt kid sister, that pony’s kinda dead. Dusty dead, too - I'd show you, but I get the feeling the palace cleaners wouldn't appreciate my desecrating the carpet with what’s left of him."

"I wouldn’t either. Your point?"

"Blueblood's your nephew right?"

"Many times removed from Luna, but yes…. unfortunately."

"You ever spend much time with him?"

"Often, when he was a foal. His mother worked in the palace, and he moved in the same circles as Cadance, so I became very close to the two of them… that was years before her ascension brought Cadance into my immediate family of cour-”

"How about recently?" Discord interrupted.

"…no,” Celestia admitted. “After his mother passed away his father claimed sole custody, and then after that…"

"His father, that’s interesting. Might I guess that he showed the same behavioral foal/stallion disconnect?”

"…what’s your point?"

"Did you really expect Blueblood's father to have taught him respect for other ponies? After - what, nine hundred years of Bluebloods’ being taught they're better by virtue of blood, through a succession of fathers who all got indoctrinated into the same family cult?"

"… perhaps not, but what would you expect of me Discord? Take the children of the ‘ignoble’ houses away and raise them ‘right’. Oh yes, I can see the papers responding well to that. ‘Princess Abducts Foals: Claims It’s For The Greater Good’.”

“What I expect Celestia, is for you to stop trying to get revenge on a long-dead stallion by victimising his descendant. Do you know what happens to rich kids when nobody teaches them what's right? They become… how do I put this… they start doing what they want. Because they can, and nobody's stopping me. Them. Oops, Freudian slip there."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. Slip or not, Discord’s emphasis on the last part of that statement had been too heavy for mere coincidence.

“Yeah, just mull on it a little,” he said, rotating his hands like a tumble-drier. Celestia frowned at him, and then relaxed her posture, sinking back on a haunches with a sigh.

"I can’t believe, that of all ponies you’d be the one to defend Blueblood."

"Well, it depends on which Blueblood you're talking about," Discord shrugged. "Cadance’s playmate of yesteryear, the opportunistic little squit he grew into, or the egg-whose-quality-is-indeterminate of today?"

Celestia’s wings flared, an instinctive response to an open challenge. "Are you telling me that I judged him too harshly?"

"I dunno, Celly dearest," Discord snarked back. "You've had time to think, calm down, get the 'annihilating topography' stage out of your system, I hope. Sort of. Get calm and ask yourself this. What do you think about your judgement?"

Celestia thought on it for a second. Then she remembered what she had witnessed of the Tyrant inside of Marcus’s mind, recounted what Luna had told her of the experiments, of the harsh punishments, of the recordings of Lyra’s final speech.

‘I am not that creature,’ she said to herself. A moment later an image of herself becoming Queen Celestia, a nasty smirk on her face, briefly flashed through her mind. ‘I will never become that.‘

It felt like a lie.

‘I’m not her… she repeated weakly, and this time the memory that flashed to the forefront of her mind was that of Queen Metaxis and her changelings grovelling for mercy, offering up their sovereignty in exchange for aid. She and Luna had judged them undeserving on that day, and just look at the consequences of that foolish decision.

“Yes,” she said. “I was overly harsh. He caught me at a bad time, pushed all of my buttons, but idiocy and tactlessness is no excuse for petrifaction.”

She smiled wanly and held out her hoof. “Come on then, I’ve got a rough idea as to where this is going.”

Chuckling, Discord floated close to her, hooked an arm around her neck and flowing mane, and snapped his fingers. The two of them vanished in a flash of light.

Canterlot -- Ext. Royal Palace -- Palace Gardens

“So, indulge my fancy,” continued Celestia as they teleported into the garden, the air of which was humid and heavy, portents of the approaching weather front. “Why the sudden interest in Blueblood?”

“Well, it could be said that I have a vested interest in ‘reforming’ troubled individuals, but mostly because I delved into his mind when you asked me to oversee his ‘internment’,” Discord responded, as they two of them headed towards the heart of the hedge maze. “Now, my usual tactic would be to skim his memories and devise a few choice nightmares to occupy his time with, along with possibly some surrealist essays, but after I got a sampling of his formative experiences I decided to dig a little deeper.”

He glanced forward as they reached the centre of the maze. “And here we are.”

Celestia looked, and felt a frisson of horror. Blueblood’s statue stood on a low plinth that put his face right at her own eye level. The terrified look in his frozen eyes wounded her deeply. It was something she had seen once before, in the moment of Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon, and she felt the same shame wash over her at once again having hurt her family.

‘I did this…’

Despite the tainted glut of memories the spoiled stallion-colt inspired, a part of her still remembered the clumsy colt in an uncomfortable tuxedo who had been introduced to her at Cadance’s cutecenera. When the other adults backs were turned, the three of them had snuck off to play hide-and-seek in the gardens...

“He still thinks of you as Auntie Celestia, did you know that?” Discord put in, his contribution not assuaging her guilt at all. “I thought it was so odd that this stuck up unicorn thinks of you as family.”

He snuck her a suggestive look, “You know, at one point I thought you were considering him as a prospective mate. Heaven knows Luna’s been prodding your thoughts in that direction, and he’s not that closely related to you.”

“Oh heavens no,” Celestia blanched, briefly having to hold back an urge to retch; their individual blemishes notwithstanding, the whole of Blueblood’s male lineage had at some point attempted to court her, no doubt seeing her as some trophy wife, a stepping-stone by which they might reclaim the unicorn throne from the days before the Winter of the Windigos. “I could never think of Blueblood in such a way.”

“Good, because he thinks the same.” Discord commented, causing her head to snap to him.

“What?”

“His father, Azure Haven, tried to teach him how to charm a mare from far too young an age,” Discord said, staring at the statue. “It was of course a failure, Blueblood having all the charm of a dead fish after Azure had finished instilling the values of ‘true’ nobility in him, but Daddy dearest was able to teach him how to woo companions into bed with him, and so Azure devised a scheme...”

He left the sentence hanging, leaving her to come to the conclusion alone. Celestia blinked a few times, and then went sheet white.

“Me!?” she almost screamed. “Azure wanted his son to bed me!?”

“Yes indeed,” Discord hissed. “In his messed-up view of things, the only way to get his bloodline to the top of the heap was to have Blueblood get you ‘in the family way’, and then suggest a marriage so as to avoid a scandal when you began showing a bump.”

Celestia blinked again, and went ballistic.

“That inbred, selfish, deluded, BEAST! Did he actually think I was some hormone-addled schoolfilly who’d heft her tail for the first stallion to bat his eyes at her! Of all the wrong-headed, ignorant, VULGAR nonsense!”

It was at that point that the storm broke. Lightning flashed across the clouded skies in tune with her words, sheets of white fury serving to punctuate her roared syllables. Pausing briefly, Celestia took a deep, snorting breath, and flapped her wings with enough force to flatten the maze within a hundred yards.

Then she picked up from where she left off.

“Didn’t he READ his history! I took SCORES of lovers before I’d turned a thousand! Didn’t he wonder why I wasn’t putting wedding rings on them! Contraceptive Spells are taught at every High School! I should know, I INVENTED THEM!”

That final bellow seemed to vent the last of her steam, and she relaxed into silence. Discord’s next works shattered that momentary peace.

“Azure actually invested a considerable amount of bits seeking out mages who could find a way around those spells… his backup plan if they didn’t work was to have Blueblood target one of the mares closest to you…”

Cadance!

Sunset!

Twilight!

Celestia screamed, a wordless expression of raw, seething fury, eyes blazing with all the rage of an exploding star. Targeting her was one thing, but playing that kind of stunt with the mares who had become her surrogate family was beyond the pale. It was almost certainly a kindness for Azure that he’d been dead six months.

This time the hedge maze caught fire, set ablaze by multiple bolts of lightning that lanced down as if summoned by her wrath, which well they might have been. The multiple flashes and sudden heat on her brow was enough to snap Celestia back to reality, breathing heavily but forcing herself to get a handle on her rage. To feel fury over a righteous cause was one thing, but she could never allow herself to be owned by that wroth, too much depended on her to not give into those passions.

“And you should also know, that Blueblood wouldn’t have any part of it…” Discord added softly.

She looked up, the crackling flames reflecting off both of them, reflecting in their eyes.

“From some of the memories I saw in Blueblood,” Discord said softly as he called down one of the gathering rainclouds. “He’d had these lessons drilled into him since the day he came into Azure’s care. Really makes me wonder how much time he actually had to be a son rather than a tool. But eventually he’d had enough - he cared enough about you to know that what his father wanted would have hurt you deeply - and so eventually he left the family estate and took up residence in Canterlot. You know how the rest of his life played out.”

Silently, Celestia took the raincloud off of him. Springing into the air, she spent a few seconds getting in touch with her inner pegasus as she guided it over the burning maze, carefully dousing the flames.

As she did, she brooded. Just as much as she loathed his intentions towards herself or her surrogate daughters, she felt physically ill at the thought that Azure Haven had seen his own son as nothing but a tool by which to obtain some perceived glory.  She wouldn’t say she’d been happy that the fool had gotten himself killed while drunk at the helm of an airship, but then, she hadn’t exactly been saddened by it either. Now, she was glad that the old beast was removed from the face of her kingdom, and she suspected she was not alone.

In light of what Discord had shared with her, one would almost see Blueblood’s hoof at play in his father’s death, but evidence suggested otherwise. It had been at a Canterlot Supremacist Alliance political gala, which Azure had hosted at his estate by virtue of being the party leader. Dozens of eyewitnesses had testified to seeing their ‘political champion’ drunkenly stumble to the helm of his private yacht, shove the licensed pilot over the gunwale, and attempt to make the pleasure-craft perform a loop-de-loop, only to cause the airbag to shear off from the exerted torque, dropping the rest of the yacht, and its owner, straight onto the central wing of his own mansion. It was clear that Blueblood had nothing to do with that.

“What have you been focusing so much attention on Blueblood?” she asked as she landed, prompting a questioning look from Discord. “Why are you doing this?”

“Other than causing a bit of a headache for you?” he answered with a bit of smirk, face softening somewhat when one looked closer “Mostly because you were hurting, and were coming close to making decisions that would hurt you ever more once you sobered up from your rage-a-hol binge.”

“It was a good decision. We know what’d happen. I… I wanted to be furious at him, but it now seems so petty of me to do so,” Celestia grumbled under her breath. “I always turned a blind eye to his family, never doubted the lie that was the foundation of their influence. But Blueblood was different, I knew him as a foal, saw that he was capable of building powerful friendships and drawing strength from them. I was so happy when he came back to Canterlot as a stallion, but when I saw what he’d become...”

She shook her head, laying down on the grass. “He and his mother were a radiant pair, always friendly and smiling. She deserved better than Azure, but he gave her a wonderful sun.”

She rubbed her eyes, feeling the tears threaten to leak out. “He was such a bright colt, always trying his utmost to please me. The day he got his cutie mark was when he was allowed to pilot my yacht back to Canterlot. He was… so happy when he realized what had happened, but he really was a natural at flying a ship, something that surprised us all greatly. Most of the family line is based in politics, so seeing Blueblood gain a cutie mark grounded in another skillset made me so happy.”

“What about ponies of his own age?” Discord floated upside down, his expression contemplative. This was a side of his ‘sister’ he’d rarely paid witness too.

“He was actually scared of Cadance, when they first met at her cutecenera.” Celestia let out a small giggle. “Both of them were terrified of one another; Blueblood not wanting to make Cadance angry at him and Cadance not wanting to make herself look like a fool in front of Blueblood. They were acting so little like children, that I whispered word to their parents and snuck off to play with them. We played hide-and-seek in this very maze.”

He saw her smile fondly. “I’d not been so close to children since I helped take care of Luna’s third set of foals... after that night, I was always finding excuses to invite the two of them over to play. Blueblood’s mother said I really must be his aunt, since I did so much to help raise him.”

She smiled at the memory, and then buried her face in her hooves, trembling with emotion. While her eyes were averted, Discord grinned and waved his paw at the statue that had been at the heart of their discussions.

There was no cracking, no shattering or dramatic pyrotechnics. Stone simply melted away into flesh and fur, the stallion took in a silent gasp of air as he returned to the land of the living. Frozen in the act of trying to escape his aunt’s wrath, his first instinctive action was to continue backpeddling, only for him to try and catch himself as his thoughts caught up to his limbs. It failed, and he tipped backwards off the plinth and into the embrace of Discord’s magic. Looking around in panicked confusion, he saw the Spirit of Chaos towering above him and opened his mouth to speak, or maybe to scream. Before he could so much as draw breath however, Discord raised his finger to his mouth and spun him around in mid-air, pointing him towards Celestia.

“She’s having an epiphany,” Discord stage-whispered. “Shush.”

“I ended up being a sort of part-time foalsitter, perhaps that’s where Cadance got the inspiration to go ‘into the business’…” Celestia continued to reminisce. “Suddenly I was buying board games and toys, getting to actually laugh and play with foals who wore their emotions on their sleeves, and not grown adults who hid everything they felt behind politics. Sunset, Twilight and Spike came later on, perhaps because I’d gotten so used to having Canterlot Castle filled with the laughter of foals. I… I was so devastated when Blueblood was sent off to live with Azure, not just because I thought he was a break from his family’s sordid past, but because I loved that little colt”

“Auntie…” someone spoke. Hesitantly, as if afraid of rejection.

Celestia’s head snapped up, her eyes widening with shock to see Blueblood standing before her.

‘He looks so tired, so… broken,’ she thought, and again came the guilt. ‘I did this to him.’

“Blueblood….” She mouthed voicelessly, before directing a demandingly raised eyebrow at an unrepentant Discord.

“Trust me, you two need this,” Discord said warmly. Then he blinked, his ears twitching and a flush of concern appeared on his face. “While you do that bonding thing, I have to run, Major Buzzcut has a bit of a situation that he needs me to fix up.”

He vanished with a loud pop, leaving the two of them alone in the maze. Celestia swallowing, seeing Blueblood look away from her - his aunt by blood and love - in utter shame. She felt, in a word, frazzled, and just as unsure as he was.

“...”

“Auntie… I… my entire family is a stain against your name,” Blueblood whispered. Celestia’s ears perked. “I am nothing more than a burden upon you. I don’t deserve the recognition I have, nor do I deserve to be called a pony, let alone a Prince.”

“Blueblood…”

“Discord came to me while I slept. I think he intended to torment me in my dreams...” Blueblood said, craning around, though Celestia was not sure if he was unable to make contact with her eyes, or if he was revelling in the sights and sounds around him. “Instead he came upon me dreaming of the first time I met you, at Cadance’s cutecenera…”

He flicked his eyes down, making brief contact with hers. “Is Cadance well?”

Celestia nodded, saw his mouth purse in a ghost of a smile, before staring away again into the distance. “Well, he observed what we shared in, recognised the dream for what it was, and began to pry deeper into my memories of my time in Canterlot, and the time we spent together.”

Blueblood look to the sky, taking a deep breath as he stared up at the clouds. “I began to remember all that I’d forgotten, hidden behind all the… the…”

“The what?” Celestia prompted gently.

”I don’t know,” Blueblood admitted. He gave a bitter laugh, finally looking her in the eye. The both of them were crying. “It took me years to understand why he fought so hard for custody when mother died. He didn’t care about me, he only wanted a vessel to carry the bloodline - I was a failure to him, and all he saw in me were his ‘royal grandchildren’. I was a status symbol, a honey-trap. A… tool. I wasn’t a colt, just a means to an end.”

Celestia listened in silence as Blueblood spoke. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance, a faint echo of the fury she had pulled from the storm. Then with a gentle susurration, a warm rain began to fall soft on the ground, the raindrops cascading down their faces to mingle with their tears.

“He never told me he loved me, you know,” Blueblood said softly, his words barely rising over the hiss of rain upon grass. “I never felt the warmth of a hug or even so much as a sign of his approval. He…” he laughed softly. “He taught me to be uncaring. Not in so many words, you understand. He taught me that the concerns of the poor were beneath us. That friends were only good for what they could give you, that they’d stab you in the back the minute they got the chance, so you had to act before them - slide the blade in first. And he… he surrounded himself with ponies that made him seem right.”

An echo-chamber of parroting yes-mares and stallions. What a place in which to raise an emotionally volatile adolescent.

“Blueblood,” Celestia said softly, “you…”

“I’m what?” he said softly. “I’m a bastard. Not in the illegitimate sense, but I would’ve been happier if that had happened and I had been raised to be my mother’s son and nothing but. But I am my father’s son, and to become that I was taught to be a bastard, because in his eyes the whole world was bastardised, had been ever since ‘Platinum signed away our rights as the superior species of pony…’ All that mattered to my father was ‘setting right the natural order’, getting back ‘what was ours’, and he taught me that the world contains only two kinds of ponies: those who want, and those who took. Nothing else mattered.”

He laughed again, a bitter, twisted sound. “He got what he wanted from me, didn’t he? I was the prime example of the uncaring aristocrat. Take what I need, ignore those who needed.”

“Blueblood… if that is how you were raised…”

“I was raised by my mother and by you for ten years of my life!” Blueblood snapped. “You… you were more of a parent figure than my father ever was! You were there for my first successful spell! You were there when I gained my cutie mark! My first Gala event! You… you cared...”

As the rain poured down he pounded his hooves against his brow. “I had it all! I had family and friends - Cadance, my cousin by distant blood but my sister in all but name! And when I returned to Canterlot, all I could see when I looked at her was the Target my father had painted her as…”

He slumped back on his haunches, looking utterly defeated. “Even though I rejected him, I still became him. All I’ve ended up doing is being what he wanted. Uncaring. Cruel, even. I feel so… so… empty.”

There was a long pause as this sank in. Blueblood sank down, the rain slicking his mane against his skull as he gazed into the mud.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” Celestia said. “As much as you can, please-”

“Just say it,” Blueblood sighed, tired enough that he might have been trying to snap at her. “That I’m a spoiled, rotten stallion with less maturity than some foals.”

“I was going to ask you to forgive me, Blueblood.”

His head flicked up, scattering water droplets. “You! Auntie - I’m the one who craves forgiveness. I was a beast, a backsliding coward, bully, cad and thief!”

“If that was enough to petrify one of my little ponies,” Celestia said, “then all the schoolyard bullies in our land would be replaced with a new crop of statuary.”

She rose and crossed to kneel beside him, draping a wing over his shoulders. “In the Equestria we now make war against, ponies have been petrified for much less. In ours, it takes far worse. I was angry, I’d been through too much, and I lashed out with a punishment reserved for our most grievous offenders…”

“One I’d practically invited upon me,” Blueblood added.

“We were both at fault, admit that much,” Celestia smiled wanly, giving him what she hoped was a playful bump. “Blueblood. I cannot pretend that you have… that you… that I am not best inclined to think favourably of you. Many years of your… behavior, learned or not… does not simply disappear.”

“No,” Blueblood said quietly. It was now impossible to see where his tears ended and the rain began. “No, it doesn’t, does it?”

“But,” Celestia said, “it seems to me as though there is a question that you have not been asked - not been really asked… in a very long time.” She took a breath. “What do you want, Prince Blueblood?”

He looked up at her. “Want?”

“Yes,” Celestia said softly. “What do you want? Not as a Prince, or an aristocrat with lands and titles and accounts to think of but as a pony. A stallion. What do you want from your life, right now?”

Blueblood blinked, as though he had never expected to be asked this question. Celestia realised that this was an unexpected development from him. Many ponies focused on what they wanted from him, even romantically-minded mares such as the lovely Rarity saw him simply as a ‘catch’ and not as a stallion in his own right. And of course, as an aristocrat there were things he had been taught to want and value… but beneath that, what did he want, for himself?

“I want,” he said, speaking very quietly, “to… to be somewhere with real ponies, not the fake ponies my father surrounded us with. Somewhere where… where who I am… who I was made to be… doesn’t mean a thing.” He paused. “Is it really as bad as I’ve heard it is? In the other Equestria and in the human’s world?”

“Yes,” Celestia said, head bowed. “Perhaps worse.”

“Then I want to make up for how I’ve been,” Blueblood said. “Discord told me about it after I asked about my guards getting redistributed. I can do both, maybe, serve in one of these pony/human companies, such as the Dragons or the Vanhoover group. Being as I am, that will… almost…” he trailed off and shrugged. “Well, it will be the closest thing like being normal.”

Celestia dipped her head. “Something like that could be arranged…”

He pushed himself up. “But before I left, if at all, is there any duties I might perform in service to Equestria? What of my father’s political dunces?”

“The Canterlot Supremacist Alliance? They’ve been effectively neutered since your father tried his hoof at outflying the Wonderbolts.“

His mouth twitched in what might have been a grimace or a smile. “Still, how demoralising might it be to have Azure Haven’s own son denounce his dear old father’s party?”

This time they looked at one another with the canny smiles of co-conspirators.

“What a political tragedy that might be,” Celestia cooed, staring absently up at the skies. “Oh my yes. But first…” she rose and helped him to his hooves. “Let’s get out of the rain, and make you familiar with your quarters once again. Even if you’re resolved to go off to war, you’ll need a home to come back to.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” he said, before awkwardly hugging her with a forehoof. Momentarily frozen in panic, Celestia relaxed and returned the embrace. Then, with one wing held over her own head to keep off the worst of the rain (the other held over his), she led him out of the blasted maze.

“One more thing, Aunt Celestia,” Blueblood asked as they negotiated their way through the charred stumps.

“Yes?”

“What happened to my ship?”

“His ship?” Luna parroted, blinking at the question. “Why was he worried about a ship?”

“It’s named ‘Platinum’, and it is perhaps the one thing that is truly ‘his’,” Celestia explained. “We knew he loved to pilot airships, ever since his cutie-mark manifested himself, and since then he aspired to own his own yacht. On his 14th birthday he announced that he had gifted himself with ‘a boat’...”

She sniggered and held a hoof over her mouth.

“I fail to see the humor,” Luna said, though Celestia’s smile being as infectious as it was, she couldn’t hide a small grin of her own.

“Blueblood had gone down to the slipways on the side of the Canterhorn to see the sloops being launched. He then discovered the breakers yard next-door, and fell in love with a gutted hulk that was apparently only good for scrap. The yard owner wanted rid of it, and Blueblood had somehow managed to siphon enough funds off of his trust fund to buy it, making him the proud owner of a wreck that would not even float, let alone fly.”

“From the sounds of it, it seems he worked a miracle.”

“Oh yes,” Celestia nodded. “As it turns out, Blueblood’s old junker ‘Platinum’ was actually a racing yacht.”

She drained the last of the tea, peering into the bottom of the cup as if trying to divine from the tea leaves. “He’s been constantly updating, working on, and fixing it up ever since, and the results are impressive. He managed to fit the lifting-bag entirely within the hull, so as to minimise air resistance, and fitted it with high-pressure steam turbines to drive the impellers. He raced it at a charity event about a year before your return, and I was amazed to see it outpace the Wonderbolts in a sprint. It’s probably the fastest yacht in the entire world. So yes, if there is one thing he cared about more than himself, it was his ship.”

“How fast is it in an endurance run?”

“Well, from how much he was bragging, I gather ’Platinum’ can make it to the Crystal Mountains and back in less time than it takes the average pegasus to make the round trip.” Celestia answered, not without some pride.

“That is swift indeed!” Luna whispered. “It seems comparable even to the scientific miracles mankind has worked.”

“Funny you should say that, because it no longer resembles a traditional Equestrian airship, and in fact seems to hold more in common with humanity’s aeroplanes.”

Celestia paused to summon another cup of tea. “While he was stoned, I actually requested the humans send an engineer to vet ‘Platinum’s’ design. A two-man team from Boeing and Lockheed duly arrived, and within three hours were dancing with joy at Blueblood having pioneered…” she paused and recited from memory, “bridging the gap between fixed-wing and lighter-than-air flight. The strengths of both and the failings of neither, made possible through the fusion of science and magic. There’s a pony engineer named Snowshoes who’s taken equal inspiration from his work.”

She leaned over the table and winked. “Between you and me however Lulu, I’m not surprised.”

“Why say that?”

“Because he has been personally funding the field of aeronautics ever since he was of age. All airships laid down in the past five years have some form of Blueblood’s touch upon them, from the humblest yacht up to the mighty Great Equestrian that Kreme-Brulee is trying to finance... better engines, improved hull-forms, the works. He even consulted with the shipping lines to refine operational protocol and ship-handling techniques,” Celestia exposited, now not even trying to hide her pride. “For all of the monstrous faults trained into him, he’s done all he could to help those ponies not blessed with wings to reach the skies with their own hooves.”

“Art thou sure his motives were pure, and not merely made for his own gain?” Luna quizzed, to which Celestia shrugged.

“You and I both know that far too many ponies obsess over the motive behind a deed, rather than the actual benefits it brings. Regardless of whether or not he did it for himself, Blueblood’s contributions have broadened Equestria’s economy, horizons, and dreams.”

“And now he is resolved to take arms against this sea of troubles.”

“Yes, he wishes to fight,” Celestia shook her head, a regretful tone in her voice. “Not back more than a few hours and he’s already making contact with the EUP/UN liaison office. Regardless of his past desires, he seems to be genuine in pursuing this end. And he plans to take his beloved ‘Platinum’ into battle with him.”

“I see,” Luna blinked at this glut of information. It was shocking to say the least, to find that Blueblood was not only doing what he could to make amends, but was secretly a socially inept engineering savant. In truth, she felt a little regret that she had previously dismissed him so out of hand. Perhaps her intervention might have prevented this family dispute...

Thoughts of family drew her mind back to their ‘big brother’. “What of Discord’s abrupt departure? Where did he run off to? I would think he’d remain to see this happy reunion play out.”

“You know, I think he has a touch more tact than we expected, but he seemed to genuinely be responding to situation where he was needed,” Celestia frowned, tapping her chin in thought. “He said he was helping out ‘Buzzcut’…”

“Hm?”

“Well, there are two people on this world to fit the description of Buzzcut, or at least whom Discord has a degree of friendship with,” Celestia answered, puckish amusement showing in her smile. “I suspect either the good Colonel Renee or Major Bauer may have gotten his attention.”

“Perhaps Bauer in this regard,” Luna waved her hoof, “Discord seems to take great joy in irritating our Knightly soldier whenever possible, right to the point that Herr Bauer starts reaching for his blade...”

“Well, we both know how Discord loves to live dangerously,” Celestia drolled plainly, prompting giggles from Luna.

“Princesses!” came a voice from the door, accompanied by a frantic knocking. “I bring urgent news.”

“Fancy?” Luna blinked as she hauled open the door to reveal said stallion in the company of his proto-cabinet and a Thestral Guard. Seeing their serious expressions the Night Princess immediately assumed the air of command. “Make your report.”

“Ma’am!” saluted the Thestral. “News from our human allies. Major Bauer has been foalnapped in the vicinity of Ponyville.”

“WHAT?!” Celestia exclaimed. Fancy’s monocle was blown off and his suit rumpled by the shout. The Guard barely flinched, even as his helmet was blown off his head.

Luna however did not so much as blink. “What do we know of his attackers?”

“Ma’am, we know they were ponies, though we can’t ignore that there may be humans working in conjunction with them. They flew no colours or ensign from initial reports, and their motives, goals and affiliation remain unknown.”

“The PHL is responding to the situation as we speak,” stepped in Fancy, trading fragmented reports with Stormy Flare, the middle-aged mare tipped to be his Minister of War, a pegasus who was very much the image of her Wonderbolt daughter, Spitfire. “They have the Major’s position and are sending a team to extract him as we speak.”

Stormy Flare stepped forward, pressing a hoof to a small radio headset she wore. “They’ve confirmed they will liaise with Equestrian law enforcement in an attempt to capture the criminals without violence, but if push comes to shove they will use lethal force to resolve the situation.”

“I took the step of authorising the EUP to mobilise on our way over,” put in Fancy, clearly following the maxim that it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. “We may not have fully assembled the cabinet, but the major party leaders have agreed to a wartime suspension of campaign politics. Your Government of National Unity stands ready to serve, Princesses.”

Luna shared a brief glance with Celestia, who motioned for her to speak. “Understood, we approve of and laud your prompt action. Lady Flare, direct the EUP to assemble an taskforce of the best troops available, awaiting further orders. Sir Fancy, please maintain contact with the PHL until the the situation is resolved, but do not send our forces in unless the PHL commander on the scene requests support.”

Fancy balked at the order. “Highness, we surely must do more than that! We must take the lead in persecuting the operation to recover Major Bauer.”

“I agree with the Prime Minister, Princess.” Flare added, stepping forward with a look of concern. “The PHL’s forces are well-trained and blooded in battle, but the deaths of ponies at the hands of humans will have the population-”

“What? Reeling? Disgusted?” Celestia stepped in, her eyes narrowed. Fancy and Flare, to their credit, did not flinch. “These unknown players have absconded with an ally and friend, but clearly do not understand the adversary they face. If they expected humanity or ourselves to fall in line with whatever demands they shall issue, they clearly did not do their research.”

“Highness, while we understand the need of force, the PHL do not do things by half.”

“Good,” said Luna, again sharing a nod with Celestia. This was the greatest thrill, to be in perfect step with her sister, riding on the blistering edge between now and tomorrow.

“Excuse me?” Fancy frowned. “Majesties, mankind’s weapons are geared for war! Even a graze from their smallest caliber of arms would cripple a being for months, if not years. And think of the political storm that will arise from human troops carrying out a paramilitary action on sovereign Equestrian soil.”

“Luna?” Celestia lifted eyebrow, and Luna nodded, taking a step forward.

“Prime Minister, Lady Flare. For some weeks now the Night Guard has been overseeing a paramilitary action under my aegis, gathering intelligence on a potential domestic terrorist network developing within our realm. We suspect that their ringleader is a documented xenophobe named Catseye, a mare who has taken steps to shield her dreams and those of her followers from mine sight. I now perceive this kidnapping reflects the first flexing of her organization’s muscles.”

She took a deep breath and looked to Celestia. “Sister, it is time… to revisit the mares we once were.”

“I suppose so,” Celestia’s eyes hardened as she spoke. “Sir Fancy, you have had time to come to terms with the prospect that We shall soon, perhaps very soon, pass from this world. Well, it is time the ponies of Equestria faced that reality too.”

The two sisters rose as one and slowly flared their wings.

“For long, perhaps too long,” Celestia intoned, “Equestria has lived under the blanket of mine protection, secure in the fact that no matter what threats may come, no matter what mistakes they make, there will always be a Princess in Canterlot to protect them from danger, threat, or fear of reprisal.”

Fancy shivered softly, face flushing with a heady mix of fear… and excitement. Awesome and terrible as it was, it was thrilling to hear the sisters speak so, and to stand on the cusp of a transformative moment in his nation’s history.

“That was not true fifteen hundred years ago,” Luna added, mane rustling. “And it may not be so in as little as fifteen days.”

“Equestria must learn to lead and defend itself,” Celestia said. “And for that they must know the fear of what failure to do so will bring upon them. Right now, in unknown holes and caves, ponies are plotting evil against ourselves and our allies, confident that they are beyond reproach.”

“We shall teach them otherwise,” continued Luna, “and humanity’s wrath today shall be the vanguard of this lesson. It is time that our ponies learn that we will not always be around to stem the punishment that their faults and transgressions bring upon them. That a simple smile and pleasant words can not make all the Nightmares go away. Their crime is come, so our will be done… the PHL will show the world what they can do, and the world shall marvel and fear the Equestria that inspired them to such heights of refined violence.”

Celestia took a half step forward. “And it shall remind them of the true nature of diplomacy, and denounce the casual arrogance engendered by Equestria’s being the mightiest superpower on Equus.”

“How will this be done?” Fancy asked, swallowing at the cold tone his leader was giving off.

“By reminding our ponies of the art of diplomacy, and that those who are our greatest allies might become our most fearsome adversaries, if we are to abuse their trust and goodwill. Catseye’s xenophobia is a latent stain within much of our people, good and honest ponies who nevertheless act with fear and revulsion on the day a kindly zebra walks into town. If Equestria is to survive into an age without Princesses, this self-evident truth must be learnt from the highest tower to the humblest home: we are no longer the supreme power, and we cannot continue to act with heavy-hoofed arrogance towards our friends and neighbours.”

“Sir Fancy,” Luna interjected. “If it was one of our own ponies who was taken so, there is little doubt you wish to champion the action to recover them.” Celestia turned to the noble, a frown on her face. “Your wife was nearly foalnapped once, wasn’t she outside of Equestrian soil. And again during the wedding. What happened then?”

Fancy lowered his head, his mane hiding his eyes in their shadow as he remain silent. Luna stepped in and lifted his chin.

“Sir Fancy, we have faith in your leadership, but today you must trust us this one last time. Beyond all other concerns, the need to ensure Major Bauer is rescued and his captors brought to justice, far exceeds the concerns of those who bleat over Equestrian sovereignty.”

“I understand, but if innocent ponies-”

“I hardly believe the PHL are so inaccurate with their targets, Fancy.” Celestia walked out the room, Luna, Fancy, and his entourage trailing after them. “These ponies, whoever they are, see themselves as acting in Equestria’s best interests. Our intelligence shows they believe I have become a puppet and my sister a tyrant…”

“Then does this action risk further inflaming their views and rhetoric, Highness?” Fancy said, trotting hard to keep up. “How do we mitigate that deadly risk?”

“Because we shall be completely removing us Princesses from the equation, Sir Fancy,” Luna said, turning and halting in his path. “Whatever transpires today, it must be seen to come from your cabinet and office. Spin the situation carefully if you must, muster all the unholy powers of realpolitik, but make it clear that Equestria’s government is now in the hands of its citizenry, who most assuredly have not forfeited their sovereignty.”

Fancy turned and looked behind him at his growing cabinet. Stormy Flare had his back, as did stovepipe-hatted Plain Speakin’. Even shovel-bearded Trotsky was nodding his approval. He had brought together Equestria’s seniormost politicians today, and concentrated the majority of the nation’s political goodwill under one banner.

Could they, between them, marshall the greater part of the nation’s spirit to a single cause, and drive the nay-sayers beyond even the fringes. Yes, yes they could. Let conspiracy theorists rave all they like - they were already beyond saving. But radical politics needed more than radical politicians to thrive - they needed a voter base. Terrorist cells were no different - and right now, the voting base’s figureheads were standing in this one room, working in unison.

“Very well,” he nodded to his princesses. “As you say Majesties, thy will be done. But we’re going to have to lead this story with a demonstration of native forces in action today, if not the EUP, then one of our non-human allies, one who clearly has no political inclination.”

Celestia and Luna, as if telepathically sharing his thoughts, smiled as one.

“Flare,” Fancy said, whipping around to the headset-wearing Minister of War. “Please put me through immediately to the Joint Task Forces Command. I need to speak to someone.”

He rattled off a name, and after a moment’s haggling, Flare handed over the headset.

“Yes,” yawned a sultry voice. “Who’s bothering me now.”

“Hello ‘Double Flash’,” Fancy said affably. “Remember me?”

Converge (1/4)

Authors:

Redskin122004

VoxAdam

Sledge115

Editors:

ProudToBe

Bendy

DoctorFluffy

KizunaTallis

Proof Reader:

Dustchu

Resting her forehooves upon the wooden railing that enclosed her home’s front yard, Applejack’s alert eyes gazed North at distant Canterlot’s large and ornate towers, constructed and ornamented with lavish gold-leaf architectural accents by the unicorns in times long past. Moving further along, her gaze could barely make out faraway Cloudsdale silhouetted against the afternoon sun, otherwise so indistinct amidst the white and greys of today’s overcast sky. To the South lay Ponyville's smaller and simpler half-timbered buildings, built by the sweat off the brow of hard-working earth ponies such as herself.

With a gloomy sigh, she then looked Southeast, where the village’s planned and manicured landscape came to an abrupt end, and the uncultivated Everfree Forest, undisturbed by Equestrian hooves, began. Tucking at her farmer’s hat, she idly wondered why the princesses would build the first of their castles out there. Perhaps in the days before Discord’s overthrow, the lost woods had been a refuge, a place of some small sanctity from the threats of the world. How the world must have changed, then. She knew the feeling.

Applejack contemplated her history with that accursed place, thinking back to all the times it had spelt trouble for her friends, and for her family, a certain easily excitable baby sister of hers most of all. Although Stephan and Marcus alike had warned Lyra and the rest of them that throwing yourself headfirst into a war, with no word sent to family, would lead you up the creek without a paddle, living the truth was no less of a grind. And the truth was, in war, there are always casualties.

Old Granny Smith hadn’t like what happened to little Applebloom. Not one bit.

“Granny, Ah’m going with Rarity and Fluttershy to confront that varmint Fuse.”

“No! I forbid it!” the old lady spluttered at her granddaughter. “Ya can sit your flank while Ah send Big Mac to get the Town Watch. Yer friends shoulda kept their snouts outta trouble! Going out themselves is darn foolish! I'm not about to see ya join in it!”

“Ah can’t do that!” retorted Applejack. “They’re my friends! Heck, we’re the Bearers of Harmony! Equestria needs us!”

“Ah know, but it doesn’t mean ya have to do this.”   Granny spoke with a conviction that did not fit her small frame. “Other ponies could help… wasisname? Step-Hands?”

“Stephan,” she corrected.

“Right. But ya don’t have to risk yer life for hew-manity. Don’t get me wrong, I fully support the war to rescue the hew-mans from that twisted mockery of our good and merciful Celestia! But there are plenty of other ponies willin’ to fight for their folk! Heck, if Ah was younger, Ah myself would join the fight to save those poor fellers!”

“Yet ya won’t let me.“

“We need ya on the farm! Ya can help them some other way! Not like this! Ya could get yerself killed out there!” Granny cried.

“Don’t ya understand?!” Applejack exclaimed, her two forelegs raised high in exasperation. “There won’t be a farm... there won’t be an Equestria! If Ah don’t help, we could be next!”

“Don’t ya speak to me like Ah’m some wee foal, Applejack! Ah knows what they’s a plannin’! Ya still got plenty of other ways to help the hew-mans without–”

Both of Applejack’s forehooves stomped down hard on the floor. “It’s humans!” she bellowed.

“Don’t ya speak to me like th–” But even as Granny shouted, Applejack had turned away, marching to the front door. “Where’re ya–”

“Granny, ah gotta go.”

“Wait! Don’t!” pleaded Granny, a fearful look in her eyes. “AJ… I’ve lost one child already. And a mare that was close as a daughter to me as ya can get. Ah don’t want to lose ya too.”

Applejack stopped in her tracks. “Ah have to do this, though. This war’s a threat to anythin’ that doesn’t sell itself out for survival. It ain’t gonna stop with just the humans and us, which is why we have to do this! Why Ah have to!”

For a moment, both were silent. Finally, Granny was able to speak again.

“Heh,” Granny Smith chuckled with a sad smile. “Just like your Pa.”

“Huh?”

“Applejack, yer father was a great stallion, handsome as can be, and where Big Mac gets all his looks from. Honest to a fault, too. Ah see him in the three of you all the time.”

“Granny, what’re ya–?” Applejack asked slowly, sincerely hoping that her grandmother wasn’t trying to guilt-trip her.

“But,” Granny Smith continued, “He was stubborn as a mule. No, scratch that, Ah once saw mules tellin’ him to give up on a few occasions.”

Applejack stared at her. “Is that how he…”

“No, it was… somethin’ else. Ah ain't gonna sink that low.” Granny sighed. “Ah want ya to know, though, yer daddy could go pretty far when he got an idea in his head. Like that time Mac cracked a rib or three, and ya tried to do his workload, except your daddy’d go further. Just… promise me, Applejack. Promise me you’ll never go that far.”

There was no proper answer for Applejack. “How is that not guilt-tripping?” she demanded.

“Because Ah know you’ll probably go through with this anyway,” replied Granny Smith. “Just… Ah jest want ya to know, Ah want ya to come back safe. Cos’ all of us need ya here!”

“I’m telling you, this is the right direction!”

Applejack, who’d been cursing her impatience under her breath, telling herself she needed to keep a calm mind if she went after Fuse, felt her ears perk up at the sound of new argument, not far from her. She looked up to see a group walking down the road at a leisurely pace – five ponies or so, all in different shapes and sizes, though each looked like they’d emerged from the back alleys of Manehattan.

These mysterious, large and muscular, mares and stallions wore neck to tail coats when most Ponyville residents would be wearing short vests, neck garments, or no clothing at all.  Their drab overcoats were too well tailored to be mistaken for day laborer work clothing.  Also, the overcoats had too many deep pockets to be worn by respectable professionals.  Applejack realized that Rarity’s talks about the fashion trade were useful to her after all.

“Bah!” the same one growled. “Probably took a wrong turn. Small wonder if that cross-eyed menace gave us directions that only made sense in her stupid head.” As several of the others began to laugh, he went on, “Whatever, a minor setback is all. Believe you me, Shorty’s days are numbered.”

“Quiet, Flare,” grunted their leader, a white unicorn fellow who’d spotted Applejack and was eyeing her critically. “Hey, you!”

“Yes?” Applejack’s joints had frozen up at hearing the word ‘Shorty’, but from the instant the lead stallion set eyes on her, she strove to project a casual, unworried, some might even say clueless appearance. “What can this farmer do you for?”

“Looking for Fuse’s brickyard, gotta pick up some… orders. Yeah. Know where that’s at?”

“Hm…” Keeping her internal panic under control, Applejack tapped her chin, hoping these troublesome visitors wouldn’t spot the slight tremble of her hoof. “Well, folks, ya take this road down about a mile, then take a right. Keep close to the farm or you’ll find yourself on a trip through the Everfree, and as it’s gettin’ close to Zap-Apple season, the Timberwolves’ve been plenty antsy of late. From there, skim past the western end of town. Then ya take a left at the school, the path’ll cut back into the forest, and from there it’s a straight shot to the brickyard. That’d be the easiest route.”

And also the longest. Applejack couldn’t fib to save her life, but sending them on the long way around would give her time to race ahead of them. And it was technically true.

“Why can’t we just cross through the orchard?” scowled the leader, nodding toward the nearby cluster of trees. “Save us some time?”

“Eh, you can if you want, Ah won’t stop ya,” Applejack replied, leaning on the fence seemingly without a care, secretly glad to see the others tense up. “That’s where the Zap-Apples grow. It’s still the off-season, but they tend to... Oh, what’s th’ word Ah’m looking for? Twilight’d say they get…. vol-a-tile?”

She picked up a rock from beside the porch, and hurled it at the nearest tree, and the rough-looking group actually paled as it promptly exploded into several shards, shot through by a bolt of lighting from within the trunk.

“Which means they git all explody-like.”

“Uh… yeah, okay. We’ll take your route,” the leader muttered, waving his companions down the path. Applejack watched them trot off, more than a few concerned glances at the Zap-Apple orchard rippling amongst each of the five as they passed by, one by one.

Once she was sure she’d waited long enough, she bolted past her trees without a care.

“Heh, you only have to worry about touchin’ them,” Applejack chuckled as she raced on. “Good thing they didn’t ask anythin’ else. Better find Rarity and Fluttershy, and quick!”

“We thank you for your help, you three gentlemen,” Rarity smiled sweetly. “Your information provided has proven of the utmost value to us.”

The thug just glared, helpless as he was with her twisting his forehoof at his back.

“Rarity,” asked Fluttershy, “What’ll we do about them? We can’t just let them go free, and, um, I don’t think we’ve got anything to tie them up with.”

“Don’t you fret, darling, we’re in the Everfree with a Ranger at our side,” answered Rarity, nodding toward Minus, who stood rigidly over Shades’ crumpled form. “I’m sure the natural world can give up what we need. Isn’t that right, Minus?”

Only when the Ranger whipped her head back did Rarity notice, the whiteness still hadn’t receded from the habitually placid little mare’s face.

“Minus? Are y–” Rarity began, before cutting herself off. Fuse’s wife plainly was not alright. “Are… there any vines or anything we could use as restraints for these brutes?”

“Restraint…” muttered Minus, face growing, if anything, whiter. Set against the natural sandy color of her coat, the change was deep and striking. “Restraint! My whole marriage has been built on the promise of restraint! And that blockhead just had to go and tear it down, bringing his old gangmates in like that…”

Rarity swallowed. Now the adrenaline had begun to depart from her system, some of her earlier worries, blotted out in the thrill of the clash and interrogation, were returning, and the unabated metallic tang of fury exuding off Minus comforted her not at all.

“Look, dear, I’m… I’m sorry,” she said simply. What else could she say? “Sorry we got you involved in all of this. I thought it’d make things easier for everypony if you just gave your husband a good talking-to. Don’t blame Fluttershy, it was my idea, I asked her to get you.”

“Sorry?” repeated Minus, and Rarity saw the color starting to flow back into her cheeks. “Why be sorry, Rarity? Why should either of you be sorry? I’m the one who oughta be sorry. You ain’t the mare wedded to a ruffian.”

“I’m sure you thought he’d mellowed out–”

“No, you don’t get it,” Minus raised a hoof, speaking quietly. “I’m not sorry for myself. Sorry for inflicting my kind of stallion on you. Fuse and I, we’re not mellow folk, but the true Equestrian spirit, it did me such good after my brains got scrambled, it’s what he fell in love with firstoff. Only, even in this place, I’da been adrift if left to my own devices, so he chose to stick around, and things... kinda spiralled from there.”

The Ranger sighed. “I suspect he views what the humans are doing, turning things more hardcore and all, almost like a personal insult, and alas, it’s gone and reawakened some real ugly side of him. Why else would these blasted goons be here?”

She gave the unconscious Shades a buck in the shins, then flinched at the realization of what she’d just done, staring woefully at her creased hindleg.

“You see? Short Fuse ain’t the only one who needs restraining.”

There was so much Rarity felt like saying at that moment. About all she and her friends had learnt of the human world, all the age-old cruelties and hardships, from even before this war, which molded mankind into the toughened species they were, a nomadic people sent on an eternal quest for a place to find peace upon the hostile planet they called ‘home’.

How they could posture, and strike hard, and at times be so very, very difficult to love – and yet, daring to look many a human in their fierce eyes, one saw something more underneath. A quiet, lonely desire for an end to struggle, for the simple gift to stand face-to-face with a fellow being, and know they were not an enemy; and see that they, too, knew the same.

Instead, what she said was, “We’ve seen far worse. I think we can live with it. What do you think, Fluttershy?”

“Yes.”

“So anyway,” Rarity pursued, “Any ideas how we’ll keep our ‘friends’ here from skedaddling?”

Minus threw Shades a dirty look. “Leaving them for the Timberwolves does feel like a most tempting prospect,” she admitted, ignoring the sharp, frightened intake of air from Fluttershy’s captive stallion. “But you know what? Let it not be said I picked my lifemate straight out of a packet of wolf chow. No, we do this by-the-book. Miss Fluttershy, if you don’t mind?”

Cautiously, Fluttershy eased her grip ever-so-slightly from the nerve cluster on the downed thug’s back. Small beads of sweat ran along the stallion’s face, eyes shooting anxious, pleading stares at the Ranger as she strode up to them, her expression unreadable.

Daring Do’s first sidekick knelt before the captive. “Think you’re so tough, don’t you?” she whispered, tracing a hoof across his quivering nape. “A veritable mustang, who don’t answer to nopony ‘cept your herd leader, free to run around wild messing with others. Well, if you want to behave like an untamed horse, you can be treated like one.”

In a flick of the carpus and teeth so fast the other two mares barely picked up on it, she’d caught the thug’s ear and bit into it. Fluttershy gasped, and even Rarity winced inside as, with a sad little ‘oomph’, his eyes glazed over and the tip of his tongue lolled out, the hormones released by Minus’ grip working their uncanny magic on his brain to produce a hazy, blank calm, such as no equine could resist.

“How long’ll that put him out for?” Rarity enquired shakily, struggling not to let her own hapless goon sense her discomfort at this, after she’d threatened his stallionhood earlier. “You clenched him real hard.”

“I’d say half a day, give or take,” replied Minus, with a spit to the ground. “We’ll see yet how that compares to what’s in store for Fuse…” she added darkly, one of her hooves twitching.

Despite her personal animosity for the brickmaker, Rarity disliked the sound of that. “But–“

“Don’t worry, he’s from Gildedale, he can take it,” Minus hastily amended, some of the anger finally dissipating from her voice, replaced by, suspectly enough, a hint of sheepishness. “More than that, even. Usually on the lip, only this time, oh, he should be so lucky...”

“I did not need to hear that!”

“Sorry. It’s the tension. Brings it out of me.”

The thug in Rarity’s grasp dared snort. “Oh, yes,” he sneered. “I see Locksmith told it true. Worse than Sunny and Flare, you are. So obvious why Shorty chose to keep you around–”

“Quiet, you,” Minus said casually, swiftly leaning over to bite his own ear. A minute later, he wouldn’t be bothering the mares for a while yet. “Alright, change of plans, girls. Looks like Fuse has really gone and sunk himself in the quicksand this time, and though I can’t rightly call it undeserved, the big lug’d never forgive me if I did nothing to haul his rear out of there. So I say we plow on ahead and throw him a lifeline.”

Fluttershy gave a meek cough. “Minus, we can’t just abandon the unconscious brutes.”

“Much as I regret to say so, I agree,” Rarity added, pacing over to her best friend’s side. “At the very least, if only because the PHL will want them alive for questioning.”

“And shouldn’t we go back for some reinforcements?”

“Hardly any time,” the Ranger replied gruffly. “But you’re right, a couple extra pair a’ hoofs never hurt none. So, listen. Rarity, you’ll gimme a spark of help in flying these laggards to the treetops. And Fluttershy, while that’s going on, would you be so kind, and go get Zecora? Only person in the immediate vicinity I’d bet my life on in such a situation. Once that’s done, we mark the spot, then we race for the escape route.”

Working her wings up to a steady flap, Minus moved to wrap her forehooves around one of the downed thugs’ shoulders. As Fluttershy trotted past Rarity, who had began lighting her horn, the friends shared a glance and the same confused response.

“Escape routes?”

Blackberry didn’t know how long he’d been galloping.

Panting, heaving, he galloped through the forest, ignoring whatever eyes might be watching through the thick foliage of the Everfree. With a final, decisive sprint, the young, frightened stallion jumped over a small creek, and his run came to an exhausted halt in a clearing. Breathing in short, pained gasps, Blackberry leant a hoof against a tree, the afternoon sun bearing down on him as he recollected his composure.

‘I… was not… built… for this…’ he half-thought, half-wheezed.

The full scale of what he’d seen bore down upon his mind. And the more he thought of it, heart racing, the more absurd his situation appeared. His memories of the past few days came to an abrupt stop following his arrival in Ponyville. Before he knew it, he’d awakened to find himself surrounded by gangsters. Or maybe “awakened” wasn’t the right word, one second he remembered being in ponyville, enjoying the sights and baked goods.

And the next, he had simply been there. He dimly remembered, or felt like he should’ve remembered doing something, he knew time had passed, he knew he’d had a job in mind, he knew he’d agreed to something. But he simply couldn’t remember the specifics.

‘Five heavyset thugs, effortlessly defeated by a Forest Ranger and two other mares.’

It was when the white unicorn seized the last one and issued such horrid, un-Equestrian threats that he’d turned tail and ran. Throughout the whole brief, intense skirmish, no-one had paid him notice. And so, here he was. Alone, exhausted, but safe from those thugs and any further crazies. It was only when Blackberry looked up that he noticed this forest clearing wasn’t quite so empty as he’d first thought.

The vaguely insectoid, giant black metal craft was huge, cumbersome, and yet surely it had flown here, from what he remembered of Exit Strategy’s lectures. His jaw dropped. Could this be, up close, the same black dot he’d once seen, and more importantly, heard patrolling the skies of Canterlot? For something which created noise to rival a hundred twittermites, it looked so delicate, resting there in the clearing with the sun shining off its chitinlike surface.

Blackberry’s studious mind overtook his fears as he tentatively approached the metal husk.

‘It’s, it’s magnificent…’ he whispered, gently tracing the surface with a hoof. He knew he ought to feel repulsed by its twisted, unnatural form. It bore scant resemblance to any airship he’d seen, only its elongated body providing a common form with Equestrian aircraft. Yet there was an odd elegance in its alien nature, one Blackberry couldn’t help but appreciate...

“Stay where you are, lad.”

Blackberry froze as something cold and metallic pressed against his neck

“Calm down, and I might think twice about pulling the trigger,”

“Wh-what’re you going to do to me?” Blackberry gulped nervously.

“I’m the one asking questions here,” retorted the human voice. Female, by the sound of it. “But if you must know, good news is, you’re probably not going to die. Turn around, please.”

Heart in his mouth, Blackberry slowly, very slowly removed his hoof from the craft’s surface, hoping against hope his captor wouldn’t mistake any wrong move on his part as aggression. Much to his dismay, he found himself facing down the barrel of a diminutive, black, squared-off flintlock – if that was the correct term for the firearm the angry-looking human female still held raised at his eye level.

“Yes, that’s right,” she said. “Nice and easy now, nobody needs to get hurt.”

“O-okay! Okay, please don't hurt me?!” Blackberry whimpered.

“Calm down,” she replied flatly. “Unless you do something insanely stupid, you should be fine. Don’t worry your scruffy little head about it.”

“...Oh,” Blackberry said in a small voice, realizing he sounded almost disappointed.

The human gave him a look. And then she sighed, and flicked her flintlock upwards.

“You know what?” she muttered. “Fuck this.” As Blackberry gawped at her wide-eyed, the female pressed her thumb to a tiny patch on the flintlock’s hammer. “There, safety on. Well, kinda. Maybe Ivan, the Krauts and the Seppos think there’s any glory in holding a loaded Glock pressed against a scared foal’s head, but dammit, I’m better than that.”

She gestured at Blackberry with her weapon. “Look, you move away from the chopper, out in the open. Obviously, I can’t rightly ask you to keep your hands behind your head. Still, so long as you stay right where I can see you, while I radio command, all shall be fine.” Her eyes flashed daggers at him. “But I warn you, if you’re pulling any ‘wounded gazelle’ shit on me here, got friends hiding in the bushes waiting to pounce once my back’s turned, be sure I’ll give you something to really cry about.”

Blackberry voice caught in his throat. He wanted to tell his captor that, yes, there were more ponies nearby, many of whom he’d hesitate to call friends, but still more who needed help. Patients, at the brickyard. Patients he’d run off on.

‘Ponies who got hurt catching a human,’ a voice dimly whispered inside his head. ‘And this female, she must be one of the team sent to rescue that guy.’

He swallowed, begging himself that he hadn’t blurted his thoughts out loud again. Fortunately, the female didn’t seem to have picked up on anything amiss, as she was busy plucking some kind of diminutive walkie-talkie on a cord from the craft’s innards.

“Overwatch, come in, Overwatch. This is Sleja Gamma, over.”

To Noteworthy’s vivid, yet precise way of thinking, three flavors stood out, loud and true.

First of all, the color of dirty red that was the path of the Ponyville brickyard assembly line, starting with the treading pool, where earthpony hooves would stomp water into a sheet of the fresh clay dug up from a nearby claypit. Daring to sneak a peek over the impromptu barricade of big sticks and stones shutting off the wide-open exit from the central warehouse, his eyes shifted to rows of soft, ready-made bricks outside, left to dry a first time outside in Princess Celestia’s warm sunlight.

Behind him, to the far side of the kiln, were pallets of fired bricks, from plain ones made for lining ovens, furnaces and locomotive fireboxes, to fancy ones for building walls, most of them boxed and ready for shipment all over the nation. Yet these weren’t what had caught his attention. The second color he perceived was the black-and-blue of a dozen injured ponies, lying in a row close to the hastily-welded door of the drying shed, seemingly ‘boxed’ to within an inch of their lives. A few others were still binding their wounds and giving the most beatdown ones sips of liquor from saddle-flasks.

Checking himself over, Noteworthy was relieved that he was not himself hurt. As he chanced another glance outside, though, it became clear that he was as trapped as the unfortunate souls who lay side by side. A faint gleam of gold, almost indistinct against the late-afternoon sky, winking in and out of his sight like irregular, wavy outlines of squares cut in thin air, and resembling nothing so much as the patches on some great invisible duvet, reminded him of the magical ‘net’ which had been cast over the whole place.

However, the most troubling color of all within his mind was the white, a blank void. With earnest desperation, he wondered at how he could recall tidbits about brickmaking, but not the circumstances which had brought him here, or how these fellow ponies had taken such brutal beatings.

A low moan interrupted his reverie. It came from one of the injured.

“Water, please…” croaked an earthmare, gesturing at him pleadingly.

Nodding, Noteworthy moved to pick the nearest available flask from a row set up on a workbench opposite the main kiln. He tried hard not to let his gaze flicker in the direction of the two heavyset stallions standing guard on either side of the furnace’s heat-lock, which was as covered by the same thick layer of cement as the entrance to the drying shed. The recent unpleasantness involving the yard’s owner still rang fresh in his memories.

Like most of the good villagers of Ponyville, while he was as open to receive anypony new in town as his fellow citizens, something about Fuse had always put him on edge. That said, contributing his share of volunteer work in brickmaking with the guy as his master in the craft had gradually, if not warmed him to, eased him around the rough-looking stallion, who despite the sharpness of his tongue rarely criticized to hurt, never on unwarranted grounds.

Witness such a toughened character overpowered on their very workplace by stallions of equal bulk, then shoved inside their kiln, was perturbing for Noteworthy, to say the least. But thus far, the intruders had thankfully shown no intent to get a fire started. In secret, he prayed that if the Ponyvillians made it out of this alive, so too would the village brickmaker.

Back at the mare’s side, he held the tip of the flask to her lips, and she took a grateful sip.

“Humans,” she whispered after finishing her drink, clutching at her flower-patterned hoofbag, a trickle of water running down the left of her lower jaw, staining the pale gold fur a dull orangey tinge. “One myth that should have remained a myth.

“I know somepony who’d disagree with you there,” Noteworthy replied in a soft voice, so very soft that only the two of them could hear. “And yet, you’re right. Strange, isn’t it?”

“More than strange...” whimpered the mare. “Scary. Darn scary creatures.”

Feeling his throat tighten, Noteworthy risked a quick glance back at the stallions on watch, before carefully placing a forehoof upon the mare’s shoulder.

“Shh…” he hushed her, trying to make the sound feel comforting, not admonishing. “Shh. Take care, don’t hurt yourself further. You wanna hear a secret? Myth, legend. It’s been said those are born from our fears, our wonders faced with sights and songs we don’t understand. Only, to understand a thing, we try to find patterns, apply rhythm to it, based off how we feel we know ourselves.”

“What’s there to know?” she whispered, her own trembling forehoof snapping backward to tightly clutch at his on her shoulder. “They’re monsters, and really, that’s all there is to it. They’re what got us into this mess, I don’t know, just that they did.”

The sharp desperation in her grasp unintentionally brought their hooves closer to her nape, where surely they did brush against a few beads of sweat, trickling down from the chartreuse-green bush of her mane. An uncomfortable moment for Noteworthy, not helped by the middle-aged feel of her fur, yet he willed himself not to pull away.

“I think there’s more to it than that,” he said, eyes downcast. “I’ve seen them, and they scare me, they do, yet somehow, whenever I look at them…”

Stray memories briefly flashed back behind Noteworthy’s eyes, and his voice caught. “It’s like they’re hurting inside, and they don’t understand why.” Oh, if only he could remember the mare’s name, he’d be able to better reassure her! From her accent and outfit, he almost thought she was a tourist who’d wandered into this mess by mistake, no relation to it all. “They claim they flee the threat of an eternal static, but they themselves are clearly so full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

She looked at him oddly, although he did not really notice. Of all the jumbled images his clouded mind could discern, these resounded the most like a constant background melody. The muted pink or brown of human skin, and their field uniforms of patchwork-green which somehow never fully blended into the foliage of any forest or jungle known to Equestria, nothing but sharp and piercing edges irreconcilable with the soft, rounded tones of his homeland. Two different worlds had clashed with each other here, in more ways than one.

“Okay, that’s the last of them,” Rarity panted in relief, finally, finally allowing the glow of her horn to dim, now the unconscious thugs were safely stashed up and away from the deadly forest floor. “So we sneak in, grab your husband, and get out?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Minus smiled back, though one could tell the expression looked forced. Privately, Rarity made a note that once all this had blown over, she’d have to find a very special gift-wrapped package to thank the Ranger with, for goodness knew what hells the other mare was wading through right now, torn between conflicting loyalties.

And speaking of loyalty…

“Before, I thought it fortunate Rainbow wasn’t here,” she admitted awkwardly. “Only now, I’m not so sure. After all she’s put up with lately, there’s a mare I just know would leap at the chance to show she’s still got it in her, especially against a band of ruffians.”

Then her lips thinned in sudden perplexity. “But just what did that guy mean when he said you were Daring Do’s–”

“Hold up,” Minus half-whispered tersely, nudging her in the direction of the darkened treeline.  The sound of hooffalls on grass echoed, very slightly, across the forest path. “Rarity, I think Fluttershy’s returned along with Zecora.”

Barely visible amidst the thick foliage and gloom of the forest, the familiar sight of the buttery pegasus in the distance, flanked by a lanky, hooded figure, lent credence to her words. Despite herself, Rarity suppressed a shiver. Even now that the mysterious witch-doctor of the Everfree had become a valued acquaintance, one whom she could outright call a friend, the idea of anyone choosing to live in such a place continued to send icicles down her neck.

“So it would seem,” she muttered back. A new thought struck her as she glanced at the Ranger. “Say, now I think of it, Zecora never did appear to worry you too much.”

This time, Minus’s laugh was a sound of genuine mirth. “Oh, that! I’ve encountered scarier, weirder, more untamable creatures than zebras, Miss! Honestly, I used to wonder how long it’d take you to come around. True story, the Ezebrantsi tribe, they got somma’ the best textile manufacturers on the continent, you’ve never seen the like. I’d trust you’d find a lot of common ground with ‘em.”

“Yes,” Rarity whispered dreamily, thinking back to the colorful and exotic encampments which had sprung up in the great natural reserve called New Central Park. “Yes… that would be lovely… must see to it...” A spark flickered in her eyes for an instant, then went out. “If we survive. If some buffoons don’t go and make a mess of it…”

Concordantly, part of Minus’ newfound cheer faded again. “I’m… not sure what to say… What is there to say? Right now, only thing which sounds sort of right for me, Rarity, is that not everyone fears what they don’t know. Sometimes, they fear something because they know it only too well.” She made a show of adjusting her campaign hat. “But every time after I’ve popped by Zecora’s to pick up some ‘Heart’s Desire’, I always felt it was worth it, there was more to anyone than just that.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at her. “Wait a minute. You knew what a zebra was, went so far as to do some occasional trade, and you never told us?”

“Would you have listened?” Minus replied softly. “It isn’t like all the things I love best in the world are to your taste… then again, I never did have the heart to explain why the shops were always shut to her when she came into town, either.”

Guided by understanding, Rarity gently reached for her shoulder. “Look, darling, I won’t pretend I ‘get’ everything you hold dear. Personally, it’s a mystery to me, how Fluttershy can put up with some of the… muckier... aspects of looking after animals,” she confessed, subtly nodding towards her approaching friend. “But I know how it feels, being passionate about your life’s work. Perhaps that’s why the Elements chose us, my friends and I.”

“Indeed they are powerful, dear Bearer,” whispered a silky voice, barely audible beneath the rustle and sigh of leaves in the wind. “Thus too is our Equestria’s future for the better. But pray tell, ponies of three, why are you in the Everfree?”

“Didn’t Fluttershy say, Zecora?” Rarity asked, surprised.

“Only that we were to fly swiftly towards this location,” explained the zebra witch-doctor. “Of little beyond this did she make any mention.”

“Beg pardon?” said Rarity, surprised. Perhaps it was just the stress of these last few hours, but she was finding it hard to focus, to the point she wondered if she’d misheard.

“My apologizes are given to you all,” said Zecora. “But ill will surrounds us and shall befall.” From beneath her cloak, she peered at them all with yellowed, eerily shining eyes. ”Friends, I urge you make haste from these darkened trees, for I do predict that whatever new devilry lies ahead, it shall only bring you at the door to the world of the dead, from behind which none can return with any set of keys.”

“Maybe we should go back.” Fluttershy shuddered, looking around the trees with new dread.

Was Rarity’s head playing tricks on her, or did the shadows around them lengthen, deepen, the air growing thick, muggy, all of which made proper thought difficult?

“But… but my husband–” Minus protested, looking at the two pony mares with confusion.

“Yes…” Rarity’s eyes seem to glaze over, a smile gracing the zebra’s lips at this. “We should leave this place… for our safety… I’m–”

Suddenly, a streak of orange careened straight from behind Rarity and into her line-of-sight. The effect was as if, together, sheer surprise added to Zecora’s disappearance from her view flicked a switch in her mind. As she stumbled backwards in shock, countless vermillion dots swirled before her eyes, and the orange streak turned into a very good friend of hers, trademark stetson hat almost barely hanging on as, snarling, Applejack stomped down hard, three times, upon some tiny object Rarity couldn’t make out.

“Applejack! What–”

“Whoa nelly, good thing Ah found you lot,” Applejack said, wiping her forehead. “More of them city gang folk showed up by the barn ‘bout half an hour ago, headin’ for the yard.”

“Wh… what, what happened?” Fluttershy stammered groggily, blowing at her dishevelled mane in a daze, like a mare come out of a coma. “What city gang folk?”

In the event, Minus was the one who answered, having apparently recovered the fastest. “The ones we just got done storing away in the trees for safe-keeping, after you girls… kicked them… to the curb… hold on...” Groaning, she gave her head a massage. “Hold on… when’d you get here, Miss Applejack?”

“Huh? Right now, is when!”

“Oh, yes…” mumbled Rarity. “That’s right, I remember… suggested you stay behind and wait for the girls to get picked up, didn’t fancy the risk of a ruckus with Fuse…” Her hooves twitched in abrupt panic. “Applejack? Where are the girls? You didn’t…”

“Nah, no problem,” Applejack silenced her, with a bit of a haughty nod. “Left Applebloom in Granny’s care at the farm, once Berry had done gone and got Wildfire and your parents to fetch Scoots and Sweetie.”

She looked up to the branches, a small smirk on her face as she pointed towards the hapless thugs.

“Mac was on his way to call the Town Watch when fellas much like these ones came up to me, askin’ for directions to the brickyard. Figured Ah’d best pull the wool over their eyes, long enough for me to run and lend ya some muscle, then here Ah come just in time to find y’all in thrall, bewitched-like. Looks like ya did a mighty fine job with them thugs,” the proud earthmare acknowledged, “but when curses come a’knocking, ya’d have stood much to gain from extra ordinance.”

“Why, I…” Rarity coughed, her emotions beginning to rise as she recalled her last, painful conversation with her friend over the value of public weaponry. “Why, why must you be so paranoid all the time, Applejack? Zecora was giving us directions, like a real friend does…”

“Zecora? Directions?” Applejack echoed out, tilting her head in confusion at her words.

“Yes! Zecora! The same zebra whom we in town all took time to warm up to, before–”

“So that’s what she showed ya,” Applejack muttered as she rubbed her chin, she leaned in close to get a better look at the three before nodding her head with a smile. “Rarity, what you’re rememberin’ now, it’s fakery. There were, like, these three marbles floatin’ in the air with beams o’ light projecting straight into your heads. Caught sight of some picture-things in the stream, of the here and now, only with… Zecora in it instead of whoever. Almost like someone cropping a photo in real time...”

And Rarity realized it was true. In all of her memories of what had transpired, as though she were witnessing shapes emerge on a negative freshly dipped in chemicals, the hooded figure whom she’d seen and heard as Zecora suddenly no longer appeared as Zecora, but instead as someone completely different, shorter, paler and unfamiliar.

Applejack turned to glare at the hooded figure, who was cautiously walking back into view out from the tree she’d been crouching behind. “Fancy magic there, ‘Zecora’. Didn’t see a pointy pin on your head when we first met. But I smashed your marbles, you can’t hurt my friends now.”

“I assure you,” said the cloaked mare, “I mean you no harm. Anymore than I do to the brickmaker’s wife, for that matter.”

Applejack frown grew more pronounced as she listened to her speak. The truth was there, but there was an underlying tension to every last word. “And the varmint Fuse? Can Minus here get her dumb-as-a-sack-of-bricks husband back? Ah may not like the guy that much, but he will get hurt pretty badly by those thugs.”

The cloaked mare shrugged. “That is out of my grasp. Events are in motion, wherein I’m only one amongst countless grains of sand strewn on the beach as the tides come in. But under no circumstances can you be allowed to meet your demise.”

Rarity’s face was a picture perfect match for confusion, but inside her mind was racing. ‘She speaks like a noble of Canterlot, if a little fancier than usual. She may not want to harm us, but she’s in the way. Why?’

Noteworthy started at the sound of a great stomp ran through the warehouse’s earthen floor. In the doorway, having crossed the barricade, a great unicorn held his ground flanked by perhaps five more of these thug-faced horses, none of whom wore happy faces or the clothing that respectable folk would favor.

With a snort, the big grey pegasus in charge of the local group marched over to meet them.

“What the... what in Tartarus are ya doing here?” he demanded, one of his wings twitching. “Didn’t call for you guys yet.”

Locksmith, that was his name, Noteworthy told himself. Over the last, unending hour, however, he’d grown to question whether such an individual deserved the honorific of a proper name, almost certainly given by parents who must have loved them. A barely restrained look of feral, red-misted madness had begun seeping from behind the ringleader’s eyes to take over all his posture.

“A dozen of our guys are dead,” the unicorn told Locksmith flatly. “Never did like prepping our own guys for the hole.”

“What?” Locksmith yelled. “When did this happen?!”

“Macua spent the night preparing our guys after that Weaver paid us–”

“My name is Cihuateto,” a tattooed earthmare growled out.

“That ain’t even your real name, just a title–” another stallion swallowed whatever words he had left as the earthmare favored him with a cold look. “Whatever.”

“Weaver left,” Blackjack explained. “A few hours later, the bundle started to smoke these pale grey fumes, and our unlucky guys dropped dead. Good thing me and Macua weren’t there at the time. Only one of us who got away was Doctor Caballeron.”

“Yeah,” piped up the stallion from before, “he ain’t never taken off his amulet of protection, not since that poisoning incident with the griffon gang.”

“Former gang,” Cihuateto responded coldly. “And don’t waste your words, Flare.”

The misbehaving stallion back away sheepishly, but Locksmith, however, was incensed. Emitting a furious, guttural sound which, unbelievably, could only be called a roar, he whipped around, marched up towards the injured and trembling mare, crudely shoved Noteworthy aside. Before she had a chance to plead, he stomped a hoof down on her ribs.

She screamed. Noteworthy was back on his hooves quicker than he thought, too aghast by her mistreatment to care about how he’d just been rough-handled himself.

“S-stop it!” he half-stammered, half-shouted. “You’re hurting her for no reason!”

All this did was get him shoved down again. By the earthmare this time, Cihuateto. Her previously mask-like face harbored a sinister smile as she pinned him in place, one hoof held against the nerve cluster in his back.

“It shall be all the worse for you if you try anything stupid.”

He saw the mark on her flank, discerning what looked like the picture of a wooden sword with blackened tips running along its edge. What set it apart were the strange, misty-colored wisps surrounding the glyph, almost like they’d appeared on her at a later time. Dumbstruck, he found that the longer he stared, the more his eyes began to water, as the colors shifted.

Pain. Sadness. Regret. Anger. A tattered soul burning beneath it all.

“Blackjack,” she told her companion, nodding towards Locksmith.

The unicorn coughed. “Enough. This will get you nowhere.”

“Oh, I’m only getting started,” Locksmith hissed, spittle flying from his lips. “This was meant to be a straightforward job. Venom in exchange for special payment. Ain’t she a wily one, that noblemare. Musta known she wouldn’t get us all in one fell swoop, so she set it up so a few of us’d be here to collect Discord’s remains–”

“Discord?” Blackjack interrupted him, looking surprised for the first time. “As in the big, snaggle-toothed guy with the ability to hold all the cards, even when they’re upside-down?”

“The very same,” spat Locksmith. “Trouble is, he weren’t done yet. I tried carving him up using my orichalcum, except some weird ghost ape-thing, not the one Fuse caught, just had to spring outta nowhere like a blasted jack-in-the-box and foul it all up.”

This revelation got Blackjack thinking. “Did wonder how come you were holding down the fort when I arrived here. Now I understand.” He paused and stared Locksmith right in the face. “But what about the humans? From what we’ve heard of ‘em, don’t you think they’ll go in with more firepower than we can deal with? Locksmith, a sensible move would be to cut your losses and scram.”

“I’m not giving up Discord,” Locksmith snarled, pushing down further on the mare’s ribcage. “Now more than ever. We gotta come outta this with something worth the taking.”

Blackjack did not look exactly pleased at that, yet he tilted his head in acquiescence. “Alright. You’re the boss around here. But I’m not beholden to you. Top stud ordered me to find out Weaver, and that’s what Macua and I are here for, nothing else, unless pushed.”

“Sure. It’s time for answers,” Locksmith looked down at the injured mare. “Where is Weaver?”

“I don’t know who that is!” she whimpered pitifully. “I swear to Celestia, I don’t know.”

“Bah, they’s been wiped clean. Maybe even starched. Useless,” Locksmith waved his hoof to the guards by the kiln. “Sorry lads - looks like we’re not roasting these oats tonight.

Time to bring out Fuse.”

“Wouldn’t he be wiped too?” asked Blackjack.

Swallowing, Noteworthy realised this stallion had expressed no hint of surprise upon hearing where an old comrade of his had ended up. Meanwhile, Locksmith was merely smirking as he watched a unicorn guard begin to erase the cement covering the heat-lock.

“This is Fuse we’re talking about, formerly part of our gang. If there’s something he’s good at, it’s being stubborn. Probably had had his memory wiped several times already before he left. He got a right knack for that, might be he’s got an idea where Weaver is.”

Noteworthy couldn’t make head or tails of what these thugs were talking about, but despite the iron grip of the tattooed earthmare above him – whose body, in the corner of his eye, seemed to hum with peculiar, distorted vibration – his heart beat a little faster as he felt his resolve tighten.

“He’d be hard to break,” Blackjack commented drily, only to earn a snort from Locksmith.

“Probably,” Locksmith grinned, indicating the general direction of Noteworthy, the injured mare, and several other motionless and ashen-faced Loyalists who’d seen the exchange. “Then again, we’ve all these ‘ere ponies with us.”

“Bah! Cut the fancy talk! We can handle ourselves,” Applejack turned, only for the strange cloaked mare to reappear in her path. She narrowed her eyes at the waylayer, pawing at the ground with frustration. This had gone on far enough...

“Listen, Miss Apple,” the cloaked mare said quietly. “I may not have your confidence, especially not after my attempted deception. But if I am to speak plainly, artists use lies to tell the truth all the time. Enquire from your friend Miss Belle, she’ll say just as much. And the truth is that nothing but death awaits you if you proceed.”

“Why? We were going to the brickyard to get Fuse to back down… but now… now things are getting worse,” Fluttershy managed, fluffing out her wings in an attempt to release nerves.

“Ah say it’s mostly Fuse’s fault, but seeing as those thugs are mighty unhappy, Ah think she may have done something to cause it to go down that way.” Applejack gave Minus a small apologetic smile, only for it to get waved away.

“Yes, my husband may have brought them in, but he isn’t stupid enough to provoke them into turning on him. Wonders of being a former gang enforcer, you know all tricks of the trade.” Minus stomped her hoof in anger. “What did you do?”

“Nothing he didn’t want!” snapped the cloaked mare. “His distrust of the humans was about to lead him down a path he hadn’t taken for years… one which no pony should have to take. I merely stepped in and did my duty.”

“What,” Minus growled. “Did. You. Do.”

The cloaked mare sighed. “Let’s just say I made him forget about any ill intent to humanity. As you’ve seen, I have my tricks...”

“She’s telling the truth,” Applejack stated, prior to cocking an eyebrow at her. “But not the whole truth. Ah clearly remember the question being about the thugs and Fuse, what caused them to butt heads like wild bulls. Well then, let’s ask again. Why are the gangs of Manehattan going after Fuse?”

“Not after Short Fuse,” the other responded. “After a good prize. One which, in days not long past from today, you worked to seal back into the purgatory it should never have left. Two chances were granted it for a trial of peace and restoration... third time, unlucky.”

Applejack stared at her for a long, long while, then waved her hoof to the others. “She’s clever with her words, all truths but only partially. You gals go on and skedaddle onto the brickyard, get Fuse and whoever’s there with him. Ah will stay behind and slow her down.”

“Applejack…” Rarity gave her a worried look, but when she only grinned slyly at her friend, the dressmaker nodded in acceptance. “Come along, Minus, Fluttershy.”

Two of them turned to leave, but Fluttershy to give single flap of her wings and land beside her friend Applejack. Caught off guard at first, Rarity’s face crinkled into a smile, a last, confident beam before she trotted on her way with Minus.

The cloaked mare made no attempt to stop them. But she held against the two who stayed.

“Wait,” she said. “Hear me out, if you will. You stand for honesty, Miss Apple. On that, nobody can cast any doubt. As such, I imagine you’ve seen the exhibition on humanity in Canterlot, on all its plights, its sorrows and its joys, as well as its current fate. And you know it all to be true.”

Applejack lowered her head, her stetson hat covering her eyes, “Ah have. What of it?”

“I’ve done things I’m… not proud of. Yet I have my reasons. And even if I’ve hidden much from you, I’ve never sought to hide from myself. The human race, however....”

Was that the outline of a lump Applejack spotted in the cloaked mare’s throat?

“In all likelihood, you’ve heard this conflict compared to the Holocaust,” she stated bluntly. “An appeal to your sympathies, the kindness in your hearts, to all which shines brightest in this fair country. And that speaks highly of you. But please do consider the following, or better yet, straight-up ask your human friends for the truth. They had a Holocaust Museum in the American capital, did you know that? Before it was destroyed… consumed in the fire unleashed by one of mankind’s most terrible weapons. Ask them. Was there a museum dedicated to said weapon’s previous victims in that great city? How about the Trail of Tears? And then, the people whom they once held in chains… Where was all that? Ask them.”

“Oh my…” Fluttershy murmured, scuffing the ground. “Well, I can’t say much about that, but then again… we have to look at our own history… don’t you think?”

“Pardon me?”

“Well… some ponies still look down on the buffaloes out in the west.” Fluttershy started, beginning to gain confidence. “Donkeys and mules, a lucky few might have their invitations to the Grand Galloping Gala once a year, but the rest of the year, some ponies, too many, treat them like they’re not really Equestrians, second-class citizens. Then, too, what about the cows and sheep? They don’t have a seat in Parliament.”

This did little to mollify their waylayer. “Those are all issues of some import, miss, which are each more real for you than for me. Because a world where these can legitimately count as the greatest social issues of the day sounds like quite a peaceful one to me.”

“We don’t know what they’ve been through,” said Fluttershy. “They are the way they are because life took them in that direction. No guidance, no rules except for their own, and no immortal ruler to look after them. We ponies have always been close together, they’ve been separated by entire oceans. We both look at one another and think they’re the weird ones, cos’ our histories are so different. We have peace, they had wars.”

The cloaked mare seemed unimpressed. “I’ve seen fear, distrust, volatility in every species,” was her comment, sounding old and tired. “But I know ponies, and I know you wouldn’t hate your friend Miss Sparkle due to her being lavender, or Miss Pie for her namesake pink tinge. The very thought would strike you as absurd.”

Fluttershy sighed, looking around before speaking again. “What I’m saying is that… we’ve been really lucky to have somepony like Princess Celestia and Luna looking out for us. Trying to promote unity and understanding for all, even with other races. Humans… they have no one but their families and themselves to learn from. Sometimes… it goes astray and it takes others to put them back on the path. Other times… it doesn’t work out and they fight. But they try… I’ve seen them try so hard to understand others. People like Major Bauer and Colonel Renee, they understand and try to learn, along with everyone here that follows them. They’ll make mistakes, but it’s up to us to help them get back up and move forward.”

She closed her eyes, re-opening them with a fierce look held within. “Not go and force them into something they don’t want or need. And what’s happening to them isn’t any guiding or reasoning of their own doing! It was an attack from an outside force that happened for no reason other than conquest. If they are what you say they are… why didn’t they try to harm the ponies from the other Equestria? They’re different from them, not human, but they tried so hard to understand them. To open their homes and understand what made the ponies who they are.” Fluttershy’s smile was a beautiful flower amongst the dark leaves of the Everfree. “They set aside their differences, if only to try and make a friendship with them.”

It was as if a cold winter morning befell the patch of forest where the cloaked mare stood, blocking their way, and when she spoke, there was only sadness.

“True, true,” she said softly. “They had the smarts. They mastered the earth and the waters, sickness and storms, they made miracles and they flew across the sky, and looked next to reach the stars themselves. But they have something else, something stronger than all their intelligence and their kindness… a hunger in their hearts.”

“A hunger for what?”

“A constant hunger… for more.”

“Then… I guess we should help them find something to fill that? At least… to try and make sure they don’t need to go about it alone… shouldn’t we? After all… a little kindness and honesty allow them to make great contact with many important figures for them. Like Lyra or the Doctor and others that helped them.” Fluttershy giggled sweetly. “Please let us pass.”

The cloaked mare considered her. “You’re asking me to let you pass, Miss Posey?”

“Yes, if you please.”

“Then I can’t refuse you,” their waylayer said resignedly. “Not a direct request such as this.”

How long had it been? An hour, two hours? Probably no more than twenty minutes.

Blackberry sat awkwardly beneath the tree, forehooves cuffed together, across from where the dark-skinned woman stood with her back pressed to the odd aircraft. The human kept a narrow glare directed straight at him, but she kept it in silence, with folded arms. He shifted uncomfortably, to no visible response from the woman apart from a slightly annoyed huff.

“...Sorry,” Blackberry started nervously, the cuffs chinking as he swayed back and forth.

The pilot raised an eyebrow. “Whatever for?” she asked, sounding more tired than angry.

“I, I guess I’m making you kinda nervous.”

She opened her mouth to snap back, but got interrupted by the electronic crackle from the portable device she wore at her hip. With a grunt, the human female brought it up to her ear, not once glancing away from him.

“Hey, uh, this is Nordfjell, uh, is everything all clear?” a young, feminine voice emanated from the device. Blackberry’s ears perked up at the unexpected, alien yet familiar northern tinge to it, which put him in mind of the cherished sound of tinkling bells….

“Yes, Nordfjell, transport's clear, what's the problem? Over.”

“Oh uh, nothing, nothing's wrong! Just, uh…” the  voice abruptly fell silent. Much to Blackberry’s bewilderment, the previously irascible pilot did no more than roll her eyes.

“You’re bored again, aren’t you, Bjorgman?” she deadpanned.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” the voice admitted sheepishly. “Haven’t heard a single peep from the boys yet. Hey, uh, anything interesting down there?”

“Caught this Loyalist fellow snooping around, said there’s ‘gangsters’ in the brickyard. Seems pretty far-fetched, if you ask me.”

“Huh, wait, you’ve got one of them? Have you, uh, told the Colonel yet? We need to know everything we can, and all.”

Blackberry’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Colonel Renee. This was not good.

“Yes, I actually have, Bjorgman, but thanks for, well, at least reminding me there.”

“Heh, anytime! You sure he’s no trouble, Miss… Dula?”

The pilot shot Blackberry a judgmental glance, then back to her device.

“I can handle him fine, Bjorgman, trust me.”

“Well, good luck with him, Miss Dula. I… can call you Dula, right?”

“I don't see why not. Good luck up there, Nordfjell."

“Thanks! Oh and, uhm, think you’re up for a, y’know, night out on town? Seems really nice for a walk. Whaddaya say?”

Blackberry raised his brow as the pilot slapped her forehead.

“Oh, just ask that medic of yours, Bjorgman, I’m sure he’s all up for it. Sleja out.”

“Alright... hey, did you just–”

The radio fell silent again, and with a satisfied sigh, the pilot turned back to face Blackberry. At last, he found his voice, a hoof raised in askance.

“What?” the pilot demanded impatiently.

“Who was she?” he finally asked.

To his unease, she crossed her arms in response. “Ana? Let’s just call her a nice young lady you should feel glad hasn’t got her sights on you. Now be quiet.”

“...Her voice sounds warm and, actually nice, I guess. For a human but, yeah.”

The female’s throat tensed, apparently heralding some prolonged tirade. But then she seemed to think better of it. “Yes,” was her sole comment, so softly as to be near inaudible. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you?”

“Well I, I think so. I thought she was a doe at first, but–”

Blackberry’s words were interrupted by a snort.

“Listen, kid,” the pilot said roughly, her hand flexing toward the flintlock-thing she’d placed back into its holster, “Humor me, if you will, and allow me to draw you a pretty picture of just how deep in the shit you and your friends have got yourselves into. Kidnapping military personnel won’t land you a simple slap on the wrist, or whatever it is you’ve got–”

“You mean a ‘slap on the carpus’?”

“Whatever. Fact is, you’re facing a few years’ jail time at best, supposing Command’s nice enough to place this case under local judicial authority, which, I have to say, is no certainty in times of war. And in any case, you’ll be publically held responsible for knowingly aiding the Tyrant’s genocide crusade upon my race, so suck up and face it, from now on, you better consider your life as good as over.”

It was to both Blackberry and the pilot’s surprise, however, when the young stallion brushed this off in return.

“Look, I... I don’t mean to be rude, Miss...” He tilted his head slightly, peering through the mist on his glasses at the tag on her uniform. “Prasad, but your claims are kinda, kinda hard to… believe…”

But he got no further than that, as the female, hands clenched into fists, stomped up to him with murder in her eyes. Whimpering despite himself, Blackberry scuffled backward, only to feel his back collide against the hard bark of the tree, a small shock which sent his specs flying from the bridge of his muzzle. Blinded, he scrunched his eyes shut, shielding his face behind his own cuffs, ready for the blow.

It never came.

“I think you dropped these,” said the human’s voice.

She sounded and felt quite close. With no small trepidation, he dared force his eyes open. Through the fog of his myopia, he found the alien creature had eased herself to his level, holding the very things he needed in the palm of her hand.

Baffled and stuttering, Blackberry delicately retrieved the precious specs, returning his vision as the pilot rose up. The woman looked at him rather expectantly, leading to him to stammer out a reply.

“Th-thank you.”

Prasad waved him off, returning into a standing position at the vehicle’s side. “Don’t get your hopes up. Just following Geneva guidelines here,” she chuckled mirthlessly. “We’re expected to not act needlessly cruel toward prisoners of war.”

‘Huh, is something going on in the woods?’ Ana thought as she saw some trees shake some distance away from the brickyard. “Must’ve been one of those bigger creatures they warned us about. Yeah, definitely some of those… Everfree things.”

Ana sighed as she set her sights on a open window to the warehouse, at range above the eight-foot wall which surrounded the whole damn complex. That left only the rear of the complex and the western side, which Jaka deemed unnecessary to go further into. Once they reached it, all would be over anyways. Coxa had been assigned to sort out the far eastern end of the area, where the walls kept her from spotting any prime targets, but the Changeling had some practice before with this type of work. Not that he spoke much about it, though.

“Nordfjell, status report?” the radio crackled, with Jaka’s gruff voice filtering through.

“Nothing so far, Sarge,” answered Ana. “Seems to be a clear shot, but can’t be sure…”

Her hand reached up to adjust her scope – of all the many special additions PHL armory had to offer, a little visor enhancement was the only one she ever accepted. It was worth more than it seemed. The seemingly mundane device, designed to detect the most discrete of magical barriers, now worked wonders on what Ana presumed to be whatever their opposition thought of as adequate defenses.

A large dome encircled the brickyard, a haphazardly drawn mesh of wires that shone far more brilliantly than any Imperial barrier Ana had seen before. The layout reminded her of chickenwire fences from the rural areas back on Earth, albeit slightly more elegant, owing to its thin, golden gossamer quality.

“I guessed right. There’s a barrier up, Sarge. Aerial assaults no longer an option. If I were to fancy a guess, I’d say it’ll either catch anypony like a net, or, uh... disintegrate them.”

From the other side of the radio, someone could be heard cursing.

“Sorry uh, what was that?”

“It’s nothing. Lieutenant Mist isn’t very happy to hear that.”

“You’re darn right! I’m not looking forward to getting my good hoof stuck in cobweb, for Celestia’s sake-”

“At ease, Lieutenant,” Jaka firmly told her. “Nordfjell, anything you can do?”

“Well,” Ana began, adjusting her scope. “The gaps aren’t that small, Sarge. I think a shot or two could pass through. At my estimate, this wasn’t designed to stop a bullet.”

“Alright. Do what you can do. Vanhoover-Actual out.”

With a sigh, Ana returned to her sights. And started, caught by surprise at what she had to see.

“What the…”

She stared down the scope as a large earthstallion got dragged before several others in the central courtyard, not looking too good by any account. Two of those other, coarsened ponies, earthmare and unicorn stallion respectively, were pushing him forward, keeping him from stumbling as his forelegs were bound behind his back with rope.

Ana briefly wondered just what was wrong with this picture before she realized, the captors had forced the stallion to shamble upright on two legs. It would have been almost comical if not for the swollen eyelids and blood dripping from his mouth. A cold, unearthly yet too-familiar chill passed over her, as long-buried imagery of tortured captives came to mind...

‘Something’s really, really wrong here, Ana.’

“Vanhoover Actual, Vanhoover Actual, this is Nordfjell reporting in.” Ana hurriedly radioed. She could even hear her voice waiver. “Bit of a change in the plan, over.”

“What is it, Nordfjell?”

“Sir, I... I think I have our kidnapper.”

“Do you have a shot?”

“Be kind of pointless to be honest…” Ana muttered nervously as she watched them march the stallion through the front walls, past the walls and towards the claypit. When she saw them throw him down, for one horrible moment, she thought they’d thrown him into the muddy depths of the pool itself. But it turned out they had only left him lying there, trussed-up under the white unicorn's watch, while the earthmare returned to the brickyard proper. “All due respect, this whole mission’s been getting fishier and fishier. I mean, it’s been off ever since we started. It looks like the kidnapper needs saving now.”

“What?”

“I’m not even kidding here. Jesus, the guy we’re going after looks like his face was caved in. Or they tried to at least, if the other ones limping along mean anything.”

“Is he still mobile?”

“Barely.” Ana rolled her shoulder, watching that brown-coated, tattooed earthmare drag another, light-yellow mare and a blue unicorn before her. The sniper frowned as she took in the strange earthmare’s mark.

‘Is that a sword? Pretty gnarly-looking… haven’t seen one of those since... wait.’

Ana’s eyes widened as the earthmare held up a hoof, sickly magic gathering onto the appendage before she slammed it into the ground, whereupon a sword, twin to her mark, sprang up from the earth before her, jagged pieces of blackstone lining the blade’s edge. The earthmare grinned ferally as she picked the blade between her teeth, and walked up to the shivering and very much terrified mare lying on her back in the muddy pit, and held it pressed to the victim’s barrel, finally turning to look at the beaten stallion as she spoke.

‘Herregud...’

Ana swallowed nervously, but years of trailing after known terrorists and wartime anarchists helped her keep the rifle steady. Even so, cold sweat trickled down her brow, and she instinctively wrapped her fingers around her little crucifix. The blue unicorn jumped up, only for the other thug, the earthmare’s companion, to slam a black baton into his back, knocking him flat on his face.

“Sir, uh, we have a big problem.”

Converge (2/4)

Authors:

Redskin122004

VoxAdam

Sledge115

Editors:

ProudToBe

Bendy

DoctorFluffy

KizunaTallis

Proof Readers:

Dustchu

Carpinus Caroliniana

“Why do you hate us so much?”

It escaped Blackberry’s mouth before he could stop himself. How he’d tried holding it in, he really had! But the sheer silence following Prasad’s near-assault of him had just grown too heavy to bear. Volatile and unpredictable as the human female was, he felt like the weight on his chest would make him burst unless he tried making contact with his captor.

The pilot clicked her tongue. “Someone’s forgotten the rule of silence. Last warning, bucko.”

“I’m only asking a qu–”

“And you’re not to fucking ask any questions!” the pilot yelled at him. “How hard is it to drill into that flaming skull of yours, you’re a war prisoner, I’m your guard, you don’t get to act all matey with me! If this were some...some fucking library, you’d keep your gob shut just like you ought to, wouldn’t you? Well, picture me as the crusty, take-no-shit librarian who’ll whoop your arse if you spew anymore from your stupid mouth! Now, SHUT it!”

Oh, Sweet Celestia, that stung. He was going to cry, he just knew it, as he felt his lower lip begin to tremble. Max had kept saying he just needed to toughen up, goodness knows, he’d tried so hard at that too, and now, lost in the woods and cuffed-up by some hostile alien, he was going to lose what semblance of dignity he’d left in him.

“Bloody hell,” he heard the pilot whisper, from somewhere behind the forehooves he’d buried his shaggy head into. “What am I doing? This isn’t me… it shouldn’t be.” She breathed in. “Story of my life...”

Blackberry paid her scarcely any heed, too caught up in his own despair.

“Kid? Hey, kid.”

Why did she insist on calling him that, when he’d told her his real name all the way back when she’d first grilled him. It was like she refused to acknowledge him as a real person. Horrible, horrible beast, treating him as worth less than, less than anything...

“Alright, don’t hurt yourself,” came Prasad’s gruff voice. “Can’t rightly begrudge you a bit of the old weeping. Let it all out, I’ll look away if you want. Fuck knows how today, I’ve let off more steam than I knew I had in me still.”

True to her word, she gave him five minutes’ respite. At last, the weight on his chest abated enough for him to feel like himself again. Gingerly, he lowered his forehooves from his eyes, but he dared not lock gazes with the pilot again.

“Should’ve chosen someone else for the job,” the pilot muttered sourly. “They knew I wasn’t much of a pony person…”

He swallowed, twice, pulling himself together, determined to show his spirit remained alive.

“What’s this about ‘pony person’?” Blackberry demanded. “You hate us. You just showed it.”

A light went out behind the human woman’s eyes. “Yes… I suppose that’s true…” she whispered wearily, folding her arms and gazing downwards. “I thought it was past, that… but some wounds, they never quite heal. Especially given the sorts of things you leave behind… or not really. Can turn a person… cruel, it does.”

Something about her tone gave Blackberry pause for thought.

“...Is there something I’m not getting here?”

“More than you know, you poor fool…”

Applejack couldn’t believe her ears.

“What in tarnation?” she muttered, shooting the cloaked mare a dark, suspicious look. “You’re lettin’ us through? Just like that, after you tried to stop my friends’ advancin’?”

Their waylayer didn’t nod or shrug or whatever, yet she did raise her head by an inch. Anymore, and the four mares could almost have looked her in the eye, staring back from beneath the hood’s shadowy confines.

“Yes, I am,” she answered simply. “Though I’d rather you didn’t move ahead, I’m not prepared to fight you over this. Step forward, and you won’t find me blocking your way.”

Except Applejack sensed something else under the comforting words. Like always, although every word the cloaked one had spoken was technically true, she meant more than she said. There had to be a catch.

“Of course, that isn’t all.” As if anticipating the Bearer of Honest’s imminent objection, the waylayer was quick to follow up on her previous statement. “I cannot challenge you directly, for risk of bringing the very harm upon you I’d wish to spare you from. But I’ll speak openly. If you weren’t here, nothing would stand between my blade and these thugs’ necks.”

This provoked Fluttershy, as was to be expected, to gasp far louder than she commonly raised her voice. Applejack herself, though, felt strangely calm.

“You would, eh? This straight after you were done listing off humanity’s faults.”

Once again, the cloaked mare appeared to have seen this coming. “Ends and means, Miss Apple… humans, our kind, the people of Equus… each of us, joined as though by threads, in the ties that bind...” she said, a customary sadness staining her tone as always. “Your way, the way taken by the Elements of Harmony, is a most pure and good way. But it is not the only way, nor does it work alone. Just as a lie is neither a good or bad thing in itself… see how a comforting lie can spell out the greatest kindness... the act of bringing death, of cutting the threads, can only be measured against how they are woven back together, so they may shape new life… rebirth.”

“Okay, now what the heck are you yappin’ on about?”

“No doubt you wonder what has become of your friend, Miss Lulamoon.” Rather than deign to address the outraged Applejack’s question directly, the cloaked mare levitated a blue marble from the seemingly bottomless folds of her cover. “Please, let me you show you something.”

There came a spark. At an awed little intake of air from Fluttershy, and a mumble from Applejack below her breath that she recognized such an artifact from somewhere, the blue mare shone with magic, coalescing into an image which projected itself above all their eyesights. An image of Trixie, cut and bloodied, both blades hovering above the forest floor in the act of warding off some unseen assailant. She wore her domino mask, an emotionless gaze fixed upon whoever she was fighting.

“What is this?” Fluttershy whispered.

“A living, breathing person, turned into a tool of death,” the cloaked mare said quietly. “That’s the face of life at war, ladies. Right, wrong, you can debate the morality of it until the cows come home, the simple truth is, all people are equal when given the power to kill another. Take a life, and something will get cut, something you can never tie as it was before.” Even hidden within the hood, Applejack could tell she was peering at them. “Many learn to keep on living with it. But is this really who you want to be?”

“Trixie is a good mare at heart!” Applejack stated defiantly. “In fact, one of mah greatest regrets is how we’all treated her when she first came to town. We shoulda seen the light when she tried rescuing those two stupid colts’, for their thick-headed fault, takin’ a stage magician at her word! And Ah’ve seen how hard she works on herself. How dare ya drag our friend’s name through the mud like this, you who said you’d kill these stallions like nuthin’!”

Applejack expected some angry retort, but instead, a small, warm smile briefly tugged at the cloaked mare’s lips, before it vanished like the first wisps of morning dew in winter.

“Touching,” she whispered.

“Where is she?” demanded Applejack. “She might be a blow-hard, and fulla rage at Major Bauer’s abduction, yet Ah refuse to believe she’d go kill-crazy on a whim like that, it’s against her training. You’re trying to fool us again.”

But deep inside, she didn’t feel so sure. Swallowing, she fought down a growing headache over seeing that the moving images wherein Trixie was furiously busy hacking and slicing, albeit with less blood to show for than might be feared, looked real enough, and live.

“I haven’t shown you everything. Miss Lulamoon wasn’t the example I wished to put forth.”

The moving image of Trixie in battle panned away, at last revealing her opponent.

Suddenly, irrationally, a sickness wrenched at the insides of Applejack’s stomach, some latent grazer’s fear of the bygone times when tracked down by a hunter on the prairies, knowing that at any moment tooth and claw may grab you, tear your flesh, chunk by chunk. At first sight, it was just a mare like any other, with a goldenrod coat and an olive-green mane flapping slightly in the wind, her cutie mark obscured by motion blur.

“Some call her the Candymare,” the cloaked mare explained matter-of-factly. “Most people know her by her given name of Pineapple Cutter.”

But look closer, and you were witness to the cold, unfeeling look in her eyes. The look of someone who did not care in the slightest about you, to whom you were, at most, a fascinating slab of meat on a table.

“She fights in the name of humanity, like Miss Lulamoon does.”

And she was slashing in return, parrying Trixie’s every move, though how she held onto the massive blade without horn or wing, Applejack could not properly tell.

“Unlike Miss Lulamoon, however, no great cause or sense of altruism moves her. She maims and kills because she enjoys it. Nor is she the only one in the PHL to do so. Human existence is of precious interest to her solely for its dark, brutal side. A being of pure hunger.”

Fast and pitiless, the duel raged on. It took a minute before Applejack could summon the will to say anything further, after the shock of what she’d just seen.

“Why are you showing us this?” she asked quietly, flaring her nostrils. “And why the fight?”

Particles of magic began to assemble themselves around the waylayer’s cloaked figure, heralding an imminent teleportation spell.

“Because I know I can entrust this to your conscience,” she announced soothingly. “Eventually, either Cutter will kill Lulamoon, or Lulamoon will kill Cutter, worked up into a blood frenzy as they each are. Such is the nature of what shapes them, that only this way can their fight end… unless interrupted. Though the Forest may be vast, if the power of your friendship holds true, it’s a feat well within your grasp, as always.”

Thus she vanished.

Glaring daggers, Short Fuse spat at the hooves of the earthmare before him.

“What d’you want?” he sneered, idly watching his spittle dissolve into the soggy, mud-like ground that bordered the claypool. “I was comfortable in my little kiln of misery, kind of waiting for you lot to get the old girl fired up…”

All this earned him was a punch to the face for his trouble. For a moment, Fuse was left staring to the side, caught off guard by the blow and unable to rub his bruised cheek due to the ropes still binding his forehooves, before slowly looking back at the earthmare. “Really? At least let me finish, you daft haridelle.”

“Where is Weaver?”

Her voice was a growl, and she held the sword right up to his blue-jowled chin, but Short Fuse was barely fazed by any of it. Humongous earrings, straight and silky raven mane, tattoos, and now this...

“Macuahuitl sword,” he commented lazily. “From far south of the Badlands, the Forbidden Jungles if I remember correctly. Well, aren’t you far from home, little jungle pony?”

Seeing her eyes narrow at his words, Fuse barked a harsh laugh. “Are ya aware, I’ve seen your tribes before, staying hidden inside your jungles, away from the pinheads and flies. What’re you doing with this lot? Ya do know they’ve taken your treasured ‘idols’ time‘n again, right? Heck, grabbed a few myself before I quit.”

Fuse expected another punch, yet the earthmare looked impassive, a wobble in her earrings the only giveaway to her true feelings. Emboldened, he plunged further onward.

“Ah, c’mon, let’s waste no time. Wasted enough already just gettin’ me out, whaddya want me raw for, jungle mare? Perfectly good kiln, do me in five minutes, even if ya were to serve and share me out with all yer pals, there’d be enough of me to cut ya a nice, big slice…” Though hampered by his bonds, Fuse made a show of waggling his fleshy hindquarters back-and-forth upon the wet, sticky ground. “Why not beg ‘em as a last request, save the nicest, most juicy parts for ya...”

His head cocked back as the mare lashed out with several more brass-shoed, forehoof blows to his face.  While a placid face, she ignored her weapon altogether in favor of trying to cave his face further into his skull, to the point that when he actually fell over, Blackjack had to walk up to the mare as it became clear she wasn't going to stop raining blows.

“Macua… enough,” the white unicorn muttered as he gently placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t let him stack the deck against you.”

The earthmare heaved with anger, placing her own hoof atop the stallion’s own, nodding her head as she took a step back to breath. Fuse couldn’t help but cough up some laughter.

“Your marefriend needs some reeling in, Jackyboy.”

“I wouldn’t play the same hoof again, Fuse,” Blackjack muttered as he fixed his ‘tie’.

“Why stop now, when it’s gettin’ good!” Fuse quipped cheerfully. “Ain’t no irrelevant topic I'd started broachin’, ya know that, mate. How ‘bout showin’ to her that my name did mean something, in the old days? Ya wouldn't even need to untie me, just set me back on all four hooves and pass me a box of mat–”

“Not likely, not unless you want one of your bricks put to creative use.” Blackjack commented drily. “Pushing her’ll make things messy for each of the players. It’s true, we’re… close, but we don’t let it get in the way of the House rules if it comes up. Tell us where Weaver is, and we can let you all go.”

“No…”

Both of them looked around and saw the earthmare brandishing her sword once more, holding it threateningly to the injured mare’s throat. Incredibly, the frail little thing, otherwise pushed around so easily, had not let go of her rosette hoofbag once, even when forcibly led all the way to the claypit. She’d now wrapped her forehooves around it for dear life, as if it could somehow shield her from Cihuateto’s wrath.

As for the other hostage, the blue unicorn, a Ponyville native whom Fuse recognized as Noteworthy, he was tensed up, apparently ready to spring into her defence. Regardless of how the brave imbecile’s last attempt had resulted in a block to the back from Blackjack.

“No one goes, they all suffer in his place if he refuses to answer.”

“Macua…”

But the earthmare would not desist, leaning forward to stare down all three of her captives.

“You want to know why I am here with the treasure stealers? Why I side with them?” Her eyes were so icy, they would have given the most hardened criminal pause, and Fuse had left the business a while back. “Because I seek to finish the job you couldn’t do. Kill Daring Do. Not ‘end’ her or ‘destroy’ her. Kill her.”

Forcing down a gulp as best he could, Fuse glared back at the earthmare as she dragged the trembling, injured mare before his hooves.

“My life was good,” the earthmare seethed. “I had a fine, caring spouse, strong and kind as the sun itself. But I was heavy with foal when he was taken from me, and I lived to see my foal take only a few, gasping breaths before she, too, passed away. Would that in my misery, I could have joined them both, soon after! Except Tlazolteotl had other plans.”

She all but threw the mare at his hooves, her terror-filled eyes looking for an escape, but none could be seen as she looked up at the sword with utter fear.

“I returned, given new purpose, and led my tribe into a new life of understanding. I walk between realms, guiding those who must move on to the fields of joys and bliss. But I can no longer do that, thanks to the adventurer!” She hissed at the word, baring her teeth at Fuse. “Her words were lies, Caballeron may have come to my valley, but he had no intent of taking the idol within the temple. He had no use for it! He was there for days, living with us, sharing our food and bed, and he could've stolen it any time he pleased, but he didn’t. No, when she arrived, it would have been far too late to stop him, even had he been there for it.”

More of the sickly green magic began to pour out from her tattoos. “I pleaded with her, begged her not to take the idol from its place, but, how stubborn was she! So convinced that Caballeron meant to take it, blinded not by greed, only by her selfish thrill for the chase. And that’s how she took it! She ignored the tribal elders! She ignored me! And so she flew off, happy as a stupid Itzcuintl, leaving the rest of us to perish!”

She slammed her hoof into the ground, blades springing up all around the frozen mare, their black tips growing outward like deranged vines. The captive mewed in fear at the sight, but no worse befell her, for the enraged earthmare closed her eyes, the ground slowly pulling the blades back into the depths as she reeled in her power.

“Life departed the valley in a matter of days.. Gradually, inexorably, the leaves began to wilt off the trees, the beasts of the field departed for greener pastures, our harvests failed as the crops ceased to bloom, and eventually, the waters in the streams themselves slowed to a trickle, which no great showers of rain could replenish. Even the sun seemed to bear down heavier, hotter, turning the grass into dust. I could no longer face the pain in their eyes, the misery, so, like a coward, I fled, cursing myself for my failures as a cihuatetotl… One of Caballeron’s most trusted lieutenants found me, lying on the rocks overlooking the valley, starved, feverish and half out of my mind. He persuaded his master to take me in. Oh, I hated him and his pity, at first! But I soon saw that, perhaps, fate had guided me back onto a righteous path. Blackjack told me he knew how to get at Do.”

Cihuateto smiled grimly. “For that, I’ve pledged myself to him, to get at her. So where you failed, I shall personally end her life for her acts against my kin. I’ve waited a very long time, and won’t let some noble xolopitli come between me and my goal.”

She floated her last remaining blade underneath the jaw of the shivering mare, who was whimpering with tears flowing from her eyes, desperately looking first to Fuse, then to that peculiar ocean-blue unicorn stallion, for help.

“Tell me where she’s at… Or I shall give all these ‘Loyalists’ to the fiery pits of Tartarus, so they may forever be denied the Mictlan’s pastures.”

“We ain’t playing her game.”

Applejack had thought long and hard about the mysterious waylayer’s proposal, and for her, there was only thing to it, and those were the very words she’d just firmly spoken.

“But Applejack!” Fluttershy squeaked unhappily, anxiously stomping a rear hoof. “What about Trixie? If the stranger was telling us the truth, she could get killed by that horrible mare!”

“Don’t ya get it?! The minute we leave, she comes back and finishes off the goons!” shouted Applejack, gesturing wildly towards the thugs imprisoned in the treetops. “Whaddya expect us to do? Come between Trixie and what’s-her-apple, ask them both to sit down quietly over tea and crumpets, settle their differences? Won’t work!”

Her friend’s ears drooped. “Trixie and the Major always said you don’t leave a man behind… he got so mad at us all for letting Lyra sleep in that first morning…”

“Ah say we trust Trixie,” said Applejack, suddenly very interested in re-adjusting her hat. “She can handle herself jus’ fine. And it’s not like we care about some other crazy madmare with a knife… why’d she attack her own teammate, the rube?”

“Perhaps Trixie did go funny, and she was trying to stop her hurting people?”

As Applejack opened her mouth in search of a gentle, understanding way to set Fluttershy’s benignly naive assumptions straight, she heard no words come out, slowly letting it close back up. Inexplicably, the waylayer’s odd pronouncement stayed with her.

‘Take a life, and something will get cut, something you can never tie as it was before. Many learn to keep on living with it. But is this really who you want to be?’

What difference did it make to a mare like the one challenging Trixie, if people ended up hurt? Only a single difference, a single difference only. People getting hurt in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Otherwise, the Blue Spy could well go ahead. That’s what she was built for. The cause in the name of which she killed barely mattered, only that she could do it.

“We need help. Fluttershy,” Applejack whispered. “Here’s what to do. I’ll stay right here, keeping mah eye on the thugs, you go get Zecora, the real Zecora, this time.”

“Wh-what if I, I encounter her again?” Fluttershy whispered back.

“Don’t worry, Sugarcube,” said Applejack, gently patting her friend’s forehoof. “Somehow Ah suspect she ain’t one to try pulling the same trick twice. On the other hoof, Ah’m mighty worried for Zecora’s well-bein’ all of a sudden.”

“Surely she’ll expect us to go looking for Zecora,” Fluttershy countered anxiously. “After all, that’s just what Rarity and M-minus asked me to do, before I met her and she… she hypnotized me.”

“She won’t hurt you. That part, she told it true.”

“Why’d she want to keep us apart, though?” Fluttershy wondered. “It’s so strange. Like she knew all about us, our names and who we were, our friendship. Like she… respected us.”

“She knew about us… and our friendship.” Applejack mulled it over ponderously. “Maybe that’s just it. Maybe she knows we can do impossible things when we’re all together, like break into a brickyard fulla varmints, live to tell the tale. Ah don’t think she wanted us to die. But nor do Ah think she wanted us to save anyone else’s lives.”

A deep scowl took root on her face, right below the brim of her hat.

“Hurry up and fly, Fluttershy. Fly like you were helpin’ Rainbow call up a tornado.”

Much to Applejack’s surprise, despite the tense situation, the buttery pegasus tittered.

“For a moment, you sounded just like Zecora, there.”

The mare paused in midstep on the grass, her ears perked up and alert. “What was that?!”

“What was what?” grumbled Flare from ahead, resolutely marching on, toward the great boulder which was their destination, tucked away at a comfortable distance outside the brickyard’s stuffy confines. “I don’t hear nuffink.”

“Hush up there!” she shushed him tensely, one forehoof still hovering above the long grass. “I coulda sworn I heard someone.”

He stopped and turned to face her. “Ah, ya just been hearing things.”

“Says the stallion who got spooked by a rabbit in a bush!”

True to his name, Flare’s cheeks turned a somewhat deeper shade of orange at this remark.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, lass,” he said, leaning himself against the boulder, modulating his voice into what he plainly hoped was a suave tone, “Don’t let’s get skittish right now, it suits you none. Checking out that bush was your idea.”

“Only because you were absolutely pressed for a quiet space to make do like a rabbit,” she retorted huffily, catching up to him. “If Locksmith finds out we sneaked off guard duty, he’ll have our hides tanned for sure! I mean, we are meant to be on the job...”

“That’s what I say, Sunny,” snickered Flare as he set back on track. “And don’t worry, if ya think I’ll be granting ole Locksmith the privilege of tanning your pretty–”

And then he froze at the sight which greeted him around the corner. Hidden in the shade the boulder provided from the afternoon sun, between grey rock and their agreed-upon bush, sat Sunny, mouth clamped shut and hooves tied behind her back with green slime.

“Isn’t it such a nice surprise, Flare?”

The mare behind him laughed softly as green flames enveloped her, revealing the distinct chitin form of a Changeling.

He tried to take a breath to scream, only for the Changeling to spit out green goo, covering his entire face. His cries were muffled, as he struggled to rip off the slimy substance, rolling across the ground before he fell still, struggling to breath.

“Shush now,” the Changeling said quietly as he used his magic to tear open a small hole for her snout. “Sergeant Jaka, the east wall is clear. Two more for lockup.”

“Good, Lieutenant Coxa. Report back to the group once you have them secured.”

“Roger.” Coxa looked down at the two ponies, an inscrutable smile on his face. “Boy, you two got lucky. If the Queen were in charge of this, you would’ve been placed inside the same pod for what little love you have for one another. But that’d be force, and we’d have to hear Elder Mythuselon gripe on and on to the Queen about giving us a bad name.” The Changeling thought it over before shrugging. “Oh well, we’ve got plenty of love now. Up you go.”

Both ponies wiggled in the his grip, as he buzzed away, their muffled cries going unheeded by anyone around them. The forest grew silent after his departure, and for a few minutes nothing could be seen or heard, until the low grumble of a certain unicorn came into range.

“I mean really, darling. Why in the world would you have a secret entrance?” she huffed, blowing the leaves out of her now-tangled mane in the process.

Her small pegasus of a companion only smiled indulgently. “Former adventurer,” answered Minus, inducing a head shake from the other as she gazed about the clearing, and spotted the outcrop of boulders, just the ones she’d been looking for! Though when Minus turned back to face Rarity, she saw the unicorn looking anxiously back the way they’d come. “Hey, don’t worry about Fluttershy and AJ. Fluttershy… she grew a lot in ways I’d never thought possible for a mare of her standing.”

Rarity giggled at her description. “Yes, well, when Twilight told us that Fluttershy regularly wrestles with a large bear, I found it kind of hard to believe.”

“Oh yes, Harry is such a hoofful. Fluttershy’s the only pony I know who can take him down no problem… Outside Fuse or myself, at least.” Minus sighed at the mention of her husband’s name. Rarity gave her a sad smile, gently putting on hoof on her shoulder, all of which she returned in kind. Then she broke it off. “Thanks. Come on, this way.”

“Where does this lead out of?” Rarity asked as Minus led her towards the boulder.

“Into the kiln, though we have to move fast, because it will shut as soon as we open it.” Minus explained, grimacing as she stared at the large piece of rock before her. “It’s a one-way, so we’ll... have to get out through another. Hope we can bring someone’s massive strength into the mix if it means fighting our way out...”

Next to her, Rarity noticed her continued underlying frustration, and sought to tactfully divert the subject.

“Um… why’s it one-way, dear?”

“You know, it made sense to me and Fuse when we first made it.” Minus paused, face beset by owlish blinks as the question bounced around her head. “Something about it serving best as ‘an entrance, not an exit’. Huh, figures. Don’t want enemies getting in through one of your own escape routes, after all. Now… whole thing just seems kind of stupid.”

Rarity blew wisps of her mane away from her face, albeit not without an amused snicker. “Must be an adventurer thing, I suppose. Come along, dearie. Open up so we can go save the lout of your life.”

Fuse snorted disdainfully. “I can’t tell ya nuthin’ about a Weaver, ‘cos I don’t know who that is, plain and simple. Might be I did know, but if so, all gone now. Yer wastin’ time, ya might as well give me back to Locksmith and let him fry me.”

The icy blue grip of despair, scarcely kept at bay by his own sweeping willpower, began to tighten around Noteworthy’s heart as, feeling like a stallion sinking beneath the surface, the realisation closed over him that even bound, beaten and forced to kneel in mud, the village brickmaker would give no other answer. Whether out of misplaced sense of honesty or bull-headed lack of guile, Fuse wasn’t going to tell their captors anything but his mind.

Yet the white unicorn with the weird ‘tie’ didn’t seem ready to take a hint.

“Bollocks, Shorty,” Blackjack growled. “Memories are more than just these little tendrils of thoughts any old mage can pick and stopper into a crystal bottle. Mayhap gold standard’s only an idea, one that works if everyone believes in it, but it sure needs precious metal to exist in the first place! So it is too with people,” he added wrily. “Look at you, you’re an earthpony squelching about in a claypit… more than the place you make your so-called honest life’s living in, you know this is where all life first came from. Tis’ why if I said right now your mind is mud, it wouldn’t be an insult.”

“And yer point being?”

“Macua here is no mind mage or dreamweaver,” explained Blackjack, respectfully indicating the tattooed earthmare who was shuffling on three hooves with barely-concealed impatience, “But she molds some of life’s very fabric as well. If it came to it, I could ask her to probe your brains her way. Only, that’d be rather… physically unpleasant. Hence I was hoping to check and see if you’d managed to keep something safe inside that thick skull of yours… that was an insult, by the way.”

Sadly, this remark as good as flew over Fuse. “Ooh, mare offering pain. Very forward of ya, I’m sure, sweetheart,” he said, even though he was staring down Blackjack upon saying this, “Except, I’m a married stallion. Have to call a summit meeting afore gettin’ back on yer offer. That is, if ya feel like sharin’ at all, of course.”

The unicorn and the earthmare shared a sharp, black glance.

“Disgusting,” muttered Cihuateto.

“From way back in the old days,” Blackjack agreed. “Well, no need to dwell on the past.” Abruptly, he had his sights on Noteworthy and the injured mare. “And how about you two? Anything you’ve got that might’ve evaded the blast radius when your minds got wiped?”

Alarm bells were ringing in his head now, resounding so very loudly that Noteworthy had to bite down the pained groan his senses were practically screaming at him to release, for when the bells rang, it was more than mere figure of speech. His skull felt ready to crack open.

He made a snap decision. He remembered very little, it was true. But he had eyes unlike any others, he hadn’t taken any real punishment yet, and more importantly, the trembling, injured mare next to him had. A clear path took shape in the morass around him.

“I might have… something,”

Immediately, he was choking back a gulp when Cihuateto seized him by the neck.

“Something?” she echoed in a sinister monotone. “Get over here.”

Blackjack’s pallid red aura wrapped itself around Noteworthy’s entire body, forcing him to his forehooves and pulling him closer to the claypool. He bit his lip, wishing against hope his nerve wouldn’t fail him. At least Blackjack was quick to haul him where he was wanted, not puppeteering his forehooves into carrying the whole of his upper body weight alone, as had befallen Fuse on the way between brickyard and pit.

They held his head stretched out over the claypool, so close his lips were almost touching the surface. Teeth clenched beneath closed jaws, Noteworthy tried not to breathe in. The pool didn’t smell unpleasant, not exactly, but it was a thick, powerful scent of raw, humid earth, and he feared that if he drew breath too hard, he’d end up choking himself on clay. Worse, the proximity was flooding his senses with the same stupefying, dull brown.

“You remember something?” Cihuateto demanded.

“Not… not quite memories, you understand,” Noteworthy explained nervously, ever-conscious of the thin, muddy line before him separating air and asphyxiation. “I just… see th-things. Things that leave a trace, can’t wipe ‘em out, everything does it, even… people’s memories, I guess.”

“So you say you were part of an organization that was all about hating ponies,” Blackberry repeated slowly. “Only they didn’t start off being all about hating ponies, until they did. And then you left them because it was getting too hateful.”

Prasad inclined her head a single time. “Except it ain’t so simple. One day, it’s like I wake up from a bad dream and I says to myself, girl, you gotta get out of here. Easier said than done. Not to mention, when you get where you wanted to be… you find that others followed, and brought their baggage with them… stuff like that, it doesn’t ever quite wash away.”

“But you say you weren’t about the hating?”

“No, kid,” she sighed. “Just fighting for our lives, like any person has a right to. Before the rot crept in, there to stay.”

He swallowed, collected his thoughts, then spoke them in a low voice, gazing at his cuffs.

“Now I think about it, that makes two of us…”

“Well, why didn’t you leave, then?”

“I’m a medical practitioner,” he retorted, a hint of indignance rising in his throat. “Haven’t earned a full-time licence yet, but bound by oath, darnit!”

The pilot, meanwhile, turned glum, to Blackberry’s inward surprise and guilt.

“Did I, did I say something wrong?” he asked delicately.

“No, you remind me of someone I used to know.” Prasad sounded so utterly drained that for a brief flash, he couldn’t recognise her as the same person who, moments ago, had been holding back a whole cauldronful of anger behind that flintlock. “Always the young ones, get all worked up over a cause, and then they…”

She wearily shook her head, the side of it pressed to one hand resting against her vehicle.

“...Like that doe you talked to?” Blackberry began tentatively.

Prasad blinked twice, before letting out a surprisingly pleasant laugh.

“A doe,” she chuckled. “Wait till Bjorgman hears that one! You’ve really got no clue, do you?”

“W-well, she, she does sound like one, it reminds me of Hearthswarming Eve, that’s all!” Blackberry indignantly replied. “I-i-it’s an honest mistake!”

“Sure is, kid, sure is,” Prasad agreed heartily. “Funny thing is, that’s not the first time anyone’s called her doe-like. Personally, we think of her more as this lovable dork, a bit nosey in other people’s business, but at least she means well. She does have that… elvish aura around her. Heh, should get the others to pool money, see how she’ll react to a doe plush next month...”

“We may’ve run into something bigger, Sarge. I’m seeing a few of those nasty-looking ones… beating the others. It’s getting worse, but I have a clear shot. Is Plan B still viable? Over.”

“Negative, Nordfjell, hold your fire, over. Coxa?”

“Sir, I’ve successfully dispatched the first few guards on the way to the VIP, but I can’t hide out for too long, over.” Coxa replied.

“We need to start moving,” Sergeant Jaka muttered into his radio as they all snuck against the brickyard wall. “Go in loud and fast.”

“Loud, huh?” Lieutenant Scratch piped up, causing the others to turn to her. “I can do loud.”

“Good enough,” Jaka said approvingly, before continuing his talk with Coxa. “Lieutenant Coxa, clear the gates on your side. Lieutenant Scratch is going to clear the way first, over.”

“Understood, sir. Coxa out.”

“I just got one thing for Ana, though.”

“Yeah?”

“Watch my flank.” Vinyl’s smirked as she trotted away from the group. “You guys can admire it if you want.”

Before Jaka could do so much as form a rebuke, Harwood ruined what little semblance of professionalism remained by bursting into hysterical laughter.

“Ma’am, I like your style!”

Jaka decided to let the slip go, yet he mentally filed a note to have Harwood be the one sent out like this next time, should circumstances allow. Though knowing how things stood between he and Bjorgman, perhaps the results wouldn’t be altogether different, alas.

“Right, on your mark, Lieutenant.”

The large thugs stood in front of the gate, staring at the road with boredom. Their ears picked up as they heard the muffled sound of some very odd music coming further down the bend.

“What the hay is that?” one asked, only for another stallion to elbow him, pointing at a unicorn mare wearing purple shades, with white fur and a striking dual-toned blue mane approaching. They stared at her with confusion, wondering why she was swaying her backside around. At least one was clearly enjoying the show.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” the unicorn called out cheerfully.

“Well, things, were pretty boring, but they got a whole lot better now you’ve showed,” one cheeky stallion remarked, causing the mare’s smile to grow wider.

“Thanks, dude! You know how to make a mare feel good!” She dug into her pack in order to pull out a strange device, which she floated before him. “Here, it’s for you.”

“Uh…” the stallion held out his hoof and grabbed the thing. “What is it?”

The group watched as something was pulled out of the strange device, and tossed away. The mare then pulled on her earphones and the tint of her sunglasses grew darker.

“An experience,” she said before the world exploded in light and sound.

Everypony jumped in shock at the loud sound that burst from the gate, shouting and screams echoing out before it drew into silence.

“What’s going on?”

Locksmith stormed out of the warehouse. He blinked as the gate slammed open and a unicorn mare trotted in, along with several armed and armored beings behind her.

“I’ll show you how to really make a scene!” the mare yelled out, pulling out two small speakers from her saddlebag.

“GET ‘EM!” Locksmith roared, the gangsters rushing forward. He and his cronies raised their batons and staffs, ready to attack but the unicorn smirked, not intimidated in the least. She simply pulled out a small white rectangular device and awarding the charging group with a most beaming smile.

“Let’s party!” she crowed as three gangsters, large and heavy earthponies leapt at her, and the small speakers exploded in sound and magic. Locksmith’s jaw dropped as the entire charge was not only stopped, but was blown back into a large heap.

This… music, if it could even be called that, felt as though it had burst his eardrums, rattled all his teeth, and maybe even liquified his insides.

Amidst the chaos and confusion caused by the so-called music, Locksmith heard soft thumps, and all around him his underlings fell in stunned agony.

The ashen pegasus glared at the mare who had started it all.

“Who are you?!” he demanded.

The unicorn mare just smiled and replied, “You don’t know who I am? I’m the fucking Original DJ, bitch!”

“Picked up a bit of feedback down there, sir,” announced Specialist Resolute.

“Vanhoover-Actual,” said Marcus. “What’s the sitrep down there? Over.”

Silence briefly followed, interrupted by what sounded like Jaka clearing his throat.

“Is, is that music I hear?” Specialist Resolute said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s better if you hear it for yourself, sir,” the Sergeant deadpanned. “We’re not exactly all about–”

‘For the love of all that is holy,’ Marcus silently prayed, ‘Do NOT say ‘that bass’.’

“Conventional warfare,” the Sergeant finished.

Marcus blinked as the thrum of whatever genre of electronic music Vinyl was playing echoed through the radio. And followed with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

“God damn it, Vinyl. Just had to make a scene.”

“GAAAAH!”

Ana pushed her radio away, recoiling from the loud burst of - if her hearing hadn’t fooled her -  bass and screeching synths having taken her by surprise. Quickly enough, the sniper regained her composure and readjusted her sights.

‘Faen i helvete! What was that? Oh!’

Now snickering, the sniper returned to her scope, still trailing the guard post. It was all too clear that a certain DJ had broken cover and gone in shock and awe.

‘Gotta readjust the first hit a bit, blast!’

In spite of Vinyl’s rather abrupt breaking of the stealth element, the large crowd in the guard post had dispersed, leaving a much smaller group of opponents in its wake.

Fewer targets, fewer shots.

‘Well, here goes nothing. Good luck, everyone.’

For one stallion, it was as if the world had exploded into a cornucopia of colors and tastes. Past the harsh clang of the bells pounding at Noteworthy’s brains, past the smears which were clogging his sights in the stressed haze of his poor head being held dangerously close to the claypool’s surface by a murderous earthmare ready to drown him at the drop of a pin, the music of Vinyl Scratch shone through.

To many living creatures, when the red mist falls across their eyes, it is as though a burst of rage-fuelled vigour, of blood-pumped strength, a seething, desperate, angry desire to just live in defiance of how the world seeks to smother you, promptly takes over – that, there, is the ultimate expression of what life, beneath all the soothing sights and sounds and many other cues which compose the ordered rhythm of civilized society.

In his case, the pure energy released by the music filled him full of what could only be properly called determination.

“What the–”

Blackjack, the ruffian, had no time finish his phrase as, with a furious roar powered by this newfound second wind, Noteworthy reared up on his hindlegs, ignoring the weight applied on him by the much larger earthmare. The force of it reeled her, but she had the presence of mind not to loosen her forehooves from his shoulders.

Well, too bad for her.

Driven by an agility he hadn’t known he possessed, Noteworthy slammed his forehooves on the muddy edge of the claypool, an impact which sank them about three inches into the softened clay. He ignored it, pouring all his willpower into keeping them rock-steady, as the momentum sent him in a forward buck, throwing the surprised Cihuateto off and cartwheeling over his body, into the claypool with a mighty splash.

Mane flapping, Noteworthy sharply pulled his forehooves out of the mud to face Blackjack, who stood a few paces further away. By the look of it, the only reason why the thuggish unicorn hadn’t moved to intervene owed itself to getting taken off-guard by the simultaneous onslaught of the musical attack and a captive’s unexpected resistance. However, the element of surprise was already beginning to wear off, if the bared teeth and dark glint in his eye indicated anything.

Yet in a rush of sensation, the solution presented itself, like the missing piece on a puzzle. There was no question of letting this ruffian make the first move. And to that end, his own teeth set on edge, Noteworthy took the chance away from his tormentor.

Almost instantly, his cyan-blue aura manifested itself around the black baton Blackjack wore like a makeshift, cynical parody of a classy tie, and pulled. Under normal circumstances, he couldn’t have shifted a pony of such bulk more than a pace or two. But, with his strength multiplied by the adrenaline burst, and their standing on a muddy, slippery surface, it so happened that Noteworthy succeeded in yanking the thug’s necktie with such force, Blackjack fell face-forward into the sludge.

“Karma,” Noteworthy whispered, allowing himself a small vindictive grin.

He hadn’t the time to savor victory, as a stab of pain coursed through his hind leg. Yelping, he glanced backward to find what appeared to be over a dozen rotten eagle claws, emerging with a horrid slurping and popping sound from the dampened earth under his hooves, grabbing, clawing to drag him below with them.

To his bewilderment, Noteworthy saw that the earthmare hadn’t been struggling for long with the mass of wet clay he’d dunked her into. Much on the contrary, the very essence of the pool seemed to shift around her outstretched hooves, and judging by the aura of blood-red waves exuding from her, it was plain to see the malice directed at him.

“Vemana,” she uttered, a low rumbling in the back of her throat.

There was no doubt of it. Cihuateto would kill him if he did nothing to save himself.

A twinge ran through the length of his horn, and, eyes following the direction of its pull, he noticed his aura still wrapped around Blackjack’s baton. What had drawn his attention was the thug desperately pawing at the chain, obviously in distress – the thing had tightened on the white unicorn’s neck like a noose.

How easy would it be, to yank it just a little further…

“Stop!” he yelled at Cihuateto, his voice very different from the intimidated plea of when he’d last asked this of a thug. “Back off, or I’ll do it!” And as such, his voice sounded more ragged than he remembered.

She spotted her companion’s ordeal, and understood her former captive’s intent.

“You don’t have the guts,” the earthmare sneered. “You needed us for this, didn’t you? If you could really choke him, you would’ve already done it.”

“And give you all the more reason to strangle me?” Noteworthy shouted back defiantly. “No! Leave me and the other two alone, I leave you alone, that’s how it goes! I’m n-not someone who… does it… for the fun!”

“Fun’s just a side bonus,” Chihuateto said off-hoofedly. “Mostly, it’s the money, moreso for these colts. Sometimes, it’s just revenge.”

Bells, bells resounding harder than ever on the walls of his skull. Cihuateto gave him a look bordering on pity, like a stern parent tut-tutting before their misbehaving foal.

“You’re not going to do it. Not far gone enough. Some people, one bad day’s all it takes. But not you… you’re too soft-hearted for that.”

Was he really? For a moment, not just her immediate vicinity, but the whole of his world had turned red, the response of a soul who’d taken so much of seeing others suffer in one day...

Something caught his eye. The injured mare, looking at him pleadingly, and next to her, the village brickmaker, whose gaze never quite wandered towards the unfolding clash of wills. Suddenly, it all became clear to Noteworthy.

“Alright,” he whispered. “You want him? Then CATCH!”

And with a supreme effort of will, he telekinetically hurled Blackjack into the claypool, straight at the earthmare. Just as he’d hoped, the simple unexpected nature of the action caused her to lose focus, all claws and witchery dissolved into dust. He was free, for the time it took to flee.

Catching his breath, Noteworthy briskly trotted over to other two ponies left in the claypit.

“Nice goin’, blue boy,” Fuse grunted. “Ya better be makin’ tracks.”

“We can’t leave you here, sir!” Noteworthy protested, reaching over to fumble with the thick ropes which covered the brickmaker’s whole torso, binding his forehooves behind his back.

Fuse pushed him away with a bump of the shoulder. “Knew the guy who knotted these up. Ya won’t get ‘em loose in time, son. Give it up, and scram, if ya know what’s good for ya.”

“Then we can carry y–”

“And apply more weight to that poor mare’s ribs?” Fuse snapped. “No, save up yer strength for her! Besides, even if both of ya were unharmed, would be useless... Too heavy for the little ones, like yerselves,” he concluded morosely.

“Telekinesis…” Noteworthy started, unwilling to let the matter drop.

“Jus’ go, damn ya!” Fuse barked at him. “No need for ya to pay the price, you or the mare! I’s the one they want, I can deal with ‘em. Now get yerselves someplace safe, so one can claim at least some good came outta this!”

“How?” the injured mare whimpered. “There’s thugs everywhere, and now, whatever just made that awful racket!”

The brickmaker’s left ear flicked towards something behind him, much to their bewilderment, given how there was nothing be seen there except more damp earth, its sole distinguishing feature being that it was set below an prominently jutting part of the grassy overhang which marked the line between claypit and the terrain above.

“What… what you trying to say?” she managed to stammer.

He shook his head impatiently. “Secret passage. Over there, see that circular patch, right beneath the overhang? That ain’t just earth, it’s an entranceway covered by a curtain of old corn and grits colored ta look like some random piece of earth. Wouldn’t catch yer eye… unless ya knew where to look.”

“And where would that lead?” enquired Noteworthy, still trying to wrap his head around the idea of a secret passage.

“Back to my office, brickyard,” Fuse admitted reluctantly. “Everywhere really. Tend to use it find slackers or make surprise visit to the other areas of the yard. No matter. But go halfway,” he added, spotting the looks on their faces, “Hole up ‘til this blows over, and ya should be fine. Hopefully’.”

“Look–”

“No buts! Jus’, jus’ go!”

With great reluctance, Noteworthy left Fuse, an apologetic look plastered upon his face, to help the injured mare stand, gingerly laying her bad hoof, the left one, around his withers for support. It was all covered in mud like the rest of her, staining her cute chartreuse mane and frilled pink vest into a colorless mess, but then, he hardly any better off.

She nudged him, relieved.  “C’mon, sir. Let’s, let’s get outta here.”

And without looking back, they headed towards the circular patch Fuse had pointed out.

A small, angry web of cracks slowly snaked its way across a patch of the kiln’s interior wall.

“Empty!” Minus snarled, biting into her lip deep enough to draw blood as she nursed her bruised forehoof. “I refuse to believe it. Go to all the trouble of locking a guy up, don’t so much as have the decency to keep ‘em trapped. It’s as if these days, you can’t even trust a ruffian to act like a proper ruffian anymore! What is the world coming to?”

Rarity felt the onset of a headache coming on.

At the Ranger’s insistence, she’d left her horn permanently lit up, in order to channel all her energies into guarding the entrance to the kiln – nothing more than a slab of granite on a spring, designed to be pulled down effortlessly into a makeshift ramp, which would then close up automatically – from trapping them in turn. This was no easy task, for a slab capable of carrying Fuse’s bulk could give the most concentrated unicorn’s magic a run for their money, and to make matters worse, she was standing at the edge of the huge granite trapdoor.

“Well,” she commented, keeping her tone cool and clipped. “Looks like the choice has been made for us. We’ve got to rescue Major Bauer first.”

Her companion took several deep, catching breaths. “Yeah…” said Minus, with a reluctance she barely concealed. “Yeah, nothing else for it, I guess. But something feels wrong here. I see either one of two reasons why they’d let Fuse out, neither of them good. First option, if we’re lucky, he’s agreed to rejoin their gang.”

“And if we’re unlucky?”

“Wait up, Rarity,” Minus snapped. But her expression quickly softened a little, though her cheeks grew no less flush. “He would never do that, not if I know him at all. I’d pursue him to the ends of the world if he did, and he cares far too much to let me spend the remainder of my days chasing after him.”

And Rarity knew, by the look in the Ranger’s eye, that Minus wasn’t using any of these familiar terms in the way the heroines would in the romance novels she liked to read.

“So where are they?” Rarity asked.

“I’m not sure,” Minus admitted. “Though at a rough guess based on past happenings, we’re probably dealing not just with your typical money-grabbing horse thieves, but full-on insane cultists bent on committing a blood sacrifice, then getting sloshed during the after-party.”

Rarity forced the horrible images out of her imaginary sight, which wasn’t as hard as she thought it might be, after the pictures she’d seen and the testimonies she’d heard of the Solar Tyrant’s crimes against life. That idea brought her scant comfort.

“Why would you think that?” Rarity asked.

“I’ve been around,” Minus said.

“Still,” Rarity mused. “Sacrifice? Wouldn’t they need some sort of, I don’t know, altar for that? Where’d you find one of those in a brickyard?”

This remark was greeted with a great clap of the forehooves from the Ranger.

“Only one place for it,” Minus smirked triumphantly. “Claypit.”

“Oh,” Rarity sighed wearily. “And here I was, thinking things could only get worse.”

Minus raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t that be ‘couldn’t get any worse’?”

“No, no, things can always get worse, I’ve learned that now.” Almost on cue, a loud bang echoed out from outside the kilnhouse. The sound of shouting and gunfire roared past them, prompting Rarity to sagely nod and indicated the wall as if to prove a point. “See, what did I tell you, it got worse. So, not only have we got a fight breaking out all around us, but why did they have to get so messy on top of everything else?

“Now don’t tell me you still mind dirt...”

“Of course!” cried Rarity. “But I’m talking about more than mere dirt in this chaos! Do you have the faintest idea who’s fighting who at this point? Because I don’t think I do. Everything’s coming apart at the seams here!”

“Hold up. Let’s see if yer really Zecora this time,” Applejack said, a hint of warning in her voice.

Standing beside an out-of-breath Fluttershy, who’d forced herself into engaging in the back- and leg-stretching muscle exercises the Major had taught them to preserve stamina, the zebra witch-doctor just gave her an impassive stare, prior to nodding a single time.

“Alright. Gonna ask ya a question only the true Zecora could answer,” pursued Applejack, enunciating each of her words carefully. “Sumwhat she told me after Luna’s visit on Nightmare Night. Why do yer do that rhymin’ thing, and almost no other zebra does?”

It was indistinct, yet a shimmer of sorrow gleamed in the Everfree witch-doctor’s eye.

“Although you may know me as a healer of bodies today,” she said softly, “it used to be so that I had not found my way. Once was I driven by impetuosity of youth, and fancied myself a greater healer than that, forsooth! Aye, a wise mare to bring the balm to people’s very soul. But of course, that arrogance was to take its toll. Pray do not ask me to give you the full detail! We are not to know of all which lies beyond the veil. Cast out was I by my people from my home, left to wander and mayhaps atone. Suffice to say that just as I once pursued unholy incantation, it now is my penance to speak only in recitation.”

Applejack drank in her words. Stared at her. And reached to grasp Zecora in a bear hug.

“Exactly the same words you told me…” Applejack whispered. “Why ya can relate to Luna.”

Fluttershy joined them in sharing the comforting embrace.

Grunting, heaving, Stephan labored to drag Discord behind one of shelves of drying bricks, Erma helping him at best she could by picking up her father’s tail. When Discord let out a pained howl despite Stephan’s best efforts in gently setting him down, Erma was prompt to leap into his open arms, an action which solicited a discrete smile of fondness from the sick Chaos Lord.

“Ihr versteckt euch hier, ja?” Stephan told them, kneeling next to the pair, still clutching his newly-acquired orichalcum knife, the only weapon he had in this place.

“Uh… what…” groaned Discord.

“Looks like we’ve got company.” Stephan growled, staring at the doors with trepidation. “They may try to come in here and use us as a shield, as negotiation for their release and a free pass out of here.”

“Well… we can’t, can’t have that now can we?” Discord coughed out, placing a paw atop of Erma’s head. She puffed up her cheeks, little fangs extending from her mouth in an effort to look vicious, but Discord indulgently pressed the fangs back inside with a thumb, making her blanch self-consciously. “Now now, daughter of mine. You’ve done enough as it is.”

“We will sit and wait. If our kidnappers come in, then we fight,” Stephan leaned back as the sound of rushing hooves echoed through the doors. “But if it’s our people, best bet would be to stay down and out of the way of fire.”

“Sounds… ugh… sounds good. Yeah,” were Discord’s final comments, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, falling unconscious once more. Erma stared at him with worry, tugging at his limp arm. Stephan ruffled her hair in an effort to reassure her.

“Worry not, Mädchen,” he said kindly. “Your father’s just sleeping. For now, I want you to be quiet, in case they come.”

“We should be safe in here.”

The tunnel was wide enough for as many as three equines of above-average height to walk through standing side-by-side. On the downside, there was no lighting, natural or otherwise, so the soft cyan glow of Noteworthy’s horn served as their only guide. He asked himself how an earthpony like Short Fuse, or his pegasus wife, could possibly navigate their way down here without seeing anything. Maybe they just had the whole route memorized.

Over the course of the journey, supporting the mare with her injured hoof slung over his wickers, Noteworthy’s forehooves had been carefully tracing the cavernous walls dug into the earth. At long last, they found what he was looking for, tapping into a wooden panel up to head height. Satisfied, he indicated to the mare that she could let go and lay down for some rest.

“This must be the entrance to the office,” he deduced. “Guess that if walk on any further, we’ll come across some other exits or what have you. But we don’t know where they lead, so best we stay here like he suggested, and wait it out.”

“Seems awfully paranoid, doesn’t it, though,” the injured mare remarked, pressing her back to the wooden panel. “Building them hidden entrances and tunnels all around your place of work.”

Noteworthy shrugged, hoping he came off as more confident than he felt. Images of the fight with Cihuateto, the unearthly claws seeking to drag him down into the earth’s depths, how he himself had nearly committed a drastic act against a fellow pony, kept burning in his retinas.

“Paranoid, yet a life-savior,” he muttered.

“Yeah,” she replied quietly. “Too bad it couldn’t save the poor chap… whoever he was.” The injured mare blinked at him, holding back tears, still clutching at her ubiquitous flowery hoofbag. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. Hardly remember where I live or what my name is… only that humans are scary, and now, ponies can be too...”

“Hey,” Noteworthy told her gently. “Less of the glum talk, okay? Everything’s going to be alright.”

“How?” she sniffled. “How’s everything gonna be alright?”

“Well, first off, we should start going over what we do remember,” he said brightly. “Our names, for instance. Should’ve done that from the start, saves everyone a lot of trouble, asking people their names. I’ll go first. Mine’s Noteworthy, what’s yours?”

She stared at him, blushing. “It’s Peachbottom.”

“Peachbottom?”

“My parents loved me,” the injured mare insisted, a little defensively.

“No doubt they did, Miss,” Noteworthy said, attempting to soothe her. “Nothing to do with you, only, it’s… funny, for me. Not like you think,” he hastened to add. “It’s just, I see these colors… But anyway, yeah, sure they must have loved you. I’m sure they loved you very much. After all, those are the kinds of things we’re fighting the humans for, to keep safe, right?”

“Trying to fight the humans for,” Peachbottom corrected him, nervously groping her hoofbag. “I’m… I’m just a frightened mare, M-mister N-no-noteworthy.”

“Well, you must of had a reason to be here… With time, you would remember why, and maybe come to an understanding with it. You have to be pretty brave to be here, at the very least.”

Peachbottom blushed softly at his words, but nodded along eagerly. “Heh, maybe? I… I can barely handle being in here.”

“Scared of the dark?” Noteworthy asked as the light on his horn grew with intensity.

“No, scared of being t-trapped…” she murmured.

“Ah, I see.”

Noteworthy quietly guided her down the narrow tunnel, doing his best to calm the skittish mare. Inquisitive as ever, he took note of a few tunnels that branched off the main tunnel, no doubt leading to other entrances and exits around the burly, secretive stallion’s yard. And blinked in shock as a loud bang echoed all around him, causing him to take a step back, letting go of the mare in his charge for a second.

An eternity passed. He flicked his ears, but there was nothing to be heard except his own ragged breathing.

“Come along, Miss. We need… to…” Noteworthy blinked in utter shock when he realized he was missing said mare by his side.

“Miss Peachbottom!” he called down the darkened tunnel. “Miss Peachbottom, where are you!”

“Hear a noise, Minus?” Rarity asked, jolting her horn to light up more of the surrounding gloom.

“Psst, keep your voice low, Miss Rarity,” Minus advised her from up ahead, trotting quite at ease down the lengths of tunnel network, light or no light. “Nobody else knows about these hidden passageways, but better safe than–”

Something whooshed past them in the near-dark, stopping the Ranger dead in her tracks.

“Good grief!” she exclaimed. “Did you see that?”

“Barely,” Rarity admitted, shaking. “No chance to get a good look at it. All I picked up on was that whatever it was, it was peach-colored, I think.”

“Peach-colored?” Minus repeated. “Huh, maybe a giant mole. Didn’t seem interested in hurting us any, after all. Never heard of any peach-colored ones, though…”

“How much further are we?” Rarity demanded, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. Despite letting off steam, she’d felt ready and capable enough on the surface. Down here, however, nothing in her training had prepared her for playing “tunnel rat”, and as such, she was left dependent on Minus for the duration of this trek, a constraint she did not enjoy.

“Just another two corners,” replied Minus, who had a knack for getting asked that question not long before arrival time. “Follow me this way, and…”

Her voice trailed off. She was too far ahead for Rarity to see what troubled her in the darkness.

“What is it now?”

“Oh, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” Minus swore, yet the force wasn’t in her tone. She merely looked and sounded thoroughly dejected. “The entrance… it’s gone.”

With some trepidation, Fuse stared at the cloud of dust slowly drifting past the two enforcers as, they looked over the collapsed entrance with blank stares. Not two seconds ago, using her savage magic, the earthmare, Macua or whatever she called herself, had only just finished placing a last patch of wet clay over it, and in perfect tandem, Blackjack’s horn had hardened the slop into a crust, sealing that path forever.

‘I’ve been out the game for a long time… Miss Do must’ve been of been more hindrance to the Doc than I realized, rubbing it in his face by making money off it in writing, while he got shafted by the deals and his name got dragged in the mud…’

Given his own damp, sticky situation, the irony of that last statement did not escape Fuse. His eyes narrowed as that thought trailed to a certain someone. ‘And Minus didn’t see a single bit this entire time. Beginning to understand Jacky’s mare’s hatred now, always thought Do was too headstrong and full of bravado, but without Minus or anypony else to curb those tendencies… Damn it, ‘Daring’, what did you do?’

“Yer know,” he coughed out, “I don’t think Doc would like ya optin’ for straight-up murder. Don’t fit his sense of style, nor playfulness.”

Blackjack wiped the last of the clay off himself. “Normally, you’d be right… but...”

“No more games,” Cihuateto cut him off, giving Blackjack a sly look. “Just as the adventurer must learn that actions have consequences, so too must those who stand in our way.”

Blackjack sighed, yet nodded acquiescence. “Doc Caballeron’s trying to run a business, Shorty. And if good old-fashioned tomb raiding won’t make ends meet, he’s got to look someplace else outside the rule of law for his pet projects.”

“Which means going a step up from the schoolcolt villainies advertised by the adventurer in her, must it be said, quite watered-down series of books…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Fuse growled sardonically. “Yer truly are the tough guys now, ain’tcha.”

“More than you can possibly know…” Blackjack muttered.

‘I have to get out, I have to get out, give me the sky, please gimme a way out! IdontwanttobehereanymoreIwantoutOUTOUTOUTOUT!’

Peachbottom rushed through the tunnels, blind in the darkness and suffocating beneath the tonnes of dirt surrounding her as she bumped into the too-small corners and twists and turns. She slammed right into a wall, hooves scrambling for a way out, but only meeting more dirt.

“No! Nonononononono!” Peachbottom cried out in terror. “Let me out! Please!”

Wailing, she threw her hooves up and hit the ceiling, a loud thud echoing out and for a second, glorious light shone through a gap created by the impact, one too finely linear and narrow to be just a crack. The darkness returned a second later, but Peachbottom remembered the light, and felt for where it had come from, and literally touched wood. She had figured her way out!

“Yes!”

Cheering, she threw her hooves up again, slamming the hidden trapdoor open with brute force. She giggled madly as she leapt out of the hole, kicking the door shut with a smile on her face. Yet when she turned around, she instantly froze in shock at the sight of the two-legged being standing behind her, its head cocked to the side. It slowly raised its firearm, aiming towards her.

“Hold–”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! DOOOON’T EAAAAT MEEEE!”

Her hooves scrambled for purchase, ripping up the floorboards below her with ease as she raced away and ran through the nearest empty shelf, shattering it like mere plywood.

Harwood stared for a second before giving chase, jumping after the crazed mare through the mess of splinters she’d made, just in time to see here plowing through several thugs in the courtyard outside, sending them flying with looks of utter surprise on their faces.

He winced as the unfortunate ponies, none of whom had wings, crashed back into the ground, one of them not ten paces away from Vinyl, still at her speakers.

As plainly taken aback as anyone else, even for someone who claimed they’d seen it all, the DJ lowered her shades to stare as the mare raced wildly around the yard, plowing through equipment and stacks of crates without even slowing.

Screaming all the way, Peachbottom constantly shifted directions in a rush of people and places as everyone tried to stop her, corralling her to another section of the warehouse. She just wanted to go home! Why did she have to be here! It wasn’t fair!

She turned the corner to find another thug blocking her path.

Sliding to a halt, the poor little injured mare that she was froze stiff as he began to quickly race towards her, the adrenaline rush falling away and removing the numbness by which she could ignore that twisting pain in her ribs. Frightened, she tried to back off, but he was gaining on her.

Only for a blur to slam into his side, slamming him straight into the nearby warehouse’s wall.

Peachbottom’s savior, a red pegasus flapped his wings several times in her direction, waving not at her, but signalling somepony she couldn’t see. She didn’t care, though. At last, she thought excitedly, here was a pony willing to fully protect her, with his kind smile and that wonderful fiery mane. Peachbottom was all for throwing herself at him…

Until green flames engulfed his entire being.

Dread took hold of her as the unwantedly familiar and terrifying form of a Changeling took the fabulous-looking stallion’s place.

“NOOOOOOOO!”

The panicking mare threw herself to the side, plowing through a crate like it wasn't even there, her eyes so focused on the Changeling behind her that she didn't even notice the–

A wall of downy fat, fur, feathers, and muscle abruptly sent her flying backwards.

“Ooof!” the massive black-headed griffon squawked, clutching at the spot where she’d inadvertently hit his lower abdominal region. “Well now, lil’ Miss, that is quite the tumble you took there. Any faster and you could’ve embedded yourself in my belly!”

“... Meep,” Peachbottom whimpered. “IpromiseItasteterribleandI’llgiveyouindigestion!”

“Eh?” the griffon asked. “Didn’t catch that–”

But Peachbottom didn’t stay to hear the rest of it, for she managed to give the massive griffon the slip as she fled, away from the courtyard before the kilnhouse and toward the delivery depot at the back of the brickyard. She didn’t look back, neither at the Changeling, nor at the griffon, not at anything as she barreled through the hastily patched gap. All she cared about right now was running free through and through, away from all of those nasty gangsters and those strangers and alien creatures and whatnot.

A shadow descended upon her.

Without even looking up, she’d barely managed to dodge out of its way when the ashen pegasus crashed onto the ground, a hateful glare leveled at her.

So close, so close...

“Now then,” Locksmith began in a low voice. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Please let me go, mister...” Peachbottom sobbed. “I d-don’t mean any trouble for y’all...”

“SHUT UP!” he roared. “I don’t wannna hear anything come out of yer piehole, lady. Someone had the bright idea of ruining me and my boys’ plan, and now, don’t even care who, someone’s gotta pay.”

The thug ringleader glared at Peachbottom so fiercely, all other pain in her body seemed to simply glaze over, and a numbing chill took hold over, helpless as she was to do anything except back against the depot’s thick brick wall. The growing mess in the claypit suddenly felt far, far more preferable over whatever unpleasantness the ashen pegasus had in mind.

But she lived to regret her lack of action, for the next thing she knew, Locksmith had pounded forward with a hoof aimed at her bruised leg, and white-hot pain consumed her entire being. She bowed over, struggling as the impact rippled throughout her body.

Locksmith loomed over Peachbottom, mouth contorted in a twisted grin.

“Ya bloody ‘Loyalists’, nothing more than shy lambs being led by wolves into a slaughter,” he taunted her. “Ya all thought ya were doing such great things… but in the end, you were sacrifices for the ‘greater good’. Bah! If we were in charge? Ya’d be seeing a lot less of us, and a lot more ‘missing pony’ posters. But enough dawdlin’, I'm gonna get my pound of flesh.”

“Wh… why?”

“Because,” Locksmith said, “Everything has gone flank-end-up, and I am sure as Tartarus coming outta here with somethin’. Don’t much care much as I get mine.” His smile grew more deranged as he towered over her. “Frankly… coulda made a better career choice than fightin’ for yer country. Ya don’t have that spark... but I do… So let me SHOW you!”

Peachbottom’s mouth opened for a scream as Locksmith’s wings flared open...

But a crack sounded out, and the thug reared back in shock.

“What now?” he roared. “What sort of hay-chewing, horseapple-brained moron had the bright id–”

“I did,” replied a gruff, weathered voice from somewhere above Peachbottom. “And if I were you, I’d let the lass go.”

“HAH! And who do you think you are?!” Locksmith spat back. “Fancy yerself some sorta white knight in shining armor?!”

His challenger’s response came with a bang, in the shape of a volley of diminutive projectiles, of the sort fired by the griffons’ flintlocks, yet sleeker, sharper, speeding by almost too fast for the naked eye. They scarcely missed their target to hit the cobble-stoned ground behind him.

Shivering, Peachbottom fearfully looked up.

A grey-headed gregarious griffon hovered above the two, his eyes narrowed at Locksmith. Armed with a blade and a black firearm that was surely of human design, the weathered-looking griffon swooped down in front of Locksmith, his sword drawn.

“Let the lass go, gangster swine, and yield,” he said menacingly.

“Ain’t your fight, featherbrain!” Locksmith yelled, stomping a hoof hard on the cobblestones, interposing himself between the griffon and Peachbottom. “Ya don’t get it, do ya? We had the Chaos Lord in our grasp and you had to go ruin it all!”

“This is not how it works, colt.” The elderly griffon swung his blade at Locksmith, stopping just inches away from cutting his throat. “Way I see it, the crimes you jokers did? That’s worth a couple years spent in the dungeons. Now, as I’ve said, yield!”

Unfortunately for him, in keeping his eyes focused square on the ashen pegasus’ wings, the elderly griffon failed to spot in indistinct movement of his rear hoof...

“LOOK OUT!”

Her panicked warning came a second too late, for the pegasus, taking advantage of a sharp crack his hoof had made in the cobblestones, reached downward and throw a gritty hooful of dirt into the griffon’s face. Dazed and confused, the elderly griffon barely managed to parry a stab of the knife Locksmith had kept tucked under one wing, but the blade ever so slightly tilted left, sending it into his hind legs instead of what would have been a fatal slash.

The griffon took off with a powerful wave of his wings, his flintlock pointed straight at Locksmith. The volley of projectiles from it was enough to force the ashen pegasus to take flight as well, stabbing and slashing with utter malice and vicious desire.

But, from Celestia knows where, something whizzed by. It was clearly another invisible projectile of some sort, for the depot wall close to where Peachbottom lay cowering suddenly had a tiny, circular hole carved out of a spot which had been solid brick just before.

“Huh?” she asked weakly.

Seizing the opportunity, the elderly griffon’s claws curled into a fist and struck the ashen pegasus across the face. Lockmsith recoiled from the blow, yet he did not fall, and just raised his head to flash his opponent with a look that spoke utter loathing.

“Stand down!” a foreign voice barked.

And in strode a black-clad human, hand raised to reveal one more black firearm. The human’s features were hidden by its mask, and it towered over Peachbottom. “Stand down now!”

With a grunt, Locksmith grabbed the elderly griffon with his hooves and threw him down, striking the human and sending them both tumbling. He spat, pointing at the three below.

“This ain’t over yet! I’ll get you all next ti– AAARGH!”

And the thug ringleader lurched back in pain, as a cloud of blood and flesh exploded from where his right ear should be. Before a second impact could tear his head off, he dashed away, out of the group’s sight or reach, through an open upper-storey window into the delivery depot.

“Missed the shot, Actual,” spoke a distinctly feminine, soft-spoken voice, from somewhere out the ether, so far as the increasingly woozy Peachbottom could tell. “But target should be incapacitated, over.”

“Understood, Nordfjell. We’ll take it from here,” the human said as he stood up, dusting himself, taking in both Peachbottom and the elderly griffon as if noticing them for the first time.

“Take the civilian inside the kilnhouse,” he ordered. “Should be safer for her now.”

“Aye aye, Sergeant,” the elderly griffon said in response.

The human marched back in, weapon in hand. Gazing after his retreating form, for a moment, Peachbottom felt her heart sink, even as her head began to spin in a daze and the long-dormant pain from her bruised ribs started to overwhelm her.

“Alright, lass, come up. I’ll take you inside,” the elderly griffon said wearily. “The rest of the boys should be cleaning up right around now. It’ll be safer for you as well.”

“No, no-no-no, don’t take me back in there, please...” Peachbottom said in a daze, lazily waving him off, her vision rapidly blacking out.

“Calm down, lass,” the old gentleman of a griffon grunted, hoisting her over his back. “You’re in no condition to brave the Everfree by yourself.”

“I… I can’t, please.”

“We’ve got someone to help you, don’t worry. It will all be alright.”

Peachbottom idly wondered to what extent the griffon’s words would hold true, as she lapsed into unconsciousness.

It was, as her companion might have said, a full house. All around them, fellow gang members were busy beating a hasty retreat back to the drying shed, most of them sporting some form of injury or another on their bodies.

“The deck was stacked against us,” Blackjack muttered as they discreetly retreated back into the claypit, the queasy popping sound of splintering bone echoing out once more from up ahead, one of their own crying out in pain. “Lady Luck just isn't on our side, Macua.”

Cihuateto could have screeched. She could have stamped and cursed and raved at the unholy vengeance she’d rain down on these intrusive aliens for getting in the way of her purpose. But that was not how she went about such situations when they arose. She looked back, and there in the claypit she saw Fuse’s motionless form, still breathing, and more importantly, still lying bound by ropes in the mud.

A cold smile graced her lips. “Are you saying we ought to cut our losses, partner?”

Blackjack nodded urgently, “We need to escape, cover our tracks so they can't follow...”

Her companion hurriedly took several steps away as the same sickly glow began to envelope the whole of Cihuateto’s wiry frame. And as that occurred, her sword, hovering even with no unicorn magic to guide its path, took a glide past Fuse and nicked at his left cheek, drawing a spot of blood. Apart from a token wince, this provoked no response from the brickmaker, not that she was awaiting one. No, what mattered was when she brought the sword’s tip in touch with the same lower, wetted depths of this pit of clay where they’d taken an involuntary swim earlier today, piercing through into a space in which something new would take shape.

“Don’t you worry, Blackjack. The likes of Short Fuse and Locksmith can deal with griffons, they can deal with wild dogs and zebras, but when faced with an otherworldly threat…”

Her smile grew more feral, in tune with the rate at which the magic began to spread from her body towards the ground. Close by, the hitherto stagnant and opaque yet tranquil surface of the claypool began to bubble, to froth, to groan.

“What better than another otherworldly threat?”

Converge (3/4)

Converge - Part Three

Authors:

Redskin122004

VoxAdam

Sledge115

Editors:

ProudToBe

Bendy

DoctorFluffy

KizunaTallis

Dances with Unicorns

Proof Readers:

Dustchu

Carpinus Caroliniana

Noteworthy wasn’t quite sure what had transpired.

Whatever had breached the gate sent everypony into a chaotic mess, a mass of bodies charging blindly in all directions. Projectiles flew by, no doubt from those odd flintlocks wielded by the PHL. So alien were these weapons in design, they looked like something right out of a science-fiction novel, compared to a typical griffon’s flintlock. If what he had heard was true, these were man-and-equine-made weapons that sought to substitute wooden gun stocks for advanced composites – and evidently, they could spew out rounds like an angry beehive.

Down below, Locksmith’s thugs were fighting the raiders, as Noteworthy’s fellow Loyalists scampered around in a panic. Fighting being a relative term, for the pegasus mare and human soldier forming the opposition easily cut through the disorganized gangsters in a combination of bullet fire and melee strikes. One of the two griffons swooped down and joined the fight, easily swatting aside the charging thugs with his stout build. And from the corner of his eye, Noteworthy spotted green flashes as the Changeling soldier he had barely evaded swapped forms rapidly, blending in amongst the rabble.

Scrambling by the various pinups and newspaper articles about Fuse’s brickyard clipped from the Foal Free Press hanging by in the office wall, he saw a unadorned desk.  Skidding to a halt, he grabbed a blank sheet of paper with his forehoof and a pen with his mouth, hurriedly setting these down.

And then, a thought crossed his mind.

‘Who am I trying to contact? Am I just someone’s patsy? Just like my cousin? Patsy?’

By all accounts, he hesitated too long, for the utilitarian door slammed open. And the imposing figure which stepped through was the last figure he’d expected, or hoped to meet.

The human stood tall and motionless, an inscrutable gaze hidden behind a mask of sorts. Clad in dark cloth and armor, the sight of it nearly caused Noteworthy’s mind to crumble.

Without another word, another thought for his unwritten letter, he fled.

“Clear!”

Harwood decked another foolish earthpony assailant to the cobbled ground with a kick. As the team’s medical officer looked up, he spotted Sergeant Jaka through the window, inside the office interior, kick-chop a fleeing Loyalist as they made a beeline for the doorway, knocking them flat on their face. Satisfied, the tall Asian man waved towards Harwood with the ‘all clear’ sign.

“Cease fire! Cease your fire!”

Jaka’s voice echoed out through the area, which fell abruptly silent as Snow Mist stopped firing her assault yoke. After their commanding officer had given the Loyalist he’d just knocked out a cursory glance, he jumped off the railing, and then silently motioned Gilford and Coxa to guard the nearest entrances, both to and from the courtyard.

“Casualty report?” Jaka asked without haste, his eyes scanning the prone and weakly stirring forms of the various Loyalists scattered around the courtyard. The non-lethal rubber bullets which the team had been supplied with, though somewhat a rare commodity given the time, had performed their task admirably.

“Two confirmed dead, the rest injured on the opposition. I can neither confirm nor deny the state of the poor buggers who tried bowling over the bloody wall, Sarge. Looks like they all got caught in that magical ‘net’ thing. Friendlies...” Harwood did a quick head count. “None, sir.”

‘Apart from that limp, don’t think I didn’t see you there, you old bird,’ he thought, spotting Gilford’s attempt to hide a slight, merely inconvenient leg injury as he hoisted an unconscious figure over his dowdy shoulder. ‘And, well, think Ana’s worked up a bit of a sweat by now, if that counts.’

With an estimated total of fifteen captors and fifteen hostages, that left all but two in the latter category accounted for, with two of the former dead, five captured or incapacitated, five more on the run with Snow Mist and Lieutenant Scratch in hot pursuit, and three more whose circumstances were yet to be determined. It had all gone by quite fast.

Before Jaka could reply, however, a weak grunt from Gilford’s charge interrupted them.

“Hold your fire, Sarge,” Harwood declared instinctively, hand outstretched. “Think I’ll pry some info out of this one, if you don’t mind.”

“Make it quick, Harwood,”

“I will, sir,” Harwood promised. “Gilford, if I may?”

Cautiously, the elderly griffon lowered the injured pony. A mare, it would seem.

"Mercy. Please, don’t kill me," she pleaded in a low voice, eyes widened in panic behind a tassled chartreuse mane. The canthus of her left eye was white with fear, and hot, salty tears fell down her cheeks whilst her peachy body shook like a leaf.

“Careful with that one, Harwood!” Wolfsschanze called out from across the courtyard. “She’s a bit banged up, she’s a jumpy one, that lass!”

“I’ll have to vouch for that,” Gilford added in agreement. “Some ruffian tried to rough her up. He’s still in the brickyard somewhere.”

Harwood acknowledged them both with a single nod, as he inspected the mare’s frightened, middle-aged face. Definitely a civilian, and even if she was a Loyalist, well, she seemed very far from home.

“Calm down, you’ve got quite the nasty bruise down here,” Harwood calmly said, ignoring the mare’s whimpering as he kneeled down to assess the damage done to her foreleg. Upon noticing how she pulled back, however, he carefully removed his mask with his other hand, lips crinkling into what he hoped was a comforting smile.

“Please, try not to shiver too much, would you?” he asked with about as much kindness as he could muster, carefully looking over her wounds, for the mare, much to his consternation, had clearly suffered a brutal impact. Nobody on the team could have done this without being in direct violation of orders.

“Are, are y-you a doctor?” she asked timidly.

“Chief medical officer, technically. And I can assure you, I’m a trained one at that,” he continued nonchalantly, spare hand reaching for a syringe in his slung kit. “I don’t usually spare this for injured opponents, so consider yourself lucky, miss.”

The mare flinched when Harwood injected his morphine syringe into her leg, but relaxed as the drug did its work. Satisfied, he gave the mare his best and most charming smile –  though Ana might disagree on that last one. Might. She’d never admit to it.

“That wasn’t so hard was it? Try to loosen up, please, your heart rate’s a bit high.” Harwood told her encouragingly, patting the mare’s back. Terrified as she was, she seemed to ease up under his touch.

“T-thank you, mister,” she said nervously.

“It’s fine, miss,” Harwood replied graciously. “But in return, would you mind helping out a bit? Need a bit of intel here and there, and we can assure your safety, I guarantee it.”

The mare did hesitate, but she nodded anyway.

“Y-yes, mister, I’ll try.”

“Good!” Harwood cheerfully said. “Now, would you kindly tell us, ah, who’s that burly fellow you’ve all been cowering under? He seems to have given us the slip, and it would be very nice of you if you could tell us a few details, aye?”

The battle on the ground may be over for her teammates gathered in the brickyard courtyard, but to Second Lieutenant Snow Mist, the fight raged on in the skies, as a pair of hostile pegasi persisted in ducking and swooping on her position. Luckily, she had the best backup, and together they were busy tackling the stragglers and runaways.

“On your six!”

“Got ‘em!” responded Lieutenant Scratch from below.

“You’re quick!”

“This ain’t nothing yet, Misty! Just getting started!”

It was anything but over, she thought. She darted left and right down the air currents, hurtling against both her opponents with abandon, but for each blow she struck, her backup below would land two more, gauding her three opponents to come back for a third, a fourth helping. To be fair, Lieutenant Scratch had come equipped with a bass cannon. Now that thing’s a beast, technically non-lethal, yes, but a beast nonetheless. With every note booming through its speakers, enemies were sent flying up and away. It was loud, crude, and so very cool, not unlike its owner, in Mist’s humble opinion.

“Twelve!” she called out anew.

“Oop! Another one down.”

Still, she’d be damned if she allowed some unicorn DJ to take the lead over the finest cloudsmare in all of Vanhoover and Northern Equestria. Hauling forth a tethered stormcloud, no amount of shade would be enough to hide from her mighty thunder and lightning. Even in miniature form, thunder and lightning were no less than thunder and lightning. Every stomp upon her looming cloud sent bolts hurtling towards unfortunate earthponies and unicorns fleeing the scene, or those smart-flanked pegasi who thought they could evade the reach of Lieutenant Scratch’s cannon. Being a former cloudsmare did, after all, have its perks.

In short, it was a very, very cool tandem fight.

“Take take!” she yelled at one of the pegasi, who’d tried to sneak up on her from behind, only for her to spin around abruptly and, with a mighty kick to the jaw, send him cork-swirling.

Very cool indeed.

“Watch your back!” Mist shouted, giving her stormcloud another stomp. The precise lightning struck a burly-looking earthstallion just as he was about to stomp on Vinyl. The unicorn gave Mist a hearty nod, before firing her cannon onto the last pegasi standing, or rather, flying.

And with that final bass drop, the fight was over.

“Great job with the cover, Mist!” Scratch called out, as the pegasus hopped down from the dissipating cloud, beaming.

“Nah, it was nothing special,” she replied cheerfully. “You, on the other hoof, did awesome.”

“Hey, just another day on the job, Misty,” Scratch said with a casual shrug, one hoof outstretched for a hi-hoof. “These thugs look like tough ponies, but are lightweights compared to the Tyrant's newfoals, royal guards, and PER, believe me! I’ve had martial arts sparring sessions that gave me worse headaches than this. But, now what?” she wondered, nudging an unconscious stallion.

“Well, Wolfsschanze should be joining up with us soon enough,” Mist said, tapping her chin. “But we’ve got cleanup to do over here and I have no idea how we’ll start.”

“Present!”

The booming voice of Corporal Wolfsschanze suddenly chimed in, earning the expected results from two startled mares.

“GAAH! Wolff!” Mist exclaimed. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry, ma’am,” their griffon teammate said sheepishly, compounding his words by giving the two mares a respectful salute.

“Right, right,” Mist grumbled, ignoring Vinyl’s snickering. “Anything new you’ve got, Wolff?”

“Nah, nothing particularly good, Lieutenant, but saw a couple of them move to the claypit,” he explained, thumbing towards a wooden barrier at a fair distance from the brickyard proper. “Gilford’s off with his own tasks in the courtyard, I believe.”

“Tough luck,” Vinyl groaned. “As I recall, strange goings-on in the pit are what provided Command with the impetus to enact Plan B. We’d better check this out. Could use a helping hoof or hand here, or two,”

“Vinyl?” Mist asked, her tone growing wary.

The Lieutenant nodded slowly, levitating her cannon closer to her. “Listen, Misty,” she said. “Get a cloud cover up. Somethin’s about to go down here.”

The ritual was close to completion.

Although eye contact was no requirement, Cihuateto preferred to keep these charges of hers within her sights when she called them forth, perhaps due to some lingering sense of an obligation which had been unjustly torn from her a long time ago. Hence she never did blink while she beheld the ever greater mass of boiling steam the claypool was becoming.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blackjack nod approvingly, if a little tensely.

“Good show, Macua. Proof that come what may, the house always wins.” Making a display of chortling at his own wit, he stalked over to face the still-bound Fuse. “Well then, Shorty, guess this’ll at least give the boss something to smile about. Seems you haven’t quite passed your use-by date after all.”

The brickmaker made a half-hearted attempt at giving him the evil eye. “Oh, shut yer trap. Just go ahead and do me in, see if I care. Ain’t like being the bad guy didn’t lose its charm long before any of this went down,” he stated wearily. “Only regret I’ve got is how bad I turned out to be at acting one’a the good guys... and maybe it’s me age talkin’... but from what I see, as time goes by... the bad just keep getting worse...”

“A parting grace, from you? How charming, and so very uncharacteristic.”

“Ya oughta be ashamed of yerselves,” Fuse seethed, gesturing, as well he could through the rope bindings, towards her. “Time was, I remember, when we wouldn’t dream of touchin’ that sorta stuff, all them black mystical doohickys and alien tech. Aye, trade ‘em off to the highest bidder, sure, but that’s business, not the same as takin’ it all for one’s own. I knew it weren’t loyalty that brung Locksmith back to me.  Yet, never would I’ve thought he’d stoop so low as any money-grubbin’ collector or schemin’ general, actually wanting those things.”

Hearing this, Cihuateto permitted herself a word for this stallion she’d never known, or would know now, without looking around once.

“Loyalty is a two-way path, colt. You made your choice when you chose to leave Doctor Caballeron’s gang in years past, and if it has changed in ways outside your liking, you’ve none to blame but yourself.”

Blackjack smirked cruelly. “I notice your dear little wife isn’t at your side, Fuse. Am I to take it, then, that she knew nothing ‘bout your new misbehavior?” He tutted in mock sympathy. “Should have considered the grief it’d cause her, trying out your game at going solo. Oh, you were a good player, aye, but even at your prime, you always fared better in a partnership.”

“A most valued gift,” affirmed Cihuateto, gracing at her companion with the slightest of smiles. “Not one thrown away lightly. In, or out…” She tapped a hoof meaningfully, in the direction of where something was rising from its bed of churning earth. “There is no middle ground.”

A rotten-looking hoof burst from the murky depths of the pool, clawing for the solid ground of the sunlit world above. What it heralded was the emerge of an equine skull pulling itself out from the dirt, its yellowed teeth clicking together as sand and dust began weaving themselves around its skeletal form, but not the entirety of it. Half the skull remained open for all to see as it snapped downwards, thrashing, to proudly raise its head.

With no little satisfaction, Blackjack patted the gawking Fuse on the shoulder. “Brings back fond memories, doesn’t it, me ole pal? Gotta admit, our world is so full of amazing sights.” A light began to shine atop his horn, the dull grey of his aura appearing in fibres all around the brickmaker’s sturdy frame. “Be glad this’ll be one of your last. Or the last, if you’re lucky.”

At these words, Cihuateto felt her eyelids sag somewhat. Yet she made herself ignore the burdensome weight threatening to close in, never far away, always for her to accept like a proper, dutiful workhorse. This was who she was now.

“Mother has to feed her newborn,” she said simply, looking over the monstrous, beautiful creature struggling to get out and into the light. “Another single drop would do, but… it’ll remember its first taste of life, and keep wanting more.” The earthmare was surprised to hear she sounded almost apologetic. “I cannot allow it to get distracted by earthly pleasures. Best let it satisfy its hungers immediately, if I’m to gain its full obedience.”

“Unless you’d rather it took someone else,” Blackjack specified. “Could be anyone. Ideally, though, you’d best give it something it’d like very much. Something so close to you, their blood would taste nearly as sweet to it as yours...”

“Look, if ya want me to plead with ya to spare Minus’ life…” Fuse breathed in. “Ya can go take a leap off a pier. Be wastin’ your time, anyway. She don’t need me to keep her safe… except maybe from herself.”

“Ah, now we get to the rub,” said Blackjack. “Couldn’t stomach her flirting with danger by hanging around humans, could you?”

“She… always did…” Fuse let his head hang low. “Like playin’ with fire… too much…”

“My, my. If I didn’t know better, I’d call it jealousy on your part.”

But the brickmaker only closed his eyes at that. Evidently, he had nothing left to say.

Something wet splashed upon Cihuateto’s cheek. She blinked twice, bemused by the unexpected moisture. Surely she wasn’t shedding a tear for this fool? No, surely not. Frowning, yet hesitant to divert her gaze from where her concentration was truly needed, she willed her eyes to wander only an inch, then two and three more, upwards, straining against the temptation to blink.

Up in the skies was a blue pegasus riding a cloud, forehooves raised for a downward kick.

Gasping, heart-in-her-mouth at the realization of what was about to happen, Cihuateto forcefully pushed aside her abrupt shot of panic and diverged her energies into the force holding up her sword, urgently ordering it to take flight and pierce the offender before they could ruin everything by bringing the rains.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t quite what the blue pegasus had in mind, for no sooner had Cihuateto drawn out her sword, did a lightning bolt strike the ground in front of her, the  backblast knocking her backward.

“No…”

And then came the downpour.

The world turned into a wall of water, obscuring everything from view so that Cihutateto could barely see three paces ahead of her, turning the already sodden ground underhoof into a mess of sticking, sucking fury, as she felt herself almost go under once more, the torrential rain beating down on her like the fist of an angry god.

“Macua!” she heard Blackjack call out.

That was bad enough. What was worse, though, was the sight which met her in the bubbling chaos the pool had turned into. Her creation, still only half-formed from clay and bone, began to dissolve before her eyes, earthen components congealing into pure mud, running down the ribcage and the spinal column like a stream of melted wax.

But her senses did not fail her. “Take the brickmaker!” she roared in Blackjack’s direction. “This will not stop me forever!”

He did not respond, not in words, yet somewhere through the thick of curtain of water, Cihuateto was sure she spotted Blackjack beating a rather hasty retreat, dragging their prisoner uphill with his aura.

Not before time, either, as the freak storm began to recede as quickly as it had burst.

“Incoming!” called out a loud, booming voice..

From behind her, the wooden barrier separating claypit from the greater brickyard exploded into splinters, one of them striking Cihuateto as several blurry figures stormed the area. Disorientated, the earthmare fell to her knees, feeling as though several needle-sharp impacts had just embedded themselves into her hocks. Though no real damage was done, the pain finished breaking her focus.

From the corner of her eye, she barely spotted a shadow submerged in the claypool...

“Net Launch!”

And no time to register the fat griffon’s shout, when she found herself entangled inside a net.

“You know, Wolff,” the blue pegasus cried from her cloud, “No need to call all your attacks, this ain’t a LARP.”

“But don'tcha see, that’s the whole fun of it!”

Snow Mist wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow. Even if she was feeling a bit annoyed at her griffon friend’s behavior, there was little reason not to be satisfied. Their ambush had worked; the strange prisoner Vinyl was currently scrutinizing served as proof enough of that.

“What now?” she started, looking uncertainly over Vinyl’s shoulder.

“Just you wait,” the lieutenant responded officiously. “Got a few questions for this one here.” Pushing up her shades, Vinyl leaned in closer to their captive. “So,” she said cooly, nudging the struggling earthmare. “Whatcha planning over there?”

But the captive had nothing to offer them except for a spit to the ground.

“Well, guess if she ain’t talking, she ain’t talking,” Snow Mist stated matter-of-factly. “We’re not outfitted for interrogations.”

Vinyl grinned fiendishly. “You so sure ‘bout that?” she demanded, tapping her bass cannon. To Mist’s alarm, it was pointed at their captive’s head. “They do say music soothes the savage beast, like a good friend of mind could tell you…”

“Pretty sure,” Mist replied with anxious rapidity. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, we don’t need her brains splattered all over the courtyard. We’ve got a sniper for that, and if I know her at all, she doesn’t do pink vapors.”

“Oh, oh!” piped up Wolfsschanze. “I can help!”

“No, Wolf,” Mist told him off. “You’re not using this emergency as an excuse. No singing.”

Her friend and comrade looked so dejected at that, she felt bad. It wasn’t that she dreaded the prospect of his singing voice, much on the contrary, it was just that Corporal Wolfsschanze, no songbird on the outside, most certainly was one at heart; he didn’t always understand there was a time and a place.

“What’re our options then?” Vinyl inquired, leaning back against her cannon.

“We could bring her to the Sarge.”

“From what I understand, your Sergeant Jaka doesn’t condone police brutality.”

“Could always do a Good Cop, Bad Cop routine?” suggested Wolfsschanze. “I think I know exactly who’d...”

“Nah,” said Mist. “She’s too nice for questioning things, especially with these types.”

“I was talking about Morning, not Ana.”

“Well, shucks,” Vinyl said, sniggering. “You guys better come up with something, if you’re so fixated on doing things the ‘soft’ way!”

A low, raspy chuckle wiped away her grin. The captive, it would seem, had finally chosen to express herself openly.

“Soft?” the strange earthmare repeated in a monotone. “You came here expecting only to find the childlike fears of these Equestrians. You may find that all your night terrors, the deeper shadows which lurk behind the trees of the Everfree, or far below the surface of the Eastern Ocean, can find their face here too… and you shall be unable to rid yourselves of them through mere laughter!”

Something in her tone made Snow Mist shudder. No great surprise there, for words such as these still had the power to bring back echoes of the filly she’d once been. But she hadn’t expected their effects on Wolfsschanze.

“Oh, no...” he clucked. “Guys? I think she means it. Look at her markings.”

As Vinyl Scratch, outwardly exuding professional calm, lowered her shades to peer over the bizarre tattoos all over the captive’s body, Wolfsschanze was pointing at, Mist was shocked to see something new appear in her eyes. Something raw, animal.

“Corporal,” she snapped, with none of her previous levity. “Where’re the others?”

Uneasy, Mist kept silent as Wolfsschanze replied. “Second Lieutenant Gilford’s busy with perimeter cleanup, ma’am, and Second Lieutenant Coxa’s dispatching stragglers from the last report.”

“Scram ‘em here as fast as you can, we need all the help we can get, and on the quick!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s the sudden rush!”

“Second Lieutenant, listen,” said Vinyl. “This whole thing’s been fishy from the start, and I can’t afford for anything else going wrong. Those tattoos… I don’t know what they mean, but I’ve spent the last three years serving under a guy who’s got more’n blood and ink running through his veins for it. Whatever she was jabbering on about, she can follow up on it. And it won’t be pretty.”

“So, what’re we waiting around for?” Mist exclaimed, ruffling her wings in anticipation. “C’mon, let’s go, time’s short!”

“Hold on,” said Vinyl, glancing back towards the vacated clapit. “I think I’ll go check whatever she’s hiding. Second Lieutenant, you go bring our lil’ prisoner over here to the Sarge. Best option we’ve got. Corporal, I need you get to Gilford and Coxa, and then rendezvous with the Sarge.”

Mist began to protest, yet her unicorn friend shushed her with a hoof.

“Sorry, Mist,” Vinyl affirmed as her horn glowed, as she channeled a field of thaums around the bass cannon. “But I got a feeling this needs a bit more firepower.”

Miss Peachbottom, the injured mare, was, to Harwood’s great chagrin, not quite as useful as he thought she might turn out to be. No matter how calm, how friendly he behaved, how he’d taken the care of moving her to a secluded office, the frightened little pony couldn’t spit out any sort of salvageable info about the Loyalists.

“So, let me get this perfectly straight, miss,” Harwood began, addressing the hurt yet recovering mare lying on the office couch, his most polite of voices in full sway even as he strained against the urge for sarcasm. “You’ve got no clue how, when, or why you’ve found yourself in this brickyard, and there’s nothing you can tell me about, ah, Mister Icewind or Doctor Catseye?”

“I’m sorry, mister, but… no, I can’t remember it.”

Pause. Harwood was now resisting the urge to groan out or slap his forehead in frustration. But a look at the mare’s bruises, healing as they were, gave him an idea.

“Miss, I need you to listen very carefully,” he said calmly, reaching for one of the bandages he’d placed on the desk. “These injuries of yours... who did this to you?”

His patient mumbled under her breath. But Harwood would have his answers.

“Miss, I’ve seen my fair share of injuries in the field, and yours are quite clearly the result of consistently applied abuse, something I’m hardly fond of myself. Now, I can assure you we’ll find whoever’s the bastard in charge around here, and between you and I, I’d love to put him in his place.”

Without smiling, Harwood reached out for her hoof. She did not pull away.

“Would you be so kind as to tell us who did this?”

“... Locksmith,” she whispered. “I-it was Locksmith. He’s th-the big grey pegasus.”

“Ah,” Harwood stated, hands working diligently to bandage Miss Peachbottom’s injuries. He didn’t know the extent of her wounds, but the bruises’ positioning implied some of her internal organs might have got damaged. Best not to reflect upon that.

“There we go,” he said, patting the mare as he gazed upon her newly bandaged barrel. “I apologize for the lack of hygiene here, but, well, it’s a bit difficult all things considered. This is the best I could do.”

Miss Peachbottom nodded, forming a small, grateful smile, one which Harwood gladly returned, even though it hardly met his eyes.

‘Anything for some intel, I suppose.’

“Right, miss,” Harwood began, preparing to hoist his patient over. “You can rest now. It’ll be quite a while before I’ll check up on you later.”

“Th-thank you, mister.”

“Nah, it’s all good, jus’ calm down a bit, and the pain should wear off.”

A familiar static crackle emanated from his radio.

“This is Nordjell reporting in. Is the situation under control? Over.”

“Will you excuse me, Miss Peachbottom?” Harwood apologized to the mare on the couch, who merely closed her eyes to sink into blissful, recuperating sleep after her ordeal. Satisfied that she’d be alright, the medical officer crept out the office, gently closing the door with both hands before grabbing the radio slung over his breastplate.

“Harwood speaking, go ahead, Ana.”

“Oh! Er, got everything covered, Har?”

The voice of his partner-in-crime and friend brought a glow to his heart.

“It’s pretty clear down here. Good job on the cover.”

From the radio, Harwood could hear his friend exhale a faint sigh of relief.

“Well, it’s nothing, Har. It’s mostly you guys, I guess, thanks anyway. But, how many?”

“Two. Neither of them yours, Ana, I can assure you.” Harwood answered quickly, keeping his eyes averted from the door behind which the mare lay sleeping. To his inward gladness, Ana let out a small laugh.

“Happy to know it, Har. I’m running a bit low on ammo here, down to one mag. Sorry.”

“It’s quite alright, we’re moving out of your range.” Harwood said, checking over his SMG. “We can handle ourselves in there, they seem quite terrified. And don’t worry ‘bout anyone else we’ve knocked out, they’ll be safe till backup comes.”

“I think they’ve got it covered, Thomas. HQ’s sending ‘em within the hour. You keep yourself safe down there, alright?”

“Why, thank you, fair princess, I’ll keep that in mind,” Harwood crooned in his best gentleman’s voice, as he strolled down the hall, off to meet Sergeant Jaka in the kilnhouse.

“As a matter of fact, the radio is far from a place to make small talk during a raid, Corporal. You know better than this, I presume?” Jaka’s stern voice cut in.

With a bemused sigh, Harwood shrugged.

“Sorry, Sarge, thought she’d feel better with answers and such, eh? And hey! It’s Ana we’re talking about here, so I believe it doesn’t actually count, Sarge.”

“Yes,” Jaka deadpanned. “And speaking of answers, have you gotten anything useful from that mare you were bandaging?”

“Ah, as a matter of fact, I did,” Harwood said. “They’re all quite, quite safe in those office spaces right over there, so if you’d like to ask them yourselves you’re welcome to try. Anyways, I have a name, Sarge. Locksmith, think that’s what she told me. That burly, ashen pegasus fellow Ana spotted from her perch, the nasty little fuck.” Harwood knew the Sergeant frowned upon his choice of words, but he didn’t quite care. “Ringleader of sorts, the bugger personally had a hoof in beating up some of our prisoners over there.”

“Where’d your patient say he was going?”

“The delivery depot, I believe,” Harwood said. “We have to assume he was planning to lie low as everything fell apart around him, but there’s only two ways in or out to that particular warehouse, and one of them, the door connecting it to the kilnhouse, has been cemented shut, probably to keep the hostages from hiding inside a crate.”

“Noted. And what of Sergeant Bauer’s location?”

“She… said she didn’t know of anyone by that name, Sarge,” Harwood admitted. “Very hard to credit, I know, yet something about her voice suggests she was being truthful. Hopefully, Command will know what to make of that.”

Jaka’s mouth tightened at this revelation.

“In that case, we may have to proceed towards interrogating these criminals themselves.”

“What’s the matter, Blackjack?” Fuse wheezed fitfully, hunched over the grassy knoll. “What, can’t ya deal with a lil’ surprise every once in a while?”

Blackjack fixed him with a nasty, murderous stare. “Surprises are workable. Utter steamin’ mess where we don’t get paid? Not so much.”

“That ain’t,” Fuse paused to catch a breath. “That ain’t no excuse, Jackyboy,” He struggled to look towards the unicorn. “Second something goes south, you jus’ decide to high-tail it,” he commented, in-between a growing snicker. “Cihuateto ain’t gonna be happy ‘bout that!”

“Shut UP!” Blackjack roared, decking him in the jaw. “You don’t know when to stop, do you?”

“I dunno,” Fuse replied, shrugging wistfully behind his bonds. “You tell me.”

“My pleasure,” snarled Blackjack, grey aura alighting around his ‘tie’ of a baton. “Macua’s fancy ritual was a good idea, but guess what? I’m finishing this now…”

“Hey! YOU!” yelled a furious voice. “Get your stinkin’ hooves off my husband!”

“Wait!” another voice, more refined and anxious, called after the first.

Even with this forewarning, the blow came with such startling speed that Blackjack failed to react in time when something crashlanded into his side, both he and his assailant, knocked higgledy-piggledy into the verdant density of the undergrowth. They each vanished from sight in the bushes, but when Fuse saw a white forehoof raise itself from the leaves and promptly punch downwards with a resounding ‘crack’, he knew it was too lithe and manicured to belong to the unicorn stallion.

Within a matter of seconds, Blackjack had gone down for the count.

“Wow, Rarity,” gaped the first voice. “Way ahead, girl, didn’t know you were that strong!”

Oh, no. Fuse gulped, recognizing who the voice belonged to.

“I… I just wanted to shove him back, not bury him,” muttered Rarity, that fashion-obsessed mare whose sister kept climbing over his workplace’s wall with her two troublesome friends, marching back into his field of view. “Well, when you train with the princesses and personal trainers, something is bound to happen.”

“Right.”

Minus gave a little chuckle, yet it soon dissipated as she walked over to his position, a frown forming upon her face as she took in the sight of him.

Fuse grimaced, knowing he was in deep, and now there was nothing more he could do other than simply take it like a stallion.

“Miney, I’m…” he started, only to earn a glare in response.

His wife waved him off. “We’ll talk about it later,” she hissed, giving his fastenings a tug. “Right now, what matters most is that I get you outta these ropes. Ah… yep, whoever did this knew their knots... looks like I’m gonna have to prove my bite’s worse’n my bark. Again. Don’t you move an inch.”

Fuse kept still as Minus worked on the ropes, but saw Rarity fixing him with a small, ummistakeable look of displeasure. “Can I help you, miss? I know my pretty looks ain’t there at the moment, but staring at me ain’t gonna make it go away.”

“I’m just wondering what possessed you to do such a cruel thing,” Rarity commented as she peered around their treeline. “Shiftless ruffian though I always knew you to be, and a lout, kidnapping an officer of a foreign army isn’t something one does on the spur-of-the-moment.”

“Well,” said Fuse after a moment’s thought. “I wish I could say, but… someone cut them out of my brain, it seems.” He chuckled. “Thought that wasn’t very legal.”

“Oh, like t‘atf e’er ftopped ‘ou?” Minus harrumphed between her bites, yanking the ropes a little harder than strictly necessary.

“Hey! Watch the teeth now, sweetheart.” Fuse tried giving Minus a roguish grin, but it faltered as her glare turned threatening. Playful banter wouldn’t help much here. “I’m being serious. Can barely remember the last few days, heck, more than a few days, if memory serves.”

“You don’t know why?” Rarity prodded him. He just shrugged.

“Heck if I know. Locksmith’s the one spouting out a mare’s name without meaning to me,” Fuse replied, straining against the ropes for a second. “Probably fake.”

“Bro’a’ly?” Minus asked.

“Too neat,” Fuse explained, stretching his forehooves experimentally thanks to the leeway his wife had lent him. Then, channeling an earthpony’s preternatural physical strength, he held both forelegs out and pushed…

The ropes snapped open. “Thanks, Minus.”

A hard stare and a grunt were her sole acknowledgement, yet he knew his Minus, and so he turned around swiftly to wrap her in a bear hug, catching her off-guard, yes he did. At first, she made a feeble gesture to push him away, but soon caved and tightly returned the hug, letting him know in silence that, despite it all, she was happy to see him alive and kicking.

Rarity just coughed and looked away. Funny, that. He thought she enjoyed this sort of stuff.

After a while, Minus broke off the hug. “So, Locksmith as well?” she whispered. “But why’s he still here? Figured he’d have ran, first chance he got, once the authorities entered the picture.”

Unsure what to say, Fuse winced at her words. “Doc Caballeron… he… the gang’s different, Minus. Really different. Not sure why I called them, but I think it had t’do with the humans… now, I sort of regret gettin’ involved at all, if this is the new gang.”

Minus and Rarity stared in shock while he explained as fast as he could what small bits and pieces he did remember – Discord, the pure brutality the gang had displayed, the strange magics at their disposal.

“I can’t believe this has been happening in Equestria…” Rarity murmured, still trying to process the information. She heard a muffled sound in the bushes behind her.

“I may have tried something myself...” Fuse admitted. “But, I’m not sure… I know that it was for you, but now I just feel…. tired.” He closed his eyes in regret.

And something propelled by magical force hit Rarity in the hocks.

“Augh!” she yelped, collapsing on herself from the surprise blow to her lower body.

Before either Fuse or Minus could do anything to help, a pallid grey aura materialized around his wife, grabbing her in magic and slamming her to the ground.

Roaring with a sudden surge of rage, he leapt up to confront the attacker, but Blackjack’s baton merely swerved around and bashed the side of his face, as it had done so many times earlier on this unending day, sending him rolling.

Minus hissed in anger, pushing herself up. “You should've stayed down, Blackjack!”

“And you should’ve stayed a good housewife,” Blackjack taunted her. “But we can’t both get what we want, now, can we?”

From his vantage point, Fuse groaned as he saw his wife take flight and unleash a veritable tidal wave of blows that would have caused him worry all those years ago. Alas, Blackjack merely appeared insenstive to, if not outright bored by her furious knocks, be it to his crest, his withers or his back.

Dismayed, he witnessed Blackjack punch the full weight of the baton into his wife’s barrel. She leapt backwards with a pained yelp, bent over in attempt to regain her breath.

“Blast,” Minus exhaled, cradling her chest. “I’m not as young as I once was.”

“No, you’re not,” Blackjack commented as he stood over her, baton raised high.

But he’d forgotten a very special someone in the melee. Fuse barreled into his side, launching his own attack against the unicorn. Yet this did nothing to deter Blackjack, who, though knocked aside, was quick to seize back his standing and return a vigorous blow to Fuse’s point-of-shoulder. Through the daze, he believed he heard Minus wince in sympathy.

“You’re not young either, Shorty… Perhaps it would be best to put you out to pasture.”

Blackjack narrowed his eyes at the stallion. And vanished in a flash of light, a second later, before he could make good on his threat, as several hastily-sharpened branches impacted on the spot he’d just been standing on.

“Drat!” Rarity exclaimed. She reacted with admirable reflex, though, rolling aside to avoid a blow to the head, levitating up piece of logwood and throwing it at Blackjack. He avoided it, but barely, scowling as he lifted his baton with practiced ease to confront the fashionista.

“That would've killed me.”

“And I’m sure it would haunt me later,” Rarity said quietly. “But at the moment, you are an enemy who’s proven willing to kill. Believe me, darling… I would rather not, but you clearly have no qualms in doing so… So, I have to revert to the training I gained from Major Bauer. To which end I’ll worry less about you, and more about my friends’ well-being.”

Beside Fuse’s prone form, several scattered rocks began to rise in the air, channeled by the wilful mare as she held her ground, legs spread out in position, ready to pounce if need be.

The brickmaker sighed to himself, feeling nearly as spent as when he’d landed in his kiln. He’d seen the look on Rarity’, fussy, preening Rarity’s face, and it was the picture of a person willing to get themselves dirty.

However, when Minus scuttled over to him, clinging onto her battered campaign hat, he felt a new calm wash over him. He and Ponyville’s snob dressmaker may never get along, yet she fought for those she called her friends, and by extension, those closest to them.

Harwood scanned the crowded room, with its assortment of inmates, presumed kidnappers-turned-hostages on one end and presumed career criminals on the other, each group kept separate by a cordon under the watch of Gilford and Coxa, as much on the lookout for suspicious movement as he. His lip curled.

“Now, I’m sure this all seems a… little uncomfortable,” he told them. “But rest assured, you will all be safe here until this whole business is over.”

Even his words felt a little empty, for the room, presumably some sort of storage area, was not looking so safe with gangsters and Loyalists alike imprisoned inside.

“Don’t you think I’ve forgotten about you criminal cunts. If I see so much a scratch or yet another hoofprint on one of our prisoners here, I’ll make sure you’ll regret every single breath for the rest of your sorry-arse lives. And that’s something I mean quite literally.”

A certain blue pegasus came running, carrying a netted earthmare slung over her shoulder.

“Snow Mist? What’re you–”

“In a rush here, Harwood. Got this criminal mare bound, she did some magic thing, and Vinyl stayed to check on it, being a unicorn and all. Really, where’s the Sarge? This cloudsmare right here needs to go to the him and–”

“The Sarge is busy overseeing the clean-up, Mist,” Harwood replied curtly. He gave the earthmare in the net hoisted over Mist’s back a lookover. “Hmph. You’re a bit of an Aztec wannabe, aren’t you?”

The earthmare merely shot him a hateful glare, one of her oversized earrings jangling against her exposed nape. For some reason, the sound sent a small shiver down Harwood’s spine. Despite his glibness, he suddenly felt glad at seeing her all netted up.

“She’s, uh,” Mist began sheepishly, “With the ‘gangsters’, I think,”

“Throw her in with the rest of the lot,” Harwood said quickly. “We’ll talk to Jaka later.”

Snow Mist obliged him, setting down the net and its captive none-too-gently amidst the other cordoned ponies.

Only, though it was perhaps just his imagination, as the out of place earthmare touched back down, the moment she pressed a single hoof to the ground, Harwood thought he felt a tremor pass through the floor of the storage area, past the doorway, into the open space beyond, and for the tiniest second, a wicked grin of triumph lit up the earthmare’s face.

Vinyl followed the trail of strange magic, tracing all around the edge of the circular claypit.

She hadn’t expected she would need to call upon these honed-in senses here, on the world rapidly becoming known as ‘Equus Prime’ to her and her peers. The senses of a unicorn who’d learned to attune herself with peculiar magics in the heat of battle, oftentimes marking the difference between friend and foe, living and Newfoal. Whatever witchcraft that earthmare had performed, it was magic such as she had never felt before. Not dark per se. Just different, closer to zebra magic than anything she could categorize.

Feeling a tingle beneath her hooves, Vinyl glanced downwards, but saw little of note past the permanent purple tinge of her shades. With a stifled noise of discontent, she lifted them to peer closer at the track circling the claypit. There, very indistinctly, it was if tiny ripples traced along the surface of the earth, like the disturbance on the water’s surface after a pebble thrown into a pond. Except they were all moving towards the centerpoint of the pit.

“Fishy...” she muttered to herself. “Something wicked this way comes…”

A commotion caught her attention, somewhere from a treeline a couple dozen paces off to her left. North-West, she reminded herself sharply, that position would be roughly to the north-west of the brickyard, far end of the claypit, according to scout’s estimate – one must never fall out of military parlance when on a mission.

Dragging her bass cannon along for the ride, Vinyl hurried towards the spot, and what a peculiar view befell her in a clearing behind the trees. Miss Rarity, of all ponies levitating a bunch of logs and sharpened branches as impromptu weaponry, all pointed towards a large white unicorn holding a baton aloft in his aura.

Both turned to see Vinyl looking at them. Relief spread across Rarity’s demeanour, but the unicorn stallion spat at the ground and promptly vanished in a flash of light.

“Damn it!” Vinyl scowled, acutely aware of being the last of the three white unicorns to walk this clearing in the past minute or so. “Teleporting is such a hack! Now I’m gonna have to radio and warn the guys we could have an imminent security breach…”

“Vinyl… Oh, I’m sorry,” Rarity corrected herself as she took note of her attire. “Lieutenant.”

The erstwhile DJ shrugged it off. “Ponyville,” she laughed. “The one place where monsters, evil villains, and Cutie Mark Crusaders all come together to cause disaster after disaster.” She let her mirth runs its course as it should, before looking to Fuse and pointing.

“You,” Vinyl said sternly. “You match our operative’s description of Major Bauer’s abductor. Although it’ll take a while to digitize everything in Canterlot’s records, we found the time to run up your files. Originally from Gildedale, ran away due to rejection of authority, accumulated previous convictions for charges ranging from petty street theft to complicity in the illicit appropriation of national treasure. Four years out of eight served in the Canterlot dungeons. All in all, sir, one can say you’re in a lot of trouble.”

This did not have quite the reaction she anticipated.  “I wish I could tell ya ‘yes’,” Short Fuse muttered abashedly. “But I’m having a bit of an issue on why exactly I’m in trouble.”

Vinyl cocked her head at this. “What?”

“Memory loss,” explained the sandy pegasus standing by Fuse. “Some sorta spell, I think, wiped him and everypony in his group clean. My husband could still drench up something, former tomb raider and all, but you won’t get the whole story at once.”

“Well,” said Vinyl, digesting this unwelcome bit of news, “that’s neither here nor there,” she curtly affirmed, magically reaching into her vest’s front pocket to pull out a pair of hoofcuffs. “I’m sorry to say, procedure and duty require me to put those on you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know the procedure already,” said Fuse, reaching out with his left forehoof – Vinyl noticed the right one appeared quite badly injured, with the pegasus who’d identified Fuse as her husband was stroking it reassuringly – and allowing the cuff to clamp down on it. “Just a shame those ain’t so pretty as any in the home collection,” he commented off-handedly, now letting the other cuff clamp his right forehoof.

Vinyl resisted the urge to make a snappy reply. “Let’s just go,” she told the other two mares. “Once this perp is in, all we need to do is retrieve the Major, my personal responsibility as PHL, and get out of here.”

“Lieutenant,” Rarity began hesitantly. “There’s something you should know. In the woods…”

“Tell me about it on the way,” Vinyl said, starting back down the track she’d come from, pushing her bass cannon ahead of her.

And so the group walked on in stony silence, past the rim of the claypit, Vinyl silently saying her prayers that nothing truly bad had occurred today. But Rarity might need a pep talk after that moment in the clearing. Perhaps Marcus could provide, as he’d done for her back at Donut Joe’s this morning.

It felt so long ago.

The pegasus, a Ranger if her outfit was to be believed, was also visibly battling her feelings.

“I am still mad at you, you know,” she told Fuse. “Only, it’d feel kinda wrong to chastise a guy for something they don’t remember… and much as I hate to see you in the slammer, I sort of feel proud you’re as good as asking them for a cell your size.”

Fuse chortled. “Hey, not all selfless on my part. Still feeling a bit roughed-up here, and don’t mind me, but say what ya will ‘bout home comforts, there ain’t no better than prison bars for a bit of the ol’ butt-scratch.”

The Ranger punched his shoulder at this vulgar remark, yet it was obvious how she choked back a giggle. Or perhaps simply choking, for she was suddenly sent into a series of wheezing, racking coughs, forced to halt midstep and pull back her forehoof. Before Vinyl, or Rarity, could beat him to it, Fuse had stopped by his wife, looking her over with concern.

“What’s the matter, Minus? You’re all sickly.”

“Blackjack… truncheon…” she groaned, nursing her belly. “Oh, this is gonna ruin my appetite. Ugh! Well, maybe that ain’t such a bad thing,” she added chipperly, putting on a brave face. “Without you, I’m left to do my own cooking, and best I can say there is, haven’t had any juice burnt yet, at least.”

Vinyl noted that for some reason, this made Rarity pull a face. In any case, Fuse gently nuzzled his pale-looking wife’s forehead.

“Shh… easy there,” he whispered. “Think back, imagine yourself in the forest depths…”

The pegasus mare, Minus, perked up slightly. “That… brings back… memories, as it were.” She placed a forehoof on his shoulder, the same shoulder she’d punched. “And, in a way, guess your missing remembrances... make us even now.”

“Ah, maybe I messed up. But hey, at least I can officially claim I lost my mind.”

He laughed out loud at his bon mot, only to to be cut short by a hiss of pain, as a clawed hoof burst from over the claypit’s edge and latched onto his foreleg.

“YOW! Let go, you TOSSER!”

Furiously, Fuse slammed his hoof several times into the emerging face, but the cuffs severely hampered his efforts, and worse still, the thing was ignoring the blows and attempting to bite straight into his foreleg.

Alerted by this, Rarity and Vinyl’s horns shone as one, unlatching the claw and shoving it back down the hole. For a whole two seconds, as it turned out.

With a roar, something burst back over the edge in a blinding cloud of dust and dirt, both its claw-like appendages digging into the track where everyone was left standing stock-still, watching the ghastly apparition in mute shock, none daring to approach and look closer.

“... Why does Lyra like hands again?” Rarity muttered in a low monotone voice, while staring at the scimitar shaped claws. “That looks like… someone took a hoof and cut it up into five… how aesthetically awful…”

Vinyl’s eyes widened as she felt a blast of uncanny magic surge forth, in synch with the moment the creature chose to fully reveal itself. With a collective gasp, all four ponies took a horrified step back, scarcely daring to believe the sight before their eyes.

“ZOMBIE?! What the fuck!” Vinyl screeched. “You three, get outta here!”

And it did very much look like a zombie. Without thinking, Vinyl swiftly channeled as much energy as she could into her horn, firing off a lazer-beam at the creature’s skull-like face. It turned out she might as well have been spitting at the sun.

With a chatter of its teeth, the zombie-thing no less than ate the shot which should have shattered its jaw, swallowing the energy in a ball of light sent travelling down its throat, all-too-visible through the half-exposed layers of clay and bone as the digested shot reached the creature’s belly and vanished.

“What… how…” Vinyl muttered. “Okay, that didn’t work… Just go, for Lyra’s sake!”

The Ranger nodded, pulling Fuse along as quickly as she could muster, but Rarity resolutely moved to hold the line at Vinyl’s side.

“Sorry dear, I’m a soldier too. I have been training with Major Bauer all this time.”

“Oh good, cos’ I think I may need help.” Vinyl commented, watching in bewilderment as, instead of going for them, the creature pulled itself out of the pit to stalk after the couple retreating down the track. “Hey! Dead Head Fred! Fresh flanks right here!”

“I think it's ignoring us in favor of those two,” said Rarity, magically picking up a sharp rock. She’d plainly deduced that, due to his hoofcuffs, Fuse would not outrun the creature, even with his wife to fire him up. Vinyl silently congratulated her quick thinking as she hurled the rock at the thing’s head, but they were equally startled when it bounced off with no effect. “Shouldn’t that do the trick? Going for the head?”

“I think so?”

“It’s not a zombie!” Minus called out, pulling desperately at her husband. “It’s a ghoul!”

“There’s a difference?” Vinyl shouted, gesticulating wildly. “My bass cannon… where’s my bloody bass ca–”

“It’s a terracotta ghoul,” called the flustered Ranger. “It’s not really alive to begin with, it’s… it’s like a summon of sorts.”

“Great, I know how to deal with that!” Vinyl quipped, rushing forward, past the goul.

In hot pursuit, Rarity stared after her. “You do?”

“Yeah, a shit-ton of firepower to rip it apart, except I don’t HAVE any with me!” Vinyl yelled, her exclamation punctuated by a reverberation of earth as the nearby ghoul stomped down, narrowly missing Fuse, whose wife shoved him away in the nick of time.

With a snarl, Vinyl locked her horn’s energy on Fuse, Rarity doing the same, their forces combined with Minus’ wingpower sufficient to drag him away from the creature. It raised another forehoof, but reacting quickly, the Ranger slammed into it, long enough to knock the creature off-balance and send it tumbling back into the claypit.

They had brought themselves half-a-minute’s respite, off in the confines of the treeline again.

“It’s going after me,” Fuse panted, trying to rest his forehead upon a low-hanging branch. “Just leave me here so ya find what you need, I’ll buy–oof!” he exhaled, getting jabbed in the gut by his wife.

“Yeah, no thanks,” Minus growled at him. “I didn’t work this hard to save your flank just so you could go sacrifice yourself for the ‘greater good’, and all the stupid perks it entails. You keep running, you big oaf.”

“Yes, dear,” Fuse said meekly, ears drooping.

“You seem to know a lot about this, this ‘terracotta ghoul’. Any way we can slow it down?” Vinyl demanded as she caught up to the duo, wading through an inconvenient bush, while Rarity set herself up in a lookout position.

“Sorry,” the Ranger said unhappily. “He’s the one who remembers the great times, not me.”

Fuse heaved somewhat, obviously tired from all of today’s ordeal. Then his downcast eyes found his cuffed forehooves, one of them still sporting an injury which his running had done nothing to help, and he raised it to show Vinyl.

“I have an idea, probably won’t like it.”

“Let me guess… You’re going to smear the red stuff on me.” Vinyl sighed as Fuse nodded. “Frankly speaking, I’d tell you to sod right off, but we need you alive for questioning. I can handle myself long enough, yet it’s imperative you two reach the main building and tell my team I need help, and pronto.”

“I’ll get him there, ma’am, I promise as a Forest Ranger,” his wife pledged to Vinyl. “I know he is my husband and I love the fool dearly, Celestia help me, but he has to make up for what he’s done.”

Fuse didn’t look so put out by this, only smiling and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Miney.”

“Yeah, yeah, mushy stuff over,” Vinyl gagged. “Guh, by the Golden Lyre, there’s some things I don’t miss so much about the old Equestria...” She picked up Fuse’s foreleg and began to tear at the scabs, making it bleed once more. Fuse barely twitched as a trickle of blood oozed free, and Vinyl quickly smeared it on her own foreleg without issue.

Rarity shivered a little at the scene, but otherwise remained silent, before noting the silence.

“Um… not to be a bother, but that thing hasn’t–”

Vinyl snapped her head to the grassy knoll beneath them. Familiar ripples moved across it.

“Back up!” she cried out in alarm, and the group backed away from each other as the ground bubbled up, then imploded into a freshly-dug pit. Had they moved any later, they’d have gone faling into the depths of the earth. As it was,.the undead creature wrenched itself free and all the way up to the surface world, a baking, steaming mass as rapidly superheated clay finished solidifying around its half-exposed skeletal structure.

It was a sight from Tartarus itself.

“Hey, bone-tard! Fresh blood right here!” Vinyl waved her bloodied leg.

From what they could tell, the beast hardly heard her. However, if the twitch at what passed for its nostrils was anything to go by, it had caught the scent of fresh blood. What’s more, by the look of things, it cared not for where the blood originated, only that it got as much as it could guzzle in the least amount of time – which meant Vinyl, who stood herself much closer in its path than any of the others.

“It’s working,” Rarity whispered to the DJ.

“Yeah…” Vinyl muttered in grim determination. “Get psyched, Rarity. You’re my backup, I’ll take this one. And Miss Ranger?” she added, nodding curtly at Minus. “Either put him under lock and key, send him in a parcel to the authorities, or grab a snack at Sugarcube Corner, I care not, just get the meatbag out of here.”

She moved the bass canon, which had never left her side, into position to combat the ghoul.

“Most of the surrounding area has been cleared of hostiles, Sergeant,” Harwood reported back to Jaka, as his immediate superior and the PHL-assigned chief trainer for units like these Vanhooverites whom Ana seemed so fond of. “Lieutenant Scratch of the PHL and Second Lieutenant Mist of Vanhoover Company managed to secure several stragglers who were attempting to flee the area.”

“I can confirm that, sir!” Wolfsschanze chimed in. “We’re all set and ready to go, Sarge.”

“And where is Lieutenant Scratch?” asked Jaka.

“I was with her, Sarge, together with Corporal Wolfsschanze,” Snow Mist reported. “We captured this weird earthmare, she seemed to be performing some sort of summoning magic, but I’m no expert. The Lieutenant went to check what all the ruckus was about. Haven’t heard from her since, though. I gave the earthmare to Harwood, so you could ask her yourself in the room.”

“She’s right, sir,” Wolfsschanze said gleefully. “Caught her with the net gun, I did!”

“What he doesn’t tell you is that the earthmare plain freaked us out, sir,” Snow Mist added. “The Maker only knows what devilry she’s got up her sleeve.”

“Yes…” Harwood hissed. “Didn’t much like the funny look she was giving me, that one…”

“Corporal Harwood,” Jaka told him sternly. “Anything else to add?”

Harwood retracted guility. “Well, sir, good news is, I can report that prying Major Bauer’s location proved easier than anticipated from the gang members. Several of them were quick to confirm he’s being kept in the drying shed, behind those double doors cemented shut.”

“That is good news,” Jaka acknowledged. “We may soon enter this mission’s final phase. However, until such point, I believe our next priority should be to complete placing the hostage-takers into custody. And that means the capture of the final one unaccounted for, Locksmith, last seen shoring up in the delivery depot.”

“You never said a truer word…” commented Harwood. But he said it beneath his breath.

Sergeant Jaka must have noticed something amiss, though. “Dismissed, Thomas,” he told him gruffly. “If I may, I’d suggest you get some fresh air.”

“Sir?” an elderly voice chimed in from next to Harwood, that of the griffon Gilford. “How are we to proceed with the retrieval of Major Bauer?”

“Once the news is relayed to Overwatch, responsibility for the act of retrieval itself shall revert to PHL authority. And that means passing supervision on to our liaison, Lieutenant Scratch. She had better show up here again soon.”

Everything went wrong so fast.

Having moved back out onto the exposed track at the claypit’s rim, Vinyl managed to dodge left and right, struggling to avoid the creature’s swipes and thrusts with her huge cannon. Again and again she attempted to fire a concentrated blast, but alas, the weapon was simply too bulky and heavy to maneuver with speed.

And eventually, the beast found its mark.

Rarity watched in horror as Vinyl was knocked into the dirt, her bass cannon crushed under the monster’s weight with a sickening ‘crunch’ of breaking metal. As the ghoul retreated to prepare another charge, the DJ, Ears tilted, shades off, unsteadily hobbled over.

“Fuck...” Vinyl said in a small voice, kneeling before the charred wreckage of her speakers. “I’m so sorry, girl,” she whispered, picking up one of the denuded bass ports. “You never did let me down… Should’ve known better, really. What’s good is, playing music loud enough to wake the dead, when faced with a shambling corpse?”

“Worry now, mourn later!” Rarity shrieked as she ran to hook her right foreleg around Vinyl’s left foreleg and then dragging the dejected DJ away from the wrecked bass cannon. Not a moment too soon, for the ghoul reared and crushed with a metallic thud whatever was left of the speakers.

Apparently, Vinyl had no intent of following good advice.

“I WILL AVENGE YOU!” she screamed heavenward.

Now understanding what the Colonel and Major meant when they said war could skewer people’s priorities, Rarty merely huffed, her tug at Vinyl’s leg growing more insistent. Her own magic was busy trying to keep the ghoul off its hooves by slamming various improvised, hastily-shaven wooden spears into its joints, but did little to slow it down.

“This is getting us nowhere!” Rarity cried as the ghoul ripped out the spear from its hindleg

Roaring angrily, the creature’s spat in their direction. No spittle ejected, but one of its rotten, pointy fangs came loose, flying at them like a thrown dagger. It scantly missed the mares solely by virtue of Rarity, with a small squeal, making them both duck to the ground, and the blade landed just inches from their snouts in a cloud of dust – coincidentally right between the railtracks leading out from the pit’s far end into the nearby pugmill-house.

“Yeah, you know what?” Vinyl snapped out of her funk, glaring at the fang which had nearly skewered the two of them. “This fuckin’ thing’s going down no matter what.”

With a flick, her shades returned to their proper position. The DJ stomped her hoof, eyes locked onto the creature which had so thoroughly destroyed her beloved device.

“Rarity, gonna need you to stay behind cover till the others come,” Vinyl said in a low voice. “I’ve got myself a monster to slay.”

Before Rarity could do so much as protest, the other unicorn manically sprinted down the way they had come from, firing volley after volley of magical energy at the lumbering beast, her horn glowing red from the overexertion.

“Just fall apart already, you damn fucking puppet!” Vinyl roared out in anger, steam rising from her loins. It did her no good when she ducked beneath another swing, only to get hit by the creature’s free claw and get sent rolling back to Rarity.

“Vinyl!”

“I’m ok-k-kay!” Vinyl groaned in-between heavy coughs, forcing herself back to her hooves, fixing her shades to stare at the ghoul as it stalked their way. “But without guns, we got nothing to hold it down. And I’m not dragging it towards the others, not while there are ponies still in need of treatment.”

“I’m starting to think Applejack was right about keeping weapons within reach,” Rarity mumbled as she lodged a piece of wood into the ghoul’s eyesocket, an even more useless move than any before. “Nothing for it, then. We’ll have to brave the Everfree Forest...”

It was at that very moment she heard a metallich shriek coming from up the railtracks.

“Head’s up, girls!” called out the voice of a dear friend of hers.

Rarity’s eye widened as, emerging from within the pugmill-house, she spotted a metal railcart screeching straight towards her and Vinyl, ridden by a certain farmer. Instantly, she grabbed Vinyl’s neck, who cried out in alarm at this mishandling, but it was for the best as, no sooner had she pulled back, did the railcart pass them by in a whoosh.

Applejack leapt off then, while the cart continued downwards and careened into the ghoul.

“Yeehaw!” whooped Applejack in face of the impact. Clearly, the ghoul had sought to sneak up on them from within the claypit, yet got foiled by her fortuitous arrival. “Now that’s they way ya do it! What’d I say, Flutters?”

“App-Applejack! Fluttershy!” gasped Rarity as she saw the pegasus in question flutter down beside her, giggling. “When’d you get here? What about that mare in the cloak, our ruffian prisoners, all of it?”

“Don’t worry your head about that, Rares.” Applejack quickly trotted up to the two, giving Vinyl a curious look. “Flutters went t’get Zecora, for real! She’s keepin’ watch on the ruffians, so nice of her to oblige! Figured she’d handle a lil’ hocus-pocus if the mare came back!”

Her ears flicked once, hearing a low growling noise behind her, she turned to see  the terracotta ghoul push a broken railcart off itself and slam its rotten hoof into the ground, prior to pulling out another of its fangs between its claws.

“Looks like Ah made a bad call ‘bout where ‘twas we’d need Zecora the most…”

Harwood stood out in the glorious sunshine, leaning against the wall next to the entranceway into the kilnhouse, one hand holding his radio, the other nursing his forehead in a vain attempt to stave off the leaden knell weighing on his skull. Not for the first time, the medical officer wished he weren’t under oath to save his painkillers for those who truly needed them.

“You don’t sound all that alright, Har, did something happen?”

“What, apart from the raid?” Harwood quipped, if a bit wearily. He was, frankly, flattered by Ana’s concern. Not that it made things much easier.

“Please don’t. Just… did you slip again, Har?”

That alone was enough to give Harwood a pause.

“Well, if you could call a barely-veiled, nasty threat of physical retribution delivered to prisoners-of-war a ‘slip’, then I suppose yes, yes I did, Ana.”

“Oh. Then, did you...”

“Heavens, no! I adhere to the Convention, Ana, you little doe, really. I’m fine. Just… well, you’d understand if you had been here.”

“Well, nice to hear that, Har. But… did you get anything from the Loyalists?” Ana said hurriedly, making it painfully obvious how much she was trying to divert the talk. But that was more than welcome in Harwood’s book.

“Nah, nothing good in particular. Look, it’s all complicated. Very complicated, as they don’t seem too good at remembering things. But something did come up... those gangsters were looking for a cloaked mare of sorts.”

A crackle and, if his ears didn’t deceive him, a small gasp.

“What’s wrong, Ana?’

“I... no, no it’s... It’s nothing. Now I, I gotta go, Har.”

“Eh? Ana, what’s the rush–”

“I mean, hey! We’re not supposed to do small talk over the radio or anything, right? I’ll catch you around later, Har, and stay safe, will ya?”

“But... oh fine, I’ll see you around then.”

“Right back at you, and lykke til, Har!” Ana replied, slipping back into her native Norwegian as the radio fell silent.

“... Lykke til, Ana,” Harwood replied, smiling fondly.

The bubbly way his Norwegian friend pronounced her Ls and Bs had always been a soft spot for him, helping to lift some of the pressure bearing down on him, as it did now. With a sigh, the medical officer gazed outwards – and squinted his eyes at two very peculiar figures approaching the brickyard’s front gate.

“Halt,” he commanded, a hand motioning towards his sidearm. “Identify yourself!”

The sandy-brown mare wearing a hat and outfit vaguely reminiscent of law enforcement was the one to speak, after throwing a quick glance at the lumbering stallion she was supporting.

“Sir,” she said in a careful and guarded pace. “As a member of the Ponyville Forest Rangers, I must inform you that a dangerous beast is on the loose close by.”

But Harwood wasn’t really listening. His attention was fixed on the battered-looking stallion whom the diminutive pegasus mare was somehow holding up, despite being over twice her height and girth. In a jolt, the memory of a description provided by Operative Cutter, sinister individual though she was, flashed inside his mind.

“Corporal,” said Jaka, coming out from the doorway beside him. “What do we have here?”

“Sergeant Jaka,” said Harwood. “If I recall correctly, this would be Major Bauer’s abductor, last spotted by Ana getting dragged off to the claypit, looking much the worse for the wear. But who might the mare next to him be?”

“The abductor’s wife, that’s who!” snapped the Ranger, holding her hoof protectively around Fuse’s shoulder. “And there’s hardly any time to explain, sir. What you need to know, you can ask from DJ Pon-3, or whatever she calls herself now, if she’s even still alive! We’ve got a feral dark magic creature in the claypit, and it’ll come for us all if you don’t act fast.”

“A dark magic creature?” Jaka repeated with a doubtful tone.

“Macuahuitl terracotta ghoul,” said Short Fuse. “Got a jungle witch’s work to thank for that.”

“Jungle witch…” Harwood echoed, stroking his chin nervously. “Sarge, I… might know of just such a mare. She’s with the gangsters, Wolfsschanze caught her in a net.”

Jaka raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, listen,” Harwood said urgently, “if we concentrate all our efforts on dealing with whatever this new thing is, we run the risk of losing Locksmith. Wouldn’t put it past him to take advantage of the distraction and escape!”

“Corporal Harwood,” Jaka told him firmly, “I am hereby affording you the immediate command of operations in the claypit. As for Locksmith, I shall deal with him personally.”

“But, sir!” Harwood started, scarcely recovered from the shock of being given command. “You’ll need some backup. And who’s to provide it, what with Gilford busy watching the prisoners, and Ana miles away?”

“Survey of the depot indicates that its windows only open out onto the east and south, both positions within Corporal Bjorgman’s sights. She can do her services as a sniper by keeping the thug ringleader pinned down inside, should he try to fly away. Besides, Thomas… we want this individual brought in alive.”

Harwood could have said “no”, of course. He could have pulled his prior credentials as precedent to take over combat duties for the Sergeant against the ringleader. But the ex-SAS begrudgingly admitted that the criminal wouldn’t come out alive should he, not Jaka, take the upper hand. His talk with Ana was evidence enough as it was.

“Alright, Sarge,” he relented. “Give ‘im hell.”

The Sergeant regarded him, before disappearing through the creaking wooden doors.

Prasad, the pilot, picked up her hand-held communications’ device.

“Hey, Dula,” came the doe-like voice of the young human Blackberry had heart earlier,  “Remember the fellow whose head I ‘grazed’? Well, the Sarge’s gonna need me to, ah, cover him, while he goes in to beat up the punter. Oh… Nordjfell, over.”

“Here’s Sleja,” replied the pilot, chuckling at the step’s delay in proper military procedure. “Alright, I’ll patch you to Overwatch. Think you’ve got it in you? Sleja, over.”

“Low, squat red building to the North-East of the brickyard,” the voice recited mechanically. “Yeah, got that in my sights, no prob.”

Blackberry thought he caught a small tremor in her tone, which seemed not to have escaped Prasad’s notice, either.

“Pegasus, isn’t he?” she commented with that eerie detachment which he’d learned could come over her as readily as barely-restrained anger or surprisingly honest joy. “Well, then, not to teach a girl her job, Ana, but aim to pierce the wing and you’re good. It isn’t nice, yet what works for the Commander or the Spy, I hear, should work for you. Sleja out.”

As she busied herself fiddling with her device, presumably to ‘patch’ the sniper as she’d said, Prasad noticed him give her a funny look.

“Kid, what is it now?”

“You…” Blackberry began, feeling self-conscious about how he was still, technically, her prisoner of war. “You were talking about putting a hole in a guy’s wing like it’s nothing.”

She didn’t attempt to whitecoat the fact. “Yes. Would you rather Ana put the hole in his head?”

“No, no, of course not!” he stammered, every instinct imprinted by medical study screaming to protest the simple wrongness of her nonchalant undertone. “But…”

Instead of sighing and staring him down, like she might have done before, the pilot diligently returned to her work, doing whatever mysterious things her flying machine expected of her.

“Believe you me,” said Prasad. “It’s nothing compared to the shit I’ve seen… some of which I myself had a hand in. You got off lucky, that’s a fact. Little more than two years ago, I was a very different woman.”

“Yeah…” whispered Blackberry, glancing downwards. “You told me some of it.”

There was something akin to a pegasus, he decided, in the manner which Mridula Prasad tended to the machine she called a ‘helicopter’ – or ‘chopper’, sometimes, although he hoped those blades at the top weren’t actually meant to chop anything – much as though it were a living creature she’d been given to look after.

Converge (4/4)

Converge - Part Four

Authors:

Redskin122004

VoxAdam

Sledge115

Editors:

ProudToBe

Bendy

DoctorFluffy

KizunaTallis

Dances with Unicorns

Proof Readers:

Dustchu

Carpinus Caroliniana

‘Oh, where did it all go so wrong?’

Rarity dodged another swipe from the monster’s sword. Applejack, meanwhile, was just galloping back to strike at it once more, having been knocked back twice. Even with two unicorns blasting away at the equine abomination, even with Applejack and Fluttershy striking at the beast’s armored hide, it still wasn’t enough.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this…” muttered Vinyl. “Change of strategy, girls! FALL BACK!”

“Fall back?” Applejack repeated incredulously, even as training kicked in and she moved according to a superior’s instructions, all four retreating back into the same pugmill-house she and Fluttershy had made their grand entrance from. “Vinyl,” she said, not bothering to address the DJ by her rank, “We’re only buying ourselves a slower death that way!”

Before Vinyl could reply, a shadow appeared from up above. “INCOMING!”

They each dodged, barely, the metal railcart the ghoul had thrown in their direction, crashing into the tracks with an almighty smash, but in doing so, Applejack made a false move and nearly tripped over one of the rails.

“Curses!” the applefarmer swore, shaking her bruised forehoof. “Flamin’ Tartarus, Ah’m sure there was a rusty nail in there!”

“Rusty nail?” echoed Rarity, halting mid-retreat. She glanced down, and sure enough, one of the metal cut-spikes meant to hold down the wooden crossties beneath the iron tracks had begun to come loose. It was merely Applejack’s bad luck to have bumped that very spot.

“Yeah, rusty nail! Ah’d thought Fuse at least cared more about proper workmanship than… what in flamin’ Tartarus are you doing?”

“Applying a skill,” said Rarity.

She focalized her aura with all her might to pull at the nail. It budged, but didn’t free up, too tightly-wound as it was into the heavy rail. And meanwhile, not far off, the terracotta ghoul was stomping straight for her.

“Rares!” yelled Applejack. “Ah know ya can’t stand a hair out of place, but now’s not the time!”

“I have an idea! Please, help me!”

Groaning frustratedly, Vinyl lounged forward, her own aura alit to join with Rarity’s, yet still the wretched nail refused to leave its berth. The leaden sound of oversized footfall approached furthermore.

“Rarity!” Applejack shouted in alarm. “LOOK OUT!”

Any eventual reply was cut violently short, as the terracotta ghoul unexpectedly jerked back with a powerful kick which knocked Rarity in the face. The world turned upside-down, right-side-up, upside-down, right-side-up multiple times in a grotty, pounding haze as she hurtled along the railtrack.

It was too much, all too much for her. She collapsed. Darkness began to enclose her vision...

“On your six, soldier! On your six!”

Rarity’s eyes fluttered open. The world began to orientate itself. Beneath her battered and bruised body, that upon which she lay, the earthen floor of some enclosed space, which had to be the pugmill-house they’d all been making a beeline for. Not much light in the off-hours, save for what feeble sunlight penetrated the sooty, overhead windows.

She’d seldom felt so glad to see Celestia’s Sun.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re awake.”

And Fluttershy, her best friend, standing by her side.

“Thought we’d lost you over there, sugarcube. Ya weren’t breathing for a sec,” Applejack wiped a drop of sweat off her brow. “That was a nasty blow you got there.”

“Yes, I... thank you,” Rarity replied, massaging her forehead. Something struck her as odd. “Who turned off the noise? Why’s the beast not pounding at this place’s walls, shaking us all with dust from the ceiling?”

“I think you’d better see for yourself,” said Fluttershy. “Looks like the cavalry’s here.”

Rarity’s heart skipped a beat. Had the PHL finally turned up?

Her answer appeared within the frame of the doorway, in the form of a masked, black-armor-clad human soldier, striding across the railtrack in a hunched, battle ready position. In his wake followed a blue pegasus, a Changeling, and a griffon – all members of the Alliance.

Instantly, the soldier opened fire on something outside her field of vision. A pained roar confirmed that he not only aimed for, but hit the terracotta beast, drawing its attention away from her and her friends. As for the blue pegasus, she leapt and flew, firing a volley of rounds with her battle-saddle. The Changeling, unnoticed until now, leapt and fired off blasts of green energy from his horn, accompanied by the griffon’s aerial strikes.

From behind, a white forehoof graced her shoulder.

“Told you they were coming,” smiled Vinyl.

But the DJ’s optimism soon came to seem misplaced. Even under all the sustained fire, the ghoul scarcely faltered one bit. With a roar befitting a beast from Tartarus, the misshapen creature tore at the railtrack, snapping up a full thirty-inch-long iron rail like a twig, and viciously used it to swat aside the griffon.

If not for his robust constitution, the poor fellow may well have ended cleaved in half. As it was, he lost his balance and nearly cork-screwed into the claypit below, forcing the Changeling to meet him mid-air and shove him in the pugmill-house’s direction, where they both landed in a graceless heap at the doorway. This left only the human as a ground force, and his bursts of fire came off as desultory on their own.

It wasn’t long until he noticed Rarity, her cover hardly enough to hide her entirely.

The soldier ran, past his recovering comrades, to her position, dodging a torn-off piece of railtrack as it slammed into the side of the wall a few paces away. Even from the interior, the impact sent cracks all along that area’s of the small building surface, to Rarity’s horror. He bowled over to Rarity’s position and, ignoring her gasp, took cover, switching firearms and looking over the mares behind that black mask of his.

“Are you… are you with the PHL?” asked Rarity.

Without missing a beat, he removed his mask, revealing a distinctly angled, sharp face.

“Course I am!” the soldier replied, quite tartly. His accent distinctly reminded Rarity of a Trottingham native, or whatever passed as Earth’s equivalent to the town. “And, given how the Lieutenant hasn’t got you clasped in irons, I’ll assume you’re on the level, Miss. So you’ll know we’re here only for ponies, not... whatever it is we’re up against now.”

“Wait,” Rarity said. “I thought–”

“We didn’t expect this at all, so, no. Didn’t level up sufficiently to fend off walking statues.”

“Can’t you just shoot the abominable thing?”

Without a second glance, the human ejected a lone bullet from his discarded firearm, and held it in an outstretched palm.

“Rubber bullets,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Wolff’s only got a net launcher, as does Gilford back at the yard, Coxa’s far too lightly armed even for this mission, and Mist’s support. Course, we’ve brought normal rounds, but just in a mag or two. Not exactly a monster slayer, eh? Bjorgman’s the only one with heavy enough firepower to maybe punch through that, and at this angle, due North from the brickyard’s walls, we’re outside her line of fire… speaking of, Coxa, just where is Mist at?”

“Still flying, last I saw her,” the Changeling replied as he dragged his griffon comrade further into the relative safety of the pugmill-house, laying the rather overweight fellow to rest behind the clay-mixing paddles. “Perhaps another cloudburst might do the trick on that thing?”

The human soldier harrumphed. “Hope her radio’s intact! If I reach her, she might be the best bet we’ve got. Even if any PHL doctrine involving the undead involves breaking their legs, then electrocuting them, and then setting them on fire.”

“B-but, surely you’ve got something!” Rarity insisted. “Wait. Why do you even have a doctrine for fighting the undead?”

“We’re too imaginative for our own good.”

“What?” Rarity demanded. “... I mean, what of the others? There’s got to be more coming?”

“Not sure about that– careful there!” the soldier shouted, ducking as a piece of the ceiling collapsed close by, debris just missing them.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Fluttershy said worriedly. “What’re we going to do…?”

“Well,” said the soldier, getting back to his feet. “Under these special circumstances, I’m open to suggestions from locals, even if they’re civvies. Amongst you lot, we’ve got a pegasus and two unicorns, so is there anything you’d like to share?”

“Two unicorns?” Rarity mimicked him unintentionally, casting a sideways glance at Vinyl.

The DJ coughed, gesturing at something. “I don’t think Corporal Harwood means me.”

A quiescent, golden glow illuminated the pugmill-house. Turning, Rarity saw, at the heart of this new light, the very nail she and Vinyl had struggled to pry loose, and beyond, the caster of the aura, an ocean-blue stallion advancing timorously yet steadfastly from his hiding spot.

“Uh…” Noteworthy began sheepishly. “Saw you guys outside. Figured you could use help…”

“I know you’re there, human! Come out, so I can face ya, stallion to stallion!”

His defiant cry resonated back-and-forth across the rows of crates lining the delivery depot. And yet, no answer came, not a human to be seen. But Locksmith knew better than to just trust his eyes and ears.

“Just the same, aren’t ya, you monkeys!” he yelled angrily. “Always hiding behind yer weapons, yer gadgets, none of ya got the stomach, none of ya, why can’t ya just stand up and bloody fight, like a real stallion? COME OUT!”

The gangster stomped a hoof, cracking the earthen floor beneath him. It was an old reflex, that of a threatened animal standing its ground.

And then, it came. A tall figure bowled over the stack of crates to his right, one fist aimed right for his eye.

It was close.

But, agile as he was, Locksmith managed to dodge the attack, age-old instincts taking over. Still, he stood his ground, and turned to face his opponent.

The human towered above him. Slightly less heavy-set than a minotaur, the alien creature looked strong enough nevertheless. Its hairless form was hidden by what looked like an odd sort of black armor, with only its face left uncovered - a thick-browed, moustachioed and tanned face at that. Having missed its initial strike, the human held a sort of flintlock pointed his forehead, unflinching and unmoving.

Locksmith spat. “Hah! Already resorting to your fancy toys now, are ya? Drop ‘em, and fight me like a real stallion, ya damn dirty, slant-eyed ape!”

The human said nothing in response. Then, before Locksmith’s unbelieving eyes, the creature emptied its weapon, eyes staring at him with an inscrutable, though intense glare. The weapon’s ammunition scattered across the floor, though the human kicked one small piece in his direction, as if to prove a point. They were small, ball-shaped projectiles.

“Rubber. Every last one. And yet, each of them infinitely more precious than you are,” it told him in a far-too-calm tone. “And every one of them is enough to send you and your goons off with your tails between your legs.”

“ENOUGH!” Locksmith snapped, clicking his horseshoes intimidatingly. “Shut yer mouth, I’ve had enough of you humans and yer fancy talk! This ‘ere would do your mouth a nice be–”

He never finished his words, for the armor-clad human had dashed forward in a surprisingly agile maneuver. Its outstretched fist connected with his muzzle from an angle, sending his head crashing on the earthen floor.

Locksmith barely had enough time to register the pain when the human struck his barrel with one of its hindlegs. The impact sent him tumbling to the floor, bones and muscles screaming. He groaned, stars dancing in his eyes, expecting doom to befall him the very next instant.

Then he noticed that the human had already turned its back on him.

“Reporting in. Hostile leader has been incapacitated accordingly, Overwatch, over.”

Fool. This human would regret his second’s inattention soon enough, Locksmith vowed. The brass lining of his horseshoes was a testimony to that.

Shaking his head in an effort to clear the haze clouding his senses, he gruntingly pushed himself back up, slowly, hoping his enemy wouldn’t hear and look back at a crucial moment. At this distance, it would be a delicate maneuver, but if he aimed right, he should be able to jump the human, one blow of his brass-girded hoof sufficient to crush the weak point between the guy’s helmet and that tough-looking black armor.

The strength flowed back into his hindlegs, and he reared forward with a feral snarl.

“Understood, Overwatch. Nordfjell will– AAARGH!”

Locksmith barreled into the human with the force of a charging bull, sending them both crashing onto the ground. But before he could muster enough force to punch through the helmet and crack this creature’s skull, his opponent just managed to swat his hoof aside.

Allowing the human no time to fully recover, Locksmith headbutted the creature, pinning it beneath his bulk – although it was taller than he, to his notice, he himself was by no means lightweight, as more than one poor sod had discovered to their cost. The human struggled beneath his build, legs pinned down under Locksmith’s own.

From outside, there came a sound of thunder.

Once again, a sudden, unplanned downpour hit the contours of the claypit.

Cihuateto’s terracotta ghoul got drenched by the rain, water sliding off its congealed, armored hide in big fat drops. Alas, if the blue pegasus on her cloud above had pinned her hopes on melting the undead creature, she was to be sorely disappointed. Other than to stain the loamy brown skin and grotty yellow, exposed bones a deeper shade of both colors, highly concentrated liquid had no more effect on it than the punch of hoof or weaponry.

Next to Noteworthy, Miss Rarity, whom he knew as a generally marshmallow sort of gal, for all her bouts of theatrical hysteria, looked on the verge of bending the metal nail in her aura – and as though she thirsted for the strength to do that, let alone inflict the same upon the ghoul.

Another potshot from Harwood and the elder griffon’s guns were not much help, either.

“Noteworthy, do…”

“Sorry, I’ve not the faintest why I am here,” said Noteworthy, answering the unasked question. He clicked his hoofcuffs helplessly. “Maybe it was the humans… but seeing them here, maybe I was wrong… I can’t be too sure. Sorry I couldn’t help out more.”

He did feel bad about it too, for a wonder. While he feared that by falling in with the humans, Miss Rarity had not learned as much as she ought to from the Grand Galloping Gala and still let her wishful fancies cloud her too-romantic nature, he knew her for a beautiful heart. The notion of his inability to aid her bore down heavily on him.

“Its fine, dear. At least we have Applejack here.” Rarity nodded toward the applefarmer, who sounded busy describing a technique to DJ-Pon3 taught to her by Pinkie Pie’s older sister. Perhaps in need of distraction from the stalemate between the team and the ghoul, the DJ was sure listening with rapt attention. “This war’s got me worried for us all, but the alternative is so much worse.”

“Alternative?” asked Noteworthy,

His mind went back to that scene he’d observed from afar, conjured by the trickster Lord of Chaos, all those months ago. That much, he could remember. What he’d seen beneath the cornucopia of sickening imagery, had left him with some choice words all gathered here may not want to hear...

Yet he’d still moved in to help Rarity and the DJ for the last inch of removing that rusty nail.

Nearer by the doorway, Applejack huffed unhappily. “Pardon my askin’, Rarity, but what’d you stay behind to grab that spike I tripped on for anyway?” she demanded, rubbing her forehoof.

Rarity gloomily inspected the nail. “Now I’m not sure. It’s just… something caught my attention. Like I could use it as… as some sort of sword, like the Major’s got, maybe? Guess I was… starting to get fed up with being unarmed…” she admitted, not looking Applejack in the eye.

An uncomfortable pause hushed over the gathering, to be soon interrupted as certain farmer trotted over to her friend.

“Hey, girl,” Applejack told her gently. “From what Fluttershy tells me, ya don’t do half bad just by bein’ you when backed in a corner. Ah saw them ruffians ya left hanging in the treetops, with Zecora now. No scratch on their hides, but down and out cold. That’s finesse for ya.”

“Thanks, Applejack,” Rarity smiled wanly. “But if only we could think of some way to stop that beastly creature,” she groaned to each of the mares in attendance. “Kicks or punches, firepower, rainwater, it doesn’t matter what, nothing we got is hurting it.”

“Not to mention the power of rock, which you’d think would be ideal for a clay-thing,” added DJ-Pon3, forehooves folded, a bitter undercurrent lacing her glib choice of words.

Something shimmered just outside Noteworthy’s field of vision. He looked, and was it just his mind playing tricks on him, as it had been prone to do in his youth, or did an unearthly radiance momentarily pass over the nail, lying discarded on the floor?

“Not music…” Noteworthy muttered under his breath, staring unblinkingly at the rusty nail. “Not water, not fire, nor pressure…” A ghostly mosaic took shape in the kaleidoscopic space behind his unusual, wonderful eyes. “But all at once.”

The ceiling to the pugmill-house came tumbling down in a shower of wooden debris.

“BREACH!” shouted the human soldier, swiftly aiming around to the exposed space.

A crumpled-looking blue pegasus hobbled into view, one wing battered by splinters. “Sorry, Har,” she coughed, raising the other wing in a poor salute. “This creature was doing me in…”

The large griffon pointed upwards. “And looks like it made a hole big enough for it to fit past.”

Noteworthy followed the griffon’s claw, and indeed, his jaw dropped as he was that the terracotta ghoul had scaled the side of the building, intent on coming in as death from above. Shrieking in unholy hatred, it dropped itself in their midst with a resounding, pulse-pounding thump which shook the building’s foundations.

“Rarity!” he shouted desperately, eyes set on the horrific apparition. “Listen to me! That thing was stitched together from many, many bits and pieces, same as one of your dresses! You have to undo it!”

“Oh, thank you so much!” the dressmaker shouted back, skiving a crushing punch. “That’s a fat lot of help. As if this big ugly walking mound of mud had a centerpiece I could just pick at!”

“You don’t need to!” Noteworthy yelled, above the sound of compressed clay meeting rock. “It’s like playing a tune! All you have to do is hit the right keys in the right order!”

“How am I supposed to do that?!”

“Well,” Applejack growled as she set herself into a combat stance, “ Ah’m not gonna stand here and wait for the situation to solve itself!”.

DJ-Pon3 had only just turned to ask what Applejack had in mind when, dwarfed anything Noteworthy felt today, even the ghoul, an orange glow flowed down from Applejack’s barrel to her legs, and she charged forward like a shot.

“Yee-haw! Let’s go!”

Yelling some chant she must have picked up in a human bar, Ponyville’s applefarmer rushed right up to the undead creature and pummeled it in the face. Applejack transformed into a whirlwind of punches and kicks, and while no Rainbow Dash in terms speed, the force behind each blow finally, finally caused the ghoul to falter back, through the doorway, way along the rails positioned on solid ground and onto the raised section of the track.

Awed, against his better judgment, Noteworthy watched Applejack duel the otherworldy being, forcing it to retreat, unable to match any strike of hers in equal measure, as their fight took them to a place where a sheer drop awaited the combatants to either side.

He dared take a step outside. They all did. She must have known they were watching, even with her back turned to them, for, grinning, Applejack slammed her hoof with deliberately paced slowness onto the track, splitting the crossties neatly in half. Unable to balance itself upon the suddenly-weakened wooden supports, the terracotta ghoul remained frozen in mid-air for a split second, then tilted, and spiralled into the heart of the claypit, sinking into the clay like a being drowning in quicksand.

“Well… damn and blast.”

Cautiously, everyone edged out, keeping at a safe distance from Applejack and the broken elevated section of the track. But it was Harwood who’d spoken. Only humans would use such colorful language.

In such a deadpan way too.

With a sigh, Harwood rubbed his helmet before turning to the others. “Alright, it’s looks down for now. Everyone? Let’s go help out the Sarge.“

“Um…” Noteworthy finally spoke up, but promptly flinched at gaining all the sharp-featured human’s attention onto himself. “I’m… I’m looking for my friend? Peachbottom? She was running away from you all and… I’m kind of worried about her.”

Harwood waved to the griffon. “Wolff, get him in custody. You, you’ll be safer with the others.”

“But, what about Peachbottom?” Noteworthy insisted. “I can’t just leave her...”

“The mare’s in with the others,” Harwood said, in a resigned tone. “You will find her somewhat banged up, yes, but at least she’s alive.”

The window besides Locksmith abruptly shattered into a thousand pieces, a nearby table following suit. Startled, Locksmith leapt back – the pain of his torn ear was all too familiar, and somewhere out there one of the humans’ friends were watching him.

It was all too unfortunate that he had forgotten about the human pinned under his weight.

Suddenly, the world around him was all bright, blinding light. Amidst the twinkling stars dancing in his eyes, Locksmith cursed himself for forgetting what those accursed limbs could do – with one hand, the human had found the strength to reach out for a nearby wooden staff, and brought it down hard.

Shaking his head clear out of the daze, Locksmith fixed his glare onto the human. This time, his opponent clearly had his full attention, from the way he gripped onto his newfound weapon to the way he kept his stance alert.

“So, found yerself a new toy, eh?” Locksmith chuckled, the two of them circling one another with deliberate slowness. “Yer not the only one crafty enough to use one of those.”

With a snap of his neck, the burly stallion reached out for a wooden bar with his muzzle, firmly holding it tight within the grip of his teeth. It was sturdy, but with a pull, he lifted it from the stack, balancing it between his jaws. While he may not possess a human’s hand’s ability to twirl whichever object it held, he did have the advantage that the alien would need to hold its staff in both hands to pour its full strength into the baton.

And his next trick was one the other guy would never see coming.

He charged forward, brass-girded hooves stomping across the stoney warehouse floor. No big surprise there for the human, true, whom he knew had time to dodge him, but the important part was that it’d be forced to duck out of the way, evading his staff’s length. Whether to the left or right made no difference. The surrounding shelves ensured that. Because the great thing about this nifty little trick was that the enemy’s attention would be focused on the baton – which was to say, the wrong place entirely.

All it took was a heartbeat. Still a good ten feet away from his awaiting prey, he abruptly let his forehooves skid to a near halt, placing additional muscular pressure on his wings – and then gravity, aided by the balance and counterweight provided by the heavy wooden staff to either side of his firmly straightened shoulders, did the rest as the concentrated force in his upper body mass, along with the staff’s perfect horizontality, turned a simple act of elastic bucking into a full mid-air forward flip.

Yes, this sucker would feel Locksmith’s hocks smash his face in, see if he didn’t.

… Except he didn’t.

Against all his expectations, the creature jumped above him, barely dodging what would have been a very painful impact. It clearly took some effort, but even then, Locksmith found himself slack-jawed at the sight of the human managed to support itself across the shelves, legs split evenly to support its weight.

In an equally fast move, the human jumped off its position and struck Locksmith in the back. Stumbling down, he barely managed to readjust himself when the human followed up its opening strike with a spin and a powerful kick, sending him crashing into the shelves.

But Locksmith would not be cast down so easily. With a mighty growl, he gripped onto his staff and dug his way out of the debris. His eyes darted left and right, before spotting the human ever so smugly dusting off its armor.

The human sighed. “You’re much more persistent than you look.”

Locksmith spat. “Then you ain’t seen nothing yet!” he shouted, stomping down a hoof. With fire in his eyes, the ashen pegasus lifted the wooden staff held in his mouth and charged.

Perhaps it was mere luck, or the raw power driving his anger-fuelled bulk, but this time, when he swung the staff around, the creature didn’t quite succeed in ducking the blow. Locksmith heard wood make impact against bone, with a sharp, crunching sound.

Even as he tumbled from the human’s retaliatory kick, he knew he’d broken something. Glancing at the human, Locksmith saw him kneel down, holding one of his hands in restrained, yet visible pain.

“Not so tough now, are ya?” he sneered, though he wisely kept himself at a distance, with the staff held down in a defensive position. “Ya know, before coming ‘ere, I’d heard some guff ‘bout how special it makes you apes, havin’ those long, spindly things at the end of yer forelegs.” He pawed at the ground with a brass-lined forehoof. “But now ya see the downside, dontcha? Break just one finger… and buck goes your grasp.”

The human looked up at him. “You shouldn’t mouth off so…” it whispered dangerously.

“What’re yer gonna do to me now, ape?” Locksmith taunted, flapping a wing in derision. “I know, how ‘bout taking a swing at me from the rafters, you got four of those things, right? Try it, I’ll give ya a head start, ten seconds as the crow flies by night. I’ve a full six joints to bear behind me ‘ere!”

“Seven. And one too many.”

Before Locksmith could figure out what it meant by that, the alien creature was reaching for its discarded wooden staff again, just as he’d anticipated. But, rather than trying to get back to its knees and smash down on him as he was expecting, it grabbed the pole’s far end and, with a flicker of its wrist, swished the thing around in a ninety-degree turn across the ground, like the dial on a clock, catching him right in the jaw

It was, to say the least, a very unpleasant impact. Stumbling backward, he spat out a tooth.

“If you call yourself a real stallion,” said the human, painfully yet resolutely ambling back up to a stand, “Your deeds will speak louder than your words, much louder. Now quit this nonsense and call it a day.”

Through the white haze his fractured jaw had left him with, Locksmith saw the human, who’d planted the staff to the ground with its good hand for support, use its wounded limb to pull out two pairs of hoofcuffs from its pocket.

“Here, put these on yourself and you can leave with some semblance of dignity,” finished the human wearily. “Else you’ll be made to look the fool, more than you already have.”

“Put those on,” Locksmith repeated indignantly. “Are ya out of yer darn mind? No, never! That’s what kept happening to Shorty, throwin’ the fight outta some half-reared notion of honor, and see where that landed him. You’re not corralling me!”

Even in his defiance, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the human should it make the first move again.

“Well,” the human replied in a completely flat tone, as he staggered and shored up his stance.  “It was worth a shot.”

Harwood whistled as kept a trained eye on where the ghoul had sunk.

“Shouldn’t assume all’s for the best,” he explained. “If that’s where it came from, it can come back from there, see? But you did a fine job on that Frankenstein, Miss. We could stand to continue adapting unsullied Equusite techniques for battle in the remaining months.”

“Something the Major taught you, Applejack?

For some reason, Rarity felt compelled to whisper as the human soldier went on his way, leading the troops at his command. He still didn’t seem to have recognized them as the Element Bearers – but given how covered in dirt and grime they were, was that so surprising?

“Hm?” Applejack tilted her head at the questio. “Oh, no. That was my personal trainer’s doing, Ah just used the fighting style the Major taught me and mixed them together. Maud’s even better at this than me, quicker too.”

“Pinkie’s older sis, right?” Vinyl asked, giving the claypit a look of hate. “Yeah, she’s a beast. I’ve seen her take down a reinforced wall with a flurry of punches. Like that anime show… what was it called it again?”

“Fist of Northstar.” Rarity answered unthinkingly.

“Yeah! That’s the one… hey? How do you know that?”

Rarity blushed brightly at Vinyl’s prodding, and began to prim her mane.

“She don’t talk much, though…” mused Applejack. “And has a small pet.. rock. Of all things.” The applefarmer giggled. “Pinkie called her over, asked her to teach me her special skills, because Ah was the strongest mare she knew, besides Maud herself. Maud took a look at mahself and said mah magic was much more… potent than hers, so she taught me the basic’s ‘Double Layers’... Heh, first time Ah got it right, Ah blew a boulder to dust because Ah was so frustrated with it. Maud said she was impressed… didn’t rightly look it–”

“Guys, weapons up!” Vinyl called out.

All the soldiers in the area, plus Noteworthy their captive, tensed, and those who bore arms raised their weapons in response to the order.

To Rarity’s great fear, the ground began to rumble again, a magical surge spiking all around.

“Not good,” Harwood whispered from up ahead, rifle aimed at the claypit.

The pit erupted.

Had the clay been as magically superheated as it was an hour ago, the rain of burning mud would have scalded the skin off each and every one of them. Fortunately, though that was a relative term in Rarity’s humble opinion, the worst that befell them was just a new layer of filth.

To begin with.

All eyes widened in the face of what they saw. Multiple skulls rose up from the muck, jagged teeth snapping like piranhas. As the skulls rose further, it dawned on everyone watching that there were ten faces in all, five to a row, and another. Just as that sobering thought set in, one more skull burst forth, larger than any of the others combined.

Swallowing, the large griffon checked his talons. “Don’t tell me… those are… its fingers?”

“We don’t want the whole of it coming back up,” said Harwood, his tone unnaturally steady. A horrid slurping sound reached them from the pit. “But it would seem to be draining the earth itself to grow bigger.”

“What’s to do?” asked the griffon tremulously.

“I see only one thing for it, Corporal Harwood,” Vinyl told him grimly. “Those net guns. If we can’t stop the creature from regenerating, we trap it.”

“Wolfsschanze!” barked Harwood, dispensing with preliminaries.

“I’m on it!”

The large griffon launched a net at the closest group of ghouls. Rarity knew this would normally hinder even a unicorn, but, recoiling, she realized the group weren’t even slown as they tore through the net like paper

Wolfsschanze seemed put out by the foe’s feat. “Oh…”

“Ease up, lad, blade out,” the blue pegasus told him, cradling her wing. “Remember old Gilford’s teachings.”

“Aye!” Returned to life, he pulled out his blade and lobbed the head off an approaching ghoul, freshly clawing its way out of the expanse that was the claypit. “Much better! Call it a start on my road toward the Tournament!”

“Applejack!”

Ducking a blow, Rarity was startled to hear it was Noteworthy who had just cried out. “You need to do that thing again!”

“Ah am doing that thing again!” Applejack barked back, bucking a ghoul to dust with ease.

“No! I mean disrupt the channel of magic!” he shouted desperately. “That ghoul from before, it’s controlling them through the ground. You have to hit the ground and force your magic through to disrupt it! Like hitting the right key on a piano!”

That was when Rarity remembered she’d never let go of that horrid, rusty old nail. “Fluttershy! Fluttershy, what am I keeping this thing for!?”

For a mare of timid repute, Fluttershy was ducking and weaving amassing ghouls like a bird flitting through trees, imbued with a grace and, dare one say it, confidence to her flight which had not been present before.

“No idea!” her friend called back. “Were you planning to stitch a thread with it?”

“Stitch? No…” And surrounded by the ghoul’s familiars, memory hit her. “But stake… stake, like a vampire! That must be it! We’ll drive a stake through its heart!”

“What heart?” yelled Applejack. “That thing’s nought but mud and bones!”

“But it’s more than that!” exclaimed Rarity, feeling the excitement of discovery pouring into her. Was this how Twilight felt all the time? “If it’s undead, it doesn’t need a centerpiece to channel thoughts through… it’s like a single, smooth, well okay, maybe not-so-smooth pattern! We just need to spread the same damage everywhere at once!”

“Real tall order there,” commented the Changeling, who’d adopted the tactic of shifting into various ghouls in an altogether unsuccesful attempt at confusing the real deal. “How’d you propose to do that, Miss?”

Rarity stared intently at the nail, all else drifting from her mind.

‘Rares, you fussy, unrealistic perfectionist, this had better work...’

Gulping down her nervousness, Applejack carefully trudged down from the far end into the muddy depths of the claypit. Far from her friends and allies, certainly not far enough for comfort from the raging sounds of battle – or from the monster itself, though it did not see her. The mud squelped and squelched beneath her hooves and she felt sure the thing must hear those treacherous sounds as she tip-toed below the overhang, never straying too close to the primary ghoul, always wary of any sentinels it may have left, however unlikely that was. Expected the unexpected, a valuable doctrine for survival.

Her mind wandered back to Granny Smith, that last, painful discussion they’d shared after she returned home with an unconscious Applebloom across her withers. How her grandmother had urged her not to recklessly place herself in the line of fire, to leave other, more qualified characters in the business of bringing justice to her little sister’s harmers, who’d abducted a man fighting for his right to live in the face of annihiliation by a twisted mirror-land of all she held dear. She’d gone against her elder’s wish as soon as the danger, literally, showed up on her doorstep, yet she’d been prepared. Even pulled the wool over their eyes to keep them from cutting across the Zap-Apple orchard.

Thinking of Zap-Apples reminded her just how insane Rarity’s scheme really was.

‘Granny… Applebloom… Mac… this is it, she told herself. ‘And Flutters… if only Rainbow had been here. Glide higher than ever, girl…’

For the third time on that long, tiring afternoon, torrential rain fell from the heavens.

The primary ghoul squatting the claypool scarcely took notice of it, but Applejack prayed fervently the cloudburst would remain localized as it should. She was finding it troublesome not to splutter merely from all the off-shoot driplets falling by, and doing so meant suicide, surprise being her sole advantage in this situation.

Something whizzed through the air and hit the ghoul square between the eyes.

This elicited a roar, a roar which still had the power to send ice cubes down her neck, yet felt bizarrely token at that stage, as if even the snarling, feral creature which emitted these noises had grown to consider this par for the course.

Applejack dispelled a shiver. No doubt it knew that it, honestly, had got them on the ropes.

… All changed once a bolt of lightning struck the rusty nail embedded in the creature’s skull.

Earth is not the greatest of conductors, Applejack knew it well. Except this creature was not wholly of the earth, for bone without skin and blood without flesh constitued its lifeforce, and the water from the storm allowed the electricity to course far more readily through its body. In the second before, stunned, the creature could react, a buzz emanated dimly on the edge of her hearing, a cross between an arythmically beating heart and the electric, musical crackle of rice paper – Vinyl was no stranger to the uncanny art getting the nervous system psyched, as the blue aura envelopping the makeshift lightning rod could attest.

‘And well done too with that black cloud, Fluttershy.’

The ghoul did not roar this time. It screamed.

Laws of physics, of a sort which she wouldn’t have grasped on the best of days, even with Twilight to guide her through, took over, all the more distorted by the rip in reality at work due to the feral creature’s mere existence. Thrashing wildly, madly, any semblance of rational thought it may have had dissolved. The ghoul knew no better than to blindly grasp for salvation in doing the same thing it had been doing before, draining the clay around it to build a body, not realizing how this energy, consumed too fast, was slowly burning it up.

Steam arose, like it would on a horse exhausted of the chase, from the creature’s moist hide.

Cracks began to zig-zag along the base of its skull.

Now was her chance.

Something raked her shins. Yowling in pain, Applejack snapped her head back to find that a lesser ghoul had spotted her and attacked, baring its teeth viciouly. She bucked it in the face, breaking right through the bone, yet another took its place, followed by two more, lunging at her to bury her where she stood, here in this muddy hellscape.

“Let’s not have any of that, ya varmints!” Applejack roared in her turn, and charged for the exposed face of the great ghoul.

She hit the nail on the head.

Underwhelmingly, it was as if Vinyl’s horn short-circuited and fizzled out.

“Lieutenant?” Rarity asked her worriedly. “What does that mean? Did something go wrong? Could I have miscalculated?”

Vinyl shrugged, too weary now for any fears or anger.

Then, behold! A noise of what sounded like, Rarity would never had expected it, shattering porcelain rumbled throughout the claypit, which was still obscured for an instant by the torrential rain, until no further than a microsecond later when a veritable shockwave blew the water into a shower of needle-like drops, which splattered the bemused onlookers.

Something orange fell from the sky and cratered the ground like a meteor.

Gasping, Rarity recognized who it was. The farmer’s habitually plaited mane was all a-frazzle, near as bad as fillyhood Pinkie’s on the fateful day of that Sonic Rainboom, and her stetson had blown away. She also sported a wild look in her habitually placid green eyes.

“I’m riding high!” whooped Applejack, rearing up. “C’mon, Rares, Flutters! Let’s blow this joint!”

There was no other word for it – she zoomed down the dirt track, straight for the brickyard.

“Applejack!” Rarity cried out after the galloping, crazed farmpony. “Applejack, NO!”

But it was too late. Applejack spun around and, with one great, single kick of her hyper-electrified hindlegs, the whole eastern wall of the brickyard came tumbling down with a mighty crash in a cloud of powdery pink dust.

Taken aback by the shock, everything went quiet, with only the sound of the stirring wind, and, if Rarity’s ears weren’t mistaken, a melee inside the warehouse to hint at further disturbance.

Vinyl was first to speak, albeit mumbling so low that Rarity scarcely picked up on her words.

“Showoff...”

Inside the depot, both fighters, human and pegasus, heard a terrible noise.

“What was th–”

Locksmith had no time to finish before a tile came loose from the ceiling and smacked him right in the head. Dazed, he lost his balance in mid-flight, turning tailspin with no further control over his trajectory. Which, unfortunately, happened to be slap-bang in the direction of where the whole far wall was beginning to collapse.

“Just a bump to the head,” he slurred. “No big deal. You stay right there, monkey, I’m-”

“BREACHING!”

A loud bang reverberated, and the double door flew straight for his face. The impact sent him tumbling backwards, close to a pile of crates such as littered the whole warehouse, and onto the lower end of a newly-sawn plank, left to lean against a fresh pile of red bricks. Blinking back tears from the dust and smoke, Locksmith felt more than saw a dark shadow fall across his view. Not the human. Humans, so far as he knew, couldn’t fly, not even whatever unnatural creature this was who’d fought him to a standstill. Instead, a familiar-looking pegasus mare brought herself to hover in his sights.

“Hello,” she said, gazing down coldly at him. “Nice to see you again.”

Before he could formulate any coherent response, the old foe, Daring’s first sidekick, fell upon the upper end of the plank with such force, she’d practically taken a dive. And as Equus’ own peculiar laws of physics took over, the ensuing see-saw effect propelled him right over her head, and sent him landing, neat as you please, into the mouth of an open waiting crate.

The last thing he saw and heard was the lid slam close on him, cutting off all light.

“Nice move, Mrs. Fuse,” complimented Jaka, nursing his hand. “Thanks for your help.”

“S’ nuthin’, good fir, jus’ ha’ bone ‘o pig wi’ im,” Minus replied through a mouthful of hammer, nuzzling the crate as she swiftly went about the business of nailing it shut on four corners.

The injured Sergeant gave her a nod, then turned to face a very weary-looking Harwood. The medic, along with the rest of the taskforce, had inexplicably decided to collapse a wall, and then, as if to make a clean job of it, breach a door open. Quite spectacularly, he might add.

“That was a powerful breach you did there, Corporal,” he said sternly. “Could’ve hit any of us with that risky move.”

“With due respect Sarge,” Harwood began, taking a few glances at the rest of the group. Indeed, even Wolfsschanze and Coxa looked exhausted. “We’re all a bit drained, but fuck it! We caught the bugger.”

Minus nodded, and let the hammer drop to the floor.

“Reinforced birchwood casing, best in quality for carrying bricks,” she told the crate smugly. “And sorry, no lock to pick. Just you try bucking your way outta this one, chowderhead. That was for my husband.”

The pilot halted in mid-checkup on her flying machine, her eyes darting around in sudden alert. Prasad unholstered her flintlock, aiming it at the trees surrounding the two of them.

“Uh, Miss Prasad?”

“Shh… quiet, something’s not right.”

Obediently, Blackberry fell silent, scarcely daring to draw a single breath. A cold chill slowly began to creep over him, and it had nothing to do with the wind and gentle rustling which were the only sounds left to perturb the quiet of the clearing. As for the woman, he saw tension in her stance, yet there was no longer any sign of her previous, restrained fury. This was frightening in its own way, though. Before, the human female had appeared to him as a fantastic beast, then, further down the line, as a person with no love for him. Watching her rhythmically sweep the weapon over the surrounding area, aim always dead ahead, it struck him how little Prasad looked and moved like a living soul.

A mare emerged from the foliage to their right.

“Hold your fire,” she stated laconically, raising a golden hoof that looked made of porcelain, though whether in greeting or in command, he could not tell. “Sergeant Prasad. New orders have come in.”

Thus met, Prasad lowered her flintlock by an inch, but neither aim, stance, nor that eerie feeling of automated reaction left her. If anything, she seemed to grow more tense. Blackberry noticed her lips parted slightly from the effort not to openly grit her teeth.

“Operative Cutter,” the pilot responded with a near-matching lack of emotion. “Please state your business. I have my report to make,” she concluded, shrugging her shoulder at Blackberry. Prasad had placed herself cleverly. While she was no longer facing him directly, the pilot stood stiff at a ninety-degree angle from him, ensuring he remained in her peripheral vision as she maintained eye contact with the newcomer.

The mare, Cutter, nodded in acknowledgment. “Would seem we are on the same page, yes. Your captive is subject to these new orders. You are to deliver him effective immediately. Sanction Three has been declared.”

It was a shock to Blackberry, how quickly all the color seemed to slip out of the dark-skinned woman’s already haggard face.

“Sanction Three?” she whispered. “No… no, that can’t be right. The exact purpose of this whole operation was to go against the grain. That’s why I received orders to fly in natives so they could do the job properly, not leave it to psychos on a leash like you!”

“Give the colt to me,” Cutter replied, as though she hadn’t heard the woman. “You are under no duty to do this yourself. But chain-of-command dictates that you do not impede my task.”

Prasad threw one glance in his direction. One.

“No,” she told the mare. “Black ops or not, I don’t care who you are, responsibility for the kid falls to me first. And I must have spoken confirmation from Command that they want this.”

“Will everyone stop calling me ‘kid’ or ‘colt’!” Blackberry exploded, unable to hold himself in any longer. Dazed, sweating, forehooves knocking together, a dim awareness subsisted that nothing he did now would help, hence he had nothing to lose. “Sweet summer sun in the heavens above, if you’re g-gonna do me in, just go ahead and blasted do it, but at least have the basic d-decency to treat me like a person, not a ch-china doll you can toss around!”

His outburst caught the pilot off-guard. And in just that time, a gleaming knife suddenly swept in from where it had lain hidden, beneath the chopper’s belly. It darted swiftly through the air like an arrow, struck Prasad in the shoulder, slicing clean through skin and flesh. All it had taken to miss her neck was that she’d tilted back at the sound of Blackberry’s shout.

“AAARGH!”

Blackberry barely registered what had just transpired, when a second knife slammed into the chopper’s metal hull. Only moments later did he realize it was meant for his eye. As Prasad collapsed, she managed to fire off a few shots from her weapon – into thin air, for the mare had disappeared in a cloud of dust and smoke.

The first knife swerved around again, headed for the space between muzzle and forehead. There came a sharp flicker of light, a sound of metal against metal, and at the last second, something shiny slammed the horrid blade away, shielding him.

He turned to see who it was. And almost fainted at what absurd sight he took in. Standing not two paces from him, battered and bloodied and bruised, yet steady on her hooves and a mad gleam in one eye, was an exact copy of the attacking mare, right down to the razor-straight mane covering half her face.

“I never die, yes...” the duplicate apparition whispered, smiling ferally.

Through her pain, Prasad’s eyes widened in recognition.

“You! But then, that must mean–”

“Heads down!” yelled the new Cutter. No sooner had she said so, did the knife embedded in the the chopper’s hull come loose and, floating, slash towards the kneeling woman.

When he thought about it later, Blackberry would never quite be sure if he correctly remembered what he claimed. The new Cutter dashed by with such speed, the uncanny mare turned into no less than a blur of green and gold, striking the offending knife off-course before further harm came to Prasad. The expression he’d use was on the nose, and yet, no more or less suiting than it sounded.

‘Like a demon out of Tartarus…’

And the new Cutter, the real Cutter, presumably, given the look of understanding which dawned upon Prasad, stood stock still, her fierce gaze fixed onto the patch of grass the mare in disguise had vacated mere moments ago. Then, she turned to face Prasad.

“Inform Corporal Bjorgman. The Blue Spy is out of your control. She must be contained,.” Pause. “By the way,” she smirked, unblinking stare taking them both in. “You pass the test.”

The mare whipped her head around, before galloping into the forest, following after the Spy. And, quite as abruptly as the altercation occurred, the clearing fell into silence once more, punctuated solely by Prasad’s heavy breathing, and his own.

“There’s a medical kit, back of the chopper,” Prasad groaned. “Alcohol and bandages. Get it.”

“B-but what-about...”

“Listen, ki... Blackberry, do as I say. I’ll get Ana on the line. Now, hurry.”

Handgun withdrawn but not raised, Jaka peered through the massive hole in the wall.

“You sure this is the place?”

“Affirmative,” said Harwood. “Unless the Major went up and away, he should be inside. Looks like our crazy mare hit the right spot.”

“Alright, Corporal. Proceed.”

With bated breath, Harwood tentatively started down the piles of debris.

“Major Bauer?” he called out. “Major Bauer, do you hear me?”

“Barely, but yes!” someone answered from the confines of the drying shed.

“Major, are you hurt?”

Bauer emerged, seeming no worse for the war. “No. But I’d have gladly killed some of Fuse’s crew if they tried getting their mitts on Discord.”

“Discord’s here?”

With a thumb, Stephan gestured over his shoulder. “Him and his little girl. He’s been poisoned with something called tatzelwurm venom. Get our experts on him ASAP.”

Harwood nodded, reaching for his radio. “On it, sir.”

“Thank you, soldier,” Bauer told him formally. “Who’s your commanding officer?”

“That would be me, sir,” said Jaka, stepping forward. “I apologize for the delay. Events far beyond our control… complicated the mission.”

“I can vouch for that, sir,” Harwood cut in. “Both the Loyalists, and these… these gangsters, have mostly been subdued. Some of the conspirators may require further attention… such as this mare’s husband.”

He indicated the sandy pegasus who’d come in with the Sarge, unimpeded and unconcerned by the occupying forces, as though she owned the placed, which wasn’t far from the truth.

“Major,” Fuse’s wife said politely, “I know my husband’s gonna be in a tight spot for the foreseeable future, and I understand the trouble he’s caused you. But I hope you’ll accept this package as a token of good faith. Call it an early Hearthswarming present, if you will.”

A pale yellow, wooden crate was brought in, levitated by two white unicorn mares, one of whom Harwood recognised as Lieutenant Scratch. The second mare, a dainty wench sporting a well-kempt purple mane, reacted to the sight of Bauer with a slight widening of the eyes, followed by an immediate snap to attention and a salute.

“At ease,” said Bauer, holding up a hand, “Private Belle.”

So, not only was this mare a native from the more peaceful Equestria he’d found himself in together with Jaka and Ana’s side, she was an individual counterpart to the sextuplet he and the PHL had come to know only as the Solar Tyrant’s most trusted lieutenants. With a jolt, Harwood realised he should have identified her instantly, but due to some subconscious element within his psyche, his brain had apparently refused to draw the obvious connection.

Maybe the difference lay in how she’d dusted herself off immensely since their last encounter.

“What’s in the box?” enquired the Major.

“Something that’ll look good on our report,” Jaka said simply. “Although I regret to say that a few gang members did escape, including the mare who conjured up the artificial adversary which caused us such grief, the ringleader has been taken into… ahem, custody.”

“Hey! HEY!” A muffled voice cut in from the crate, accompanied by an incessant knocking. “It’s all dark in ‘ere! Let me out! Please, let me out!”

“Oh, quiet, you little shit. Think you’ve got problems?” Harwood smartly quipped. “Ever get yourself cuffed to your bed, with a perfectly good pint of beer across the room, out of reach, and to add insult to injury, your roommate just had to go and lose the keys?”

Even Jaka raised an eyebrow.

“Sounds fun!” Wolffschanze chirped in. Gilford rolled his eyes, and Snow Mist looked about ready to burst into a giggling fit.

“Long story, guys,” sighed Harwood. “She’s never letting me live that down, even though it was her bright idea to cuff me.”

“Oh! Oh, I remember that!” Snow Mist snickered. “Yeah, Ana told me you were practically in hysterics over the giant rat inside the room. She had to bust the door open, barge in and rescue ya from that, and then you wouldn’t stop thank–”

“I said, long story, Snow Mist, please.” Harwood emphatically stated, turning away from the now-giggling pegasus, huffing and crossing his arms.

“Ah, you pair,” said Snow Mist, wiping her eyes. “But she was really apologetic about not thinking it through. She did look like she felt bad, Har, so there’s that.”

“...Yes, well, she has my thanks, then.”

He inwardly hoped nobody noticed the slight blush he felt on his cheeks.

Harwood coughed. “Anyway,” he resumed, uncrossing his arms to give the shaking crate an indulgent pat, “Better get used to it, chap, because where you’re going, you’re going to be in the dark for a very long time.”

“What brought down that wall, anyway?” demanded Bauer.

When the unicorn mare, Rarity, chuckled at that, it sounded to Harwood like the first honest laugh she’d allowed herself in a very long time.

“Just a silly pony called Applejack.”

“Hold still, hold still,” Blackberry stated, hooves working fast to staunch Prasad’s bleeding.

“Alright, kid, let’s start this over,” the human pilot grunted through clenched teeth, though Blackberry couldn’t tell if it was from the pain or restrained fury. “What you’re saying is, there’s gangsters present at the brickyard?”

Blackberry wiped his forehead. “I think I prefer pirates anyway,” he muttered helplessly.

This only earned a snort in response. “Ugh, get the feeling there’s plenty we missed out on.”  Prasad shot a gaze back towards the treeline where the two combatants had vanished into. “And by the look of things,” she added darkly, grasping her shoulder, “this ain’t done yet. Hurry up so I can radio Command. Need to tell them the Blue Spy has gone rogue…”

Only Human

Only Human

Authors:

Redskin122004

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Editors:

Jed R

ProudToBe

DoctorFluffy

KizunaTallis

Bendy

Dances with Unicorns

Ana Bjorgman lay perfectly still.

Over the course of the past three hours, she had fired nearly twenty sniper rounds at the targets down at the brickyard, near-misses and crippling hits, a suppressing role, just how she liked it. Of course, she’d had to fire off a critical shot here and there. Two of them, if her count wasn’t very much mistaken. As always in such times, Ana breathed in, out, so slowly that the blades of grass tickling her face barely rustled, all to force back down the pressure weighing on her stomach. A simple shoulder hit, or kneecap, those befitted her sensibilities. Sure, kneecaps weren’t easy to pull off, and still painful, but at least meant one less life lost.

Colonel Renee’s voice called in through the radio, finally breaking the relative silence.

“Nordfjell, this is Overwatch, is the situation under control? Over.”

Not once taking her eyes off the scope, Ana gave a swift reply.

“Nordfjell to Overwatch, hostiles have been pushed back inside, over.”

“Noted, Nordfjell. Vanhoover-Actual’s moved in towards the objective, over.”

She sighed, glad all was done. Her place here, clutching at her rifle inside this ghillie suit, had begun to slowly, yet surely, bear down on her.

“Duly noted, Overwatch, over.”

“Extraction and relief forces are coming within the hour, Nordfjell. We are awaiting the next word from Vanhoover-Actual. Overwatch out.”

Ana sat back, taking off her hood and balaclava. Snow Mist’s clearing of the Ponyville skies had come at the cost of comfort, for she had been sweating profusely over the past hour.

‘Really gotta change now, drats,’ she thought, removing her rifle’s suppressor and gingerly placing it on the ground. Standing up to stretch also gave her an opportunity for wiping off a few beads of sweat from her brow. ‘Wonder how the others are doing? Can’t be all that much worse... right?’

Judging from the lack of cries at the brickyard, they seemed to be holding out pretty well.

‘Harwood’s... probably got his hands full. Jaka’s kicking all sorts of ass.’ She chuckled, counting down her companions one by one. ‘All things considered, though, think I’m a bit, eh, over-equipped. They don’t have… anti-materiel rifles now, do they? And here I am, melting. On the other hand, what do pilots do with no one around? Dula… well, at least she’s got that Loyalist for a chat.’

Shaking her head, the young woman sat back down, opening the precious gift of sustenance Moondancer had given for her hours before.

‘Ah, well, ‘least I still got this soup. Thank you, Dancer.’

Ana’s lips curved into a smile as she took in the whole town, sipping from her thermos. It certainly was a quiet, pleasant little place. Small wonder that Major Bauer and Special Operative Lulamoon had chosen this as their temporary retreat.

‘Wonder what it’ll look like in winter. One thing I know for sure, well, I’d rather freeze than melt inside this stupid camouflage. Can’t seem to escape the tropics anywhere, drat! Why couldn’t we come during the winter? Couldn’t anyone just, y’know, make and cover the hills with blankets of soft, powdery snow, it’d be easy and… nice. Heck, maybe I’ll get Dula and Harwood on a night out on town, it’ll be fun! What wouldn’t I do for some lutefisk right now? Yeah, just, just like home…’

Equestria did remind her of Norway in summer, if only a tiny bit. And the rows upon rows of warm, welcoming houses strongly called to mind her childhood hometown as well. All she needed was a snowman, a mug of chocolate, warm hugs, and she’d be all set.

“Nordfjell come in, Nordfjell report, over!”

Shame this wasn’t the world she lived in now.

The sudden noise and crackle startled Ana into a backwards tumble, jolting her awake. Hurriedly setting aside her thermos, she snatched up the radio. If the normally stoic, collected Colonel Renee called in so abruptly, something had gone terribly wrong.

“This is Nordfjell reporting in, what’s the problem? Over,”

But this wasn’t the normally stoic, collected Colonel Renee. Instead, she heard the very familiar and very welcome voice of Mridula Prasad.

“Ana, this is Prasad,” said the pilot, and Ana couldn’t help but notice her strain.

“Oh, hey, Prasad!” Ana replied, as brightly as she could. “Is something wrong or–”

“The Blue Spy has been compromised, Ana. She’s gone rogue.”

“Huh?” Ana certainly hadn’t expected this to be the urgent report of the day. “Er, come again, Dula? Did you say ‘gone rogue’?”

“Anastasia Bjorgman, you get your head outside that winter wonderland you call your thoughts, because I need you to listen very carefully, right now, understand?”

The use of her full name certainly drew Ana’s full attention, no doubt about that.

“Whatever happened in that forest screwed over the Spy. Me and my detainee got attacked, real nasty wound she gave me.”

“Wait, I can get help, Dula. Harwood can–”

“No time for that! The detainee... Blackberry’s a doctor, but Ana, please, I need you to stop the Spy. Cutter’s in pursuit, but for Heaven’s sake, do not let the Spy into the town. Who knows what she’ll do in there? Are we clear on that?”

“Alright. Just, stay safe, will you? I really don’t think you should be trusting the prisoner, I mean, the detainee, to take care of you.”

“You just worry about yourself and the Spy, Ana. Sleja out.”

Prasad’s orders were precise, her desperate tone notwithstanding, and Ana instantly caught onto the situation’s precarious nature, in spite of her brief hesitation. Quickly, she peered through her scope, searching for any sign of the Spy, any sudden flash of hidden blades, traces of a blue mare…

There. Amongst the white fences, the Spy moved swiftly, with the efficiency of an automaton.

‘... Now just what are you up to, Miss Spy?’

Ana started to reach for her suppressor. Her fingers had touched the edge, when the house’s doors creaked open.

Whereupon a young filly, no older than five, scooted out into the yard, tumbling in a heap of laughter as her friend tackled her to the well-manicured lawn.

‘No...’

The sniper wasn’t sure how bad, nor how extensive the damage done to the Spy’s mind was. But the mare’s robotic, emotionless gait and look, the way she stared at the two confused little fillies, reminded Ana of a Nordic wolf on the prowl amidst the pines.

Whatever she was staring down her scope was neither compassionate nor merciful.

She didn’t care whether the Spy was an important asset to the war. All she knew was that there were two children down there, and a hostile-looking Spy moving straight at them.

Ana pulled the trigger.

There was a time, long ago, when this train of thought would have made Trixie sick to the pit of her stomach, when the mere idea of killing children in cold blood would have made her cry herself to sleep at night.

Too bad Trixie wasn’t here right now.

‘Fools, believing they are safe from my wrath. No, they will die like the rest.’

The Spy raised her blade, eyes narrowing as the two little girls, just getting their start in life, began to back away from her in fear.

“Don’t you know what the grown-ups say?” she asked quietly, flatly. “There are many monsters in this world. Children should stay away from monsters.”

A light glinted off the surface of her knife. Her only warning, but an oh-so familiar one.

Swiftly, she ducked down, feeling the air brush her as something missed her head by scarcely more than an inch, smashed into the mailbox beside her and sent splinters flying. Right after, catching up with the bullet, a loud bang echoed through the air. It sent the fillies screaming and rushing back inside.

The Blue Spy did not care, now she had a bigger, more dangerous target in mind. She turned to stare out and upon the distant, woody hill overlooking the town. She smirked somewhat when her eyes trained on a spot, adjusting at the tell-tale glint of a scope.

Another shot struck. But far from doubling over in pain, the Spy’s image wavered and vanished.

She had moved by then, not too far, merely behind the garden’s white picket fence, hidden enough to observe her would-be-sniper. Her refuge was of short duration, though, for another blow sheared the top off one of her cover’s boards. Luckily it was too clean a shot for splinters to smash into her face.

‘Expert sniper, former military perhaps.’

Releasing several sparks of light, her body slipped away from sight as she slowly maneuvered toward another area, the relative safety of the house’s front porch. Yet, one more sniper round took a potshot at her hindquarters, missing only to shatter a window. The sound of screams echoed from the inside, soon joined by a dozen hooves galloping out, but the Spy did not care.

‘Correction. Former civilian. Still, good. Able to discern my location by surrounding dirt.”

“Location confirmed,” Spy said aloud as she ducked behind the now-open wooden door, knowing this was a mere stop-gap. “High penetration. PHL munition.”

Her horn glowed, a second, illusionary Spy taking shape beside her, along with a shield. It raced away into the street, only to get taken out with a single hit, and crumple to the ground.

“Heavy round, less than a fifty, but greater than twenty-two. Possible three-thirty-eight.”

No single breath of hers could go to waste. While the false Spy may have pulled the wool over her sniper’s eyes for a limited window of time, any assailant worth their salt, who knew what they were dealing with, would never be fooled into thinking they had taken her out so easily, least of all on this clear afternoon; her illusions, though close to perfect, cast no shadow. She herself, however, did. And it was getting late. Move too far out, and the sun’s rays were certain to give her away when she cast a long, black gap in the light upon the cobblestones.

Fortunately, there were other means at her disposal. Cautiously, she levitated her blade, using the metal reflection to look around the corner, cursing the poor quality of her wooden cover. Judging the coast clear, she gave a grunt as wings sprouted from her back, carrying her to the building’s second floor, through the side window.

… Even that was one moment’s exposure too many.

She’d barely made it inside, past the frame, when the desk beneath her exploded, a splinter burying itself into one of her newly-fledged winds, the shock of which destroyed her balance. Headfirst, the Spy crashed. Mercifully, she crashed into the soft surface of a double bed.

Coughing, groaning, the Spy pushed herself away from the pillowcases.

As tempted as she was, holing up inside this recently-vacated house, she knew, was the worst possible option to go for when bereft of backup. Who knew which other hostiles may converge upon her position, and how fast, and in what numbers. Her safest bet would be to exit from whatever angle would logically be a blindspot to the sniper – a northern window.

Harwood glanced at Jaka, suppressing a twitch in his palms as he forced himself to bandage the Sarge’s injured left hand, for the far-off sounds of gunshot, bouncing off the drying shed’s stuffy walls, suddenly made him fear for a certain young, unusual woman close to both men’s hearts.

And here he’d thought tending to the Lord of Chaos would be the worst challenge of the day.

“I hear sniper fire,” Major Bauer said tensely, getting up to his feet from beside the sickly, prone Discord strewn on the straw-covered floor. “Was that your sniper, Sergeant?”

“Affirmative, sir. That would be Corporal Bjorgman,” Jaka confirmed, his good hand reaching over for his radio. “But I do not know why she’d ditch her suppressor.”

“Sergeant,” Bauer stated. “Was your sniper equipped for a stealth mission?”

“Yes, Major Bauer,” said Jaka, snapping to attention. “Should I attempt to contact her, sir?”

“Do it.”

“What’s goin’ on here?” Applejack asked, startling Harwood.

Replace the cowboy stetson with a reinforced helmet, he realized, and this mare was a dead ringer for her Imperial counterpart. He could not reconcile the notorious slavedriver with the open, guileless face looking up expectantly at him. This close, it was a minor shock in itself, seeing there were freckles on her cheeks.

“Sniper, ma’am,” Snow Mist helpfully provided. “Something went wrong, we’re trying to find out what.”

On cue, Harwood raised his radio.

“Nordfjell, this is Frost-One, come in, over.”

“A little busy here, Har!”Ana replied frantically. “Call back later!”

“Ana, I don’t know what you’re doing, but stop before you cause a panic! Cease fire!”

“Not an option! Look, I need to call you back...”

The radio faded into static, another shot heard in the distance.

“Dammit, Ana. Sarge, I lost her. We gotta try getting her back on the line, now.”

Before the Sergeant could even begin to switch channels, a beep indicated that someone else was attempting to contact the group. Warily, Jaka opened the comm.

“This is Vanhoover-Actual, identify, over,” he said firmly. Heavy breathing answered his query, which Harwood recognized, to his own surprise, as belonging to–

“Sleja-Gamma here, Actual,” their pilot answered. “Calling in to inform you of the Blue Spy.”

Jaka wisely handed over his radio to Major Bauer, who suddenly sported a look of absolute concern.

“Sleja Gamma, this is Major Bauer. What is your emergency, over?”

“Major Bauer, sir!” Prasad wheezed, heaving in pain once more. “Beg to inform you about the Spy... she has gone rogue. Came close to slashing my throat open! Only the intervention of Operative Cutter spared me and my detainee from further harm.”

The ensuing silence was so still, one could have heard a pin drop. Then a new shot rang out, and Bauer switched back the channels.

“Nordfjell, this is Major Bauer. What’s the sitrep in Ponyville, over?”

“Major Bauer, I...  I can explain this!” Ana stuttered anxiously. “But the Spy, you see, she appears to have… to have gone rogue. Couldn’t let her do anything bad to any civvies. I’m sorry.”

Harwood scarcely pondered what lay in Bauer’s mind, but the Major’s voice formed an unnaturally calm response.

“Keep the sitrep on, Corporal. We’ll get to the bottom of this, make sure she does not leave your sight, over.”

“Got it!” Another shot rung, another shot chambered.

“She hasn’t hit the Spy yet, Major,” Harwood said helpfully. “Otherwise she’d have stopped a while ago.”

“I’m aware of that, Corporal,” Stephan agreed drily. “Now, we need to evacuate the town.”

“With due respect, Major, is that necessary?” Snow Mist piped up, only for Lieutenant Scratch to grimace at the thoughtless question.

“Believe me, it is,” Stephan replied. “The Spy isn’t a regular soldier like the rest of the PHL, she is an operative of the highest caliber; she is a spy, an assassin, and a cleaner all at once.”

“Cleaner?”

“No survivors, no witnesses, the dead can only say so much these days,” Scratch explained, taking no heed of Snow Mist’s sudden paleness. “If an entire town has to go, she’ll do it without question.”

Professionalism entered in conflict with a latent, gut reaction of disgust within Harwood, some part of him which training had not completely scoured. He may have killed opponents on the field many times over, but something about the deed outside the heat of battle, performed with cold detachment more fit for a machine than a man, still had power to repulse him. It was all to do with being a medic, carrying the responsibility of keeping your fellow killers alive. As his palms began to itch once again, secretly, he cursed the motherfuckers they all really were.

After three years of his world gone topsy-turvy, his nation plain gone, faced with an enemy he could never have predicted, now, as he stood in this strange land, near a friendly mirror to three of the enemies’ faces, he saw how wrong it all was. It wasn’t the Equestrians who shouldn’t have come to Earth. They were the ones who should never have gone to Equestria.

Damn Ana, too, for her inability to play the part of an emotionally-removed sniper. Then, with no warning, the radio blared back to life, and who else’s frightened voice should it have been, but hers.

“Hey, uh, sir? We have a problem,” she whispered unhappily. “I… I don’t think I can hold out for too long. I’m running low, Sarge.”

“Pull out, Nordfjell,” Jaka said calmly. “Evacuate, wait until the coast is clear, and await further commands.”

“Await further commands?” Harwood said incredulously. The palms were tingling worse than ever. He’d never heard Ana sound so frightened before. “Sergeant, this is–”

“I... I’m going in there, Sarge.”

Harwood promptly snatched the radio from Jaka’s grip. “What was that? Ana, please tell me you did not just–”

“Someone’s gotta warn them, Har, please. I saw some kids down there and... yeah, I gotta go warn them.”

“Ana, pull out...” Harwood said softly, a tinge of regret and pain everlasting over events long ago. “We’ve talked about this. Don’t play the hero, just do as the Sarge says.”

“Someone’s also got to pull the Spy out of there too, right? We need her alive.”

“Do what you can do, Nordfjell,” Jaka said quickly, cutting off Harwood.

“I will, sir.”

The radio crackled and died.

Now, Harwood thought of himself as quite experienced. It didn’t stop him from shaking the accursed radio. “Ana? Ana? That’s not what I - for Christ’s sake, of all the bloody...”

“Easy, soldier,” Jaka reprimanded him, taking the radio away from his trembling hands.

“Are there any reinforcements coming, Sergeant?” Major Bauer demanded, interrupting the two men.

“We have been informed of incoming reinforcements.”

“Noted,” the Major said. “Send out a scouting group to investigate, Sergeant, we need all the intel we can get.”

Without a second glance, the Sergeant strode forward, motioning for Lieutenant Coxa to follow him. Before he exited the drying shed, however, Jaka gave Harwood a final, meaningful look.

“Until I get back, Corporal, I leave you in charge of the team.”

There were many things going through Harwood’s mind, but defying orders wasn’t one of them. He waved off his Sergeant with a weary sigh, merely asking that he and Bjorgman both return safely. And so the Sarge and the Changeling disappeared into the forest.

“Reloading,” the Spy whispered as she leapt out the window into the smoke-covered street.

No rifle fired in response, no cracks or bullets flying through the air.

And she knew what that meant.

“Ammunition depleted.”

Her keen eyes darted left and right to the distance, looking for any tell-tale traces. On a far-off hill, the sun glinted upon something. The barrel of a sniper rifle. And was that, left unwisely exposed on the grassy surface beside the human-sized mound, a radio for his use, or hers? No matter – target acquired.

But someone slammed into the Spy, knocking her to the cobblestones. She stood up, none the worse for wear.

“You,” she whispered, narrowing her eyes hatefully at the intruder.

“I’m not done with you. Not yet,” Operative Pineapple Cutter replied, smiling devilishly as she brought out her prosthetically-attached forelimb-blade. “Today is not our day for death. But it is a day for pain, yes.”

“You aim too low, Cutter.”

Cutter smirked. “I’ve heard it many times. Although this is the first time from a female.”

Without warning, the two fighters, each quite unhinged in their own personal way, raced toward the other with breathtaking speed, fully intent on finishing this battle once and for all.

“Listen, Miney–”

“Don’t you ‘Miney’ me, mister. We’re not done here.”

With a sigh, Fuse sat down and leaned against the kiln’s outer shell, as Minus began to dab a cotton cloth of antiseptic to his bruised face. Much as that stung, the kiln’s cool stone touch burnt worse upon his back, bringing up flashes of his recent ordeal, yet he didn’t dare say so to his wife, who still looked like she’d half a mind to stuff him in there herself.

She’d never do such a thing, of course. Because, apart from anything else, she’d been a wandering hero’s sidekick, once. And proper heroes didn’t behave like that.

His glance fell upon the blasted-open entrance to his drying shed. Where he’d woken to find the human soldier bound and glaring at him with eyes full of anger.

“Please,” Fuse swallowed. “I can...”

“Explain?” his wife snapped. “What, think you can screw up this badly, and then all you need is a whispered ‘sorry’ and a smooch and we’ll all just hug and make up? For shame, I’da believed you above this, at least.”

Except it didn’t escape him how her cheekbone twitched, right at the spot he’d below her ear where he had, in fact, kissed her before they made their escape from the terracotta ghoul. Wordlessly, Minus pulled out a clean cloth from their medical kit, and moved to apply it to the claw marks around his left forehoof, a stark, angry crimson deeper than his natural red coat. He could have sworn the beast had torn a small chunk out of him.

Mercifully, he’d been allowed to take off the cuffs. Probably the last freedom he’d be getting soon.

“C’mon, babes,” Fuse pleaded, still ready to push his luck. “Don’t let yerself fester on the inside like this. Yer meant to be the quick-thinkin’, cool-headed one, aye?”

“Don’t you try getting cute on me,” Minus said, lip wobbling. “You dragged yourself and your friends into this mess, called up your old ‘pals’ from back in the day, and almost got a guy offed who the humans need to help defend them. That’s a bit much for anyone to take all in one go.”

Fuse opened his mouth to retort, but closed it again, unable to challenge his wife’s wrath. He kept quiet all the way as the teeny pegasus, so much smaller than him, wrapped a bandage on his forehoof.

“There,” Minus finally said, patting the wrapping. “Now that wasn’t too bad, was it?” She didn’t let go. Instead, his wife kept his hoof grasped in her own. “Fuse, tell me,” she said slowly. “What in Celestia’s name could have pushed you to… all this?”

He struggled to look her in the eye. Once again, he felt aware of the grey streaks in her flame-colored mane. And on his own crew cut, as well.

“I was afraid, alright?” Fuse admitted quietly. “All these… strangers comin’ into Equestria. Next thing I know, war’s on the horizon and Equestria’s gearing up for it, Princess Celestia gone into the wind and her sister runnin’ everything with an iron hoof. That jus' ain't right, that ain't Equestria. I was worried about ya. I didn’t do it for myself... I did it for ya too.”

His confession got Minus to recoil. Nevertheless, some of the tension went out of her shoulders.

“I see...” was her comment. “That how it is, then?"

“Aye.”

She chuckled sadly, pulling up a stool to sit on. “You can be real thick-headed sometimes, ya know, Shorty?”

Although Fuse had oft heard it before, the remark still dug at him. But there was always one sure means to make headway with Minus.

“Hey, don’t bash it,” he grunted. “If yer skull were half so solid as mine, maybe I wouldn’t have quit on Caballeron. And then ya wouldn’t have asked to move back into yer grandpappy’s hometown, after Daring quit you...  we folk, we know what it is, seein’ the world but havin’ no real place...”

His wife abruptly grabbed him by the shoulder and pressed her forehead against his, eyes blazing.

“Our place is at one another’s side,” Minus told him fiercely. “Mayhaps it makes life easier, having day jobs which let us each do our own drudgery in peace, but dammit, I love you, even if I don’t always get why, and you shoulda known keeping these kinda secrets from me would only hurt more.”

The fire in her words made something inside of him bend. “Minus, I know ya! If ya’d been aware what was up, ya wouldn’t have told on me. Not just cos’ I’m yer husband, because o’ the thrill of the risk! And then, fer aidin’, ya’d have gone to jail too... or worse...”

Minus’ gaze softened.  “Heh...” she whispered, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “Brings back memories, this does. Even with that little head condition you gave me, stud.” She drew breath. “Funny, innit? Raid many dungeons in the wide world, some guarded by dragons and other exotic creatures, get locked inna few by angry natives, yet you’re the one who kept ending somewhere so awfully banal as state prison.”

Fuse smiled wanly. “Ya thinkin’ about that time we both got split from our groups and the Avuda had us caught n’ tied together fer lowerin’ into a pit full of white tigers.”

“Fun times,” Minus tittered. “Forced to work with the enemy to escape a death trap. Stuff to tell stories and laugh. But you’re still in trouble, mister,” she added coolly. “It ain’t just you and me no more. You risked everyone’s lives with that stunt…”

His wife patted her belly. “Including this little one.”

What this meant didn’t hit Fuse immediately. Then it did, and his eyes grew wide as saucers.

“You’re... you’re pregnant?”

“Darn right I am,” Minus said, with a welcome tinge of pride to her voice. “Wanted to tell you weeks ago. That human fellow, Harwood, he’s a doctor of some sort. Looked me over after Blackjack hit me thereabouts, and... says there's no harm done. Made of strong stuff... this one’s yours, alright.”

She lowered her hoof to press it against his chest.

“Shorty... ” she whispered. “You’ve made many bad decisions in your life, including how you adapted your name from the original Gildedalite. True, maybe it’s more than you deserve, being named after ‘the candle which burns twice as bright’, yet, you’re worth a lot to me. And this here, ole ruffian, is a treasure we can truly call our own.”

Fuse grinned, rubbing her belly in turn. He still wasn’t sure he shared her unspoken trust in the humans’ goodwill. And yet he found he didn’t mind. If that made him a thick-headed fool who couldn’t plan ahead, then he wanted to be just such a fool.

Besides, now was a good time to start on new plans. His grin faded. In his case, all the time in the world.

“Way things look…” he grimaced. “I ain’t gonna be around for a while, Miney...”

Whatever he was going to say next, however, was quieted by a kiss from his wife, deep and passionate. A smile etched across her lips on his reassured him, and he welcomed her into his embrace.

“Hey, if you think I’ll just be standing around, Fuse...” Minus said, breaking away. “You’re dead wrong.”

Their reconciliation, however, was cut short by shouts of surprise from the outside.

Fuse didn't even have time to ask what was going when, just as he and Minus looked out the window, the first of the bugs landed. There were at least a dozen of them. Changelings, their chatter of their wings not unlike that of a locust swarm, swarming all over the brickyard. They were everywhere, from atop the walls to the yard proper. Settling. Creating a perimeter.

“What in the bloody hell?”

Having heard the room go silent, Harwood looked up from the sickly, prone Discord. Next to him, Lieutenant Scratch took off her earbud, realizing he was talking to her.

“‘Sup, Corporal?”

From the blasted doorway, a tall, sleek figure came into view, flanked by Changelings in a wide berth.

Yet Harwood’s attention was diverted by seeing Applejack tense up, while Snow Mist visibly shivered. From past the doorway, his perspective just allowed him to spot Mrs. Fuse get instinctively grabbed by her husband in a protective embrace as the figure presented itself proudly. Bauer and Scratch, on the other hand, simply gave the Changeling Queen a once-over, returning to their improvised officer’s conference with little pause.

Chrysalis’s lips curled into a lecherous smile as she took in the assembled gathering.

“My, my, now what do we have here, hm?”

“Hey Queenie, dig the escorts, what's up?”

Stephan groaned under his breath at Lieutenant Scratch’s flippant response, but the Englishman, Corporal Harwood, made do with a light chuckle and continued tending to Discord, visibly welcoming some new liveliness.

As for Scratch, she sat down, not without a little wave to a purple-maned female drone flanking the Queen, who tilted her head in confusion before, uncertainly, waving back.

“Thank you, Lieutenant, for that sterling greeting,” Chrysalis laughed affectionately, though her countenance wasted no time in regaining an uncharacteristically serious air. “Always a pleasure to see one of my children sow the seed of something beautiful, and shall we say, delicious with those who show interest. After all, why do you think I’m here, Major?”

She fluttered her eyes teasingly, yet all Stephan did was rub his own, too tired for this.

“Look, Chrysalis, can we not play these games?” he demanded. “I only just got freed, and I’ve more important business to attend than your flirtatiousness.”

While Scratch smothered a grin, the Queen made a show of pouting, her lower lip stuck out. “Not even a little?”

“No.”

“Oh fine... spoilsport,” Chrysalis huffed, sitting herself down, then beckoning to the female drone at her side, who trotted closer. “But as it happens, I am here in my official capacity as queen, so, might as well skip beating around the bush and get right into it... that’s what I say.”

He hadn’t quite registered her last phrase before she went on. “I was... tasked, to inform you that a contingent of Royal Guards are converging on this quaint little town, to secure the situation... blah-blah-blahddy-blah-blah, politics, you know how it goes. Got called up in the midst of my nap, won’t even give a queen her beauty sleep...”

As if to emphasize her point, Chrysalis let out a donkey’s yawn most unbecoming for a mare of her station.

“Tasked?”

“Of course you noticed...” Chrysalis sighed, closing her eyes. “There’s been a shift of power in Equestria today... So, sorry I’m not at my most presentable, had to hurry. Aphid, my sweet,” she told the nearby female drone, “Mother needs a hooficure.’”

Obediently, the drone lowered herself to her knees, bowing her head forward so her horn came to lay in the expectant ‘palm’ of her Queen’s forehoof, who began happily scratching the other hoof against the gnarled horn‘s  edge as if it were a nailfile.

“Shift of power?” Lieutenant Snow Mist spoke up, sounding a bit bewildered by it all.

“Yes,” Chrysalis explained disinterestedly. “Sir Fancypants is now Prime Minister. And with this transfer, ordained by the Princesses removing themselves from the center, that technically makes him chief executive of the whole pretty lil’ country.”

Chrysalis placed her newly-filed hoof to her cheek. “So, first thing Fancy does, is contact little old me and break the grand news, Changelings are no longer considered enemies of the state, and more than that, we’re recognized as allies in this time of war.”

Stephan stroked his chin. “Then this means the Changelings are now officially allied with Equestria.”

“Yes, yes, no more enemies, friends in sunshine and rainbows and all that drivel,” Chrysalis muttered. “But I am not in charge of that branch of liaison, owing to... past history. While I am Queen, my… special connection to my people doesn’t apply to others, y’see. Being at the center of everything, you can miss out on the sidelines... As Celly ought to know.”

The Changeling monarch rolled one eye, critically surveying her hooficure with the other. “Huh, missed a spot. Yeah,” she elaborated, applying the hoof back the little drone’s horn, “Fancy and I had a chat and I... promised not to make a pain of myself in future. Not that it will stop Mythuselon, that old bug from forever hounding me over my ideas on how to try and save our people.”

“You did try to take over.”

Minus stood in the doorway behind the Queen, her expression as incandescent as her mane.

“Yes, because my people were going hungry,” replied Chrysalis, without turning. “Thankfully that never passed. You don’t know how hard it was, foal. Listening to them day in and out, unable to do anything about it.”

“Don’t patronize me, Your Majesty,” hissed Minus. “I’ve seen more of the world than many an equine. And I’m married to a rough-hewn stallion whose people never lived so lofty a lifestyle as the Equestrians. He even used to move in the sorts of circles which deal with ruler and rebel alike.”

Fuse’s wife was glowering. When the diminutive pegasus had first accosted Stephan, his first impression of her had been one of and patience, yet he saw now that clearly more lay hidden beneath. She now glanced his way.

“I’m sad for what’s been done to the Major’s race,” Minus said quietly. “And my husband’s own complicity in it. But I also know of how Saddle Mareabians can pit different zebra tribes against one another... or the crooked deals a griffon general will strike to put ambitious princelings at the head of a lesser eyrie, so they may serve as allies against his rival, before he turns on them once they won’t be puppets, and proclaims himself a liberator.”

Minus looked again to the Changeling Queen. “If circumstances were different, Fuse might have been a... partner to these freedom fighters, like you, Chrysalis. But things are as they are, and that’s why he’s facing justice and you’re not. I hope you enjoy it while it lasts. Just do something good with your life before then.”

None were given a chance to answer, as she turned her back on them and left, presumably to rejoin her husband.

Chrysalis frowned somewhat as she surveyed the surrounding group, Vinyl Scratch, Applejack, Harwood and Discord all, brushing her mane to test out the quality of her hooficure. Stephan noted this particular nervous tick of hers in a heartbeat. Exactly the same as what his own Chrysalis would do whenever she’d found something juicy, or felt lost in a crowd.

“Where is my little blue egotist?” the Queen asked at last. “Wouldn’t she normally be by your side, Stephan, nagging you to take a break and whatnot? Hello there, deary,” she suddenly told Harwood, startling him while she bared her fangs playfully. “I know you. You’re with Coxa. Good drone, that, my favorite wing-scrubber. But where might he be?”

“Lieutenant Coxa? He’s…. uh... he’s scouted on ahead, ma’am!” Harwood said, fumbling for his radio.

“No need,” Chrysalis admonished him. “I need to regain focus for a moment, yet I’ll be able to contact him my own way soon enough. Two shape-shifters, both amiss during a non-lethal rescue, hmm... something tells me I may have flown in a little too early to bring you the news. At first glance, this mission should be over, except that’s not the case, is it?”

“No...” Stephan admitted, with a heavy heart. “It involves… the Blue Spy, going rogue.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth, then promptly snapped it close, as understanding dawned on her.

“Ah, it has been fun and all, my dears, but we have work to do,” she said swiftly, getting back to her hooves, though she did pause to pat her ‘nailfile’ drone on the head. “You’re a good girl, Aphid. Stay at my side, you and Thorax, the others will see to guarding the prisoners.”

Wordlessly, all but two of the Changeling drones went for the doorway, out of the drying shed.

“One less concern, Major,” Chrysalis said nonchalantly. “Now, what to do, hm?”

“Right,” said Stephan, strutting forward. “We need a plan, not rush in blindly.”

“Are you giving me orders?” she asked playfully.

“Well,” Stephan drawled. “Last time you came up with a plan, it literally blasted you out the city, via love shield…”

“Oh, but of course!” Chrysalis said with a mocking flourish and a bow. “Now, lead the way, and I will follow.”

Having nodded in acknowledgement, Stephan gestured for Harwood to follow as well.

“You and your friends, keep Discord and his daughter safe,” he told Applejack.

“Don’t worry, Major,” Applejack reassured him. “We’ll... handle this.”

“Hey, Stephan,” Vinyl interrupted, adjusting her shades as was her want. “I’ll keep an eye on them, rely on me. Now, you go out there and snap Girl Blue out of it, you hear me?”

This remark got Stephan prepared to smile, yet this didn’t come about, for Harwood’s radio blared to life, taking them all by surprise. Hurriedly, the Englishman moved to answer.

“Harwood, this is Coxa, reporting in, over,” the disguised voice of Coxa spoke out.

“Go on ahead, Lieutenant.”

“The Spy’s moved in through the residential area. I don’t know where the Sergeant is, but the crowd’s getting larger and larger…”

But Harwood could not say any more, because Chrysalis had already snatched up his radio.

“Why, hi, Coxa!” she greeted. From the static, it sounded as if Coxa had dropped his own device out of surprise.

“Your Majesty! I... I didn’t expect, my apology, but I didn’t think...”

Chrysalis giggled girlishly. “Don’t get your wings in a twist, Coxa, I’m entering the picture now. Just you stay where you are, the team’s coming for you, and when this whole tiring mess had blown over, we can relax with a wing-scrub, me getting my wings scrubbed, you the honor of scrubbing your queen’s wings, sound good?”

“Cer-certainly, Your Majesty!” Coxa finished, quickly spelling out his coordinates.

“Well then, Thorax, Aphid, come along, we’ve got much to do,” Chrysalis smirked, walking up to Stephan. He looked her over sternly, while the two Changelings beside her flew forward, disguising themselves as a pair of unassuming pegasi.

“On me,” Stephan said shortly, his pace hastening to a run.

“Your treachery will not slide easily,” Pina’s opponent stated flatly.

Fine words to fight by. She grinned wolfishly as she swiped at the Spy rolling across the village cobblestones, if only to slow her down. It missed, forcing her to raise her prosthetic hoof to block her opponent’s knife, coming for her exposed side. But, she failed to prevent the follow-up strike to her jaw, and the world became filled with an explosion of light, beautiful stars dancing before her eyes.

“Good! More!” she exclaimed lustfully. “Give me more! I cannot wait for more!”

Willing herself to pierce the pink fog clouding her senses, Pina charged, raising her blade so that she’d at least get one more strike in. Rarely had she experienced a sense of intimacy quite like this. The Spy’s durability was greater than most, almost equal to her own. Nor was this the uninhibited yet soulless touch of a Newfoal. Such purity was felt only once in awhile.

“RAGH!”

Pina stepped back as a tall human rugby-tackled the Spy to the ground. But he got no chance to cherish his upper hand over the wily unicorn, for the Spy vanished in a bright flash from between his arms. Her blades, however, did not, and the human barely had time to roll away to safety as they slammed into the cobblestones, in a shower of sparks, yet without getting so much as a dent or scratch.

“Welcome to pain, yes,” Pina told him, as the human – Sergeant Jaka, Miss Bjorgman’s companion from Indonesia, she remembered – nonchalantly unholstered his handgun, and brandished out his own serrated knife.

“You alright, Operative?” he inquired, eyes darting left and right for any sign of the Spy.

“Feeling the bliss,” Pina exhaled pleasurably, scanning the empty street all the while. “We are no match for her.”

“I am fully aware of it. Situation?”

“She was playing with her food. Us. Now there is more to go around. She will kill us slowly. The flavor of our dying bodies will sate her.”

“Duly noted. What of civilians?”

This gave Pina some pause. “No casualties so far. Have contained the fight to this area. But I will be unable to keep word from spreading. Or panic.”

“You are traitors,” the Blue Spy’s voice echoed around them, bouncing off the walls of the little thatched cottage before them, empty and dull, like the White Room. “You’ve turned your backs on the PHL. The only thing awaiting you is death. Major Bauer will not be harmed due to the likes of you.”

“Blue Spy, liste–” Jaka started, only to duck his head as a blade shot off from his side.

“No. Your deaths will be slow,” the Spy’s voice was filled with anger. “You hurt something precious... our trust. Your end will not be swift, nor will it be painless."

“Good!” Pina cried in exultant joy. “Perhaps I can repay you in kind.”

“Apa–”

The words caught in Jaka’s throat as, nonplussed, he saw the most unlikely of projectile weapons dropped at his feet – a carrot, like so many in the carts and stands of this town.

Next thing he knew, Operative Cutter had near-literally thrown him onto her back, using one of those uncanny hooks or claws in her prosthetic, and shoved them both behind an abandoned food cart. The explosion ripped the ground apart and blew out the cottage’s windows, showering tiny shards of jagged glass everywhere.

Cutter yelled out in disgust, spittle flying. “No! You fibber! You said it would be slow.”

“I lied.”

The Spy appeared behind Cutter, knife raised to stab her in the back. Abruptly, a round whizzed past her, forcing her down, which left her open to Cutter’s retaliotary strike. Snarling, the demented mare whipped around, her blade hissing in a gleaming arc at her opponent’s bared throat. But it missed, as the Spy’s reflexes once again took over, and she vanished.

Before Jaka, dazed and confused, could right his Glock, something skewered right through it. He looked to see one of the knives lodged into the barrel and slide. Scowling, he tossed his now-useless handgun aside, cursing under his breath that he hadn’t got to fire more than a single shot.

“I do not like liars,” Cutter growled at the empty space where the Spy had been. “Wanted to share bliss with you. Not anymore. You deserve the White Room."

Then a loud gasp reminded of Jaka exactly where they were fighting.

‘Kampret,’ he swore inwardly at the sight of a beige-colored, two-tone-maned young mare frozen in her tracks, unable to move as she beheld them.

“Go! LEAVE!” Jaka shouted out towards her. She seemed familiar, but in the heat of the moment he could not place her. “Operative, get her out of here!”

If Cutter had any objections, she did not voice them, incredibly.

“Affirmative. You there!” Cutter yelled to the terrified mare. “Come with me if you want to live. It would not do for Minty to lose her favourite candy crunch.”

Jaka knew that all around them, curious ponies would be sticking their heads out of the windows of their shops and homes, wondering what all the commotion was about. For all that they were used to monster attacks on Ponyville, a delirious mare violently attacking another would surely set off alarm bells.

“Duck!” he shouted, as the Spy materialized behind the mare whom Cutter had appeared to place even if he hadn’t.

Reacting instinctively, the Ponyvillian swerved aside, but it wouldn’t have been fast enough if Cutter hadn’t interceded to once more cross prosthetic blade with her opponent’s knife. Except that the blade passed straight through the knife, as if it were shadow.

Shadow… this Spy had no shadow.

His martial senses took over and he performed a backflip, knife still clutched. Not before time, either, as he saw a knife cut past the space between his legs. It would have been his spine, had he delayed only two seconds more.

Nimbly, he landed at the Blue Spy’s back. But she was fast, too, and she turned to face him.

‘They won’t see. Insya Allah, they won’t have to see this.’

Knife brandished out, Jaka jumped back into the fray.

To put it simply, the town was crowded. Really crowded.

Ponyvillians, the whole lot of them, crowding the nearby intersection as they rushed to close the day. The nearby streets were packed almost shoulder to shoulder with all three equine tribes, and some other local people.

‘Hoooo boy…’

Ana stopped to catch her breath as she grasped the scope of what she was seeing. She’d had to slow her run down to a jog into town, honing into what her sniper’s gaze hinted would be the ideal vantage point. There. Close to the center, something that could only be Town Hall.

Ignoring the strange looks ponies and other lifeforms were throwing her way, Ana picked up the pace in a dash towards the large building, her barely-contained relief mingling with the burden of the rifle slung across her back, nearly depleted though it may be.

Having reached the entrance, she was just about to knock on the door when it opened, revealing a small gathering of villagers.

“And the nearest post should be...” The leader of the group, a dignified-looking, silver-haired bespectacled earthmare, paused in her sentence when she finally noticed Ana. “...warned?”

“Hi!” Ana loudly proclaimed, waving. “So, uh, I take it there’s been a commotion?”

Silence, with nary a whimper or a whinny. But then one of the presumed secretaries pushed up her glasses, while a stroppy-looking earthstallion narrowed his gaze. Finally, the lead mare cleared her throat.

“Uhm, yes… madam,” the mayor spoke. Ana’s heart sank, recognizing the tone, one she wagered as familiar to the people who hardly took her seriously. “We were in the middle of finding out what it was, but...”

“Great! Listen, and this is real important. I need to–”

“Beg pardon, ma’am, but is this… stranger bothering you?” inquired a distinctly accented, Southern voice from behind Ana, who whipped her head around to meet a goldenrod, orange-maned earthmare.

“What?” Ana told the startled mare. “No, no, no, just got to make an announcement!”

“Announcement? What kinda announcement?” the mare asked, taking a nervous step back. Past her interlocutor, Ana noticed more ponies pause in their steps and come up to the Town Hall, wanting to know what all the fuss was about.

‘We’ve been through this before, Ana. Keep your cool, don’t freak out, just… talk to them.’

“Okay, okay, just, bear with me right here,” Ana began, a finger raised. “But look here, there’s been some sort of trouble, and I really need someone to–”

“What in Skies is going on here?” demanded a dark-furred pegasus, a pale colt beside him, “Who’re you?”

“Hi!” she hurriedly replied. “I’m, uh, with the PHL?”

A crowd couldn’t be so bad. It meant more people to warn at once.

“The P-H-L?” chimed in an even smaller colt, of the earth, his fur even mottled in a pattern closer to that of Earth’s horses than Equestria’s. He was so tiny, Ana almost didn’t spot him, until some helpful pegasus raised him over the steadily-growing group of children. “Miss Twilight said she’s going with them. Dunno when she’ll be back, but are you one of those, um, Miss Cheerilee said they’re called humans?”

“Yes! That’s the on–”

“C’mon, Pipsqueak,” a pink filly sneered. “Look at her! She can’t be a human.”

“What?” Ana snapped. “Of course I am, what’re you–”

“Yeah,” the filly’s grey friend added. “Didn’t think humans were meant to be plant life.”

Both little brats giggled and laughed again.

“Plant life? Missy, I don’t know what’s gotten in your head, but–”

Ana’s indignant reply was cut short by a formal cough. “Pardon me, Miss, but did you say PHL?”

To her own disbelief, Ana immediately knew the source of the interruption for who he was. A chestnut earthstallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark and spiky dark brown hair, and a crossed-eyed grey pegasus mare not far from him, carrying her filly on her back...

But it was the older daughter that caught Ana’s eye. Without thinking, she scooped up the magenta mare in a loving embrace.

“Amethyst! Oh, I didn’t think you’d be here!” Ana exclaimed happily.

This brief moment of joy was interrupted by someone tugging at them disapprovingly.

“Miss, please let go of my daughter,” Mrs. Whooves said, frowning. “She may be of age, but this is inappropriate behavior toward a stranger.”

Ana knew the Derpy Doo of the PHL, a loving and protective parent. So she knew to gently release a baffled Amethyst, lest she risk a furious mother let loose.

“Sorry, I... thought you were your… counterpart,” Ana said sheepishly. “Had a giant griffon pull the same stunt on me just this morning, can you guys credit it?”

Fortunately, the other-Amethyst simply shrugged, waving her off with a friendly smile.

“It’s alright, we in the family get that a lot, Miss,” she said, in that awfully well-cherised, alien yet intimate voice. “But what were you gonna say about trouble?”

“Ah, right…” Ana exhaled fitfully. “Everyone needs to keep their heads up. We’ve got a serious threat lurking around, and we don’t want to risk casualties.”

“We can help you, Miss,” Amethyst said, to a supportive nod from her father and mother, and a particularly vigorous one from her little sister. “Although, first… you might want to take off your suit. It’s… unsettling.”

It was only then that Ana remembered her ghillie suit. Though it served as a near-perfect camouflage in the wild, against the rustic facade of the town, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Oh. Right.”

It was already a big crowd.

Ponies in Ponyville didn’t normally get into big crowds unless there was trouble. Cheerilee said so, and here she was with her friends and teacher.

Except if this was some sort of monster, it was a funny-looking one. Yeah, funny.

Ruby didn’t know what you were meant to do with such an odd creature. Mommy always said it wasn’t nice to stare or point at strangers, and she always did as Mommy told, she really did, or she tried to.

But it was just so hard not to giggle, seeing the creature on the steps of Town Hall! It looked like a big walking shrubbery. How many legs did a shrubbery need to walk on?

Then she got her answer. Even if she didn’t exactly see it for herself.

When the giant shrub-thing sprouted claws, weird fleshy claws, not full of scales like the ones Spike had, and reached up to take off its own head, Ruby realized it was just someone wearing a mask. And a suit shaped like a huge bush over its whole body.

Then it turned out that ‘something’ was a human.

Ruby took a step back, nervously.

“She’s telling the truth!” cried out someone’s voice.

It was Miss Sugarbean, Bonbon, the one Miss Heartstrings called her ‘ladyfriend’. Her mane was a matted, sweaty mess, like she’d just taken a long run on the school racetrack. And next to her, looking much less tired was...

Ruby almost jumped back. It looked like an earthmare. But if she was a mare, something about her felt a lot scarier than the shrub-creature on the stage. She did not move right. It was a lot like looking at a puppet who’d learned to move without their strings, but not well.

A forehoof made out of porcelain did not help.

“Listen to Miss Bjorgman,” said the puppet-mare. “Miss Sugarbean will back her up, yes. As will I. We are both PHL. And you are in grave danger.”

The Mayor stared at them. Then she made what Cheerilee would call an ‘executive decision’.

“Alright, EVERYONE!” the grey mare shouted. “Please head towards the train station, the Town Watch will be guarding it for safe passage in, and out of town!”

That got all her friends and classmates chatting. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who had been sniggering at the shrub-thing, which wasn’t nice, now looked baffled and wide-eyed.

But everyone started doing as they were told. No-one looked like they wanted to disobey.

“There’ll be warm drinks and blankets for everyone aboard,” added Miss Amethyst.

Chewing her lip, Ruby thought the Mayor seemed lost. Perhaps Silver Spoon always talked so proudly of having the town mayor for a mother, but her own Mommy kept saying that Miss Ivory Scroll sure wouldn’t be getting her vote each year.

It made sense. When weird things happened around here, she’d learnt that Miss Twilight was the mare to go to. But Miss Twilight and her friends weren’t here. The last time she’d seen them all together was when the human attacked.

… And that made her remember.

‘Listen, sweetie… how do you feel about… about humans?’

Ruby was not a silly child. She’d been taught to be careful around strangers. But then some of her friends, especially Scootaloo and Dinky, would start saying that Mommy was shyer than Miss Fluttershy, and that was not a good thing. Which was just stupid. Miss Fluttershy was shy, but she was also kind, and Ruby knew her mother was a very kind mare.

Even if she never did look happy on Hearts & Hooves Day, or around most stallions. Except for Big Mac, though he had scared Mommy once on Hearts & Hooves Day, dragging their whole house. But no-one could be shy around Big Mac for long, despite him being so tall. And Big Mac was up there, next to the human, taking charge of the Town Watch.

He’d know what to do.

Evading the forest of legs in the crowd, Ruby stepped onto the Town Hall’s porch. With a little hop and roll, she found herself a spot to spy on the human, out of sight. Unfortunately, her timing didn’t work out when at that very moment, Big Mac left the stage, leading the watchhorses along.

The human was now chatting to Nurse Redheart.

“Might be able to take them in, ma’am,” said the nurse. “After all, we’ve got some... prior experience with the Colonel.”

“Backup should be coming soon,” the human said. “You do your best. Anything goes, nurse, so please don’t beat yourself up. too much.”

“Will do… and... thank you.”

With the nurse gone, the human leaned herself against the building’s wall, wiping away a trickle of sweat from her brow.

Ruby watched as she twiddled her fingers, peeking around nervously.

She didn’t look like a shrub-creature at all. Her ‘fur’ was discarded to the side, and she’d been wearing a simple, rough get-up that would have earned her a chewing-out from Miss Rarity. But before Ruby could creep up, and give the human a little talk on behaving, someone else came into view, forcing her to scoot back to her hiding spot.

“Miss Bjorgman,” said the puppet-mare.

“... Miss Cutter,” the human, Miss Bjorgman, replied. She sounded odd, very unlike the lively shrub-thing that had spoken mere moments earlier. Like she was afraid.

“You climbed up a mountain to save lives,” Miss Cutter said. “And came all the way down. That’s who you are, yes?”

“Yes, I... I suppose I have...” Miss Bjorgman replied shortly, still in that odd voice.

Miss Cutter nodded curtly. “We’ll talk again soon. Take care of these sweetmeats. Sergeant Jaka is here too. I must return to him. Wish me luck.”

And she left without another word, leaving the human looking distinctively paler.

It was now or never. Slowly, Ruby crept up to the human, tugging at her pants.

“Eh? Who the…?” Miss Bjorgman grumbled, snapping out of that odd mood looming over her. But she paused the moment her eyes fixed on Ruby. “Oh, um, hello?”

The human had full-length, reddish-brown mane tied up like a pony’s tail, flowing down past what Ruby believed was her shoulder. and also had a pair of large, pretty blue eyes, both of which were now staring curiously at her.

And now for the hard part. Ruby had never talked to humans before. She wasn’t sure why the lady scared her. ‘Miss Bjorgman’ sounded nice enough, if a little confused, awkward even.

But Mommy said bad things about humans. And Ruby needed to know.

“Um, Miss?” Ruby began. “You with the P-H-L?”

What an odd set of letters! Luckily, the human picked up her meaning.

“Well, yeah!” Miss Bjorgman said, much more cheerfully. She had a sweet voice, and it made Ruby feel comforted. “So, little one, what is it? Is there any, uh, anything bad I can help with?”

“... Maybe.” Ruby answered nervously. “Are you a good human or a bad human?”

“Pardon?”

Ana couldn’t disguise her surprise and bewilderment.

“Um, Mommy said, humans are the real trouble,” the little pink earthfilly replied shyly. “We were talking about it earlier. I don’t think it’s her drinks, but she said so. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Hey, hey,” Ana said, kneeling down to the filly. “No offense taken, little girl. But… why would your mother say that?”

“Because... because...” the filly started nervously. But Ana rapidly put two and two together.

“What did she tell you about us?” she asked carefully. When the filly recoiled back fearfully, Ana held out the palm of her hand, an offer of peace. “It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m not mad.” She cracked a reassuring smile, or so she hoped. “But, little girl, I need you to tell me. What did your mother tell you about us?”

The filly remained quiet for a bit, yet Ana decided she could wait. One minute, no more. She’d trust the villagers to take care of their own, if only just enough to get started.

“Mommy says Doctor Catseye doesn’t like humans, and we should be careful, too,” the filly blurted out. “I’m sorry, I promise Mommy wants to be nice to the humans, but she doesn’t know how. She doesn’t know which ones are good or bad.”

Now that certainly caught Ana off guard.

‘Yeah, that’s, that’s certainly thrown us for a loop, eh, Ana?’ agreed the voice in her head.

"Did she now?” Ana said evenly. The filly nodded vigorously. “Well, um, is your mother here?” To which the filly shook her head, and though Ana didn’t let it show, her heart sank. “Do you mind me paying your mother a visit? There’s… something dangerous in the streets, and I was sent here to make sure everypony gets to safety.”

“Really?”

“Ja, really. So, um, would you help me find her? I don’t want anyone left behind.”

To Ana’s relief, the filly nodded again, and scooted over to the staircase, motioning for Ana to follow her. With a fond smile, Ana scooped up the filly and sat her upon her shoulder.

“So, what’s your name, little one?”

“My name’s Ruby Pinch,” chirped the filly. “But everypony calls me Ruby.”

“Ruby, that sounds nice,” Ana said sweetly. “I’m Ana.”

“Wait, wait, hold on,” Ruby said suddenly. “Can’t go without telling Cheerilee.”

That name came so unexpectedly from the filly’s mouth, Ana stopped dead in her tracks.

“Cheerilee?” she repeated. “What’s…”

“Ruby!” cried a voice Ana immediately knew. “There you are! You had us all worried!”

Funny thing, these parallel universe shenanigans. First Moondancer, then Bonbon, and last but not least, Sparkler. Ana had met all these mares twice now. And like everyone else, she’d had to resist temptation and follow instructions not to seek out Ambassador Heartstrings.

She hadn’t prepared herself for this.

Meeting one of the top leaders of the PHL was not an event a lowly grunt could honestly admit to any time soon, yet Ana had heard the stories of a charming civilian who’d pushed herself to the spot of second-in-command Equestrian expatriate in the PHL. A down-to-earth mare who cared for everyone around her, took the time to bring children of every race together and teach them life’s basics. Rumored to have swatted away a copy of the Tyrant with her bare hooves, all to protect the children, human and otherwise.

Here she was, gently scolding a filly with an attitude fit for a mother.

‘Okay… I can see why the Colonel would move heaven and earth for her. She’s so adorable!’ It took Ana’s entire willpower not to squeal. ‘Focus!’

“Miss Bjorgman’s coming with me, Cheerilee,” Ruby explained to the gawking earthmare. “We’re gonna talk to Mommy. Wanna come along?”

Ponyville’s schoolteacher opened her mouth, then shut it, then spoke.

“As if I’d let you wander off with a random stranger, young lady,” Cheerille admonished the filly. “Forgive me, ma’am,” she said, addressing Ana. “I’m sure you’re trustworthy enough. But these foals are all my responsibility, and this one more than most. And with what happened to three of my pupils today already, I can’t believe she snuck out of my place.”

“I thought you’d want help rounding up all the colts and fillies!” protested Ruby.

“You’re as bad as the Crusaders,” Cheerilee sighed. “After your mother dropped you off… You know why she does that sometimes…”

Ana felt the filly’s body sag down on her shoulders.

“Yeah…” Ruby said quietly. “When she doesn’t want me to see her too sad.”

“Sorry if I’m treading on, uh, on sacred eggshells here,” Ana swallowed, fumbling for the correct expression in English. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea–”

“No, ma’am,” Cheerilee said firmly. “It’s best we all go the three of us together. Tough as it is, Ruby’s mother needs some sense knocked into her, and I’m not getting that done on my own. The way her daughter trusts you could be just the ticket. You scout ahead, I’ll catch up once I’ve delivered the children to the station.”

Hearing the words of one’s leader in this mare’s voice, one did not think twice to comply.

Many previous brushes with disaster had taught the Ponyvillians one good thing, at least. As Ana traversed the town at a brisk march, led on by a few prods from her charge, the villagers walked past them in the direction of the station, organized in little groups split evenly amongst the tribes – a ring of earthponies around the unicorns, pegasi overhead watching out for both. So far, evacuation was proceeding quietly, in an orderly fashion.

From experience, Ana worried this wouldn’t last without greater, armed supervision. Yet she had to hand it in to these Equestrians. They might not have training, but they had practice. Hopefully it would be enough.

“Well,” Ana said slowly. “Why does your mother think humans are trouble?”

“I’m sorry, she gets worried,” Ruby whispered. From her previous experience in working with little kids, Ana could tell that despite her soothing words, the filly feared she’d harm her. In her chemistry classes, children had this weird idea that only the teacher was really dangerous. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Mad? Why would I be mad? It’s okay,” Ana assured her, letting out a small laugh. “Your mother’s just worried about you, Ruby.”

“I know,” Ruby said. “We look after each other.”

Something in her voice told Ana of what really mattered. “It’s okay…” she whispered to the little filly riding her shoulders. “My Dad’s gone too.”

Ruby looked down. “Will you be nice to her?”

“Cross my heart.”

Seeing her charge smile so sweetly, Ana felt filled with determination. But that didn’t last long, when the two found a group of ponies blocking their way. One of the Town Watch was conversing with an anxious rose-maned, pale-coated mare. She scarcely picked a word of their dialogue, for another mare – this time a the color of raspberry, with an amber mane – pointed in her direction.

Sighing, Ana gently sat Ruby on one of the benches.

“Stay here, Ruby, okay? I’ll go talk to them.”

Confident the child would stay within her field of view, Ana walked over to the group.

“There it is, officer!” the rose-maned mare shrieked. “That’s the shrub monster!”

“It shed off its fur, but it’s the very same monster, officer, please!” begged her raspberry friend. “You have to destroy it before it eats all the flowers!”

“The horror, the horror!” wailed a third mare, light magenta in color.

Now Ana realized all three of them were florists. The officer, a grey, messy-haired stallion, pierced her with a look of scrutiny and wariness. And smiled.

“Evening, Trainer Bjorgman, didn’t expect to see you here,” Cookie Batch greeted, waving a friendly hoof, much to the shock of the flower trio.

“Hey, Cookie,” Ana replied kindly. “How’s the training range going over with Fillydelphia Comp? Heard you guys scored top marks last week.”

She tried hard to ignore the faces of the flower trio. They looked close to hyperventilating.

“Ah, we’re still struggling with the heavy calibre. I’ll keep it up, ma’am,” Batch chuckled, his native Ponyvillian slipping through, back here in his hometown. “Didn’t know you were around. These fine ladies were fussing over the shrub-thing they said they saw over at Town Hall. What’re the odds that it was you all along eh?”

“Small world,” Ana grinned brightly. “‘Bout the heavy rounds, might wanna keep that shoulder relaxed. You don’t want to end up with...”

“But... it’s right there!” the rose-maned mare insisted. “Arrest her!”

For all that Ana yearned to rebuke her, she was glad Batch intervened when he did.

“Ma’am, I can assure you, this woman’s as harmless as humans get,” the officer interjected. “No, if anything, you should worry about your chocolate with her around,” he added jokingly. “Move along, and head towards the station. Mayor’s orders.”

The trio of mares glared fearfully at Ana, no doubt still worried about their presumed flowers. But eventually, they trotted off.

“Thanks for that, Cookie.”

“No problem, ma’am. Really, it’s just a small favor. So, what brought you here?”

“Nah, wish I could tell ya,” Ana said casually. “But the higher-ups think it should be classified.”

“It’s always classified nowadays,” Batch said resignedly. “Can’t go anywhere without a permit. But, well, I suppose all things considered…”

“RUBY!”

A loud scream pierced the air, and Ana instinctively turned around. To see a plum-colored mare staring back at her with wide eyes, her hooves wrapped around Ruby.

“What the–” Batch interjected in surprise.

“Berry?!” shouted Cheerilee, trotting up, too late, the path Ana and Ruby had just traveled. “Berry, stop!”

“Stay away!” Berry screeched at her. “I trusted you! Whenever it all got too much, you’re the mare who’d take proper care of my Ruby! I trusted you!”

Desperately, Cheerilee got between Ana and the furious mother, a hoof held out. “No, Berry, please listen! You and Ruby are in danger–”

“From her!” Berry shrieked, taking several steps away from Ana, Ruby in her grasp.

“For Celestia’s sake, have you heard yourself talk?” Cheerilee yelled at her. “Didn’t we all need to learn something from Zecora?”

“It’s not the same!” Berry shouted back. “She only looked scary! These humans… you don’t know what they can do, what they’re capable of… what you are capable of… You are just… It won’t take much to guess, I’ve heard about the other you!”

“W-what?! Is that why you’d been avoiding me? Berries… you... how can you…”

No other word for it – Cheerilee wilted beneath the accusing glare Berry fired her way, utter devastation invading her features. Gritting her teeth, Berry began to tug at the small filly, pulling her away.

“Mommy, no!” Ruby pleaded. “You said…”

“What do you think was making those awful noises?!” Berry roared into her daughter’s ears, releasing a hoof to point at Ana’s slung rifle. “She was! She and that horrible weapon of hers! That’s the sound a monster makes, you can’t pretend otherwise! We’ve got to run!”

“Wait,” Ana shouted. “WAIT! Ma’am, I need to talk to you!”

“Berries, don’t run, please…” Cheerilee pleaded.

“I… I’m sorry.” Berry whispered as she turned. With Ruby on her back, she galloped off, before either anyone could react.

… And the Spy was still at large.

Without a second thought, Ana ran after them, dimly aware she was not alone in pursuit.

He’d missed this time.

The Spy knew his strikes could hurt. The animal force of a human body could doll out pain equal to any weapon’s without the kill. A second booted swipe forced her to dodge, and the human martial artist, having missed her, inadvertently landed his flying kick onto one of the countless white picket fences doting this plasticine model of a village.

Another miss. He must be getting tired. But he was not the only one.

The human turned. “You can’t go on forever!” he bellowed, heaving and panting. “The village is emptying, Blue Spy! Isn’t that what you aimed for? It’s enough!”

“No,” the Spy said coldly. “You can take the villagers out of the village, but you can’t take a traitor’s heart out of a traitor…”

Without warning, she stabbed for his chest, yet he evaded her.

“... Except for one way.”

Groaning, he stepped away at an even pace to resume battle stance, and she swiped. But blade clashed against blade as a well-known interloper re-entered fray.

The Blue Spy had been involved in the worst fighting of the war, deep in covert operations the world over. Throughout it all, she’d never met a mare with quite the lust for blood like the one before her, a demented eye staring from behind her bangs. As to be expected, Cutter was less skilled in her use of a knife, but she moved at a speed so uncannily fast, the Spy had to remind herself this was still, after all, a mere pony.

And like it or not, the Spy was getting slow...

‘You have to kill them.’

Once more, the words inside her head acted as a shot of adrenaline to her nervous system. Snarling, the Spy felt her whole body criss-crossed as if by an electric spark, and went for a mighty lunge against Cutter, bringing even this maniac to stumble backward under the force of clashing blades.

Her body would keep on fighting long after her spirit gave out.

“Berry Punch, you open this door, RIGHT NOW!”

Berry lifted the curtains slightly, peaking outside, where a mare she’d once thought she knew was banging angrily at her front door. With a little shake of her head, she closed them again, then turned to her daughter.

“Ruby, listen, please,” she said pleadingly, holding the flesh of her kin close. “We’ve got to leave now, it’s not safe anymore.”

But Ruby frowned and shook her head. “Mommy, there’s a lady trying to help us, she was coming here with me. And why’re we running from–”

“NO!” Berry shouted, feeling the corner of her eyes go white in fear. “No, you’re not following that human! Ruby, that’s not, that’s not good at all.”

“BERRY!” yelled Cheerilee’s muffled voice from outside. “If you won’t let me in, then please, whatever you do, don’t try running out again! Lock yourself down, board the windows, lie low, you and Ruby! It’s the only way to keep her safe until this blows over!”

This did nothing except tighten the imaginary noose Berry felt around her neck. More terrified than ever, she picked up Ruby and placed her back for a ride, aligned to her saddlebags. They had to get away, and fast.

“I’m done locking myself in, Junebug,” she whispered. “Sorry I had to lock you out of my life...”

“Mommy, wait! She’s coming to help us–”

“SHE’S NOT!” Berry cried frantically. “It’s an act, it’s always an act. They’ll capture us and kill us, Ruby, don’t you understand?!”

She sensed her little daughter go stiff as a board across her back. Her mind was a-scramble, hardly able to recollect all the things she’d stuff into her saddlebags mere minutes ago. A mad hope was all she had left, to get her child somewhere safe.

Cheerilee had led a good life.

A happy childhood, with loving parents, a fine sister, even a job which she loved to wake up for everyday. The only thing missing would be the perfect stallion to snuggle with by the hearthfire in the evenings, but well, you couldn’t have everything, and it was by no means a lost cause. Everything was normal, or as close to normal as one could get in Ponyville, with its Element Bearers, Cutie Mark Crusaders and weekly monsters, and she gave her nightly thanks for it.

Then came a new creature, the human Marcus Renee. And the war of the worlds had followed in his wake, accompanied by word of a stranger discovery than she’d ever known. Out there existed another Equestria, another Celestia, another her. Not all of them blossomed into the people she’d have wished to see grow. More than two months on, Cheerilee still didn’t know what she should think about herself.

When she’d received that quiet invitation from Princess Cadance, her reaction then had been bewilderment over receiving no visit from her double, as this other Vinyl Scratch had done in company of the tall human to the DJ’s own house shared with Octavia. That said, no surprise to learn later on that Vinyl had acted outside of recommended parameters. Going to meet one Princess of Love weighed heavily enough on the humble schoolteacher – two princesses wearing the same face, gently telling her by bits and pieces who she was in the other world, now that had marked a turning point in her life.

And here she was, banging at Berry’s closed door.

“She won’t answer me,” Cheerilee sharply turned to inform Miss Bjorgman, keeping down the tremor in her voice with great difficulty. “I’ve seen her like this before, but never with Ruby close by! Berry, stop! What you need’s a bedrest and a cup of hot chocolate!”

“I’ll second her on that!” said Bjorgman. “Miss Berry, I know a place, only, please come out!”

One mare, two different people. Just like she and her other.

Whereas one Princess Cadance would nip at her wings nervously, for she was young and still inexperienced, yet hopeful, the other Princess of Love evoked a paler, older, more bitter and careworn mare, without even functional wings upon which to fly from her troubles.

How could she, Cheerilee, be the same figure from those leaflets, posters and photographs they’d shown her, exuding confidence and leadership, oft at the side of an equally proud and well-groomed Lyra Heartstrings, when she couldn’t get dear Berry to open up to her?

The screech of rusty hinges briefly gave her some hope. Then she realized it had carried all the way from the old, wormridden backdoor.

“They’ve left,” Cheerilee told Bjorgman. “Quick, follow me!”

Cutter’s return had provided the opening Jaka needed.

With a long stride, he slammed into the Spy, sending them both tumbling. Avoiding the blow from another knife swerving dangerously close to his face, he used his free, uninjured hand to hold her down by the neck, while the other went for his pocket. He didn’t have much time to pull off this trick.

Swiftly, the Spy bucked him in the chest, releasing her from his hold. Seething, she scowled at him and her horn’s tip lit up, preparing to teleport away…

… and failed.

She blinked, attempting another spell. Her horn fizzled and died once more. Only then, she became aware of the small grey ring stuck around her horn’s base. Jaw agape, the furious mare gazed all around, to see all her knives lying motionless on the cobblestones.

‘Thank you, Ana and Dancer...’ Jaka thought as he stood back up.

The Spy gave Jaka a glare, one which he returned in kind.

“Orichalcum, is it now?” the Spy spat hatefully. “No matter.”

“Even ground,” Jaka declared. “You’ve got no more weapons, Blue Spy. Give up this fight. I would prefer not to combat an unarmed opponent.”

“Unarmed? That’s what you think.”

Pawing at the ground, she lowered her bound horn, preparing for a gallop.

But what, in the confusion, Jaka had spotted and the Spy hadn’t, was Cutter, edging in three-hoofedly from the Spy’s left. Her blade had folded back into her prosthetic’s recesses, replaced by a tranquilizer’s needle. All would be over soon.

Then the Spy’s head and ears flicked up as she saw something behind him.

This magenta mare, and the filly on her back… the Spy had seen them before...

... No doubt Miss Punch is still frightened downstairs, but the mother had been reassured of the safety of her child, resting upon the bed. Another mare and her companion, the former Royal Guard, enter. The good Doctor Catseye has agreed to join their meeting.

From now, she alone would be the keeper of their dreams...

A stranger’s memories entered her mind, but the Spy didn’t care. Hardly a novel occurrence, not since she’d first taken her knife to a target’s throat. She’d learned to live with the voices. None of whom were here now.

No, this was when the Spy truly identified the enemy. She moved swiftly.

The human had expected her to run him down, not run around him. To his credit, his reflexes were fast. Foregoing any fancy martial arts, he tried to jump her. But she did a barrel roll, and he succeeded only at tearing hairs off her tail.

And just like that, the Blue Spy was upon them. The mare, who’d been staring at her with unbelieving eyes, screamed and reared back, the child fell, and she took what she wanted. Without a second wasted, she lunged forward and grabbed the falling child, doing another roll to come back standing, as upright as any human, while the hysterical mare tumbled in turn.

The Spy faced her challengers.

“Now yield, or the girl perishes,” she said simply, as the child squirmed in her hold. “I grow weary of these delays. You are an impediment on my path to the brickyard, Cutter, but your interference falls merely under the penalty of Sanction Two. Out of my way, and maybe you can run fast as your miserable legs will carry you, before I break them.”

“Tempting,” smiled Cutter, raising her prosthetic. “But the job’s half done already, yes. Besides, cannot let you do that. Right now, you are the most dangerous end result of American and German military collaboration since Rammstein Air Base. And we do not want these squishy four-legged jellybeans to see what a mess that’d make. Do we?”

As for the treacherous human, he held his ground, dark eyes glaring deeply into her own.

“I don’t know what went down in that forest.” The human spoke calmly, yet everyone could see he still had his knife brandished. “But the crisis at the brickyard is over. I took charge of it. My team got their trial by fire from it. Only two are dead, both criminals under this country’s laws. No innocent blood must be shed this evening. Please.”

But the Spy said nothing.

She had just enough time to see the blur of a hoof coming at her face. Unable to react, the Spy felt it connected with her jaw, sending her stumbling back, amidst the barrage of rage-ridden cries and screams from a mother fighting for her daughter’s life.

“Not my DAUGHTER, you MONSTER!” shrieked the mare.

And then the child bit her, sharp, forcing her to let go.

“There they are!” Bjorgman cried to Cheerilee, skidding to a halt, unholstering her sidearm.

“What are you waiting for!” Cheerilee cried back, still rushing on. “Do something!”

“Can’t, not like this!” Bjorgman wailed. “I could hit any one of them by mistake!”

Gritting her teeth, Cheerilee faced the crisis before her. “Then I’m going in!”

“No, please! J-just wait! I’ll make this right!”

“Ruby!”

Berry pulled the filly away from the monster in pony form, kicking out a hindleg into its snout as it tried to grab a hold of her daughter once more.

“I got you baby, Mommy’s got you!” Berry cried as she stumbled away, watching as the unicorn turn its blank stare onto herself with determination. “Get away from us!”

“I will never stop,” the unicorn answered with a blank tone, struggling to get up. Berry swallowed as she placed Ruby onto her back and began to run away from area.

“Hey!” the human female shouted. “You two, over here!”

Berry halted at the shouts, fear running rampant in her mind as it was screaming at her that she was surrounded by monsters and demons bent on killing Ruby. But maybe it was better to run towards the two legged beast, at least to buy time to escape as they fought it out with each other. To Berry’s unbelieving eyes, the alien creature next to Cheerilee drew its weapon, and pointed it at somewhere behind her. Looking back that way, her blood turned to ice as she saw the huffing form of the murderous unicorn stand up fully with a dagger in hoof.

The unicorn’s eyes were blank as they zeroed in on her, only for stare contact to break when two blurry figures, the male human and the unreal mare, seized the maniac, bearing down with their whole strength against her mad struggle, all snapping jaws, steaming withers and foaming mouth, the spittle flying everywhere.

“Hold the Spy!” the unreal mare yelled to him. “I must sedate her!”

“Please, ma’am!” the human cried out, making Berry flinch, almost dropping Ruby from her back again. “We can get you to safety, trust us!”

Berry hesitated, trembling as she stared at the human’s large blue eyes, both of which were wet with unspilt tears. But a glance up at her daughter made her realize just how much Ruby Pinch trusted this human.

“A-alright,” she said hesitatingly. “I’ll...”

“NO!”

A hard impact stung her side, flinging away Ruby.

The world turned into a swimmy daze for Berry, down became up, up became down. One moment her sight circling, catching a glimpse of the male human lying prostrate on the ground, the unreal mare limping away from him. The next moment, she stared up at the clear pink-and-blue skies above, Celestia’s mighty charge going into rest, just out her field of view. And it didn’t hurt to look at.

A voice whispered in her ear. “You’re not going anywhere. No, you’ll answer for your crimes.”

Blinding pain stabbed into her neck.

She heard her daughter scream, a wail from who-knows-where, saw the streets of her home, here and not here. The Town Hall, the well-ordered boutique, the colorful bakery… the old family vineyard… the schoolhouse… her home.

Every little move she tried to make pressured on her, more and more, like a leaden knell.

‘I’m sorry… Junebug…’

Her breathing grew shallow and ragged, a rainbow of colors passed by her eye, and the world faded into a white void.

‘R-Ruby....’

The sun set.

A woman’s cry rang out across the village.

Time, as the expression goes, ground to a halt for Pina.

Of course, that was mere illusion of the senses, brought on by sudden overload to her system. Not shock, not exactly, but a quickening realization that the balance in this playing field had momentarily shifted against her. For a rare, minute point, she felt as distant from her own, pumped-up body as she did from every other walking sack of meat in the world.

In this place, one such bloodbag had ceased its beat.

A whole stream of images flashed behind her eyes, a fast and heady rush, in stark contrast with the slowness of the world outside her headspace, calling back to mind all the exciting visions she had picked, sifted, and filtered out to turn away from the path to glorious frenzy. In vain now. Once other, say, less hungry eyes beheld this, it’d be like a dust mote in their sight, tiny but rubbed red raw. And who knew what might come from that? Certainly no harmony.

One single thought summed up what she and poor, sweet Miss Bjorgman had witnessed.

‘Objective…’ Pina assessed detachedly. ‘... failed.’

Ah, if only the Ambassador could see them now.

And the world slowed to a crawl for Ana Bjorgman, assaulted by just one image, that of the mother and her murderer, and the trembling child in front of them, she’d been looking away, please, she hadn’t actually seen what happened, but now she’d turned around and the Spy was staring at them unfeelingly, Sergeant Jaka on the ground, the shadow of a smirk on Pineapple Cutter’s lips while she basked in some joke no-one else could share...

Cold suddenly rose from the cobblestones beneath Ana, an icy chill washed over her, a familiar, shrill cry sounded in her mind. A year, ten years, a century had passed, when she understood that the Spy had committed a murder. The cruel, heartless murder of a mother, in front of her child. And Ana had failed to act on it.

She hadn’t made the shot.

‘Murderer.’

Ana screamed. “Step away! STEP AWAY! Stay the hell away from the child, you BEAST!”

She didn’t mean to shriek. But it got the Spy’s attention, alright. Defiance coursing in her veins, Ana stared down the Spy, her hand grasping ever tighter on her sidearm, mind dead set on immediately dispatching the murderer.

Right now, she couldn’t care less if they were brainwashed. As far as she was concerned, a child had seen her own mother die before her eyes. Protocol be damned, Ana would see to the Spy’s comeuppance. She cocked back the hammer on her handgun for emphasis, ready to put a hole in this beast’s head.

“You,” the Spy stated solemnly. Her horn dripped with blood. “You were the sniper.”

“Yes, yes, I was!” Ana screeched, never taking her eyes off the Spy. “What’s it to you?”

The Spy pointed towards Ruby. But Ana scarcely picked up on her tormentor’s words, for the filly was beginning to cry.

“This child belonged to a traitor. Someone dedicated to bringing down the PHL for the Solar Empire. I cannot let her live as her mother di–”

“SHUT UP!”

Ana yelled, yet still she did not fire. She would make this right, do it correctly. “SHUT UP! I don’t give a DAMN if the mother was one of those, those Catseye followers or whatever the hell they are, I don’t care if you’re the Blue Spy herself, so help me, I’ll blow your God-forsaken head off if you lay a paw on that child, step away NOW, then I can BLOW off your HEAD!”

A deathly silence fell upon deserted village street, with only the filly’s whimpers and her own ragged breathing filling the air.

“So,” the Spy began, eyes narrowed. A drop of red spilt upon her muzzle. “You’d kill me, all for the sake of a traitor’s child?”

Even though Ana knew her target would evade it, she opened fire.

True to her thoughts, the Spy rolled aside, several spherical objects – smoke bombs – leaving her hoof, to promptly explode and cover the area with a thick black cloud. She vanished within before Ana could readjust her sights.

Not good. Not good at all. Now, she could no longer even see Jaka and Pina.

But something snapped Ana out of worry. The sobs of a child. Looking to her right, she saw that Ruby must have ran when she should, ran to the closest source of warmth and comfort. Ran into Cheerilee’s embrace.

The schoolteacher hugged the child, mechanically, her eyes looking at something faraway.

“Shh…” Cheerilee hushed Ruby, tightening her grip. “Ruby…” Her voice cracked like plastic. And listening to her, an old, wintery chime from deep within Ana’s own mind echoed with a pain of loss she’d never understood. “Berries… get up… Ruby needs you… We both do...”

‘For the first time in forever… we can fix this hand in... hand…’

Ruby whimpered into Cheerilee’s chest. “Mommy, I want my mommy. She’s... she's not moving...”

“I know you do, sweetheart…” Cheerilee whispered. “She’ll be happy soon...”

But Ruby thought the words rang hollow.

“The smoke’s clearing…” came the voice of Miss Bjorgman. The bushy lady. “And… where’d they all go… where’s Pina… she… she must have gone after the… the Spy… Hope the Sarge’s okay, looks like he’s breathing…”

The human’s shadow fell across them both. “Hey, Ruby, stay here,” Miss Bjorgman said, in a voice wobbling like someone trying hard not to cry. “I’ll give your mother a blanket, okay?”

“Blanket?” Cheerilee repeated. Ruby saw Miss Bjorgman take off her ratty-looking vest.

“It’s an old thing, served me well ever since my time in Indonesia…” the lady explained softly. “It’ll serve well here.”

Hearing those words, Ruby felt her heart tighten. She hugged her Aunt Junebug all the tighter.

Ana bit her lip as she covered the mare’s body.

It was the least she could do. Berry’s eyes were closed, no breath passed her lips. A steady trickle of red pooled out on the cobblestones. Distantly, as she covered that, too, Ana wondered if this village had lived such a thing before. She could have believed it of the Empire, but with Ruby and Cheerilee at her back, each still weeping softly, it didn’t seem possible.

“Bjorgman, just what were you thinking with that stunt right there?”

Jaka’s gruff voice interrupted her thoughts. And for the first time, he was less than welcome.

‘For goodness sake, Sarge...’

“Corporal,” Jaka said sternly, clutching his side. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, to send you running into the danger zone–”

His words pounded, hammered on Ana’s exhausted mind.

“Stop... right there... Sarge...” she grunted, a finger jabbed into Jaka’s chest.

Deep down, Ana knew that if she’d been any other of his subordinates, the Sergeant would have twisted both her arms where she stood. She didn’t care. Didn’t care that he’d just returned from his own brush with the great beyond. All she saw, swimming before her eyes, was a small, broken body, blanketed only by an old vest she, Ana Bjorgman, would today have worn for the last time.

It actually gave her some satisfaction to see him flinch under her hooded glare.

“I made my decision, Jaka,” Ana whispered. “In hindsight, it wasn’t a good decision, but I made my call, and I’m not about to regret it, not that, plenty of regrets on my plate, not that, no. Would you deem this acceptable, sir?”

His face was unreadable as ever. Although, perhaps, she did see a pulse throb in his temple. Eventually, though, she felt her body unstiffen, for, by a twitch of the hand pressed over his bruised side, she could tell Jaka would relent.

“Take the child and… Miss Cheerilee, inform the authorities and leave the area, Ana,” he instructed her. “Cutter and I will deal with the Spy. Make sure evacuation is completed, get all medics on standby.”

At that, Ana’s glare gradually seeped away.

“Alright, Sarge,” Ana nodded, holstering her handgun. “Glad we could come to an agreement. But… with all due respect, do you really think you can beat her?

“No,” Jaka said laconically. “But I, too, must make my call. Take care of these civvies… Corporal. And remember to contact the right authorities.”

Never a man of excessive words, he departed, without giving her a second glance.

Suppressing a sigh, Ana pulled out her thankfully intact radio.

“Hello…” she said wearily. “This is Nordjfell…”

The Sergeant was jogging toward Cutter’s last transmitted co-ordinates, frowning as he made his way between the abandoned homes, with a caution born from experience. The weight on his chest and knees wasn’t going away. Ahead, a strange commotion echoed from inside the house pin-pointed by Cutter.

Something smashed out the window, landing on the scree of the rooftop. Looking closer, Jaka realized it was Cutter, sighing as she pulled herself up. The Spy jumped out the broken window after her, and their ever-lasting fight renewed.

“Do neither of you ever surrender?”

The Spy scarcely interrupted her fight to address him from atop the cottage’s thatched roof.

“No,” Jaka told her, his breathing ragged, aware he wouldn’t be making it out of there alive. “Not until the civilians are safe. Hold on, Operative, I’ll be up!”

With her injured leg, although Cutter showed no visible signs of distress, the uncanny speed which characterized her fighting style could not be called upon for help any longer. Making matters worse, despite her continued defiance the eclectic mare had fallen back into her usual languidity, her every swipe a half-hearted move, looking more bored than anything.

“So this is what happens, yes,” Cutter muttered drily. “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object...”

“Key difference,” retorted the Spy. “Forces goes in all directions. Objects… fall.”

And, in an abrupt burst of energy, she hurtled forth and punched straight into Cutter with a vicious uppercut , an impact which sent the other mare teetering to the roof’s edge. She hung there in a mid-air for a split second, then, as her opponent had predicted, she fell.

When asked later, Jaka could never quite tell why he caught her. He cared as little for Pineapple Cutter’s acerbity or unsettling mannerism as anyone in the PHL. Besides, even on Earth, a fall from two storeys would almost certainly not be lethal, let alone here on Equus.

But she was a comrade, and so was the Spy.

His hasty leap forward to intercept her tiny, frail frame in his outstretched good arm landed them both within the house’s front porch – and at a safe distance from the resounding ‘thud’ on the ground of the implacable assassin’s failed drop-kill.

“Now I’ve got a… headache…” Cutter complained in his arms. “She had to aim for the head! You never aim for the head! Makes one unable to feel anything else. Meanwhile she goes and takes a proper rooftop dive. Bitch gets all the excitement.”

Winded, Jaka turned to face the Spy getting back to her hooves, her last knife in her mouth.

He felt his throat contract at the sight of this killing machine. The Spy could not protect them from herself. The crazed sadomasochist couldn’t stop her. He couldn’t stop her. Even if Colonel Renee chose to cut loose now and intervene, it would likely be at the cost of her life. And either way, his was now forfeit. Yet he’d promised himself he’d never plead for mercy.

‘La ilaha illah-lah, muhammadur rasulu-llah...’ Jaka recited fleetingly in his thoughts. ‘No, they won’t see this. La ilaha illah-lah, muhammadur rasulu-llah...’

The Spy rested a forehoof on the railing, and pulled the knife from her jaws’ grip with the other.

“It ends now,” she stated dispassionately, raising the blade.

The moment she struck, however, the knife flung off her grip, in a shower of sparks. Surprised, they looked over, to the right, for the source of the attack, and saw a familiar man kneeling in the grass at the foot of a hill on the edge of village and Forest, a firearm in hand.

“TRIXIE, DON’T!”

With those two, simple words, the Spy halted in her tracks.

Ignoring the collapsing, battered man and mare before her, the Spy darted around, determined to end the life of the foolish person who’d dared shoot her, to stop her kill…

But who? Who exactly, had dared to stop her?

The intruder stood tall, his firearm still aimed her way, an ejected a cartridge on the ground. Now the Spy knew for sure who’d shot the knife out of her grasp. He also looked battered and terribly worn, but nonetheless, prepared for battle.

The Spy took a step forward, set on eliminating this new… threat? Was this man a threat?

‘No…’

Yes, he was. Her immediate commanding officer had made that clear. The man standing before her was a traitor, a traitor to the PHL, intent on stealing technology for the war effort, for the cause of a mad queen.

‘What am I doing…’

No emotional compromise allowed. His past allegiances, and attachments, were irrelevant.

‘Somebody…’

“Stephan Bauer. So, it is you who are my target,” she said dispassionately. “I'd be disappointed. But you taught me better than that. Thanks to you, I can finish this job.”

‘Save me… please.’

Stephan didn’t say a thing, concentrating on keeping his handgun steady in both hands. He watched her every movement, many different scenarios running through his head at once. The correct moment would be key to victory, or to defeat, and it could come in the blink of an eye. Too much lay at stake. Either his tactic was going to work, or he would have to put her down. The thought of it alone hurt his heart…

…But both of them had agreed, a long time ago, that if this kind of situation occurred, should either one of them get turned to the wrong side, the other wouldn’t hesitate to put an end.

Just like the professionals they were.

Trixie jumped forward, ready to strike. Stephan aimed and fired a few quick shots, but his mare moved quickly, scaling to the right and left, so that his shots missed her by inches. He knew she didn’t want to attack head-on, except that with her magic held back by the ring, she had no other choice. Her best course of action would be to wait until Stephan used up the magazine’s remaining bullets. Though he didn’t doubt his aim, a moving target at this distance, constantly switching directions, would be much harder to hit.

Stephan fired his last few rounds, and then with a ‘click’, the slide of his handgun stayed open.

Empty. This was the moment Trixie had been waiting for. She ran towards where her lost knife lay half-buried in the tall grass, seizing it, a look of glee on her face thanking her attacker’s thoughtlessness in anticipating her move...

But that, that was the moment Stephan had been waiting for.

Too late, Trixie noticed the flashbang he’d locked between the ground and his knee to keep the lever from releasing.

And the pin was already pulled.

The blow of the explosion struck her back.

Dazed but not yet down, the Spy staggered. Then a sharp knock, of a different sort, struck her once more, and this time, she was sent tumbling to the ground. Teeth set on edge, senses back on full alert against this new opponent, she rolled over and lashed out in a brutal swipe of her right hoof, only for her to feel something wet and sticky latch upon her wrist.

Before the Spy could gauge what was happening, the lasso of green wax yanked painfully towards her left, forcibly rolling her back onto her belly in a rough landing. Dazed, she barely managed to mentally kick herself into reaching out with her free left hoof and press the ground, her nerves screaming at her not to throw this fight.

Unfortunately, her opponent had seen this coming, and a new green tendril whipped itself around her other wrist, the tip of it swiftly snaking around her hoof's base to meld with its own lower cord, solidifying instantly. Gasping, the Spy saw both her lassoed wrists get pulled behind her exposed back, just as the weight of a cold, heavy hoof pressed into her withers, preventing the mare from doing anything more as her attacker smartly tied her wrists together.

Helplessly, the Blue Spy glared up at the tall, insect-like figure pinning her down.

“Ah-ah-aah,” smirked the Changeling Queen, wagging her left forehoof, “looks like we’ve caught ourselves a runaway little bug, now, haven’t we?”

Stephan marched up to Chrysalis as she watched Trixie struggle, unrestrained hindlegs desperately kicking at the ground. The two other Changelings beside her were keeping their eyes trained on the mare like a hawk.

“Nice work, children,” cackled the Queen. “Now, let Mother deal with this naughty drone.”

The Changeling mare beside her beamed with pride as she severed the lasso of green wax extruding from her forehooves, before reassuming her emotionless expression and stepping back to join her brethren on the sidelines.

Not far, Harwood knelt down to check on Jaka and Cutter. He gave an all-clear sign to Stephan before resuming his ministrations. The pegasus lieutenant, in the meantime, had set up a perimeter surrounding the area, alert to any unwanted looks.

The approaching group of Town Watch in the distance, led by a large apple-red earthstallion, were a welcome sight.

“Ah, good, Major. You're here,” Chrysalis greeted him.

With a snarl, Trixie made an energetic attempt to buck one of Chrysalis’ hindlegs from underneath her. But the Queen nimbly sidestepped the blow, curving the targeted leg to stomp upon her thrashing hips instead. Groaning with frustration, Trixie bit her lip, drawing blood, as the much larger Changeling's two right hooves kept her firmly in place.

“So, tell me, what shall I do with her?” Chrysalis smiled, roughly pressing the captured mare further against the ground as she looked to him. “Hatred. Fear. Love. A concoction so heady, it almost makes my brain hurt. Well, isn’t that interesting… There seems to be some sort of… inner conflict, I’d say, within her.”

Stephan took a deep breath. “Das ist... gut.” he quietly mumbled, switching to his native language at the news. “It means she’s still in there. We have a chance. She must be taken to Luna.”

Queen Chrysalis shook her head with a low chuckle. “Luna? Pff, just what does fat Moonbutt have and I don’t?” she asked, waving her hoof airily. “The Princess may possess skills in weaving dreams, a power I sadly lack, but to deal with my stray bug here, one need first clear the way. Elsewise, you might be left with a cracked, empty shell, hm?”

Again, she stomped down on the struggling Trixie’s left hoof.

“Given I’m here, not Woona,” the Queen continued, “We can get started now! It wouldn’t be very much, oh no, the rest would be your problem. I’ll simply, ah, trim her mind off a few nagging things, put her to sleep, and she’s all yours, Such a pity,” she finished with a cackle, baring her fangs. “After coming all this way, I did fancy myself a little snack...”

All of a sudden, in defiance of his toughened soldier's instincts, Stephan had to fight down the bile he felt rising in his throat. This was not, indeed, the faded, broken mare he'd met in Iceland. Now he’d seen just what Queen Chrysalis was at the height of her power.

This creature was born with a door into other's minds such as the Tyrant could only dream of. Perhaps not all hive queens were possessive or domineering by nature. But the way this one was holding down Trixie, as if the mare were a prized trophy, left little doubt that whatever remaining boundaries she assured him and Captain Armor she’d vowed to never cross, Chrysalis still enjoyed treating flesh-and-blood people as playthings for her own amusement.

Marcus’ words echoed through his pounding head. ‘She's not your doll.’

He felt ashamed. Poor Trixie. Wasn’t this the reason she’d agreed to this trip with him to Ponyville? Only now, between that, her subsequent involuntary rampage, and finally ending up in the clutches of a hungry Changeling, what should have been a chance for his girlfriend to once again be herself, might only have led them to the edge of losing all that was left of her.

“No!” Stephan objected unequivocally, glaring at the Queen. “She’s not one of your drones! Should you try forcing a connection, it will create a backlash on the both of you.”

“Oh, how bad can it be, I wonder?” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow..

“Brain-melting comes to mind.” Stephan held his head, eyes closed to think. “It's dangerous, that's all I know. Beyond that, it's up to Trixie to tell you, not me. If you are anything like the old queen was, then please help her, and nothing else.”

There was no distrust in his voice, no hint of anger or even sorrow. He had to be strong now. For Trixie.

“Oh, fine,” Chrysalis said with a roll of her eyes. “Ah, well, guess there’ll be another time. Hush, little maggot, go to sleep...” she said, lighting her horn nonchalantly to cast the beginnings of a sleeping spell. But the attempt did not work, and the Spy persisted in her violent struggle to break free.

“Tut, tut,” the Queen huffed in annoyance. “Aphid, Thorax would you kindly...?”

Without further prompting, the drones assisted their monarch in coccooning Trixie all over. Subconsciously, it made Stephan clench his fist, but he understood it was for the best. When they were, he knelt down, wrapping his arms around the enclosed mare, hurt to see the hateful look still burning at him, at all of them.

“Meet me at Canterlot Hospital,” he said. “I’ll find Luna to help us there as well.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have somepony else to help out?” Chrysalis replied mockingly, mimicking the voice of one Princess Cadance. She stuck out her tongue. “If Candy should happen to be unavailable, you can always outsource the job to me. I’ve been told I make for a fine substitute, I have.”

Stephan forced his expression into neutrality. “Your Majesty, as much stock as Equestrians may place in the power of love, I think it’s done all it’s can for now. Trixie’s been stopped, but she isn’t herself. She doesn’t need Cupid’s arrow, what she needs is a mind doctor.”

Oddly, this made the Queen cock her head slyly, as though she knew something he did not.

“Your girlfriend’s soul, it is tied to yours by a red string, were you aware of that?” Chrysalis enquired casually. “There are forces in my world you’ve yet to even begin studying on Earth. The force of love, a force of nature, is so potent for my people because it promises so much… a dream always on the horizon, awaiting fulfilment.” She trotted away. “And Cadance… her talent is to bring people closer, to be woven together, in the ties that bind.”

“Very well, then,” Stephan deadpanned. “Until next time, Chrysalis.”

“Likewise, Major. I’ll see you another time, hm?” Chrysalis echoed flirtatiously, gesturing to her two Changeling attendants. “Thorax, go ahead and find Coxa. My wings need scrubbing. Aphid, you stay here, I fear my hooves are killing me, again...”

Gently, Stephan, hardened soldier that he was, wrapped his arms warmly around his girl, calmed to feel her breathe steady and stable. But a cough and the sound of crackling polymer reminded him he wasn’t alone. Out of the ether, Pineapple Cutter had emerged, a catch on her prosthetic flicking open, thus exposing a tranquilizer syringe.

Unbidden, she plunged it into Trixie’s shin, the thin needle effortlessly passing through wax.

“Sedation.” Cutter said simply, ignoring that Stephan’s blood was boiling. “Will keep her safe for now, Major. Doctor’s orders.”

Harwood was looking over both of them with an odd sort of expression. He nodded towards Stephan, eager to keep the calm, with a signal confirming it was his call.

“Sorry,” smiled Cutter. “Were you in the midst of getting touchy-feely? How… human of you. I mean it in the most flattering way, Major. But you didn’t have to take all the trouble you did hammering this poor girl to pieces. Not when you have me. Damaged goods from the day I was born. And look how far I’ve come. Isn’t that how you like us?”

Stephan could have strangled her. “Get Princess Luna on the line,” he ordered. “And have her meet me at the hospital, with Princess Cadance. I need them both, NOW.”

Cutter rolled her eyes. “Muy macho. Muy macho. It gets old fast.” She began to trot off, without so much as a backwards glance. “I will contact Luna. Good thing I followed you, yes. Please thank Miss Lulamoon for me. Fighting her was fun while it lasted.”

He glared at the back of the departing mare's head, deploring, not for the very first time, that her status as a 'Special Operative' technically placed her outside the chain of command.

Silently, he took Trixie’s inert, wax-encrusted body in his arms, and walked away.

“Will, will my Mommy be okay?”

For a moment, the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the delighted screams of the schoolchildren, Crusaders and all, to see her again, died away for Cheerilee. It would be painful for her to tell Ruby the truth, but more painful still to give her a sweet, sweet lie.

“I don’t know,” she said carefully. “But, let’s hope she’ll make it, and keep our spirits up, right?”

“Does that mean I’m gonna be living with you?”

Cheerilee looked over to where Miss Bjorgman waited at the station exit, keeping herself at a respectful distance, the picture of a dimming ember of sunshine in the cool, dark blue evening.

“For a while,” Cheerilee told her niece. “For a while… now, how about we go and thank Miss Bjorgman for… for all her help, Ruby?

Still, eternity passed, the child still nuzzling into Cheerilee’s chest, before they moved on.

“Miney,” Fuse asked hesitantly. “Ain’t ya worried he won’t fit in?”

“Fit in where?” his wife responded, stroking her belly.

“Well, with them...”

He traced his forehoof over the gaggle of faces out in the courtyard, clustered under the burning torches. Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack, sitting in a little circle, yapping away about whatever such good friends yapped on about, DJ Pon-3 in her uniform vest and Zecora watching over the Lord Discord on his stretcher, unaware of some ghostly, hazy apparition hovering behind them, half-dim in the torchlight. And even, he was glad to have found out, the nancy colt Blackberry, cuffed to a dark-skinned human female, but looking like a massive weight had fallen off his shoulders.

That last pair hadn’t brought relief to Fuse’s own sense of burden, however.

While she scarcely looked his way, he knew the bandaged human woman, sitting on her makeshift seat of a storage box, was guarding him more than she was guarding Blackberry, with a flintlock on her lap, as she lay ready to leap into action the instant Short Fuse placed a hoof out of line.

Overhead, Changelings buzzed to and fro in the evening sky.

“... I don’t know,” Minus admitted. “But look at them. They’re a mixed bunch, aren’t they? Anyway,” she said, changing the subject. “Who’s to say they will be a ‘he’?”

“What, yer think it’s gonna be a filly?”

“Filly or colt, if nothing else, they will be our little Equestrian.” She leaned her head upon his broad, scarred shoulder. “And I do know you. I think you’d want a girl.”

Fuse smiled wanly, feeling a tug inside, knowing that not only wouldn’t he be seeing his wife for some time, it was probably no more than he deserved.

“Well,” he said softly. “Make sure yer find a good name for her…”

It was a weary, uneventful ride back to base.

The one upshot being that Colonel Renee’s private chopper was bigger and roomier than Mridula’s precious baby, no offense to her. Ana tried to rest against the inner metal casing, too tired to even complain, nor comment, on how uncomfortable the trip was all the way for her. The atmosphere inside, rather different from the morning’s joviality at the mess hall, which now felt like months ago, was so tense, she idly wondered if you could cut it with a knife.

Thank goodness none knew what she did, of what had befallen a mother and her child.

With two exceptions. Ana looked towards the team medic, busily tending to their barely conscious superior officer and sighed at their current state. The whole ordeal had taken a visible toll on Jaka, but somehow, Ana felt more concerned about Thomas Harwood. The man had edged close to a meltdown, with everything bearing down on him in those fateful hours.

One glimpse of her was all it had taken to send him running her direction, to embrace Ana in a fierce, crushing hug. He hadn’t talked much, but when he let her go, Harwood had quickly and expeditively told her of Jaka’s situation, and so it was they’d found themselves here, in Colonel Renee’s own newly-arrived chopper, the Sarge laying on a stretcher between them, on their way back while the bigwigs sorted out whatever was left for them to sort out.

All in all, this was a glum trip.

When dear Snow Mist, stronger than her lithe body might suggest, and fat, sturdy Wolffschanze had brought a large, wooden, occupied crate aboard, however, Ana had spotted how Harwood’s face lit with a glare of vindictive satisfaction, glee she could not share in, which brought her no comfort. She’d known Harwood long enough to see he had a lot on his plate. In spite of their mock-animosity and  rivalry, Ana cared for Thomas Harwood’s well-being.

Because at the end of the day, he was her last tie to a world from before the war.

She took a deep breath, and raised herself from her uncomfortable seat to approach Harwood, edging across the metallic floor, cautious as can be. The Englishman so concentrated on monitoring Jaka’s condition, he barely acknowledged her presence.

Ana brushed against his shoulder, gazing down on their mutual friend and comrade who was fast asleep on the stretcher, no doubt recuperating from his injuries. One of Harwood’s hands was busy checking on the Sarge’s nerves, but the other, he held limp to his side. In this, Ana recognized a tell-tale sign of how deep the scars ran.

Without another hesitation, she took his hand.

Harwood shot her a look, surprised. For a moment, Ana feared he’d wrench himself free. Then some of the tension left his shoulders, and so did hers. They still had a long way to go. Sooner or later, someone would call on them about the events in Ponyville.

But Ana Bjorgman would make sure she’d be there for every step of the way.

Old Wounds

Old Wounds

Authors:

Redskin122004

ProudToBe

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Editors:

Jed R

DoctorFluffy

Kizuna Tallis

Bendy

Dances With Unicorns

Dustchu

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that bad news invariably comes in the middle of the night."

- Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: “In The Pale Moonlight.”

“Funny, what I miss about him, it’s not how we were, it’s the possibility of us getting on better. I’ve changed in so many ways. I think he might have too.”

– Porno, by Irvine Welsh

It came as no surprise that Canterlot Royal Hospital had specialized rooms for… well, the doctors and nurses called them ‘problem patients’, lacking a better term. Sometimes, students summoned things they shouldn’t have, sometimes they ended up transformed into monsters from Equestria’s past, or spells just went wrong. This was Equestria’s seat of power, hanging directly off the side of the Canterhorn, a geologically improbable mountain bursting at the seams with magic even after the mines had closed. The irony that victims from the ill-fated Wedding Invasion had been housed in here wasn’t lost on Chrysalis.

Yet surely they’d never housed a patient quite like this one before.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Chrysalis said, smacking her lips as she eyed the unconscious Discord lying on the gurney, with the obligatory IV strapped to his sickly green arm. “Rotten stroke of luck there, eh, chum? Mind you, I do find the new color quite fetching, if I do say so myself.”

“It’s no laughing matter, Chrysalis,” Celestia said firmly.

“But it is!” Chrysalis insisted, with a giggle. “‘Look at me,’” she said, a forehoof pressed to her barrel, delighting in Celestia, Bauer and even the mustard-yellow nurse unicorn’s upturned expressions at her perfect imitation of Discord’s voice. “‘I’m the hooting-tooting Chaosmeister, pick the tail off the Sun Princess’s rear with a snap of my claws, run roughshod over the land like I own it, and that’s three times now I got beaten by nothing but silly mares wielding a few nifty trinkets.’”

She allowed herself a minute’s titter. “I’m telling you, Celly, either the old boy’s growing soft as years pass, or it turns out our Lord here was never wearing any clothes.”

Celestia glanced at her warily. “I know I’ll regret asking, but what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s a human expression,” Bauer interceded, flashing Chrysalis a warning stare. “Based on a folktale from a little country not far from my own. I believe what Her Majesty means to say is that, in her opinion, Discord isn’t as infallible as he makes himself out to be.”

“The results speak for themselves,” Chrysalis said innocently, a glowing tongue of green fire licking her frame to assume the shape of a gossamer sundress. “After all, who here actually bested Princess Celestia in single combat?” She batted her eyelids sultrily at Bauer. “And, Major, though I’ve no place inside your head like the dear draconequus, I promise, come closer and you won’t be disappointed to find this dress is woven of shadows and fog…”

“We’ve been through all that. The answer is no.”

“Smart man,” Chrysalis nodded as she let her illusionary dress melt away. It was no great loss, anyway. Tonight, she still had plans to meet a certain white stallion who, once upon a time, had marveled at how quickly she could remove her finery during their intimate moments. “Smarter than the guy in the bed over there. No-one told him that when you brush against thistles, expect prickles.”

Bauer looked habitually impassive, yet Chrysalis knew she’d spotted an unladylike tug at Celestia’s lips. Could it be that the prim and proper Sun Princess, standing watch at her older brother’s sickbed, was experiencing something so petty as smug satisfaction over seeing him brought low?

Even if she did, it didn’t last in the face of Bauer’s next question. “So you say there’s no standing doubt? Your doctors can’t fix him in record time?”

Grimly, Celestia inclined her head. “Nothing is ever certain where Discord is concerned, of course. However, based on our knowledge of the alicornial tissues in his physical makeup, three months won’t be enough to pump out every last trace of that poison from his system, not a whole ounce of it. While he will gradually regain control over his powers, we’re looking at a year before full recovery.”

Opening her mouth to speak, Chrysalis felt more than morbidly surprised when suddenly, a black-and-green butterfly escaped her mouth.

“Just because my health is in bad shape,” Discord sneered from beneath the sheets, “Doesn't mean I don’t have some magic left, little bug.”

A sharp, electric pain snaked all the way up her spine, ejecting more live butterflies from Chrysalis’ throat as she realised, shocked, that he’d just used the horned end of his tail to slap her on the rear.

“Don’t do that, Discord,” Celestia said tiredly.

“Why not?” he asked. “I’m pretty low on overall enthusiasm, and I’m bored!”

“I’d suppose ‘it’s coarse and demeaning’ wouldn’t actually stop you, would it?”

“Nope,” Discord said with a grin. “Besides, not like Chryssie’s above it herself, now, is she?”

His expression did soon shift to one of somberness, though, in looking over Bauer. “Major. Good to see you in one piece. Believe me, you’re lucky I got this and you didn’t.”

“Why?” Bauer asked, with some surprise. “It’s fucked you to the gills.”

“Yes, but I’m not like you are,” Discord explained, shifting his attention back to Chrysalis. “If this nasty stuff laid me out, pretty sure it’d kill anyone else, other than Celly or Lulu, in seconds. As for you, Chryssie, well, you might pull through, thanks to that nectar you queens eat. But it’d be a life spent in agony, that’s for sure.”

Chrysalis hiccoughed again, before smiling slightly. “I will bear that in mind. Unlike you, I don't think I’m unstoppable, so hearing I can die hardly shocks me. And the other me did last longer than you, by all accounts.”

Discord chuckled weakly. “You act like you think you’re unstoppable.”

“I can act however I want,” Chrysalis retorted, clamping her tooth down on a butterfly as it tried to escape, and crushing it. Discord winced. “Doesn’t change what I think, and I think about a lot more than I’d ever let on to you.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he said, smirking. Clapping his paw and claw together, Discord glanced at his caretaker. “Now, off with you! The lovely nurse needs to do her duties without leaders hanging over shoulders!”

Though none of the three leaders would admit it, they were trying not to stare the nurse’s way. She’d been chosen for this job because she was trustworthy; nevertheless, the slightest risk of what consequences would entail should the story leak out, bore down upon them. For Chrysalis, common sense dictated they ought to have left Discord in the care of her loyal, secretive Hive, if it weren’t that for some reason, Celestia adamantly opposed the idea.

More’s the pity, given the unexpectedly rich love she tasted in the draconequus’ black heart. And speaking of love…

“I shall discuss today’s ramifications at length with Colonel Renee,” Celestia told Bauer. “For now, sir, the best place we can start repairing the damage would be with one whom you care for very much. Young Miss,” she said, addressing the attentive nurse. “Please take us to your other patient.”

“Happy recovery, Lord Discord~,” Chrysalis said in a sing-song voice.

Whatever his posturing, Chrysalis knew it was all merely a cover for his own embarrassment. As they exited the room, door closing, she even deigned to give him a little shake of her rear for good measure. After all, adolescent males were all the same, whether they were fifteen-year-old studs or five-thousand-year-old draconequii. Though she was hardly one to lecture on pride, she wholeheartedly believe that while the pot may call the kettle black, the kettle was no less black for it.

Chrysalis and Major Bauer, along with Celestia, were led on, on toward the far end of the hospital attic. Past stacks of books even the stuffiest academics considered too bland to read, past wheelchairs and artificial wings, past a weird corkscrew-like device labeled as an antique prosthetic horn, until they came to a wooden door with odd markings on its jamb, one that simply reeked of magic.

“Right this way, please,” said the nurse. Her horn glowed orange, clashing strikingly with her green mane, as a spell enveloped Chrysalis and Bauer.

Reluctantly, Chrysalis admitted to herself that the nurse mare, Caduceus, deserved credit for seeming completely unfazed by the presence of an alicorn princess, an alien soldier, and most of all, her.

The door opened, onto a rather secure-looking room, a glass box big enough to fit a minotaur contained in the middle. Inside was Miss Lulamoon, heavily restrained to a bed with so many belts one could hardly distinguish she was a pony, not a wax figure. A warning sign adorned the thick glass box, claiming that only authorized personnel were allowed.

But then, of course, Celestia was with them. That was authorization enough.

“This does seem… excessive,” Bauer said, frowning.

Chrysalis tittered. “Do even you believe that?”

“Chrysalis,” Celestia said sharply, glaring at her. “Enough.”

“The thing about love, Major Bauer,” Chrysalis told the impassive alien soldier, hovering over the bed of one whom, not long ago, she’d have regarded as just another nutrient. “Is that it’s like the Sun. People used to think it was good for you.”

Bauer’s facial expression scarcely changed, but for a twitch in his neck.

“And what has that go to do with Trixie, Your Majesty?”

Chrysalis gave a little cackle as she looked back at the heavily-restrained mare on the bed. “Oh, Major, Major, Major. Didn’t my other self tell you what a treat our stage magician here used to provide for me and my brood? On stage, bathed in her own self-infatuation, now, that there was a rare delicacy. Ah, small wonder illusionism turned out to be her special talent! But pray tell me, what do you know about your girlfriend?”

Bauer didn’t answer, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. Then he regained what little composure he’d lost.

“That is hardly your business,” Bauer stated, crossing his hands behind his back. “Still, I could tell you how she accidentally fell in with a group of Imperials on her run to Berlin, or how long she’d scraped by for that second cart… which I broke… or that it was her grandfather who first encouraged her to take the stage.”

At this, Chrysalis clucked her tongue. “Tut-tut. Congratulations, sir, you did your homework. Do I need to spell it out? I was asking what exactly it is you love her for. The whys, the whos… that sort of thing.”

“If it’s all the same to you...” Bauer said stiffly. “Now’s not the most appropriate time.”

Rather than acting offended, Chrysalis gave him a sly wink. “Or… could it be that you don’t really know? Know her, know why it is you think you love her? Because she doesn’t, you see.”

“What are y–”

“She doesn’t know why she loved herself,” Chrysalis clarified, smirking on the inside, as her remark had at last drawn some reaction from him. “Because what she loved was something that never existed. An illusion, you might say. She’s hardly unique in that regard.”

Bauer snorted, rolling his eyes at her claim. “Name one other pony who’s ever wielded Changeling magic. With that, Trixie is just as dangerous as myself or Marcus.”

“You have to be exaggerating,” Chrysalis said derisively. “I took Celly on.”

Alas, this didn’t prompt the Princess to indignantly hiss that she was standing right there. Shame. Celestia was too focused on silently staring at the little pony inside the glass box.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t see Trixie coming. I’m one of the few people on a very short list that could take her on and win if she has magic on her side. And even then...” Bauer rotated his hand from side-to-side uncertainly. “Even then, I’m not sure. She could still surprise me.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes. “Caught off-guard by your girlfriend. Who else is on this list?”

“We’re a globe-spanning organization with many unique soldiers,” Bauer said. “It would take too long to explain.”

“Please,” Chrysalis said. “I have the time. Tell me, who–”

Before Chrysalis could finish, the door swung back open, and both she and Bauer turned to face the newcomer. Colonel Renee, for it was he, granted Chrysalis a nod, before addressing his comrade.

“How is she doing?” he asked curtly, scarcely glancing at Miss Lulamoon.

“Besser, but as you can see, we’re keeping her restrained. It’s for everyone's safety, including hers,” Bauer answered, taking note of the tension in his friend. “You?”

“This entire day has been a fucking mess,” Renee grumbled. “I wanted… you and Trixie, you deserved peace and quiet. If anyone’s fought hard enough to earn a break, it’s you two. And then all this shit had to go down.”

“We couldn’t get away from busman’s holidays, even back home,” Bauer said somberly. “It isn’t really all that much different.”

“Except this is practically paradise,” Renee said. “No war. No looming annihilation.”

“There are monster attacks,” Chrysalis pointed out. “Enough for it to count as on regular basis. And I’m here.”

“That’s not out of the ordinary,” Celestia retorted, looking away from the glass. “Well, the former isn’t, anyway. Besides, thanks to the efforts of S.M.I.L.E., few ponies have been seriously hurt for quite some time now.”

“It shouldn't have mattered,” Renee growled, shaking his head. “The PHL have been set up in the Everfree, and we’re driving away every monster thinking they can use us as a chew toy.”

“It’s okay, Amerikaner.” Bauer gave him a dry look, to which Renee only snorted in return.

“Fine, I’ll drop it.” Renee rubbed his neck, as a soft blue glow appeared on his tattoos before vanishing just as quickly. “But the newspapers are going to be a disaster. Celestia, Your Majesty, I apologize for taking you away so soon, but we’ve no time to lose.”

“Marcus, we’ll sort this out,” Celestia said evenly. “The newspapers are going to be focused on mine and Luna’s decision to step back from executive power, congratulating Sir Fancy on his return to office. It should provide a distraction for a few days.”

Of course, Chrysalis knew Fancy had provided her distraction for more than a mere few days. She tried not to let her grin show as memory washed over her, keeping her attention on the blue mare, and the bearlike human staring anywhere but at his beloved in the glass case.

“Hopefully, you’re not gonna need to make a decision that’ll paint you in bad light.” Renee rubbed his forehead. “Alright, Stephan, who’ll be coming to relieve you?”

“Corporal Harwood, he’s the most immediate medic available. Operative Cutter relayed the instructions to Lieutenant Scratch, Princess Luna should be here soon. However, Princess Cadance, she said, was unavailable for comment.”

Chrysalis was glad no-one could see her smirk. Though Bauer had outwardly shown no understanding at the hint she’d teasingly dropped about Cadance’s lesser-known powers, before she’d trotted away for a well-earned wing-scrub and a massage from her drones, his subconscious would surely have picked it up.

A mage of the mind, as well as the heart, Candy. He’d get suspicious of her soon enough.

“Great, catch some rest when he arrives,” Renee ordered. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Celestia furrowed her brow. “And I, too, will return, Major.”

“Jawohl.”

Marcus nodded his head once and turned to leave, Celestia paused to look at Chrysalis, a pained look on her face as the Queen turned her face away in a clear snub. With a soft sigh, the Sun Princess followed in Marcus’ tracks. Left alone with his girlfriend and a double of the mare who’d tutored her, Stephan faced Chrysalis, opening his mouth, but she gave him such a fierce glare that he snapped it shut.

The Changeling Queen gestured toward the secured Trixie.

“Back in Ponyville,” Chrysalis hissed, raising herself to her full height. “When I had her tied up. Why didn’t you let me connect with your sweetums, Bauer? I’m the voice in every little Changeling’s head. The whisper which eggs them on, give into any childish urge, find their prey and make them taste our nectar, so that love, intoxicating love, may bloom! They utterly worship me. If I ordered them to nibble the lice in my hair, they’d do so in a heartbeat.”

For emphasis, she gave her stringy mane a scratch. “Huh, how about it. Really, the staff ought to know better, than to admit a giant bug into a hospital…”

But that reminded Stephan of where he’d first met Chrysalis, what she’d told him.

“Trixie…” he started, stroking his temple in deep thought. “Trixie isn’t a drone. Chrysalis, our Chrysalis, explained that Trixie doesn’t have the parts necessary to make a true connection with another Changeling. Otherwise, they’d have been chatting with one another all the time, poking fun at everyone around each other, and giggling madly about it.”

“This is silly. I can sense a connection but…”

“You know how our radios work, right?” Stephan asked, gaining a nod from Chrysalis. “Then it’s very like that. You don’t have the codes required to make a connection to that radio, because it’s encrypted. You need to establish a... a handshake with her, or else it could be quite deadly.”

“How deadly are we talking?”

“Brain dying due to mental feedback,” Stephan answered bluntly, causing her to wince a bit. “Though probably no head explosions, not like in that movie… fucking Kraber, he gets half his ideas from this sort of shit…”

“I feel like I’m better off not asking,” Chrysalis said.

Stephan nodded.

“Ah, sounds like what happens when two Queens try connecting to one another,” Chrysalis mused aloud. “At least, that’s what my mother explained… ”

Her voice trailed off and her eyes lit up. A peculiar expression was spreading across her face, not quite a smile, not quite surprise.

“Excuse me?” Bauer asked.

She paused contemplatively. “Two Queens… queens... royal jelly…”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Royal jelly,” Chrysalis repeated, now looking quite, quite harried. “Fools. Why didn’t I address this before? Changeling magic, at its core, isn’t some parlor trick. My other half, a fool. She fed Miss Lulamoon on royal jelly!”

Stephan stared at her, as it dawned on him. “Ja, we knew that. The Queen, she used to call it her secret ingredient.”

“It’s so much more,” Chrysalis growled, teeth clenched. “It’s what makes a Changeling Queen. The shared genetic memories of an entire hive. And now, that mare over there is like a queen without a hive, the voices still sounding in her head. Of course her brain’s a trash heap! How do you think a unicorn with none of the...” she searched for a term.

“Muscle memory?” Stephan suggested.

“Yes! The muscle memory! It’s not the right term, but it fits all the same! How do you think a unicorn, with none of the muscle memory Changelings have, managed to learn in a year what my hive knows from birth? If it was that easy, everyone would do it!”

Dismayed, Stephan finally found the courage to look in his Trixie’s direction. Beads of sweat formed upon her listless forehead, the rest of her clamped unforgivingly in place to the bed.

“Chrysalis… I mean, the other Queen...” he began, making himself stare Chrysalis in the eyes. “She did warn us that… some side-effects may occur. But she also claimed to be confident a mare as assured of her own grandeur as Trixie could handle the pressure.”

“By the looks of it, she’d been doing quite well, seeing as her mind didn’t melt,” Chrysalis commented ruefully. “Until something came along and set her off. We Changelings, we’re used to an inner voice like that, Major. Ponies aren’t, with the possible exception of that pink one. Except it’s not just that we’re used to it, we practically yearn for it. Lulamoon, her mind is an echo chamber. She’s been filling the gap. She’s… she’s an imperfect hybrid.”

“In that case, Heaven only knows what a mess her head is in…” Stephan said slowly, the full weight of the Changeling Queen’s words beginning to bear down on him, as he realised just what occult forces they had been dealing with.

Looking out the window, a lovely view of the moonlit Canterlot Royal Gardens presented itself to Ana. There were worse sights, she supposed, than they could have given the Sarge to treat himself while confined to this waiting room. She did have to marvel, though at how well-stocked she’d found the Equestrian infirmary to be, both with local medical equipment and items she could only assume were imported from Earth.

‘Ana? Are you alright?’ whispered a voice in her head.

“I… don’t know,” Ana whispered to herself, fingers twiddling nervously.

She wasn’t alone in the infirmary. Vinyl Scratch, Prasad and Harwood were all there as well. Most of them either weren’t injured or only had minor injuries, but they had all been asked to wait here for Colonel Renee. She could’ve sworn Harwood heard her, judging from his raised eyebrow, but Ana quickly shut down any potential inquiries with a quick smile.

“So…” Sergeant Jaka started, staring at the group with some concern. “Why are you people all in my room? I figured you’d enjoy not being in my presence longer than necessary.”

Ana forced a smile, looking over Jaka on the gurney, bandaged up and on an IV. “Sorry, Sergeant, but we all received a message from Colonel Renee to meet here.”

“Yeah, something tells me that it’s going to be another one of those days,” Vinyl griped.

Soon, the Lieutenant was muttering under her breath about getting better materials for her speakers and what she would needed to set it up. Murmurs about their mission abounded from the group. It had been quite revealing to some of them that the involvement of the Element Bearers, and even more so their greatly increased fighting prowess, was what had helped turn the tide of the fight.

Then the sharp echoes of footsteps as well as hoofsteps caught their attention.

“Celes– uh, Your Highness, are you sure this is the right thing to do? The fallout alone would destroy everything we’ve worked for, all the progress we’ve made,” Colonel Renee’s voice filtered through the doorway, causing everyone to fall silent.

“Marcus, one of my own subjects died at the hooves of one of your own people,” Celestia responded. “If there’s one thing I have learned over the course of the last few centuries, it's that some of my little ponies can be… reactionary. They will take what others say at face value until told otherwise.”

“I…”

“Yes, we know better,” she cut him off. “The Spy isn’t to blame, but my subjects would only see what is given before them. In the turmoil of the past few months, this is a perfect storm. Fate, at least, decided to grace us with a small mercy, that only three sets of eyes witnessed the act. I will talk to the sister and daughter personally, as well as Luna, to inform them of the truth. Had anypony else been there, it would be a disaster of Discord’s level.”

“You give him too much credit.”

“You don’t give him enough.”

Renee’s voice sighed. “All I know is, this was a clusterfuck from start to finish. The fallout from this could... hell, I don’t even know what it could do, all I know is if we don’t do something about it quick, things will get out of control faster than Kraber at a gun convention.”

“Given the memories of the man, yes, I could see what you mean. Go, Marcus. Do what you must, and I will do what I can. Fancy and the new fledgling government will not suffer due to mine and my sister’s decisions.”

The Solar Regent quietly made her way past the door, the soft clinks of her shoes soon replaced with the sound of clomping boots.

Ana got to her feet and stood at attention as Marcus Renee marched into the room, coming up to the group, his face grim. He looked from Sergeant Jaka, to Prasad, to every single person present there. All, it seemed, except her. He looked like he was thinking of what to say.

“Alright then,” he said tiredly. “Listen very carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. As of right now, the mission to rescue Major Bauer is blacklisted. Top-level confidentiality. I don’t care if God Himself asks you about it, tell him ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’. Clear?”

The various PHL looked at each other in mixed confusion and surprise.

“I asked, am I clear?” Renee repeated through clenched teeth.

Vinyl grimaced. “Colonel, can I question something?”

Renee opened his mouth to retort, only for that to shrivel up and die in his throat when he took in who was asking, before silently nodding his head.

“Why? What’s going on?” Vinyl prodded.

Ana wondered what hidden conversation flittered between the two superior officers, as they exchanged a look which bespoke of something no-one else here had been privy to, nor would ever be.

Renee sighed, pinching his nose before answering. “Look, since you were all involved and have been part of operations of this level before, I’m going to tell you everything I can... which isn’t much.”

“That’s not comforting,” Vinyl noted.

“It shouldn’t be,” Renee admitted. “This is a situation that could lead to the collapse of the Alliance. We have to black this thing out. Now.”

Was it her imagination, or had the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees? And not the good kind of temperature drop from the old country, either.

“Great,” Vinyl muttered, “More secrets.”

“In this case, we don’t have any other choice,” Renee said bluntly, his expression grim. “I don’t like it any more than you do. Just be thankful you’re not the one responsible for cleaning this particular shit-stain up.” He looked to the rest of them. “So we’re clear. No discussion. This mission never happened.”

“Yes, sir!” they all responded.

“Alright then.” He motioned to the door. “Anyone who’s not injured, you’re dismissed.”

Ana moved to go with the rest, but Renee held up a hand.

“Not you, Bjorgman,” he said grimly. “I need a word.”

She stayed put, stiffening slightly, wondering precisely what it was that he wanted to speak to her about. Harwood, wheeling Jaka’s gurney, threw her a quizzical glance, but she shook her head and he exited. Then, after a moment, she was alone with Colonel Renee.  When all others had departed, Prasad closing the door behind them, he went over to the window and peered out of it for a moment, before turning to look at her. There was a pregnant pause as he scrutinized her, while she remained still and at attention.

“At ease,” he said evenly. He motioned for her. “Sit down.”

She did so slowly, but still very uneasily. Her heart was beating a million times in her chest and her throat felt dry and tight. She had no idea what to expect; she knew she messed up... no, more than messed up. A civilian was killed by accident, and like Renee said, so much was at stake. And she was alone in a room with a decorated military commander. Who knew how he was going to act?

“So,” he said softly, as though he was considering his words carefully. “I’ve read your AAR.”

Ana said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

“I could list a series of mistakes you made out there,” he continued. “From what I can tell, you made calls based on what you were seeing, and they didn’t pan out.” He sighed. “But they were mistakes.”

“Sir… I had a lead, and with due respect, I couldn’t just… leave the girl,” Ana replied earnestly, not sure whether she should resist the urge to cower. “After, well, what, what she told me... I can’t just leave a, poss... potential lead in the dust, right? Sir.”

“I understand, Bjorgman. In any other time, you would’ve been reprimanded and knocked a few ranks down.” Renee then paused momentarily. “Now I can’t dismiss you from the group completely. That will lead to questions that I don’t want anyone to ask. I just have to know that you are aware of your decisions and the results of them.”

“I’m not about to pin the blame on her for her own death, sir,” Ana retorted. “It’s… I’m sorry but, it’s all so, confusing and, I couldn’t just leave the Blue Spy alone. I didn’t know why she was there or, why she looked for all the world like a murderous menace but… I couldn’t sit just back and do nothing!”

Ana realized her outburst and immediately zipped quiet, but, to her complete and utter surprise, Marcus just bitterly sighed and gave her a look of sympathy.

“Believe me, Ana, I know what it’s like, making literal life-or-death decisions on the fly. In the end, I have a kidnapping, ponies with lost memories who were involved, gangsters, and nothing but breadcrumbs to follow. The real mastermind is still out there, somewhere, and there is a mare, a mother and sister, lying dead as a result of her meddling in her understandable if misguided attempts to protect her child.”

Ana blinked rapidly, trying to keep herself from crying. She simply nodded and said, “I know, and-”

“In a way, Bjorgman, you’re lucky,” he interrupted her, his tone reassuring. “If this had gone this much to shit any other time, on any other mission, in any other way, you’d be lucky to be reassigned to Antarctica. As it is… this is bigger than your mistakes. This is bigger than any of our mistakes.”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” she asked.

“Go ahead.”

“What’s going to happen now?”

Renee sighed, again rubbing the bridge of his nose. “What happens now, Bjorgman, is that I have to deal with the aftermath of this incident. That, however, is above your pay grade. What happens to you, until such time as we figure out exactly what our response to this should be, is a period of leave.”

“... Leave, sir?” she repeated.

“You were in the middle of this clusterfuck, right there when the mare died,” Renee told her. “Simply put, Bjorgman, I need you out of the way while we deal with this. And out of the way is where you’ll stay, until such time as I deem fit. You and the entire group involved have just found your leave days saved up, and you’ve chosen to take a little backpacking trip through Sunny Equestria. You’ll have to remind them about all their saved up days. Am I clear?”

She nodded slowly. “I understand, sir.”

“Alright then,” Renee said. “You’re dismissed. Oh, and Bjorgman?” he added as she motioned to leave.

“Yes, sir?”

“You’re going to be on leave,” he said dryly. “So try to have fun. That’s an order, and I would like it passed on.”

She nodded, a reluctant smile gracing her features. “I… yes, sir.”

He nodded, and she turned and left the room. It took all she had in her not to fall to the floor to catch her breath.

“Major Bauer, this is your partner, in both love and profession, whose sanity is at stake,” Chrysalis said authoritatively, acting every inch the queen she was, given the gravity of their current situation. “How do you suggest we proceed? For all my experience, what we have here is as much an unknown to me as it is to you, save that you know Lulamoon better than I.”

Bauer massaged his temples. “The other Chrysalis, she said the connection would feel faint, that it takes time and care to even establish it. If you want to help, try to calm her down. Just send a message to ease her mind, at least disrupt whatever’s in control.”

Chrysalis chewed on the idea for a moment, before nodding. “It would be best to at least establish a… handshake, as you say? In which case, I’ll need physical connection, given that this mare isn’t part of my Hive. And that means opening the case.”

“Go ahead, Your Majesty,” Bauer told her with only slight hesitation. But as the green glow of her magic wrapped around the glass coffin, he added, “Be careful, Chrysalis. Remember what I said.”

Irritated, she didn’t even bother to shake her head as she sought focus, pressing for forehoof to Trixie spasming, sweaty forehead.

“Yes, yes. No true connection, no playing around,” Chrysalis sighed, closing her eyes, “Now then, Baby Blue. Let’s hear what you’re thinking.”

Echoes surrounded her, distant voices of her people whispering to one another in a way only few beings could ever understand.

‘Oh, he was right, it is faint. Now, let’s see if I can tap into it.’

Experience washed over her.

‘Have-to-kill-them-all-No-Stop-They-Are-The-Enemy-You-Are-The-Danger-We-Are-Trying-to-Save-the-Worlds-Foolish-Girl-I’m-not-Foolish!’

‘Well… isn’t this interesting?’ Chrysalis commented to herself, causing the voices to pause. ‘Calm yourself, my dear, you will only…’

‘NO-SHE-IS-DEAD-IMPOSTER-FAKE!-Stop!Getout!-YOU-WILL-NOT-BREAK-ME-Dont-Make-a-Connection-ONLY-THE-TRUE-CHRYSALIS-CAN-BE-WITHIN-HERE!’

‘You have to kill them.’

‘Wha–’ Upon hearing this new voice, Chrysalis barely had time to formulate an idea on what to do, before the images bombarded her, with a voice she knew, oh, very well.

“I will teach you how to hide within the crowd, to escape the gaze of your enemies.”

“You are a natural at this, this should be easy.”

“Changeling magic is, by nature, a means of survival in a world that hates us. This new world we are in, you are going to need all the help you can get.”

“You are the best thing to ever happen to me… I’m am so glad to have passed my people’s magic to someone who can push it even farther. You… are the last of my people’s legacy, Trixie.”

“Goodbye… Bellatrix. Take care… little sister.”

Chrysalis’ head snapped back, like she’d received a blow to her jaw. She stumbled back, green blood flowing from her snout, the forced images ringing in her mind. Dimly, she felt Bauer behind her, holding her steady as she coughed and began choking for air.

“What happened?” Stephan asked, gripping her briskets in surprise and concern.

Chrysalis wiped the blood from her snout, processing what she’d just witnessed. “I can control several Changelings at once hearing all their voices. But Trixie...” she made a short pause, looking at her own blood. “It was like an army of voices.”

Bauer moved in front her, a finger held up before her eyes, motioning to-and-fro. She tracked it easily enough, but her mind was on fire. He snapped his fingers next to her ears, causing her to wince at the sharp noise. “Alright, you look alright, how’s the head?”

“Burning.”

“Sounds normal. For the first time, this happened to Trixie and Chrysalis as well,” Bauer explained as he lead the queen toward a nearby couch. “Heh, was it a blast?”

“It was something alright,” Chrysalis grumbled ruefully, a small smile on her face at how Bauer relaxing felt to her. It was…

Nice. Was this what her counterpart felt whenever he was relaxed?

“So, the voices. You think it’s because of the influence of that corruption? The Jelly?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “Maybe. There more to what I witnessed that leaves me doubting that it was just a side-effect of the jelly itself.”

She settled herself, watching the encased Trixie with curious eyes. “It is something more conscious. I believe that her connection with the other ‘Me’ was so strong, she took me for a fake. How’s that for irony.”

Bauer tilted his head. “But you two are basically the same. Trixie even worked with you here for some time.”

“That makes no difference. Her subconscious knows that ‘her’ Chrysalis passed on long ago. All her other personalities know that, too.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “During our time here, we only worked together, but not ‘together’. Not like it usually is in a Hive. I never attempted to have a connection with her before. I’ve helped her here and there, but only on the surface of her powers. But the other Queen… she went deep. She had to, make the necessary connections within her head, infusing her with our Changeling powers, make it work. She was, like...” Chrysalis paused, trying to figure out how to describe it. “She was like a sister to her. Sibling queens who shared their closest secrets with each other. And only them.”

“And that’s why she won’t let you in,” Stephan concluded.

“But that’s all a theory, purely academic,” Chrysalis said, resting a cheek against her forehoof. All of a sudden, she felt tired, and didn’t care who knew. “I’ll only be able to tell for sure once I take a closer look in her head. In her current state? No, that won’t be happening.”

Bauer frowned. “I guess we really need Luna then.”

“As much as I hate to concede that,” Chrysalis grumbled in annoyance, “I have to agree. So, Woona it is.”

“But?” Bauer said, knowing that there was a catch. Like always.

Chrysalis looked back at Bauer, giving him a serious look. “That connection we do have may show her all my secrets, since I’ll have to lower my mental defenses against her. I’ll be like an open book for her. And I am not willing to share my secrets. I am certain you’ve already thought about that.”

Bauer sighed, getting up to be closer to Trixie. Yes, politics could be so annoying. “Of course. I am sure Luna shares the same concerns. And we can work something out. But we have to be quick, for her.” He lightly squeezed Trixie’s shoulder.

Then, the doors swung open, and who else should it be but reveal the alicorn in question, looking harried if her mane was anything to go by.

“My apologies,” Luna told them. “I have been working on dispatching summons to various newspaper owners across the land. With any luck, they shall receive them quickly, and arrive faster still.”

“It’s no problem, Princess.” Bauer nodded at  her, Chrysalis smirked privately, sensing the waves emanating from him at the princess’ arrival, but chose to nod as well.

“Well, it’s much easier with a Hive to spread the news,” Chrysalis commented passingly, earning an annoyed look from Luna.

“Not many of us can simply connect with every Changeling in the country, and it is an ability I’m glad I do not possess. I get plenty of complaints via dreamwalking, and I’ve seen my sister’s court during the day. I have neither the patience nor the willpower to deal with such…”

“Squabble?” Chrysalis provided.

“Idiots?” Bauer took a much more blunt response.

“Rubes…” Luna sighed at the twin Cheshire smiles she was on the receiving end of.

“Hm…” Chrysalis shrugged at the word, but otherwise made no comment.

“Now then!” Luna clapped her forehooves together, looking at the two with a smile on her face. “We have a pony that requires the deft touch of the mind, yes?”

Stephan grimaced. “We may have a bigger problem than we suspected.”

“Yes, a lovely problem at that.” Chrysalis rubbed her snout, feeling for any traces of blood. “It would seem the little Spy is not quite as… together as we first thought.”

“What do you mean?”

Chrysalis began to explain in detail of what she experienced, and neither of them liked the look on Luna’s face as she stared at the unicorn trapped behind glass.

“I see,” she sighed. “This might not get solved in a single night, then. I’m afraid I will have to postpone this spell until I am set.”

“What do you mean?” Bauer demanded, perhaps a bit too loudly, and Chrysalis could have sworn she saw his fingers twitch.

“I’ve seen the dreams and minds of ponies of…” Luna frowned as she searched for the word. “Multiple personalities, they call it.”

“On Earth, I believe we call that dissociative identity disorder,” Bauer said, still tense.

“Do you?” Luna replied, musing. “Hmmm. I may need to read up on that. ‘Multiple cores’ might be a better term for some ponies here. Their minds are dangerous to traverse and can leave even a being like myself reeling from the conflicts within. I’ve had to send guards on more than one occasion to ensure the safety of ponies for the individual in question due to their… more unhinged personality.”

“So… Is there a chance we may not be able to…”

Bauer trailed off, Luna shaking her head at his question.

“I won’t know until we are within, but there may be a chance. I believe she did not have such a split for a very long time, and I believe there may be more to this than we can anticipate.” Luna tapped her hoof to her chin in thought, and then shook her head. “I’m sorry, Major. But I cannot allow our attempts to continue without some safeguards in place. Until then, we must keep Trixie asleep for the time being. I will try to attempt a safe passage on my own, but until I am sure, I will not be taking either you or Chrysalis within her mind.”

Bauer sighed, slowly nodding his head as he sat down in his seat once more. Chrysalis gave Luna a firm nod as well, slinking out the door to give the human his privacy, Luna trailing behind her.

“I take it will be quite dangerous.”

“It is, the cleverer the being is, the more dangerous their minds are.” Luna explained, quietly, looking over the dread room once more, seeing Bauer grip Trixie’s hoof. “And we are dealing with a very clever assassin.”

“It could be fun.”

“Indeed.”

It was scarcely appropriate, but Ana nevertheless felt the need to sit back, and lean against the walls in contemplation. What, precisely, had happened? Where did Harwood go? When will he return? She didn’t look up when a shadow fell over her, and she caught the familiar voice of Mridula Prasad.

“Harwood told me about Cheerilee, and how you left her involvement out of your report,” the pilot stated sternly. “Why?”

There she was, standing firmly with crossed arms. She didn’t looked much worse for the wear, but under the left of her uniform’s neckline, the bandages holding the shoulder where she’d been wounded could be seen.

Ana took a breath. “Dula. How’re you holding up? I uh, heard the Spy cut you up pretty bad.”

“That she did,” Prasad said, nursing her shoulder. “Clever minx approached me in disguise. Said she had orders from up top to execute the young stallion I’d captured. You’ll never guess who she was pretending to be.”

“Who?”

“Miss Cutter,” Prasad replied, her lip curled. “No idea what possessed her, but if it’s true what they say, the Spy catches a little bit from all her playacting, no wonder her brain’s gone wonky, borrowing the inside of that little devil’s head like this.”

And Ana shuddered, hands pressed against the wall, the old memory of that fateful encounter in Indonesia going through her own head again.

“I don’t think that’s what it was,” she said slowly. “I don’t think anybody can ever really guess what Pina’s thinking. Not even the Blue Spy.”

“Maybe,” Prasad stated, characteristically gruff. “But that doesn’t answer my question. Why leave Cheerilee out of the AAR? Harwood got the story from Jaka, said you’d–”

“Where is Harwood?” Ana asked, feeling frantic.

“Upstairs,” reponsed a new voice. They glanced around, and found their eyes reflected in the magent shades of Vinyl Scratch. The Lieutenant tapped her badge. “Major’s orders, requested me to pass them on to him. Far as the PHL’s concerned, Lord Discord and the Spy are his exclusive patients. Confidentiality, you’ll understand.”

“That’s ridiculous,” retorted Prasad, before Ana could get a word in edgeways. “When’s the last time that man slept?”

Blue aura shining weakly, Vinyl removed her shades. “We all could do with the kip, Sergeant,” the Lieutenant said, rubbing her reddened eyes. “Unlike you, though, I’ve still got a meeting with the Commander to look forward to. And what’s this about omitting the local Miss Cherry from your report, Corporal Bjorgman?”

“I… she…” Ana stammered. “Miss Cherry asked me. She asked me to take Ruby Pinch, her… the girl I mean, to find her mother. It’s… it was Cheerilee, Lieutenant. How could I possibly say no? I forgot. I shouldn’t have. She wasn’t our Cheerilee. My fault...”

“Ah, I see.” Vinyl sighed. Picking out a cloth, she began to give her shades a wipe. “Yes. Just following orders, then. Even when it’s not really your superior officer. How could anybody explain that one properly?” The Lieutenant put her shades back on with a dejected sniff. “That changes things a bit, Cheerilee being present for when you picked up Ruby. I’ll make a note, cross-examine how this matches Cutter and Jaka’s reports. You’re dismissed, Corporal. But please, do try and have some fun. You’ll need it.”

Just like that, Vinyl marched past them and opened the door, without further ceremony. It wasn’t until the door had closed, shutting them out, that Ana realised she could feel Prasad’s hand on her shoulder.

“What is it, Dula?”

“Bjorgman,” the pilot said gently, the usual fire in her eyes replaced by something else. “I wanted to let you know. Perhaps you did fuck up badly, in the end. But you did nothing wrong by me, taking a child back to their mother.”

Brought into custody hours ago, repeatedly interrogated, and still allowed no rest?

For Noteworthy, that made it official. Holding onto one’s integrity for a cause was no fun. At least they’d shown the decency to move Miss Peachbottom, with her injured foreleg, over to the hospice ward. So they were playing nice. Oddly, he didn’t feel surprised. Left to ponies, the lady could be trusted to find herself in good care, eventually. It was the people standing behind the ponies whom he distrusted. Poor Miss, though. She looked like one with a habit of turning up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The detective, a unicorn stallion of the deepest blue, whose brown mop of a mane looked constantly close to falling across his own dark green eyes, faced him from across the table. Detective ‘Truth Inquiry’. That name sounded vaguely familiar. Wasn’t it yet another blue unicorn, only, weren’t they a mare, well-read and a Royal Guard to boot?

Blinking, he fought to pierce the scramble of color and memory, yet turned up a blank.

“...And that’s all I’ve got to say about the brickyard, detective,” Noteworthy concluded glumly. “Last thing I knew, my neighbors, Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack, were seeking refuge in the pug-mill from this rampaging mud-monster. For some reason, Miss Rarity had got the idea to pry a heavy iron nail off the tracks, and DJ Pon-3 was making noise... as usual. Most peculiar taste in music, that girl’s got, it’s like some sort of fizzy drink, mixed with a touch of hyacinth…”

“Alright, thank you, Mr. Noteworthy,” Truth Inquiry told him, snapping his notebook shut, a gesture straight out of the moving pictures. Purely theatrical, Noteworthy suspected, for surely the detective was about to ask him a real question. “Oh, and one more thing…”

Yep, called it.

“Before returning you to custody,” Inquiry elaborated, “I wish to enquire into a matter beyond facts and figures. Motive. Of course, whether you’re deemed ‘guilty’ is for the courts to decide, not me. However, given this case’s sensitive nature, it may come as no surprise to you that our legal system may sit on it for a while. Should you feel any need to express where you stand, now would be best.”

“I can tell you where I stand,” Noteworthy said boldly, his cuffs clinking together. “I’m a conscientious objector to Equestria going to war. You want to ask me about motive? It’s humanity’s motives which I don’t trust.”

“Conscientious objection refers to those applicable for military service,” Inquiry said, pen tapping against his lip. “You’re a civilian who never signed up for this war.”

“That’s true,” Noteworthy acknowledged. “But I am, however, a Ponyville reservist, as are most in the Town Watch. If the war dragged on, I could get drafted into fighting on the front. And I... didn’t come to this decision easily, sir. When the first human, Renee, went on his rampage through town… well, I just thanked my lucky stars that no worse came from it.”

The detective stared at him quietly, Inquiry’s sharp, clever eyes drinking in every line on his face as he spoke, an action Noteworthy knew well.

“Discord’s light show,” he said, “is what cinched it.”

Now this, by the look on Inquiry’s face, was news. The green-eyed stallion opposite him leaned forward, forehooves clasped on the table.

“Detective Inquiry, um, I know this isn’t standard, yet may I ask you a question? What’s your favorite color?”

Inquiry crinkled his brow. “I’m sorry, but while I don’t take you for some sort of criminal savant who can read people based on a single fact, the only person qualified to ask questions in this room is me.”

As it turned out, life wasn’t the books. It really wasn’t.

“Fair enough…” Noteworthy sighed as he fretted with his cuffs. “It’s like this, you see. A big part of my day job, it’s all about hanging around theatres. Smokes and mirrors, colors and fireworks, no hocus-pocus about it, just, well, create an illusionary world, make it real, what they call a different kind of magic… Bury a unicorn while everyone knows they can teleport, nopony cares. Bury any other pony, crowds will gather to see how they’ll get out of this one. No business like show business. Even when you have a unicorn try to undergo Hoofdini’s famous trick, it could work. That’s a manticore, that’s dangerous. You are still trying to dazzle the audience.” Spotting the impassive look on the detective’s face, he ploughed ahead, unto his point. “And Discord is a con artist.”

“Curiously,” Inquiry said dryly, “that’s the least of the charges raised against him. Are you trying to make me believe your objection to the war is based on artistic sensibility?”

“As a matter of fact… yes.”

“I’m just going to sit here and stare at you uncomfortably until I come up with a witty comment,” Inquiry said, with all the subtlety of a flying mallet. “Come on, son, at least try for moral equivocation here. You don’t like what the war might be doing to us as people in the future. You’re afraid of what could happen to your family. Hamburger meat, for Celestia’s sake. I’ve heard better reasons.”

But Noteworthy was beyond feeling fazed.

“What’s the phrase, detective,” he said coolly, hating himself for sounding like the stereotypical nutcase in shackles, too worn to really care. “‘Artists use lies to tell the truth’? Somehow, I feel like I’m not the first to reference this… However, if you want to get a message across, don’t ask a Scion of Deceit to deliver it. Because then the required lie grows too big, and smothers whatever truth you had.”

Inquiry pushed himself backward. “And would you be so good as to explain what you mean to tell me with that?”

“Just what it sounds like,” Noteworthy said. “Ever since that giant human city emerged from the ground, the cries resounding from its rooftops, with their ceaseless refrain of how mankind must be saved, must not, cannot be allowed to die lest reality dies with it, have turned into white noise, a bloated chorus which drowns out all other voices.”

He brushed a lock of his mane away from his muzzle. “Listen. You don’t have to take it from a chap who knows theatre to understand. New New York was first designed as a stage. A stage to persuade your allies, once and for all, that this was a fight they needed to join. How long before the players made their entrance?”

Noteworthy scrunched his eyes shut, terrible images from that day replaying behind the lids. Woe his curiosity, indeed, that he’d thought it a smart idea to sneak a peep through Miss Sparkle’s old observatory at the extraordinary scene unfolding in the valley below Canterlot.

Shadows under attack by darker shadows, who seized them and made them into their own.

“It was… an impressive spectacle,” he breathed, opening his eyes. “Impressive. Truly a sight to strike terror into anyone’s heart, a pony’s most of all, to imagine we could be capable of this. And trust me, I’ve seen how some of us carry themselves... if you squint, it’s almost as though they were surrounded by this awful hue, a green more poisonous than the direst Changeling’s, a red angrier than the most rage-filled dragon’s.”

Sighing, Noteworthy rubbed his forehead. “But, watching, I’m sitting there, and now I’m thinking to myself, something’s not right. This is cruelty beyond anything from Equestria. And, well, then it strikes me. I’m looking at an echo chamber... Only people insecure about themselves would shout so loud, expecting the world to shout back that they’re right:”

He felt the shadows creep from behind his eyes, and envelop them, as he stared at Inquiry.

“Does that answer your question, detective?”

“You’re doing this because you felt they were insecure,” Inquiry said. “About whether they were good or evil. If anything, I might say that could be a good sign. Evil… ponies, evil people, they usually don’t ask themselves if they’re doing something wrong. And because you’re traumatized by what happened in the city, I think.”

“No,” Noteworthy said. “Just… disheartened. Good and evil, eh, not much I know about those, except a few platitudes about how even ‘dark’ magic isn’t necessarily ‘evil’ as we understand it. You’re the copper, I’ll leave morality to you. However, if you think I’m traumatized, when I ain’t, it’s because of what we all do to hide from ourselves… we project. And I get the feeling that humans are very good at… projecting.”

“Which prompted you to do this… how?”

Noteworthy shrugged. “I took a gamble on my hunch being right. What else can I say? I’ve no idea how another Equestria might behave, I admit. But my gut instinct tells me, in a meeting between the land I know and an alien species from an Everfree World, a more believable scenario wouldn’t play out such as has been hammered into us.”

“Yes, it is quite fishy. Then again, what’s their endgame? They gave us weapons, trained our own soldiers in their ways of war, and managed to boost our economy in such a way. What use is there, to give us these gifts, to pretty up images and beautiful scores, present us with a new city in which to house millions and still have room for more? What’s the endgame there?” Inquiry asked, tapping the table with his pen. “They have the force necessary to take all, yet they give in abundance… it’s almost like they want to be remembered through how much they’ve given to this world.”

“As the saying goes, Detective…” Noteworthy said slowly. “Beware griffons bearing gifts.”

Inquiry smirked a little at the saying, nodding his head in agreement as he stood up. “If it’s as you say, we’ll find out in a few short months if the words of humans hold water, or are just one large lie to keep our flanks open. Won’t we?”

Throughout the evening, during all her endless cross-examinations of the assets who’d been present in Ponyville for the disaster, the only thought keeping Lieutenant Vinyl Scratch going was that, at least discretion meant she wouldn’t have to break this news to Rarity and friends, and procedure couldn’t get any more painful than being stuck with Operative Cutter’s expressionless face as they discussed terrible things.

But the Changeling Queen’s flightiness ran a close second.

“Now, be honest, Lieutenant,” Chrysalis said airily, holding up a sarong before her lithe frame. “Would I look fat in this?”

“Stick to the topic, Queenie,” Vinyl hissed, tapping on her aura-born iPad with unconcealed impatience. “One more question to go, and you’re free to leave on this date of yours.”

“Well, it’s not a date, so much as meeting between new political partners and long-lost friends…”

“Spare us, Chrysalis,” Marcus admonished her, though Vinyl was relieved to note he kept his arms folded behind his back. “And just answer the Lieutenant. We know, Celestia told us you agreed to fly for Ponyville on the condition that the Prime Minister share a drink with you tonight.”

“Oh, alright…” Chrysalis grumbled as she crumpled the sarong and let it drop onto the bed. “The answer is, Lieutenant, no, I’ve seen neither hide nor mane of this ‘pale mare’ you say your little friends ran into along the road. Although, I agree with you that everything about poor Miss Lulamoon’s condition points towards the tricks of a mind mage, or a dreamweaver.”

“There you have it, Colonel,” Vinyl said. “Would also corroborate Princess Luna’s suspicions behind all the dissenters’ memory loss.”

Marcus stroked his chin. “It doesn’t explain why they’d accost Rarity and the other two Bearers. That was a pretty big risk to take, after already showing themselves to Major Bauer and Discord.”

“Applejack’s AAR says they were trying to stop her friends from reaching the brickyard. That they went into this big spiel to dissuade her from helping the Alliance. As though they believed the Bearers might have a change of heart.” Vinyl nudged her shades for emphasis. “And here’s what I don’t like, sir. According to Applejack, they made a clever argument, showing they knew a great detail about human history. Added to Major Bauer’s statement that our mystery mare could speak German, it’s plain that whoever this is, we’re not dealing with a few ignorant bigots any longer.”

Even after they’d covered most of this on their way to meeting Chrysalis, Vinyl could see Marcus was struggling not to let his true feelings show when these words were spoken aloud. To her credit, Chrysalis caught on pretty quick.

“You’re worried the Empire might have planted an agent on this world,” said the Queen, suddenly grave. “And they’re not afraid to let us know they’re here.”

Both officers nodded.

“That’s right,” said Marcus, sitting down on the bed. “And, given your experience with… subterfuge, we were hoping you could further aid us by helping to shed light on the situation.”

“Marcus,” Vinyl interrupted, unable to hold herself. “I know you’re fixed on this hunch of yours, and trust me, I know how rich it’d be of me to call you out for paranoia… But, I’m sorry, I find the idea of an Imperial mole within the PHL hard to swallow.”

Chrysalis tilted her head. “A mole? Not just a spy?”

“He thinks,” Vinyl said. “I disagree, yet that’s why we’re asking you. Given how thoroughly mind-fucked the Tyrant’s truest followers are into going potion-happy upon any humans who don’t recognize her rule, the thought that anyone of them could play at being buddy-buddies with Betrayers and monkeys for a long time… it beggars belief.”

“They did fine back before the war, when it was just the Bureaus,” Marcus pointed out grimly.

“That was then. This is now,” Vinyl insisted. “Many of us didn’t know better, either. I didn’t know better… nor did Tavi.”

As the former musician’s head dropped in painful reminiscence, Queen Chrysalis considered them, these long-suffering friends and comrades. Gladly had she sought to direct Major Bauer’s suspicions towards a certain mare with the rare gift of uniting people’s hearts and minds, a mare she knew very well. A mare who had good reason to hate her back, to serve Celestia without question. But had she really come so close to the mark?

“I can help you,” Chrysalis said at last. “I’ll only ask that I do things my way.”

“And what way is this?” Vinyl asked tiredly. “Come up with a cunning plan, then witness defeat snatched from the jaws of victory because of your own gloating?”

“You’ll be eating your own words, Vinyl Scratch,” Chrysalis said in far too calm a voice, “when the day comes that I’m the only one you people can crawl to, begging for me to bail you out.”

“I’ll just note down, ‘the Changeling Queen has agreed to help us’,” Vinyl told Marcus, who hadn’t uttered a word, as she traced her digi-pen across the pad. “And that marks the end of this cross-examination, sir.”

Marcus nodded. “Very well. Thank you, Your Majesty. We’ll now be leaving you to your meeting with the Prime Minister.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Chrysalis added, her playful mood returning. “You were there, weren’t you, Lieutenant, when that strange pea-sized pegasus told me off at the brickyard.”

Vinyl’s ears perked up. “Wasn’t that Fuse’s wife?” she said. “Yeah, figured there was something odd about her. Takes guts, being married to that guy, let alone giving the Changeling Queen lip… Ah, I recall it, Rarity had another strange tale to tell. Pegasus seemed to think she was a former sidekick, and the gang we picked at the brickyard were villains, all from a series of storybooks.”

“Storybooks, Vinyl?” Marcus echoed, giving her a curious glance.

“Kid’s stuff,” Vinyl said quickly, nudging her shades. “Nothing like the brutality these goons showed themselves capable of. Fuse himself admitted, it’s his fault the mare’s a bit funny in the head.”

“Not about this,” Chrysalis crowed. “What your officer doesn’t want to say aloud, Colonel, is that Miss Tome is Daring Do’s former sidekick, and those ‘goons’ are members of the nefarious Caballeron’s gang.”

“Now you’re just fucking with us, Chrysalis,” said Marcus. “I’ve read the reports, remember. Sergeant Jaka personally captured the ringleader, Locksmith, and Rarity mentioned the one gangster gone AWOL, name of Blackjack, who–”

“Whom investigation will soon identify as the top dog of a gambling den in Manehattan,” Chrysalis finished for him. “That den is a facade for other, more exotic ventures. Doctor Caballeron is real, my dears. Or, should I say, Don Caballeron. Big fish in a small pond of scum, next to what you know, no doubt, but it’s here, in Equestria. It’s where my people have skulked for years, with nowhere else to go.”

“So where does Miss Yearling get her muse? Surely not dens of iniquity and vice?”

“Oh, that.” Chrysalis giggled. “Amazing, isn’t it, how a pair of glasses can fool the simpletons. But you don’t play a player. One trip to a book-signing convention, where the love abounds, was all it took for me to pin it. A.K. Yearling is Daring Do, a silly old mare who writes about her own life, like unimaginative hacks everywhere do.”

“Interesting,” said Marcus. He turned to Vinyl. “If what she says is true, we might have ourselves a new asset, exclusive to us, from this world. Cheerilee did tell me she suspected the Equestrian Resistance were keeping an ace or two up their sleeves.”

“Now, c’mon,” Vinyl pleaded, grinning nervously. “Children’s entertainment turning out to be real, and a force to reckon with? In what crazy-ass world does that happen?”

He looked at her but said nothing.

The sound of a heavy iron lock turning made Blackberry’s ears perk up.

Back into the holding cell walked Mr. Noteworthy, a somber, moody gait to his step, and Blackberry shrank back, just a bit. According to the coppers, they and the other ten or so ponies from the brickyard who weren’t gangsters, were partners in crime just the same, but for the life of him, after racking his brains all day, he still couldn’t remember their names. The blue unicorn stallion was the only one who looked like he’d a clue, and with no-one else to turn to, Blackberry felt safer around him.

Or rather, he would be, if said unicorn wasn’t eyeing him as the door slammed shut. Noteworthy was quite a thoughtful stallion, Blackberry recalled. Always one with a cutting, precise remark, and an observant one too. He wondered what the guy was thinking now.

Blackberry cleared his throat. “Is something the matter, Mr. Noteworthy?”

“Kid,” Noteworthy said softly. “Look where we are. Everything’s the matter. If you can spot a ray of sunshine down here, more power to you. Goodness knows I’m struggling.” Then he frowned a little. “Just what exactly happened out there, in the Forest? That human, all cut and bloodied like she was, she didn’t seem to bother you too much…”

“Oh, um… yeah, I helped her with that.”

“You what?!”

“After this crazy mare attacked her,” Blackberry explained, falteringly. “She was trying to protect me. They’re not all bad, that I know. I mean, I’m not sure what I’ve heard but the doe woman seemed nice.”

“Doe woman?” Noteworthy demanded, pacing up the cell. “What, the angry-looking female in the sling?”

“Not, not exactly, no, not her,” Blackberry hurriedly corrected. “But shortly after my… arrest, Miss Prasad got a call and the voice on the other end... I’m not sure why but, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all if, if it came with the sound of tinkling bells, you see.”

“And have you met this… woman?”

“Um, well, no,” Blackberry said. “But it’s just… I mean, a voice which just says sweet and kind, whoever it belongs to, it’s gotta mean something, right? Cos, didn’t Princess Celestia herself raise a dragon as her son? I… don’t see how an entire race can be all evil, all the time.”

“No offense, kid,” Noteworthy said laconically. “But a voice isn’t much to go on. Trust me, I’d know. Ever heard of Sirens? And it’s not only about race. It’s about culture. With a warrior culture like what these humans have been proudly thumping their chests over, sweetness, kindness... they’d regard those as weaknesses to be stamped out.”

But Blackberry merely shrugged. “Well, I don’t know for sure, because, there’s always that one ray of sunshine…”

Clinical, ancient, historical. That’s what the Canterlot Royal Palace felt like to Ana.

There had been so little left for discussion with Prasad, now all was said and done. For all that the pilot wasn’t too crusty once you got to know her, she would be first to admit she’d forgotten how to be comforting anymore, and would rather hit the bottle in private for now. So Ana found herself walking alone across the castle hallways, with only the voice within to accompany her.

And what a hallway this was, if she cared to look closer. Too bad she’d got lost. Again.

‘Walls,’ Ana bemoaned to herself. ‘Why must all buildings have walls?’

Perfectly silly question, she knew it. Except that, no, she didn’t think it was so ridiculous to ask. If further proof were required that some of the more lunatic environmentalist ravings of the PER were unfounded, seeing how the ponies most certainly didn’t commune with Nature all the time was just it. They liked their brick and stone buildings, too, where they could warm themselves by the hearthfire and stay safe from the many uninvited guests outside, even as they opened their doors to more welcome guests.

Even so, there were times, Ana thought, when it would be nice not to feel so closed-in. That was what she’d hated most about her time aboard the rusty old Mamayev Kurgan and sought so hard to escape from in her mind. But at least the ship was small enough not to get lost inside of.

Opulent palace walls. Just boringly flat, and smooth and all very samey, not full of twists and circles and distinguishing features like the branches on trees, or the ever-shifting nooks and crannies of a mountain slope in all seasons. Nor did it have the soul and life of a simple brick-and-wooden home, built from the ground with heart’s desire.

No wonder she preferred it when her sights fell upon urban areas from a safe distance.

“Miss Bjorgman?” The kindly, motherly voice cut into her wandering mind, and Ana paused in her steps, just before she’d have collided with the vibrantly white mare.

There she was. Celestia. The spitting image of the very Tyrant that had destroyed so much of Earth, including Ana’s own home country with that Barrier, taken away the lives of countless men, women, and children alike. Her pink mane flowed in an ethereal breeze, and Ana felt compelled to look away from her visage.

But this was not the Solar Tyrant, she knew. There was something to her, an indescribable presence, a warmth, that Ana had never seen in the Tyrant that besieged her world. It was just Princess Celestia, she reminded herself, the very image of compassion and caring, if the words of her trainees were anything to go by. Nothing more.

“Yes?” Ana replied quickly

The alicorn looked worried, concerned even, as the two stared at one another in silence.

“How are you feeling?” Celestia said tentatively. “Her death wasn’t your fault, Anastasia.”

The use of her full name certainly caught Ana’s attention.

“Th-thank you, Your H… I mean, Celestia,” she corrected herself. The alicorn before her, according to Moondancer, wasn’t keen on officiality. Much to her relief, the words came true, as the princess smiled a little. “But... it’s alright.”

“Please,” Celestia pressed on kindly, lowering her horn soothingly upon Ana’s forehead. “I mightn’t have experienced the more violent forms of warfare for centuries, but I remember all too well to know when things are not alright.”

“I… I don’t know, but...” Ana paused, as the gears in her mind turned, the other voice inside her head began to stir, and it dawned on her who was speaking. The warmth of the nearby fireplace flushed over her, and she could hear the laughter of children, fillies, as they played in the snow with their friend and nanny.

“... Celestia?” Ana asked dreamily. “If it’s all the same to you, how’s Grandfather doing?”

Celestia blinked. It was a minuscule exertion, but there was something strange. Almost… hungry about it. Ana couldn’t quite tell what.

“Pardon?”

“Sorry, I... I meant Sint. Sint Erklass.” Ana amended quickly, twiddling her fingers. “How’s... how’s the Allfather doing?”

To her relief, the Princess relaxed, even if she still showed a hint of surprise and curiosity. The mere mention of his name, after all, had briefly brought back the filly from all those years ago.

“He’s hale and hearty as he should be, Ana Bjorgman,” Celestia replied sweetly. “Do you wish to meet him? By your name, I am told you herald from the Frozen North of your world.”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe?” Ana rubbed the back of her head. “I’ll think about it. I mean, we do have an… equivalent of him back on Earth, like, how Norway is like your North, yeah. But… I’m not sure if it’s appropriate. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry too much, dearest,” Celestia said. “The gates of Adlaborn are always open, and Sint Erklass always listens. Especially to those who feel lost.”

Unconsciously, Ana bowed her head, a small, grateful, sad smile marking her features.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia. I… really appreciate it. But… not tonight. No, I think I’ll, well, need to… gather my thoughts. Rest. Pray. They did set up a little chapel somewhere around the palace, right?”

“Yes,” Celestia smiled. “When my sister bid the wise and holy of your world welcome, so that here in our land, they may determine how Madame Heartstrings was your angel of mercy, she thought to provide the space for your gods. If you’re looking for peace, you may find it there.”

‘It’s amazing how different they are,’ Ana thought. ‘Not like the sun and moon, that one’s too obvious, but it’s like… the sun on a cold day and the sun on a summer day.’

The Princess reached to embrace her, and Ana accepted gladly. But a thought crossed her mind as she let go.

“Um, Princess? If it’s not too much to ask, where’s the exit? Cos’ I am rather lost.”

The night sky was aglow with starlight, conjured either by magic or travelling vast distances from unknown suns. It was a majestic sight to take in from the balcony of the Canterlot Royal Palace. Good company made it better, and better yet quality wine to go with both at once. Queen Chrysalis smiled at the dashing unicorn across the table, fond memories returning to her from so very long ago, of a colt just coming into his own. Her eyes wandered the night sky, until they dound a lone battlement, a familiar alicorn standing upon the balcony, horn aglow as she gracefully bobbed her head to and fro.

Chrysalis closed her eyes, annoyance rising in her chest at the mere sight of the alicorn.

“Are you alright?”

The wine in Fancypants’ glass swirled slowly as he gazed at the Changeling Queen.

“It’s nothing, just a little reminder, that’s all,” Chrysalis answered, her voice so sweet, she had to mentally berate herself for laying it on too thick. Fancy only hummed, his gaze slowly drifting toward the tower where Princess Luna was wrapping up her nightly task.

But Chrysalis had barely taken a sip of her wine, savoring the taste, before Fancy, to borrow a human expression, dropped a veritable bombshell of a question.

“Do you hate us?”

“What?” Chrysalis quickly dabbed her lips using a napkin, looking to Fancy in askance. “Whatever do you mean?”

“During the wedding, you seemed so assured of your victory,” Fancy replied, silently placing his glass on its coaster. “What did you plan on doing to us once you... took care of the Princesses?”

All she did was widen her eyes a fraction, but that was enough for Fancypants to chuckled at recognising her befuddlement It had been so long since they were together, and he could still leave her floundering, the rogue.

Chrysalis sighed as she looked up to the stars. “Fancypants. Do you remember what I told you when we first met?”

She scowled, thinking about her people’s history. Fancy said nothing, noting the anger she tried to keep hidden. But he would spot her tells, she was Double Flash, after all, and they’d once been in love, or so she thought. It was just a name she’d made for herself. Double Flash was her, Chrysalis, her true nature laid bare for all to see.

“Other leaders grow old and die,” Chrysalis recited, unconsciously pawing at the tablecloth. “Passing the torch unto the next generation, but the Royal Sisters of Equestria are eternal, only the dragons anywhere close on their tails...”

Fancy coughed, prompting her to stop before she pulled the whole table down. “I see.”

“Do you, Five-Blade Fancy, do you truly?”

“Celestia’s exile of your people,” Fancy answered, taking a slow sip of the aged wine. “Princess Luna got me up to scratch on their past decisions. Your people have suffered, and no amount of truce between us could ever wipe that away.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Chrysalis awarded him a flirtatious smile as she pushed out her empty glass, a nearby maid trotting up to pour more wine. “Other hives have done well enough for themselves, out in the expanses of the Southern Continent. We are nowhere as forgotten there as in your land, and there are those intrepid souls who’ll keep a kind ear open.”

“Although they’ve been quiet since the wedding, haven’t they?” Fancy raised an eyebrow as Chrysalis rubbed her forehead.

“Yes… there is that.” Sighing, Chrysalis pulled out a hoof-held fan from her kimono, and began cooling herself down. “Warm summer night, isn’t it? You’d think it would stay chillier, after the Snow Maiden’s freak galestorm a few weeks back…”

“We’re still feeling Princess Celestia’s state of mind,” Fancy replied sadly. “Alas, as you saw in Ponyville, her two-month retreat has left a vacuum not felt in Equestria for centuries.”

“I met one erstwhile friend of Changelings over there,” Chrysalis said wistfully, leaning her head on one hoof, fanning herself with the other. “Miss Do’s former second fiddle. She... didn’t have many kind words to say.”

‘If things were different, my husband might’ve been partnered to these... freedom fighters, like you. But things are what they are, and that’s why he’s facing justice, not you. So enjoy it while it lasts. Just do something good with your life before then.’

Maybe those weren’t teeny Minus Tome’s exact words. But, how they resounded in her mind...

Fancy frowned as the maid poured some wine into his own glass. “There has always been a hardness I’ve felt in you, Chrysalis. Even when we were lovers. Like you cannot give anything without taking in some form. And to be truthful, amongst my mingled feelings when you left… there was also relief. As time has passed, much have I had the chance to ponder what it would’ve meant if I’d been the one to leave. I fear you may care about revenge more than you care even about your people.”

“Really?” Chrysalis demanded, raising the glass to her lips. “If that were true, when the call came from the Great Horn, do you think I’d have answered? I was shocked to hear it, really.”

She stared down into the wine, as if hoping to extract some secret knowledge from within.

“From what I’ve gathered,” Fancy said, “this was a call every intelligent, stardust-imbued being in our world must heed. The Concordia Maxima is ancient, forged in a time never known to us, by a being far more powerful than the Royal Sisters and the Lord of Chaos combined.” Breathing deeply, he took off his monocle to clean it, the maid finishing her task and heading back inside without a sound. “Still, we must be thankful. We can at least meet each other for a call greater than our petty differences.”

“...I suppose you’re right.” Chrysalis smiled at the maid returned to their balcony with a silver tray full of snacks, eager to start pigging out on the delicious-looking morsels. Strangely, Fancy was staring at the maid all the while, as she placed select dishes before the Hive Queen.

He replaced his monocle. “Must your people always leave the house in disguise?”

“Heh, no, they don’t, but given our history…” Chrysalis’ head snapped up, and she paused in her fanning to stare at him head-on. “Why do you ask?”

Fancy smirked a little. “This maid has yet to be called for, and yet she appears without prompt whenever we require her. Plus, if I recall, I’m pretty sure the maid your servant has disguised herself as, is in the final term of pregnancy.”

Chrysalis released a titter of laughter, grinning at him as the maid blushed and reverted back to her true, purple-maned drone form. The Changeling female hung her head in shame.

“It’s fine, Aphid.” Chrysalis leaned forward as she gave the Changeling servant a smile. “As I was guiding you via our special bond, I’d expect no less than your utmost commitment.”

“You’ve provided us excellent service, Aphid, was it?” Fancy asked, gaining a grin and nod from the Changeling. “My left eye is not what it once was, yet I’ve still got a flair for detail.”

Chrysalis was tempted to call him out on this, but withheld her words, not wanting to ruin the precious moment. She mussed up the drone’s mane.

“Aphid,” Chrysalis told her genially. “We ought to be fine, go enjoy the night with the others. Just don’t forget to have your horn varnished and your wings dusted in the morning.”

Fancy’s ears strained as the Changeling whispered out her gratitude. All he caught was ‘Mother’. He watched as she left in a demure state, only for her to practically rush out the moment she was out of sight, if the scurrying of hoofsteps was any indication.

“Such a quiet girl, that one.” Chrysalis gave the open door a fond smile. “Though quite the chatterbox in disguise, I’m told. Either way, she’s the best fangirl a queen could hope for.”

“Yes…” Fancy mused, warily eyeing the decorative implement she was using to cool herself. “Yet I must say, if half the stories on how you use your drones contain a kernel of truth, it’s so very good of you to show consideration, to use a proper fan in my presence, dear Chrysalis.”

This remark actually got her to burst out laughing.

“Oh, my, my!” Chrysalis giggled, as her mirth wound down. “Oh, it’s true; I never could pull the wool over your eyes for long, Fancy. But trust me; there are few better things in life than a well-dusted pair of wings’ breezing your mane, not least on a warm night like this... Yet I can sense you do not approve. Shame, I’d have gladly shared little Aphid’s delights with you.”

“Mother… in a whisper, she called you ‘Mother’...” Fancy sounded the word out. “It bespeaks more of an honorific title than a term of affection, especially towards one who’d treat her own brood like walking furniture.”

“Pfft, hush,” Chrysalis said, with a huff. “You make it sound bad. I promise you, before this tiresome week is out, I’ll be enjoying the attention my drones lavish upon me to the fullest. The sweet girl, like so many others, looks up to me as the one who feeds and cares for them. Hardly an inappropriate title, now, is it? What’s a little hooficure on Aphid’s delicate horn compared to that?”

“And what of Mythueslon, the Elder?” Fancy enquired placidly.

“Perish the thought!” Chrysalis exclaimed, shaking her head, a shiver running down her at the idea of Mythuselon calling her ‘Mother’. “Have you seen how coarse and twisted his horn is? Fortune forbid he changes his ways, he or the other dried-up old bugs.”

As a gleam shone off Fancy’s polished monocle, Chrysalis knew he’d caught the bitter note in her tone at that last phrase.

“You are not fond of the Changeling Elders,” Fancy said, slowly taking a new sip. “More of a ruler who appeals to the youth, then.”

“Always have been, Fancy,” Chrysalis replied, forcing a smile. “You do remember, don’t you, from when you were a young stud, your good looks not yet gone rugged as they are now? Those were the days, with no families to tell us what we could and couldn’t do.”

But opposite her, the distinguished, silver-backed noble let nothing betray his emotions. Nothing outward, anyway. Even after all these years, she could taste his feelings acutely upon her tongue. And still he’d had to ask if she hated his kind...

“From what I hear,” Fancy told her softly, “they, amongst others, weren’t too happy at how your involvement in the Royal Wedding turned out.”

Chrysalis sighed at the truth. “No… they were not. Most of the Changelings at the wedding were young, and as you’ve seen, they follow my rule to the letter. How can they not, with my voice in their heads, to comfort them amidst the howling winds of the Badlands...”

Fancy put down his glass with a rough ‘chink’.

“Why did you leave, Chrysalis?” her one-time lover asked softly. “And of all ways to return, why choose this?”

She felt herself begin to pale. But how, when she was cold-blooded, could the blood drain from her face? No. He would not gaze upon her in that state.

“I am a Queen of the Hive,” Chrysalis said simply. “As a grub, I was deemed by the Elders as the strongest in my mother’s clutch, as was her mother before her. We Changelings place value on family, yet parents do not long cherish their children, for once our wings soar and our horns shine, we are taken to be raised elsewhere, and all become children of the Hive. And a Queen, from birth, has no sisters but the mightiest daughters of other parents, fed on royal jelly like I was. They who may take my place should I die.”

Memories of those times flooded back into her, and she glanced at Fancy, he of the Five Blades, knowing, or hoping, he would understand.

“I must, a Queen must always exist to keep the Hive together…” Chrysalis sighed as she looked away from him. “To tell you the truth, I’d planned on having several daughters, just needed to find the right mate.”

“Sounds like you thought long and hard on this.”

“I have, but frankly speaking, the stallion in question is already married.” Chrysalis gave him a bemused, flirtatious look. Fancy released a quiet sigh at the look, looking down at his plate with a long stare.

“Maybe if this were a couple of decades ago, we’d have had a niche.”

Chrysalis internally wilted at his phrase, though she maintained an aloof air before him. She brought her glass to her lips once more, wondering what to say.

“I did like what we had, Fancy,” she said, after a moment’s thought. “The outings through the city night life, the wonderful dinners and plays, our time in the bedroom!”

Fancy flushed somewhat as Chrysalis batted her eyes at him. “Then why did you leave? No note, not a letter, not even a trail in the sand. I spent years looking for you.”

“Do you remember, a few months before graduation, an old stallion came looking for me.”

Fancy tapped his chin, then nodded. “Yes, he arrived at your flat while we were… that was Elder Mythuselon, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Chrysalis took in a small amount of glee as Fancy turned a nice shade of red as he began to put the pieces together. “It was all the more embarrassing for me, since he could taste it in the air.”

Pause.

“Sir Fancy, listen to me well, for I’ll only tell you this once.”

He glanced at her. Queen Chrysalis had spoken in a murmur, yet there was no gentility to her tone now. Only a coldness he couldn’t quite place. It didn’t fully match her wistful expression.

“Me leaving you…” the great Changeling matriarch told him, “was the best thing that could’ve happened to you. You thought you knew me, underneath the glamor, and perhaps it was so. Out of all the love I’ve tasted, yours, given to me as myself, not as an impostor, shall always be the richest. But you were right, right about the part of me you don’t want to be right about. Though I loved you, though you’re in my dreams, there’s one dream I’ve had since I was small. And I cannot let go of that dream.”

“I see…” Fancy said slowly, struggling not to let the sudden weight on his chest show. “Yes. For a long time, I’d suspected who that old stallion really was, though I’d thought he’d merely come to return you because your mother was wasting away. Yet, call it vanity, or youthful foolishness… I had hoped. Hoped our love would help you let go of your pride.”

“Maybe you thought right.” Chrysalis said blankly. “How long would it have lasted, though? You may have brokered a peace between our people, made my true form acceptable in the eyes of Celestia. It would have made no difference. One day, after a year, ten years, who knows, I’d have gone behind your back. I am not a forgiving mare, Fancy.”

“And this Alliance… what of it?”

“I’ll do what I deem best by my people,” Chrysalis stated. “The Elder may disagree with me on the finer details, but he is not Queen. I am. Be grateful to Mythuselon that, even when it felt I’d truly fallen in love with you, he spirited me away.”

Though the words stung, in his heart of hearts, for all he longed at times for the future they’d planned together, Fancypants knew she spoke truth. Had he gone to share a path with her, he would never have become ‘Five Blade Fancy’, best and greatest of all Knights in the Realm. Never have met beings from far off lands. Never established friendships that spanned the entire world. Never met Fleur.

Oh, what could have been, indeed. Yet could a Changeling truly change its gaping spots?

“Well,” Chrysalis finally declared, yawning. “Till we meet again. Wouldn’t you say?”

The Prime Minister looked over to her, and sighed.

“I suppose, Double Flash…”

It was lonely.

Much as he frustrated her at times, Minus felt a certain longing for her ruffian-of-a-husband. Short Fuse was crude, but their dwelling felt that much emptier without his voice calling for her. He’d almost certainly miss the birth, she thought with a pang, giving her belly another stroke. Rotting behind prison bars, for who knew how long.

There came a knock.

Minus sat up sharply in bed, but she didn’t cry out, or so much as utter “who’s there?” Whoever this was, they plainly could break into her place at their whim, yet thought it worth letting her know where they were. She was an old hat at this game. Some couple they made, Fuse and her, building secret tunnels beneath their home and his workspace. In case of emergency, there was always that trapdoor beneath the bed she could make a beeline for.

Not that she’d want to, in darkest night and in her condition.

She got a safe distance away from the bed, and tugged at her table lamp’s pullswitch.

Sure enough, rather than turn off the light, this raised her cupboard-bed back in place. The whole setup had taken ages to work out, but hey, everyone needs a hobby.

With the trapdoor’s outline now exposed, Minus stalked over and nudged at it.

“Who goes there?”

The reply came from a voice she had not heard in years, one she never would have expected.

“What’s the trapdoor under the bed for?” grumbled the voice, muffled by the floor’s thick wood. “Gal, sure you don’t sometimes get tired of your husband, or what?”

Catching her breath, after brief hesitation, Minus reached for the trapdoor’s iron ring, pulling it wide open, whereupon a grizzled, grey-maned figure in a purple dress, red glasses and an explorer’s cap emerged.

“Other way round,” Minus quipped at the newcomer, even as she took a step back. “That thing there’s his one-way slide down to the cellar, on nights when he won’t behave himself. Why change the habits of a lifetime?” She paused, then, taking a quick huff of air, spoke bluntly. “Daring? What are you doing here?”

Daring Do chuckled fondly, taking off her glasses as she stood to her full height. “Thought I’d pay an old friend a visit, you know?”

An ‘old friend’ was stretching it, but Minus held her tongue.

“A visit, you say?” she repeated. “It’s quick of you to get here so soon after… what happened.”

“Yes, well,” Daring said, rubbing the back of her head. “Business calls, and it just so happened I only now found out, an old friend of mine is close by. So how’re things going, with that husband of yours and all?”

“Oh, grand,” Minus replied, deadpan. “Living the high life. He’s outshone himself so well, they’ll remember me more as his wife than for who I am, long, long after today’s gone by. Sure is nice to be famous, innit… Miss Yearling?”

“Miss Yearling…” Daring repeated thoughtfully. “Funny hearing it from you, always so used to hearing it from the press, and not folks close to me.”

“Close, now, are we?” Minus muttered, Yet she couldn’t help but smile a bit in remembrance. “Didn’t think you’d remember me that way, Daring.”

“Well, sorry to burst your bubble on that score,” Daring replied. “These are interesting times, figured I’d need to bring a friendly face along with me.”

That attracted a curious look from Minus. “For… your business?”

“Yep,” Daring said affirmatively. “Got something down over in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Sort of an official permit, after all this time. And I figured, you being a Ranger and all, fancy taking that trip down memory lane?”

Minus chuckled bitterly, remembering how often Daring Do had spoken of the wonders of the fabled castle in the Everfree. And she herself had never set hoof in it before, despite her job. It was her constant, willful temptation, like a child eyeing a stick of candy at Sugarcube Corner. Probably one of the only few memories she actually recalled in full.

“Memory lane. Fascinating choice words you got there, ma’am,” Minus replied. “And you’re positive this is nothing… outside of legal boundaries?”

“Nope!” Daring replied eagerly. She held her forehoof outstretched, in a gesture that spoke volumes of her trust. “C’mon, Miney. Just like the old days?”

But Minus said nothing, at first, peering down blankly at the outstretched hoof.

“Your mane’s gone all grey, Daring,” Minus softly told her old companion. “I’m starting to find the first grey streaks in mine. Sorry. I... can’t.. Not with… the little one coming along.” She rubbed her belly meaningfully. “And, besides, more than anything, I promised Fuse.”

This drew a scowl from Daring, who also withdrew her forehoof.

“Him? What do you owe that scoundrel anyway?”

“Perhaps more than I do you,” Minus said quietly, trotting over to a nearby seat. “You break into my home, after not sending word in years. And you expect me to leave all this behind at the drop of your hat? Like the way you left me when my brains turned into mush?”

“Minus, I–” Daring began, but Minus would have none of it.

“Do you know who was there for me, Daring? He was.” Minus snapped, her eyes narrowed with years of repressed anger baring full force. “I woke up with no clue who I was, where I was at, surrounded by folks who knew my name only cos’ you put it down on a slip of paper, like some stray dog!”

Daring flinched at the tone. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words, buth nothing came out.

Minus felt the tears begin to spring from her eyes. “Fuse found me, wandering around like a lost sheep in the streets of Manehattan. He began to play the same routine we always did. Thing is, I’d no idea who he was at that time. This strange, bulky stallion walks up to me and begins bantering like we were rivals, and all I can do is shrink into a blubbering mess… He knew something was wrong, something had happened, and he blamed himself for it.”

“Of course he did!” Daring said indignantly. “He bashed your head with a piece of stone!”

“It was either that, or let me go on a rampage with that stupid necklace you wanted so badly!” Minus snarled at her. “The Amulet with no name, always mentioned throughout history as what can gave anypony a power to rival Celestia! And it fell onto me in our scuffle.”

“That wasn’t the true Amulet. It was a knockoff by–”

“I don’t care! It still caused me to go into a mad rage!” Minus angrily wiped her tears away. “He waited with me, Daring. He waited for you to come back so he could leave. But you never did. We waited months, then your stupid new book came out, and you wrote me out the way of a retiring sidekick. Too tired to fight anymore, so off I go back home to be a student and live a normal life. And because I’d insisted you not use my name, I knew going to Velvet for copyright earnings would be no use. So there I was, penniless.”

Minus stomped up to her, poking her in the chest. “Where were you when I needed you most, Do?”

Daring rubbed her leg, looking away for a moment. “It… it was supposed to be a quick trip. Leave for a few days, be back before you know it. But… Ahuizotl got the jump on me, taking the Amulet. I…”

“You forgot about me to stop him.” Minus sighed in disappointment, lowering her head before turning around.

“I didn’t forget! I just… I got so busy trying to track him down, writing down notes…” Daring kicked at the floor. “All for nothing. It had taken me months to figure out where he was going, when he just showed up at my hotel room in broad daylight, tossed the thing at me, saying it was junk, and left.”

The explorer gave a resigned shrug. “I was on the Minotaur Islands. It took about a month to return across the South Luna Ocean, I wrote out the manuscript and managed to send it to Velvet just before boarding the train to Manehattan. I’m telling you the truth, Minus. The first thing I did was go back to the hospital, but…”

“I was gone,” Minus whispered, still refusing to look at her.

“Yeah… I searched for you… But you’d left them no address.”

“Yeah? Well, too bad for you that Velvet’s such a speedy editor,” Minus chuckled mirthlessly. “Shows where your priorities lie, don’t it? If you truly cared, you’d have checked up on me before finishing your book.”

“C’mon, Minus,” the other mare insisted. “I mean...”

“No, Do. I get it. You’re a writer first and a friend second,” Minus interrupted with a hiss. “What, think you can leave me for years on end, and just… return, and everything will be alright? Things don’t work like that no more.”

With a wing, she gestured towards the door.

“So, if you please…” Minus said quietly, a foreleg wrapped around her belly. “Leave us.”

Pause, as the two estranged adventurers looked over one another in stony silence. Finally, the famed explorer relented.

“Right… guess I’ll be on my way,” Daring said, almost regretful. “I’ll… see you around, Minus. When the time comes, I’ll be seeing you both around, if you’ll have me.”

Vinyl Scratch stood in contemplation, looking out upon the carbon copy of the hometown she had abandoned years ago. The town square was empty at this time, and she stood alone. It felt so very familiar, she thought, and yet so distant. There was a touch of innocence she could hardly comprehend, something pure and untouched.

Something tainted forever, by their presence.

She shook her head, and pushed up her shades. This was something she needed to do, for this Ponyville, at least. With her new pair of speakers in tow, her music filled the late night air.

Wasn’t it just yesterday we cried,

Thinking that all was lost inside.

Trying to hold on to a crumbling dream that died

Right before our eyes.

Ponies looked out from their windows, curious at the hauntingly beautiful music coursing through the town. A few might have wept.

“Beautiful piece of work, right there,” a voice chimed in, breaking Vinyl’s thoughts. Besides her stood her charge,  Daring Do. They would be heading towards the Castle of the Two Sisters when morning came, but for now, they stood still.

“Yeah, well, I do what I do,” Vinyl replied, forcing a grin.

It had seemed futile at first. Perhaps this sweet little town would need to be taught a few home truths about the harsh reality that was Earth, and the wars to come.

But not today.

Solemn, Ana stood contemplating of the carved figure on the cross.

Out of everything in the chapel, this was the only item not to look hastily knocked-together. Even both stained-glass windows were crude facsimiles, printed on transparent colored paper, covering the real windows of what must once have been some tea-room or gallery.

Yet now Colonel Renee and Prasad, even Princess Celestia, had each said their piece, whom else could she turn to, if not the long-dead man before her? For once, Thomas Harwood’s face had scarcely crossed her mind. Beneath his quirks, he was a soldier in body and soul. He would not disagree with the Colonel.

Well look at us now, figuring it out,

On top of the world we’ll fly tonight,

The pages will turn, the past will burn,

We’ll build a new dream for you and I.

With a nervous pinch of her crucifix, Ana glanced at the rows of makeshift pews on either side, and then exhaled, more deeply than she had all day. She marveled there was any breath left in her. Moving as though in a trance, she went to seat herself in the front row, but not to pray, not yet. Instead, she bent down and began tugging at her boot.

On this sad evening, alone, Ana felt that, downright physically, she needed more than a cheap plastic chair, if in prayer, she hoped for a soothing touch.

One boot came off, then the other, and she gingerly folded up her socks and put them together. Ana stood up, flexing her toes, drawing some comfort from the warm, smooth feel of the varnished wooden floor under her bare feet.

Here she was, in the beautiful Equestria promised by photographs during the early days. And only now did she think to resume this girlhood habit of hers. Not out on the grassy summer hills or mountain like those from home, quietly proud that she always seemed to know where to step or not to step.

No, once more, since a final night’s talk in the hall of a mosque, before her departure for North America, Ana found herself barefoot inside a place of human worship. Silently she knelt, head bowed, before the man who was a prophet to one faith, savior to hers, whom even Lyra hadn’t displaced in many hearts.

Thus she stayed there, well into the night.

The pale mare looked up.

Music, glorious music streamed through her consciousness, drifting past the eddies and swirls of a dream in the making. She couldn’t quite make it out, yet from the beats, the vibrancy, she guessed it to be of the wild style Lieutenant Scratch always favored. Not much to her taste, neither slow nor soft, unlike the classical music Miss Melody had practiced, yet the cry for life in its tones was powerful, undeniable.

If only this were the only cry which resounded within little Ruby’s slumbering, haunted mind.

The darkness loomed, all around a girl left alone, whimpering and huddling herself, in this cold barren desolation. Somewhere amidst these disparate threads, there had to be a red string, tying the child’s heart to another’s. Not a lover, nor as deep a bond as could be knit between daughter and mother, yet strong. Gaze into the stars, and you see ten million other worlds, and they know nothing of it.

And you will know, you will know,

When it’s time to go.

To make a little more new dream.

Then someone came.

Pain exploded inside Weaver’s forehead, for all that her body was as much a construct as the rest of this ethereal plane, and, gasping, she clutched at her horn as she felt it burn furiously, in recognition of the fuchsia all-over tones of the Teacher, well-honed instincts screaming at Celestia’s Sword to act now, strike while the iron was hot, after all, wasn’t that the task she’d pledged to obey, not to wonder why, anymore…

She had known such pain in the years before the war, before she’d had to witness others fall prey to the eternally recurring headache brought on by inescapable misery, grief and sometimes loneliness. And so with a supreme, forceful effort, she willed herself to withhold. This here was no intruder, no meddler in the Queen’s grand plans. Not her enemy.

But the child’s comfort.

“Take good care of her,” she spoke, too quiet for anyone to hear. “Because, you can...”

Silently, she turned to open a door and step through into halls of dreams, gently closing it as Cheerilee’s words to her niece echoed in the background, their minds joined together by the thread she, a dreamweaver, had pulled from the ether.

“Hold on, sweetheart. Everything will be alright...”

Would it, though? Yes, perhaps it would.

Feeling the old melancholy settle over her, the pale mare knew that, come what may, even with two worlds so alike to one another, she would never be able to reunite this child with a mother lost. Never, no matter her skills, capable of doing more than offer a small respite for those like Ruby. Yet she’d help them see a world past all of life’s meagre sorrows.

And the Sun would dry the tears from their eyes.

Humming a little ditty to herself, Queen Chrysalis, mind full of lingering thoughts on her “not-date” with Fancy, marched the corridors of Canterlot, back to her private chambers.

You will know, you will know,

When it’s time to go.

To make a little more new dream.

Yet when she got there, aside from two of her largest, most trusted guards, she found someone else waiting for her.

“Who are you, pony?” she hissed. “Why do you skulk outside my bedroom?”

The stranger blew away a tuft of green mane, revealing a dark, unblinking eye which fearlessly met her glare.

“They call me Cutter, yes. I have a proposal to make, Your Majesty.”

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 2: 'The Changing Face of Evil'

In the Pale Moonlight – Part Two

‘The Changing Face of Evil’

Authors:

Redskin122004

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Jed R

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

DoctorFluffy

Dustchu

Dances With Unicorns

“I need to talk about this. I have to justify what's happened... what I've done... at least to myself.”

– Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘In The Pale Moonlight’

“They expected the war to be over long ago. It's not. For that, they blame us. Now, if the war isn't ended soon, they'll shift the blame to you.“

– Damar, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘The Changing Face of Evil’

DAY ONE. NOON.

Marcus had just finished typing up a message to be dispatched back to Earth when there came a knock at his door.

“Come in,” he said quietly.

A moment later, two men entered. One was a young man in a green tweed coat, whom Marcus had only met once. The other was taller, leaner and older, with a slightly condescending expression, sharp features, and thinning hair, dressed impeccably and carrying an umbrella.

“Colonel Renee,” the man said, his voice the very air of refined politeness. “A pleasure.”

Marcus frowned. He knew who this was. The rumors were legendary, but he was one of the few who actually knew the truth. The mere thought of renewed collaboration with this particular Englishman made him feel… uneasy. Three years on, and out of all the characters he’d met who composed the Royal Family’s hanger-ons and advisers, he liked this one the least. Not because he’d shown hints of a treacherous heart, or behaved like a sycophantic weasel. Marcus could have dealt with people like that.

This man was something else entirely.

“The famed ‘Umbrella Man’,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Mister H–”

“Please, Colonel, spare me the pleasantries,” the man said, his expression stern. “You sent an urgent request for a political aid to assist with a delicate matter. Here I am.”

Marcus frowned. “But… I haven’t sent that message yet.”

“Ah,” the man in the tweed coat said. “My bad. Missed by a small margin. Don’t worry... it almost never happens to me anymore…”

Marcus frowned at him. “Bowman. I should’ve guessed you’d still be hanging around.”

The young man shrugged. “It’s what I do, Colonel. Someone has to be around to puncture military pomposity, and I’m the expert.”

“The good Doctor has been most helpful,” the Umbrella Man added.

“Wait,” Marcus said, frowning at the Doctor. “You brought him here? He didn’t come via Doctor Whooves?”

“I would have thought that was obvious,” Bowman said, folding his arms. “Why else would I be here, instead of my illustrious counterpart?”

“The Doctor owes me a few favours,” the Umbrella Man put in with a slight smile.

“We have a goddamn procedure,” Marcus said. “You should have acquired a pass, come through official channels-”

“Colonel,” the Umbrella Man said, his smile remaining constant. “I am certain, given the content of your report, that we have more urgent issues than paperwork I can easily acquire ex-post-facto.”

Marcus growled. He didn’t like official channels being circumvented, or at least, being circumvented without his sayso.

“In any case,” the Umbrella Man said. “The request you’re… about to send…” he picked up the iPad and read it over. “Requested someone to come and assist with a rather large piece of potentially problematic political posturing.” He paused, frowned, re-read the note, before correcting something. “You seem to need to work on your grammar. I’d watch your tenses.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow, then took back the iPad and sent the report. Thanks to a bit of transdimensional wizardry from Doctor Whooves himself, the report would be relayed to Cheerilee in real time. He didn’t know how it worked, but it was pretty damn useful.

“You’ll forgive me, sir,” he said, laying down the tablet, to the Umbrella Man, his tone tinged with sarcasm, “but I requested a political aid. Isn’t this a bit below your level?”

“On the contrary, Colonel,” the Umbrella Man said with a smile. “This sort of political wrangling is precisely my level. I am, regrettably, very aware of the potential disastrous consequences of these kinds of incidents. I’ve spent most of my career either preventing them or fixing them. Given the tenuous nature of the situation detailed in the report you’ve just sent, believe me when I say, you do not want some low-ranking individual who’s hardest task thus far has been arranging a filing cabinet. You want me.”

Marcus nodded slowly. “I won’t lie and say I won’t appreciate having someone with your experience with us for this. I’ll also admit that your timing is fortuitous. Getting here early will allow you to more thoroughly understand the complexities of the situation.”

“Indeed,” the Umbrella Man said with a nod. “I’m pleased to see you grasp the situation is complex enough to warrant that. Fortunately, I should be intimately familiar by tomorrow’s meeting. Likely I will have options available as well. Are we decided on a course of action?”

“No, not yet,” Marcus said softly. “In part, that’s what the meeting will determine.”

“Indeed,” the Umbrella Man said, with a hint of what might have been excitement in his eyes, belying his calm expression. “A high stakes game, then. Excellent.”

“I’m so pleased that the imminent implosion of the Alliance is so amusing for you.”

“I find so few challenges these days,” the Umbrella Man said with a smirk. “Believe me, Colonel, I treat this with all the seriousness it deserves. That does not mean I cannot enjoy it.” He inclined his head slightly. “Until the meeting, Colonel.”

“Midday, the council chamber,” Marcus said with a nod.

The Umbrella Man turned to go, leaving Bowman stood there, looking amused.

“What?” Marcus asked irritably.

“Oh, nothing,” Bowman replied with a grin. “Have you had work done? You’re a little… glowier than you used to be.”

Marcus sighed. It was typical of Bowman to make some small jibe.

“If you don’t have anything important to discuss with me, you can go,” he said to the Doctor. “Go piss around with your Reaver friends or something.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Bowman replied with a smirk and a mocking little salute. “Have fun, Colonel.”

He walked out as well. Marcus sighed, before slumping slightly in his chair.

“God save me from these assholes.”

Everything had seemed to be going well. The Bearers had been running their laps, though a faint pall seemed to hang over those there who’d gone to Ponyville, and Pinkie was making her way through the obstacle course without just… appearing. Which was nice, seeing as she was taking this seriously. She’d also been talking about making a Party Rocket Launcher. Which was worrying.  But not as worrying as what she’d said next.

“There’s a human who said he wants to see me after training!,” she exclaimed. “Said he was curious about the real me–” (At this point, she made air quotes with her hooves.) “–and wanted to know what I was really like!”

It would have been perfectly fine if not for what she said next. “He’s tall, and lanky, and has a beard and the weirdest accent! I bet he’s disguising himself or something!”

“Wait,” Stephan said. “Tall. Lanky. Beard. Weird accent.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s what I said!” Pinkie said, continuing to smile.

“Scheiße. Look, can you just… tell him this might have to wait? I’m going to have to ask this man to leave.”

“But he’s here,” Pinkie said, confused. “I told him he could wait over there, behind that tree.”

As if on cue, a man - tall and lanky with a beard - popped his head out from behind a tree.

“Uh, hi Major,” he said, his accent ‘weird’ (or more specifically Afrikaner with the very occasional lapse into apalling Scottish). “How are you?”

“Motherfucker! How long have you been here?”

"...  A while,” Kraber said, stroking his thick beard awkwardly. He was wearing jeans and an old, yellow Kill La Kill shirt.

“How…. I don’t.... You… the fucking… what…” Stephan stuttered. Words had failed him. “Alright. Who did you threaten to get here. Did you use that blackmail material? Sneak onto the TARDIS? Use a disguise?”

“Ach, we both know I’m terrible with disguises,” Kraber said, scraping at the earth with the tip of his shoe.

“Then how are you here?!”

“I asked. Politely,” Kraber said.

“Stabsunteroffizier Kraber,” Stephan said, shaking. “What are you not telling me?”

“Stabby what now?” Pinkie Pie asked. “He said his name was Viktor! With a K!”

“Yes, he is very... ‘stabby,’” Stephan said. “Did you. Did you seriously ask to… You’re the worst person that could possibly come here!”

“Well, about that,” Kraber said. “Cheerilee told me I’d have to graft with Pinkie Pie, and I told her that it was for the best if Aegis and I got to know her sooner rather than later and don’t fok it up. She said it was a lekker idea, so… here I am.”

Stephan stared at him for a moment. He wasn’t sure what was more disturbing. The fact that Kraber was here of all places, or that he’d made such a good point.

“Where’s Aegis?” Stephan asked, finally. “Isn’t he supposed to keep an eye on you?”

“He’s off doing something fun with the foals,” Kraber said offhandedly.

Pinkie looked up at the two of them. “What’s going on? What happened? Why don’t you want him here?”

“Well..”  Stephan said, regretting everything. “Your counterpart did…. something to his family. We were afraid of letting this man come, because we thought it might trigger him.”

Pinkie looked downcast. “Oh. I’m sorry for what I…”

“Look,” Kraber interrupted. “I know you’re not the same pony. And I liked talking to…. At least, a Pinkie Pie before…” his voice trailed off. “Whatever. If I’m going to graft with you–”

“What does that mean? Also where’s your accent from? I’ve never heard anything like it!”

“Then I need to know what the real Pinkie is like,” Kraber finished. “Also, South Africa. From Earth.”

“Darling,” Rarity said in concern, “I… don’t believe you should go with this man alone.”

“Good idea! I was planning to watch Kill La Kill again, and I think you’d like it!” Pinkie said, bouncing on the lawn.

“Wait. What?” Rarity asked.

“I will permit it...” Stephan said. “But. Only when Aegis comes back from whatever he’s doing.”

Kraber fell silent. Then he shrugged. “Aweh, that’s fair.”

“This is all going to end in tears,” Stephan grumbled. “I just know it.”

“All out for the Castle of the Two Sisters!” yelled Dinky.

The afternoon sun was just past its highest point, as the last tolls of the Cloister Bell faded off into the ether. Ana was first to hop off, waving a quick thanks at the younger of the two Whooves sisters for holding the door open, the eldest smartly trotting in her traces.

“Thanks for the ride, Dinky!” she said cheerfully. “Sure you’re not coming with us?”

“Nah, someone’s gotta guard Dad’s TARDIS, you go have fun with Sparkler! Especially with those fireworks you got!” the little unicorn exclaimed brightly. “Say hi to Dad for me, sis!”

“I will,” Sparkler replied fondly, waving a last goodbye before the doors swung shut and the TARDIS machine lay inert in the overgrown courtyard. “So, here we are,” she told Ana, beaming with pride. “The Castle of the Two Sisters, bastion of Everfree, seat of the alicorns!” She hopped over to a nearby sign, which looked new and untainted. It read, simply enough, ‘KEEP OUT - BY ORDER OF THE CROWN’.“And now, one of our brand new R&D sites. The guys are going nuts at the residue all over this place.”

The castle was indeed magnificent, Ana thought, pretty much as Sparkler had described. Adorned by the great statues of dragons and other, less familiar creatures of bygone-times, even in this mythical land she’d heard so much about but only entered a few weeks ago, the place exuded mystique and an aura of grandeur.

‘If only it weren’t so darned old, hah!’

“So,” Ana began, holding back a snicker. “What, um, made you guys move to an old castle? The place looks… grand, yeah. But old, too. Reaaallly old.”

She gestured towards the visible scaffolding, aling with the few PHL-uniformed engineers and foremen working on the Castle’s exterior.

“I mean, you haven’t even finished renovating it.”

“Watch your tongue, little duchess!” Sparkler retorted in mock offense, dramatically holding a hoof over heart. “You’re treading on hallowed grounds here, I’ll have you know!”

“Okay! Okay, you got me,” Ana said with a laugh, as Sparkler beckoned her to join her walk. “But who’re we supposed to meet, again?”

By way of reply, Sparkler led her toward an exposed staircase, and up, but said no more, merely smiling mysteriously. As it turned out, the staircase opened onto a throne room of sorts. A line of alcoves for recessed doors lined the left and right sides of the room. On the far end of was a set of stairs leading to the dais of two thrones, one darkest blue, the other bright yellow.  And the right alcove nearest to the dais was sectioned off from the rest of the  alcoves by a black-and-yellow cordon...

“Miss Do?” Sparkler called out.“Miss Do, are you there?”

Ana stopped in her tracks, clutching her satchel of fireworks. “Wait, Miss Do? As in, the Daring Do?”

“The very same, why?”

"...  Wasn’t she just some hero in a storybook?”

“Miss Bjorgman,” Sparkler said patiently. “You’re talking to a unicorn in the oldest castle of a magical land… and here I am, talking to you, a human being, with hands and all.”

“Got me there,” Ana replied wistfully, wiggling her fingers.

“Miss Star!” called out a new voice, rough and ready, yet undeniably feminine. “Took you long enough to come here. Got lost or something?”

As if on cue, a light-gold pegasus swooped down from a scaffolding, right in front of the pair. Brushing away a strand of grey mane, the mare adjusted her pith helmet, as she took in the peculiar pair standing before her.

‘Like something out of Indiana Jones…’ thought Ana. ‘Well, that is something!’

“Afternoon, Miss Do,” Sparkler greeted. “Hope I’m not too late for the fun. Everything all set?”

“Set and ready to go, Miss Star! We’ve just cleared out the last of the dungeons down there... Care to take a look over?” Daring Do concluded nonchalantly.

“Oh, now that’s just great!” Sparkler exclaimed happily. “Can’t wait to get started on some of the stuff here. Dad’s been teasing me all week about them. Come on, let’s g–”

“Hold up, Amethyst,” Daring said sternly, gesturing towards Ana. “Who’s the girl?”

Before Ana could so much as retort, Sparkler quickly moved in front of her. “A friend! Ana, Daring Do, Daring Do, Ana,” she said, gesturing rapidly. “She’s here to, uh, guard, me?”

“Uh-huh,” Daring began, sounding a little reluctant. “As if you need a little guard by your side?” She held out her forehoof for Ana. “Daring Do, Ma'am. Always an honor to meet another one of your kind.”

Despite the middle-aged pegasus’ grizzled mannerisms, Ana couldn’t help but get the distinct impression that, on the inside, this famous adventurer’s heart was bouncing with all the giddiness from talking to a human face-to-face as when she herself had first seen a live reindeer of Equus.

‘Heh, when you think about it Ana… that’s not too far from the truth.’

“Honor’s all mine!” Ana replied cheerfully, answering the outheld hoof with her hand. She had to hold back a grin at inquisitive look Daring gave her fingers.

“Hm,” commented the adventurer. “Most exotic a limb, miss. Not as sharp as a dragon’s claws, nor as rough-hewn or stoney as a minotaur’s hands. Your accent does sound close to the reindeer of the Frozen North, much as the griffons and minotaurs’ own tongues oddly resemble those of other human people I’ve come across. What say you to that?”

“Well, I come from Norway, Ma'am. A pleasant little country to the North, back on Earth,” Ana corrected her, with a touch of sad remembrance. “But lots of places have a North!”

Sparkler snickered at some unknown joke.

“And no matter what the Tyrant may have done there,” Ana continued, “she won’t take away our forests and our mountains, nor will she ever do away with the Northern Lights.”

“Well,” Daring replied, chuckling. “Aren’t you a bucketful of sunshine! Dunno where you picked her up from, Miss Star, but well, nice to have someone new. Come on right in, hun,” she said, moving back to sweepingly present the two old thrones. “The more the merrier.”

“So, Miss Do,” Sparkler said politely, trotting forward with Ana in tow. “We realize that you consider yourself a mare of her own secrets to keep, hence why it took you so long to step out from the shadows…”

“And even now,” Daring interrupted her, rather gruffly, “Our understanding was that I’d like to enjoy a measure of privacy, Miss Star. But, pleasantries aside, what did you wish to ask?”

To Ana’s relief, Sparkler showed no sign of being put off by this response.

“Well, before anything else,” the Doctor’s eldest daughter said, “I’d hoped you’d give a rundown of your exploits. Not all present company’s had the time to read every last one of your books.”

The gruff mare’s mouth crinkled into a grin. Plainly, she enjoyed getting these questions. “Basically, a couple errands here and there, the usual lost artifacts. Only sometimes, I get a few odd requests… like this castle. After waiting years for an official permit, I just happened to be in the neighborhood, chasing Caballeron’s gang, and now you guys,” she gestured to Ana, who was listening intently. “gave me the perfect pass. There’s so much history in these walls, you know? All the stories we can uncover… it’s amazing.”

From close to the floor beside her, Ana thought she heard her friend withhold a knowing smirk. “Glad to hear you so impressed!” Sparkler said grandly. “Anything else the office gave you permission for?” Unusually, Daring Do looked hesitant, apprehensive even, but Sparkler pushed on. “C’mon, you met my Dad already, won’t say a word,” she said. “In fact, I might let you in on some info about his funny little machine.”

Her vest ruffled a bit as she strained not to break free from it in a familiar old gesture, and so she settled for a hoof pointing back at the courtyard she and Ana had just come up from. Daring was all too willing to visit a working TARDIS, if the desire emanating from her was a clue to go by. She let out a sigh, more of resignation and bemusement than annoyance.

“You got me,” Daring said. “Where do you wanna start?”

And Sparkler’s smile only widened.

“Wherever you need it to be.”

“We’ll be working at this for weeks,” Daring said on their way back down the staircase, indicating the various ponies on scaffoldings, toiling away to improve the castle’s derelict walls. A few gave her nods and such, but most went on with their delicate work. “Place needs a dust. It was close to collapsing, all things considered.”

“And… the artifacts?” Sparkler said carefully, as they stopped near the library.

Said library seemed to be in good shape. Ana would have gladly sat down inside with a book were it not for the yellow tape barring her entry.

“Still here, the whole lot of them,” Daring replied happily. “I could go on forever, but, let’s start with a few curious trinkets, shall we?” She gestured towards a nearby book, dusted off by a weathered-looking unicorn. “We’re still not too sure about what that is,” she recited. “But, your father supposed there’s a few old ‘tricks’ it’s got. Till he says ‘yes’, nobody’ll use it.”

Sparkler’s ears perked up. “My Dad’s here?”

“He was,” Daring said, by way of apology, “but then he had to go. Something about needing to go talk to himself.”

“‘Needing to go talk to himself’?” Sparkler repeated, frowning. Yet Ana thought this wasn’t the frown of someone who didn’t understand, but who understood too well.

Daring shrugged. “No idea what he meant by it, who knows with that stallion.”

“So, uh, Miss Do?” Ana began tentatively, trying to get Sparkler’s troubled mind off her father. “I don’t suppose there’re any others you can tell?”

“Absolutely,” Daring told them both. “The stuff I’ve seen really puts what I’ve been gathering back in my day to shame,” she elaborated, as they walked through the main halls. “Like that black book, whatever it’s at. Honestly a bit scary, how all these artifacts were just lying around in wait. Mind you, one which I’d thought to find here, ain’t. This amulet said to charge up any unicorn who wielded it. Last I heard, rumor was some shop owner up in Neighpon had the thing on display, but my grapevine tells me it’s gone missing… slightly mysteriously. All I can tell you is, in all honesty, I’d nothing to do with that particular spiriting away.”

Sparkler coughed. “Actually, ma’am, we… took care of that already.”

Daring stopped in her tracks. “Did you now?” she said, turning to Sparkler, eyes aglow with a lean, almost unnerving curiosity. “Some fine sense of civic duty you’ve got there, little Miss.”

“Yes:..” Sparkler said slowly.

And there was a look on her face Ana had never seen before, a fierceness of sorts which had nothing to do with the heat of battle, which suggested a far older hurt buried so deep, even a bold adventurer like the one opposite her would brave more they could know in seeking it out.

Regardless, the Doctor’s eldest daughter elaborated, somewhat.

“Not before time, too,” pursued Sparkler, each word carefully emphasized. “Please don’t ask me the specifics of how, Miss Do, but thanks to a key asset of our grapevine, we managed to get ahead of an imminent perpetrator, who planned on putting the artifact to ill use.”

“Ah, is that so?” Daring smiled innocently. “So what became of them?”

Sparkler shifted with deep discomfort. By the looks of it, the phrase ‘she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry’ had seldom seemed more befitting anyone Ana had seen before, gazing at her.

“Well…” the young mare began. “Unfortunately, circumstances took an unforeseen turn, and the thwarted perpetrator grew somewhat desperate in trying to get what she wanted…”

“So, tell me, doll. What’re you in fer?”

In a vain effort to stave off boredom, Locksmith had posed the question gruffly, his calloused torso rubbing against cold metal as he stood up, forehooves gripping the iron bars. Thank goodness for the small mercies, though. With all its charming naiveté and simpleness, this country still let a guy gaze upon a pretty face when in the clink, even if from a safe distance.

“What’s it to you?” the baby-blue mare snorted, crossing her own forehooves.

Her retort carried across the space separating her cell from his, yet she kept her voice just low enough to avoid drawing attention from any guards patrolling up and down the corridor, far-off echoes of heavy steps upon stone a sufficient reminder as to where he and she were stuck.

Plus, he’d spotted how she sat at a right angle from him, so her face wouldn’t show as much.

“Surely yer in ‘ere fer sumfink,” Locksmith said wryly, aware of how his grin must shine in the orange-red flicker of the low-ceilinged hallways’ torches. “Or am I to understand dear, loving Equestria’s justice system’s let yer down?”

Huffily, the mare tossed back a flowing tuft of mane from her eyes, and made a darling performance of slouching on her bed. Alas, whatever grand effect she aimed for, it was spoiled by the fact hers was a bed of straw, deep in the dungeons of Canterlot Royal Palace.

“Surely you must know, ruffian,” she announced pompously, “that one with might such as the one you see before you, would only choose such a locale for an abode at her own whim! Locks and chains are as immaterial to her as a silk curtain, and she can leave as she pleases.”

Locksmith’s ears perked up. “Oho, really? Pray tell me more, Miss,” he said. The lass was plainly a poser, but she had spunk, he’d give her that. Fine pair of flanks, too. “Most funny you should mention locks. They happen to be my… personal domain. ”

Aye, though she valiantly sought to hide it, a quick flash in her eyes betrayed desperation. Those like her wouldn’t brag without some skill to back their claim, yet if she could jailbreak, she’d have done so by now. However, he saw she had the smarts to look out for the big prize.

“I bet a mare of yer talents may not really need it,” Locksmith said smoothly. “But it must get most tiresome, to carry out yer tricks solo, whatever they may be. If yer need an assistant, look no further. Just tell me yer speciality, please.”

She peered at him from behind bars, one forehoof absently tracing circles around the cusp of her state-provided pitcher.

“I’m an illusionist,” the baby-blue mare replied at last. “The very best, accomplished in casting smokes n’ mirrors for the delight of little colts and fillies everywhere. Or I used to be.”

This sounded promising. “Thanks. And yer offense? Oh, come now,” he chuckled, spotting the indignant look on her face. “Trust is trust, aye? There’s the mortar of good business partners. Ya tell me yers, I tell ya mine.”

At least, he told himself, those he could spin romantically. She, hesitantly, the back of her head pressed to the mildewy stone wall, nervously rubbing a scraped leg, spilled the beans.

“‘Breaking and entering’,” the mare said in a small, croaky voice. “‘Violence against private property and commercial goods of a respectable Neighponese citizen’, and ‘attempted theft of national treasure’, is what they’re calling it…”

Locksmith struggled to conceal his surprise. Maybe this doll was far more than she seemed.

“Well, it could take a fair long while…” he acknowledged, reluctant to raise her hopes before he’d ascertained her capacity. “But should ya make a good pitch, soon’s as I’m out and back in me ole duds, I’ll be sure to send ya my business card…”

“Anyway,” said Sparkler. “That’s by the by. Now, let’s get down to business. My friend Miss Bjorgman here has something special she’d like to show you.”

Recognising her cue, Ana reached into her satchel for the fireworks, beaming all the while.

“Fireworks?” Daring said curiously.

“Not just any fireworks, ma’am.” Ana said, smiling positively with joy. As if following her words, the firework she held on her hand flared to life and launched itself, bursting brilliantly in a shower of colour above the carpeted floor.

“Flameless fireworks, that is,” Ana finished, bowing to the visibly awed Daring. She dropped the little firework into Daring’s expecting hooves, and sure enough, the adventurer rapidly gave it a look-over.

“Fascinating little trinket you got there,” she said as she fumbled with the fuse-less firework. “How’d you make it?”

“Trade secret,” Ana said with a wink. “But, technically I got the recipe from the good Doc, and he got it from… who was it again?”

‘You’re a dirty tease, Ana, stop it,’ the voice in her head chided her lightly.

“I can respect that well enough,” Daring nodded. “But if it’s not too much to ask…”

“Oh, you want another demonstration?” Ana asked.

“If it isn’t too much trouble.”

“Shouldn’t be,” Ana said. “Uh…”

Under normal circumstances, activating one of these was easy. After al, she had just pulled off the trick. Problem was, now she consciously trying to be positive, her mind drifted away from happy thoughts, to blood, crying…

The last few days had been… ‘emotionally turbulent’, to say the least.

‘Is that some wonderful British understatement you’ve picked up from a certain someone?’

Ana grimaced, concentrating, trying to bring her emotions to focus, trying to think of something. A moment passed. Nothing.

“Performance issues?” Sparkler asked, understanding. “It’s okay, Ana. We all saw the same light show just now.”

Gripping her firework, Ana snorted, feeling her knuckles go white. “Well, it’s been a… difficult few days.”

“Maybe next time you get the chance, you should go hiking,” Sparkler suggested. “There’s some lovely grassy hills around these parts, really good for walking around. Maybe take Harwood with you?”

“Maybe.”

That would be nice. Going for a walk, lying on grass, talking about nothing in particular…

Something sparked. Ana Bjorgman came out of her thoughts, looking down at the flameless firework in her hand… which had ignited.

“Oh,” she managed, before it shot out, bounced off a wall and whizzed into the air, narrowly missing a tapestry. “Oh, no, no-no-no!” Ana yelped, scrambling to retrieve the stray firework. “Not good!”

Ignoring both Sparkler and Daring’s nonplussed reactions, Ana darted, her hand reaching out to grab the firework, evading, dodging the scaffolding laid down around the place. She stretched her arm far, but just as it looked like her fingers were about to close around the thing, Ana almost tripped over the broken base of a stone pillar.

“Ana!” Sparkler cried after her. “Ana, get back here! It’s not worth it!”

“Yes, it is!” Ana shouted back, dusting off her vest, looking none the worse. “After all the trouble it was getting them to work, d’you think those things grow on trees? I can shut it down, I guarantee it!”

Easier said than done, as she pursued her creation throughout the castle.

The firework zipped through the doorway, and flew through the air, across the grounds, past a few very startled ponies. Fortunately, it didn’t collide with any of them, nor the scaffolding. It was quick, zipping from corner to corner, spiralling high and low in the air.

Until Ana found exactly the opening she needed.

“Gotcha!” she shouted, clutching the fireworks in her fingers... extinguishing it at a touch. She looked at Sparkler and Daring, who were hot on her trail with barely restrained glee. “Told you I’d get it, hah!”

“Ana!” Sparkler cried. “Watch your step!”

“Wait-whaaaa-AAAAAAAAH!”

In her hurry, Ana hadn’t realized how far away from the courtyard, let alone the castle proper,  the blasted firework had led her. Her foot overstepped the edge, and down she went, tumbling into the nearby gorge, out of sight.

As it turned out, falling down the gorge was the easier part.

In a rare moment of grace, Ana somehow found the balance to hopp from rocky to rocky outcrop as momentum carried her further and further towards the bottom.

‘Okay-okay-just-gotta… gotta... hold… ON!’

And then came the hard part.

With a final leap, Ana stood her ground, sticking the landing. Dusting off her clothes, she looked up proudly – and found the gorge to be no taller than a two-story building. In fact, it wasn’t all that steep, for the centuries had eroded this side of the gorge into nothing more than an extended slope. Too steep to climb back easily, but soft and smooth enough that she’d been left with no more than a few small cuts and bruises on her face.Nothing Harwood couldn’t easily deal with, she thought, before the saddening realization hit her that she and the English medic were technically no longer comrades-in-arms.

“Ana!” Sparkler yelled down. “How’d you land? Any bones broken? Listen, I can see you from up here, just please gimme a sign!”

Smiling with relief, Ana signaled to the mares, two dark outlines shaded by the bright blue sky behind them as they stood at the edge of the scree, with a thumbs-up.

“All good!” she called up. “Nothing serious, I’m just winded, is all!”

Daring was next to shout. “There should be some passage back to the Castle, if I know alicorns and their love for fancy traps. I’d get down there to help ya myself, but well, sorry to say so, hun, you’re more than even Miss Do can carry in her backpack!”

That brought a laugh from Ana, even as she cringed from her bruises.

“That’s alright, I’ll be safe enough right down here, you guys,” she replied reassuringly. “Just…  please don’t go anywhere outside the Castle?”

“Hah!” Sparkler said. “The way this Castle’s designed, and knowing you, we’ve a better chance of running into you than we have with a full team searching the gorge!”

“Cheeky bugger,” Ana said below her breath, with a touch of fondness of both Sparkler, and Harwood, who loved to use the expression...

The accursed little firework she held on her right hand spontaneously re-ignited, forcing her to let the little bugger go. Ana set off once more in a chase, ignoring the annoyed cries of Sparkler from up there.

This time around, the pattern of the firework was a bitpeculiar, with Ana struggling to follow its twists and turns around the tangled roots jutting out from the gorge.

Almost like it was controlled, or attracted to something…

‘You hold on in there, dearest,’ the voice said pressingly, but Ana failed to heed it, as she rounded a corner, into a nearby cave....

And stopped. There it stood, a twisting, jagged shard, growing out from the cavern ground.

But in spite of its shape, its irregularities, Ana felt no greater sensation than awe upon taking in the sight of the curious-looking tree. The majestic crystalline bark, the hanging crystals, and the ethereal glow it seemed to emit from every crack and surface only added to its beauty and resplendent intrigue, where even the very ground glowed in a hallowed light.

Ana stepped closer, closer, wondering why the spirit within did not spoke as she usually did. Perhaps she was too awed for words.

‘Well… looks like that makes two of us,’ Ana thought.

But then the tree pulsed.

It glowed dimmer, then brighter, rinse, repeat. Ana looked around the cave, hoping to find the cause, or source of the activity.

‘... Hello?’

It wasn’t the doe that spoke this time, no. It was something else. Something equally old, and yet, so different.

‘Closer…’

Upon hearing the ancient, ethereal voice again, Ana glanced towards the decrepit old tree. Again, it pulsed.

‘Come closer…’

There was no hesitation this time.

Slowly, Ana stood up, dusting off here and there. She heard the sound of hoof on dirt, and Sparkler whispering out her name, but Ana pressed on.

She had to touch it. Had to find it.

Everything felt blurry, and cloudy, as she walked the small distance between her and the tree The Tree pulsed and shon. Whatever it did, Ana felt… compelled to touch upon. She walked towards it, ignoring the growing shouts and warnings from around her.

“Ana? Ana what, what are you doing?! Get away from the Tree!”

But Sparkler’s words felt distant, hollow even. Ana’s pace hastened, and her fingers reached out to touch the ancient crystalline bark of the tree.

Her palm rested against it, and she pushed.

‘... Welcome.’

And everything faded into the void.

So. I’d written up a message, asking for a political analyst or assistant. I figured, I don't have a head for this politics bullshit, and I’ve never had one. I was, if I’m being honest, hoping for some young, clever, and idealistic person, someone who’d spin what happened into something more positive.

That isn't what I got.

DAY ONE.  AFTERNOON.

With the agreement of the European Council, an investigation of the Everfree Forest incident, and the circumstances surrounding the assault of Agent Lulamoon against multiple members of the PHL and civilians of Sunny Equestria will begin forthwith. Princess Luna, who already took part in her government’s observation of the involved group, will lead the investigation, together with the help of officers commissioned by NATO, the EU and the PHL, including M.H, special attaché of the British Government, who has been recommended by King William V and the Provisional Falklands Parliament.

Sincerely,

~The European Council and EUROPOL.

United in Diversity.

Seated restlessly upon his chair, silently cursing the Equestrians’ hang-ups about leather and leather seating, Marcus let his eyes wander over the electronic message, shining back at him from Stephan’s iPad. He resisted the overwhelming urge to rub his forehead, thankful his healing magic had allowed a return to work in the first place.

“He’s involved?” Stephan asked. “Seriously?!”

“I requested a political aide for assistance,” Marcus said. “He assigned himself. Man’s got pull. Not hard to believe he managed to secure himself a pass.”

“That verdammter Bowman brought him before you’d even sent the message,” Stephan pointed out. “You could have just not sent it.”

“If only,” Marcus said with a rueful smile. “Don’t think that’s how it works. Besides, he is good at his job.”

“Good at his job isn’t the problem,” Stephan said. He shook his head. “I don’t like him, Marcus.”

“Me neither,” Marcus said with a shrug.

Stephan sighed. “How could you let him get involved so deeply with your organisation?”

“Not my idea. He was there before me, and donated early funding. If anything, you can say he let me in,” Marcus admitted unhappily. “Those were early days, my friend. None but little Lyra Heartstrings, an ambassador with no actual pull in Equestria’s parliament and a gaggle of like-minded dissenters, looking for a human power to back them up. And with the dear old US of A hesitating to get its thumb out, talking tough about refusal to negotiate, thanks to the fucking hardliners like Goleman having sway in those times, who else could she turn to, but those who personally knew and trusted her?” He sighed. “If it matters to you, well, nobody likes him. He’s indispensable, not likable. Even his brother’s more personable, which isn’t saying much.”

“Haven’t met him before, myself,” Stephan answered, shrugging too.

“Doesn’t matter now, anyway,” Marcus said softly. “What matters is what we’re going to do about the fiasco we’ve been left with.”

“Right, right… going to have to figure that one out,” Stephan muttered. “We’ve dealt with worse, haven’t we?”

Marcus groaned. “Those were people used to things going wrong every other week. This Equestria had nothing to do with us for the last month or so, and they’re easier to spook than the h–”

“You were going to say horses from back home, weren’t you?” Stephan asked, suppressing a snigger. The irony had never been lost on anyone.

“No, no, no…” Marcus protested, and then abruptly gave up. “Yes. The worst part is, I understand it. Cos’ we lived this.”

“What do you mean?” Stephan asked.

“We had aliens we didn’t understand come in, ingratiate themselves with the world’s leaders, and upend everyday life,” Marcus explained. “Didn’t seem right to a lot of people, and it was too easy, the way they got in. Too easy how they just seemed to do so well.”

“Marcus,” Stephan sighed. “Thinking like that won’t get us anywhere.”

“It’s how some of the former HLF in our ranks thought,” Marcus continued. “Photo Finish said as much. I just…” he sighed. “I don’t want to go through that again. And here comes this… incident…”

“Maybe we can fix it with Operation Gator-Clip,” Stephan said with some hope. “All these Equestrians loved the Exhibition. I’m sure they’ll like the live performances, too.”

“Who even came up with that name, anyway?” Marcus asked with exasperation.

“Someone with a huge sense of irony and an even weirder sense of humor,” Stephan said.

“So, Vinyl?” Marcus asked.

“Vinyl,” Stephan confirmed.

Operation Gator-Clip, an odd, yet rather imaginative name for an important endeavor. The Whooves clan had been very busy for this, as one would be, picking up and dropping off thousands of humans to Equestria for save haven, as allowed by the Princesses. It helped that New New York was already in place to carry the load of so many people.

The main focus was to bring in Earth’s most brilliant minds – engineers, doctors, scientists, think tanks, and whatever else their world had to offer – and give them an area to simply work in peace, without the stresses of war impeding their work. Not only would it help to preserve humanity, but it would give this new world in the opportunity to advance their technology and provide them with a fighting chance in case worse came to worst.

Secondarily, was a more admittedly... frivolous reason to this.

As a few human musicians who worked in the Exhibition had noticed the gusto with which ponies took to their work, the plans were now being outlined for more and more to followed, once news of the second Equestria came out to the public. After all, this was a fairly safe area, untouched by the war. Logically, it would be ideal area for what many had dubbed could be “the one last ride”. Performers, entertainers, and artists who hadn’t been able to do their life’s work for years, along with their families, to be taken into and set up with living arrangements in New New York.

Yes, they would be preparing a festival, of all things…

“Trixie would have liked it, you know,” Stephan said, interrupting Marcus’ thoughts. “Always loved a spectacle, that mare.”

“How is she?” Marcus asked quietly.

Stephan said nothing, which was answer enough in and of itself.

“Tomorrow’s this meeting with the leaders, right?” he asked.

“Midday,” Marcus confirmed with a nod. “Council chamber.”

“I will be there,” Stephan said assuredly. “Just… need to talk to someone first.”

“Oh?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah,” Stephan said, his expression turning sour. “I need to talk to someone I don't like about someone else I don't like.” He sighed. “Gott in himmel, why can't this shit be any easier.”

“Welcome to my world,” Marcus said wryly. “Hope you like the wallpaper.”

A spa in New New York.

Pineapple Cutter never had much use for such establishments, and even less now that, thanks to her blade-prosthesis, the war had reduced her chances of getting a nice hooficure by circa twenty-five percent. Still, the Changeling Queen had insisted on attending this locale, flanked by a pair of her drones, both of whom were fussing about their monarch with such devotion Pina felt her cold spirits rise.

Salonen would be interested to read this particular report of hers.

“I hoped to discuss in private, yes,” she told the Queen. “What about the attendants? Can you promise me these drones are just extensions of yourself?”

“No need to worry about attendants,” Chrysalis replied confidently. “I’ve arranged for this as my private spot for the day, fear not about any sneaky little ponies nosing in on our business. Oh, and the same goes for this fine pair of drones right here. They’re safe to be around, isn’t that right?”

One of the two drones, a female, nodded vigorously, earning herself a pat on the head and an indulgent tickle under her chin from the Queen.

“Now, off you go. It’s been tiring week, and I’m sure Miss Cutter and I could do with some refreshments now?”

“Agreed. But no pineapple juice. I can see that one coming a mile away,” Pina stated drily.

The little Changeling mare nodded again, and promptly trotted to pick the requested beverages. The other drone, a much calmer male, wordlessly moved to arrange a recliner for Chrysalis’ luxury before his monarch had even clapped her forehooves. With delight, the Queen threw herself upon the recliner, but almost instantly, she bounced back, irritated, as an unexpected problem made itself felt.

“Oh…” Chrysalis grumbled, giving the recliner a sharp thump. “Curse the management for neglecting to provide the properly sized frames!”

The Queen tapped her chin, then, surprisingly, sat down again, with an odd little smile. “Well, no harm done,” she idly commented, stretching her legs as she eyed the remaining drone. “Thorax, be a dear, will you?”

No sooner than she’d asked, her drone proved he didn’t need to be told twice, nor what to do. With utmost servile bearing, he scuttled to fill the space beneath the Changeling matriarch’s outstretched legs, and propped them up, kneeling to support the much larger mare’s weight. Letting out a sigh of contentment as she slid down and lazily crossed her fetlocks upon the back of her makeshift footrest – who began to delicately massage those chitinous soles with his wings – Chrysalis looked to Pineapple Cutter.

“Mmh, that feels good…” she crooned. “Nothing quite like it in the world, I promise you. Thorax here is the best leg masseur in the entire hive.” She paused, basking for a moment. “So then, tell me, Miss Cutter. What was it that you wished to propose?”

Pina threw a quick glance around, as if to ensure, one last time, that no-one was watching. Thanks to her near-unblinking gaze, few could escape her notice. It was this very attribute which had prevented total disaster from striking after she spotted the deranged Blue Spy.

“I am a middlemare,” she explained. “And my partner wishes to make you an offer. You and he have met before. Though I doubt you remember.”

“Have we now?” scoffed Chrysalis. “I don’t recall a ‘Doctor Salonen’, though I suppose you can’t blame me for having trouble with those dreadfully dull human names.”

“What’s in a name?” asked Pineapple Cutter. “Many would marvel at your ability to remember the name of every last drone in your hive. But can you remember them all?”

“Would you like to know the rest?” Chrysalis deadpanned, cackling at her own joke. “Ah, it’s child’s play, Cutter. Simpler than you might think.”

“Is that so? Well, I heard your footrest has a name, yes,” Pina acknowledged, nodding towards Thorax, still patiently bearing his queen’s hooves across his back. “And what of the other? The female drone?”

“Aphid,” Chrysalis said without missing a beat. “And, what do you know; it looks like the sweet thing has brought some refreshments!”

True to her words, the Changeling mare, Aphid, had returned, bearing a tray full of drinks and a bowl of grapes for her Queen and Pina. The little mare levitated one for Chrysalis, and another for Pina, before moving to the Queen’s side, her wings fluttering to provide a breeze.

“You are an unusual mare, Your Majesty,” commented Pina, lifting her glass to take a sip. Her prosthesis did have advantages a mere hoof couldn’t offer. “I doubt the world has seen anything like you. Except maybe another Queen of the Hive. These drones here for instance. What are they? Servants? Children? Furniture?”

“Children, nothing more, nothing less,” Chrysalis replied, a tad offended. In spite of what Pina presumed to be a slight, the matriarch maintained her smirk, one forehoof patting Aphid. “And always so eager to serve. They are quite the fascinating bunch, are they not, hm? Not of my brood, I can tell, but nevertheless, they are all the same.”

“Yes,” said Pina, truthfully. “And they do obey your every word? Celestia loves her little ponies and the little ponies love Celestia. Yet when the Solar Tyrant was born many turned their backs on her. What is your secret?”

“Why, it’s quite simple! As everything is in the Hive, it’s much, much simpler than what those bookish fellows they call biologists will have you believe.”

“And that is?”

“Love,” Chrysalis said plainly. “I provide them love and they serve in return. And that, my dear mare, is where the Tyrant fails. Aphid here has some interesting stories from her unit in the Alliance, for her company’s cook is compassionate and caring, even if she doesn’t think too highly of nobles, isn’t that right, Aphid?”

The little drone in question nodded sheepishly, before looking away from Chrysalis, flustered.

“Tut-tut, Aphid, you’ll get your chance with her. In any case, Miss Cutter, it’s easy to gain loyalty when both parties are equally caring towards the others. The humans would not be united if it were not for some semblance of compassion within them.”

Pina’s keen, piercing eyes surveyed the scene before her.

This was the Changeling Queen, a lean, emaciated figure that may at one time have been considered lovely, before holes began to eat away at her body. Pina beheld a monarch of an outcast people, ruler of dust and dirt of the Badlands, yet reclining with all the self-confident poise and grace of an empress, both her lackeys standing at her beck and call.

Though not one to bow before any master; Miss Cutter felt the slightest, tiniest drop of respect for the other mare. Yes, here was someone she could work with. If only she could persuade Chrysalis to take this matter seriously – and she realized the irony of her thinking so.

Discord was sitting on his bed, sipping a teacup, when there came a soft knock on his door. He looked up, to see a young, redheaded man in a tweed coat smiling politely at him.

“Got a message saying someone needed a favor?” he asked. His smile faded slightly. “Wait, was that you?”

“So surprised?” Discord asked with a raised eyebrow. “I should have thought the messenger made it obvious.”

“Somewhat,” the man admitted. “I’ll admit, ‘scary little girl straight from a Japanese horror movie’ doesn’t quite scream ‘Discord’ to me, but it does have a certain ring to it. She was right behind me a minute ago, but…”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Discord grinned. “She’ll turn up. She usually does.”

“Fair enough,” the man said. He folded his arms. “Never met a Discord who’d happily admit to needing a favor before.”

“Normally I wouldn’t bother anyone with such trivial matters,” Discord calmly stated, placing the teacup in midair, floating on its own before it gave a small wobble. The man watched it with interest until it suddenly fell and shattered on the floor, causing Discord to sigh. “Except, clearly, I’m not in my normal state.”

“Clearly,” the man said. “So…?”

“So, you're the Time Lord, right?” Discord demanded. “I was under the impression that if one wanted off of a particular dirtball, you’d be the man to call.”

“That is, usually, the case,” the man agreed. “I’m surprised you knew I was here.”

“Actually I was aiming the message for Doctor Whooves,” Discord shrugged. “But cosmetic changes aside, I don't see the difference. Except your dress sense is worse.”

The man, the Doctor, frowned. “And what's wrong with my dress sense?”

“Ugh… Where do I start.” Discord frowned; placing some ruby glasses on and began to inspect him. From somewhere deep within the castle, a certain unicorn mare looked around in confusion as her glasses vanished from her snout. “Alright, the coat is… okay, I suppose. It serves as both functional and fashionable to a degree. But it clashes badly with the corduroy pants you have, and those shoes… really?”

The Doctor folded his arms. “At least I have a dress sense. Doctor Whooves throws a necktie and a collar on and thinks, ‘Oh yes, here's an ensemble for the ages’. When I was him…”

“Yeah, but it work for him. Simple, elegant, shows he means business. Not overly stuffy about having fun while working.” Discord pointed out, with a cough. “Seriously. The shoes have got to go. If I were you, I’d avoid Rarity best you can. She will rip those off you in a second and drag you to buy a decent pair.”

The Doctor smirked. “Truly you missed your calling, Lord Discord. You should have been a fashion critic. I can see it now. ‘Cotton candy coats are all the rage this season, dahling’.”

“Give it time, it’ll catch on!” Discord lean back in his bed, taking a deep breath before looking towards him. “Alright, fashion aside, I am in need of transport.”

The Doctor chuckled. “Alright, so you want to go somewhere to relax, I take it.”

“Yup, just myself, the boy, two droids, and no questions asked,” Discord nodded. There was a weak flash, and his beard turned into something vaguely Obi-Wan esque, while a brown cloak hung around his shoulders. Then he gave a cough and the beard and robe winked out of existence. “Bah. That joke could have been great.”

“Well, fortunately for you, I’m an expert at avoiding Imperial entanglements of various sorts,” the Doctor said. “So… hold still.”

He rummaged in his pocket for a moment, prior to tossing Discord a small, circular gold object.

“And what's this?” Discord asked.

“Homing device,” the Doctor said in response.

He brought a small silver device from his inside pocket, which buzzed slightly. Suddenly there came a loud, raucous trumpeting sound, and Discord found himself and his bed sitting inside a dark, concrete-walled room, golden roundels dotting the walls. A single wooden chair sat in a corner, a hatstand with various coats on it was stood in the opposite corner, and the middle of the room was dominated by a small hexagonal control panel.

With a small, mischievous smirk, Discord reached out to touch the panel.

“Oi!” came the Doctor’s voice from behind him. The man swept into the room, coat flapping. He indignantly twisted a few dials on the console.

“What?” the Draconequus asked innocently.

“You’ll want to be careful,” the Doctor said. “You press the wrong dial and we could end up meeting something pretty nasty.”

“Sounds fun!” Discord wheezed out, but held his claw.

“In any other condition, I might let you,” the Doctor said with a snort as he flicked a switch. “But I think if I let you out in the throne room of any of the various Tyrant Celestias we could meet, they’d currently be able to kill you in the blink of an eye. Hardly restful.”

“Hm, I suppose you're right, at least not now.” Discord leaned back in bed, looking more tired than ever. “If this is what normal mortals go through every time they get sick, then I should do something drastic and probably questionable in the near future so it doesn't happen again.”

“‘Drastic and questionable’,” the Doctor smirked. “Yes, somehow that sounds like you.”

He flicked a switch and began turning a hand crank, yet stopped, looking up at Discord with a suspicious expression.

“Yes, I am, in fact, just that handsome,” Discord deadpanned. “I know it's hard to believe, but it's true!”

The Doctor smirked again. “Ah, shoot, and here I thought it was just an illusion.”

“Guess again, my fashion-challenged friend,” Discord smirked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, throwing a glance at the handstand as he did so. He paused.

“Alright,” he said. “You can come out.”

A little girl stepped out from behind the hatstand. Her pale countenance, bare feet, dead eyes and white dress might have made her intimidating if she hadn’t been wearing a panama hat.

“Ah, told you she’d turn up,” Discord said with a grin.

The girl tilted her head as she looked up at the Doctor. He smiled, leaning down to grab the hat from her head. She glowered slightly.

“There’s a nicer one in the wardrobe,” the Doctor said amiably. “Third left, second...”

The girl disappeared.

“Yeah,” Discord said. “She does that.”

Smirking, the Doctor replaced the hat on the hatstand.

“So,” he asked, moving over to what looked like a typewriter set into the console. “Where would you like to go?”

“Well, tempting as it is to visit Jack again, I’d rather not be a part of his ever expanding glory to defeat that Aku guy…” Discord said, rubbing his paw against his cheek thoughtfully. “Deadpool is out, his world is just crazy… Can’t visit Felicia, that world is just as dangerous as Deadpool’s… Clearly I would last in the Emperor’s care... for all of two seconds…”

The Doctor held up a hand. “Alright, so a lot of your usual haunts are off the table.”

“Hm… Maybe there is one. I haven’t seen him and his spiritual friend in a while, after reconnecting with the other two. It’s also… normal… ish.” Discord didn’t look at all convinced of his own words at that, but shrugged.

The Doctor nodded slowly. “‘Normal, ish’, indeed. Doesn't sound entirely like your style.”

“Oh, it’s crazy in its own way. I mean… the legal system alone could entertain me for years. But I need to be somewhere that Time is going to be my friend in my recovery.”

“Well, that’s easily accomplished,” the Doctor pointed out, gesturing towards a small, plasma-globe esque arrangement. “Touch that with your… well, with either your claw or your paw, either-or.”

Discord raised an eyebrow, before placing his paw against the globe. “You really going to take me to the future or the past? I mean… it’s me,” he said, a smile on his face.

“Oh, I know it’s you,” the Doctor snorted. “I’ve met worse ‘yous’, by various degrees. Besides, you seem to have gained a sense of prioritizing. I can think of places to drop you that would entertain you well enough, without causing too much disruption. Right, now concentrate on where you'd like us to be.”

“I suppose so. Hm…” Discord frowned thoughtfully. “First, let’s check on my friend, before going with your idea. If I remember what happen last time, he cross-examined a parrot and got a win out of it.”

“Indeed?” the Doctor asked, staring at a screen situated in the far wall. “Well, I’ll look forward to meeting him.”

“Oh, he’s wonderful!” Discord said gleefuly. “If one of the Element Bearers ends up on trial, I think we should call him.”

“We might have to make a note of that. Alright, Discord, tally-ho.”

Conversation so far had consisted of what Pina knew, but felt worth letting Chrysalis repeat.

“See, a Hive Queen is that by which a Changeling drone lives and breathes,” the Queen told Pina, yawning as she did so. “Not always an easy job. I’ve got more than just a few thousand mouths to feed. Speaking of which…” Promptly, Aphid picked a bunch of grapes out of the bowl by hoof, gingerly bringing them to her matriarch’s lips. Chrysalis munched down on the fruit with lazy abandon, staining the corners of her mouth. “If I’m not happy, neither are they,” she explained once she’d finished chewing, Aphid diligently wiping her mouth with a cloth. “That’s not oppression, it’s simple biology. All I ask from them are a few… services in return for their well-being. They do know it’s all for their own good. One doesn’t have to be so blatant in expressing affection. Though, I don’t suppose you’re familiar with the concept, are you?”

This time, Pina allowed herself a small smile. Things might work out easier than she hoped.

“On the contrary…” she began, slyly raising her prosthetic hoof. The blade shot out with a tinny sound of metal ceramic against polymer. “I am a very intimate mare. But most do not understand my idea of intimacy. In this we may share a common ground.”

“Is that so?” Chrysalis inquired curiously, leaning forward with a forehoof resting her chin. “Ah-ah-ah! I do believe I found myself a few scant traces lingering in you, Cutter.”

The Queen closed her eyes in thought, inhaling and exhaling in a rather sultry manner. Soon enough, however, the mare frowned in contemplation, before her eyes shot open.

“Curious, very curious indeed,” she pondered aloud. “Quite the exotic air clouding your mind, though I’d imagined it to be less, well, clouded. You’ve been around, I see.”

“Not in the way you imply,” Pina replied, without so much as a blink. “But I’ve seen things. Do you know what it is people love most? Life. And there’s one moment they love life as never before, yes… I’ve seen it often. In their eyes.” She smiled wanly. “Beauty. It’s what I live for.”

“And what’s this beauty of which you speak, Miss Cutter?” Chrysalis questioned, but Pina felt wavering confidence in the proud mare, with her lecherous demeanor slipping ever so slightly.

“What else?” she answered. “War. There is always conflict on Equus. But for generations never a real war. Not for a thousand years until the Crystal Empire returned. War on Earth has lasted forever. It excites. The humans do love war, Your Majesty...”

“Yes… they do, don’t they?” Chrysalis whispered, leaning back on her recliner in thought. Swiftly, the drone beside her, Aphid, moved to give the Queen a rub on her belly. Even this, however, did not wipe the sullen look befalling the Queen’s habitually lively countenance.

“Your Majesty?” Pina asked glibly. “You seem troubled. I hope I have caused no upset:”

“None of the sort!” Chrysalis snapped back smartly, a pleasant chuckle escaping her lips. “Don’t expect me to be going all soft. I’m merely eager, and impatient by now, to hear of what exciting tales and proposals you wished to speak.”

“Yes,” Pina said, in her usual curt fashion. “Very exciting tales and proposals. The first of them has you at its center. Crashing the Royal Wedding has already become a mythical tale after so little time. Yet how quickly times change.”

Her gaze fell upon the female drone carefully applying her hooves to the Queen’s tender belly.

“Take this drone. If you will,” she commented. “A few months ago ponies were her meal ticket. Now what are they? I am curious to know. Comrades? Friends? Or cold turkeys?”

And for the first time since her entry, the little drone expressed something else apart from cheerful devotion – fear. A look of worry flashed by her compound eye, and the mare paused in her task.

This did not go unnoticed by her Queen.

“Aphid, Thorax, you’ve done well today!” she announced, catching their attentions. “Off you go, return to your units. You’ve got a bunch of stories to tell your friends now, haven’t you?”

The female drone’s excited buzzing drowned the muted response of the male one, with her bow being far more enthusiastic. Before she could follow her companion in exiting the door, however, the mare paused and trotted back to Chrysalis.

“Yes, what is it, Aphid?”

The little female drone leaned close to her ear, whispering and chittering, before standing back with a hopeful twinkle passing her eye.

“Oh, very well, you may have that cake you saw in the storefront” Chrysalis said, dropping a few bits into her underlings’ hooves. “There, this should more than cover any expenses. Never let Sunbutt claim that Queen Chrysalis doesn’t pay for her stay… as Queen Chrysalis, that is. Now run along, and have a nice week!”

The drone saluted her, trotting off excitedly, and the last Pina saw before she disappeared was the familiar green flash of a Changeling’s transformation.

“Miss Cutter,” Chrysalis began, only now, without Thorax to rest upon, her frame stood out as truly disproportionate compared to the recliner. In any case, Chrysalis pulled back her hindlegs to her lower body, a position which, Pina noted, looked calculated to resemble the poise of mares on pinups. “Alright, first order of business. You said you had questions.”

“I do.”

“Then let’s hear them.”

Pina nodded. “I’ll get to the point. Why did you invade Canterlot?”

“Well, nothing better to demonstrate Equestria’s folly by decapitating their seat of power,” Chrysalis replied offhandedly. “The ponies are quite symbolically-minded, and the loss of their capital city would have been a major, shall we say, diplomatic blow to their pride.”

Beneath the pride, Pina sensed a lingering sense of bitterness.

“You are Changelings,” she stated flatly. “You work by disguise. Crouching in the shadows. Impersonating friends and family and lovers. The Royal Wedding was a big public event with Princess Celestia herself in attendance. A huge risk to take.”

“And yet, it was quite the success, given the prominent presence of most of the Guard, and my own impersonation of the bride-to-be!” Chrysalis said, with a rather unfitting giggle to boot. “Though, I must admit, I was rather rusty in her horseshoes. It has been a while since I’ve involved myself so closely on the field…”

Pina raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you were just enjoying yourself. Is that so?”

“Why, indeed I was!” Chrysalis replied, rubbing her forehooves excitedly. “It was certainly fun to toy with Sparkle’s friends, herself, and her big brother too, really.”

“Maybe it was,” said Pina, taking another sip of lemonade. “But to be honest you are lucky to get off so lightly. Didn’t the risk that you and your brood might spend the rest of your lives rotting in the Castle dungeons ever cross your mind?”

Chrysalis’ eyes flared green, and the mare stomped out of her recliner in an unexpectedly furious manner.

“Cutter,” she growled, “my Hive has existed for tens of thousands of lifetimes before me, before the first of your kind crawled out of the caverns you called your homes, and it shall last for another ten thousand, you foolish mare.”

The Changeling Queen stood to her full height, her languid, echoing voice suddenly raised to a bloodcurdling level. Coupled with her expression, it made for an intimidating sight.

Pina stood her ground. “You forget. I come from another universe. And the last Changeling I ever saw was you. A cold body... on an operating table... presided over by my partner.”

“Ah…” Chrysalis softly said, a bit more stooped than before. “So she was.” Silence passed between them, as she droopily sunk back onto her recliner. “Your partner… Doctor Salonen… what does he propose, I wonder? You’ve asked me many questions, but in return, you’ve mainly given me the shadows of doubt.”

Suddenly, a new expression crossed Pina’s face, one equally inscrutable, yet different.

“Let’s not dwell on such dry matters,” she said genially. “Or such depressing ones. No, how about a talk we can all enjoy? The reindeer. Don’t feel singled out, Your Majesty. I can promise you the reindeer of my world are quite dead, too. They found the remains of a massive stag up North just last year.” Pina clasped her forehooves. “Sint’s body was almost as magnificent a sight as yours, yes. You should feel flattered.”

Chrysalis wiped a mock tear off her cheeks. “It must have been quite the loss,” she said, though beneath the mockery, Pina could tell even she was slightly affected by the news. “The last of the Adlaborn, reduced to a cloak and two naive little fawns, a buck and doe. Anna Erklass’s sacrifice all those years ago was, in the end, a futile effort. Nevertheless, I am quite flattered by the comparison, I must admit. Even in death, his echo remains everywhere… yes, I can sense it to an extent. Something as ancient as the Allfather has too much of a residue to be ignored, you see...”

For a moment, the mare with the prosthetic hoof said nothing. Then, when she spoke again, Pina spoke quietly and precisely.

“Your Majesty,” she said, folding her forehooves. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Fire away,” replied Chrysalis, who loved secrets, especially so she could share them.

“Now,” Pina began, “This is going to sound a bit shocking. Please don’t get too startled. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe yet it’s true. I have never been on Sint’s ‘nice’ list once in my life.”

The Changeling Queen blinked once. Then twice. And then, before the unblinking stare of Pineapple Cutter, the mare guffawed in laughter, her forehooves wrapping around her belly as she all-but rolled off her recliner..

“That’s, that’s your secret, then?” Chrysalis finally said, wiping away a genuine tear of mirth.

“Well,” Pina said as dryly as ever. “It was shocking to me...”

“I hardly can tell why,” Chrysalis deadpanned, though no less amused.

The strange mare stared at her, imperturbable,  a creature from another world, looking upon the personification of some of the most fearsome this world had to offer.

“And what about the humans?” she asked. “You’ve seen them now. What’s been done to them is awful, yes. But can you call them ‘nice’?”

“Hardly,” Chrysalis said immediately, casually. “Look at all they’re capable of.”

“Yes,” Pina said. “It’s what they love.”

Something about this gave Chrysalis pause. What felt like long hours passed until she spoke.

“Now, Cutter, I believe that I truly see your game,” the Queen said quietly. “You have been prodding me all this time, weighing the connection between me and my Hive, and next to it, poking a thousand tiny holes into the foundations upon which rests my alliance. We are not models of pure heroism, you and I.”

She rose elegantly from her recliner. “Clearly, you have another, more interesting deal to offer. One they wouldn’t necessarily look upon fondly. Very well, I will accept to hear more when the time comes. Hopefully, your Doctor Salonen’s offer will prove worthwhile.”

And Pina had but one word. “Yes.”

I had the famed Umbrella Man himself to help me. I should have been pleased: we had an expert on our side, after all. But despite that, I was uneasy… and it didn't help that Stephan was unhappy about him even being here.

And so the board was set, again, for a meeting. I’d gotten confirmation from Princesses Celestia and Luna, the Umbrella Man and Stephan, and Queen Chrysalis would probably come.

Now…

Now it was just the meeting itself.

And what would come after.

DAY ONE. EVENING.

If he knew her secret, through what eyes would he see her with?

“Miss Catseye?” Icewind said gently. And she knew, from the sound of his voice, that he was looking her over with concern. “If you want to talk about it, please, talk. I’m here to listen. Unless you’d rather be alone just now.”

Catseye didn’t look at him, staring out the window from the far end of her sofa, as she’d been for the last hour or so. She felt, more than heard, when he lay down two cups of tea on the coffee-table beside her.

“The finest from Miss Chamomile Brew’s,” he told her, smiling. “Good thing I thought about taking some back from Canterlot, right? Have a drink. It won’t solve everything, but… it’ll help. Trust me, it will.”

Wordlessly, Catseye reached for the nearest cup, via telekinesis. She took a delicate sip, carefully not to let any drop spill in her reclining position, lips smacking as quietly as possible once she’d downed it. Icewind was right. The roiboos tea did have plenty of heart to it.

As for the stallion, he let her be, silently drinking from his own cup on the sofa opposite hers.

“She deserved better,” Catseye said at last, finding her voice, finding it bereft of tone.

Icewind allowed the words to sink in before making his reply. “Yes,” he said sadly, “she did.”

“And we couldn’t protect her,” Catseye said tremulously, removing her glasses to rub the pain in her forehead. “What good is it? What good is it, if we couldn’t do anything for an innocent who only wanted to protect her child.”

A dull creaking sound reached her as he sank into his sofa. Plainly, he had no answer to give.

“I remember that first meeting,” Catseye said to him, still without looking. “How she’d ask so many questions. About whether humans really are such awful creatures. And I remember… I remember how I disliked her on the spot for it. But, now…”

Now, she did look his way, not caring what he saw in her eyes.

“She was a mother, Icewind,” she said, remembering more. “Only a mother.”

It all felt so cloudy for Ruby Pinch.

She gazed down into her bowl of half-eaten soup. She’d once thought she’d be a brewer. Just like Grandpa. Just like Mommy. Her mother had loved juice, and she did too. Whatever made her mother happy, after all.

There was nothing but a dark cloud where her mother used to be.

Aunt Junebug or Cheerilee or whatever Mommy used to call her had said she’d be staying with her. For how long, neither really knew.

All Ruby knew was that her mother was never, ever coming back. Miss Bjorgman had been looking at her funny, as if she remembered something, when she and Aunt Cheerilee had come to the station. But nothing was said, and for all her niceness, Ana left without anything more than a goodbye.

Ruby pushed away her bowl, muttering a muffled ‘goodnight’ to Aunt Cheerilee, got up from the table without a second thought about her aunt calling after her, and climbed the staircase. It was a like climbing a mountain. But, upstairs, her new bedroom’s door was wide open, and that was weird.

Weirder still was the letter on her new bed, unopened and unread.

The letter was nicely folded, and Ruby had a funny little feeling that whoever folded it had an earthpony in mind when they wrote it. It unfurled nicely, like an unbound scroll. The handwriting was soft, curvy and pretty to look at  and Ruby almost dropped it when she saw the name.

Hi, it’s Ana. You remember me as the human who wanted to meet your mother, Ruby.

I’m sorry. I know the feeling. The feeling of loss, and the crushing weight. I should know. My parents are gone, too. I’m writing this letter because, I didn’t try hard enough, or I tried too hard.

Your mother loved you. Ruby, and she will love you always from wherever she is now. I’d like to think she’s in a nicer place, somewhere my own mother told me of.

But the point is, she loves you. Everything she did, she did for you.

And I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have asked for her, and it cost you both.

She’ll want you to move on, Ruby. Move on, but always remember. You’re a wonderful, thoughtful little filly, and she’d be proud to see you grow into a fine young mare.

Your aunt loves you. She told me you also meant the world for her, when she came for you.

Stay safe, and much love,

~Ana.

PS: The bag has flameless fireworks in them. They don’t need fire to work. If it doesn’t work, give it to Time Turner. He’ll know what to do.

Ruby read the last few letters in silence, before she looked up. Aunt Junebug was standing there in the doorway, quivering, and holding back her tears. Without another word spoken, they embraced each other. One, then two, then three little fireworks floated from their bag, and showered the room in a warm, comforting display of light and color.

They would remember, always.

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 3: 'Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night'

In The Pale Moonlight – Part Three

‘Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night’

Authors:

Redskin122004

Jed R

VoxAdam

Sledge115

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

Dustchu

Dances With Unicorns

“I've grown to hate Fridays.”

Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘In The Pale Moonlight.’

“There. I told you the truth was liberating, Major. Now don't you feel better? I do.”

– Gul Dukat, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night.’

DAY TWO. MORNING.

I felt a wave of uneasiness that morning, even though rationally I knew we had a good chance of reaching the best conclusion. After all, I’d got everyone I needed to hash out a solution together. Top members of the PHL, and both the Princesses. I’d arranged a meeting - a confab, basically, where we could figure out exactly how we were going to deal with all of this.

But still… I was perturbed. And I was right to be. Given everything that’s happened, since… I wish I’d never set foot in that fucking room.

“Major Bauer. You asked to see me.”

Coming from Cutter, this most certainly wasn’t a question. Stephan gazed warily at the peculiar PHL operative whom nobody had ever quite been able to pin down, except maybe for the Umbrella Man and Pekka Salonen, neither of whom would be forthcoming. For her part, she looked at him the way she did everyone, unblinking and penetrating.

“Yes, Cutter,” began Stephan, then almost retracted himself, aware of how he’d inadvertently copied her verbal tic. But, steepling his fingers, he went on. “Ja. I’ve had a day to review your AAR, and your performance in Ponyville. As you are aware, things over there… didn’t go as we could have wished for.”

Cutter nodded disinterestedly. “I am aware, yes. And I am sorry, Major.”

“Are you sure?” Stephan wondered.

“I am,” she said, easing herself upon her seat. “You know I stepped in to try and stop the Spy from massacring potential witnesses. Not to mention the fallout of your less savory methods exposed to our new allies. It is not my interest to let the Tyrant win this war anymore than yours. At least worse damage was curbed.”

“But still bad enough,” Stephan sighed, dropping his notepad onto the desk. A too-familiar twist of his guts distracted him, as it had for the last two days. He ignored it, but no way would she miss the strain he was going through. Not her. “Anyway, although I say this with reluctance, your performance checks out. Testimonials from Sergeant Prasad, Sergeant Jaka and Corporal Bjorgman confirm you did your best to keep the Spy away from populated areas, and sought to incapacitate her, not kill.”

“That is so,” Cutter said. “Yet not why we are here. Is it?”

Damn. Resisting the itch to rub the bridge of his nose, Stephan leaned forward, meeting her gaze without faltering.

“No,” he said. “The truth is, Cutter, despite your distinct appearance, you’ve proven adept at tracking people without being noticed, even when standing three feet away from them. This… ‘lack of presence’, as you call it, is the skillset we value you for, and why we agreed to Salonen’s recommendation to include you amongst our first envoys on this Equestria.”

“A shadow tailing you,” Cutter smiled thinly. “Out of sight. Out of mind. Not the friendliest face. So. What can this shadow do for you?”

“I’m giving you an assignment,” Stephan said slowly. “Another… surveillance operation, like Colonel Renee ordered on me and Lulamoon.”

“Yes?”

He fixated on her gravely. “Operative, I want you to keep an eye on Stabsunteroffizier Kraber.”

At first, Cutter showed no response to this, no more than usual. Then, imperceptibly, she frowned.

“Major Bauer, sir,” she said. “Permission to speak freely?”

This was unexpected. He’d awaited a lot more enthusiasm from her. “Granted.”

“If I may make a request,” said Cutter. “I wish to refuse this assignment.”

Had Stephan been drinking coffee at that moment, he’d have spat it out. “What?” he demanded, recovering quickly. “Whatever for?”

“For starters? That is usually Mr. Claw Hammer’s job. Or ‘Aegis’ as they call him.”

“Yes,” Stephan said. “But I don’t trust him not to be an enabler.”

“Sounds like you need a psychiatrist more,” Cutter said. “Or a telepath.”

“He actually has a medical dispensation restricting him from using the services of any telepaths,” Stephan said. “Or… they have one for him. It’s sort of vague. So that was out.”

“Quite,” Cutter said, leaning back. “Do you want to know why I am refusing?”

“I’d have guessed abject disgust at being in Kraber’s presence, but that doesn’t feel likely,” Stephan said with a mirthless chuckle.

“Disgust might be a good way to put it,” Cutter said thoughtfully. “Kraber… bores me.”

Stephan blinked. “‘Bore’. Not a word I’ve heard used to describe Kraber.”

“Nonetheless it’s accurate,” the mare said, smiling coldly. “Dull. Mediocre. Repetitive. All means the same, yes? Means he is no fun. Not worth my effort. Could tail him in my sleep.”

“And you prefer the challenge,” Stephan said slowly. “Very well then, as we’d hate for your talents to go to waste, or for you to be bored, Gott bewahre, do you have any ideas, Operative?”

She nodded. “Ask me to tail Bowman. There is one who is never even here, or here before he was here, then after, then before again. Vaguely difficult. Might prove fun. Kraber is loud. Easy to track. Leaves trail of bodies and empty beer bottles and bullet casings.” She paused. “Speaking of.”

Stephan frowned. “Speaking of?”

“Bowman is more than he seems, yes,” she said, a crafty smile on her face. “And it is safe to say the Spy needs a… doctor.” She got out of the chair. “If that is all, Major?”

Stephan waved a hand. “You’re… dismissed, Cutter.”

She got up and left, leaving Stephan alone to his thoughts.

The morning had passed with a grim level of predictability. Marcus had signed off on a few requisition orders, finished typing up a report on the latest training statistics, and finalised any paperwork he didn’t think could wait until tomorrow. He didn’t think, after the meeting today, that he would have any stomach for anything. Except maybe going to a training room and breaking six punching bags.

That, he’d have the stomach for. Every single one of them with the Tyrant’s face, no doubt.

‘I’ll get my chance soon enough,’ he thought to himself.

He’d seen the satellite images, gone over them a dozen times, ran the numbers through his head – troops the PHL had, troops the Alliance was bringing to the table, weapons stats, intel on anomalous Newfoals and other top-of-the-line Solar Empire gear he had heard about… and the numbers were all muddled. He didn’t know whether they would break upon the defences like water on rock, or break the defences like a rock on a skull. It was all touch-and-go, relying on more variables than he cared to measure. Maybe one of the Doctors could have done the math, if Marcus could have bothered going to any of them for help, but Doctor Whooves was busy helping Daring Do with work at the Castle of Two Sisters, and Doctor Bowman… well, he wouldn’t want to ask for Bowman’s help.

The clock chimed 10:30, stirring him from his melancholy thoughts. He got to his feet slowly, deciding to go for a final walk around the courtyard before the meeting. Some fresh air would probably make it all moderately more bearable.

‘We can but hope,’ he thought grimly. He sighed. ‘Fuck my life.’

Luna and Chrysalis were already in the room, as was Cadance, when Stephan arrived.

“Ladies,” Princess Luna announced to both mares present. “Trust me, even though I may have haplessly missed out on the exact occasion which drove a rift between you, I understand how weird this must feel, and what a big thing I beseech of you. But, for the sake of a cause greater than any of us, I must ask it.”

Chrysalis scoffed, waving a hoof in dismissal.

“Please, Woona. I’m all for looking inside the mare’s little head!” she exclaimed in delight. “But I’m not too certain Candy over here would like to see or hear what goes on in my head, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Don’t call me Candy, you fiend,” Cadance growled. “I haven’t forgotten how you tied me in a bundle and let your drones have their way with me.”

“Tut tut, Princess. You make it sound worse than it is,” Chrysalis replied, bopping the area right in front of Cadance’s nose. “Edgy edgy, are you now? But I suppose it’s all the same for the ponies on the other Equestria, all angsty and brooding and whatnot. Don’t disappoint me, by being the same as that group, Princess.”

She bared her fangs. “But, oh well, I trust you enjoyed their chatter and banter, did you now? Like I told your dear husband, I may be a vile creature, but there are lines I won’t cross.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Chrysalis,” Cadance replied softly. “Just because you’ve found a Titan whose crimes overshadow yours, doesn’t lessen the pain you’ve caused.”

The Changeling Queen opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

“Bah, I concur with your point,” she said, giving an acknowledging nod to the pink mare. “Though why focus on all the hurt, Your Highness? I thought you were meant to be the Princess of Love, don’t you think it’s a bit selfish not to share around? After all, I see what you like so much about Shiney. I do so miss him in bed…”

Cadance’s pink cheeks turned a bright red. “Why, you…”

“... As my pillowcase,” Chrysalis leaned down, with a particularly cunning smirk. “What? Wasn’t lying, you know. Just lying my head on him.”

“Enough, both of you,” Luna declared, a touch of the Royal Canterlot Voice seeping in, and Cadance embarrassedly realised her horn was alit. “Cadance, don’t make yourself such an easy target for her mockery. Chrysalis… please make yourself a touch nicer, are we clear?”

“Pfft, ponies,” Chrysalis said, blowing her cheeks. “Always so… what’s the word? Serious? The pink one certainly gets it. Fine, I’ll be ‘nicer’, by my standards, hm?”

With a shake of her head, Cadance dimmed her horn. “Fair enough, I’ll go along for now. But I marvel at how my other self could stand to be in the same room as you...  then again,” she was quick to add, “that can’t be the worst thing she’s put up with… or done…”

“In any case,” Luna said. “It may well prove that the individual Major Bauer has sought out will have answers without us needing to resort to entering the Spy’s mind.”

“Somehow I doubt it,” Chrysalis said, “but I suppose we can live in hope.”

Luna looked to Stephan. “Major?”

“I needed to do some digging, but it turns out Doctor Whooves had his contact details,” Stephan said slowly. “He should be here any time –”

A sudden cacophony of noise interrupted him from outside the room. He paused, then looked behind him as a young man entered the room.

“… now,” Stephan finished.

It was strange to think that the redhead was the same being as Whooves in any way. He was tall and skinny, with brown eyes full of inscrutable depths and a half-smile that looked somewhere between resigned and sarcastic. He wore a tweed coat over a white shirt and brown corduroy trousers.

“I take it you’re the famous Doctor Bowman,” Stephan said to him.

“Nice to meet you, Major Bauer,” the Doctor said blandly. “Queen Chrysalis.”

“Greetings,” Chrysalis said neutrally, a smile playing upon her face.

“And Princess Luna,” the Doctor added with a small bow. “Et Lunar Gloriosa Aeternia.”

Luna blinked. “Pardon?”

The Doctor smiled softly. “Sorry. Wrong Equus.” He turned to Cadance. “And Princess Cadance, looking radiant as one should expect. I’m only sorry our meeting is not under more pleasant circumstances.”

“Pleasantries can wait,” Luna put in before Cadance could say anything. “We need to get back to the business ahead of us. Do you know why you’re here, Doctor?”

“Doctor Whooves explained some of it, what little the good Major mentioned, anyway,” the Doctor said quietly. He was looking at Trixie, who was still inside her glass box. “And as it happens, I have some ideas.”

“The sooner you’re done messing with Trixie’s brain the better,” Stephan added, looking suspicious. “You can help her?”

“That’s what we’re here to determine, Major,” the Doctor replied. He approached Trixie, placing a hand on the box. “Is this really necessary?”

“You don’t want her getting out,” Stephan said grimly. “I only just managed to stop her before.”

“I see,” the Doctor said, sounding tired, putting his hands in his coat pockets. “We’ll need to be careful about this. One wrong move and we could lobotomise your little blue assassin friend.”

Stephan growled, but Cadance held up a hoof.

“We’re just happy to have some help,” she said softly. “What do you have for us, Doctor?”

In response, the Time Lord brought out a small crystal. His eyes alighted upon it with a strange expression.

“This is an Eponian Apex Crystal,” he said. “A rather ingenious piece of kit from the Eponian Conglomerate.”

“And what’s the ‘Eponian Conglomerate’?” Stephan asked.

“A nicer place than the Solar Empire,” the Doctor smirked mirthlessly. “I actually spent about six weeks there, after... well, shall we say, ‘my recent sojourns’, just learning about their crystal tech, fascinating stuff. Picked it because the Eponians are ponies.”

“Figures from the name ‘Eponian’,” Chrysalis muttered.

“Crystal ‘tech’?” Luna asked, looking at the Apex Crystal with furrowed brows. “But if it is Equestrian in origin...”

“The Eponians’ work is closer to technology than magic, though it’s similar to magic in many respects: the energy signatures, for example,” the Doctor explained. He glanced at Stephan. “The tech is advanced. Hopefully it will do the job.”

“You said something about the chances of a lobotomy?” the Major asked, still suspicious.

“Well, yes,” the Doctor said, as though this were obvious. “We’re messing with a pony’s mind, with untested technology from another time and another universe. You’ll probably still get better results from this than a mind-probe, a Chameleon Arch or a Scribe of Arthenaz, but if I didn't tell you about the worst case scenario, you’d just get tetchy later if it came to pass.”

“If the risk is so great, should we not think of a better option?” Cadance asked.

“‘Great’ is a relative term,” the Doctor said.

The crystal began levitating, before floating about three feet away from the Doctor, about two feet from the ground. A moment later, a white light flared, and suddenly a grey unicorn mare was standing there, her expression impassive.

“Chalcedony, online,” she said dully, her voice tinged by something unnatural. “How may I be of assistance, Doctor?”

“Was zum Teufel?!” Stephan exclaimed.

“These things can have AI written into them,” the Doctor said shortly. “Not unlike the spell-matrix AI seen in more complex spells. In a way, this is a benign version of some things that your enemy have.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Stephan asked. He paused. “Wait. Chalcedony. Isn’t that the mare that-”

“I’d… really rather not talk about it,” the Doctor said shortly. “And yes. On both counts. The Solar Empire’s AI can almost completely rewrite a person into a Newfoal in the time it takes to say ‘almost completely rewrite a person into a Newfoal’. Chalcedony might be the best chance you have of repairing this damage.”

“How may I be of assistance, Doctor?” the mare asked again.

“Just assessment, Chalcedony,” the Doctor said quietly. “Get me a report, see what we can do with this.”

“Confirmed,” the mare said.

There was a flare, and the mare disappeared, leaving the crystal floating. It floated over to the glass, before a flare of light flashed, washing over Trixie. After a moment, the crystal floated back, before the grey mare appeared again.

“Initial assessment complete,” she said blandly. “Working.”

Stephan folded his arms. The Doctor’s expression was thoughtful.

“Assessment results follow,” the mare said. “Subject has sustained level eight fragmentation. Procedures possible: erasure of memory. Possibility of resistance and damage: 48%. Attempted erasure of hostile personalities. Possibility of resistance and damage: 94.7%–”

“What’s ‘resistance and damage’ mean?” Stephan asked, scowling.

“It means, Trixie would fight back against a foreign presence in her mind,” the Doctor replied, shaking his head sadly. “You’d not get her back the same.”

“So what this tells us is that we should go in ourselves,” Chrysalis put in, smirking. “I take it that’s what you’re saying?”

“Multiple telepathic contacts may be attempted, but risk of damage remains at–” the AI began.

“Log off, Chalcedony,” the Doctor said quietly. The mare disappeared, and he sighed. “I take it you intend to enter her mind yourselves, then?”

“That was one of our options,” Luna said quietly.

“Well, I can stay here and monitor you if you try now,” the Doctor said. “You might need someone on hand in case things get… unpleasant.”

“They won’t get ‘unpleasant’,” Chrysalis put in. “We’ll be able to fix the little mare’s broken psyche. Your machine might be from some distant world, but we’re the experts.” She grinned ferally. “Well, I’m an expert anyway.”

The Doctor held her gaze for a moment, before shrugging. “If you say so, Queen Chrysalis. I’ll wait out here.”

“Me too,” Stephan said shortly, arms folded. “I… there’s some places you need to leave alone. Besides, the meeting is soon.”

“Rest assured, Major, we will be there,” Luna said, glancing at Chrysalis, who grinned.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” she said. “It should be fun seeing how you deal with something that doesn’t take a song and dance to solve, Woona.”

Regally, Princess Luna drew herself up to full height over the comatose mare’s bed.

“So, we are clear?” she demanded of them. “Ideally, Major, I should have liked you to come into this dream in search of Miss Lulamoon, but if you are disinclined…”

“I’d do anything for Trixie,” Stephan said quietly. “But going into her mind? That’s…”

He trailed off.

“There’s some places we shouldn’t go,” the Doctor put in. “Places where secrets should be kept.”

“In any case, key pieces of the human mind remain elusive to me, in what limited time I’ve had to study its workings,” Luna said quietly. “That is why you, Cadance, an alicorn pony, and you Chrysalis, a cousin to alicorns, must together undertake the first leg of this journey yourselves, so that through your knowledge of love’s trappings, you may bring a lost maiden closer to her knight…”

Chrysalis giggled. “The first knight in human folklore whose maiden is also his horse, if I do so remember correctly, hm?”

And Cadance struggled to contain her own emotions, culminating, despite herself, into an unexpected outburst of laughter, followed a moment later by the Doctor, who chuckled. Stephan frowned.

“That’s not funny,” he said.

“It kind of is,” the Doctor said, still chuckling.

The Queen stretched out her hooves a little too exaggeratedly. “Now, do hurry up, Moonbutt, we have an appointment at the Palace awaiting us both.”

As it was, the nickname slid off Luna like water off a swan’s back. All she did was nod, glad that everyone’s attention was on the delicate matter before them, and her horn shone, an ethereal, becalming blue glow, which bespoke the power of the starts concentrated into one lone, sainted spot.

“This part always make me feel like I’m watching someone screw in a lightbulb,” commented Chrysalis. “And people criticize me for my taste in furniture, but it’s you ponies who’ve got a habit of placing glowflies in lamps…”

“Well, well,” Chrysalis exclaimed, over the hustle and bustle of the happy crowd. “This certainly is quite the spectacle, wouldn’t you say?”

That it was, Luna had to agree.

Perhaps, to her nightborn eyes, this wasn’t quite so glorious and tastefully coloured as the Nightmare Night celebration she had attended in Ponyville, on that marvellous evening when she had first dared show herself in public for this time in one-and-a-thousand years. Perhaps these displays just felt a little too flashy and gaudy to her taste, all bright colours, every imaginable shade of blue and red and yellow, of green, of purple, of orange, here a dab of white, there a dash of pink, yet still, they were a dazzle.

But the sights and sounds of the stands, proudly boasting an array of cinnamon buns, mangrove juice, pumpkin pastries, apple fritters and apple pies, and of course, the inevitable balloons of yet more colours of the rainbow, lots and lots of balloons, without forgetting, most important of all, the shrieks of laughter she so loved to hear from a child’s heart...

This was a funfair such as only Equestria could provide.

“How’re we supposed to even *find her in this crowd? Heck, I can’t tell who’s who with all these colors!” Cadance exclaimed loudly.*

“Oh, Princess,” Chrysalis said, patting her on the back. “If you were only half as familiar with Twixie, little Bella, as I was, then you’d know the Spy still loves a bit of crowd-pleasing attention here and there. One only needs to look closer. Shall we?”

And so they did.

The mismatched trio gazed around, looking around for a mare in blue, a performer, any sort of mare that fit the description of one Trixie Lulamoon. Certainly, the place was, as Cadance had expressed, a mishmash of colours.

“She can’t be far,” Cadance insisted. “A mare of her ego wouldn’t go under for long, not inside her own mind of all places.”

Luna heard her fellow princess sigh.

“Chrysalis…” Cadance began, the utmost reluctance peppered all over her tone. “So long as there’s no projection of Major Bauer in this crowd, I can’t follow the trail of love Miss Lulamoon might feel for him. We’re going to need to keep our senses open for her self-aggrandising, and that’s where you’re best at… what a shock...”

“You know me too well, deary,” Chrysalis replied, with her characteristic smirk. “The stage right over there would be the obvious spot.”

Her hoof pointed straight at the central stage, amidst the cheering, buzzing crowd.

“So there,” she stated in triumph. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“BEHOLD!” boomed a familiar voice from the stage. “Behold, PONIES! Come and feast your eyes upon the wonders which the GREEEAT and POWERFUL Trixie shall deliver to you on this fine summer afternoon!”

There she was, dressed in a magician’s outfit, pointed hat and all. The crowd roared in utter joy, and Cadance couldn’t help but smile.

“Aye, that be her, alright,” Luna noted. “Voice like that, she’d have fit in well at Canterlot Court from a thousand years past.”

Chrysalis glanced at her. “What, now you’re thinking of taking her on as a personal student? Job’s already taken, my dear… in another universe, another me took care of it.”

“I doubt it.” Luna pondered, tapping a hoof to her chin.

“Ladies, let’s, keep our focus?” Cadance said, clearing her throat. “Chrysalis, thank you, but we haven’t actually reached her yet. And Aunt Luna, surely you know how these things go, all very happy and smiley at first, until… something scary happens.”

“She’s right,” Luna said, giving the younger princess a grateful nod. “We mustn’t dilly-daddle.”

“Well, maybe not,” Chrysalis remarked. “But first, we’re gonna need to squeeze our way through this admiring rabble. You can tell this is a dream, none of them are trembling and cowering away in awe at my beautiful face.”

“As if,” Cadance mocked. “Look, let’s just… keep an eye on her?”

“You say the show must go on, after all, then?” Luna asked her niece. “Mayhaps it is not proper decorum to interrupt a performance, yet as you yourself said, time is of the essence.”

Cadance swallowed unhappily. “Yes, but I don’t think Trixie would appreciate us messing up her show. That’d only lead to further complications. I suggest we wait for a crucial moment in the applause, when she’ll be at her happiest. Then we go in.”

“I suppose it’s fine by me,” Chrysalis agreed. “I for one, would love to see what Bellatrix Lulamoon has to offer!”

Onstage, Trixie had called up a new item into existence. By the looks of things, it resembled nothing so much as a treasure chest, complete with a perfectly rounded wooden lid and huge iron lock, such as one might find in a children’s picture book.

“AAAND for my next trick!” the showmare announced. “BEHOLD, this chest! As you can see, fillies and gentlecolts,” she declared, holding out both forehooves in turn. “I have no lockpicks up my sleeves, no crowbar hidden under my wizard’s cap, and my horn shall not shine during this whole trick, except to turn the key in its lock. But, before your wondering eyes, I shall ask for a volunteer, an earthpony or a pegasus, for your confidence, to lower themselves unto this very chest, from whence they shall make their getaway without magic!”

“Aah, pretty standard trick, that,” Chrysalis muttered. “Double trapdoor, one on the stage, and the other at the bottom of the chest. How anyone can be amazed by it…”

“It’s all show business, Chrysalis,” Luna admonished her. “Trixie does it well.”

For some reason, she noticed a childlike grin tugging at Cadance’s dainty lips.

“Niece?” Luna asked. “What about this trick brightens your countenance so?”

Cadance tittered delicately. “Well, it is kinda sad, too, thinking back on it…” the Princess of Love confessed. “But… Bluey. Makes me think to when we were little foals with Aunt Celestia… he did so love his pirate games…”

“Ah, yes. Him.” Chrysalis sneered. “Dear Fancypants dropped the news that, somehow, Sunbutt found it in her to harangue Discord into freeing him. Said the ponce grew a backbone and volunteered to join the fight. Good luck with that! Last I saw him, he was a soaking wet, whimpering mess of a stallion. My children caught him in the shower.”

“Oh, shut it, Chrysalis,” Cadance snapped, stomping a hoof in annoyance. “At least he’s in this for a worthy purpose! You just want to save your own sorry hide.”

“My, my, Candy,” Chrysalis taunted her. “Sticking up for your loser brat of a cousin, are we? How terribly sweet. If you’re so fond of Blueblood, why wasn’t he at your wedding?”

“Aunt Luna wasn’t at the wedding either,” Cadance retorted, dodging the question. “I don’t expect everyone to come at my beck and call, Chrysalis, unlike you. Caught my cousin while he was showering, did they, your foul brood? Well, when was the last time you even sponged yourself down without having one of your drones do it for you?”

Chrysalis sputtered and stammered, and for the first time since she was here, Luna thought she saw a glint of frustration beneath the queen’s smooth facade.

“That is enough, please,” Luna declared, standing between the increasingly aggravated mares. “Both of you.”

“Fine... look, I’ll make it up to her,” Chrysalis told Luna placatingly, reaching toward a nearby wheeled confectionary stand she hadn’t noticed before, like it had only just appeared. “Here, Cadance, my treat. Fancy some candyfloss?”

“Candy… floss?” Cadance repeated in disbelief, with a twitch of the eye which failed to escape Luna’s gaze.

“Yes, candy floss!” Chrysalis exclaimed cheerfully, picking up one a pink-and-blue example of the confection from the stand, without paying. “Remember, just as delighted us a few months back... well, it was delightful for me, anyhoo. Quite a story, Luna. Would you care to hear it? It’d make old Discord himself proud.”

But Luna felt she very much did not want to hear it. The nervous twitch had spread from Cadance’s eye to all her joints now, lips and hooves and wings, to a spasm which shook the pink mare in a manner Miss Pie could scarcely have kept up with.

“Ch-chrysalis, you… you d-disgusting, tw-twisted, uncaring m-monster!” Cadance spluttered, half-strangled by her own fury.

Without warning, she made an angry lunge at the Changeling Queen. But she did not get very far, when just as suddenly, a wooden stake burst from the ground right behind her in a horrid screeching sound, in synch with the three lengths of rope which appeared in mid-air and, swaying like tentacles, launched to wrap themselves tightly around her petite torso and forelegs, dragging her to the stake, leaving tracks of upturned earth in her wake. Cadance barely had time to gasp before a silken gag clamped over her mouth.

And, to Luna’s horror, with bursts of green flame, every pony within the crowd melted away into Changelings.

“Queen CHRYSALIS!” Luna roared, seized with rage. “What is the meaning of this?”

Even Chrysalis looked a bit surprised, until recognition dawned in her eyes.

“This is not my doing, Princess,” the Changeling Queen said, barely holding back a giggle. “My best guess is, our little ‘Candy’ here has a powerful memory which has overcome her, one she’d prefer you didn’t see! Ooh, this ought to be fun!”

Before Luna’s incredulous sight, Cadance’s horn crackled, not with magic, but as though some foreign body were trying to emerge from it. The alicornial tissues frazzled, and something blossomed forth. At first, Luna mistook it for a thick, pink cloud. Then the punchline hit her.

“... Candyfloss?”

Chattering and chittering with glee, the Changeling drones surged forward unto the spot where Princess Cadance, her horn converted into a common stick for cotton candy, was held bound and gagged to the stake.

“Well, admittedly, I did not think this through,” Chrysalis said curiously. “But yes, Woona. What you see here is not some trick of the mind, merely a memory come to life, of a use my sweet children found for Candy while she was in our clutches. Isn’t it just darling?”

In two and threes, drone after drone leapt to take bites out of the candyfloss atop the struggling Cadance’s unpowered horn, the amount of which never seemed to grow any less.

“You used my royal niece… as a stick of candy…” Luna shook her head, trying to clear it. “Chrysalis,” she uttered lowly. “If you do not make an active contribution to our efforts here. So help me, I will personally ensure your removal from–”

But her inquiry was interrupted, by another yell from on top of the stage.

“For our volunteer, a traitor, from the false Equestria! A slave, of the dastardly Tyrant herself!” Trixie declared, and in came a bound and gagged Royal Guardsmare, clad in a sort of armor that Luna was sure she had seen in photographs of Earth’s battlegrounds.

A Guard of the Solar Empire.

On the stage, a yellow pegasus mare struggled against her bonds, whimpering from beneath her gag. Looking down an as-yet unseen threat, her eyes widened, and her struggles increased.

“Cease your petty squabbling, both of you!” Luna boomed, but it was no use, for the chittering of the Changelings washed over even the Royal Canterlot Voice like it was nothing.

Dejected, and regretting bringing both mares into the mind dive, the Lunar Princess struggled to keep her focus upon Trixie, and whatever it was she intended for the poor soul on her stage.

“Surely it can’t–”

But Luna’s exclamation was cut short, by a bloodcurdling scream, punctuated by the splatter of blood and viscera from within the box, a truly unsettling sight. Luna sighed, wincing from both the squabbling Queen and Princess, and the horrific show before her. She would have to clear both their minds, when all was said and done.

It had started so well, too...

“Curses.”

When they came out of it, the Doctor was sat on a chair, reading a book, his eyes narrowed. He looked up as they all started shaking their heads and stretching their tensed muscles.

“I take it your little sojourn didn’t go quite as planned?” he asked.

They said nothing, but Luna stretched herself out and, glowering, left by the door behind which, the Doctor knew, Bauer was waiting. She looked as if she wanted a word.

The Element Bearers and Lyra had, for the moment, stopped their usual training regimen. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had taken the opportunity to go visit their families. None of them knew when they might next get the chance, after all. Pinkie Pie was taking the time to get to know Viktor Kraber, much to Major Bauer’s dismay.

“You like that show too?!”

“Fokkin’ right I do! I watched it all the time back in college! Don’t lose your way… and we all got drunk and sang along in our apartment. It was fokkin’ kwaai!”

“You watched a lot of Earth cartoons, wow! Any recommendations?”

“Star vs. The Forces Of Evil seems right up your alley. It’s...”

“I don’t have an alleyway! But if you think it fits there, I should check it out!”

“That’s not what I… ah fok it. Why not.”

Lyra, for her part, was taking the opportunity to indulge in a little sitting and reading. It had been a long time since she’d been able to do so. Between training and… certain revelations, she hadn’t been able to find time for it.

She had spoken with Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy about the events of the past few days. The three of them had been somewhat tight-lipped. Apparently, although they had not witnessed everything, they had witnessed enough that an order to ‘not discuss the mission’ had trickled down to them.

“Feels like lyin’ to me,” Applejack had said. “Lyin’ by omission is lyin’ all the same.”

“Why, though?” Rarity asked. “I’m just curious.”

“Because, even if there’s still some truth, it’s dishonest all the same to conceal stuff like that,” Applejack said.

“There must be a reason for it,” Rarity had said quietly. “Something important. Maybe they’re still trying to piece together what happened and don’t want an incomplete story getting too far out there and distorting the truth.”

“Maybe,” Applejack had admitted grudgingly. “But still... somethin’ about this feels wrong.”

Fluttershy had said nothing, which in and of itself was a sign that things had gotten pretty hairy out there.

“At least you’re all okay,” Lyra had said to them.

“Not everypony is,” Fluttershy had whispered.

They had left the conversation at that, and the three had soon gone off to do other things, leaving Lyra alone.

Shaking her head free of her reminiscing, she glanced up at the sky - the weather was sunny, with a slight breeze running through to make it just perfect. She frowned slightly - the forecast for today had been overcast and rainy. Then again, it wouldn’t be impossible that plans had changed for whatever reason. It would have been nice for some warning though.

At that moment, she spotted Marcus walking quietly through the courtyard, a pensive expression on his face.

“Hey, Marcus,” she called over. He turned to look at her, a slight frown on his face. Lyra blinked, remembering that she was still addressing a superior officer. “Uh, that is, Colonel Renee.”

“No, it'’s fine,” Marcus said. “We’re not in a formal situation here.” He paused, smiling at her. “How have you been doing, Lyra?”

“Oh, fine,” she said, smiling. “Feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”

“It can’t have been that long,” Marcus said. He shook his head. “I guess time flies when you're having fun.”

“And does the opposite when you’re not,” Lyra agreed. “Not,” she added hastily, “that my work isn't rewarding, it just–”

“I get what you mean,” Marcus said, holding up a hand to forestall her explanation. “And yeah. I guess it does seem to slow down just when you don't want it to.”

He paused, shaking his head. Lyra frowned.

“What is it?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.

“It’s my fault,” he said softly, looking up at the sky.

“What is?” she asked.

“This… this whole fucking thing,” he clarified. “Your world coming to the war. I’ve robbed your people of their innocence.”

Lyra paused, thinking his words over. “The Tyrant robbed us of our innocence. You didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“If I had never come here–”

“We would only have been a target eventually,” Lyra reasoned. “It’s like Discord says, Tirek wouldn’t stop with just one world. He’ll only keep going.”

“That’s true,” Marcus said quietly. “But I made your world his next target.”

“Better me than some other me,” Lyra said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t ask anything of anypony that I wouldn’t do myself. Not knowing what I know.”

Marcus smiled. “You sound like her.”

There was a pause as Lyra smiled at the compliment.

“Whatever else happens, Marcus, I think there’s a lot of good that can come of your world and ours meeting,” she said softly after a moment. “I mean, look at me. I’ve met humans. I’m going to do something with my life, something more than just sitting on my plot doing nothing.”

“You might… die,” Marcus pointed out.

Lyra shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m gonna die one day anyway. Some souls die in battle, others in their sleep, and some die for no reason at all. But fighting alongside humanity… that’s a chance for me to die for something I believe.”

Marcus paused. “Isn’t that from a game?”

Lyra shrugged. “I got an Xbox. So sue me.”

Marcus snorted. “You’re as bad as she was.” He grinned. “And I wouldn’t change it.”

He gave her a little hug, and she smiled, before he walked off. She watched him go, wishing she could do more to help him. Still, she was doing her part. What else was there?

It’s strange how comforting it was talking to Lyra, even for a little bit. She’s not our Lyra, and God willing she’ll never have to be, but she's still got the same generosity of spirit.

I wished our Lyra was alive, then. I wished she was here to help me deal with the fallout. But then if Lyra had been around, none of this would have happened.

The council chamber that had been chosen for the meeting was old. Ancient tapestries adorned the walls, and a clunky suit of ancient plate armor stood in the corner, looking faintly ominous as the slit in the visor stared out at the occupants.

Celestia and Luna had arrived first, both looking grim. Chrysalis had arrived a few minutes later, looking faintly amused by the whole thing, as if she was privy to some private joke. Marcus and Stephan both came with unreadable expressions, like they were carefully schooling their emotions. Finally the Umbrella Man himself came, a soft frown on his face.

“Mr. Holmes,” Marcus greeted him. “These are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna–”

“I know who they are, Colonel Renee,” the Umbrella Man said with a soft, patient smile. “A pleasure to meet you both, in circumstances not involving the imminent obliteration of my species.”

Luna inclined her head. Celestia smiled.

“A pleasure, Mr. Holmes,” she said. “I believe your reputation precedes you.”

“Only the parts I wish to, Your Highness,” the Umbrella Man said with a deferential air. “And if I may, I prefer to keep my name off the record.”

“Alright,” Marcus said softly. “Where’s Fancypants?”

“He will be along later,” Celestia said vaguely. “To an extent, I was hoping we could get any… murkier business finished with before he arrived. The less we incriminate the new government in these sorts of backroom dealings, the happier I shall feel.”

“And the more secure they will prove to be in the long run,” Luna added with a sage nod.

“A wise policy,” the Umbrella Man commented. “It is usually accurate to say that the fewer people know a secret, the easier that secret is to keep.”

Marcus sighed. “I assume you're up to speed, sir?”

“I read the briefing notes you left,” the Umbrella Man said dryly. “Your style is certainly direct, which for once is helpful as well as tedious to read, so thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Marcus said, leaning on the table, his expression surprisingly neutral. “I’m glad my ‘tediousness’ was helpful.”

"How'd you end up here, anyway?" Stephan asked the Umbrella Man irritably. "Last I heard, weren’t you supposed to be positioned in Antarctica?”

“I finished my... errand there, Major,” said the Umbrella Man. “Besides, it’s become something of an open secret that I come and go as I please.”

“‘He is the British Government’, that’s what some people say,” Stephan scoffed.

“Oh, please. I merely am blessed to go places where people extend their generosities towards me,” the Umbrella Man said, shrugging. “In terms of my actual occupation, technically, I merely occupy a minor position in the former British govern–”

“But we both know that isn’t really the case, right?” Marcus interrupted, frowning. “Lyra had eyes in her head, sir. A fine pair of golden eyes. And they didn’t miss out that you are more than you claim to be."

“They also didn't miss that I was on her side,” the Umbrella Man said pointedly. “Something I would ask you to remember, despite your personal… reservations.”

“If you are as insightful as your reputation suggests,” Celestia said diplomatically, “your input will be welcome here, sir.”

“I suspect I am nowhere near as insightful, so to speak, as yourself and Princess Luna, Your Highness,” the Umbrella Man said modestly. “But I spend my time almost exclusively dealing with messes of this sort. In this, hopefully I shall bring a point of view that is useful in resolving this situation to the maximum benefit for all involved.”

“If there can be a benefit,” Stephan muttered.

“There’s always a way to wring an advantage out of even the most dire situation,” Chrysalis put in with a soft, almost predatory smile. She did not elaborate.

“Now, I’m curious as to whether you have captured the perpetrator, Colonel Renee?” the Umbrella Man inquired politely.

“Short Fuse and his accomplices are being interrogated as we speak...” Marcus began.

The Umbrella Man cut him off with a cough. “Singular, Colonel Renee, singular. You cannot possibly assume all of this resultant mess was the work of a few rogue thugs?”

Palms pressed to a stack of documents, Stephan leaned in, sudden interest lighting his face.

“As a matter of fact, sir, we don’t,” he said. “The report, which you’ve read, prominently mentions I was approached by a hooded mare. Whoever she was, she was unnervingly resourceful, and came closest to killing me, not to mention actually succeeding in incapacitating Discord.”

The Umbrella Man’s face was unreadable. “Wraiths are not my domain, Major. I’m a person who deals in hard, rational fact. The Lord of Chaos’ current status is a matter for the thaumaturgic experts of our friends on Equus Prime. Instead, please enlighten me, how did we lose control of our most valuable infiltration asset? Would you blame that on a hooded mare as well?”

Stephan frowned, tapping his fingers irritatedly.

“You are asking me the how, when I barely understand the entire situation,” he growled, “which, currently, is blowing up in our collective faces. We have theories, but no way of confirming anything. In the meantime, Discord is down for the count, and while Princess Luna reassures us he’ll recover some by the time we make our move, he won’t be back to full power for a while.  And this situation in the town of Ponyville…”

“Is the source of the potentially devastating PR disaster we are here to avert,” Celestia put in calmly. “Gentlemen, please remain calm. We are all on the same side.”

Stephan scowled, but said nothing. The Umbrella Man merely inclined his head.

“As you say, Your Highness,” he said softly. “I am merely trying to uncover the truths we will be attempting to process.”

“Maybe you should stop being so fucking high and mighty,” Marcus said bluntly. "The more time we have to deal with us getting on each other's neck, the less we can accomplish.”

“Oh, I can move mountains in my field, Colonel, make no mistake about that,” the Umbrella Man said with a quiet confidence. “It is merely regrettable that the task before us is moving planets.”

“Moving planets,” Luna put in with a small smile, “is something I am very familiar with.” She looked around. “We are getting bogged down in irrelevancies. Before us is a truth, that the Blue Spy was compromised and turned against us, resulting in her killing an innocent mare.”

“And nearly killing several others, including her poor lover,” Chrysalis pointed out with an oddly cheery smile. “Don't forget that part. It adds weight, tension, gravitas.”

Luna scowled, but ignored her. “We are left with the question of how this news should be broken to the public.”

“A difficult question, to be sure,” the Umbrella Man commented quietly. “The PHL’s position in this world is tenuous. It may make your subjects question the moral integrity of the organisation, at a time when they need to believe absolutely in the cause.”

“There’s also the fact that, even if they don’t think you’re a bunch of savages, they’ll think you’re weak,” Chrysalis put in.

“‘Weak’?” Stephan repeated.

“Think about it,” Chrysalis said, sounding oddly serious. “You go out there and say ‘oh, one of our top agents was compromised, went mad, and then killed somepony’. ‘Oh, one of our top officers was captured by one mystery mare and a bunch of lowlife thugs’. Even if they don’t think you’re employing lunatics, they’ll wonder how weak you must be for these events to happen as transpired.”

“Is that such an issue?” Stephan asked.

“Believe me, Major, a sign of weakness is also not a good thing,” the Umbrella Man said. “You’ve banked on convincing this alliance that we are not only a moral ally to stand by with a moral cause, but also that we’re the strongest partner in the alliance. You’ve made a point of teaching them our tactics, giving them our weapons.”

“You’d make them question, even subconsciously, whether you’re even competent,” Chrysalis finished, smiling slightly. “They’ll ask, ‘why should we listen to you?’ They might even be right to.” At Stephan’s glare, she grinned. “Merely playing devil’s advocate, as it were.”

“Conjuring all the potentially bad scenarios from this isn’t helping in our approach on how to deal with the information,” Marcus said, irritated.

“That’s because you’re approaching this from the perspective of ‘we’re going to tell people the truth’,” Chrysalis said with a small, feral grin. “Which, if you ask me, you shouldn’t.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?”

“How many people and ponies know who killed that mare?” Chrysalis asked. “As in, who the killer really is, what really happened to her? Not enough to whistleblow, since most of them are under your command.”

“So, what? We conceal what happened?” Stephan asked.

“It needn’t be that big a lie,” Chrysalis said, mock-sweetly. “‘An agent operating under the command of Imperial forces, working in collusion with the Empire’s sympathisers, engaged in a terror attack on Ponyville. One mare was killed. The enemy agent is in custody.’ None of that would even be a lie, just… not the whole truth.”

“There would be questions about this enemy agent,” the Umbrella Man said softly. “Questions that we’d need satisfactory answers for at some point.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Chrysalis said, still smiling. “All you’d need is a body.”

Celestia, silent up until now, frowned. “A body?”

“All ponies in Ponyville who saw your vaunted Blue Spy will know about the agent is that she was… well, blue, and a mare,” Chrysalis said. “That shade of baby-blue is hardly unique to Trixie. I’m certain a suitable corpse could be found.”

“Acquiring a corpse is an easy business in times of war,” the Umbrella Man said. “I can even have one shipped to us by an acquaintance’s private conveyance.”

“Of course,” Marcus said heavily. “So, what? We use the corpse as a scapegoat?”

“It would be easy to provide a public statement that the enemy agent was killed attempting to escape capture,” the Umbrella Man said.

“And you have it all nice and neat... no-onw would ever be able to ask the corpse if she was a scapegoat,” Chrysalis said. She grinned nastily. “Well, they could try, but she’d probably not be very talkative.”

Marcus and Stephan exchanged glances.

“There’s another choice we haven't considered,” Luna put in, gaining everyone's attention. “We do not need to acquire a new scapegoat, not when we already have Trixie Lulamoon in custody.”

“We’re not throwing Trixie under the bus,” Stephan said angrily.

“Not the Spy,” Luna said quietly.

Everyone in the room stared at her. It took a long moment for the Night Princess to speak again, her expression doleful.

“Our world’s Trixie Lulamoon,” she explained, each word slow and steady. “She was arrested and placed in prison a very short while ago. A short enough time that it is plausible she was still free in a feasible timeframe to be the perpetrator of the attack on Ponyville.”

“She would still need to die,” the Umbrella Man said without inflection. “Or she might still be able to tell the truth.”

“Not if she were convinced that our lie was the truth,” Luna said slowly.

The Umbrella Man frowned at her words. “In what sense?”

“We have a rare opportunity presented before us, but it is as much of a delicate undertaking as your own plan, sir,” Luna said slowly. “However, I believe having a live accused, not just to blame, but to have confessed to the deed, would do more damage to the Tyrant and those seeking to undermine all we have worked for than a simple body.”

“And you believe you can arrange for... this world’s Trixie Lulamoon to make that confession?” the Umbrella Man asked.

“We already know the enemy uses memory wipes,” Luna said grimly. “I believe we can convince her that she has undergone such an erasure.”

“Would she believe you?” Marcus asked, folding his arms.

“Why would she not?” Luna asked with a mirthless smile. “One who has undergone a memory wipe would hardly be able to say they ‘did not remember’ such a deed, and a competent magician usually attempts to cover the gaps, even if merely with a thin perceptual alteration.”

“As I said yesterday, Colonel,” Celestia added, her face grim. “Ponies usually believe us when we tell them something is a certain way. We have a lot of trust built up in us, and it allows us leeway.” She frowned in what might have been disgust. “I suspect you will find this selfsame trust is a large reason for the following the Queen retained, at least at first.”

“Seems to me that relying on your reputation is a big risk,” Chrysalis commented idly. “When you have another way to ensure she believes you.”

All eyes turned to her.

“Explain, Chrysalis,” Celestia said shortly.

“You have a copy of the memories of the attack already,” Chrysalis said, a slow, dangerous smile forming on her face. “Why not simply transfer those to our little scapegoat?”

“Transfer them?” Stephan said. “How would you do that?”

“Easily enough,” Chrysalis shrugged. “Lie to Lulamoon as you intended. Tell her that she’s had memories wiped by some of the Empire’s agents, and that she needs to have the memory block removed in order to remember them. Then, you can simply transfer the relevant memories in while she’s out.”

“Is that even possible?” Marcus asked Celestia and Luna.

“This is more your field,” Celestia told her sister quietly.

Luna looked thoughtful. “Transferring the memories between two beings would normally be caught within a few moments, owing to the discontinuity. No two beings are the same, after all. But…”

“But?” Stephan pressed.

“This has obviously never been tested before,” Luna whispered, “but if the two beings were essentially the same person, then it would theoretically be much easier to achieve.”

“That may be so,” Celestia agreed, “but such spell casting and mental manipulation could be found if anyone were to look deeper into it.”

Marcus frowned thoughtfully. “Is there a way to do it without magic?”

“Without magic?” Luna asked. “You would be speaking in the realms of technology, but it is your kind who understand advanced technology best.”

“And there's no technology I know of that is that complete when it comes to messing with people’s heads,” Stephan said with a frown. “There's chemicals, there's hypnosis… wait a minute.”

“What?” Marcus asked.

“Technology that can mess with someone’s mind,” Stephan said, sharing a glance with Luna. “We know someone who can do it.”

“He was willing to help us before,” Luna reasoned.

“Who was this?” Marcus asked.

“Doctor Bowman,” Stephan said.

“He owes me a favor, and even if he doesn’t see it that way, there are other means of persuasion,” the Umbrella Man said softly, nodding thoughtfully. “And you know he has technology to assist us in this matter?”

“He demonstrated technology that he believed could potentially assist,” Luna explained. “Without knowing the technology well, I suspect he could use it to assist, or find something similar.”

Marcus frowned. “Bowman might have helped with Trixie earlier, but I know him, his reputation. He’s a wild card, a loose cannon. Wouldn’t Whooves be just as good?”

“We don’t have the leverage over Whooves we have over Bowman,” the Umbrella Man said, his smile turning slightly predatory. “And leverage is a powerful weapon, in the right hands.”

“Your hands?” Chrysalis asked, apparently amused.

“Among others, Your Majesty,” the Umbrella Man said with a slight incline of the head. “I tend to know what I’m doing with people. They are easy to manipulate. Even the clever ones.”

Marcus sighed. “Fine. If we can convince Bowman, and I mean we,” he added, glaring at the Umbrella Man, “then… I guess it’s better than killing an innocent.”

“Indeed, Colonel,” the Umbrella Man said. “It would mean calling in less favours.”

Stephan shook his head. “This seems too easy. Someone’s bound to learn the truth eventually.”

“Probably,” the Umbrella Man admitted. “There is no such thing as the perfectly-kept secret.”

“If we can’t keep the secret, then what’s the fucking point of the lie?!” Marcus asked.

“Because they’ll believe it today,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes as though the answer were obvious. “You need them to believe it today. You don't need them to believe it forever.”

“Precisely,” the Umbrella Man said. “Tell a lie today, one with enough fabricated evidence to keep it from being exposed too quickly, and it’ll keep the Alliance intact. If we tell the truth, we risk the Alliance fragmenting, ponies questioning whether the price is worth paying. This way,  the Alliance is… strengthened.”

“How the hell do you figure that one?” Marcus asked incredulously.

“Revenge is a powerful motivator,” Chrysalis said with a feral smile. “They have had their homes struck. This war just became personal. If you tell them their enemy attacked them, play it up as ‘an attack designed to weaken Equestria’s resolve for the war’, using one of Equestria’s own, no less, then they’ll be all the more determined to give their enemies a bloody nose.”

“Essentially accurate,” the Umbrella Man commented quietly.

“And after?” Stephan asked quietly.

“After the war, it is not a priority,” the Umbrella Man said. “Once the war is concluded, assuming we are not all corpses and Newfoals, the lie is kept only for as long as we can, and we do not need to keep the Alliance stable. It is not sufficient enough a lie to risk anything other than mild political embarrassment for those involved... and since the Princesses are stepping down from true rulership, I am not on record, and no one likes the Changelings anyway... no offence, Queen Chrysalis.”

“None taken,” the Queen smirked.

“The damage is superficial,” the Umbrella Man finished. “The only damage we suffer today is whatever damage goes on your... conscience, for what we must do.”

Marcus gave a hollow chuckle. “Well, I’m certainly glad we had this little chat. I’d have hated to do anything morally murky.”

The Umbrella Man raised an eyebrow. “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Colonel.”

“We’re going to convince an innocent she’s guilty of murder, just to cover up our own agent’s mistake and our inability to stop her in time,” Marcus said grimly. “Forgive me if that pisses me off.”

The Umbrella Man clucked his tongue. “This war is not clean. You know that. Do not pretend this is dirtier than anything else which can and has been done. We’re not doing this because it is good, we are doing it because we must.”

“Speak for yourself,” Chrysalis interrupted. “I find this all immensely funny.”

The Umbrella Man ignored her. “However ‘murky’ you find this course of action, it will save the Alliance. It will strengthen the resolve of our allies to fight our implacable foe, and will, ultimately, serve us better than any other outcome. And it will be done with no innocent blood on our hands.”

“We’ll destroy a mare’s life,” Marcus said hollowly.

“To spare Earth’s existence,” the Umbrella Man retorted. “One individual’s reputation, her freedom, is nothing compared to that. If she spends the rest of her days paying for the deeds of the Spy, but we win the war, it is a price worth paying. Considerably less a price than many others have paid.”

Marcus said nothing, looking away from the Umbrella Man with a conflicted expression.

“I do not like this,” Celestia put in. “But I have ruled long enough to know the morally shining path is not always the right one, much as I detest that truism. And at least this way, we won’t need to kill any more innocents.” She sighed. “You have my support.”

“As you have mine,” Luna put in. “Trixie Lulamoon’s sacrifice will be necessary, but this way, she will in effect save us all, and we can ensure she stays in comfortable imprisonment.”

Stephan growled. “I’d have stronger words than ‘morally murky’. But…” he sighed. “It’s the pragmatic choice.”

Marcus made a noise at the back of his throat. “Alright. Fine.”

“We can inform Fancy of the results of this meeting when he arrives,” Luna put in. “I suspect he will have questions, but he trusts us.”

“All we really need tell dear old Fancy is that we’ll soon have an announcement to be given concerning the Ponyville attack,” Chrysalis said with a wistful smile. “He’ll be grateful for having something positive and productive. And like you said, Celly, your little ponies trust you.”

Celestia frowned. “I will ask Fancy to arrange for a press conference in a few days. Hopefully all will be well by then.”

“Yeah,” Marcus said quietly. “Hopefully.”

The first hurdle we faced would be convincing Doctor Bowman.

Doctor Bowman… the Doctor, or one of him. I didn't know much about him: he’d worked for a while with R&D, helping Colonels Hex and Munro, before supposedly taking a leave of absence after a mission gone wrong. I knew he was, supposedly, a version of Doc Whooves from some other world, here with his own agenda - an agenda that included helping the Reavers, an HLF group that was, supposedly, one of the ones that actually wasn't completely mad.

I didn’t trust him. I was sure he didn’t trust me. We’d met once, briefly, and the experience was less than positive for either of us. Nonetheless, I had to convince him to help with our plan, whatever ‘convincing him’ took.

DAY THREE. NOON.

The office seemed colder today. Marcus didn't know why that was. The weather was as sunny as it had been for days, which left Marcus with the distinct impression that Celestia was quietly requesting nice weather from the local weather teams. God knew, they didn’t need rain to dampen their spirits.

Or maybe it was just a coincidence. Who knew?

Other than the cold, the office was unchanged from how it usually looked, save for a slightly larger pile of papers on the desk, a symptom of the ever-increasingly desperate situation in Earth. Projections had been drawn up by their best tactical minds, projections that were as inconclusive as the calculations Marcus himself had tried to make. No one knew if the defences they had spent so long building up would do the job.

‘All the more reason to do what we’re doing,’ Marcus thought grimly. ‘We have enough on our plate. This problem needs to be dealt with.’

The Umbrella Man was standing in one corner of the room. Marcus could almost have called it ‘looming’, except that he seemed more like he was trying to be invisible. The two of them were waiting.

“He is coming, right?” Marcus asked.

The Umbrella Man held up a small, beeping device. “I believe so.”

“Comforting,” Marcus said irritably. “And when he gets here–”

“When he gets here, Colonel Renee, I will be the one who speaks to him,” the Umbrella Man cut him off. “You’re many things, but your skills are ill-suited to this.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s a point. My best shot is threatening him.” Marcus snorted. “So I suppose you think you can convince him.”

“Perhaps,” was all the Umbrella Man said.

A few moments passed, before a slow rumble could be heard - a noise not unlike strangled trumpeting. It was soft at first, as though it were far away, but slowly came closer, getting louder, until a shape - a nine foot tall box - appeared in the room, the words “Police Public Call Box” showing.

“Well,” the Umbrella Man said with a slightly sardonic tone. “He knows how to make an entrance.”

Marcus said nothing. He wasn't looking forward to this. He and Bowman had only met once before, a few months ago, but it was enough to convince Marcus that he didn't want to repeat the experience.

And yet, here he was.

A moment later, the door to the box opened, and the auburn-haired face of Doctor Bowman popped out of the door.

“Who rang?” he asked.

Bowman, the Doctor, frowned, folding his arms as he stepped out of the box, though he stayed within a step of it. His eyes glanced over to the Umbrella Man, then back to Marcus.

“Colonel Renee,” he said.

“Doctor Bowman,” Marcus said coolly.

It was hard to see this man, this young, distinctly humanoid man with murky hazel eyes, as being the same man (ish) as Doctor Whooves. Where Whooves radiated cheer tinged with age, this Doctor radiated much more impatience, as though he resented being on someone else’s time.

“You’ve been busy,” Marcus said. “Helping Stephan and Luna with Trixie, for one thing.”

“Well, I always like helping where I can,” the Doctor replied. “Before that I was busy transporting Discord. Not sure when he’ll be done, I left him a means to signal me if he needs it.”

“Transporting Discord?” Marcus frowned.

“He needed help,” the Doctor said. “Thought he could heal faster somewhere else.”

“Where did you leave him?” Marcus asked. “We might need him sooner than we’d like.”

The Doctor shrugged. “I’unno. Space Bermuda? Risa? Some resort, a couple of thousand universes to the right, and down a bit, and maybe the left at Albuquerque…” He trailed off at Marcus’ unamused expression. “Look, we got lost and he’s terrible at navigating, especially since whatever he got hit with put him through the wringer more than even he expected. I don’t know where I left him. He should be able to make his own way back, though I told him he shouldn’t try too soon... in case he isn’t back at full whack. I doubt that’s why I’m here anyway. Speaking of, though...” His eyes flicked back to the Umbrella Man. “The space-time signaller I gave you was not a gift given to call me for any old reason.”

“Be assured, Doctor, we are not calling you for ‘any old reason’,” the Umbrella Man replied.

“Best not be,” the Doctor said, grimacing slightly. “I was enjoying myself with a little break on the Citadel after all the excitement getting Discord where he was going.”

“The what?” Marcus asked.

The Doctor waved a hand. “Not important. Let's just say, I don’t like being treated like I’m at someone’s beck and call.” He paused, looking Mycroft in the eye. “So - what political intrigue is it this time, Mikey?”

“How do you know it’s political intrigue?” Marcus asked with a frown.

“Are you joking?” the Doctor asked. “This man doesn’t actually step out from the shadows for so much as afternoon tea. I hear there used to be a saying in the halls of Westminster, ‘when the Umbrella Man cometh, the storm runneth away and calleth for its mummy’.”

“An exaggeration,” the Umbrella Man said tightly. “It was only the one time.”

“Sure, mate,” the Doctor snorted. “Alright, so what is it?”

“We need your help to avert disaster for the PHL and the Alliance,” the Umbrella Man said.

The Doctor frowned, looking from one to the other again. “I take it this isn't the Solar Empire allying with Sontarans, or any other nice and simple work.”

“Regrettably not,” the Umbrella Man said. He folded his arms. “You are aware that there have been certain issues facing the Alliance?”

“You mean the incident in Ponyville?” the Doctor asked.

“How do you know about that?” Marcus demanded.

The Doctor smirked, tapping his box. “This is a time machine, Colonel. You do the math.”

“Do you know who perpetrated the incident?” the Umbrella Man asked. “Or better yet, who was behind the planning?”

The Doctor paused. “No, those particular details were lost by the time I read about it.”

“‘Lost’?” Marcus repeated. “How can it have been lost?”

“The same way history doesn’t record who threw Tiberius in the Tiber, or the names of every single Senator who stabbed Julius Caesar,” the Doctor said with a smile. “I was far enough ahead that the details were lost.”

“Then let me enlighten you,” the Umbrella Man said quietly. “The Blue Spy was compromised and conditioned to attack Ponyville. She engaged several PHL operatives in combat, before murdering Miss Berry Punch, whom, based on testimony from her next of kin, we are led to suspect was involved with a dissident group.”

The Doctor’s smile faded as the Umbrella Man spoke.

“Cheerilee’s sister… I see,” he said quietly. “So what do you need from me? I can’t change it.”

“I don’t wish you to try,” the Umbrella Man said. “Risking the fabric of reality might be somewhat too much to risk for a lone deceased individual.”

The Doctor nodded once, though he frowned. “Then what is it?”

“Simple,” the Umbrella Man said. “We cannot allow the PHL’s name to be slandered. We cannot allow ourselves to appear incompetent and weak, or worse, too dangerous to be allowed to stay. Either option would greatly jeopardize the Alliance.”

The Doctor’s frown deepened. “A coverup, then?”

“A coverup,” the Umbrella Man confirmed.

“I take it you don’t need me for anything simple,” the Doctor said slowly. “You're more than adept enough at regular political maneuvering, Mikey.”

“Indeed,” the Umbrella Man agreed. “We have already selected a suitable scapegoat. This universe’s Trixie Lulamoon. It is our intention to convince her that she was responsible for the attack on Ponyville.”

The Doctor frowned. “‘Convince’ her?”

“Alter her memories,” the Umbrella Man clarified, “so as to make the lie believable. My understanding is that it is possible.”

“And my understanding is that you’re able to provide us a way to do that,” Marcus added.

The Doctor glanced from the Umbrella Man to Marcus. “Am I really? News to me.”

“Don’t play coy,” Marcus said irritably. “You’re capable of going into the future, let alone travelling between realities. You can get technology that would be able to alter a person’s memories from that future. Hell, Stephan and Princess Luna mentioned that you’d already used something advanced to try and fix Trixie's head.”

“I see,” the Doctor said. He folded his arms. “Perhaps I can do what you suggest, Colonel. But I won't. I don't know which of you decided on this ridiculous plan, let alone asking me for help, but I’m not going to have any part of it.”

“Asking you was Stephan’s idea, but the plan wasn't my idea or his,” Marcus said tiredly.

“The plan was mooted by Princess Luna, and she and her sister were present at the meeting,” the Umbrella Man said.

The Doctor snorted. “Of course. Pragmatic.”

“Thought youd be more surprised,” Marcus frowned. “I didn’t think those two had a reputation for backroom dealings.”

“Anyone who thinks those two are naive is more naive. They’re wiser than you give them credit for,” the Doctor said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “And capable of doing whatever they think they have to in order to maintain harmony.”

The Umbrella Man sighed. “If your objection is on moral grounds-”

“Right in one,” the Doctor snapped. “You’re talking about not only lying to cover your own backs, but destroying an innocent life to do it. I can’t stop you from doing what you're going to do, but I’m not helping you.”

“Your assistance is necessary,” the Umbrella Man put in. “Only with the technology you have at your disposal, or else retrieved from some other place and time, can we hope to do this in such a way that Miss Lulamoon is truly convinced of her own guilt. It is by far the cleanest cover up option available.”

“All the more reason to refuse helping you, then,” the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes. “I’ve done a lot for you people. I supported the PHL for three years, did R&D work with some of the more odious officers I’ve ever encountered, but I kept at it because I knew the stakes. I will not do this.”

Marcus growled. “We need you.”

“You already have a Doctor who’ll happily support your efforts if you ask him,” the Doctor said. “Whooves will–”

“We have no leverage over Whooves,” the Umbrella Man put in. “No way to ensure he doesn't talk later, should he find our actions… distasteful.”

At this, the Doctor snorted. “And I suppose you think you have leverage over me.”

“You have a checkered history on Earth, Doctor,” the Umbrella Man said. “Any effort on the part of ‘Doctor Richard Bowman’ to reveal what we have done can be dismissed as the efforts of a known traitor to the PHL to attempt to slander his former employers.”

“Clever, Mikey, clever,” the Doctor said, “but revealing something implies there's something to reveal. And there won't be. I won’t do anything.”

At this, Marcus let out a growl. “You sanctimonious prick. We’re talking about actions that could save lives.”

“No,” the Doctor countered, “you’re talking about actions that might save your reputation, and you’re banking on the idea that your reputation is fragile enough this will break it, and important enough that breaking it matters.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Why not actually be honest? The Spy was manipulated and controlled, presumably by an agent of the Empire. There’s no way a reasonable individual can blame her for what she did.” He looked at Marcus. “Is it so hard for you to have faith in your allies to see things the way they are, instead of expecting the worst of them?!”

“Faith’s easy to have when you’re not in the trenches,” Marcus said quietly.

“We cannot take the chance that the Alliance will not be damaged by the truth,” the Umbrella Man put in. “Things are too precarious. We are standing on the edge of oblivion. A position you are familiar with, Doctor, if the television show’s depictions of the Time War are to be believed.”

“Spare me your third-hand knowledge of my life,” the Doctor said with an irritated expression.

“So you can't help us now, but you can do it whenever it benefits you,” Marcus’ scathing voice echoed out. “Better watch out, Holmes. He might turn and run, like he does every time something hard comes around.” Marcus stepped up to him, looking directly in his eyes. “This is the man everyone fears. The Oncoming Storm? What a joke. I don’t see anything but a man-child.”

“Ah, and is this the vaunted Commander Renee’s famous ‘diplomacy’?” the Doctor said with a bored expression. “Insult someone with third-grade jibes about how stupid they are until they do exactly as he says? And if that doesn't work, what, threats?”

“If it comes to it,” Marcus said with gritted teeth. “God knows, maybe the next you won't be quite such an asshole.”

“Ah, lovely, so here it is,” the Doctor said sarcastically, holding his palms out. “And how do I get to go this time? Shot? Magical attack? Slam my head against a wall until I give in or my skull caves in, whichever comes first? Or maybe all of the above. I’ve got all day, lives to burn, and nothing but time.”

Marcus tensed for a moment, before suddenly relaxing, his expression turning from fury to… resignation?

“If I were you, I’d allow Mr. Holmes speak his turn without your input,” he said, shaking his head tiredly, turning to the other man. “Go ahead, Mr. ‘Umbrella Man’.”

The Umbrella Man raised an eyebrow. “I don't mean to be rude, Doctor, truly I don't. I am merely trying to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation.”

“I’m well aware of the ‘seriousness of the situation’,” the Time Lord said. “More so than you think.”

“But you won't help,” Marcus said heavily.

“Help you break laws that haven't been written yet about the code of conduct of the technologies you're talking about?” the Doctor asked. “Help you potentially destroy an innocent mare’s sanity, and certainly destroy her life?”

“We don’t have many options, Doctor,” Marcus pointed out.

“Then find one,” the Doctor retorted. “And don’t count on having any ‘leverage’ over me. I’ve been threatened by far scarier things than this undisciplined, temper-deficient pseudo-God with more hubris and hamartia than the entire cast of a Greek Theatre piece, let alone a man who plays enough chess to occupy seven tournaments and still doesn't know when to quit.”

Marcus shook his head, turning away from the Doctor to go stare out of his window. The Doctor snorted, before looking to the Umbrella Man, who was scrutinising him with an expressionless face.

“The good Colonel’s methods are limited, it is true,” the Umbrella Man said quietly after a moment. “Be assured, however, Doctor, that I always knew threatening your person was not going to work. We are not the Daleks, after all.”

“No... you’re not...” the Doctor said tightly.

“That being said,” the Umbrella Man continued, “I was hoping you would choose to aid us as a concession to the greater good, so to speak.”

“Not going to happen,” the Doctor said. “It isn’t for the greater good. I’ve told you what you could do.”

“It is regrettable that you see things that way,” the Umbrella Man said with a slightly exaggerated sigh. “Such a shame. I had hoped not to resort to unpleasantness. As it stands, however, I know enough about you to know what I can threaten you with.”

The Doctor blinked, his eyes narrowing, but he said nothing.

“The Reavers’ attempts to reunify the HLF have been surprisingly helpful,” the Umbrella Man continued. “PER cells are being eradicated without needing to tie up PHL units. That being said, the Reavers have also moved into the open once more - it would be a shame were some overzealous PHL officer to decide that an army of HLF active in America was unacceptable.”

He smiled, his face a polite yet feline thing that looked oddly unsettling. Marcus turned to look at him, before looking at the Doctor, whose expression was icy.

“It would be such a shame if... Bastion, was it?, were to suffer the same fate as Defiance,” the Umbrella Man continued.

“Such a shame, besides, they are still HLF, and the HLF is classified as a terror organisation,” Marcus added, arms crossed. “Make no mistake, Bowman. We know about your deals for smuggling weapons and armor to them, we just haven't done anything because they didn't matter. However, you both are still guilty of illegal trades, and it is within my rights to send out orders to detain them, with the President’s approval.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened. “You wouldn't.”

“Oh, I am only beginning, Doctor,” the Umbrella Man said, leaning forward. “Colonel Munro? Sergeant Elliot? Even the Prime version of your old friend Chalcedony, if I can find her, and I can. If you refuse to help us, let us see what interesting charges I can bring to the table to lay at their feet. I’m certain I can make things stick.”

“And he’ll have my full support,” Marcus added.

The Doctor’s eyes were icy, his face emotionless. “You seem to have made your point, Mycroft.”

“I am certain I have,” the Umbrella Man said coldly. “So. Do we have your agreement?”

“Two conditions,” the Doctor said shortly.

“You aren’t in a position to be making demands,” Marcus snapped, his eyes narrowing on him. “Just because you got sloppy and refuse–”

“No, I’m willing to hear them,” the Umbrella Man said, holding up a hand, causing Marcus to frown. “Let us be amicable about this.”

The Doctor raised a finger. “First. The Reavers don't just get left alone... they get praised. Medals. Ceremonies. Statues. I want a full, unreserved apology for the deaths of Wolfgang Brennan and Arthur Rand. I want people in jail for it. I want another apology for lying and concealing their actions in support of the PHL. I want a brass band.”

“You’re kidding,” Marcus said.

“Nope,” the Doctor said. “I mean it. Best brass band on Earth. Most expensive trumpets. Snazzy uniforms, bright red.”

“A… somewhat ostentatious demand,” the Umbrella Man said slowly, “but hardly impossible.”

“As for my second,” the Doctor said, and his eyes narrowed further, “I reserve the right to it. When I come to you, either of you, you don't get to ask questions. You don't get to have qualms about the morality or the legality or whether you like what I’m asking. All I want to hear, if and when I ask for your help, is ‘yes’.”

Marcus growled. “So what, you get to ask us to kill someone?”

“Hardly,” the Doctor snorted. “You know Doctor Whooves, Colonel. I am, still, a version of him. Do you believe he would ask anything that terrible of you?”

“Then why make it a condition?” Marcus asked.

“Because I’m in the unique position of being able to make a demand, and I have nothing in mind that fits,” the Doctor said. “I might come back in two months and ask for some nice tea if I don't think of something better, and that would be it, but that's my business.”

Marcus snorted at that remark. He struggled to remember that he was still dealing with the Doctor. Bowman had helped HLF, had deliberately run shady deals, had come and gone as he pleased… and yet, the sheer innocuousness of what he had said was so very like Doctor Whooves that it gave Marcus pause. He didn't like Bowman… but making a deal with someone he didn’t like, especially someone he knew wasn’t a bad person at heart, was hardly the worst this business would ask of his soul.

“If you promise to stick to your end of the bargain,” he said, “you’ve got a deal.”

“I don't tend to give a price if I don't want to stick to it,” the Doctor shrugged. He paused, clapping his hands together. “You want memory-messing tech? Fine. You want to swap memories between the two Trixies, and then - what, study the tech, I take it?”

“Potentially,” the Umbrella Man began. “If...”

“No,” Marcus said. “You use it once, and then it goes back with you.”

The Doctor blinked. “Indeed?”

“I’m not an idiot, Doctor,” Marcus said quietly. “Whatever future tech you're using doesn't belong with us.”

The Doctor nodded, almost looking impressed. “If you weren't about to do something utterly reprehensible, and if you hadn’t just decided to threaten my friends, I might almost respect that.”

“I have to do whatever I can to make things right,” Marcus said. “You’d think the man who killed his entire race to save a universe would know that feeling.”

“The difference being, I went back and saved them, much good it did me,” the Doctor said, his expression cooling again. “You can't ever go back and change what you do over the next few days, and you certainly can’t change what you’ve just done.”

“I guess I can’t,” Marcus said, and for a moment his expression was haunted. “But I’ll live with it.”

The Doctor said nothing for a moment, before shaking his head. “I’ll be back tomorrow to begin,” he said. “Be ready.”

He turned and walked back into his box, which disappeared with the same cacophony as it had when it arrived.

“We shall have to tread carefully,” the Umbrella Man said quietly. “I suspect he will not abide entirely by his end of the deal.”

“Maybe not, but he's better than killing an innocent,” Marcus retorted. “Even if he is a smug ass.”

“A ‘smug ass’ who, I suspect, will not take kindly to my threats,” the Umbrella Man said with a wry smile. “Risky proposition, making him angry. One’s career could be at stake.”

“How terrible,” Marcus deadpanned. “But you still did it.”

“We all have sacrifices to make,” the Umbrella Man said. “Even myself. I am willing to lose everything, the same as you are.”

Marcus shook his head, feeling a wave of what might be nausea running through his stomach.

“This shit is getting ridiculous,” he muttered. His head was spinning, like he was coming down from an adrenaline rush. He’d threatened a man with death, threatened his friends…

“‘Ridiculous’, Colonel?” the Umbrella Man asked. “That is an interesting choice of words.”

Marcus sat back in his chair. “What are we doing, Holmes? What the fuck are we doing?”

The Umbrella Man merely inclined his head. “We are doing what we must, to win the war.”

“‘To win the war’,” Marcus echoed. He nodded once. “Alright. You'd better go.”

“Take heart, Colonel Renee,” the Umbrella Man told him with a sibillant smile. “We will get through this.”

“If you say so, ‘Mr. Umbrella Man’,” Marcus sighed, putting his head in his hands. “I have a lot of paperwork. If you'll excuse me.”

He didn’t look up as the Umbrella Man left.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Quiet.”

Trixie Lulamoon was not having the best of days. About twenty minutes ago, a pair of Royal Guards had showed up at her cell, demanded she exit, and began escorting her up a variety of flights of stairs, without telling her where she was going or why. It was hardly comforting, and doubly not so, given the fact that their expressions were both cold and hard. The only saving grace, such as it was, was the fact that she had finally been separated from her odious cellmate.

“Through here,” one of the Guards said grimly. The two Guards led her down a surprisingly well-lit corridor, which contrasted with her former prison accommodation sharply. She frowned in confusion as they reached a small wooden door and opened it, before ushering her inside.

The room was sparse, with plain walls, a single, small bed, and a few books on a shelf, but it was hardly a prison cell. There were no bars on the window, although it was quite high, and there was even an en-suite bathroom. Nothing spectacular, but it was a bathroom.

“Is… is this a joke?” Trixie asked, turning, but the Guards were already gone, the door locked behind them. She turned back to look at the room, and smiled.

‘Perhaps things are finally looking up.’

What did I do?

I threatened a man I don’t like. I shouldn’t feel bad about that. He was an asshole. He was confrontational (yes, I know, I’m confrontational, but I try to keep it for when it’s needed, and I usually know what I’m doing). I shouldn’t have cared. Except… except that he was right. We should have had faith in our allies, faith in their ability to understand, faith in the population of Equestria to see that the PHL had done everything we could.

The thing is… Bowman, the Doctor, he can have faith in people, because he’s an idealist, and more importantly, he’s a civilian. He doesn’t have to sit down with the casualty reports. He doesn't have to look at the projections for when the Solar Empire arrives. I do. I did, that afternoon.

I spent six hours going over the statistics. An estimated few hundred potioneers, untold thousands, tens of thousands of Newfoals, and God only knows what else.

This Alliance was the only hope we had. The PHL’s preparations weren't going to be enough without them. I had to do everything I could to preserve it. Bowman didn't have to like it; no one did, so long as they did what we needed.

It was the early afternoon the next day. That was when he came through for us, with company.

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 5: 'In The Hands of the Prophets'

In The Pale Moonlight – Part Five

‘In The Hands of the Prophets’

Authors:

Redskin122004

Jed R

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

DoctorFluffy

Dustchu

“I once asked Kai Opaka why a disbeliever was destined to seek the Prophets, and she told me one should never look into the eyes of one's own gods. I disagreed. I told her I would do anything to look into their eyes. She suggested that I sit in darkness for a day and quite properly so.”

– Winn, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ‘In The Hands of the Prophets’

“I’m not an impatient man. I’m not one to agonize over decisions once they’re made. I got that from my father. He always says worry and doubt are the greatest enemies of a great chef. The soufflé will either rise or it won’t. There’s not a damn thing you can do about it, so you might as well just sit back and wait and see what happens. But this time the cost of failure was so high I found it difficult to follow his advice…”

– Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘In The Pale Moonlight’

I promise I’m not doing this to string you on. If anything, I’m stringing myself along... Dammit, I don’t want to say it, but… I have to do it. So the plan was in motion.  We were relying on Doctor Bowman to pull a rabbit out of his hat the same way he’d pulled a grey unicorn computer out of his coat. But the plan relied on him being willing to see it through.

I had my doubts. Not about his ability, God knows Doctor Whooves has always been able to pull shit out of his hat, but about his dedication to our cause. Don’t know if you read up on him, but Bowman’s history is a file littered with him refusing to do what Colonels Munro or Hex wanted, Hex complaining, Munro complaining, and Bowman telling them where to stick it, only getting off the hook because somehow, he was useful enough to be worth the shit he pulled. He’d been involved in more crazy shit than I could throw a stick at, Montreal, Imperial Creed, Armacham… until he’d finally up and vanished after a mission only referred to as the “EHS operation”. All this told me was he was a competent guy… but he did what he thought was right, not what other people told him to.

Now our entire plan was hinging on a man I didn’t trust to get it done.

As it turns out, I was right. More right than I knew.

DAY FOUR. EVENING.

“Are you serious?”

Stephan’s voice was a low hiss in Marcus’ ear as he rose from his seat next to Trixie.

“Do you realize how many loose ends we’re left with?” he growled. “Discord might as well be rock again for all the help he can give, one of Vanhoover’s trainers is nursing an injury in the hospital, one’s been sent on leave by you, and the third’s spending half his time here in confidence as medic, I’ve got Cutter trailing Bowman, and… and now you’re telling me we can’t even tell Trixie, our Trixie, the truth?”

The Spy’s hospital room hadn’t changed. Trixie had been placed back in the glass case, though the lid was left open, and Stephan sat next to her every night. Few would have known, but Marcus did, how anxious he always was, inside and outside this room.

Marcus sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “The more people know, the greater the risk of it leaking out. You know that.”

“I don’t fucking care!” Stephan yelled. “She has a right to know, even… even if it hurts, living with what she did! Hiding this from her would be the final sign we don’t trust her!”

“A right to know what?” Marcus said quietly. “That she got turned into a weapon? Was ready to slaughter an entire town in the name of the mission? She’s already living with enough horrors as it is. Do you want her living with that weight as well?”

“Are you sure you’re talking about this for her sake,” Stephan said darkly, “…or yours?”

The German officer must have seen him wince at those words. Yet Marcus had shared his regret for the fiasco at Defiance to none except Stephan Bauer. Told him how, while the rest of the world had celebrated the destruction of the HLF leadership, he had drank himself into a stupor for several days, to try and forget.

“We’ve got mess on our hands. We need to fix it. What do you want to do, Amerikaner?”

Marcus closed his eyes in thought, humming a tune. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked to his friend.

“What do you want, Stephan?” he asked.

“I…” Stephan’s eyes, hooded and darkened from too many nights like this, were fixed on the perpetually-sleeping Trixie in bed. “I want her safe… whole and unbroken by this war.”

Marcus remained silent, watching as Stephan took his place back by her bedside, taking her hoof with his hand. Stephan brought it up to his lips and gave it a light kiss.

“She would hate me…” Stephan murmured. “She will hate me for doing this. To even consider passing the burden to another from her own faults. She will never forgive me, and I would gladly accept her lashing words, if only to set her free.”

Marcus watched as Stephan held onto Trixie, shaking at the thought of her vanishing before his eyes. He silently straightened himself.

“I have to go,” he said quietly. “I need to do some paperwork - doesn’t seem like anything stops that stuff from being a pain in the ass.” He paused awkwardly. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Stephan’s last words echoed in his mind as he closed the door behind him.

“Marcus... please… I don’t want to lose her.”

Viktor Kraber sobbing in a room with Pinkie Pie. An intense sadness. Tears staining the floor.

“I should’ve known this would happen,” Aegis sighed, hanging his head as he looked to Rarity. “It could’ve only ended in tears!”

Rarity stared up at the massive, stoic white stallion in the doorway. “There there, Mister Aegis. You couldn’t have known this would happen.”

“But I should have!” Aegis exclaimed. “This always happens! Knowing how Kraber’s mind works, it was only a matter of time before they ended up like this! How? How could I have been so blind?!”

“That made WATER come out of my eyes!” Pinkie sobbed, leaning against Kraber on their couch as the credits rolled. “That’s so sad…”

“It’s so… beautiful…” Kraber said, wiping tears from the corner of an eye.

“I should have known this would happen. He always cries while watching Wolf Children Ame and Yuki.” Aegis said, rolling his eyes as he watched the credits.

“Hana was just such a good mom!” Pinkie said, burying her face in Kraber’s arms. Then, abruptly, her mane reinflated and she got a huge smile. “She just goes through everything to support her pups...”

“Wait. Why didn’t you say foals?” Kraber asked.

“Well, with all the past few months it sounds kind of hippocentric and… well, they’re wolves, they’re children, so ‘pups’ works?” Pinkie suggested. “I dunno.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Kraber admitted, stroking his beard and running his fingers through her mane. “I have to admit. It’s… it’s a pleasure to really get to know you like this.”

“You too!” Pinkie said. “I can’t believe I was told to stay away from you, you’re perfectly nice!”

Rarity caught the look that Aegis and Kraber exchanged.

“Anyway,” Aegis said. “Kill la Kill time!”

“Kill la what now?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, you’ll like it, Rarity!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It’s got fashion, and clothes, and… and…”

Kraber was uncharacteristically silent.

“That sounds… fun,” Rarity said slowly, taking a step through the doorway. “Ah, well. I suppose I can join in. Does anyone have the DVD?”

“I do!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

“No,” the Doctor repeated irritably. “You’re not having it.”

He and the man commonly referred to as ‘Umbrella Man’ were stood on a balcony in Canterlot Palace. The Doctor had come here to relax after a stressful day, since he happened to enjoy the sky of Equestria. The Umbrella Man, unfortunately, had wanted to speak to him.

“Doctor, the technology is unprecedented,” said the stern-sounding Englishman – Mycroft Holmes, the Doctor thought, irritated at himself, perhaps ironically, for using pronouns and nicknames. “Imagine what we could achieve if granted the capacity to study it.”

“I am imagining,” the Doctor retorted irritably. “I am imagining every single potentially catastrophic thing you could possibly do with it. Let me say this as clearly as I can, Mikey. You are not having the Apex Crystal unless you pry it from my cold, permanently dead hands.”

The Umbrella Man paused, inclining his head. “I see. Then for now, the matter will be dropped. Thank you again for your assistance with Miss Bjorgman.”

“Hm,” the Doctor grunted as the Umbrella Man left. He leant against the railing of the balcony, suddenly feeling very, very tired. It had been a long, long couple of days.

He thought back to his conversation with Ana Bjorgman. The answer she’d given him. “Do what’s right. That’s important, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is,” he said aloud. “But what’s ‘right’ here?”

He paused, scowling, and glanced behind him. He was alone on the balcony, or so it seemed.

“Alright,” he said. “You can come out now.”

There was a pregnant pause, but nothing more.

“You can either skulk in the shadows, knowing I know you’re there,” the Doctor continued, his voice tired, “or you can come out, be polite, and we can talk. Really, I don’t mind either way.”

Another moment passed, and then a mare was standing next to him.

There was an almost deliberate air of the unobtrusive about her, but she was distinctive, with her polymer forehoof, goldenrod coat and olive-green mane, a single lock of which obscured one eye. The leather PHL jacket she wore, made out of real leather, was slung over her withers almost lazily.

“Well, well,” the Doctor said, folding his arms. “Pineapple Cutter, Salonen’s… assistant.”

“Doctor Richard Bowman,” the mare returned in a dull tone. “R&D’s favorite layabout.”

The Doctor snorted. “Well, I see they’ve got you tailing me now, as opposed to the good Major Bauer. Just as well, really, I suspect you’d be bored.”

“Bauer actually offered me Kraber,” Cutter replied, shrugging almost imperceptibly. “Would have been boring. Kraber has no finesse.”

“So you went from being assigned to follow Kraber to being assigned to follow me?”

“Actually asked to follow you,” Cutter replied. “You are interesting.”

The Doctor stared off into the city below. “Thanks, I think.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” the mare said, a glint in her one visible eye. “The Chinese use the phrase ‘may you live in interesting times’ as a curse. Want to know where I learned that?”

“Well, I tend to skip the less interesting times, so I guess I curse myself,” the Doctor snorted. He turned to look back out over the city, twin cities, as the first lights of Canterlot and New New York began to go on with the setting sun.

“Most people don’t feel comfortable turning their back on me,” Cutter remarked.

“Oh, you won’t kill me,” the Doctor snorted. “Or maybe you will. There are worse ways to go. But I am in no mood for one of your riveting discussions on the bleak nature of our existence, I’m sorry to say.”

“You asked me to show myself.”

“True.” He paused. “Well, do you want to kick us off?”

She came to stand next to him, looking out over the city. “I have been following you for the last two days. Not what one calls an easy prospect. You have been to many places. Some of them much further afield than I could follow.”

“Clever little thing, aren’t you?” he asked.

“One of my many talents,” she said with a cold smile. “Man changing clothes as often as you would ordinarily be a sign of vanity. Though those trousers are hardly flattering, yes?”

“When did you become a fashion critic?”

“I have many talents.”

He snorted. “Sure.” He paused. “So, spill. How much do you know?”

She glanced up at him. “I presume you refer to what you’ve been asked to do. What makes you so… hostile to your supposed allies.” She smirked. “Everything. I know everything. The Colonel is very loud.”

“He is, isn’t he?” the Doctor said casually, a smirk of his own forming. “And Mikey’s so long-winded. Still, I’m guilty of that one too.”

“Character filibuster,” Cutter said blandly. “Speaking and speaking and speaking. It’s called a ‘character filibuster’, yes?”

“Seriously, how do you know that?”

“I have many talents.”

“And there's no doubt you are ever full of surprises,” the Doctor said with a snort. “So tell me something, Pineapple Cutter. I’m genuinely curious about your perspective on this. A bad thing, done for supposedly good reasons by desperate people. I imagine you’re full of philosophical discourse on the subject.”

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Cutter favored him with a nod. “Bush league.”

The Doctor blinked. “‘Bush league’?”

“Humans do terrible things in war,” Cutter said, shrugging. “Changelings change shape. Ponies sing spontaneously. And, yes, water is wet. Want me to stand up and shout ‘objection’? As though this is simply not how things are? I was at Defiance, Bowman. I saw it all.”

The Doctor nodded slowly, her words sinking in deep. “There... I suppose you do have a point. I just wish...”

“You wish you could prevent it,” she finished for him. “Somehow prevent these unpleasant things from becoming necessary.”

The Doctor nodded. “That’s a fair assessment.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You have done it before,” Cutter stated, tilting her head. “Changed history for your own ends. Munro. Hex. Chalcedony. All knew that you changed history. Marcus Renee knows it too. The lives of all who live now are not the lives they were meant to lead.”

The Doctor harrumphed. “You know there is no ‘meant’’ to lead. There’s only the life you lead.”

“Disingenuous from a man who plays God with millions of lives.”

“I wasn’t acting alone,” the Doctor said quietly. He looked away from her again, upwards. “You watching still? I suppose you are, you never aren’t. You sent me out here. Now what do I do?”

“Who are you talking to?” Cutter asked. “A higher power?”

“If you like,” the Doctor said wryly. “Higher powers are a lot more common than you think.”

Her eye glinted, a sharp, cold glint. “Yes. And yet they do not help.”

“Oh, they poke their heads in here and there,” the Doctor countered. “Light powers, bored powers, pseudo-gods, demi-gods, would-be-gods, not-really-gods, powerful aliens, clever aliens… it isn’t only darkness that lies in wait out there.”

“Yet are they of use to anyone’s well-being?” Cutter pointed out, gesturing with her ivory limb. “War… war never changes. The dead do not rise forever. Miracles do not happen. Mirror universes are mere stop-gaps. The cold always lurks out there.”

“Would you want anything different?” the Doctor asked.

“Me? No,” Cutter said glibly. “Don’t believe gods and powers have any place in preaching enlightenment to sacks of flesh. Not when the natural order is so beautifully simple. And not when they themselves are seldom any better. Look at you.”

“Me?”

“What are you, Doctor Bowman?” She chuckled to herself. “If not a man who makes decisions based on info he doesn’t share? What is it you said to a group of Vikings once? ‘I have taken human form to walk among you. I have tested you and I am displeased’. You said it in jest. But it’s true... isn’t it? One wonders whether you are displeased now.”

His expression hardened. “I am not a god.”

“You act like one,” Cutter said with a slow smile. “Did you ask Chalcedony whether she wanted to be saved? Or the Reavers? Did you ask the millions of lives you’ve changed whether they wanted their entire world altering? Did you even ask?”

“Is there a point buried in all of this?” the Doctor asked. “Or is this just another round of ‘hey Doctor, you suck and your morals suck, ya boo’? Cos really, that game’s old.”

“Actually I do have a point,” Cutter said. “You sit here wishing you could change things. I am telling you... why not?”

The Doctor frowned. “I… because it would be too far. What I’ve done so far, it was small. Time accommodates it. The old timeline merges in, because the changes–”

“Excuses,” Cutter said sharply. “You can change this time. You have done so before. Nothing is stopping you, yes?”

The Doctor frowned, looking out onto the twin cities again. After a moment, he turned and walked away from Cutter, aware she would be watching him go, still smiling that inscrutable smile. He asked himself what other plans people could be drawing tonight, what secrets they were keeping from each other, or sharing.

Far in the valley below, the early moon’s dim glow shone upon New New York, as thousands of soldiers from every corner of Equus trained hard beneath the gaze of their human instructors. Ranging from the banks of the Neighara, with amphibious assault drills, to the skies above, with dragons and griffons practicing their airborne strikes, neither a street nor building in the city was devoid of activity, on this summer evening.

Still, there were those given the luxury of some R&R tonight. Amongst them was the unit referred to as Vanhoover Company, currently relaxing in the high-rise buildings of Lower Manhattan. Originally a regular set of Guards composed entirely of Vanhoover natives, recent times had introduced an eclectic slew of new soldiers, ponies and otherwise, to the Company.

A lightweight, airborne infantry unit, the Vanhooverites – as they still called themselves – consisted mainly of pegasi, griffons, and Changelings, with some human instructors in various capacities, and the other two tribes of ponykind for completeness’ sake. The pegasi were a mixed bunch, from the old guard themselves to recruits from other cities in Equestria. And it was just a few days ago he’d received word they were to expect a late addition to their ranks.

To the senior officers of Vanhoover Company ~

By Royal Decree of Her Majesty Celestia, High Princess of Equestria,

Herewith do I submit the notification that Mr. Astron Blueblood, formerly Prince of Equestria, Scion of the Great Unicorn House of Blueblood, Duke of Canterlot and Knight of the Realm,

In recognition of his stated desire to serve Celestia and Country, is given permission to integrate the ranks of Vanhoover Company, the unit that was host to his customary year of military service now seven years ago.

Owing to Mr. Blueblood taking recent leave of his aristocratic titles, he is hence not applicable for the traditional position of officer granted to those of noble birth. Request that he be given the role of navigator as befits the mark of his special talent.

We understand that the belated addition of a new recruit places further demand on your duties. Blueblood has given assurance of maintaining good behavior during his time in your unit, yet should any evidence to the contrary arise, you are free to handle him as you would any recruit.

May you experience good fortune in the days ahead.

Signed,

~ His Excellency, Mr. Fancypants, Esq.,

Prime Minister of Equestria.

Winter held back a sigh as he skimmed through the triplicate letter for the hundredth time.

There in the library, seated with his books in a little armchair away from his comrades, as they laughed and joked around the warm fireplace, the young officer had a space in which to let his troubles take flight. Idly, he leafed through some heavyweight tome, trying to keep his mind from drifting back to that night two months ago. The night when he’d stood as a Guard and made the choice to join this united, greater army of Equus upon Discord’s grand opening of the bizarre human city.

His mother had asked him to reconsider, warning him of the trials he would go through on the hellworld that was Earth. But in the end, Snowdrop let him depart.

‘Humans are hard creatures from a hard world… Just promise me you’ll come back in one piece, Winter. I don’t like the thought of my son ending his days buried in the ground of an alien planet…’

Stellar had begged him to stay, for them to take care of little Frost together, playing as a war they had no stake in raged on.

‘Listen, cuz, you call me a goof, but really, I think you’re the one rushing into this blindly!’

Plus, who could ever forget, the spectacle Icewind had made in calling quits on the Guard.

Yet Winter Truce could not just stand by, watching his country march off to war. Of course, there were better things to do than deal with his insufferable cousin and ever-shy brother, though it did seem like Frost was starting to come out of his shell, thanks to a new friendship with a filly named Comet Tail. No, to serve his monarch and his nation, to go make history, would be the highest honor for him.

And so here he was, alone with his thoughts and new books. The library was filled with books covering numerous subjects, from astronomy (Cousin Stellar would have loved that), to human culture (which his mother would have loved to borrow) to children’s entertainment (which Frost would, frankly, have cuddled all night long). Then there was their history.

‘Fascinating,’ he thought, raising an eyebrow as he turned once again from the letter to the book it served as a pagemark for.

The early civilizations in the Fertile Crescent, the glory of the Roman Empire and the Chinese dynasties, the New World’s discovery and conquest, and the battlefields of the Great War... Oh, he could just turn into Twilight Sparkle and literally sleep among these books, away from those idiots and the martial arts lectures Sergeant Jaka continuously preached...

Analyzing the battle reports of the Conversion War led him to conclude that the war was playing out as a much larger variant of the Great War, what with the use of wave attacks, experimental weapons usage, and the overall stalemate situation.

Not that his comrades would care to notice.

‘That ponce Blueblood is probably fitting right in with this motley crew,’ he thought sourly. ‘No gravitas, none of them. Still act like this is one great cross-species picnic outing, and when we return, we’ll have girls – or boys, I guess – swooning all over us. How about that? His Highness, the prince of idiots in a company of idiots.’

The mere idea of dealing with someone like Blueblood around here was just too much to bear. Sure, he’d never met the Prince in person, but gossip in Canterlot trickled from the Palace servants’ quarters to the Guard barracks. Talk of how the Royal stallion cared for little except his own face was repulsive to Winter’s unassuming sensibilities.

Yes, Winter had long decided that his fellow soldiers were, to put it lightly, idiots. While some like the griffons were somewhat competent, the others, the fresh-faced pegasi and Changelings, were mindless fools in the field of battle. But at least they had the sense to accept him as the company’s loner and tactician. So he found himself left to his own devices...

“Alone again?”

… most of the time.

Suppressing another sigh, Winter looked up from Martin Gilbert’s book on world wars to see the source of interruption. It was one of the pegasus mares in his squad, one of the more laidback recruits. The dim light of the library did not show her well, but Winter could tell she had a light purple mane and a darker purple coloration.

“Yes, what does it look like?” Winter replied, a bit more harshly than intended. He thought he had learnt patience from sitting down on those long afterschool sessions together with Icewind.

The recruit frowned in response. “Well, you seem a bit grumpy... as always.”

She laid down in front of Winter, lazy eyes drifting from him to the book, then back to him. He tried his best to ignore her.

“So… a bit of a bookworm, eh?” she said casually. Winter awarded her a condescending look, before he shrugged.

“It would seem,” he said flatly. “Might I inquire as to… why, you’re here, and not the others?”

The recruit shrugged, perfectly mimicking his gesture.

“Thought the Lieutenant needed company, heh,” she said with a chuckle. Upon noticing his book, she tilted her head curiously. “The First World War: A Complete History? Looks like, uh, a heavy read.”

Winter sighed. “Depends on your definition of, ‘heavy’, Private…?”

“Morning Glory,” the mare replied, with a smirk. “You’re uh, lemme see… the Winter Soldier, that’s the one, right?”

Oh, blast. Much to his dismay, while the old, professional guard meshed surprisingly well with the griffons, his fellow trainees bonded with the Changelings over their shared statuses, and even began naming each other silly nicknames. Thus, the company now knew him as the ‘Winter Soldier’... which would, admittedly, have been kind of cool if it wasn’t just as based on his name as it was on his dirty white coat.

“Winter Truce, as I’ve insisted,” he said resignedly. “Although ‘Winter Soldier’ is, admittedly, quite the name, I must firmly order that you refer to me as Lieutenant Winter or any… variation thereof, Private.”

“Oooh, bit of a stiff one, are ya?” Morning said, with a giggle. She waved off the filthy look Winter gave her. “Sorry, I... People keep saying I should use my real name more often, but Morning Glory has a nice ring to it, eh?”

Winter raised an eyebrow. “Real… name?” he parroted.

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly… a pony, you see...” Morning said, her shape flickering.

Before Winter could inquire what, precisely, the mare had meant by her words, there was a flash of bright green light, illuminating the entire room in a brief yet eerie glow. When the figurative dust settled, Winter was left perplexed, for the mare before him had been replaced by an equally small, purple-maned Changeling. At least, he was sure it was a mane.

He cleared his throat. “So, you’re that Changeling we’ve all been hearing about, are you?”

“One and only!”

“Proud of it, as well,” Winter scoffed, and at once, the mare seemed sheepish. “Lucky for you, I’ve got far more to worry about than some… Changeling prankster. Trainer Bjorgman won’t be pleased to hear it if I have you put in chains, after all.”

“Oh, you so sure ‘bout that?” the Changeling winked, her grin returning.

Damn, the cuspids on these insect-like beings. He’d never felt overtly bothered by them, yet no wonder some other Guards had been looking over their shoulders for days after the disaster at the Royal Wedding.

“Quite frankly, that’d be the least to do,” Winter said coolly. “There’s a war on and I appreciate we’re all in the same boat while it lasts, but you must be aware that, if it came down to me, the whole buggy lot of you would spend a few months in chains for what you did. I don’t know whichever stunts you pulled, it’d be well within justice.”

She did not seem at all put off. Then again, she probably had heard it before. Bjorgman might have given him the stink-eye for it, and Mistress Moondancer would quietly retreat to her own corner of the library with a sad look of disapproval, but they knew he spoke his mind.

“Whichever stunts I pulled, eh?” the Changeling tittered. “I’ll take that as an invitation, boss. Matter of fact, we got someone here who could tell you more, if only he knew I was the same Changeling who… heh-heh-heh...”

Winter groaned. “Listen here, Missy,” he said, rolling each word. “I’ve had more than enough to deal with today, so would you kindl–”

But infuriatingly, the Changeling went ahead and snatched up his letter, right off the page.

“Ooh, what’s this?” she cooed. “Looks like we both had the same fellow on our minds, chief. Our very own Private formerly known as Prince.”

“This is none of your business, Private,” Winter told her off. “What recruits get up to amongst each other is their affair, but you can leave–”

“And what’s that about ‘military service’?” the Changeling giggled as she read further on. “Fancy any noblepony doing more training than poke a stick in the briar patch, with your sissy idea of warfare. I’ll bet they even let him sleep in late.”

“Sissy idea?” Winter said, indignant, “We’ve been incorporating new ideas from the get-go, Private, so you can shove it up your–”

“Picked up something from Harwood, hm?”

And Winter found himself a little flustered. If Sky Watch or Gilford were around, they’d have probably wanted a word with him, explaining this wasn’t proper officer conduct. Gilford had even got to see action a few days ago, lucky bird. Although he, like the other Vanhooverites commissioned by Colonel Renee for a special mission, had been strangely tight-lipped since their return, Bjorgman and Jaka nowhere to be seen, and Harwood absent half the time.

“Hey, you okay there, Lieutenant?” the Changeling said, snapping him out of his stupor. “You kind of zoned out.”

He sighed. Well, might as well elucidate one mystery. “Alright, ‘Morning’. Although I couldn’t care less, as a Royal Guard, if you’re a Changeling who’s got a history with one of the Royal Family, better inform me now. It’ll avoid… friction.”

“Hey, hey,” the Changeling said, quickly, wrapping a hoof around Winter’s shoulder. “Nothing too serious. Just had a run-in with him a couple days ago!”

“Days ago…” he repeated. “Right.”

She stuck a tongue out. “Bleh, go ask Ana, then. She knows where I went, and who else to run into but the new guy here, eh?”

“Maybe I will,” he said. “Harwood told me Bjorgman’s being discharged from hospital tonight. What do you propose about Blueblood, then? I don’t suppose you’re here for no reason?”

“Nope!” the Changeling said, and he had to blink when the green fire flashed her back into ‘Morning Glory’. “Actually, that’s why I came here and told you I was a Changeling, not like you bothered to remember everyone’s names here, is it? Mother wouldn’t approve. But know how Jaka and Harwood say we’ll be getting to the tough part of training? I’d figured, our new guy’s in so late, he’ll need a crash course in toughness. Who better than a Changeling?”

Even from a pony’s mouth, it was rattling to hear anyone call Queen Chrysalis ‘Mother’. Winter tried to surmise her expression, but realized he’d be better off scrutinizing anyone other than the capable liar before him.

“Ah,” Winter said stiffly. “So you are prepared to confess your infractions at the Wedding. And against the person of a Prince of the Realm, no less.”

“We-e-ell, sorta,” Morning said slyly. “If you want someone with a first-hoof account of what a pansy you’ve got on your hooves, you can take it from little ole Morning, Lieutenant. How ‘bout I tell you the story of where gallant Blueblood was at during the Wedding.”

Right then, he knew she had him. Which Royal Guard wouldn’t want to know just what the Prince, a Duke of Canterlot to boot, had been doing while they were out there, laying down their lives against the horde?

“Permission to speak,” Winter told her cautiously. “Though I remind you, no diffamation of a royal person may be tolerated by an officer of the Guard.”

“Heh-heh,” Morning chuckled. “First, heard that he weren’t royalty no more, and second, ain’t no diffamation if it’s true, hm? Anyways, if you’re worried I’m gonna say he was hiding in the cupboard away from the commotion, no fear. I can assure you, when it rained on Canterlot, Bluey was busy shaking off a large swarth of Changelings, including yours truly.”

“Is that so?” Winter said, surprised. “Wouldn’t have thought it.”

“Oh, sorry.” Morning checked herself. “Got my phrasing a bit mixed up. What I meant was, Bluey was busy shaking water off his back. Dunno what he was doing away from his cousin’s wedding in the first place, but he looked mighty upset when we dragged him kicking and hollering outta that shower, the crybaby. If anything I’d say he got more soaked than before.”

Winter gave her a long, hard stare.

“And what am I supposed to make of that, Private?” he said at last, coolly. “This sounds more like a reason why I shouldn’t trust any of you Changelings near the other recruits. The Trainers want us working as a team, but I don’t see much team spirit coming off you.”

Morning grinned again. “Au contraire, sir… with due respect,” she amended, slipping the letter back into his book. “If ya bothered keeping your ear to the ground, you’d know Morning here’s the very spirit of this team. Except maybe Ana, of course. Why’d you think you hear so much ‘bout Changeling me?”

“Aye, except for Bjorgman,” Winter replied. And realized he had just agreed with her. “You’ve made your point well enough, Morning. If me agreeing with you is what you want…” He took a breath. “Fine, I’ll concede Blueblood is, in fact, lagging behind the standards of this Company. Not entirely to blame, though, if the stories about him being a statue are true.”

“And wouldn’t Mother have loved that as a garden ornament,” Morning smiled. “But, well, he’s up and about now, and as Harwood always says, we’ve all got to stay on our hooves… I think. I promise you, Lieutenant, gimme your permission to handle Bluey, and I’ll get the team to pony him up in no time.”

‘Pony up, as in whip into shape, or pay a debt?’ Winter wondered. Yet he had to admit, either option had its appeal.

“Alright. Private,” he said, slowly. “Get him up to speed, but get Miss Bjorgman to help as well.”

“Oh, don’t you worry there,” Morning replied happily. “I’ll get her on board, sir.”

As the chirpy recruit trotted off, Winter silently returned to his book, wondering how Icewind might be up to, right now.

“Still no word?”

His cheek rested upon one forehoof, Icewind shook his head, watching as the catseye marble, suspended from its lanyard on the tip of his outstretched right wing, bobbed to and fro. Swallowing, he felt his other forehoof dig into the soft fabric of the couch.

“Icewind.”

Catseye’s voice, though whispered, jolted him somewhat. Blinking twice, he looked her way long enough to follow her gaze, and see what she was rebuking him for.

“Sorry,” he said, pulling his hoof up. “Didn’t mean to damage your property. I’m nervous, too, Miss Cat. And this, well, whole new thing we’re trying out here,” he added, patting the couch, “It’s kind of new for me as well. But I’m glad you agreed to it.”

She might have nodded, but all he noticed her do was push back her glasses.

“It’s nothing, really,” Catseye said gently. “To tell you the truth, I’m… not entirely sure what we’re doing. This’d be a first for me. Um, would you mind turning over?”

Having delicately placed his inactive secret-keeper on the coffee table, next to her cup of tea, Icewind quickened to follow her instructions, rolling himself onto his back. He found himself, of course, staring at the painted ceiling.

He coughed once. “Excuse me,” he said, drawing her attention by pointing up. “I’m not sure I ever asked you what that was about.”

Catseye glanced at where he was pointing. “That?” She chuckled, a bit forcedly, he thought. “That was there when I first moved into Bockscar.Avenue. Used to be a right snazzy location, this place, a few score years ago, but…” She sighed. “Well, it’s not so bad now, just not what it used to be. Not so many unicorns in Baltimare these days, ever since more griffons and other flyboys began taking up roost–” Her words caught in her throat as she realized. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Icewind said distractedly, budging up to properly fold his wings. “So, does every house in Bockscar have one of those?”

“I guess?” Catseye hazarded, wriggling a forehoof. “At any rate, all four apartments the realtor showed me did. I’ve never got around to whitewashing it.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

It was a nice mural, Icewind thought. And Miss Cat must have a soft spot for the thing, if she’d chosen the house with it over the others. Surprising, though, that the quality of its craft should eclipse what was, at heart, somewhat ominous imagery. On a forlorn grey beach under a cloud-stricken sky, one lone unicorn, whiter than snow, reared up defiantly as she was driven into the sea by a great bull, its eyes pale as moonlight and its coat a blaze of unholy red flame. Perhaps it was the lost unicorn’s countenance which helped turn a nightmare scene into a vision of beauty. Beneath her sadness and regret, there lay more; not hope, no, but something like a quiet gratitude. Yet for what?

“... Are you into art?” Catseye asked him, causing him to tear his gaze away. “Ahem, forgive me for saying so, I wouldn’t have thought you the type.”

“Nah, it’s perfectly alright,” said Icewind, with a crooked smile. “You thought right, Miss Cat, this guy here’s just another brash tinhead-steed. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve read your books cover-to-cover, but I’ve got a friend who’d look down on anything not based on those big, dusty eggheaded tomes. I like… pretty stuff, is all.”

Now it was her turn to cough, awkwardly.

“Okay, look,” Catseye said, levitating forth a pencil and notepad, “let’s see how we do, alright?”

“Yeah...” Icewind agreed.

Yet something about her posture seemed odd to him, and he wasn’t meant to be the analyst in this room. Then it struck him; the way she was carrying her tail. He remembered what Chamomile had once taught. When mares sat down, like Catseye currently was on her little wooden stool, the placement of their tails spoke volumes. If they let it hang over the side, they were at ease, had nothing to hide. But Catseye’s auburn strands were wrapped tightly around her thighs, covering her amber eye-shaped cutie mark.

He glanced elsewhere before she could spot him staring.

“Now, the thing is, Icewind,” said Catseye, hastily scribbling something on her notepad, “I’m a hippologist, not a motivational speaker like that money-grubbing bull-goat monster. Though on the plus side, it means I’m not gonna get you all riled up–”

“Dunno about that,” Icewind cut in, with a nod towards his secret-keeper. “If memory serves, you’ve got a skill for it… I mean,” he pulled at a tuft of his black mane, grinning faintly, “those tavern meetings can get pretty heady.”

She smiled shyly. “No, what I’m saying is that I’m not used to working directly with flesh-and-blood subjects. It’s all… picked up from books.”

“Ah, right. Well,” he said, “Hope you don’t find me a too disappointing specimen.”

As banter went, he knew it was somewhat forced, and so must she. But with them now down to four days before the next tavern meeting, their worries growing just a little bigger each passing day, they were no closer to deciding, how could they break the news that a third of the Loyalists had been captured in Ponyville? At least Catseye had some work she could leave for in the mornings. He was cooped up. And while he was glad to help her keep house, if he didn’t find any more to offer, she’d soon think him a squatter.

“Not at all,” she replied, eyeing her notepad. “So, where do you want to begin?”

He kept his gaze on the mural, thinking back to his conversation with Chamomile. Where did he want to begin? Discord’s day of rampage? The Wedding? If only they’d done this sooner…

“I’m sorry,” he said, glumly. “I find it hard not to keep thinking about… Ponyville.”

“Yeah...” Catseye sighed, setting the pad down. “She… loved her child, didn’t she?” she said, pausing a moment. “I still can’t believe we won’t be seeing her, next time. But we… we’ve got to keep going. That what you told me they taught you in the Guard. Keep going,” she finished limply, reaching for her tea.

This time, he scowled. “Oh, fine words, yet see how, the minute they’re hit with a sob story, most line themselves to fight alongside the monsters we were trained to fight against! Alright, the griffons I get, and the reindeer, but how could they forget the blasted Changelings attacked us just a few months before? It’s absurd! Is it really so silly to expect they’re just lying in wait, waiting until they can lower their glamour–”

Something splashed his coat, and he yelped. It felt like warm water. Then, straightening himself up, he understood. Catseye had dropped the cup, spraying her notepad, half the coffee table, and some of himself.

“Oh, oh, m-my bad!” Catseye spluttered, clasping her mouth. Red-faced, she hurriedly picked up a napkin to mop the mess. Alas, her attempt at mopping paper with paper had quickly turned into a pile of mush. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what… What?” she asked, aware of the look he was giving her.

“You know,” he grinned. “Your cheeks match the color of your hair, when they flush like that.”

Just as he’d hoped, this deepened the shade of her complexion.

“Do they? Huh,” she replied hesitantly, brushing back a lock. “I’m… surprised you noticed.”

Icewind got up from the couch. “Oh, plenty of burning faces up North, Miss Cat. You’re far from the first I’ve seen. But as for hair and fur…” He paused, patting his grey, tea-stained coat. “Mostly it’s this. Nothing like those crystalponies we’ve been hearing of. Just lots of grey and blue and white, some yellow or purple if you’re lucky, a bit of green… and hardly any red.”

She peered at him from above her glasses, which also had got a few splotches. “Really? Sounds like… like you’re missing something.”

He shrugged, gingerly picking a fresh napkin to rub his stains. “Just means it’s something to look out for, Miss. What if I told you that in the North, they’ve got a special name for red hair?”

“Why, what do they call it?”

“Something from an old reindeer legend, I think... Kissed by fire.”

He didn’t see her reaction, focused as he was, vainly, on wiping off the stains. In a moment, though, he heard it.

“That’s…” she breathed, “... a nice name.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Resignedly, Icewind gave up the napkin as a bad job. “Blasted, I’m afraid this isn’t working. If I could borrow the bathroom, Miss?”

“What? Sure, help yourself,” Catseye said vaguely, sounding as if she were elsewhere. “Ah, you may use the en-suite for this, it’s got the proper detergents.”

Icewind raised a forehoof. “I hope I’ve not offended you.”

“No, no,” she said, still distant. “But it’s... funny you should mention the color of my hair… People used to say it’s the only thing I got off my mother.”

Icewind thought she stiffened then, which was odd, since he’d seen a few pictures of her mother around the house, and it was true, they did share a mane. Perhaps it reminded her too much of Miss Berry just then. He felt his stomach tighten. He’d meant to make her smile with this corny talk of ‘kissed by fire’, but apparently he’d only got her further down in the doldrums.

Whatever it was, he mused as he entered the en-suite, it was too late to reverse now.

This was the first time he’d been in here, rather than the guest bathroom. Unsure of where the right stuff might be, he fumbled around a stack of bottles by the sink, until one got knocked over. Huffing, he went to righten it, before the label caught his eye. Curiously, he picked it up.

Aloe’s Albedo Alteration, he read. He raised an eyebrow. ‘White coat dye? What would Miss Catseye need that for?’

He jumped upon hearing the mare’s voice from behind the door. “Icewind? Forgot to tell you, the detergent’s located in the top shelf.”

“Thank you,” he called back, putting down the bottle.

An idea occurred to him. At first, he tried shaking it off. It was pure vanity, he chided himself, to think that way, pure fantasy. But the more he mulled it over, the more it felt like a plausible, if rather staggering explanation.

‘Just lots of grey and blue and… white.’

Maybe he wasn’t one-sided in his taste for the exotic. Could it be that, since they’d got to know each other, Catseye was seeking to reinvent herself? After all, he knew well, from how she conducted her speech at meetings, that she had much passion boiling beneath the surface.

Kissed by fire, indeed.

Trixie’s forehead was burning. They’d done what they could to stem the fever, but she’s been out of it for more than four days now, and it would make a resurgence every so often. Was it any surprise, given what mysterious hell she must be living within her mind at this moment?

“I’m sorry I can’t do more,” Luna told Stephan quietly. “Whoever did this to her placed a very powerful spell. As I said before, when I entered her mind with Cadance and Chrysalis to help, it was quick to violently expel us, like antibodies rejecting a foreign cell.”

“How can that be…” Stephan said in a whisper, holding on to the reassuringly familiar texture of his beloved’s forehoof. “You’re the Princess of Dreams. You’re more powerful than that mare in a cloak could ever hope...”

Luna sighed sadly. “Whatever she lacks for in power, she’s made up in cunning. She’s turned something that was already inside Trixie against us. Her ego, so powerful that it can contain the phantom echoes of a Changeling Queen’s connection to her Hive–”

“And I’m pretty sure of it,” Chrysalis added with a yawn, lounging on her couch. “If the other me didn’t warn you about the side-effects of eating royal jelly, she was either supremely overconfident or supremely foolish. Nothing like me, really. But I expect going to seed will do things to one’s judgment.”

Neither Stephan nor Luna paid her any attention. “As soon as her subconscious became aware of our presence due to a… discord between my companions,” the Lunar Regent continued, virtually hissing the last word, “the dreamscape turned into a nightmare. Not just a bad dream, a place that actively didn’t want us there. Combined with Trixie’s inherent willpower, her training is a phenomenal factor I’ve yet to unravel. And that’s the thing, Major,” she concluded balefully. “Like I said, that dreamweaver seized upon something already there. The other Trixie, my world’s Trixie in a prison cell, she has her faults, but it’d never cross her mind to murder a whole town for a mission.”

Stephan cast his eyes down, never looking away from his Trixie. “Princess. I’ve explained it to you. I don’t have to like something to accept it as necessary, or think that something’s necessary to like it. This is why I let Holmes, and Her Majesty,” he nodded over his shoulder at Chrysalis, “talk me into this fucking cruel plan of theirs, at first. But this isn’t going to protect Trixie, not at all. It’ll just kill her spirit once she learns what we did.”

“Then I imagine that’s why she shouldn’t,” Chrysalis said simply.

Stephan’s gaze darkened. “Perhaps you could live with that, Your Majesty. I can’t spend the rest of my life with her living a lie.”

“How sweet,” Chrysalis muttered. “First rule of a happy marriage, Major. Never be completely honest with your other half. There’s always that one fatal secret which’ll bring down your idyll.”

Luna chuckled sinisterly. “I’m pretty sure that’s what the knucklehead whose kidnapping of the Major provoked this whole mess must have thought. From what I’ve heard, his wife was livid when she found out he’d called in his old gang.”

“Ah, it’ll take more than that for those two,” Chrysalis said dismissively. “I’ve met those crazy adventurer types, you know. What’s a little mistrust next to the excitement of not knowing what your partner’ll come up with next?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Stephan growled. “It’s about more than that. Even if it weren’t her, do you think Trixie would forgive us using the enemy’s methods?”

“‘Using the enemy’s methods’?” Chrysalis mimicked, voice tinged with mockery. “Major. You humans pride yourselves on your martial prowess, but you still act willfully naive about certain things. This is a war. You kill. You burn. You destroy. Aren’t those the same methods used by the enemy?”

“We kill those who are trying to kill us,” Stephan scowled. “This war is in self-defense. We’re fighting to preserve our culture, not destroy the other Equestria’s.”

“Ah, so it’s your intentions that you think matter,” Chrysalis said, mock-thoughtfully. “Well, then, why would telling Trixie matter? Surely your intentions were good enough that the act itself is not so horrific?”

For that, Stephan had no answer.

“I’ll stay here awhile,” Luna said gently. “But I’ll have to make my night rounds. Trixie’s isn’t the only mind in need of comfort, Stephan. Two months on, and I’ve yet to meet everyone in your barracks…”

“I understand, Princess,” he replied, eyes closed. “They appreciate your help. Corporal Harwood’s shift begins in an hour, he’ll be around to watch over Trixie while I try and sleep.”

Chrysalis stood up. “My work here is done, too.”

“My work here is done, too.”

Sighing with relief and contentment, Chrysalis allowed herself to slide deeper into the bubbles, her forelegs spread left and right on either side of the lip of the baptismal pool. Unbidden yet not unasked for, two drones trotted over, carrying a jug of warm water between their auras. They poured its contents into the pool, causing the steam to rise and humidity to thicken upon the arched stone walls.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” she told Cutter. “Told you I could do it. Canterlot’s a hundred miles away as a crow flies by night, and still Cerci speaks in my voice, just as I see through her eyes.”

“Yes, impressive,” Cutter acquiesced. And she even sounded almost impressed, for a wonder. “Although your decoy must also be pretty good if she can pretend to be you when you’re not in her head.”

“She’s been well trained,” Chrysalis explained. “And her loyalty is absolute. It’s not easy for a drone to both empty their heads enough to let me in, and be on the ball enough to pull off such a convincing act, but she’s got the works. Remember to thank the dear thing, Miss Cutter, for helping us to speak in private like this.”

She trailed her forehoof in a circle, and Cutter, indulging her, followed her hoof. Much of the church in which the Hive had made their home was now covered from floor to ceiling in green wax, with alcoves carved out for drones to sleep in, but there remained a few clear patches, such as the stained-glass windows. Apparently, a devil like Chrysalis could still have a fine taste in holy artwork.

Cutter smiled. “Maybe I will.”

Raising herself somewhat from her bubble bath in the baptismal pool, the Queen clucked her tongue twice, summoning another pair of drones. Cutter knew this was done for her convenience, since a Changeling Queen wouldn’t need to command verbally, as she’d just demonstrated.

Chrysalis chuckled. “Cerci did her job well in delivering that line about a ‘hypothetical someone else’ to Bauer the other day, while I had to take a nap. Now, this is nice,” she commented on the bath, “but it isn’t doing much for the intolerable itch in my back.”

“Your Majesty,” said Cutter. “I’ll begin by thanking you for what you’ve shown me. What I need to know is whether I can show you anything that’ll interest you in helping me.”

Nodding distractedly, Chrysalis beckoned her attendants over to her.

“That depends,” she said. “I’ve got a pretty good thing going here, you know. And, let’s not mince words, I intend to live a long and fulfilling life. Sneaking off from the Alliance isn’t exactly going to help me towards that goal.”

“This Alliance is of convenience,” Cutter said. “And a political shadow-show. I have been to a world where the merchants and money-lenders have more power than kingdoms, Your Majesty. Siding with Armacham will benefit you in the long run.”

The attendants were carrying something long and wooden, the crucifix which until recently had adorned the church’s altar, minus the effigy of the Christ. While one tipped it over and held it steady, the other drone gingerly helped their Queen ease her shoulder-blades into the left crux adjoining post and crosspiece.

“Mh-hm,” Chrysalis said, as the attendants bobbed the smooth wooden object to-and-fro, scratching her back. “But you don’t actually represent Armacham, now, do you? You speak for a third party operating within Armacham.”

“True.”

“Don’t get me wrong, you fascinate me,” said Chrysalis. “However, you are a middlemare nonetheless. I should like to meet this Doctor Salonen before I give up such a precious trade secret.”

She playfully splashed one of the attendants.

Mind in turmoil, Blueblood was wondering what just he was doing here, with these people. Barely a week in, the reality of it still did not seem to want to wash over him. Even as the water sprayed from the faucet overhead, and soaked him through, and washed down the drain beneath his hooves. And it was lukewarm. Just one more example of how life was different here from in the Palace.

Sighing, he reached for the last of the coarse, gritty soap, to finish scrubbing himself down. The water was never warm enough by the time he took his turn in the Vanhoover barracks’ showers, after most everyone else had used it up.  His ears perked up as they caught the screech of a door opening, and he felt the furs raise on his neck. Despite the late hour, some other recruit would be coming in here for a wash. Lips tight, Blueblood quickened his scrubbing, not daring himself to look around. The contraction in his chest did ease, somewhat, when out the corner of his eye, he recognized who it was that lumbered in; a griffon, by far the largest he’d ever seen, and one of the most jovial.

Still, as the big griffon turned on the taps a few stalls away, Blueblood avoided eye contact. It would be so much easier if only he had his old mane, golden locks to hide behind, dripping with hot water. But one of the very first things they’d done to him here was to give him a haircut, so that now, even wet, his mane was never going to cover his eyes. And the water was lukewarm.

That last one was his own fault, he silently cursed himself, shutting the taps. Not caring that he’d barely rinsed the last of the soap off, Blueblood swiftly grabbed his towel from the overhang, wrapping it around his torso. It was no dinner jacket or dress uniform, yet better than nothing. All his life, he’d had something to show for during the day that he was kin to Celestia, she of the royal holster. Although he wasn’t seeking to be so ostentatious now, when his aunt and he had shared their goodbyes, he had promised he’d live up to their family image.

… At least, that was what he told himself. The truth was, a small voice whispered in his head, after so much else had been taken from him, if he did not even have this to set him apart, however indistinctly, he just felt so… exposed.

For the fourth night in a row, he was left staring at the words ‘A. Blueblood’ engraved into the foot of a bunkbed, with a small, austere compartment beneath for him to fit his few private belongings into. And on the bunkbed, one of dozens of the dull, identical rows aligning the surface of the bedroom, folded neatly upon the sheets, were a grey nightshirt and shorts. He touched them. Once more, the fabric felt all too real against his fur.

‘I’m not putting on those vulgar slops anymore,’ Blueblood screamed to himself, mortified. ‘You can’t make me do it! No, I won’t let you!’

Reining in dismay, he tried to keep himself from wobbling as he turned to look at his bunkmate, a turquoise pegasus called, if the name on the bedstead was anything to go by, ‘Dendrite’. The fellow was busy changing for the night, so when Blueblood coughed to get his attention, his head snapped up in surprise. Other than mumbled ‘mornings’ and ‘evenings’ at the canteen, this was the first time Blueblood had really addressed him.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, mate?” Dendrite replied curiously, looking down from atop the upper bunk. “Something the matter?”

“The nightwear is compulsory?” Blueblood asked, feeling faint. “I… I mean, I get the uniforms out on the field and all, but… off-duty, I mean, in bed, don’t see why we can’t simply go au naturel...” he murmured, self-consciously tugging at his towel.

Dendrite shook his head patiently. “Sorry, mate. You step in here, once you’re inside, ain’t no real off-duty. Regulations, they’re here to keep your mind sharp, even when you’re dozing off. Best bite the bullet and get changed. Don’t want a black bar right in your first week, else the Sarge, or Corporal Harwood, they’d have you doing push-ups from the eve to the morn’.”

“Yeah, that’s just it,” someone else complained from two beds away. A tan griffon, identified as ‘Renner’ by the plaque on his bunk. “When’re we gonna get goin’ with that again? I mean, at first I was all for the long weekend, Major and the Winter Soldier just makin’ us go through the motions until the Trainers return properly, but now I’m beginnin’ to think we won’t never be seein’ proper trainin’ no more.”

The words “proper training” made Blueblood’s heart beat faster. Keeping up with the other recruits, who had two months’ advance, had been enough of a chore with him lagging behind, or standing at the back during exercises. What would it be like, once things got serious? As Dendrite, Renner and the others bickered, he felt relieved they weren’t paying attention to him, and crushed.

He stared back at the custom-made nightgear in his forehoof. It was like everything else here. Technically new, but looking faded. Rooms were faded, beds were faded, clothes were faded. Even the food, made from stuff found here on Equestria and prepared with some care, tasted more faded than he’d known. Yet it was the sweet release from his statue which had faded most.

“Look,” Renner told Dendrite, “All I’m saying is, think that out in a combat zone, the Sarge or Harwood’s gonna be holding your hoof to pop you a sweetie for a good performance? Ain’t back in school, ponyboy!”

Dazed, Blueblood let the nightgear fall onto his bed, unused. He wandered out the dormitory.

Nobody tried to stop him. Or rather, nobody deliberately stopped him in his tracks. After an eternity of wandering aimlessly down the harshly-lit hallway, he felt something tall crash into him, sending him tumbling to the floor.

“Aaaargh!”

“Sorry! Oh my, I’m sorry!” the other person exclaimed. She – Blueblood was sure it was a she  – had an odd accent to her voice, one that oddly reminded Blueblood of these Vanhooverite ponies from further North, or of the reindeer. “Goodness, are you, are you alright?”

“Whuh... I don’t...” Blueblood slurred, rubbing his head.

He felt the touch upon his forehoof of what felt like claws, yet far too soft to be a griffon’s. Which was when he realized the person sitting opposite him was neither pony, nor Changeling, nor even a griffon.

She was a human.

But nothing like the last one he’d met, not in looks, at any rate. Whereas Marcus Renee’s head had been almost completely shaven of hair, her brown, almost-reddish mane was long enough to be tied back in a bun.

“You’re… you’re… I mean you’re...” Blueblood stuttered. “You’re one of them, a hu-OW!” Pain coursed from behind him, up his hind legs and to his chest. Cursing under his breath, he rubbed his sore backside. “That’s the second time in less than a year… all starting with a crazy mare at the Gala… ow, that hurts...”

The purple-maned mare’s ribbing came back to mind, and he tried not to scowl.

“Sir?” asked the human female, concerned. “Are you sure you’re alright? You look like you’re in more pain than you oughta be, for such a small tumble. N-not that I’m not sorry for bumping into you like that, just didn’t think it’d be so bad.”

She proffered her claws, or hand, he corrected himself. Choking back a grunt, Blueblood accepted to let her help him get back on his hooves. Thank goodness for life’s mercies, his towel didn’t catch on anything, which would have been a right kicker to this embarrassment cavalcade. To encounter a stranger while wearing less than a bathrobe felt like small potatoes, given the circumstances.

“Don’t blame yourself too much, Miss,” Blueblood told the young human female. “Just grown more sensitive in that area, after it got knocked into a marble pillar a few months ago.”

“Oh, been in the wars, have we?” the human female asked, attempting jocularity.

“Not really…” Blueblood admitted. “But a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from...”

“Bad dreams, huh?” she inquired, but quite unlike Marcus Renee’s tone, sneering and still vivid in his mind, she sounded almost sympathetic. “My friend Harwood has them as well. D’you wanna talk about it?”

“Why?” Blueblood retorted. He was still exhausted from the day, and so he found himself leaning back, upon the nearest wall.

“Well,” the female said. “I mean, I haven’t seen you around here or, anything. There are a couple of people I know who deal with dark thoughts, like Moondancer! If it’s not too much, well, you could ask her instead?”

“Moondancer?” repeated Blueblood. “Don’t know about her, she was always so aloof and reserved. Besides, if I’m here, it’s because a wise person told me that, if I didn’t want to let the dark thoughts run amok, I should go and do something about it myself.”

“And fighting a war’s your way of doing so, huh?”

“Not really… I don’t know,” Blueblood said wearily. He slumped against the wall. “It’s like, in a mad peak, I’d got this crazy idea in my head I could make up for years of stupid all in one go. Made me feel a bit better about myself, owning up that my life wasn’t going anywhere fast. But now I’m here and I’ve no idea what I’m doing.”

The human female peered at him curiously. It was then that Blueblood noticed her eyes; a particularly striking shade of turquoise and green, they were.

“Life not going anywhere?” she repeated in turn. “What was your work before signing up, then?”

Blueblood readied to tell her, and then his voice caught in his throat. How could he honestly put it? Even his political career had been an honorary heirloom from his father. His distant, domineering father.

“Bum,” he let drop morosely, holding his head. “That’s… pretty much it.”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” she said, holding a hand against his shoulder. “Your secret’s safe with me, you can bet on it, Prince Blueblood.”

The female saw through his lie so fast that, for a moment, Blueblood felt his throat clench, the hallway growing colder, despite the warm summer evening.

“How did you–”

“I noticed there was a statue in your likeness, back in Canterlot,” she replied, twiddling her fingers. “Was that you? Very, um, interesting statue, very nice contours and all.”

Blueblood shivered, remembering a time when it had, indeed, got very cold. Genuinely snowy, in fact, at the height of the warmest season, and he had been left outside to feel it.

“Yeah, well,” he snorted, “maybe I was more use to anyone as a statue.”

“Don’t you say that,” the female whispered, her voice just a little edgier. “I don’t know how, or what that was all about, but I remember thinking, ‘here’s a face which looks too sad for a proper statue’. That really was you, wasn’t it? Amethyst told me how they’d kept Discord imprisoned for so long.”

When he said nothing, she continued.

“Sorry you had to go through that,” she said. And to his surprise, there was no mockery in it. “Dunno what could possibly lead you to become, y’know, trapped in stone and whatnot. Hardly a fate I’d wish on anyone, if what Amethyst said is true, a punishment they inflicted on Discord himself is not to be taken lightly.”

“Well,” Blueblood tentatively began. “I suppose I was the pompous twit who deserved it, then.”

“Really?” the female inquired. “I’m not seeing a pompous twit here, and whatever pompous twit you were back then, he’s not here right now.”

She reached out, a comforting touch upon his shoulders. Weirdly, the warmth emanating from her felt, to him, almost like actual, tangible warmth...

“I see someone who’s all alone in this big, scary place, and I can’t allow for that,” the female said, with a forlorn little smile. “So, whatever worries you’ve got, you can tell me here. I, uh, may’ve just been discharged from... from hospital, yeah, but I’m here, and you can tell me.”

“And how would you know?”

“Because I was that lonely girl,” she replied sweetly. “Alone in a vessel at sea, with no-one except a pegasus she hardly knew and a soldier out to kill her just a few weeks prior.”

Hearing those words, Blueblood found himself looking at her in a new light.

“Vessel lost at sea?” he murmured in awe. “Was that on Earth?”

“That’s right,” the human replied, with a wink. “D’you fancy yourself a ship enthusiast? That’s quite the mark you’ve got on your flank.”

“Yes…” Blueblood replied wistfully. “I… used to have dreams of being, well, a pirate. Guess that must sound pretty silly, right.”

“Huh,” the human said. “It sounds fantastic.”

“You really think so, Miss?”

She let out a short, delicate laugh. “Back home, there isn’t much opportunity to dream like that anymore, considering things…” she said, trailing off with a wandering look in those eyes of hers, almost longing.

“I… I’m sorry,” Blueblood stammered. “I’ve been places before, of course, but… this is pretty much my first time away from home… alone.”

“Don’t you worry about that, I’ve been there myself,” she said kindly, patting him on the back. She stood up, and Blueblood realized how tall humans really were. “Listen, nobody here’s noble-born, except perhaps Moondancer, but we’re all in the same boat.”

“The same boat?” he asked, suspecting she’d used the analogy to please him.

“Yes,” the female explained, sounding a little somber all of a sudden, “everyone’s going a long way away from home, to fight out somewhere they’re not sure they’ll return from. Times like these, it’s when it’s most important to know who your friends are.”

“Friends?” Blueblood repeated, feeling, somehow, even smaller next to her, and he wasn’t a short stallion. “The last real friend I had was Cadance, my cousin. She’s more like proper royalty than I am. I’m starting from scratch.”

“Then what you need is to stop, really stop, thinking you’ve come down from a high place,” she told him sagely. “Stop looking up, and start looking forward. A Changeling friend of mine, Morning Glory, she’s always wanted to be like her Hive Queen. That’s not gonna happen, of course, but you’ll find she’s a lot like a queen around here. Then there’s the big griffon we call ‘Wolff’, he’s got ambitions to fight in that crazy Tournament of theirs, yet personally, we think he’ll make a better singer than a fighter, someday.”

“And?”

“And,” the female explained, breathing in a little, “it means that for most people, time spent in the military is like a… a stepping-stone. I never planned to be a career sniper, I was quite happy teaching chemistry, but, well… before the Tyrant had declared war, I’d already made a poor choice in friends, who’d promised an exciting new world with all Equestria had to offer.”

“Wait, what…”

“Not PER, don’t worry,” she said, still somewhat somber. “Just a bunch of shady human smugglers. Opportunists. Hey, whaddya know, that’s pirates for you.”

And this set Blueblood’s mind afire more than anything. He wasn’t so sheltered from reality to assume that real piracy was all jolly old fellows and adventure on high seas, but this human, so unthreatening he had trouble believing she and Renee were the same species, also looked utterly unlike the kind to fall in with ruffians and rogues.

Somehow, here in this place amongst this rough-and-ready lot, that helped put his heart at ease. Even his current attire seemed a little less ridiculous, and made him feel a little more like those princes from Eastern tales who’d sworn off material goods to live as prophets wearing drapes. He’d scoffed at them then. Now, perhaps he could follow their lead.

“So…” he said slowly. “You’re saying, uh, I should go and... talk around more?”

“Something like that,” she said. “Look, here’s a tip. Ask for Snow Mist, or Wolfsschanze. Either’ll be willing to take you under their wing… heh. Neither’ll care where you’re from or who you were, so long as you do okay now.”

“But I’m doing things all day with them, and no-one talks to me.”

“Oh?” the human said. “Well, have you ever tried asking if you could sit next to them at mealtimes in the mess hall?”

He began to open his mouth, but nothing came out. She’d sussed it out. Big mess hall they had, enough for a couple spare tables to be left over, and in all four days, he’d spent each of his meals, beginning, middle and end, at his own, empty table.

“See?” she said kindly. “It’s not hard, well, not hard when you’re not, not thinking too much about it! I mean, people try to be polite, and chances are they’ll at least let you sit with them, right? Just take the first step yourself. Don’t wait for things to happen to you, Princeling.”

“I suppose I can try.”

She smiled at him. “Great! Cheers, love.”

His ears perked up, this time, because the human was looking him over encouragingly.

“Oh, just an expression,” she said, before he could even begin to reply. “Picked it up from Harwood. Right, I’ll see you around. Still got a few errands to do!”

And she went on her way past him, as suddenly as she’d appeared. Blueblood remained leaning at the wall, safely wrapped in his towel, pondering her words. It was only then he realized he’d forgotten to ask her name.

Princess Luna hadn’t been too surprised that Trixie Lulamoon should remind her of her royal nephew. Both of them stuck-up and vain. Both of them putting on airs to hide their insecurities. But she’d dug deeper, to uncover more than the surface detail. Unbalanced relationships with family. Difficulties fulfilling the promises of their marks. The key difference, it seemed, was that the illusionist had a knack for making people like her, maybe admire her, which Astron Blueblood lacked.

That, and the nightmare inside which the Prince had been locked was initiated by Discord, a not wholly unwarranted, yet overly harsh punishment for his foolishness. Trixie Lulamoon’s ordeal was the work of their enemy.

… Or that’s what may have been true of one Trixie.

Luna stayed out of sight, invisible, as she watched a baby-blue filly choose a random Tarot card from a set laid out by the hearthfire. The elderly white-maned stallion before her, his coat a twin blue to hers, smiling, picked it up to show where her choice had landed.

Number XVI. The Tower.

A card of change, of conflict, of lost control. Inside the tower they helped build, the fool finds arrogant peers residing, convinced of their righteousness. The tower is built from lies upon the foundations of truth. In the end, however, comes liberation...

The Princess felt a lump in her throat. Why was she doing this? This Trixie didn’t need her in here. For now, the frightened mare had found happy memories to retreat in on her own. Anything Luna might attempt could only make things worse. Did she hope to make up for the ways of late she hadn’t met her duties as Princess of Dreams? Forgetting that Blueblood could suffer nightmares in his petrified state, just because she hadn’t cared enough for this unknown nephew whom she’d been quick to judge after returning from her own exile... And beyond that, her complicity in forcing an innocent through a new nightmare?

In the vision of the past, Trixie giggled in delight at her grandfather’s game of futures, unaware of what lay ahead in her life, how one version of her would become a weapon, and another would become a pawn in a game of chess, of how in either case she would become, by accident or design, little more than a tool for various individuals who each claimed they sought to build a better tomorrow… while today lay in ash.

The hour was nearing eleven, and here in New New York, a drinking den was open, no less than an old-fashioned, pseudo-English pub, complete with the charming old aesthetic of faux-leather seats and sofas and chairs, oak tables, and many quintessential British beers to go. Sat in this bar were a few soldiers, who had been rotated to this Equestria, three men and three stallions in all. All were nursing drinks. Music was playing, drifting between humans and ponies.

#And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes...

“Why is it always this song?” asked one man, clad in a trenchcoat: this was John Constantine, who true to form was taking an angry puff of his cigarette. “Seriously, it’s shit.”

“It’s an okay song, to be fair.”

“Yeah, when the world isn’t ending, it is,” John grunted. “Except that my world is ending, and hearing a vaguely depressing song that’s trying hard to sound upbeat isn’t helping,” he added, turning to face the newcomer who’d spoken.

“Anything for you, sir?” Grape Shines asked nicely, putting down the glass she’d been mopping.

“Diet Coke,” Bowman replied, who was, in fact, still drinking in the song itself as he walked up to the bar. “I’m talking bottled, not that thin stuff from the tap.”

The barmare nodded. “I understand.”

Bowman leant his elbows on the varnished wood, careful of any spills of drink that might ruin his coat.

“Evening to you, lads,” he greeted John and company. “Fancy seeing you all out here on a fine night like this.”

True Grit recognized him first. “Bowman?! The hell you doing here?!”

“Could ask you the same,” Bowman said, smiling as the unicorn’s horn sparked in surprise, a forest-green that matched his fur. “Last I heard, you lot were in old New York, not this surprisingly faithful recreation.”

“Yeah, some bugger pulled us up for transfer here,” John said. Again he snorted, as was his habit. “Maybe they wanted someone to review the bars.”

“Which are, to be fair, up to snuff,” Sam grinned. “Haven’t had a complaint yet.” Which was the moment a drop of the rain from earlier that day chose to drip upon his head. He scowled, patting the mess it had made of his blonde locks. “Maybe even too accurate.”

“Ah, should just get a Discord in to fix it all,” Dave said, pointing to the roof. “Seems like he can simply make cities out of thin air.”

“Yeah, well,” John snorted, “I’ll wait until he remakes Liverpool to be fucking impressed, down to the smell and all.”

Unlike John, whose trenchcoat was a practically inseparable part of him, the other two men were wearing their white FEAR-issue D12 armor. White, a colour of purity, just deeds, honour. Ironic, that, given where John’s set of interests lay. Or maybe that was why they were friends.

“I have one complaint,” Grit said. “The bloody locals.”

“What about them?” Bowman asked, wincing at the swearing.

“They’re a bunch of overly happy pricks, that’s ‘what about them’,” Grit harrumphed. “I swear, when I was in Equestria, it was never that cheery.”

“Really?” Sam said, his discontent at the leaking roof having vanished as fast as it arose. “Ain’t that a shame. After seeing this place, I’d began thinking at least the Tyrant didn’t lie about one thing. Sounds like you lot were missing out.”

“Maybe it was and your memory’s gone sour?” Dave suggested, rubbing his perpetual stubble. “I mean, with everything that’s gone down...”

“Nah, a Crystal War never happened here,” Grit said. “This place is… I don't know, nopony ever shanked its innocence or something.”

“You say that like innocence is a bad thing,” Bowman remarked.

Errant Flight coughed, flapping a wing. “That kinda depends,” he said. “Innocence is great. But it’s like dropping a fragile vase. You can't really fix it, and damn if breaking it ain’t gonna to shock the hell out of people.”

“And your world wasn’t like that?” Bowman asked.

Errant shook his head. “Our world was chipped and cracked long before we met humans. Dropping it was the final nail.”

Bowman nodded. “I can see where you’re coming from.”

The barmare arrived with a pint-glass full of Diet Coke, and Bowman took a look before taking a swig.

“That nice?” Dave asked.

“Top notch,” Bowman replied.

“Bit soft for a night at a pub, isn't it?” John said drably.

“I wouldn’t have said so,” Bowman said. “Anyway, you okay, Dave? You haven’t touched your drink.”

It was true, the dark-haired man hadn't touched a drop in all the time since Bowman had arrived. He smiled wanly.

“I’m fine,” Dave whispered. “Had bad dreams. Same sort as I’ve had since before Fairport.”

The entire group, other than Bowman, made faces. None of them liked remembering Fairport.

“Bless Viola,” Errant said quietly, raising a glass. “Whatever happened to her.” Quickly, he downed his drink, then slammed his glass on the bar. “Hey, Miss Shines!” he yelled to the barmare. “‘Nother one of these, stat!”

“Hope you guys are enjoying your evening,” Grape Shines smiled at them.

Steady Hoof, the group’s earthstallion, said nothing, but Bowman was amused to notice his grey cheeks turn a shade of pink. It was certainly a more pleasant pink than that of the scar which ran along his throat.

“It hasn’t started properly yet,” Sam said. “But just give us six hours and see how we go. Say, do Time Lords even get drunk?”

“Probably,” Bowman shrugged. “I've been known for occasionally getting squiffy with the greats. Churchill, Boney, Bowie, Oliver Reed…”

“‘Squiffy’,” John repeated mockingly. “Believe that when I bloody see it.”

The Doctor’s face took on the expression of a man eagerly awaiting a challenge. “Fine. The mood I’m in, I could do with something stronger.” He looked at the barmare. “Could I get some vodka in the next one?”

#And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You’ve been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

“Honestly,” said John. “That song’s too fucking upbeat for the subject matter.”

Kraber and Pinkie weren’t sure if they were laughing at the screen or Rarity’s reaction to Kill La Kill.

“Well, you… weren’t wrong,” Rarity said. She was trembling. Confused. Vaguely disgusted. But struggling to hold in her laughter. “It does… it does have… fashion, and... and...”

She couldn’t help it. She burst into most unladylike laughter.

“It’s a good show,” Aegis said, a smile on his face.

‘Not very expressive, is he?’ Rarity thought.

“It’s a kwaai fokkin’ show,” Kraber agreed. He was smiling too. Something about his face, something about his expression, made it look like he wasn’t used to doing it.

He stood up and yawned a little. “Well, been fun, but, Aegis and I have to head to our room.”

“You share a room?” Rarity asked.

“Of course we do,” Aegis said.

“Before I go, though,” Kraber said. “Shot.”

“... What?” Rarity asked.

“He means thank you,” Aegis said.

“Ja,” Kraber said. “That’s… that’s what I meant. It was a lekker fokkin’ day, Rarity, Pinkie. The best I’ve had in far too fokkin’ long.”

“It really was!” Pinkie said. “I think tomorrow, I’ll throw you a surprise–”

“NO.”

It was like watching an avalanche in slow motion. Kraber’s face didn’t merely fall. It didn’t merely collapse. It was like an explosion, pointed downward. Any warmth, any camaraderie that the room had built up simply evaporated. Somehow, Rarity couldn’t explain it, Aegis was in front of her. She had never seen a human look so angry.

Pinkie shrank back. “B-but… everyone loves parties!”

Kraber just shook his head. “Not. Me.”

“Viktor…” Aegis said, inching forward. “Whatever you do, stay still and don’t...”

“The last surprise party I had ended with my family ponified,” Kraber said. “Some fokkin’ varknaaier had potioned everyone at my kids’ birthday party. My wife, too. And I–”

“I did it, didn’t I?” Pinkie asked. Her mane went lank. “I’m… I’m the reason you’re crazy.”

For a second, a chink appeared in Kraber’s armor.

“No, not you,” he said. “Never…. Never this you… You know… a party might not be so bad. I... just… no surprises. I want to know exactly what happens.”

“It’s… not what I usually do. But, okay,” Pinkie said softly. “As long as it makes you happy.”

“It just might.”

Marching down the street, Marcus rubbed his forehead wearily. Apparently, his new magical body was still all-too-human in some respects, migraines included. Not that he could blame himself for the migraines. The weight of the decisions he had been making would be enough to crush the strongest of men. He was actually wishing for a good old-fashioned battle. On the battlefield, he knew the score. He had his troops and the enemy, concrete objectives with concrete results. Bad things happened, but they were the bad things he was made to deal with, the kind that he had trained for. His soldiers dying, or in this day and age being ponified. The battle going awry.

This…

‘This is different. I’m not sending young men and women, human or otherwise, to fight for their survival. I’m condemning a mare to a hell for something she had no part of.’

He sighed, a saying from a movie he had seen a long time ago coming to mind.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

“Fuck that pointy eared bastard,” Marcus swore. “Easy for a movie to say when it’s just a fucking movie. This is real. This is my reality!”

He shut himself up, hoping no-one had heard his outburst. But his decision was made about one thing. Tonight, he was going to drink himself into oblivion, or as much oblivion as he could. That was the single greatest downside of his new physical biology so far; he could no longer get properly wasted.

John hiccoughed. “If your explanations weren't so wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey…”

“I haven't said that in decades,” the Doctor said scathingly, frowning half in the direction of Dave, and half in the direction of a random wall. “You don't get it. Alright, so, again. I can't change history per se, because history splits off into different timelines. Okay?”

Most of the group were passed out by this point. Steady Hoof and True Grit had both gone off into a corner to sleep, and Sam Lake was snoring his head off upon the bar.

“Yeah, we got that part,” Errant said.

“So, when I change something, a new timeline branches off, and that one becomes the most likely outcome, the ‘primary’ universe of that event track. See?”

“Ish,” Dave said, shaking his head.

“Alright, now,” the Doctor said. “What often happens is, ‘primary’ universes, or ‘Prime’ universes, can absorb the time tracks of less stable universes. This is why you have things like inconsistent memories. So when I create a new ‘Prime’ universe, the chances are it will absorb the original universe, and certain events will be cancelled out. Yes?”

“Yeah…” Dave said, frowning. The man lay his head on the table, and fell still. After a moment, faint snoring could be heard.

“He never could hold his drink,” John said knowingly, to promptly collapse off of his stool in a drunken stupor.

The Doctor snorted. “Humans.”

“Hey, if they’re so bad, why hang around them?” Errant asked blearily.

“Why do you?” the Doctor replied with a snort. “Answer being, because all races, at their heart, suck. Draconians are uptight. Draconequui are… well, the ones I’ve met aren’t exactly making a good case for themselves, the one around these parts might actually be one of the nicer ones, isn’t that sad? As for ponies…” He snorted. “Equusite ponies are too skittish, too naive, too quick to judge. Ice Warriors are too proud. Humans are just irritatingly inconstant, one minute they’re sweet and caring, the next selfish, the next heroic, the next cowardly… And don't even get me started on my lot, they're…” He trailed off. Errant Flight had passed out. “Dull as dishwater and about as colorful.”

He took another swig of his vodka and diet coke, faintly lightheaded. He hadn't drunk this much in a looooong time. In one smooth motion he downed his drink, before slamming the glass on the bar.

“Barkeep!” he yelled, probably already tipsy. “Another!”

A smiling, pleasant-looking man with thinning hair and glasses stepped up. Grape Shines was giving the man an odd look.

“Isn’t your shift over, Gar?” she asked him.

“Nah, can’t be arsed with sleep right now,” the barkeep said genially. “You go have an early night, Shines. I’ve got this covered.”

Grape Shines ruffled her eyebrows, yet she left. The barkeep looked to the Doctor.

“Are you alright?”

“Nope!” the Doctor said cheerfully. “I hear drinking is good for that.”

“I hear differently,” the barkeep said, “but I guess it isn't my business. Still, I also hear bartenders tend to be confidantes for some people.”

The Doctor snorted, placing the emptied glass in front of the man expectantly.

“You seem like a nice bloke,” he said honestly, “but I get the feeling you wouldn't understand the things I have on my mind.”

“I wouldn't be so sure, Doctor,” the barkeep said with a soft smile, glancing at his wrist-watch. “I have things to do, but I suspect I’ll be around, if you want to talk. In the meantime… will your friends be alright?”

Frowning, the Doctor glanced down at them. “They’ll be fine, yeah.”

“Alright,” the barkeep said lightly. “But will you?”

As the Doctor didn't bother answering, with a sigh, the barkeep deigned to pour him another drink prior to retreating into the backroom. Left alone, the Doctor began tapping away idly at his keytar.

“~I spy in the night sky don’t I, Phoebe, Io, Elara, Leda, Callisto, Sinope, Janus, Dione, Portia, so many moons, quiet in the sky at night, hot in the milky way…”

There came a creak to accompany the door to the bar opening, but he didn’t look up until, finally, a figure sat next to him. He turned to stare at the man who had sat next to him, and a grimace that might have been trying to pass for a smile invaded his face.

“Colonel,” the Doctor greeted Marcus Renee. “Small world.”

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 6: ‘By Inferno’s Light’

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 6: ‘By Inferno’s Light’

In The Pale Moonlight – Part Six

‘By Inferno’s Light’

Authors:

Redskin122004

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Jed R

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

DoctorFluffy

Dustchu

Red Bomber

“What I did I did to make Cardassia strong again. And mark my words, Captain, I succeeded. You may have escaped defeat this day but tomorrow...”

“We will see about tomorrow.”

“Yes, we will.”

– Gul Dukat and Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ‘By Inferno’s Light’

“So... I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all... I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. Garak was right about one thing, a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. So I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it... Computer, erase that entire personal log.”

– Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘In The Pale Moonlight’

Marcus walked to his prefered bar, his mind as far as possible from whatever was stressing him and was clearly focused on getting drunk as possible.

‘Marcus, you would need to consume the entire stock the bar has, and while Discord’s magic is powerful, I don’t think he would appreciate if you abused it like this,’ the ever present Tia chided him from within his mind.

“I just want to forget this week ever happened,” Marcus grumbled as he stepped up to the door.

‘The past will remain there Marcus. But you still have time to change things for the better now,’ Tia stated calmly. Marcus paused at the door, closing his eyes as he tried to fight off the guilt.

“The last time I tried to do things for the better, a lot of people ended up dead for nothing,” Marcus answered quietly, causing the echo of Celestia to sigh sadly before retreating back into his mind.

Marcus stepped through, taking in the scene before him with rapt attention.

“Colonel,” the Doctor greeted from his place at the bar, raising a glass in greetings, the soldier next him barely moving from his drunken sleep. “Small world.”

“Bowman,” he said grimly. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be working on that… thing.”

“I am working.” The Doctor tossed back another, though he seem tense to Marcus’s eyes.

“Sure,” Marcus said, glancing at the keytar and the half-empty drink, a glance passing over the unconscious soldiers. “Looks like it.”

“Chalcedony’s running the simulations and working through the memories as we speak,” the Doctor said with a wave of his hand. “She does that all pretty much on autopilot, no need for me to hang around over her metaphorical shoulder. And I… felt like I needed a drink with some friends of mine, if that’s quite alright with you.”

Marcus rubbed his head, waving his hand at him as he made his way to the bar. “Whatever. Just keep the drinks coming.”

“Oh?”

“I need this,” Marcus reiterated, giving a pain smile to the bartender before him. “Balkan 176, as many as you can bring out.”

“Of course, Colonel,” the barkeep said, pouring a shotglass full of vodka. “On the house. Going for oblivion, are we?”

“Trying to.” Marcus couldn’t help but snort a bit, downing the shot in one swing before holding out for another fill. “Huh. Not bad. Got a good kick. Might as well leave the bottle.”

“Of course, Colonel.”

“So,” Marcus asked the Doctor. “Come here often?”

“This is rather a pleasant bar,” the Doctor said with a wry expression. He took another sip of his own drink, prior to shrugging and downing it. “Another, please.”

The barkeep raised an eyebrow, but he poured the drink and placed it in front of the Doctor, who nodded his appreciation. For a long while, the two men drank, enjoying the slow music playing from the jukebox in the corner of the bar.

‘Marcus, you need to speak about this.’

Marcus sighed. ‘Tia, who am I going to talk to, Bowman? The man hates me right now, and I can’t blame him.’

‘Marcus, this entire ordeal is eating you alive. I am worried about what is happening to you. You are making foolish decisions, and you know it was foolish.’

‘Tia, please, I just want to drink, that’s all I am asking for.’

‘Fine, be that way then. Keep in mind, this man is the same as Doctor Whooves. Different superficially, perhaps, but they are fundamentally the same person. He would listen, if you gave him the chance.’

Marcus muttered under his breath, catching the Doctor’s attention with his scowl on his face directed at nobody in particular.

“Problem?”

“No,” Marcus mumbled out, downing another shot to cut the conversation.

For another hour, the two men drank in silence, both brooding on their own predicaments with nothing to say between the other. The amount of alcohol in their system would normally have caused both men to loosen up, but one was a Time Lord, and the other was an ascended human being. Suffice it to say, neither of them were really feeling the pleasant buzz of their drinks.

The Doctor took a final swing of his vodka and diet coke. “Right, then, Colonel. I shall see you tomorrow.”

Marcus looked like he was going to say something, before he thought better of it. The Doctor put his empty glass down, and left with a flourish of his coat, taking his keytar with him.

Marcus looked down at his own drink with a questioning look.

“You know, it isn’t going to refill on its own,” a voice said from above him. He looked up, to see the balding barkeeper smiling at him. Marcus gave him a questioning look.

“I get the feeling there’s more to you than meets the eye,” he said. Marcus never seen him before, and he was sure there were no civilian barkeepers within the city just yet.

“You’re very perceptive,” the barkeeper replied with a friendly smile. “But right now, I’m just pouring drinks.”

Marcus frowned. “Yeah, sure. What else?”

The barkeeper said nothing, merely smiling up at the doorway as it opened with a loud creak.

Doctor Whooves winced, a forehoof going to his head, just when he’d began work on a little bit of console maintenance.

“Dad?” Sparkler said from next him. The two of them were the only ones on the ship this evening, Derpy and Dinky both spending the night home resting. Doctor’s orders, one might say. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving her off. “Just… just a headache.”

“Headache?” his adopted daughter repeated. “What do you mean, a headache?”

“A headache,” Whooves said, with a wry grin. “You know, an ache in the noggin. Pain in the brain case. Migraine. That sort of thing.”

Sparkler scowled. “Dad, this is serious. You and I both know you don’t get headaches for no reason. Usually, it’s after you bumped someone else in the head, or someone else’s been messing with it. Either way, it tends to follow a major revelation.”

Whooves waved her off again. “It’s nothing. Just feels like…”  He trailed off, his expression going slack.

“Like what?”

“Like… a fallout,” Whooves said slowly. “Four-dimensional fallout. Heavy on the air.”

“Fou-dimensional fallout?” Sparkler repeated. “But… that usually follows or precedes…”

“Major disruptions in time and space, yes, I know,” Whooves said quietly. He smiled brightly. “Still, shouldn't worry overmuch.”

“What sort of thing could be causing it?” Sparkler asked, not willing to let the matter go.

Whooves had no answer.

Marcus turned in his seat, and found himself surprised to see the Doctor walking in. He was wearing a different shirt and a different pair of corduroy trousers, and his expression was morose.

“Colonel,” he greeted. He gave the barkeeper a look. “Gar.”

“Doctor,” the barkeeper said with a genial smile. “What a pleasant surprise to see you back here.”

“I could say the same,” the Doctor said evenly. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to speak to the Colonel.”

The barkeeper inclined his head, before pulling up a bottle of Renee’s Balkan and a bottle of Coca-Cola, as well as a bottle of vodka.

“Don’t overdo it,” he told the Doctor, meaningfully.

“Oh, don’t worry,” the Doctor said with a grim smile. “I know what I’m doing.”

The barkeeper left through the back door, and the Doctor sat down to pour himself a new drink. He took a deep breath, exhaling.

“How I needed that.”

For a moment, the Doctor simply sat in silence, drinking his drink.

“You just left. Why are... ” Marcus asked before rolling his eyes, taking the bottle and downing half of it in one go. “Right. Not questioning it.”

The Doctor didn't say anything to that.

Marcus sighed. “You wanted to talk?”

“Gimme a mo,” the Doctor replied, drinking his drink. “Long day.”

Marcus didn't know what to say to that. Clearly, the Doctor hadn't come straight back. Had he time travelled? Why? What had he done?

“It’s funny,” the Doctor said after a moment. “You're one of the most powerful humans alive, politically and literally. And yet, here you are, trying to drown yourself in liquor in a manner that most people would find… worrisome.”

“Why do you care?” Marcus asked. “You hate me.”

“I don't tend to hate many people,” the Doctor replied with a slow smile. “You and I certainly have… well, our differences of opinion…”

“I threatened you, threatened your friends, and I’m forcing you to do something you hate,” Marcus said flatly.

The Doctor’s smile faltered and died. “Yes. Well, I’ll admit. You're not exactly on my Christmas list for that one. Still.”

“I am not cut out for this, Bowman,” Marcus said grimly. He took a swig of his drink. “I’m not black ops or anything. Those guys tolerate me at best. I’m not one of them. I don’t deal with stuff like this. I lead by the front and by example! This entire ordeal, this fucking stain, I’ve been told what would happen to our alliance. I expect the worse and no one tells me otherwise. I fucking hate - I’m driving this entire unit down the shithole and there is nothing I can say and do to turn us around. Not without taking losses in that turn…” He stopped, drained. “I can’t handle this anymore. This is too much.”

The rather stunned look on the Doctor’s face was telling.

“You know, this is exactly like what happened to Defiance. Too many unknowns, too much guesswork, not enough time to figure out the best course of action,” Marcus lamented, rubbing his forehead. “There were a few people who wanted me to wipe out that shithole with artillery, others wanted to make an example out of them.”

The Doctor didn't say anything, though his expression hardened.

“You know, I’m surprised,” Marcus said after a moment.

“Oh?” the Doctor asked.

“Yeah,” Marcus said. “Was kind of expecting you to start ranting at me about how bad all of this is again.”

“I still could, if you want,” the Doctor said with a mirthless smile, taking another sip of his drink. “Wouldn’t really change anything, though.” His smile faded. “You’re an odd one, Colonel Renee.”

“Am I?”

“Oh, yes,” the Doctor said quietly. “You’re letting what’s happening to Trixie happen, even though it makes you miserable. You talk about how Lyra made the PHL to be good, then, rather than try your damndest to stick with it, you accept moral compromises as necessary, only to feel miserable about that too.”

Marcus sighed, not replying. He’d done enough talking with the Doctor to know that he’d keep talking whether he was interrupted or not.

“Then there’s Defiance,” the Doctor continued. “Innocent women and children gunned down because your diplomacy failed, and that makes you miserable, but you’ve never gone on record about it being a mistake on anyone’s part, when you could have.”

Marcus sighed. “I'm not Lyra.”

“There's something I've been thinking for a long time,” the Doctor said with a snort. “You spend so much time telling people you're not Lyra – that you can't be like her – that I dare say you've stopped trying to be, if you ever started.”

Marcus said nothing. He didn't really feel like there was much he could say – Defiance was not his favourite topic.

“This is all the past, anyway,” the Doctor said quietly, taking another sip of his drink. “Unlike me, you can’t exactly go visiting, and I doubt you would want to.”

“You do,” Marcus said dully.

The Doctor’s expression was odd: cold and tired. “Yes, and usually, I wish I hadn’t.”

There was a long pause.

“I wish I hadn’t needed to do what I did at Defiance,” Marcus said quietly. “Or now.”

The Doctor smiled softly. “Wishing for something to be better, or wishing that you could do better, is a good sign.”

“Is it?” Marcus asked.

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “The first thing is desire. Motivation. Then you take action. Because of your wish, maybe you’ll do something differently next time. Who knows?”

“You do,” Marcus said. “You know what happens after we do this. Don’t you?”

The Doctor said nothing.

“You do,” Marcus reiterated. “You talk about history. You’ve seen the future, the future of this world if we go through with our plan.”

The Doctor didn’t reply for a moment, and his face was completely neutral.

“What makes you say that?” he asked after a moment.

“Don't be an ass. I’d rather just know this decision’s results now than have it thrown back in my face later,” Marcus said tiredly. “Please.”

There was a long moment of silence.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” the Doctor whispered, rubbing his forehead.

“What?” Marcus asked, startled. “What is it?”

“You really are quite something, you know that, Colonel?” the Doctor said, unsmiling. “Even now, after everything, you still want easy answers to your problems, still want there to be a proverbial magic button.” He harrumphed, unconsciously patting his neckline. “Would it make anything better if I told you what’s waiting down the path you’re headed? Believe me, knowing would only be attacking the symptoms.”

“Easy for you to say,” Marcus said, clenching his glass. “You already know.”

“Not everything,” the Doctor said gloomily. “I’m like everyone else in creation in one, very critical, respect. I don’t know my own future. I have to go through my life as it comes. One day, something out there’s going to get me, and I’ve no idea what, when, or how. Scary, but that's how life… is meant to be.” He took a breath. “And maybe I shouldn’t keep trying to change it. It's gone poorly when I tried.”

“Why are you here, Bowman?” Marcus demanded. “Seriously, what are you doing here? It’s thanks to you that we can put Holmes’ plan in motion, a plan we otherwise mightn’t have at our disposal without you, yet at the same time, I feel like you’re trying to block us every step of the way.”

“You’re human,” the Doctor said quietly. “Despite the fact that you’ve done a fair few things I wouldn’t agree with, I’d still say you want to do the right thing.”

Marcus shook his head slowly. “I… I don’t know what that is.”

“You do… you always have,” the Doctor said quietly. “Like I said, you spend so much time telling people you’re not Lyra, you’ve never tried to be. So try to be. You couldn’t make the right choice for Defiance. You can now. That's what I’m trying to tell you. You can now.”

Marcus said nothing, merely sipping his drink, the taste numb on his tongue.

“Tell you what,” the Doctor said, standing to go. “I’ll give you a piece of advice. Thessia in the springtime is beautiful. It’ll take you a good while to be able to go, but when you do, you and Cheerilee will love it.”

He took a final swing of his vodka and diet coke, before he left for the second time that evening. Marcus simply blinked in confusion.

“Thessia?”

A short way away from the bar, the Doctor stopped, looking around to make sure he hadn’t been followed. Then, at a sprint, he turned into a back alley, and practically fell, finding himself leaning heavily against the alley wall, groaning.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” someone asked from behind him.

The Doctor turned to see Gar, the barkeeper, standing there, his hands behind his back in a neutral stance. He was still smiling.

“Fallout,” the Doctor said tiredly. “It’s done, then?”

“Yes,” the barkeeper said. “Whatever happens now, it is not what was meant to be.”

The Doctor snorted. “Right. Gotcha. And is now the time for...”

The barkeeper held up a hand. “No. No, that waits. For now, you shall have to explain to yourself precisely what has happened, what you’ve done. If you can.”

The Doctor sighed. “Thank you for this.”

“Don’t thank us, Doctor,” the barkeeper said quietly. “I suspect you will find the price paid to save one little mare far beyond the price you would’ve accepted paying.”

He turned and walked off, leaving the Doctor alone. The Time Lord sighed, closing his eyes against the waves of pain broiling inside his head, only an echo of something far worse to come.

‘This was worth it.’ he thought. ‘This was all worth it.’

“You spend so much time telling people you're not Lyra… that I dare say you've stopped trying to be, if you ever started.”

Bowman… was right, Cher. He was right. I’d accepted what I was. I’m a soldier. I do what I’m ordered unless that order is against the ethical code. I’m not Lyra.

But could I be like her?

His words about having faith in our allies returned to me. I ran them through my head again. And again. I ran his words about Lyra.

What would Lyra have done?

DAY FIVE. MORNING.

The day of the procedure arrived with a sort of dull finality. Marcus found himself on a bench, wrestling with his thoughts. The sun was shining, and he could even hear birds chirping. Almost too nice. He could see this world’s Lyra, and Twilight, too. The latter must have come back from visiting her family. Marcus found himself wondering how that had gone.

“Marcus!” Lyra called over, waving a hoof. She and Twilight trotted over to him. “How are you? Are things going okay?”

Marcus smiled. ‘If only you knew.’

“Things are fine,” he lied. “We’ve been a little preoccupied, going over some stuff, but I’m fairly sure it’ll work out.”

“Good,” Lyra said earnestly. “It’s good that things are working out.”

‘If you knew what I’d done… what I’m going to do…’

“So,” he asked aloud. “How are things with you two?”

“Going well,” Lyra said with a smile. “Difficult to go through training without Major Bauer. Do you know when he’ll be back?”

Marcus kept smiling, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach. “He’s still needed to deal with top brass business. Boring shit, you know the sort.” (‘You fucking liar, Renee.’) “I’ll make sure he’s back to training you soon.”

“Good,” Twilight said quietly. “I’ve got a few meetings with Mister Acevedo to go to soon, but I want to feel like we’re progressing.”

Marcus felt his face fall. “You know, part of me wonders whether you should be so eager to let go of being a civilian, of your innocence. There’s a lot of stuff that changes in this life.”

‘Some stuff you’ll hopefully never have to experience.’

“I wouldn’t call it eagerness,” Twilight replied, sighing. “More… resolution. If it needs doing, it needs to be done right, and it needs to be done.”

Marcus nodded slowly.

“Besides,” Lyra added. “It’s like I said the other day. You didn’t take our innocence, not really. The Tyrant did. She’s the one who destroyed your world.”

“And Tirek destroyed her... and is still destroying her,” Twilight added, sounding empty. “Makes me wish we could do something.”

Marcus smiled wryly. “You know what? Don’t you let go of that. Don’t you let go of wishing you could do something, of wanting to be better. The way I hear it, it’s a good thing to hope for, even if you can’t always live up to it. Means that one day, you might be able to actually do something about it.”

“That’s a nice thought,” Lyra said. “It’d be a nice world if you could save everyone.”

“Yeah, it would,” Marcus replied. ‘I can’t save everyone, but I can save Trixie.’

“Anyway, we’d better go,” Lyra added, trotting off. “See you later, Marcus!”

“See you later,” Twilight added, moving to follow her friend.

A sudden thought occurred to Marcus. “Twilight, wait.”

She paused. “Yes?”

“I need your help,” Marcus said grimly, his expression becoming more serious. “I need you to teach me a certain branch of magic.”

Princesses Luna and Celestia were seated in their council chamber, awaiting Marcus, when he walked in, an expression somewhere between determination and uncertainty on his face. He was holding something in one hand.

“Colonel,” Luna greeted. “Are you ready?”

“No,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “No, I’m not.”

There was a pause as this sank in. Luna glanced at Celestia, who was sizing up Marcus with a thoughtful expression.

“Marcus?” she asked quietly. “Please tell us, what’s the matter.”

“Everything,” he said honestly. “I feel like shit. Like I swam through a septic tank. That's how I’m feeling at this moment of time.”

There was a pause as the two alicorns let these words sink in.

“I spent all night going over everything in my head,” Marcus said after a moment. “All night. I’d convinced myself we were doing the right thing.”

“But?” Celestia asked quietly.

“But… there’s an old adage Stephan once told me,” Marcus said, chuckling hollowly. “You ask a plumber to fix the world, all he’ll see is leaky pipes. We’ve all got our preconceptions about the world’s problems, how to fix them. Me included.” He took a breath. “We’re not going to do this to Trixie.”

Luna and Celestia exchanged glances again. Though neither of them spoke immediately, both seemed to lose a leaden tension around their shoulders, and Celestia even smiled.

“I see,” she said calmly. “May I ask how you reached this decision?”

“Several things,” Marcus admitted. “Bowman included. I talked to him, and to Stephan. But most of all… most of all, I thought about something important. What would Lyra have done? My Lyra?”

Celestia nodded slowly. “Ambassador Heartstrings was… exceptional, there is no doubt. I believe she would have sought another way.”

“She was definitely exceptional,” Marcus said softly. He looked down at what he held in his hand, before placing it on the table.

It was a pin. The icon of the PHL, a white lyre on a blue field.

“The PHL is hers, not mine,” Marcus said quietly. “She made it. She gave it its heart. She built it from the ground up. I’m only in charge because she isn’t here to lead us, but I don’t just make decisions for me, as a soldier. I’m a custodian of Lyra Heartstrings’ legacy. I can’t… I won’t be the man who tarnishes it like this.” He looked up at both of the alicorns. “We… we have to be honest. Tell the truth about what happened to Operative Lulamoon… to Trixie. All of it. If there’s questions to be asked, we’ll ask them. If there’s consequences, we’ll deal with them. But Lyra founded the PHL on a principle of being better.” He took a deep breath. “So let’s be better.”

Celestia and Luna both nodded slowly, near-identical smiles on their faces.

“For what it’s worth, Colonel,” Luna said, “I agree with you. This… Discord-work has not sat well with me.”

“Nor me. For all that I gave you free rein,” Celestia added. She smiled. “And Marcus… I’m sure she’d have been proud of you.”

Marcus shook his head. “No, she wouldn’t. I considered the other plan. I nearly went through with it. I’ve a long way to go.”

“Perhaps you do, Marcus Renee,” Luna said with a wry grin. “But remember, every journey begins with a single step. And I dare say, yours has begun with a leap.”

... And I felt light as a feather.

It was a risk, Cher. Of course it was a risk. Jesus, I said as much, didn’t I? Things could go to hell. Everything could go to shit.

But Celestia had always said that ponies trusted her, right? What was our biggest disadvantage when dealing with the Solar Empire finally got to be turned to our advantage. Besides…

… I had faith.

DAY FIVE. NOON.

Telling the Umbrella Man was something Marcus had been dreading. To his surprise, however, there was no collection of patronizing comments, no condescending remarks. The man simply folded his arms and sighed, tapping his umbrella against the concrete floor of the hangar.

“I shall assume by your directness, this is your final decision,” he said quietly.

“That’s right,” Marcus said, nodding. “We aren’t going through with this plan. I’m going to need you on hand to deal with running damage control, if that’s alright.”

The Umbrella Man sniffed. “‘Damage control’,” he said, gazing at a nearby airship. “Yes, Colonel, I’m very capable of running damage control. I survived David Cameron and Theresa May, Brexit, and the complete collapse of the British Government. I’m certain a few irate politicians on this world won’t prove any more troublesome.”

Marcus grinned. “Wouldn’t be so sure, Mister Holmes. Some of these politicians breathe fire.”

The Umbrella Man rolled his eyes. “And the Doctor?”

“What about him?”

“Needless to say, I sense his influence,” the Umbrella Man said, pointing towards Bowman’s TARDIS in the corner. “I’d think I should like a word with him.”

Marcus shrugged. “Do what you want.”

They met the Doctor waiting outside the TARDIS, a slightly smug expression on his face.

“You knew I’d decide against it,” Marcus told him, unable to keep accusation out of his voice.

“I didn’t know any such thing,” the Doctor said, spreading his arms. “Actually, I rather suspected you’d go for the opposite choice and push on regardless. Still, I can’t say I’m overly unhappy. You’re doing the right thing.”

“It’s like you said, Doc,” Marcus said with a smile. “I’ve spent years saying I’m not Lyra… but I’m in charge of her legacy. She wouldn’t have wanted me to do what we were doing.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” the Doctor said softly. “Something to take into your newfound longevity, Colonel. You’ll have a long time to think about things you do. A long time for regrets. Try not to make yourself any more than you’ve already got.”

Marcus nodded, his expression softening. “I’ll… try to keep that in mind, Doc.”

Before he could say anything else, however, the Umbrella Man joined in.

“Doctor,” he said, a ray of sun from an overhead window shining off his jet-black umbrella. “I imagine you must feel terribly proud of yourself.”

“A little, yeah,” the Doctor replied with a grin. “Faith in ponies and all that.”

“Indeed. However, there is an issue still outstanding,” the Umbrella Man said quietly. “You broke your word, Doctor.”

“No, I didn’t,” the Doctor snorted. “I did exactly what I said I’d do, up ‘til the point the good Colonel decided against your grand scheme.”

“I would disagree,” the Umbrella Man said grimly. “Convincing the Colonel against the plan, while it is ultimately his choice, is hardly sticking to the spirit of our agreement.”

“‘Spirit of our agreement’?” the Doctor repeated. “Do you suppose there was a ‘spirit’ of our agreement, given that you forced me to agree, and threatened my friends?”

“I do not care for your tone, Doctor,” the Umbrella Man said grimly.

“And I don’t care what threats you think you can make,” the Doctor retorted. “I am not interested in your threats or your attempts at intimidation. I did what you asked. You don’t have a leg to stand on.”

“Perhaps I am not making myself clear, Doctor,” the Umbrella Man said, leaning forward. “As far as I’m concerned, you have deliberately gone against our agreement, which means the terms of our agreement are forfeit. I am within my rights to do as I intimated before.”

The Doctor folded his arms. “Are you trying to be threatening, Mikey?”

“Merely stating fact, Doctor,” the Umbrella Man replied. “If you do not wish for me to have the Reavers dealt with, you will do something else for me. Otherwise, I am perfectly willing to do as threatened and have them arrested and held for trial, a trial in which they would immediately be found guilty and punished to the very fullest extent of the law.”

The Doctor glanced at Marcus, whose expression was blank. He looked back at the Umbrella Man.

“Alright,” he said tightly. “What do you want?”

“The Apex Crystal,” the Umbrella Man said at once.

The Doctor snorted. “No.”

“There is no ‘no’ option available to you, Doctor,” the Umbrella Man said with a grim smile. “Either you give me the crystal, or I will see to it that your friends in our little collection of universes are all made very, very miserable.”

The Doctor scowled. “Threatening me isn’t wise, Mycroft.”

“I am hardly a slouch myself, Doctor.”

The two squared up to each other in what might have been the intellectual man’s equivalent of a standoff. The Umbrella Man had an advantage of about two inches in height on the Doctor, but the two of them otherwise seemed evenly matched.

“Compromise,” Marcus put in, feeling uneager to see either one knocked to the hard floor. The Doctor and the Umbrella Man both looked at him, each in their own way surprised.

“Compromise, Colonel?” the Umbrella Man said.

“Yeah,” Marcus said tiredly. He held out a hand. “Doc. Give me the Apex Crystal.”

The Doctor frowned, scrutinising Marcus’ face carefully. He put his hands in his coat pockets.

“And if I don’t?” he asked idly.

Marcus shrugged. “You heard Mister Holmes.”

The Doctor sighed softly. “That I did, Colonel. Alright. Fine.”

He pulled his hands out of his pockets, crystal still in hand, and held out to Marcus, who took it.

“Excellent,” the Umbrella Man said with a sibilant smile.

Marcus looked at the crystal for a moment, before looking the Doctor in the eyes.

“Sorry, Doc.”

The Doctor’s expression was one of resignation. “Not to worry, Colonel. Some pipers one can’t help but pay.”

“I hear that,” Marcus said, then turned to the Umbrella Man. “You done?”

“Yes, this should cover everything,” the Umbrella Man said as Marcus held out the closed hand to him. He held out his own to receive the crystal with a small grin.

“Good to know.” Marcus answered… right before he crushed the crystal into powder in his fist.

“Colonel?!” the Umbrella Man said, eyes widening. The Doctor blinked in surprise.

“Well, shit,” Marcus said idly, slowly opening his fist and dropping the sparkling gem dust into the waiting palm. “Fingers slipped.”

The Umbrella Man stared at the shards before giving a sigh as he drop the crushed gem onto the floor. “I see. We should hope they do not slip again, Colonel. If you’ll excuse me.”

He stalked off, and the Doctor waited for a moment, before looking at Marcus.

“Your fingers slipped?” he asked. “You expect him to believe that?”

“He can believe what he likes,” Marcus shrugged. “Just the same as you can try and make him believe that was the real crystal.”

The Doctor shrugged, pulling his hands out of his pockets, to reveal an identical crystal. “Always pays to carry decoys. He’ll figure it out, mark my words.”

“I’ll bet,” Marcus chuckled. “See you around, Doc.”

The Doctor sighed as Marcus walked off. “Why does everyone insist on calling me that?”

“Are we agreed?” Celestia asked her sister. “Shall we move Miss Lulamoon from her specially furnished accommodations in your Tower this night already? It does not feel entirely right, placing her back in the dungeons after what we’ve put her through… but what other place is there for her? By the laws of this land, she’s still a lawbreaker who must purge her sentence. Attempting to steal the Alicorn Amulet is no small offense. And we’ve yet to find a community that may accept her to repay her debt.”

“Yes, you’re quite right,” Luna said slowly. “But my pledge to act as Prisoner’s Friend on her behalf still stands. Even though Trixie will not remember it, I am bound to a promise of such high import. I cannot abandon her to the whims of fate.”

Celestia nodded. “I have every confidence that you worked to make Trixie’s stay in that old Tower as pleasant as could be expected, given the circumstances, Luna. I just wish this hadn’t been the first occasion to re-open the doors to this castle’s oldest, most long-abandoned keep, its magic faded while you were gone.”

This did give Luna cause for a small grin. “Tia, sometimes you are a marvel, you know…”

“I do,” Celestia quipped, mischievously. “Now the PHL researchers and Miss Do have began looking into our ancient castle in the Forest, I wonder just when they’ll notice there’s a whole battlement missing, and that it’s been missing for centuries.”

Luna chuckled. “You really didn’t need put yourself through the trouble of having the Tower rebuilt here in Canterlot, you know.”

“Why ever not? It was the least to be done,” said Celestia. “In your absence, I made sure this tallest peak was preserved in your honor, if not your memory, my sister.”

Hearing her words, Princess Luna breathed in softly, thinking back. “Ah, yes... We can but hope that, in spite of the fears she experienced, Miss Lulamoon’s mind shall return somewhat refreshed from her time under thestrals’ guardianship. Tis’ not a place to heal, no, yet it is a place to retire, to lie back and drift away from the world, for a time, my Tower of Nepenthe.”

DAY FIVE. AFTERNOON.

The conference was a small, sedate affair. Why was it, Marcus wondered, that press conferences were where such decisions are always made.

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were there, both of them looking tired but resolute. Cadance was there as well, too long gone from the Crystal Empire, her face pale and drawn, as were several representatives of the PHL such as Vinyl and Allie Way, ‘their’ Cadance, Moondancer and Doctor Whooves (both of them, actually). There were representatives from various races, though Chrysalis had chosen to wait backstage. Also present was the Umbrella Man, his expression studiously neutral.

Stephan, arms behind his back, looked dead ahead at the crowd, anywhere but the podium. He was worried, that much was certain, but Marcus had promised him they’d do this right.

Bowman wasn’t there, but Marcus supposed he’d done enough already.

Luna approached the podium, listing off details with pinpoint accuracy. There were moments where she could only provide suppositions – the identity of the cloaked mare among them – but she was thorough, presenting the facts with more detail than the average military report. She did not allow for questions, saying that she would field them after she had finished, and Marcus had to admit, it was a good move. It allowed her to frame things her way, present the facts without biased questions or without assumptions that would only start a panic and even more questions.

The one thing she didn’t do was identify who had been compromised. She simply stated that an agent of the PHL had been mentally manipulated.

“My sister and I would like to reassure the ponies of Equestria that we are doing everything we can to locate the cloaked mare,” she said sternly, once she’d finished detailing events. “What happened to the PHL’s operative was a warning for us all. The enemy look like us. The enemy are cunning and capable of great cruelty. They will go to any lengths to defeat us. We must be prepared to go to any lengths...” She interrupted herself. “We must be ready to defeat them. Alright. We will now take questions.”

A blue hoof rose into the air.

“Yes?” Luna asked.

“True Quill,” replied the mare at the end of that hoof. “New Equestrian Gazette. Tell me, with this confession, will there be a trial for the PHL’s agent, or will she simply be imprisoned?”

“On the contrary,” Luna said firmly. “The agent in question is as much a victim as any of us. The damage done to her is now in the process of being reversed.”

“But if she did this–”

“She is a victim of manipulation and magical coercion, not a willing agent,” Luna said softly. She paused. “I believe the same can be said for many who serve the Solar Empire. In this instance, fortune grants us the chance to fight for her rehabilitation, for her to be able to rejoin normal society. That is a chance I shall fight for most vigorously, not just for her, but for all victims of the Empire. Now, next question?”

Another hoof, brown, shot into the air.

“Newsprint, Equestria Daily Mail,” the stallion said brusquely. “Given the fact this has happened, how can we trust the PHL to still maintain a presence on our world?”

Luna turned to Celestia, who stepped forward to the podium.

“I would like to reassure you all,” Celestia said quietly. “The PHL’s presence is important to us. They are still our best hope for defeating this enemy. An enemy who has revealed to us now that they...” She briefly caught herself on that last word, a detail Luna felt sure she was the only one to notice, knowing her sister better than anyone. “They have no qualms killing even innocents among us.”

Celestia smiled faintly. It was a mournful thing, an invitation for all to share in their sorrows.

“The PHL will not always succeed,” she said. “I fear this is one of many lessons we must learn. Victory is not going to be achieved easily. There will be, as one human leader once said, blood, sweat, tears and toil. But ultimately, we must prevail. We will prevail. Together.”

There came a burst of murmuring, and Celestia let out an almost imperceptible breath.

“Next question?”

When it was over, the Princesses stepped down from the podium. Most of the official personnel soon began filing out, as did the members of the press. Pausing for a moment, Marcus allowed himself to draw a breath. A lot of murmuring had arisen from the press… but none of it sounded angry. There was confusion, concern, but no anger.

‘Celestia and Luna’s reputation holds out after all,’ he thought quietly, a smile on his face.

“Well played, Colonel Renee,” the familiar voice of Chrysalis emerged from behind him. Marcus’ smile faded, and he turned, to discover the Changeling Queen enter the stage from behind the curtain, looking at him with a little smile of amusement.

“This isn’t a game, Chrysalis,” he said sternly. “Not even close.”

“Oh, but it is, Colonel,” Chrysalis retorted. “A grand old game of chess, on a dozen boards. A game where they took one of your pieces, but you seem to have taken it back, even managed to withstand their assault with your reputation intact… despite telling the truth” She chuckled. “So, as I said, well played.”

“Uh-huh,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “Well, I guess being honest and trusting ponies counts for something, huh?”

Chrysalis’ smile did not change. “This time, Colonel. This time. You can’t count on the same luck forever.”

“We won’t compromise who we are,” Marcus said grimly.

“Admirable, no doubt,” Chrysalis replied, with a wry expression. “But don’t make promises if you aren’t sure you can keep them. You don’t know what’s coming, after all.”

“Neither do you,” Marcus pointed out. “And I’ve got a better idea. I’ve seen what the Solar Empire can do.”

“Oh, I’m certain you know more about her past deeds than I do,” Chrysalis said dismissively, “but clearly you weren’t expecting any of this, or you would have been better prepared. There’s an old saying about ‘the beginning of wisdom’...”

“Yeah, ‘I do not know’,” Marcus said irritably. “And you do not know when to shut up, do you?”

She chuckled. “I know when you want me to, now does that count? Such a shame I don't answer to you. We are allies, Colonel. I am not your subordinate.”

“No, but you are wrong,” Marcus said harshly. “I’m not going to play these kinds of games anymore. Whatever else happens, whatever the cloaked mare and the Tyrant and whoever else throws at us, I’ll make sure we meet it head-on. No pissing around. No machinations. Am I clear?”

“As glass,” Chrysalis said with a slight, half-mocking incline of the head. “Should you change your mind, however, please do call upon me again. I rather enjoyed all of this.”

She trotted off, smirking, and Marcus sighed.

“Who’d have thought?” Doctor Whooves, that is to say, their Doctor, not this world’s Doctor or that other fellow who appeared human, told Vinyl Scratch. “So, I guess this is what a ‘good’ timeline looks like.”

Eyes hidden behind her eternal purple shades, the former DJ, turned renegade, betrayed nothing of what she might be thinking. However, they could see her mouth was set in a thin, tight line. Vinyl had not uttered a word since, all together, they’d made their way out with the throng from the conference room. Not even the closeness of Allie, her beloved cousin, would snap her out of it.

Doctor Whooves shook his head. “Well, this explains why my other self has been a bit antsy. They must have asked for his input.”

Vinyl nodded non-commitally. “Mmh-hm.”

“Doesn’t explain why I’ve been getting a headache, feels like something big and four dimensionally resonant is coming, but...” he sighed, noticing Vinyl’s expression. “Sorry.” He paused. “Y’know, although Amethyst won’t show it, brave girl, I can tell how this all has been getting to her. She cares about her friends so much, and poor Miss Bjorgman, witnessing what she did’s left her a little bit broken, to hear Amethyst say it.”

What was this about Ana Bjorgman? It could bear looking into.

Vinyl sighed. “If you don’t mind, Doctor, I... I think I need to be alone for a moment.”

Doctor Whooves frowned at her. “Are you sure? Don’t want you all alone in a corner.”

Something about his words resonated.

But, looking from him, to Vinyl, to the other ponies, both those milling around her and those whom she’d grown to know, when they really didn’t know her that well, knowing just why they were here today… she also knew, then, that Vinyl Scratch wasn’t the only one who needed a moment on her own.

“Excuse me, Doctor,” she said quietly, raising a forehoof, a gesture she must have unconsciously picked up at the conference. He turned his attention from Vinyl to her. “I believe I, too, could use a minute to think.”

Though it was brief, his piercing gaze made her throat tighten as, just for a second, she feared he’d seen right through her. Then the scrutiny in his eyes went, replaced by understanding, as he gave her a sad smile.

“Alright, my dear,” Doctor Whooves said wryly. “I’m afraid the old girl’s parked a way from here, otherwise I’d have given anyone who needs it more than a minute. Take all the time you want, but don’t be gone too long, you. Goodness knows we’re not out of the woods yet. Doubt Amethyst’d stand to see another friend go missing. I’ll be waiting right… there.”

He gestured towards a large potted orchid at the far end of the antechamber. Gratefully, they nodded to him, before going their separate ways. Despite his words, something about his voice said he desired temporary solitude as well.

She split from the Doctor, from Vinyl, from the dispersing group, trying not to move too fast, or look around too often. At least she had some idea where she wanted to go. It didn’t take her long to find it. There, past the opening to the antechamber.

A bathroom door. She entered, and it swung shut behind her.

For one instant, she stood still, unsure what to do next. Then remembrance hit her. She moved over to the ornate palace sink, to turn on the taps. Twice did she splash her face, pausing the second time to stare down into the basin, feeling water drip from her mane, steam rising from the heat of taps still pouring. Condensation clouded the mirror; looking up, she couldn’t see who, or what, might have stared back.

“Well, then...” she whispered. “Honesty and compassion. Today was their day.”

In a way, she ought to have felt happier, lighter. Yet her head hung heavy on her shoulders. She had to balance herself, forelegs spread across the lip of the sink. It was starting to grow too warm inside her jacket. Unevenly, she willed her horn’s magic to tug at the sleeves, lifting herself just to enough to let it be pulled off, as if by an unseen hand.

Hands.

Her vision felt blurry, yet was it the steam, or something more? Tearing her gaze away from the basin, she reached for her jacket, laying crumpled on the edge of the sink. Her pale forehoof traced across the white-on-blue lyre insignia, passed on, to stop at her pocket and pull out th e blood-red marble. Distractedly, Weaver let the marble roll upon the limestone sink, tapping it from hoof to hoof, pondering.

“So, they have not yet truly lost their innocence… not as we have. Not as Man has lost his.” She sighed. “What shall I do? How much more must I harness Man’s own cruelty to harness Man himself? You call them victims, Princess Luna, and you, too, call us cruel. Your compassion speaks well of you... but if you hope you can always sate the hunger in Man’s heart this old way, when already he teaches you his ways on his terms, you shall be victims of your own kindness.”

With a soft ‘chink’, the marble rolled to a halt at her left hoof. She would show it to Catseye.

Left alone to her thoughts, Celestia solemnly contemplated the wooden casket before her. The undertakers had performed admirably, she thought, the image of the sleeper within returning to the forefront of her mind. A ring of white tulips had been left to adorn the great black box, and written in gold letters at the top, the inscription read, simply,

Beloved Mother, Sister and Friend.

Celestia inclined her head, reflecting on the chain of events which had led her here. What events must have gone differently, starting impossibly small, yet culminating in this tragedy, this abomination on their doorstep... Here, and over there.

‘We cannot save everyone,’ she thought to herself. ‘We have averted the cruelest of deeds we could perform… but we cannot change this.’

She took a deep breath, raising her head slightly.

‘And now we are clear,’ she thought grimly. ‘Now, I know how far they will go, and I will not let them win. If this is what the enemy want, ponies turned on ponies, death in the streets, then I will not let them have it.’

With a a soft bow to the box, Celestia turned and exited the room. There was work to be done.

DAY FIVE. EVENING.

Traipsing down the mildewed corridors of the Canterlot Dungeons, flanked by the same two ever-inexpressive Royal Guards – or could it be they were a wholly different pair of stallions? She felt like she’d been taken away long enough by that dull, frustrating psychological evaluation for the Guard to have changed in the meantime. Whatever the other facts were, one stayed clear above all to Trixie Lulamoon.

The hob-nobs hadn’t kept their promises. Evaluation of her case and professional opinion wouldn’t help her out anytime soon. She was still stuck down here, in this pit, until the Equestrian authorities decided she was safe to roam the streets again.

Not for the first time, Trixie silently cursed her foolishness in trying to seize the old artefact. She ought to have considered much earlier what this’d do to her career, how it would make her an outright fraud, to become ‘great’ and ‘powerful’ from the magical, diamond-shaped equivalent of a cheap energy drink. All because Twilight Sparkle, a student to Princess Celestia, no less, had to show her up by acting humble.

“That’s the place,” said one of the Guards, a unicorn, halting in his tracks and halting her.

Trixie stared around. “This… this isn’t the cell I left from.”

“No,” the Guard acknowledged, levitating a heavy iron set of keys, attached by chain to his polished armor. “Princess Luna’s orders. Said she felt it might help if you kept different company from the previous lot. We’re putting you in with a cellmate.”

“What? Hey, that’s not fair! Doesn’t Trixie even get a room to herself in this dump?!”

Yet beneath her snappy words, she had to resist the urge to either snort, or tap her hooves with glee. Though it might be a right pain here in the Dungeons, she’d started to miss proper equine contact, and anything would be better than having Locksmith for a neighbor.

The Guards shared a glance, but said nothing, as the unicorn finished turning the lock. With the familiar screech of iron upon iron, the cell door swung open, and the pegasus Guard not-too-roughly yet firmly gave her withers a slap, sharply nodding onwards.

“Oh, alright…” Trixie grumbled, tossing back her mane.

She took the step forward; before she knew it, the door was closing behind her, the sound of the brass key turning in its lock ringing in her ears, as did Guards’ gradually fading hoofsteps.

Staring out, Trixie clutched at the bars, blowing out her cheeks. “Pff… hello again, misery.” Dismally, she shook her head, turning back to see who was inside with her. “So even the royalty lies to Trixie. What a surprise.”

“Perhaps if Miss Lulamoon would take a seat, we can begin our questions?”

She felt her fur stand on end, yelping as she finally looked around to take in the Lunar Regent, silhouetted against the last, fading rays of sunlight from the barred window. But Luna was smiling as Trixie fumbled about, bashfully trying what was half-curtsy, half-kowtow.

“Ah... Trixie apologizes...”

“None of that now.” Luna said calmly, gesturing towards a Neighponese mat laid out on the cell’s floor. “Here, please sit down. We should be the one to apologize, for leading you on.”

Trixie blinked. “Leading… me on?”

“Yes,” the Princess sighed. “You must have noticed, during your stay in the Tower, your mind would drift away easily, like a leaf in the wind… a half-dreamlike state. That was its purpose. So you wouldn’t be quick to panic, and more open to suggestion.”

“Oh!” she cried. “Trixie shouldn’t be within these confines, then! Trixie was lied to and used! Trixie demands to be compensated for these cruel actions to the lovely and innocent Trixie!” Trixie swallowed nervously as she realized whom she was making demands to. “Please?”

Luna shook her head, giving her a stern look, though there was a twinkle in her eye. “Yes, We have abused your trust. Though that doesn’t absolve your attempts of theft.”

Trixie choked, giving a rather embarrassed look as she sat on the mat, trying to look anywhere but the alicorn. Luna sighed, prior to pushing on.

“Be that as it may...” Luna began, now fully catching her attention. There was an odd look on the dark alicorn’s face, and she sounded as if she’d prepared what she was about to say. “What I am going to do now, first, is explain to you a few truths about your other self. And once I’ve done that, I’ll tell you why you we had… plausible reason to lay further crimes than simple theft at your hooves, and I wish for you to listen and not interrupt, even if you find the results a little alarming. That’s all I ask, Miss Lulamoon.”

“O-of course.”

Half an hour later, Luna was waving a hoof before the magician’s face. Shock had frozen her.

“Miss Lulamoon?” she asked. “Trixie?”

“Trixie... has a coltfriend?”

Luna nearly facehoofed. Of all things to take away, this was what she wanted to focus on.

“Um, yes,” she explained. “Major Stephan Bauer. He is leader of the Eastern Front, second or third only to Colonel Marcus Renee, who is heading up the Western Front and the overall leader of the PHL.”

Trixie only snorted. “Trixie doesn’t care about that human, what’s the one my counterpart’s currently courting like?”

Once the Princess had finished describing the efforts of Stephan Bauer, not to mention the prestige of his rank and reputation in the war, Trixie seemed very pleased with the results.

“It stands to reason, at least something had to get better for Trixie in another life,” she grinned. “Trixie always did like a guy in a uniform! Didn’t fancy it’d be a different species’ male, or a handyman, though...”

“Your other self has taken quite a different path.”

“Trixie shall not stand in the way of Trixie!” the magician proclaimed. “Far be it from Trixie to hog the glory of a far greater in skill and magic than I… as long as she teaches me in return.” Trixie’s face turned serious. “Her coltfriend–”

“Boyfriend.”

“Her manfriend, on the other hoof, needs to be inspected thoroughly.” Trixie raised her head up high, almost acting more like the nobles of Canterlot than a prisoner.

Luna gave her a flat stare, realizing what she was doing.

“Miss Lulamoon,” she sighed, “I understand well your need to try and not see the monster before your eyes, but please do not make light of your situation. Let Us speak plainly,” she murmured, reverting again to the Old Speech. Now came the crux of the matter. “We… were misguided about you. Still, We shall persevere in our role as your Prisoner’s Friend. Because while your other self may fall under the rules of war, you, however, are still a criminal in the eyes of this country’s law.”

She had to bite down the bad taste in her mouth at her next words.

“When We told you we suspected your memory had been wiped,” Luna enunciated carefully, “We were… basing ourselves on guesswork and hearsay. It’s plain, now, that your memory is in working order. We said this wasn’t about that artefact you wanted. Well, it isn’t, not in itself. But We had good reason to believe, drawing from your other’s self admissions, that a mare thus disenchanted at this time of her life wouldn’t just do something drastic, she’d be driven to it by a radical cause.”

Trixie’s face fell.

“Oh…” she whispered, pawing at the mat. “Yeah… Trixie’s life... hasn’t been that great for the past few years… guess I shouldn’t be surprised it had to wind up here, down the deep hole…” She looked up at Luna, her eyes watery. “And you thought… I wanted to steal the Amulet to help those crazies trying to destroy mankind?”

“For a start.” Luna sighed as she stood up to place a wing upon the sniffing mare’s shoulders. “Please, I do not ask for your forgiveness, only your understanding,” she said quietly. “This is a hard time for Equestria. We don’t know who to trust… sometimes not even ourselves. But I’d like to get to know you better.”

Trixie turned her head to her, confused. “Trixie doesn’t understand.”

“I will not be here for long, but much like Twilight Sparkle is a student of Celestia, you too can be a student of mine.” Luna explained, gently rubbing her back. “I had many students back before I… lost myself, but each brought something grand to Equestria as a whole. You have much talent yourself, Trixie Lulamoon, such potential to be more. A glance at your other self will tell me... that much.”

At this, Trixie began to flush with pride, only to earn a tap on the snout from her Princess.

“Even so, should you accept, being my student is no easy task,” Luna said gruffly. “Nor would it give you permission to stand above others. Keep in mind, this is as much your punishment as it is your restitution. Any sign that you intend to use your gifts irresponsibly, and you shall be returned down here, without chance of appeal.”

“I... don’t understand?”

“You will remain in the castle, only allowed outside under guard,” she said. “You will remain within these walls for five years, then on probation for another year. In that time, you’ll be called to study what I write out for you, and be tested by teachers of my choosing, to ensure you are performing your studies to a satisfactory degree.” Luna took a breath. “You will stay in the Tower of Nepenthe, my tower, and be taken care of for those five years at least. And if you wish to stay after those five years, I will ensure you are inducted into the roster as a student, rather than a prisoner. No one except the Guards will know of your true status, unless you tell them otherwise.”

Trixie’s jaw was slack at the proclamation.

And then, the little mare’s eyes lit up. She squealed. She bounced. She didn’t care if she wouldn’t be able to leave, who would, she’d be given free range to walk within Canterlot Palace, as a student of the Moon Princess in person!

However, a new thought brought her back to earth.

“What… what about you, Princess?” she stammered. “You’re going to war. I mean, like, I know you’re immortal or something, but… suppose you don’t come back?” She gulped, hesitating before she asked, “Would… would that mean I have to stay locked up forever?”

“We shall endeavour to return if possible,” Luna said gently. “Though it humbles Us that you promise Us before we even attempt to convince you. As for you, I shall address the Headmaster of Celestia’s School, so that he may take you on if I can’t. Regrettably, he does not shine as he once did, at his age. But you’ll find him good company, for stuffy he is not. Spell Nexus is never boring.” Princess Luna bowed her head to Trixie. “Thank you, Miss Lulamoon.”

Trixie quickly bowed back, before straightening up. “Trixie will ensure that your teachings will not stop! Trixie will pass your knowledge to those worthy of them!” She held her hoof high, as if proclaiming to the very heavens. Luna laughed.

However, Trixie’s grew serious again. “Trixie has… can Trixie have one more request? Tr… I would like to learn from my counterpart… in case her skills may be needed.” Trixie lightly tapped her hooves together. Luna’s face was blank, encouraging Trixie to push onward. “I know the war is bad, and the chances of the Tyrant coming here are great. I would feel better knowing how to defend myself.”

Looking weary, Luna sighed, yet nodded. “Alright. Though it may prove difficult, I shall try and arrange a meeting. I’ve got a feeling your other self will want to know you’re alright after she learns of these past events. But be warned. She may not be what you expect.”

“Of course not!” Trixie said with a big grin. “She wouldn’t be Trixie if people saw her coming!”

“Yeah…” Luna trailed off. She stood to her hooves. “Alas, I must now depart, Miss Lulamoon. And, I fear, I must ask of you that, until the circumstances of your future are secured, you stay here for another few nights.”

That was a stone on Trixie’s heart. Nonetheless, rubbing her snout, she understood she had to be brave. For her Princess. And for herself, naturally.

“Okay,” she said in a hush. “If that’s your wish, Trixie shall disappear just a while longer.”

Luna chuckled once. “Worry not, you won’t be alone. I timed this encounter so that, about now, your cellmate ought to be arriving.”

Trixie blinked. “C-cellmate? For real?”

“Yes, I thought the Guards had informed you?” Luna replied, twitching her ears. Sure enough, outside, the telltale sound of hoofsteps was approaching. “And, by the way...” she added. There was still mirth in the Princess’ tone, but above it lay seriousness. A teacher’s voice. “Consider this as your first test, Trixie. The manner in which you interact with your companion will help me determine your true character.”

“But…” Trixie stuttered, hoof raised. “This is a prison!”

Luna contemplated her.

“Sometimes, prison is better with company…” she said, sounding sad. “I should warn you though, this prisoner is… combative.”

Trixie didn’t have time to ask what she meant when the door opened, iron screeching as ever. The two Guards from before were back, escorting a young female griffon.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Luna said, striding past the newcomer. “Good luck, both of you.”

Noisily, the door closed, and the Princess left with the Guards. Trixie, out of caution, remained where she was while her new cellmate went to seat herself on the nearest bunk, folding her forelimbs (foreclaws? What did you call a griffon’s forelimbs anyway?), her face a mask of irritation.

Eventually, Trixie could bear it no longer. She coughed. “Um, hello? So, what you in for?”

The griffon glanced at her, still looking irritated.

“Whatcha got?”

Marcus checked his watch.

“Alright,” he said quietly. “I guess that’s that cat out of the bag.”

He looked from his end of the long table to Stephan and Celestia. This was still not the kind of environment he felt most at ease in. He vaguely considered summoning the Umbrella Man, yes, but once more reasoned that Holmes would be too busy.

“The press conference appears to have been successful in allaying our subjects’ fears,”  Celestia commented. “I suspect the full ramifications of what we have done will not show themselves for a long time.”

“It’s better than the alternative,” Stephan said, sounding almost relieved. “At least the Trixie of this world will be alright.”

“That’s something,” Marcus agreed. He sighed. “So, with that business out of the way...”

Ornate oak doors slammed open as Luna fair came barging into the council chamber. Everyone, even Celestia, shot a glance her way, startled. She was walking normally, her breathing was steady, her mane its usual itself, but she wasn’t looking at them. Her attention was fixed on the carpet.

“Apologies for my delay, but there was business to attend to,” she said evenly. “However, there is... a matter I wish to discuss.”

“A matter?” Marcus repeated.

Luna raised her head, eyeing them all.

“I meant what I said at the press conference,” she whispered. “It is my intention to fight for the preservation of those taken by Tirek’s corruption. The Tyrant herself included.”

There was a pause as this pronouncement sank in with everyone in the room.

“That… might not be possible,” Stephan said quietly.

“Perhaps, but I will not surrender to his whims,” Luna hissed. “He wishes to destroy everything he touches. Killing those he has corrupted is merely another means of fulfilling his desire. To save his victims, that is a victory worth striving for!”

“I must admit,” Celestia murmured. “I understand the need for vengeance against the Queen for her crimes, but if there is anything left of her that is not corrupt, then I… I would ardently wish to fight to preserve it, if we can. Even the Newfoals.”

Marcus ran his hand over his short hair. “I don’t know if we’ll even get that chance. It’s pretty hard to save someone who keeps trying to kill you.  And who knows what’ll happen to the Newfoals as Tirek gets backed into a corner.”

“No doubt,” Luna said drily. “Which is why I did not say it would be easy. But the most important deeds rarely are. I’ve witnessed the Tyrant’s worst crimes with mine own eyes. In my rage, my despair, I was all set to strike her down.”

She met her sister’s eye. Celestia stared back, betraying no emotion.

“And yet,” Luna pressed on. “Look at us now, my friends. Look at what we were ready to do. We cast this path aside, aye, before it was too late. Yet nought will change we were that close. I cannot forget. None of us can. And some small part of me can’t help but wonder, is this how Queen Celestia truly started? All the lies. The need for control. The desire to make the world… that which it suits us to be.”

Her gaze passed over them all, Celestia, Stephan, and at last, he, Marcus. He remembered Fluttershy’s Stare. He was a man who could match that. Now, he had to force himself to keep his gaze locked with Princess Luna’s. He chose not to bother; instead, he looked to Stephan.

“She’s got a point,” his friend and comrade told him wanly.

Marcus sighed. “I guess we can ask Discord if he’s got anything up his sleeve when he comes back. God knows, he’s gotta know something. But we can’t hesitate if there’s no other way.”

“Understood,” Luna said, nodding curtly. “So long as we agree we’ll seek that way if we can. We have to make it right, Colonel. Something has to be made right. Take it from me.”

And just like that, it was over.

It’s been two days since we held the conference. Two days, and everything’s… going well.

I’ve heard reports that recruitment increased five percent in these two days alone. Equestria is galvanized to go into battle, to fight not just to avenge humanity, but to avenge the attack on their land. I’ve read tactical projections that with the increased equine power, the overall effectiveness of our forces might go up more than we thought.

Faith. I guess I’d forgotten how to have faith. But now… now I could have faith after all, because it has proven true.

Still.

I nearly did something horrible, Cher. That thought, that impulse, to surrender to accepting the worst possible outcome because I… I dunno, I wasn’t willing to have that faith in people… Have I always been that man, Cher? Have I always been willing to just choose what was easy, to brush it off as ‘necessary’? If I hadn’t decided to take that leap of faith, would I’ve really done what we were planning to do?

I don’t know. I don’t know.

I guess… it doesn’t matter, though. We didn’t do that. We stepped back from the abyss. We took a breath, and made the right choice. And now we’ll go forward. We will win the war. We’ll save Earth. We’ll save humanity. We’ll stop the Tyrant, and through that, we’ll stop Tirek.

My conscience was already heavy before this. I can bear the weight of an almost-decision.

I can.

… DELETE Y/N.

N.

… MESSAGE SENT.

DAY SEVEN. MIDNIGHT.

The lights in the city were twinkling softly.

The Doctor (‘Definitely never going by Dr. Bowman again,’) was, once more, leaning against a balcony railing, his expression calm as he looked out on Canterlot. He was feeling rather good about himself, all things considered.

“So, you must feel proud,” Doctor Whooves said from behind him, lifting a cup of herbal tea.

“A little,” the Doctor admitted, sipping from a glass bottle of Coca Cola. “I’d hoped that Colonel Renee would see the light, so to speak.”

“He did,” Whooves said with a smirk. “And all it took was a drink. Why am I not surprised?”

“Give your friend some credit,” the Doctor grinned. “I think it took a bit more than that.”

“Probably,” Whooves admitted. He sighed. “You know, everyone’s been on edge because of this stuff. Vinyl, Dancer, Cadance… none of them were happy. They were afraid.”

“And you wish you could help them,” the Doctor asked quietly.

“I do,” Whooves said quietly. “Wouldn’t you?”

“A point.”

The two sat in silence for a moment.

“So I’m curious,” Whooves said softly. “What did happen in that future you saw?”

The Doctor’s smile faded.

A lonely grave for a broken mare. Friendships shattered, love lost. A world closer to the edge of Armageddon and worse. Bad choices, some of them his own.

And a bargain struck in haste, with consequences he prayed would not be too harsh for everyone else, even as he knew what they would be for him.

“Don't really feel like discussing it,” he said quietly.

“Alright,” Whooves replied softly, sensing that it was a sore point. He grimaced and took another sip of his tea.

“You alright?” the Doctor asked.

“Been getting damn headaches for days,” Whooves replied. “Like something’s pressing against my skull. Four dimensional fallout.” He looked to his counterpart. “You’ve not been getting that?”

“No,” the Doctor said, though his expression was odd. “Might be nothing.”

“Or it might be something,” Whooves retorted. “Shouldn’t we warn someone?”

The Doctor waved a hand. “They've got enough problems. I doubt Tirek’s messing with time and space. He's not that imaginative.”

Whooves nodded, giving his other self a look.

“You did something,” he said after a moment. “Didn’t you?”

The Doctor blinked. “Me?”

“Don’t play coy,” Whooves said, frowning at him. “Of the two of us, one of us has the tendency to change history, and one of us does not. You’ve done something that’s caused this fallout. Something big.”

The Doctor held up both hands. “Nope. Not me.”

“Who then, if not you?” Whooves asked with a scowl.

“No idea,” the Doctor said, shrugging. “Lots of potential possibilities, few actualities. Probably not something to worry ourselves over for the moment.”

Whooves sighed. “All the same…”

“All the same,” the Doctor cut him off, “if it persists, I’ll help you look into it, okay?”

Whooves sighed, admitting defeat. “Alright.”

“One thing I’ve been meaning to ask, by the way, since we’re on the topic of time travel,” the Doctor said after a moment. “‘Time Turner’s Theory of Temporal Dynamics’.”

Whooves looked embarrassed for a moment. “Oh, you read that.”

“And you stuck to it,” the Doctor grunted. “You told them time is immutable?”

Whooves looked defensive. “Didn’t want R&D coming up with any ideas. I covered my rear.”

The Doctor smirked. “Good point. Colonel Hex would have trod on so many poor old butterflies trying to change history if I’d let him… you dodged bullets there.”

“Why the butterflies, anyway?” Whooves asked.

“I have no idea,” the Doctor shrugged. “Humans, eh?”

Whooves chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean…”

There was another pause.

“So, marriage,” the Doctor suddenly said.

Whooves nodded. “Marriage.”

“Wow,” the Doctor said with a less-than-convincing whistle. “How’s that working?”

Whooves shrugged. “Can't complain. Less hectic than some. Less beheading threats. Less Zygons.”

“Always good,” the Doctor agreed. “Don't you find it dull, though?”

“Oh, we still travel around,” Whooves said with a smile. “Or we did. Actually it was quite useful for school holidays: makes them last twice as long. Same with weekends."

The Doctor chuckled. “Will wonders never cease.”

Whooves laughed too, before sighing.

“Look,” he said. “I’d probably better go. Lots to do. Need to run a few diagnostics on the TARDIS, see if I can accelerate the repair any.”

The Doctor nodded. “I might be able to help with that. I’ll swing by in a few.”

“No, I...” Whooves began, but he cut himself short. “Alright. Any help would be appreciated.”

He headed off, leaving the Doctor alone on the balcony again.

The Time Lord smiled. He’d done the right thing, despite very nearly being made to do something that wasn’t the right thing at all, despite… other things.

He’d helped Colonel Renee see a better choice. Now the future he had seen, a future of torn friendships, broken morals and shattered ideals, was gone, replaced by uncertainty. Even he didn’t know what was going to happen next.

‘Maybe I'll go have a look for myself,’ he thought, a smile working its way onto his face. ‘I’m sure this place can survive without me for a little while…’

“Doctor,” a voice said quietly from behind him, interrupting his train of thought.

He frowned. He knew that voice. He turned, an unreadable expression on his face as he confronted his visitor.

For a long while, they just stared at one another. No pretensions. No words.

“Hello,” he said quietly after a moment. “I shouldn’t be surprised. It was only a matter of time.”

The other didn’t answer. A moment passed, and the Doctor simply stared.

“You expect me to beg?” he asked after a moment. “Because I’m not going to. I did the right thing, whether you agree or not.”

There was no answer, and the Doctor sighed.

“Well?” he finally asked. “Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to do what you came here to do?”

A bang and a flash of light, and something lashed out, slamming into the Doctor’s chest. He fell backwards, hitting the railing. He blinked, shock and pain in his features.

There was a sound, somewhere between the ringing of tinnitus in someone’s ear and bells ringing in the distance. He looked down at his left hand, a soft, blue-white glow slowly emanating from it. He looked back up at his assailant. Another bang. Another flash. The force threw him over the railing and off of the balcony, his body spinning into the night.

There was silence on the balcony. The assailant turned and left, satisfied the task was done.

The lights in the city kept twinkling.

Reveries – Part 1: Out of the Void

Reveries – Part One

‘Out of the Void’

Authors:

ProudToBe

VoxAdam

TB3

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

Bendy

Sledge115

Jed R

“But now let’s have a surprise, let’s have a dream which isn’t under control, where something is gonna happen to me that I don’t know what it's gonna be… And finally, you would dream where you are now. You would dream the dream of living the life that you are actually living today.”

– ‘The Dream of Life’, by Alan Watts

“Everything in this world is magic, except to the magician.”

– Dr. Robert Ford, Westworld, ‘Chestnut’

A battered, pressed plastic flower.

That was what, cupped in the palm of his hand, Stephan had been staring at for hours tonight, while he sat at Trixie’s bedside in the Palace. The first present she had offered him for Christmas… or Hearthswarming, that night in Iceland. He had initially thought it a bad joke, when she handed him an empty box to open… then she’d asked him to close it again, and one puff of her horn later, once he reopened it, out popped a bush of fake flowers. Silly, and a cheap trick, and the warmest gift a young miss had ever given him.

Now this was the only flower he had left, tucked safely in his shirt pocket at all times.

He’d thought he would be leaving her soon, that day. But as the saying went; ‘Man sieht sich immer zweimal im Leben’. ‘You always meet twice’. How differently might things have gone, if Daniel and Alicia hadn’t spotted his attraction to their camp’s chief entertainer and got them together under the mistletoe! And how lucky he had been that she hadn’t minded his awkwardness one bit.

“What I wanted to say… I will miss you, too. From all the people I already meet… well, you are somewhat special for me.”

While in the background, the late Queen Chrysalis had smiled wanly at his English, a lot more broken then than nowadays, Trixie’s had blushed furiously. If he was awkward, at least they could be awkward together.

“Oh… well, yeah. I think that. That I’m special for you... I think you are special for me too!”

Looking away from the flower, Stephan turned his eyes to their other memento, held in his left hand rested upon his knee. The metallic Zippo lighter engraved with a skull design, and the words ‘Rock and Roll’ written beneath. A present from a military man. Just why in the hell had he given her that thing? She didn’t smoke, nor did he. He must have thought it would be ‘cool’. Three years back, he’d been a younger man.

She still carried it on her person for her every mission.

“Major Bauer, sir?”

Stephan looked around. “Corporal Harwood,” he stated. “At ease. What’s her status… I mean, her condition?”

“As far as I can tell?” Harwood replied. “She’s reasonably stable, to put it mildly. That’s as far as I can tell, without going into technical details, sir.”

“Thank you, Corporal,” Stephan nodded. “The work you’ve done for us on treating these special case patients, including Discord, ever since the brickyard incident, is well appreciated.” He paused. “Although, a report got back to me about your long-time comrade, Corporal Bjorgman. Didn’t she enter a three-day coma shortly after the events?”

The medic cleared his throat, in a manner now all too familiar to the bemused Stephan.

“She… did,” he replied tentatively. “Ana is recovering well enough, but I fear I’m not at liberty to discuss it, unfortunately. Orders from higher up.”

“Who?”

“You know him, sir. The bloke with the umbrella.”

Stephan pulled a face. “Don’t mention him.”

Harwood chuckled. “Ah, sir, you were lucky enough to be on the mainland. His grip’s a fair bit tighter than it was before ‘16, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t in his web.” He gestured, towards Trixie. “Don’t fret yourself much, sir, the lady should wake up soon. I’m no expert on the… odder aspects of magical healing, but I see no reason not to disprove the Princess on that.”

A thought crossed Stephan. “Corporal, this Miss Bjorgman of yours… how long have you known her for?”

“Five years, give or take a few months,” Harwood replied, as he tidied his gloves. “Although time out at sea, well, screws up your sense of time, don’t it? Poor girl thought it was still 2019... or was it 2020... when we arrived at port in Jakarta. Given who she is, heh, I can’t tell if it’s her, or if the sea got to her.”

Stephan folded one arm upon his knee.

“So many of us appear to be slipping into mystery comas nowadays, Harwood…” he said, very quietly. “Somewhere, a part of me wishes we could let them sleep through this war, wake up when it’s over… what’s going on inside their heads can’t be a worse nightmare than we face everyday.” He paused to think. “At this rate, you might have enough to build a medical thesis on. The women just seem to swoon and faint when you’re close by, doctor.”

“Thank you for the thought, Major,” Harwood replied casually. “But I’m more of a hands-on type of fellow when it comes to medical matters, not that I’m implying anything. Though, since we’re discussing this,” he added, glancing at Trixie, “if I had to add something, let me tell you, the girl’s a lightfoot.”

“She did learn from the best,” Stephan agreed.

“I was talking about Ana,” Harwood retorted with a roguish grin, and a twinkle in those green eyes of his. “Godspeed, Major. I’ve got a sleeping beauty of my own to return to.”

With the medic gone, Stephan’s attention returned to Trixie.

She hadn’t moved. Her breathing still came out in small, shallow bursts, and they had barely got her temperature under control. No doubt was allowed, here lay a sleeper in some distress. Nothing romantic about this at all. Yet the way her baby-blue mane fanned out on both sides of her pillow, it did lend her a touch of grace...

Sleeping beauties, huh? It had been, after all, a wicked queen’s doing that she’d fallen asleep. Albeit more for her and everyone else’s safety. And Chrysalis probably wasn’t lying when she claimed she hadn’t expected that her coccooning, combined with sedative, would be so potent.

Unwillingly, the seed of an idea took root in his head. He had to chuckle ruefully at that. Here they were, Trixie taken from him because someone had robbed her mind, and he had no control over his own fantasies.

Stephan stood up, quietly pushing his chair away. Just as quietly, he came closer to her bed, careful not to disturb her... Yes, this was silly. He knelt before the bed, taking in the sight of she whom he loved dearest, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her lips had parted, invitingly. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward to kiss her...

… And he backed off, mere inches away from touching her lips.

He blinked. What on Earth was he doing? Trixie was asleep, maybe never to wake up. Was this to be his memory of their last kiss? Or, worse, suppose she woke up, and this still proved to be their last time together. After what had gone down, if she returned to the waking world, now, she might recoil from his touch.

Her mind had already been robbed from her. What right did he have to steal this kiss?

‘Meine Liebste,’ he thought, forcing himself to stand despite the weight on his chest. ‘I wish we’d had more time together.’ He reflected on what he knew of her counterpart’s fate. ‘You’re your own worst enemy, Trixie. But I promise, you won’t stay trapped. You’ve got a magic I believe in.’

This clock struck nine. He had to leave her. He wouldn’t be gone long. However, before he’d headed out the door, Stephan did turn tail, and went to plant a quick peck on her forehead. It felt only slightly too warm.

Waiting up the corridor, Luna and Cadance saw Bauer exit and march away from them.

“One thing I don’t get,” Cadance whispered, staring after the man’s receding back. “I thought the Major didn’t want to enter her mind. What made him change his, uh, mind?”

“I had a little chat with him, following the first attempt,” Luna explained. “Without… sugar-coating our embarrassing failure,” she pursued, noticing too late as Cadance winced. “Given time and effort, we could save Trixie ourselves. But time and effort are luxuries we cannot afford. He can help us. He knows her better than we do.”

“I wonder,” trilled a third, snakelike voice which set Luna’s fur on edge. Chrysalis had sneaked up behind them, treading so quietly as to make almost no noise. “Does he? Duty kills romance. Not to mention, she’s broken property. Isn’t he merely picking up the pieces?”

“‘Property’?” Cadance echoed doubtfully. “You think?”

“Bauer’s the only human Lulamoon’s had meaningful interaction with, in her time on Earth,” Chrysalis explained. “I’m not sure she likes humans that much, but she finds them preferable to the Tyrant. Not that I blame her, of course. And I do know Lulamoon’s type. She’s a gold-digger. An opportunist. Sticks to those who’ll carry her on.”

“Maybe she was,” Luna said, frowning a little. “Could a mere opportunist fight so bravely, so passionately? Besides, the Trixie Lulamoon who pledged to become my Student sounded like no such weasel.”

“Regardless,” Chrysalis said. “It’s my belief Bauer and Lulamoon are a pair of fools settling for the next best thing. He’s reluctant to visit her mind, because he may not like what he finds. About her, or himself.”

“Maybe,” Luna acknowledged. “Or maybe this won’t be so bad. Now, let’s get ready.”

The two other mares nickered in acknowledgement and followed her inside, where servants had already provided their bedding. But as Luna glanced at the comatose Trixie, once again, the image of Celestia’s face, twisted out of shape, flashed in front of her eyes.

Incoming call from: MH.

Setting aside the stack from his desk’s inbox, Marcus swiped a finger across the iPad’s surface to answer. The Umbrella Man wouldn’t call this number, or indeed, call him, if it wasn’t urgent. The older man’s face popped up on screen, looking harried, which in and of itself was unusual.

Marcus frowned. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Mister H–”

“Spare me, Colonel,” the man interrupted sharply. “We might have a new situation on our hands.”

“Goddammit,” Marcus muttered. “What is it?”

“It’s the Doctor. Doctor Bowman,” the Umbrella Man answered. “He's gone missing.”

“Missing,” Marcus repeated, his frown deepening. “You mean he’s gone?”

“Indeed,” the Umbrella Man said. “No sign of his TARDIS. No response to any of my attempts to communicate.”

Marcus sighed. “Could something have happened to him?”

“Either that, or he’s decided he’s truly done with us,” the Umbrella Man replied, sighing. “Which is frustrating. His assistance in various matters might still have been a boon, to say the least.”

“Shit,” Marcus said quietly while rubbing his chin, grimacing at the shadow from the rub. “You’re right.”

The Umbrella Man paused. “I realize he is… preoccupied, but do you want me to forward Major Bauer this information?”

“Later,” Marcus told him. “Later. To each day its burden. Stephan’s... got something important he’s got to do first. We’re still picking up the pieces, so we need to be at our best. Keep searching, but be discreet, I’ll call if anything on my end shows up.”

The Umbrella Man didn’t look happy, but nodded. “Very well, Colonel. Until then. I suppose this’ll constitute a late addition to the report I’d promised Princess Celestia tomorrow morning.”

“And to think,” Marcus said, considering the Englishman on the screen, “I’m the one she was planning to share a spot of tea with right after. Figured we’d earned it after all this bullshit.”

The mind was any individual’s most important aspect, according to Luna. However, process of entry into another’s mind, in and of itself, was less difficult than he’d assumed, at least on a logistical level. As such, Stephan was now preparing, together with three extraordinary mares, to dive into Trixie’s mind, where Luna’s magic would keep all five of their inner landscapes connected on the same plane. Of course, seeing how the whole ‘mental connection’ angle made everyone a little uncomfortable, a most solemn vow had been coaxed out of Chrysalis that she wasn’t to peek into their secrets, and vice-versa. Cadance, rather jarringly, had sounded excited at the prospect of this excursion. She had spoken at length about wanting to see how Luna kept busy in the night.

Stephan, on the other hand, would have been content not knowing. He knew he was last in preparing for bed, head abuzz with worried thoughts of what Luna and the others would uncover about his personal life once they entered his lover’s mind, conjoined with his own. Although he tried to feel confident – Princess Luna was supposedly experienced at entering other’s dreams, after all – his true, secret fear was of whatever unknown threats they might encounter in there. Or whatever they might bring along with them.

Still, those were concerns that could wait until they began. Standing before the door to Trixie’s palace bedroom once more, his Army sleeping bag slung over his shoulder, Stephan paused only to garner his strength, and entered.

“Good evening, ladies,” Stephan greeted them, his voice adopting a jokingly smooth lounge-lizard tone as he moved to place his bag close to Trixie’s bed.

The two Princesses and the Queen were already in their own beds. Not full-sized, giant beds like in their personal sleeping rooms, but more like giant pillows for each of them. Luna had picked a spot in the middle of the room while Cadance lay on one side of Trixie’s bed and Chrysalis across the other.

None of them wore bedclothes, he reflected, but that was nothing out of the ordinary, anyway.

Luna gave him a welcoming smile, although it seemed forced. “Major. It’s good to see you could make it on time.”

“Nice outfit,” Chrysalis said teasingly. “Even if it doesn’t match your eyes.”

He’d chosen to wear his new pajamas tonight, a pair of long silk pants and a buttoned-up shirt, with short sleeves and a chest pocket. Cut from dark blue, his favorite color no less. Trust Rarity to make something like that for him, just in case. If Marcus had received this gift, he would have declined it, misconstruing her action as bribery, yet Stephan took it at face value. Besides, a long time had passed since he’d actually worn anything decent for bed.

“Yeah,” Stephan said. “I had to take care of things first, but that’s over with. Decided to follow Princess Luna’s advice about trying to make myself comfortable for this.”

True, personnel had given him strange looks as he passed them by, but nobody said a thing. At least, not in hearing distance. He didn’t doubt there’d be some ‘amusing’ scuttlebutt doing the rounds for weeks.

“Did you follow my other piece of advice?” Luna asked.

“About the talismans? Yeah,” Stephan told her, holding up the plastic flower and Zippo lighter from his pyjama pockets. “To make sure I don’t forget I’m in a dream, right? A bit like in the movies, or that one movie.”

“Not quite,” Luna explained patiently. “Call it insurance. Pulling physical objects in and out of the dream realm is a very risky, tricky business I wouldn’t recommend, but with my magic, I’ll make sure that wherever you are in the dream, these objects are never far. If not on your person then somewhere close by, as a beacon or a magnet.”

“And of course,” Cadance said, “their sentimental value for you might help us track you down, those of us with love magic, anyway.”

Stephan grinned wanly. “You’re the experts.” He lay down, easing into his sleeping bag. “I really hope this works.”

“You mean the rescue mission?” Chrysalis smirked. “With me around, I daresay, you’ve got a pretty good chance, since these two would be helpless within the complex catacombs of a Changeling mind. But if you mean the outfit... funny things, dreams, we appear in them as we basically perceive ourselves ... so don’t be surprised if you turn up naked, human.”

Stephan almost bolted upright. “What? Really?!”

“She’s teasing you, Major,” Cadance called from behind Trixie’s bed. “Ignore her.”

“Trying to lighten the mood, is all,” Chrysalis harrumphed. “We need it.”

“Major,” Cadance said reassuringly, “if there is one pony who can help, it’s Luna. Besides, I’m here too. And Chrysalis… has a special skillset. We can do this.”

Luna surveyed them all gravely.

“Remember,” she began, in the voice of a lecturer. “This is not one dream we are entering. These are five. Continuously mixing, overlapping, reforming. It’s my best technique to slow the barrier within Trixie’s mind before it can notice us and seal us off. It’ll be like travelling a maze where, when one door closes, another opens. Our goal is to reach the center of this maze. Though I think we do not risk death, Trixie is in danger of losing her mind. Only by finding the ‘center’ can we help her. Are we all clear?”

“Affirmative.”

“Yes, Auntie.”

“Hm? Oh, yep.”

“So…” Stephan added. “Princess Luna, any advice for what my last thoughts should be while falling asleep?”

“Try to think about something pleasant,” Luna replied. “Otherwise, don’t force it. I may have trouble finding you within your dreams if you overthink. Again, I do not have much experience with human dreams, but I shall do my best.”

“Okay. Sounds simple enough,” Stephan whispered, resting his head on his arms. “I just don’t think I can sleep yet.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “After all that’s happened?”

Stephan gave her a rueful smile. “Especially after all that’s happened.”

“Maybe a lullaby will help?” Cadance offered helpfully.  Nobody said anything for a moment. “What?” she asked, somewhat indignantly. “It helped Twilight.”

“Don’t you think we’re a little too old for that?” Chrysalis asked, exasperated. “Well, alright, maybe I’m not that old. And you still fresh out of fillyhood, Candy... although, hope you’re looking forward to the immortal centuries stretching ahead! Now, Woona, on the other h–”

“What harm could it do? I say we try,” Stephan interjected, cutting any new bickering straight in the bud. He looked over from Trixie’s bed to Cadance. “Anything good in mind?”

Cadance chuckled, her laughter tinged with sadness.

“Well, as it happens,” she said. “Twilight and Lyra are only a few of the fillies I’ve looked after, then or since. Even today, I wonder if some of them did find beautiful dreams.” She paused thoughtfully. “I’ve been listening around. Maybe a song from the human world will help them find their balm… and my other self did have much to teach me there. So how about it?”

“Whatever...” Chrysalis lay her head upon her forelegs. “You should tell the other you she needs to get more sunlight, with that whitish complexion of hers. Just give us something upbeat to hit the sack on. I hate those soppy, mournful tunes which make the little boys n’ girls scared they’ll never wake up.”

Luna smiled wanly. “Lead us on, my niece, Keeper of the Heart. Help me weave our souls together in the ties that bind...”

And Cadance began to sing.

~An autumn night descends on the Negev,

And gently, gently lights up the stars,

While the wind blows on the threshold,

Clouds go on their way.~

~Already a year, and we almost didn’t notice,

How the time has passed in our fields,

Already a year, and few of us remain,

So many are no longer among us.~

First Chrysalis closed her eyes...

~But we’ll remember them all,

With their beauty,

Because friendship like this,

Will never permit our hearts to forget.~

~Love sanctified with blood,

Will once more bloom among us,

Friendship, we bear you with no words,

Gray, stubborn and silent.~

… then Cadance, still singing away.

~From the nights of terrible terror,

You remained clear and lighted,

Friendship, as all of your youths.~

~Again in your name we will smile and go foreword,

Because friends that have fallen on their swords,

Left your life as a monument,

And we’ll remember them all…~

Stephan’s eyelids felt heavy and his body felt calm as he listened to the Princess of Love croon her lullaby. He had to admit, Cadance was a natural at this. It took only a few short minutes before he fell asleep. Darkness consumed him, yet its embrace was comforting as a mother’s.

As all this happened, Luna kept a watchful eye on them. Only once they had all drifted off to sleep did she begin to use her magic. Lines of blue light slowly emerged from her horn and moved to the others in the room. Except for Trixie. Even though she had already worked on a way to enter the baby-blue mare’s mind, Luna didn’t want to take too many risks yet.

Luna closed her eyes as soon as she felt the last one make connection. She concentrated and thus entered the realm of dreams...

Far away, in a grand chamber apart from the waking world, a sea-green alicorn with a golden mane stepped off her throne.

“Again, a doorway opens, a ladder descends, and a bridge takes shape,” she whispered. “They have begun.”

The Captain of her Guard looked her in the eye. “What do you plan to do?”

“Follow, as a phantom,” the alicorn said simply, “and watch. To meddle on their plane, uninvited, remains beyond my power. Such is the cost of being a dream within a dream… once they reach the center of the maze, only then will we stand on the same plane. And I shall confer with Princess Luna.”

“By the Golden Lyre,” said the Captain. “That is a tall order.”

When Luna’s eyes opened again, she was standing in a pale antechamber with three doors.

One was painted green with a black frame. Obviously Chrysalis’. The second was a rosey pink with a crystal heart motif. No question whom this one belonged to. The third door, however… Luna felt uneasiness well up inside her. It was an old and plain wooden door, nothing special like the Queen and Princess’s. Still, her belly tied into a knot just from staring at it. She would always remember what happened in the Crystal Empire, and wonder what Stephan Bauer had seen to send him into a uncontrollable rage. Whatever lay behind it, she hoped to find the Major there in one piece.

First things first. Luna turned towards Chrysalis’ door and walked through it.

She emerged inside a Changeling cocoon.

Not a pleasant sensation. A sickly-sweet-tasting, slimey green mucus-like substance covered her all over, in uncomfortable spots, no less. Now, she understood how Celestia must have felt after the invasion of Canterlot...

Then a new image returned to her. Twilight Sparkle’s emaciated body, entrapped within in a pit full of grasping, black vines.

It sent a jolt through her entire body. Snarling, Luna pushed, with all of her might, against the oppressive substance. Hearing something snap, she found herself falling, face-first through thin air, and landed on the rocky ground, painfully.

Good thing the dream-cocoon was weaker than the real thing. Having nursed her snout, Luna shook and wiped all the green wax off her body she could, then, satisfied, proceeded onward, deeper into the hive.

Princess Luna loved the darkness of the night, but she felt no beauty in this place’s darkness, only the cloying grip of the depths.

“Aah, Princess Luna,” spoke a hushed, sibilant female voice. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Luna spun around. Back up the way she’d came, a Changeling was standing in the middle of the grotto, smiling at her.

“You have?” Luna whispered.

The Changeling nodded. “Yes. Our Queen told us of your arrival. Please, follow me, I will lead you to her chambers.”

Doing as told, Luna followed the Changeling through the labyrinth of corridors crafted in the massive stone. She felt many eyes on her, following her every move. If this was the dream version of a hive, she didn’t want to visit a real hive anytime soon. Soon enough, they had reached a giant set of double-doors, no smaller than the doors to Celestia’s throne room. It looked similar to the door she’d walked through to enter the dream.

The Changeling attendant knocked.

“ENTER!”

No mistaking that shrill voice.

The doors opened with a noise of rock grinding on stone, and a waft of steam struck Luna in the face. Eyes watering, she had to blink before she could see what lay behind the doors. Looking past the mist, Chrysalis’ throne room bore many similarities to the one in Canterlot. Huge pillars and stained-glassed windows, but with a key distinction; a poisonous, sickly green covering it all, filling in the spaces that weren’t simply black, thanks to torches of green fire on the walls. Between the pillars stood more drones, armored and silent, wielding cruel spears.

But what caught Luna’s attention were the sounds of heavy thuds upon wood. In front of her, obstructing her view of the throne, were two treadmills, each occupied by a behemoth drone. Half the size of a baby Ursa, armored with thick chitin plates, though the treadmills’ insides were swathed in cloth to muffle the noise, her alert, sensitive ears knew that one stomp from those hooves would crush skulls. She wondered whether these were just dream constructs or if Queen Chrysalis truly kept such brutes back in the Badlands.

Princess Luna walked onward, head held high and proud, like she always had whenever visiting another kingdom. Her own kingdom was one she’d taken centuries to renew ties with. Those lumbering creatures might have stopped a grown minotaur in his tracks, but not she, a warrior-princess from the days of yore. Approaching boldly, she stepped through the gap between the treadmills, to be met by a most curious sight. At the foot of the throne, carved into the stone floor, was a bubbling acid-green pool. This was where the steam was coming from, produced by giants’ labor. In the middle of this stifling hot tub, bobbing along, eyes covered by two slices of cucumber, reclined the Queen, lying on… and Luna almost lost her composure when she spotted Chrysalis’ inflatable raft. Pony-shaped, white-coated and blue-maned, with a stopper stuffed in his mouth, it was Shining Armor.

Sensing her approach, Chrysalis looked up, peeling off the cucumber slices.

“Oh, nice to see you made it, Princess,” she smiled craftily, taking a bite off one. “How’d you like this fancy setup?”

“Greetings, Queen Chrysalis,” Luna said evenly, trying hard not to stare at the uncannily lifelike Shining. “I trust I’m not interrupting anything?”

“Nah, don’t worry. I was just finished with my nap. Excuse me.”

With a yawn and a stretch of her legs, Queen Chrysalis leapt off the raft and into the hot liquid, creating quite a splash. She started paddling towards Luna, but then, as if by afterthought, she paused to unstopper the inflatable stallion, letting the air escape. Despite its plainly rubbery texture, Luna couldn’t help but shudder as she saw Shining’s face slowly crumple up and disappear beneath the boiling watery surface, eyes last.

Unconcerned, Chrysalis clambered out of the tub and, without any warning, shook herself dry, splattering Luna all over. Before Luna, now soaking wet, could splutter out her indignation, her companion just smiled and spoke.

“I guess it’s time to save Girl Blue?” Chrysalis asked, brushing her own damp mane.

Luna was surprised. “You already know this is a dream?”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Oo~h, my sweet princess. You’d be surprised what else I know.”

She  walked past Luna, who, following after her, had to wonder what she could mean by that. The Queen stopped halfway and turned to the stopped treadmills, eyeing the two giant Changelings.

“Bruh, Mak, boys, you two keep watch while I am gone.”

“YES, HIGHNESS!” Their booming voices echoed through the room like thunder.

“Kids,” Chrysalis sighed happily. “They grow up so fast these days.”

As the doors closed behind them, Luna addressed Chrysalis. “Alright, I shall now try to get us into Princess Cadance’s dream. But please, be nice once we get there.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Of course. No disrupting her dear heart with my presence.”

“Just be nice. That’s all I ask of you.”

Luna concentrated and her horn began to glow. Blue light covered them both and with a flash, they departed.

Next, Luna popped out of a giant multistore cake.

“Oh, what is it with me and getting disgusting gunk in my fur today...” she grumbled.

At least this was an improvement over the horror from before. Shortly after, Chrysalis’ head popped out from the other side of the cake. Both of them looked at each other. For a change,it was Luna who experienced no small amusement at Chrysalis’ glare of annoyance.

“Please tell me this won’t become a habit,” Chrysalis groaned.

“Don’t worry, it only happens from time to time,” Luna answered in a half-sarcastic tone. “Mostly if you enter a certain pink pony’s dream.”

Chrysalis grumbled something about giving Luna an even harder time as the two jumped to the ground and began picking cake pieces from their fur.

“Mon Dieu, what happened?!”

The unexpected voice made Luna and Chrysalis turn their heads towards… a crystallized Shining Armor wearing a chef’s uniform, complete with a massive white chef hat and a ridiculous mustache. While Luna could only look at him in surprise, Chrysalis could barely hold back her chortling laughter.

“I am truly sorry about the mess,” Luna apologized courteously, holding up a hoof.

“I was just not careful with my teleportation spell. It won’t happen again,”

Chef Shining Armor gave Luna a suspicious look. “I needed WEEKS to create this beauty! WEEKS! And now, it’s all gone!” he cried, throwing up his forehooves dramatically.

Luna lowered her ears. Even though this was only a dream, it hurt her to see that she’d caused someone harm. Chrysalis, by contrast, seemed quite amused by the scene.

“I will pay for the damage, if this helps,” Luna offered.

“Bah!” he harrumphed. “I don’t need your bits. All I need is time, and a good excuse for the Princess, to explain why the cake won’t reach her today, even if it was planned.”

“Then I’ll go and talk to her and explain everything. I am sure we can come to an agreement.”

The Chef sighed as he calmed his nerves. “Fine. But you also tell her why the cake’ll be late. I need at least a week to undo the damage. You will find her in the royal chambers. Make sure to knock.”

Luna felt something pick at the icing in her mane. She turned, in time to see Chrysalis licking what was left of it off her forehoof.

“What are you doing?” Luna scowled.

“You know, I take it back,” Chrysalis smiled. “You royal ponies do taste so much nicer once you’ve been… sweetened, as Cadance can attest.”

Somehow, even remembering the Cadance Floss, Luna managed to keep her cool.

“Don’t you try me...” she began.

“Too late,” Chrysalis giggled.

Shaking her head, Luna turned her attention back to chef with a nod.

“Thank you, sir,” she said. “We shall be on our way. Again, I apologize for what happened.”

The Chef waved a forehoof at her. “Oui, oui, just leave already and let me do my work. I also need to get my helpers, and Celestia only knows where they go in their free time.”

As they moved towards the kitchen door, Chrysalis eyed a few scraps of the cake greedily.

“C’mon, Luna,” she whispered, hoof edging towards the table. “Sure he won’t notice…”

“No,” Luna shook her head again.

Normally, she would have grinned at how this brought Celestia’s bad habits to mind, but for two details. One, this was Chrysalis. And, two, all thoughts of Celestia were painful right now, when they kept returning to the Tyrant.

“Wouldn’t be good manners. And this is dream-food, anyway. It wouldn’t fill you.”

“Fine…” Chrysalis pouted, snatching her hoof away. “But I warn you, all this concentration is making me hungry. Next time I spot something, I’m going for it, whatever you say.”

With that, Luna and Chrysalis took their leave. They walked out the kitchen and followed the hallway to the royal chambers. They passed several guards, all of them more duplicates of Shining Armor. Luna had to admit, coming across Chrysalis with the creepy Shining-shaped raft was one thing, but this? She hadn’t visited her niece’s dreams in a long time. Maybe now was the time for a little heart-to-heart about obsessions.

“My, my,” tutted Chrysalis, “and I thought I was possessive of Shining. The difference being, our relationship was of a strictly business-like nature.”

Luna turned to the Changeling Queen with anger and shock. “You call the attempt to take over Canterlot a ‘business’?”

“Oh, don’t you play innocent, Moonbutt,” Chrysalis answered mockingly. “I could tell you things about your big sister you wouldn’t believe.”

“My sister and I share all our secrets. There is nothing between us.”

“Is there now?” Chrysalis walked past her, head held high and a sinister grin on her face. “Good that we talked about it here, and not somewhere anyone could eavesdrop.”

Luna stood staring at the back of Chrysalis’ head for a minute, until she she went to catch up with her again. She took the lead, and after some time had passed them by, as well as countless guards who looked like Shining, they reached the bed-chambers. Luna knocked at the door, which opened automatically.

Inside was a giant, heart-shaped bed. Lying on it was a sleeping Cadance, surrounded by a little army of Shining servants.

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous...” Luna muttered, suppressing the urge to groan.

Chrysalis only had a cheeky smile on her face. “Oo~h, I really wonder why that little pink princess and I can’t handle each other. By the look of this, we are actually twins.”

“Don’t push it,” Luna warned. She walked up to the bed together with Chrysalis, the army of Shinings showing no interest in the blue Princess and the Queen.

Luna coughed. “Cadance?”

From between Shinings, the pink alicorn murmured herself awake, eyes fluttering. “Hello, Auntie,” she smiled. Her eyes then fell upon Chrysalis. “Hello to you too, Chrysalis.”

There was a short, heavy pause. From one second to the other, Cadance stiffened up, her eyes shot open, and she screamed in utter outrage and horror.

“What is she doing here?!” Cadance screeched, pointing at the Changeling Queen.

Luna rose a hoof and replied, “It’s alright, Cadance, Chrysalis won’t cause any trouble.” She then gave Chrysalis a stern look and snarled, “Right?”

Chrysalis cleared her throat to calm her amusement. “Yes, I will behave. We won’t be staying long anyway, so don’t be so alarmed, harem princess.”

“Chrysalis...” Luna said in a warning tone.

Cadance calmed down enough to step in front of her aunt and her arch-nemesis. “You could’ve at least told me you’d be getting us in that order. Then I might have dreamt of something else.”

“Oh, like a–” Chrysalis started, only to be shushed by Luna.

“Still, we need to go now,” Luna said. But I warn you two again, I cannot say what we’ll see when we enter the Major’s dream.” She looked around. “However, we should access a more remote area. I don’t want to risk taking more of your dream with us.”

“But I wanted to take a plaything along,” Chrysalis whined playfully, eyeing one of the servants.

“No, you are not,” Luna said. Unwillingly, she thought back to the vision she’d seen of Twilight Sparkle and her ‘husband’. “Now let's go.”

Chrysalis and Cadance gave each other a glance, yet quietly followed Luna away from the heart-shaped bed.

“I will now try to get us into Bauer’s dream,” Luna announced. “Be ready for anything.”

She lit her horn and the three of them were wrapped in a blue light...

From the wild abyss, this womb of sapience, and perhaps its grave, from which the dust beneath the worlds emerges to create more worlds, from this wild abyss did the wary alicorn, golden mane ablaze with the stuff that stars are made of, clamber to the brink, and there, at last, stretch her wings.

She looked about a while, back the way she’d came, then ahead, pondering her journey.

“May Lyra’s grace guide my path...”

Luna opened her eyes to find the three of them lying in a grey space, familiar yet also alien to her nocturnal senses. She looked around, wondering where they were meant to go next. No helpful source of light broke the gloom.

“Huh,” Chrysalis commented staring into the fog, unimpressed. “Never thought the Major’s mind would be so… I don’t know, empty.”

“As I said,” Luna replied, holding back a bitter taste in her mouth, “the human dreamscape is not like what I’ve encountered in any other creature on Equus. Maybe the Major hasn’t entered his deep-sleep phase. That’s the moment where conscious dreams begin to take form.”

“Does this mean little pink princess’s’ song failed?” Chrysalis asked, a smug grin on her face.

“You wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t lulled you to sleep,” Cadance shot back.

“Only because it was so boring.”

“It was supposed to be relaxing, though some may call it otherwise.”

“So,” Chrysalis retorted, “even you agree you can’t sing?”

Before the argument could escalate, Luna stomped her hoof, staring daggers at the two as if they were petulant children.

“Cease this petty bickering at once,” Luna growled. “We are here on borrowed time and we must keep moving forward. Cadance, Chrysalis. Can either of you hone in on the love imprinted on Major Bauer’s talismans?”

Both mares fells silent, the time to close their eyes in concentration, and shake their heads.

“Sorry, Aunt Luna,” Cadance said. “I can feel something, many things, but this dream stuff is too strange for me. I can’t lock on.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Really now?” she asked earnestly. “I’d understood Luna has been starting to teach you the ropes. And we’re asking you to detect love, not get creative with weaving dreams.”

“You’re not doing any better,” Cadance pointed out shortly. “It isn’t that easy when you’ve practiced one talent your whole life in the waking world, and are suddenly expected to apply it in a wholly different environment. It takes time to learn.” She paused. “Though I don’t think you care much about learning, or education.”

“Oooh, whatever do you mean, little Princess?”

“You’re lazy, you live in a hovel for a hive, and besides, you can create any pretty face you like to wrap any fool you want around your forehoof. Why would you bother?”

“Suuure, Cadance,” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “And I’m sure you first got Shiney’s attention by flashing a pair of... books his way.”

She sniggered as Luna and Cadance exchanged confused glances

“I don’t get it...” Luna said. “Not that it matters. Neither your barbs, or this hurdle we face. We will find him, sooner or later.”

Chrysalis let out a bored sigh. “Better be sooner. I don’t know how many other jokes I can make about our Loveboat Princess before it grows stale, even for my tastes, and what’s more, I’m still getting hungry!”

Cadance scoffed. “Your jokes are never funny.”

Luna coughed an ‘ahem’ for their benefit. Chrysalis and Cadance, getting the idea, instantly fell quiet, yet they were still giving each other the stink-eye as they trudged deeper and deeper into the fog. On and on they went, and Luna found nothing but greyness around her. Here and there she thought she glimpsed a picture, a fleeting memory. But it was too blurry to tell. This was beginning to get frustrating. She would have known what to do, if only she’d had permission from Renee and Bauer to visit human dreams from the day they arrived.

The laugher didn’t make it easier.

Wait. That wasn’t Chrysalis’ laughter. She already knew it too well. She perked her ears, focusing on the source.

“I hear something. This way!”

She galloped towards the sound, hearing the other two follow behind. A large square of light floated there, a tall picture-frame much clearer than the others. It looked like a school hallway, the dullness of a drab autumn afternoon pouring in through small windows at eye-level only to a human adult, lockers adorning the walls on both sides.

As Luna phased through the square and into the old memory, she was greeted by the sight of many human children, gathered with their backs to her in a semi-circle around something. Invisible to them, Luna advanced and saw what they were looking at. One taller boy with light brown skin was pointing at a shorter and slightly plumper boy, saying something in Bauer’s native language.

“Is that… him?” Cadance asked in surprise, as she took a closer look at the plump boy.

“It is Stephan!” Chrysalis said, delighted. “Ooh, who’d have suspected the Major had tire rings when he was younger.”

“Don’t be mean,” Cadance said. “I think he’s a cute little boy.”

They observed in silence as the taller boy marched upon the younger version of the Major and poked him in the belly. Luna didn’t need translation to understand this was a bully, and their unknown words were taunts. Then she saw a glare light up the younger Bauer’s eyes, and from one moment to the other, he lashed out, the back of his right hand hitting the much taller boy across the face. The taller one stumbled backward, stepped over his own feet and fell to the tiled floor. The other children just stood there and watched, unsure what to do next. Some walked over to the downed boy and lifted him up, others walked over to the young Stephan, while glaring at the problem child.

Another voice yelled from behind the crowd, drawing everyone’s eyes, the Royals’ included, to look behind them. Luna was sure that this was a teacher or some form of executive. He pointed at both boys, spoke a few harsh words, and then left with both in tow, grasping the scruff of their jackets.

“Poor Stephan,” Cadance said, her voice soft with sympathy. “He must have had it rough in his early years.”

“Well, lose a few kilos, it wouldn’t have come to that,” Chrysalis replied. “Though, the Major today looks pretty healthy compared to his younger self.” She smiled and licked her lips. “Mmh, kid’s got plenty of meat on him, but the guy today, heh, I wouldn’t mind taking him for a ride, as humans say.”

Cadance continued staring at the receding figure of the younger Bauer, thinking.

“Oh, my, you just thought of it, didn’t you?” Chrysalis asked, affecting a tone shocked at the Princess of Love.

“What?” Cadance gasped. “No! I love Shining Armor, with all my heart.”

“Just because you love him, doesn’t mean you can’t have some fantasies of your own, right?”

Cadance remained silent, refusing to give Chrysalis some more fuel for the fire. Disregarding, their bickering, Luna kept her eyes open for a gateway, an entrance, something that didn’t fit with the scenery of the school. Before too long, she had found one.

Between two lockers, this door was a rich, varnished brown wood, not sterile white.

“I’ve found a way out. Follow me.”

She opened a door, and together with the other two, looked into a bar. There she spotted Bauer once again, a little older, in the company of a few of his friends. Daniel, Mueller and others she didn’t know by name. They seemed to be having fun, drinking and joking around.

“Boys will be boys,” Cadance mumbled.

Chrysalis smiled. “Remind you of anyone?”

“Shining has always been a good colt,” Cadance protested. “He wasn’t much of a party colt, even before we got married.”

“Suuuuure,” Chrysalis rolled her tongue, not believing a word.

Especially not since the bachelor party Shining’s friends had pulled him to. He was quite eager to throw some spare bits the way of the Changeling mare who had pole-danced for him, under the guise of an exotic zebra performer, naturally. She still remembered how she’d seen Shining’s mouth hanging open through the eyes of her servant, Cerci.

Good girl, that Cerci, and reliable.

Wasn’t that why the lass frequently doubled as her decoy? It had made finding spare time for her private conversations with Miss Cutter so much easier.

Luna kept watch on the Bauer and his friends, who had eyes on some female humans wearing body-conscious clothes. Daniel was first to stand up, tapping Bauer on his shoulder and gesturing him to follow. Bauer’s cheeks turned red, but he followed his friend to the girls.

“Looks like the Major and his friend are out for some fun,” Chrysalis said lusciously. As Bauer, trailing after Daniel, passed her by, she reached out, level to the men’s hips...

But nothing came of it, as Luna slapped her forehoof away. “Chrysalis. That’s just creepy.”

“Ah, be a sport,” Chrysalis sighed. “It is still not the ‘real’ him. Just another memory.”

“No,” Luna confirmed. “But if I weren’t keeping the wards in place, you might start getting noticed by these projections, and that could lead to all kinds of funny business… some of it more perilous than the rest.”

“I wouldn’t want to stay longer than necessary,” said Cadance.

Luna had spotted another door, a door at the back of the bar, in a row next to two others clearly marked by the human pictograms for male and female, whose meaning she had no need to decipher. This third door was unmarked.

“Through here,” Luna said, waving them to follow.

Carefully, she opened it, entering what appeared very similar to an old mare’s home, complete with tea services and old black-and-white pictures on the tables, plus an enormous, perhaps over-designed carpet.

No sooner had they spread out did Cadance’s voice echo from her left.

“Found him!”

She and Chrysalis followed the sound to find Cadance watching Bauer, now a grown man, and another human male working in the downstairs bathroom. The plaquered ceiling was gaping open, exposing the pipe system. A pipe of a larger diameter than the rest and red in color lay in pieces on the ground, the rest hanging from a hole up above. Bauer was under it, turning a wrench on a series made out of copper.

“So... this was his life before he joined the military,” Chrysalis mused.

“We all started small,” Cadance said, flapping a wing. She then looked at Luna. “Well… some, maybe, have their greatness thrust upon them.”

Luna didn’t say anything to that. Cadance was right. She and Celestia were born with the future burden of moving the Sun and the Moon over Equestria. No one had asked them what they wanted to become when they were little. But Sint Erklass’ tutelage had encouraged them to take up the mantle, of a duty the Scribe would have denied them since realizing they were born as two sisters, not one whole being as intended...

Her mind wandered to the day she betrayed Celestia. Maybe she had simply been jealous… but it was also a way for her to say she did not want to spend the rest of her life playing second fiddle. She wondered what would become of her and Celestia, now, with these humans coming in to make such sweeping changes.

A rumbling sound shook Luna out of her thoughts. And she saw horror on this Bauer’s face. He tried to jump out of the way, but was greeted with a shower from overhead, right out of the waste pipe. Cadance held a forehoof to her mouth, and not because of mirth. She looked sick. Chrysalis, however, was rolling on the floor with laughter.

“We should keep moving,” Luna told them.

“I’m waiting for a train,” recited the sea-green alicorn with the golden mane, steadying her nerves, “Knowing where I hope the train’ll take me, but I can’t be sure…” She paused. “Heh. Waiting for a train. Of course I am. A train of thought...”

She was standing on sand. On all sides, the desert stretched out into the distance, an endless expanse beneath a dull, sunless sky. All that broke this monotony was a far-off line, a trackline, which she could barely distinguish, just below the horizon.

No surprise that this was the landscape her mind had conjured as her path to join the others. She knew that, were this reality, with a beat of her powerful new wings, she could have crossed the distance in the time it took to write a letter.

Here, she would once more need to board a train. Even here, she was not almighty. There were rules to be kept.

“Wait, scratch that, hold up,” Luna said shortly, stopping everyone in their tracks.

Chrysalis was first to react. “Is there a problem? Or are we playing musical statues?”

“Be quiet, and listen,” Luna ordered.

All three of them did. But they heard nothing, except for the male noises of complaint from the room the mares had just vacated, in search of the next door.

Eventually, Cadance broke the relative silence. “What are we listening out for, Aunt Luna?”

Luna turned around. With her mouth a thin line, the expression on her face spoke of worry.

“Something, or someone, is following us.”

A sibilant voice cut in. “Friend, or foe?”

It was Chrysalis. And for once, she did not sound in the mood for jokes.

“I don’t know,” Luna admitted. “There’s always a possibility the hooded mare left behind a few traps or safeguards against us, in case we tried this. I doubt it, though. She’d be aware no Equestrian dream magic can withstand me forever, and she’d be giving away her magical ‘signature’ for me to trace.”

“Yeah…” Chrysalis said, looking around warily. “Remember that Trixie projection we came across at the funfair, the last time we delved in here? The one who turned out to be a manifestation of the Spy? I’d say that’s the threat we’ve gotta look out for. She won’t simply repel us, not on this round. She’ll be attacking our minds.”

“We’re still inside Bauer’s memories,” Cadance pointed out. “We should be safe for now.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Luna warned. “For the time our minds intersect, and my control isn’t as tight as I could wish, it’s uncertain what might leak from one into the other.”

Cadance swallowed. “That sounds bad.”

“But I don’t think this here’s the Spy. It feels…” Luna closed her eyes, blowing. “Inquisitive. Adventurous. The signal’s so faint, it’s hard for me to tell. So near, and yet so far… it’s like… hearing the ocean waves in a seashell, when really, it’s just the rush of your own blood...”

And then, she opened her eyes, frowning.

“... Dream within a dream? No, that can’t be right.”

“Pardon?” asked Cadance.

“There’s no such thing as dreams within dreams,” Luna answered, almost angrily. “Dreams do not come in layers, they are concentric. We’re not climbing a pyramid, we’re looking for the center of a spherical maze!”

“Goodness,” Chrysalis said, “what’s gotten into you?”

“Whoever this is,” Luna grunted, “they’re not coming from outside, like we are. Somehow, it’s as if they’re coming from… from deeper inside. We’re not being followed. We’re being waylaid. And we’re headed in their direction.”

Cadance and Chrysalis stared at each other, their feud momentarily forgotten.

“What’ll we do?” Cadance asked Luna quietly.

“Only thing we can do. We move on. We’ll discover what they want from us soon enough.”

Thus, move on they did, but the weight of Luna’s precaution hung in the air between them. They had anticipated the risks of coming on this journey, aware they couldn’t predict what exactly they might encounter. Yet the idea of a third party playing its hand, that, none of them had thought possible. And the ‘present-day’ Major Bauer was still missing from their group.

The house’s front door had no slot for a letterbox. This was how they knew it to be their door.

Stranger yet, this door opened out onto a grassy field. Several soldiers, clad in grey coats and covered in military insignias, stood at attention around a smaller group, holding a hand over the German flag. Bauer was one of the group, staring firmly at the flag. Luna couldn’t understand what they spoke, but from their bearing, it was some kind of oath.

Bauer wore no high-rank insignia on his uniform.

“This seems to be the day he entered the military,” Cadance remarked, trying to ease the tension that clung to them.

“Actually, it must be already three months later,” Luna observed. “Major Bauer once told me that basic training comes before they swear the Oath.”

“You seem to know a lot about it.”

“He and I often have discussions on how to proceed with the training with the troops, among many other things.”

“So~o, you two are pretty close, hmm?” Chrysalis nudged Luna in the side.

Luna gave her a look of annoyance. “No, we are not.”

“Didn’t Celestia say he took a ride on your back?” Cadance blurted aloud, but instantly regretted it as she realized whom she’d said that in front of.

“Oh, my!” Chrysalis exclaimed, a big fat grin on her face. “Yummy!”

“Not in that way!” Luna snarled, glaring at Chrysalis. Oh, how it took a lot of self-restraint not to plant a hoof up Chrysalis’ flank.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Chrysalis said. “And let’s ignore the fact he hasn’t given some pretty eyes to the Griffon Queen, and other girls too. I mean, did you see him when he noticed that female Mino-Tauren? How human-like, their tops... torsos are. I’m quite sure he was gazing at her voluminous bust.”

“At the rate we’re going,” Luna muttered, “I’ll be convinced there’s nothing to this guy’s mind but pervert’s fixations… and this is based on the reasonably mild content we’ve seen so far… Alright, where’s the next door?”

Chrysalis smiled victoriously, while Cadance looked uneasy.

“Luna and Stephan, sitting on a dream. K-i-s-s-” Chrysalis began, but was soon shushed.

Not by Luna, or even Cadance. The appearance of the new door on their path was sufficient to silence anyone.

Away from the soldiers, a towering, black monolith stood in the middle of the field, opaque as to allow no light to escape. No doorknob was to be seen; it was hard to even make out whether this door was a smooth surface, or an opening onto a pitch-black expanse thick enough to cut with a knife. The three royals held their breath as they ventured inside, one after the other, Luna taking the lead and Cadance bringing up the rear, not knowing what they might find inside.

“Here goes nothing,” said the traveller.

As she boarded her train, she remembered her last journey, so full of wonders and horrors.

… Hard to believe it had occurred mere weeks ago, whichever of these three worlds’ timestream you looked at it from.

“By ‘e Alicorn Faust,” Princess Cadance murmured, covering her snout, “‘at ‘appened ‘ere?”

They had arrived in the hallway of another school. But here, bullet holes, ashen traces of fire, puddles of blood covered almost everything.

“Clearly a battle, sweet princess...” Chrysalis said, unusually serious. “This must be one of the many fields on which our Major fought.”

Digesting the words of the insect-shaped mare she hated so, Cadance felt more than heard her aunt steady herself, as Luna regained her composure.

“We have to keep moving,” she said.

“Yes! Yes. It's just...” Cadance began, thinking about her next words. “It’s a lot to take in. I mean, I’ve spoken with the PHL, and I know the simulations Discord is preparing… or was, before that poison landed him in hospital. I could imagine what humans had to go through. But this is an actual memory, of someone who was there. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

She tensed a bit as she felt Luna’s wing on her back, caressing her soothingly. “Do not fret, Cadance. Remember that I am with you.”

Cadance looked up at her aunt, her ancestor, and nodded with bated breath.

“Such a shame,” they heard Chrysalis sigh. “So young...” Both glanced at what she meant and found her holding a ID card within her aura, studying the little piece of plastic. “This war really knows no bounds.”

Luna stepped forward. “We need to find Stephan. Come now, everyone.”

Every so often as they advanced through the hallway, they found other things which worried them deeply. Even Luna was looking more uneasy by the minute. Cadance ran over own words in her mind, of how this was a memory from someone for whom not all scars were visible on the outside.

As they advanced further, a leaden knell began to press down on them. The atmosphere of was making their heads heavy, their guts uneasy. No dead bodies, surprisingly, but all that blood had to have come from somewhere, and none of them cared to imagine what such a place might look like. A smell so strong, they could actually taste it on their tongues, was all the warning they needed.

“Ugh,” Chrysalis gagged. “It stinks in here.”

“Really?” Cadance sniffed, surprised, and apprehensive. “I don’t smell anything.”

Chrysalis snorted. “That’s because you haven’t smelled anything like that yet...”

Cadance was about to ask what she meant, but after a quick thought, decided against it. She knew both of them were much older than she, had seen far more conflict.

Then came the gunshots. And screams.

Cadance shuddered at the sound, but Luna and Chrysalis showed no palpable reaction.

“Guess we found him,” Chrysalis remarked in a neutral tone.

All three of them galloped towards the source of that awful noise, their hooves echoing from one end of the hallway to the other as they reached the room. The first thing they noticed was the smell. It was much, much stronger than before, the stench burning in Luna’s nose. Cadance jumped, screaming in horror. Even Chrysalis gasped in shock.

“I know this classroom,” Luna whispered.

Through her haze, Cadance saw her aunt looking at her.

Fresh corpses of colts and fillies lay scattered throughout the room, their bodies torn apart, Immediately, each could tell these were Newfoals. Their widened eyes projected neither pain nor shock, but a soulless, fearless drive to move relentlessly forward, gaping smiles plastered on their faces, despite their mutilated bodies and the dead all around.

The walls of the room were covered in bloodstains, some in the pattern of a human hand, some in the pattern of a hoof, and many more somewhere in-between...

Cadance’s gaze shifted towards to the teacher’s desk, noticing Bauer sitting there, legs close to his body and head between his knees. Behind him was a chalkboard with the word ‘MURDERER’ written in blood all over it.

Princess Luna heard a sob and thought it came from Cadance.

But it wasn’t her niece. It was Bauer. She didn’t think twice as she stepped towards him.

“I can’t take it anymore,” she heard him whisper.

That was the moment Luna noticed the pistol in his hand

She had to stop and think. This wasn’t her first time with someone who was suicidal, and after the war, it was most likely she would be needed more than ever. So, she approached him with catlike tread, keeping her head level to his.

“Major?”

But Bauer did not look up. He was mumbling non-stop, uttering nonsense words she couldn’t even hope to make sense of.

“Major Bauer. Please, come back to us.”

That was when he did look to her, yet his eyes widened in shock, and as he spotted her companions waiting behind her, he panicked.

“You will not make me one of them!”

A sharp, screeching noise rang in Luna’s ears, and she felt a wave of nausea as something warm and sticky splattered her snout.

Stephan was lying dead on the floor, still clutching his pistol in a vice-like grip, blood and brains sprayed all over the table, a caved-in hole in his head where his face should have been. Cadance screamed at the sight.

A long, heavy silence took hold.

“That...” Chrysalis said, breaking the silence, “... was unexpected.”

Cadance could barely choke out the words. “Wh-what happened j-just now?”

“It seems he couldn’t handle the guilt of killing those foals,” Luna stated matter-of-factly, erasing the blood from her face with a flick of the horn. Cadance and Chrysalis stared at her.

“He did that?” Cadance asked, not wanting to believe it.

Luna traced her forehoof in an arc over the dead ponies.

“Those foals died by human weapons,” she explained. “And this is a human school. I guess Stephan was once ordered to evacuate it, but the Tyrant’s forces got to the children first. And there wasn’t anything he could do, except this.”

Cadance wanted to say something, but she was at a loss of words. What could she say? She knew the Major for a while now. She thought of him as a reliable and steadfast leader. From her own experience, Stephan appeared a lot more composed than Marcus at times. But this was another side of him she had never known.

Was his calm exterior only another way of dealing with inner turmoil?

“And I’m sure this isn’t the real Stephan Bauer we are looking at,” Luna added quickly.

“How would you know?” Chrysalis asked, skeptically.

“Normally, when this happens in a dream,” Luna said, “the individual awakens, and as visitors to his mind, we would be pulled out of it. The fact we haven’t means this Stephan was just a projection of his desire to be freed of his guilt. A mental stage play, after a fashion. Besides, now I think about it, I don’t see either of the talismans.”

As Cadance let her head hang low, feeling woefully naive and unassuming, she wondered, how did Chrysalis feel about this? Was the Queen gauging her with silent contempt, reflecting upon how, to her, the death of a young Changeling was nothing new, simply the law of nature? She could not rid herself of this knot in her stomach. The abrupt brutality in which she’d just witnessed a living being take its own life led down a road she did not care to follow.

But this time, if Chrysalis had any thoughts, she kept them to herself.

“Let’s go,” Luna said quietly. “We still need to find the real Major.”

Turning her back on Bauer’s corpse, she trotted in the space between Chrysalis and Cadance, not looking at either of them. Nor did Cadance meet Chrysalis’ eyes on the way out, but Cadance noticed her pause to take one last glance at the room, before she followed, last in line to leave.

The walk through the school was no more comforting now Luna knew how alone they were.

Color on the walls was peeling off, the floor was a plaster-strewn field full of empty shell casings and dried blood, most lockers had been bashed open or lay flat on the ground, far too reminiscent of metal coffins in this morbid environment. Every now and then, their hooves would bump against one of the casings, the soft ‘clink’ reverberating throughout the empty, half-obscured corridor.

Luna wondered whether she should tell Cadance precisely where she had seen that classroom before. In the Crystal Kingdom, in Cadance’s own reconquered domain, which her niece had not been there to help reclaim from King Sombra, though it was her birthright. She knew how this weighed on her niece, for all that it wasn’t her fault the debilitation had struck her when it did. She herself still worried she hadn’t proven up to the task, letting Sombra’s crystal cage entrap her as it had, only to be saved by Major Bauer.

The same Bauer whom she’d just witnessed take his life out of despair, even if it wasn’t him. A man who’d suffered, not because of Sombra, or Discord, or Chrysalis, she who was now walking alongside her impassibly, but because of her sister. Because of Celestia. No, not Celestia. Luna banished the perfidious thought, her teeth clenched. Celestia was not to blame. Celestia was merely the face chosen by the real monster to spread suffering.

And then there was this mystery presence within the dreamscape...

“Do you think we should split up?” Chrysalis suggested. “Maybe we’d find him faster this way.”

Luna had to breath out before she could face Chrysalis.

“I wouldn’t advise it,” she said, looking around. “Besides, even if it could help us find him, how would we contact each other?”

“Oh, right,” Chrysalis said. “Sometimes these things slip my mind. You don’t share the same mental connection as we Changelings. Although... couldn’t you have, I don’t know, dreamt up one of those electronic communicators the humans use?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” Luna said regretfully. “Time and space are completely defined by the mind and its limits in the dreamscape. If I had the means available to construct a fully-realized, internally-consistent sphere for us, it’d be different. As it stands, think of us as… as wading through watery depths, with the barest equipment. And these are just the shallows.”

“That’s right,” hissed a new, faraway voice. “But even in the shallows, there are sharks…”

And then a sound pierced the unsettling quiet.

“What was that?”

Cadance’s head snapped to the side, eyes tingling as the sound of scraping reached her ears. Staring in the direction it came from, a gaping hallway leading away from the windows, and thus into dark abandonment, she saw the glint of sparks, advancing ever more towards the pallid grey light.

The figure of a mare appeared, baby-blue in coat with minty-blue mane. But not the mare they were hoping to find. This one wore a familiar domino mask on her face as she dragged her naked blade across the wall...

Luna was the first to move into a defensive stance, Chrysalis a close second.

“Cadance,” Luna whispered urgently. “Get behind me.”

Several more daggers appeared on both sides of the Blue Spy, spinning lazily in the air. Although she hated being seen to do it by Chrysalis, Cadance obeyed her aunt’s conjectures. This was beyond what her training, either with Luna or the humans, had readied her for.

Facing them from up the hallway, the Spy gave a casual flick of her two outmost daggers.

“Leave,” she said, in a casual, almost bored tone. “You’re not wanted here.”

Cadance noticed Luna wet her lips before she made her reply.

“We come in Harmony,” her aunt began. “Seeking to rescue Trixie Lulamoon from a curse placed upon her by an agent of the Solar Empire. You were deceived, Blue Spy. The Tyrant clouded your vision and made you murder an innocent. And Trixie has to bear that weight. But if we work together–”

“Then what?” said the Spy. “Bring Trixie back into the spotlight, will you? You’re just as much meddlers as the last bitch who came by. Trixie stays where she is. Consider it special treatment that, so far, I’ve only sought to scare you away.”

Something about her choice of words clicked for Cadance.

Apparently, Luna had got the same idea. “I’ve studied cases such as yours before,” she said. “When several personalities inhabit one body, they take turns sharing the light, as they call it. Splits exist to protect the original from problems they can’t deal with.”

“You’d think so,” the Spy said. She smiled, but there was nothing reassuring about her smile.

“But this is more than split personality,” Luna pressed on. “Thanks to having fed from the other Chrysalis’ royal jelly, Miss Lulamoon is like a Changeling Queen without a Hive. Yet even as her mind carves up to fill in the gaps, her powerful ego is what’s kept her the dominant personality all this time. She loves the spotlight. If your purpose is to protect her, to be her Hive, you need only shield her when called for, but the threat’s passed! Trixie can wake up!”

“Ah, but you see…” Again, the Spy smiled mirthlessly. “Trixie is not the soldier. I am. Trixie lets her guard down. She still thinks like a civilian. It’s her fault everything went wrong last time. Therefore this body is now under new management. Military management. For her own good.”

The Spy’s clipped manner of speech eerily reminded Cadance of another mare. Except, who?

Beside her, Chrysalis snorted with laughter.

“Oh, this is too good!” she heckled. “Definitely the product of Colonel Renee’s school of thought, and definitely Trixie at heart! Makes a show of being this big, streetwise expert, then promptly shoves the blame onto others, won’t take any resp–”

Chrysalis got interrupted as a single dagger struck out at her. She barely ducked out of its way, leaving it to embed itself into one of the lockers. And as she raised herself, Cadance read an unmistakable look of fury on her face.

“You dare attack me,” Chrysalis seethed.

The Spy only gave her a flat stare. “I have nothing to say to the fake.”

Chrysalis snarled at the dismissal, and charged forward, green fire dripping from her horn. Yet the Spy faced her down.

“Come, fake! Show me your strength!”

“Chrysalis, don’t!” Luna shouted. “She’s baiting you!”

But this was ignored as Chrysalis launched several balls of magic at the Spy.

“I am no fake! I am your Queen!” Chrysalis roared in frustration as the Spy drifted between the hostile spells, grinning as the tall Changeling rushed her. “You are no more than a memory! One with my people’s magic, given to it by a weakling!”

“Could a memory, a weakling, do this?”

The Spy’s form shifted and vanished from sight, just as Chrysalis was about to strike her.

“Another illusion,” she growled, wreaths of magical green flames sparking around her, forcing Cadance to shield herself from the heat.. “Using the same tricks as in the waking world! But the ‘real’ one can’t be far, and when I get her...”

Luna again tried to rein it in. “Chrysalis, stop! She’s going to use this to her advantage.”

“Shut up, Princess!” Chrysalis snapped, “You know nothing of my magic. This Changeling wannabe is just a memory, a bit of magic given life, she is below me. I am not a fake. I am–”

“Wide open.”

The Spy vaulted, down from a rectangular pendant light, to kick the back of her head. Even Cadance had to wince as Chrysalis was thrown out of her ring of green magical flames. Luna raced over to her, checking on Chrysalis as she groaned in pain.

Frozen in place, Cadance saw the Spy standing in the magic flame-ring, horn glowing, and wings spreading from her back.

“You are a fake,” the Spy proclaimed, her grin widening as she watched Chrysalis getting helped back to her hooves. “The real Chrysalis was a sister. She loved Trixie. Even dying, she taught us what it means to be a spy. What it means to survive in a world that hates us. You are a leech attempting to gain our love for her. A being of stupid plans and even dumber desires.”

“You dare–”

“I do!” the Spy interrupted, head held high while the usurped flames grew in size. “I figured out an ability even you have yet to grasp. Something our Chrysalis praised us for, while you can only lash out,” she mocked. “It angers you that a non-Changeling has pushed your own magic to a limit you never dreamt of. To hide in plain sight. To reveal yourself, and to be forgotten as soon as you change. You’ve seen it in action… and so has my Meister!”

“Bah!” Chrysalis spat. “Pineapple Cutter is better spy than you! At least she actually sneaks around without having to make a show about it!”

Cutter. That was who the Spy’s speaking had reminded Cadance of. She shuddered. But wait. How did Chrysalis know Cut–

“Chrysalis?” Luna asked. “What’s she talking about?”

“Bauer didn’t tell you?” Chrysalis hissed. “With effort, this mare can change forms and, just so long as she’s not in full view, she can somehow befuddle onlookers into momentarily forgetting that she was one person, and now she’s another. It’s a parlor trick, is what it is. Until now, the only use I hear she’d found for it is to stick knives into hapless mare’s wings.”

“What?!” Cadance yelled in shock.

“Ask Rainbow Dash,” Chrysalis said. “This… thing is a menace. Even I am not that sadistic.” She paused. “Well, perhaps in the bedroom, sometimes.”

Chrysalis’ feeble attempt at her usual humor which made Cadance’s skin crawl. As did the manic expression which consumed the Spy’s face, white teeth gleaming behind green flames.

“Seems like the fake is down for the count, Princess Luna,” she cackled. “What about you? You going to try blowing me away, like so many children’s nightmares? Can’t do it, can you? Only works on night-ghasts, not dreams come truuue…” The flames billowed again, and Luna was forced to step back. “I’m everything the Meister could have ever wished for!”

Those words grasped at Cadance’s heart, as she saw Stephan and Trixie in a new light...

“No, you’re not.” Luna gritted her teeth. “I know why we met you here, in this place,” she said, indicating the shattered, deserted school. “This is a place of trauma for Bauer… for Stephan. You were born from trauma, you feed into it. You’re broken, Spy. I can’t banish you, for you are part of Trixie, a waking part, but you are very much akin to a nightmare. For Trixie, and him.”

“Why, don’t you know, Princess,” the Spy laughed. “The broken are more evolved.”

Glowering, Chrysalis raised her gnarly, hole-ridden forehoof. “In which case, I daresay I’m close to the pinnacle of evolution.” Her horn shone anew, challenging the Spy’s own for brightness. “And it’s time I reclaimed my place. The ponies can’t touch you behind those flames, minx, yet I’m not as limi–”

This time, she saw it coming far ahead when the remaining daggers darted towards her. Summoning patches of shield or firing counter-beams in quick succession, Chrysalis managed to deflect all two, three, four daggers before they could even hit her. But the Spy appeared unconcerned by this, and well she might as the attack’s had taken the breath out of Chrysalis, who was simultaneously trying to focus her horn’s energy on dimming the ring of flames.

“Ooh, aren’t I wonderful!” Giggling, the Spy stood on her hindlegs, showily rubbing her face with one forehoof, while the other rubbed her flanks. “The perfect specimen of warrior. I shall figure out a way to breed for Meister!”

“Idiot,” Chrysalis snarled. “The transformation magic effects only your appearance, not your inner organs. I don’t know what sad, hopeless fantasy Miss Lulamoon and the Major have concocted together, but it’s not going to happen!”

“Are you done?” the upright Spy asked carelessly, forehooves on her hips. “My mind, my rules, Queenie. You don’t know all I learnt from my Chrysalis, the real one. She told how Luna and Celestia had her people exiled, how she meant to show Changelings have more than food on their minds, until desperation forced her hoof! You’ve done nothing to live up to her. I have. Face it! With me, you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.”

To everyone’s surprise,, the glow of Chrysalis’ horn died down. Chrysalis had paused, frowning, until one of her strange little smiles lit up her face.

“Well, now you mention it…”

Hissing, she bared her fangs, a trickle of drool dripping from the cavernous roof of her maw.

The Spy blinked at this response, and her face fell. “Oh, fu–”

That which occurred next went by so fast, Princess Cadance was never quite sure afterwards that she’d seen what she thought she saw. A dark, chitinous blur pounced from the spot the Changeling Queen had been standing just a second ago and, crossing straight through the ring of fire, fell upon their assailant like so much greased lightning.

Chomp!

… One moment, the Spy was there; the next, she was not. Neither were the green flames.

Cadance heard Luna’s indignant cry echo in her ears. “Chrysalis!”

Chrysalis glanced at them from over her shoulder, but made no reply, not that she could have, anyway, what with the bulge in her cheeks. There was still a large tuft of blue tail-hair hanging from the corner of her mouth. Smirking, eyes closed and one forehoof cocked, she nonchalantly threw her head back and sucked it down like a string of spaghetti, jaws closing on the last of the blue tuft as it vanished with a wet slurp.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that Cadance gulped at the same time as Chrysalis did.

While the bulge, with no sign of struggle, departed her cheeks to slowly slide down her throat, in the manner of a snake swallowing its prey whole, Chrysalis released a blissful sigh, punctuated by a burp.

“Urp!” she hiccoughed. “‘Scuse me. Just a mo’...”

Heaving, Chrysalis blew her cheeks, and circled around to spit out something black and shiny, which whizzed by the Princesses and flopped onto the tiles in a pile of slobber.

“Ptooi, bleugh,” Chrysalis gagged theatrically, before wiping her tongue as she advanced upon the pile. “Too leathery and tough, that part. All the rest, though…” She licked her lips. “Mmh... Dee~licious. And that’s what Queen Chrysalis does to all the naughty grubs,” she sneered, stomping the shiny black pile flat. “So, tell me, little pony. Who’s the poser now?”

Then, from her left, she spotted the glare Luna was giving her.

“What? Did the trick, didn’t it?” Chrysalis winked, tapping her forehoof to the ground. “Jog on, my dears, we’ve no time to waste. Let’s get going.”

Whereupon, true to her word, the Changeling Queen turned her gaze forward, trotting away, hips swaying, not looking back a second time. The Princesses, on the other hand, remained rooted to the spot. Cadance’s gaze beheld what Chrysalis had regurgitated.

The flattened, tattered remains of a domino mask, empty, drool-covered eyeholes staring up at them in mute accusation.

“Auntie,” Cadance whispered. “Did… did she just…”

Luna sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Yes, Cadance. I’m afraid she did.”

Cadance shuddered. “H-how does that even work? We’re in a dream!”

“Exactly. We are in a dream,” Luna said gloomily. “You forget she’s a Changeling. An emotion-eater. In this place, all around us is nought but the stuff thoughts and feelings are made of… though of course, the nutritious and, dare I say, tastiest parts are those shaped to look like living, breathing creatures.”

“Sweet, sweet Harmony…” Cadance murmured, casting a glance aside. “I really don’t know whether to feel glad she’s on our team, or not.”

“Well, we both know the answer to that,” Luna said. “She’s on no side but her own. It remains to be seen how we deal with it, when the time comes.”

“Hopefully she won’t already have something at the ready for us…”

“Oh, Chrysalis will,” Luna nodded. “She will. But she always makes one fatal mistake. Let us pray this is the factor we can depend upon.”

They walked at a brisk pace, hurrying to rejoin their shifty companion in the window hallway. As it turned out, much to their unspoken consternation, Chrysalis must have picked up one of their assailant’s discarded knives, for she was using it to pick her teeth.

“Why did you do that, Chrysalis?” Luna demanded. “We’re trying to save Miss Lulamoon, help reintegrate her fractured personalities, not add on another layer of trauma with that horrible memory you’ve no doubt given her!”

Shaking her head, Chrysalis let the knife drop with a clatter. “‘Miss Lulamoon’,” she repeated. “Exactly. Not the Blue Spy. Miss Lulamoon. As far as I’m concerned, anything else around here’s fair game. Don’t tell me I can’t grab a snack just because we’re inside a dream.”

Cadance scowled, trying not to stare at the Queen’s rounded belly. “It’ll be on your head if a whole chunk of Trixie’s mind stays lost after this.”

“My dearest Candy, now you’re feigning ignorance to spite me,” Chrysalis tutted. “You are a mage of the mind as well as the heart. This isn’t the first, or even the hundredth time, you’ve visited a dream. You know that, no matter what, we can only change something inside Trixie’s mind once we reach the ‘center’ of the maze. The Spy will respawn.” Her gut growled. “See? Already, I’m starting to feel peckish again.”

She gave a wistful sigh, smacking her lips absentmindedly.

“How much farther from Major Bauer, Aunt Luna?” Cadance asked anxiously. “This place is really getting to me.”

“He ought to not be far,” Luna said. “But Queen Chrysalis is right about one thing. We have only brought ourselves some time. We must press forth before the Spy regenerates.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Agreed,” she said. “Surprise was our ally this round, yet, I doubt she’ll fall for the same move twice.”

“Besides,” Cadance said, her voice suddenly sly, “you wouldn’t want something that’s been eaten once before. You’re not that kind of insect... are you?”

Ten seconds stretched by as Chrysalis worked out what she meant.

“Suppose I am, Your Highness,” Chrysalis said, turning away in affected disgust, “what does that make this precious Love you’re so full of, hm? You know, Luna,” she added, “if you’ve ever wondered how none could tell I’d replaced your niece, look no further. I blame hanging around Blueblood. Bad influence.”

As it happened, this was when their luck changed.

“I found him!”

Luna and Cadance saw that Chrysalis had stopped and was looking out of one of the hallway’s few eye-level windows. The outside world had barely appeared worth a second thought; from what little could be made out, the sky itself seemed on fire.

But as both Princesses rushed to the Queen’s side, they found that all was not as dead out there as they’d assumed.

Running across the playground, oblivious, by the looks of it, to the bombed-out grass field, broken contraptions and silently revolving, deserted merry-go-rounds, there was a young boy wearing grey wizard clothes, complete with tall, pointy hat.

Luna blinked at this, trying to focus on the boy. He looked oddly familiar.

Behind the boy, the silhouette of an older man was in pursuit. This mean wore heavy-plated, black striped armor like that of a Teutonic Knight. What he wore on his own head was a fearsome horned helmet. It reminded her a little of dragons and Changelings.

“Goodness, what a self-image,” Chrysalis commented. “That must be him, or another projection of him.”

“I don’t think it’s a projection,” Cadance said, pointing above the windowsill. “Look.”

They all peered closer. Resting upright against the pane, easy to mistake for some gaudy primary school decoration, was one of the talismans – the plastic flower.

“Going by the sign, that’s him, alright,” Chrysalis said grudgingly. “Good catch, Cadance. But why is he following that boy?”

“I don’t know,” Luna said. “Maybe we’ll find out when we go after them.”

Swiftly, Luna released a flash of magic from her horn, which smashed the window open. Spreading her wings, she jumped out past the broken glass, followed in kind by Cadance and Chrysalis, the latter of whom nicked herself, having forgotten she was no longer that thin.

They glided through the air for a time, going after Bauer and the boy, until both of these elusive humans disappeared under the cover of dense trees. Fortunately, they were going down a forest path.

“We have to land,” Luna said, making her descent.

Trees to the left and right reached the skies, and didn’t allow much sunshine to penetrate. However, at one point, a patch of sunlight caught another grisly find, dead ponies lying along the side of the path. It hurt Luna to the core, to see this and the sadness on her niece’s face, but they had no choice except to keep moving.

Not long past this encounter, they saw light up ahead, as if from a forest clearing. However, this new light blinded them the moment they stepped through, and when their eyes adjusted, they were met by a most curious sight.

A giant circus tent stood in the middle of the clearing, many-colored lamps blinking in synch with the music playing from mounted speakers.

Cadance sounded quite startled. “Why is that here?”

“Maybe another memory? Only one way to find out,” Luna said, essaying confidence.

“Oh, yes,” Chrysalis said sarcastically. “We walk into the circus tent in the middle of nowhere, inside the mind of a veteran soldier who has seen uncountable horrors, and this after we’ve had two close shaves already. What could possibly go wrong?”

“I’m not unfamiliar with night terrors, and do you have a better idea?”

Chrysalis gave Luna a death glare. “Alright, fine. Let’s go.”

Luna took the lead. The three walked towards the tent’s entrance, hearing the music grow louder in volume, but mixed in with it now was applause and laughter. Lifting the flap, she realized the the inside was filled with people, ponies and humans alike, of all ages. And on the center stage were humans performing various tricks.

Big as the crowd was, since Bauer was the only one wearing heavy battle armor, there might be hope of spotting him.

“I think we can split up here,” Luna told the other two. “We should be fine, so long as we stay within each other’s sights.”

“Famous last words,” Chrysalis muttered. “Alright. I’ll take the left side.”

She walked up the aisle between the left row of seats. Cadance didn’t say anything as she moved towards the right. Luna decided to walk along the edge of the stage, keeping an eye out for Bauer. Her attention turned to the onstage announcer, who was busy clamoring in a foreign language. She guessed that it had to be German. Such an odd language, too. Why did its speakers always sound so angry...

The announcer was finishing his speech. Removing his top hat, he grandly gestured to the theatre curtains behind him, which slowly opened to reveal the younger, chubbier Stephan, together with two other kids his age, a boy and a girl; all of them wore makeshift wizard outfits. They gave the audience a bow as their began their show.

Rooted to the spot, Luna watched with fascination. Never, in her life, would she have thought to see the Major do something like this, no matter what age. And Cadance was right. Like this, he was kind of cute as a kid.

“Luna! Chrysalis!”

Luna tore her gaze away and saw Cadance waving a hoof, somewhere further up amongst the audience, who were oblivious to her presence and had eyes only for the show. Nodding, Luna took flight to land at Cadance’s side, at about the same time as Chrysalis.

Princess Cadance then pointed out the man they had been searching for this whole time.

“Huh,” said the sea-green alicorn, relishing the feel of rushing wind in her golden mane as she leant out the compartment window. “A couple of hiccoughs aside, so far, this whole excursion has unfolded rather cozily manner, all things considered. Not that I’m complaining… it’s all been so hectic, such a confusion of truth and lies, lately, I welcome the break.”

She paused to let her own words sink in.

“Haven’t reached the end of the line, though. The Maker Above knows what might happen…”

Outside, the unearthly landscape sped past, a territory still waiting to be claimed and sown.

Major Stephan Bauer was seated alone at the back, his face framed in shadow. He was wearing his armor, but something about his demeanour, perhaps the way he sat bent forward, hands clasped together in his lap, made it so that, for the first time, they knew he looked as he often felt, a young man in a suit too big and heavy for him.

And thus he sat, too focused on the children at play to notice the Royals approaching him.

Princess Luna broke the silence between them. “Major?”

Stephan blinked a few times. Although he did not come out of the shadow, Luna, who was well-versed in the darkness, must have spotted the gleam of a tear in his eye. He blinked once more to push it back.

“I’d almost forgotten about this.”

Luna tilted her head. “What do you mean?” she said softly.

“This was me, back in primary school,” Stephan began to explain, pointing at his younger self. “This circus came to town, and asked us in school if we wanted to be part of the show. We even got to choose what we wanted to be.”

“And you decided to be a magician?”

He nodded. “Yes. I was always fascinated by magic back then. Had spent afternoons watching some famous magicians on television. So I wanted to try it out, see what it was like.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “There, I found out that magic wasn’t a real thing. Nothing but lights and cheap tricks. But all that was forgotten when I saw how happy I made the guests. The spotlights, the music and the applause. They all made me forget that there is more to it than showing people a lie. It helped them forget the hardships of life and made them believe there might be more to our world than we see.”

“That is why you admire Trixie, isn’t it?” Cadance asked kindly.

A honest and warm smile crossed Stephan’s face. “She reminded me of that feeling as she performed in one of the refugee camps. And then she told me to get up on the stage and perform with her. I felt like a kid again.”

The glow was contagious as it spread to Luna and Cadance, even Chrysalis. Luna felt an inkling of true pride in the mare she’d chosen as a Student.

“There it is,” Chrysalis said.

“What do you mean?”

“The reason you love her so much,” Chrysalis explained thoughtfully. “You just didn’t realize until now. Interesting.”

Bauer chuckled. “Maybe. My head was full of other stuff. Like... finding out what happened to my parents.” He pointed at two people on the far side, a man and a woman. “There they are. But I know, those aren’t my real parents… Just a memory.”

Luna placed a wing over Bauer’s shoulder. “I am sure you’ll find them, one way or another. Even if we need to help your every step.”

But even as she comforted him, she tried, futilely, not to think of her sister in the other world.

He nodded in approval. “Thank you. All of you.”

“I’m sorry to take you away, Major,” Luna said softly, pulling back her wing, “but we need you. Trixie needs you.”

He nodded and stood up, pressing his armor. “I understand, Majesty. Trixie needs all of us.”

“Got the talismans?”

“Right here,” Bauer said, patting his jacket pockets.

“Very well.” Luna’s horn started to shine. “I will now synch our minds with Trixie’s. I cannot say what might happen when we enter, so be prepared.”

“Wait!”

Luna halted her magic, staring at Cadance in surprise.

Cadance walked up to Bauer, and spoke with a heavy heart. “Back in the school, I saw... things… memories. Your memories. One of them was so terrible, I’m not going to forget it for a long time. I want to know, how do you cope with it?”

Bauer looked at her, remorsefully, but also feeling a relief on his chest. Still, Cadance stepped backwards as his eyes fixed on hers.

“It’s alright, Cadance,” he assured. “That’s the reaction I most often get when people find out about my past,” he explained, as he had many times before.

Luna then stepped to her niece’s side, giving Cadance the security she needed.

“I understand now,” Luna told him. “What you saw when you were trapped by Sombra’s enchanted door. Why you lashed out at my sister.”

He grimly nodded. “Yes. And, again, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

Something grateful shone in Luna’s eye. She raised her wing in a gesture of respect. “Again, I forgive you,” she said. “What happened has happened.”

And Luna did forgive him. She only hoped that, one day, he’d understand her side of the story.

“Well… as for your question, Cadance,” the human began, speaking slowly and steadily, “I just live on. I can’t turn back time and undo all my mistakes. I try to learn from them, and the fact that I still have friends around me who help me through, gives me more than enough. Even when it becomes really, really difficult to stand up again just to fight another day.” He smiled at her reassuringly. “And as far as I know, you got a wonderful husband and sister-in-law. I think you’re covered.”

Cadance eyed him for a moment before she nodded in what they recognized as… understanding. Simple, unconditional understanding.

“You’re right,” she said. “Thank you for your honesty.”

“Anytime.” Bauer looked to Luna. “I think… I think we can go now.”

Of course, Stephan should have known Chrysalis wouldn’t leave with her piece unsaid.

“Ahh, such a happy scene,” Chrysalis cooed, taking a deep breath. “I can just taste the good vibes radiating off you three… no, really, I literally can. Hey, don’t worry about making me feel left out,” she said sincerely. “When I’m not disguising myself, this is how I like it. Let others do their thing, and I watch.

“Chrysalis,” Stephan said, lifting a finger, “love you and all, but remember, you will play nice. Else I might kick you off the balcony next time you try peeking in on me and Trixie.”

“Not my fault you’re such a shameless pair, the two of you,” Chrysalis grumbled. “Besides, a lady’s got to sate her appetites.”

That was when Stephan took notice of her stomach.

“Not to sound rude, Chrysalis,” he said, curiously. “But you are looking rather... healthy?”

Before Chrysalis could get a word in edgeways, Luna had stepped in between them.

“Which reminds me, Stephan,” Luna said hastily, nearly stumbling over how own words. “We must stick together from now on, as we’ll be leaving our realms completely behind to enter Trixie’s. And I should warn you. I believe we’re not quite alone. Someone else is interested in finding Trixie.”

Stephan’s heart skipped a beat. “Could it be the hooded mare?”

“Most unlikely,” Luna said. “Powerful as she is, she’d know better than try to face two Princesses of Equestria, one on her home turf.”

Cadance coughed. “Auntie, I hate to bring this up but, there is a more pressing danger.”

Luna closed her eyes, yet nodded. “Sadly, that’s true,” she said. “Major Bauer, my fears have been confirmed. We have reason to expect that, the closer we get to Trixie, the Blue Spy will try to ambush us.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Stephan said, rubbing his chin, hoping he did not look as anxious as he felt. “Let’s hope you’re right and that hooded mare’s core directive has indeed worn off, or she’ll be gunning for me just like any of you.”

“Heh, don’t you worry, Major,” Chrysalis giggled, ignoring Luna’s frantic glances. “If worst comes to the worst, I already took care of your girlfriend’s crazed dark side once.”

He felt his palms twitch in surprise. “You’re for real?”

“Oh, yes. Never fear, it was all… quite savory.”

Stephan blinked, processing her words. Then, to the utmost amazement of the mares, he buckled over with laughter.

He realized he must sound like a madman, but he couldn’t stop.

“You’re taking this well,” Cadance commented.

“Not at all,” Stephan managed out through gasping wheezes. “It’s… that’s just… it’s ghastly! Even Kraber wouldn’t think of a thing like that, I swear! And yet it’s too good. Looking back, I ought to have hung around with you more.”

“Oh, how do you mean?” Chrysalis asked, amused.

“Our Chrysalis was quite the troublemaker,” Stephan chuckled, calming down. “But she always meant well, even when the things she did skirted on the edge of good taste.”

“Well, if you can’t laugh, what can you do.”

But Chrysalis’ smile was quickly swiped off her face as, laughter over, he grabbed her horn.

“Seriously, though,” Stephan said in a low voice. “I’ve a good mind to make your head into a nice little paperweight, should you have messed with Trixie’s head, queen or not.”

The Changeling Queen stared him straight in the eyes, and she must have seen something in there which her trip through his memories hadn’t shown her. He was a man who had fought a clone of the Solar Tyrant and won. Sure, he’d had a little help from Luna and Discord, and it was ‘only’ a clone, but it was a feat he’d be forever renowned for, nevertheless.

“You have my word, Stephan Bauer,” Chrysalis said, her buggy eyes boring into his. “I will do nothing to damage your lover’s head. At least, no more than it already is.”

After a thought, Stephan decided he’d be satisfied by this. He released her horn.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said. “That’s one thing accounted for. Luna, what about the... others?”

“Tough to say.” Luna contemplated the crowd around them, always oblivious to their presence. “Yet, while I can’t tell for sure, Major, whoever this is, it doesn’t feel like they mean us ill.”

“They better not,” Stephan said coolly. “Otherwise, even in a dream, they’ll regret it.”

“Major,” Cadance said gently. “Though we bring many of our own nightmares into this world, our dreams are where we make something… out of nothing. Where we find light in darkness, hope in despair, love in adversity. Shall we begin?”

Cadance’s horn sparked upon those words, covering the others in that now-familiar light, and with a flash the circus tent and its crowd had gone. They ended up in total darkness, only the magical light from the three mares’ horns illuminating this place. Chrysalis began to concentrate her magic on Luna, while Luna did the same for Chrysalis. Soon enough, the cross-streams of raw magical energy were touching and flowing into one another.

A door opened from nowhere, and all four of them got sucked in. Stephan closed his eyes.

While this window of opportunity was open, the golden-maned alicorn had only one shot.

“Deliver the message...” she repeated, focusing, her horn aglow. “Make them see…”

The stream of intent unravelled from her horn, and swept into the distance.

… Far, far ahead, there came a terrible great burst of light, which shook the earth.

Staring out from her compartment window, the alicorn, surprised, felt the first inklings of the shockwave pass through her mane, inches before the true blast was to arrive.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she barely had time to mutter. “This wasn’t part of the deal!”

Raising her wings, again summoning her newfound horn’s power, she pulled her head inside and raced out into the wagon’s hallway, focusing all her will to keep the shudders coursing through the walls and floor as nothing but that, shudders. If the train derailed, they’d have come so close, and yet so far.

“Ungh, could do with a little... help here...” the alicorn grunted, feeling the pressure mount around her as unconscious, blind forces, unleashed through no malice of her quarries, but capable of sending her flying the way she’d came, sought to demolish her means of transport. “You got my back, I have yours... c’mon, now, don’t let me down, Nepenthe!”

And Then It Was...

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 1: 'In Purgatory's Shadow'

In The Pale Moonlight – Part One

‘In Purgatory's Shadow’

Authors:

Redskin122004

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Jed R

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

DoctorFluffy

Dustchu

Dances With Unicorns

One by one their seats were emptied.

One by one they went away.

Now the family is parted.

Will it be complete one day?

– ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’, by Ada R. Habershon

“I've been a fool. Let this be a lesson to you, doctor – perhaps the most valuable one I can ever teach you. Sentiment is the greatest weakness of all.”

“If that's true, it's a lesson I'd rather not learn.”

– Elim Garak and Julian Bashir, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘In Purgatory’s Shadow’

THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Dear Cheerilee,

God, that sounds stupid. “Dear Cheerilee”. Makes me sound like I don't fucking know you. Truth is, I’ve been thinking over the last couple of days that maybe you don't know me. If you did, how could you stand to be around me? How could you

I’ll start over.

You’ll have seen the classified report of what happened by now. All dry facts and bullshit. The sort of thing I used to think my superiors pulled out of their asses to cover their shit, instead of owning up to their mistakes. The kind of thing that got me assigned as an embassy guard in the first place.

Maybe I judged them wrong. I've pulled a lot of shit out of my ass over the last couple of days. Now, I… I don’t know if I respect them now. Understand them, maybe... I… I need to get this off my chest. I need to talk about it, not like Colonel Renee of the PHL, but like Marcus, the man from Kentucky. And the only person I can do this with is you.

You know, by now, that events in Ponyville have created a potential PR meltdown in the works. It was… scary. Sunny Equestria felt like a miracle, a whole world of helpfuls, ready to back us up against the Solar Empire. I’ve heard it called a deus-ex-machina, and now, all I can see after hearing the news is all of it crashing down around our heads, back to square one – having nothing.

In Lyra’s absence, the worst thing I’ve had to relearn from this war, one war where we thought right and wrong were clear-cut, no lingering qualms about American imperialism or any of that shit, is that sometimes, there are no good choices. Sometimes, there are only bad choices and their outcomes, the worst and the least awful. Back in New Hampshire, Lieutenant Ze’ev told me she understands that. She hates herself for it, but she understands. Or so she says. Frankly, I’m not sure how far I’d trust the opinion of anyone who’d shack up with Viktor Kraber.

But I trust you.

Cher, I made a bad choice, even if it was for the right reasons. Because I don’t have whatever Lyra had, whatever would let her make the good choice.

God help me.

Leaves blew in the wind, catching the faintest, most fragile specks of starlight past the canopy, as the Everfree’s restless activity continued well into the night at its darkest. In this lonely, distinct corner of the Forest, a very old being slumbered, right as it always had for millennia. Time and time again over its long life, it had refused to yield to any outside force.

The Tree of Harmony, as it was called, stood silent in its grove, a cavern lit by the various stalactites and stalagmites that dotted the walls and the ground.

It would not sleep for long.

The ancient tree began to pulse, residue of the day’s events reaching out through all corners of the Forest, reuniting the Elements with its once-host for a brief yet pivotal moment, when a certain orange earth pony had shattered a terracotta abomination into fine dust.

When morning came, the first PHL researchers to arrive would scramble to decipher its meanings, what it meant when it awoke for the first time in centuries.

They would not have their answers.

Not yet, at least.

Night-time in Equestria was unlike anything on Earth. See how the stars twinkled throughout the purple-blue sky, subtle differences of shade turning it into a pristine tapestry of colour.

‘It was meant to be cloudy. Huh. Celestia must have put in a request for clear skies.’

If only everything else could be so clear. Marcus sighed as he turned back to his desk. By rights he ought to be sleeping, the last day’s events had certainly been exhausting enough, but much as he wished otherwise, there was a war on. Not to mention something called “ascension nights”. From what he understood, those who received the blessing of ascension tended to need less sleep than regular mortals. In fact, he’d been stunned to learn they had a name for it, and Tia, his own personal Celestia, had explained it would take some time for him to adjust into a decent rhythm.

It helped either way, allowing him to work without worrying about passing out at his desk and keeping the nightmares that plagued him at bay, even without Luna.

Still, it had been far too many long since he’d seen anything resembling sleep, and it was due any day now. He figured it wouldn't help to pass out during briefings or walking, so it was best to get work out of the way now. Especially at this moment of time. His attention was torn. He had received intelligence reports from Earth in the latest mail-packet, and it contained some rather disturbing reports. Military buildup in Imperial territory, according to their agents, was increasing rapidly. Their own buildup was going well, but…

Marcus shook his head. He tried focusing on the numbers and other details, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the PR nightmare facing them.

‘And not a single thing which can be blown away by Luna, either, he thought sourly. ‘The problem is, all this political shit is just that... shit.’

“True,” the familiar voice of Tia whispered in his mind, sounding vaguely amused. “But unfortunately, you're left with little choice but to deal with it.”

“Please,” he said aloud, “don't remind me how inevitable it is. If I could palm this shit off on some flunkie, I would.”

There was a pause. “Can't you?”

Marcus frowned. ‘Can’t I what?’

“‘Palm this off on a flunkie’, or at least get one sent to assist you,” Tia clarified. “The PHL and UN have experts, don't they?”

‘They do, but...’

“No ‘buts’,” Tia whispered in his mind. “You need help. So ask for it.”

He tried to think of a decent rejoinder, but he could find none. After a moment, he sighed.

“Fine,” he said, sitting down at his desk. “‘Help’. I can do that.”

Didn’t get any sleep overnight. I felt some kind of foreboding, and as it happens, I was right. The morning brought with it the first inkling of just how bad this political fallout could become…

It was a bad time for all of this mess to be happening. We’d been here for over two months now, working our asses off to make the best of this Alliance, and before the shit hit the fan I dare say we’d been doing well. Better than I had any right to expect a year ago.

As misfortune seldom comes alone, it’s around the time this business went down that I received those intel reports you sent on to me. And to think, here I was, thinking the worst to expect for Bauer would be breaking the news to him on his return from vacation.

The Solar Empire, assembling an army. Not an expeditionary force. Not a probing assault. A full-blown invasion force, the likes of which, I can tell you, haven’t been seen on Earth’s soil since WWII, if not earlier.

I won’t lie; this is the worst moment for our Alliance to be at risk. By the end of this letter you’ll know how we delayed at least some of that risk. And I’m sorry for that.

DAY ONE. MORNING.

Nurse Redheart pulled the curtains open, just a crack, to let dawnlight enter the room.

Grown dragon though he might be, recovering slowly from his ordeal, Spike was still in such a vulnerable state. Even after two months in her care, he could barely stand sunshine, and for more reasons than having been locked away in darkness for so long.

“Good morning, Spike,” Redheart warmly greeted the massive figure curled up on the king-sized bed.

Like every morning, she tried to inject some cheer into her words. After all, here they were. Perhaps there wasn’t as much time to savor it as one would like, yet though the initial shock of the miracle had worn off, the mere existence of this place gave her worn-down heart a flutter every time she awoke.

Or perhaps that was just caffeine withdrawal. In any case, the drake merely let out a noncommittal grunt and rolled over on his side, facing away from the sunshine. Redheart bit back a groan.

“And how are we doing today, young fellow?” she asked, still aiming for good cheer. “What are your thoughts on Vera’s loving care?”

She deliberately left the word ‘tender’ out of that phrase. Having seen him flayed, Redheart never wanted to hear it used in conjunction with skin, ever again. Besides, she didn’t know what memories it would trigger.

“It’s… loving,” Spike replied indistinctly, “Yeah, real loving.”

He pushed his face further down into the mound of pillowcases.

Redheart took a cautious step towards him. “Listen, Spike. I’ve got promising news. In another two months or so, both your wings should be fully healed. Doesn’t that sound nice? You’ll get to fly.”

“Never flown before…” he muttered.

“Well, um, there are other dragons here. One of them, a really big fellow, looks a lot like you. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was related to you,” she chuckled. “Ah, I’m pretty sure you’ll find someone willing to teach you. Yeah, I know, dragons can be a, uh, pushy lot, but in these strange times–”

“Don’t know any dragons,” Spike said flatly. “All dead. Never got to fly. Spent too much time in that hole.”

Redheart chewed her lip. “Please,” she begged. “Don’t talk like th– I mean, please don’t talk in monosyllables that way. You’ve been making progress, you really have. You can’t let yourself slide like this.”

“Slide?” Finally, he turned to face her. There was no gleam in his remaining eye. “Redheart, I never got out. I’m still down there.”

His nurse adamantly shook her head. “No. It’ll feel like that, yes, I can’t pretend it won’t, sweetie. You’ll feel that way for a long time. But I promise you, you’re safe. We won’t let it ever happen again.”

The two of them remained silent for a while, not a word passing between them. Yet at last, Redheart dared speak again.

“Spike,” she said, “Someone’s here to see you.”

He moaned. “I don’t want to see anyone.”

“I know, but…” Redheart took a deep breath. “Lad, to get out of that awful pit, first you need to work up the courage to leave this room. It’ll be hard. It won’t feel good, at first. But it’s been two months. You are healing, and if you hope to fly, you must relearn how to walk, for starters. Now, I won’t ask you to go outside if you don’t want to. Still too early. But it’s vital you start letting people in again.”

“Oh, just leave me alone,” Spike grumbled, turning over once more.

“Please, Spike. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“I don’t want anything to do with Twilight,” the young-grown dragon hissed. “Or Rarity, or the rest of them.”

“It’s someone else.”

Spike raised his head. “Who?”

Redheart allowed herself a smile. “Let me show you,” she said, backing up to open the door, careful not to let in too much sunshine.

A mare entered, moving at a steady pace, as she delicately carried two steaming mugs within her telekinesis. She also wore a saddlebag over her shoulder.

In the dim half-light of the room, the newcomer looked a pallid grey, not unlike Redheart, though her coat was of a finer sheen. Her mane was a dual shade of red-and-purple, or, to use the fancy term, amaranth and heliotrope – not that she’d ever insisted on using those, Spike suddenly recalled as the memories came flooding back to him. It was something her friends had dreamt up, and the words just kind of stuck. And that beautiful mane, which once had been long and flowing, was now cut a severe military length.

“Thank you, Redheart,” said the mare. “By the way,” she added, magically passing one mugs to the tired-looking nurse. “I stopped to pick up some mocha from the canteen on my way here. It occurred to me that you may like some too. This is your favourite kind, am I correct?”

“Yes,” Redheart smiled wearily. “Thanks for that. I’ll leave you both now, but I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

With the precious mug balanced in one hoof, she exited the room at a brisk trot, purposefully leaving the door ajar.

Spike watched without a murmur as the newcomer paused to carefully lay her own mug on the bedside table, simultaneously pulling up a chair for her to rest on. Seated, the mare kept a respectful distance from him, allowing him time to get his bearing. For some reason, Spike felt very small all of a sudden, even though he towered over his visitor. Perhaps if he said something, this would feel more right, more real.

“M-m… Moondancer?”

“Hey there, Scales,” she said gently. “My, haven’t you grown.”

On her flank, he saw the familiar sight of a crescent moon and five red stars. An image which, for a while, had been supplanted by three blue diamonds in his mind, before that too got buried in his mind, buried as deeply as possible, though he could never bury it any deeper than he himself had been…

“I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Moondancer gave him a sad smile. “There are times we think we’ll never see someone again, Scales. You and Twilight left in such a hurry that day, without even leaving a note behind… After Nightmare Moon showed up, I wondered what’d happened to the pair of you. It would be just like Twilight Sparkle, to go and fight ancient evil on her teacher’s behalf, all on her lonesome, but surely, I told myself, she wouldn’t drag you, a child, into such peril! Oh, Spike, I  thought it was the end for all of us. And poor Twilight… I swear, no dawn was so sweet as the morning of Luna’s return.”

Spike shifted to face her better, blinking back tears. “Moondancer… wait, which one are you? What are you doing here?”

The small mare pointed at her saddlebag, which lay slung over the back of the chair. It was embroidered with the Royal Canterlot Seal.

“This world's Moondancer. I’ve yet to meet my equivalent, whom, I'm told, is busy with an ecumenical conference... funny to think my strange little schoolmate would move so far up in another world, practically worshipped by some...”

“Who’s the conference… oh,” Spike smacked his lips. “You knew Lyra Heartstrings?”

“How can one go to Celestia’s School and not know Lyra Heartstrings?” she replied ruefully. “I did, Spike. And let it be told, Lyra was the best friend a pony could have. Oh, what stories I could tell you! Once, I went to drag her out of bed – a little like what I’m doing to you now, only all the more awkward as she wasn’t alone in there, may I add – to tell her it was nine o’clock, with half an hour to go before an important test, and she thanked me for taking care that she hadn’t overslept. Completely unperturbed, as if there wasn’t a stallion in the bed. It was old Professor Shriek, even! It was like… like she was above it all.”

An odd buzz made its way along Spike’s stomach. At first, he thought it might be vermin crawling in the bedsheets, and prepared to reel away in disgust. Yet when his lips began to twitch, ever so slightly, he realised what it was. He was smiling. Faintly and crookedly, it was true, and the laugh which so obviously wanted to escape him didn’t have the strength to, not yet. Still, the single ray of sunlight in the room suddenly seemed less of a hateful thing.

It did not last. The ghost of a laugh died in his belly, replaced by the usual gaping void he felt nowadays. But for one, tiny instant it had been real.

“Overslept,” he said glumly. “Dunno if I’ll ever sleep again. Not properly. I just lie here, can’t tell if it’s day or night half the time. Ponies come and wash me down, but afterwards I can always feel… the dirt… cold metal… my own dried blood and shit… If Redheart didn’t come in every morning and tell me what day it was, I could spend years in here without a clue…”

Moondancer cocked an eyebrow. “Nonetheless, it seems you’re more aware of your surroundings than you think. You’ve picked up human expletives very quickly.”

Spike grimaced sheepishly. “Sorry, Moondancer, I know it ain’t good manners, that I’m horrible to look at, and you a proper lady…”

Awkwardly, the small mare began to raise a hoof toward his shoulder, then thought better of it.

“Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up for that, Spike. From what I hear, there are people fighting this war with far, far greater regrets...” She paused thoughtfully, moving her hoof away to pick the mug and take a sip. “But… you followed your heart, and even in this country, few can truthfully claim...”

A bitter, mirthless chuckle escaped Spike’s throat. “If only you knew.”

“No,” she sighed. “Guess I probably never will. Everyone's got to bear their own X-marks-the-spot... that’s how the human saying goes, I think? Yet given the chance, maybe people can let past wounds reshape them, so they may stand strong and proud...”

“Strong and proud? What good is that?” growled the dragon. “Rarity… the real Rarity, when I last saw her, she stood tall, on that boat, promising me they’d never change her like they did Twilight, Applejack, Dash, or Fluttershy!”

“And Pinkie Pie?” Moondancer asked, part afraid of what Spike would say next, part curious.

“Pinkie is…. was...” Spike stuttered, rage subsiding in favour of confusion. “Pinkie. Whatever happened to her, it didn’t take at first. So it had to happen to her more than once. Trixie told me when I was in the hospital that… she found a letter. Pinkie mouthwrote it like a typewriter, but somehow she managed to write ‘RUN AWAY!’ all over it in pink crayon. Poor Maud...”

“Maud?”

“Pinkie’s sister,” Spike explained. “One of them, anyway. Ask… ask someone else about it, nobody’s really sure what to make of her by now. Anyway, when they had Rarity in hoofcuffs, horn in a ring, she screamed they’d never change her! Till they gagged her, anyway. Except they did, Dancer, they did!”

Spike sighed. “They got her. My whole family, taken away from me and turned by that… that fiend… Never thought I’d see the day I’d be glad for Trixie to pick me up...”

That gave Moondancer some pause.

“Yes, I assume we’re talking about the same Trixie you once called a ‘braggart who’d never give a guy a number twenty-five’.” She blushed slightly. “I’ll admit, I’m glad you explained about the moustache spell in your next letter. Anyway, brought you something. Perhaps it’ll help you sleep. I know you’ve technically, um, outgrown such stuff. But there’s no shame at all in seeking out the comfort of softer, less cruel times.”

“Maybe…”

The two of them were silent for a moment before Moondancer then stood up on her hindlegs and softly clapped her hooves together, a small ‘ah’ exiting her lips. She quickly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small box. She handed it over to Spike. “Come on,” she gently urged him. “Open it. I think you might like it.”

He didn’t seem that enthused, but took it anyway, knowing it would be pretty rude of him not to accept it. He opened it and raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “A teddy bear? Don’t you think I’m a bit old for one?”

“Not just any teddy bear,” Moondancer pointed out. “It’s… well, it’s the same one you were going to give me that day. I saw that it was damaged and decided to patch it back up.”

“Moondancer…”

“Yes, Scales?”

“Do you think… there’s still good left in them? Twilight, Rarity, Celestia, any of them?”

She peered out the window, past the parting in the curtains, the thin beam of sunshine creating a sharp yellow line across her eye. “What can I say to that, Spike? People do bad things, and they do good things, but I... don’t think people are either good or bad. They’re like, how to put it… like a chef’s salad, with different ingredients chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict.”

“Funny, when you put it that way, it makes me kinda hungry.”

“Oh, that's right. I’d forgotten you could cook.”

Seemingly, out from nowhere a solemn look came upon his face.

“Twilight... she… she… used to make me pancakes for breakfast,” he spoke in a low voice, looking down at his claws.

Spike lifted his head to look at the mare before him, staring deeply into her eyes.

“I never thought I would have fantasies about killing my friends,” Spike said, not sighing, not blunt, not unkind. If ‘blankness’ was an emotion, he could truly be said to be expressing it.

Moondancer opened her mouth in reply, caught aback by that sentence, before he continued.

“Yes, I know the Queen has twisted their minds, but I still imagined myself breaking free from my restraints and tearing them to pieces. It’s not how we were, but how we should’ve been.”

“Spike, you’ve nothing to be ashamed of. If anything…”

“I was ready to kill my friends in this Equestria. Just because they wore the faces of my own.”

“Do you want me to…”

“No!” he stomped his foot. “Not yet. On my own time.”

Moondancer nodded wordlessly in answer, before turning around and walking out the door, closing it gently with a flick of her magic.

“I’m off to get some spare sheets for him,” Redheart told her. “How about you?”

Moondancer looked at the nurse dully. “Well, I am expected back at the barracks’ lab, where I know someone else who’ll be praying a safe meeting for Ana with the Commander. Miss Sparkler says she’s worked out how to extract the right substance from the crystals. She’s been as giddy as a schoolgirl, even without taking the stuff, now she’s got a large supply to work with again. It’s lovely to see, but it’s made her demand more from my field of expertise.”

Redheart pulled a face. “Ugh… Honestly, I don’t care what the higher-ups might say about Doctor Salonen’s ‘psychoactive boosters’ and all the rest of it, that is still foul stuff and it’ll end up messing with your heads.”

“As if they weren’t messed up with enough already, do you mean?”

“Take my professional advice, and stick to opium, little lady.”

“Did you know, he was like an adopted son to her,” Moondancer commented as they walked. “Those scrolls which Twilight Sparkle used to write all the time? Princess Celestia had them custom-made, just for him, sent with his flame. That is, before he turned his fire against her.”

Redheart stared dimly at the wall. “How could anyone do what she did to him? But especially to their own… family. I mean, he… Him. Her boy.”

“Princess Celestia’s never had the easiest of histories with family,” Moondancer said simply. “We all know that.”

“Yes, but still…” Redheart breathed a deep sigh. “My father, he’s all I’ve got left now, Miss Dancer. And he’s loyal to the Tyrant. Still, he’s my father. As a medic, I may be sworn to protect life, yet circumstances have forced my... my hand, many times. And still, still, I don’t know if I could do it, not if it was my own father…”

Moondancer walked alongside her in stony silence, a shadow cast across her brow.

The former Prince Blueblood sighed as he packed the last of his gear away, ready to begin his new life and serve Equestria in the war to come.

‘How grandiose that sounds,’ he thought, a wry smile making its way unconsciously onto his face. ‘Let’s be honest with ourselves, Bluey. We’re scared witless.’

He shook his head. Scared or not, this was an important cause. If all went well, he would have helped save not only his beloved homeland, but another world as well. A slight frown passed over his features.

‘I suppose…’ he thought, ‘that it would be worth it if… if…’

“Blueblood?” a quiet, familiar voice spoke from behind him. He turned at once, eyes wide, as he saw his aunt, Princess Celestia, standing in the doorway of his chambers, a small, sad smile on her face.

“Auntie!” he said quietly. “I wasn’t–”

“Please, Blueblood,” she cut him off, still smiling. “Relax. I came here to say goodbye for now.”

He nodded once. “Yes, I… I suppose I won’t get much chance to see you, after this.”

“I suspect not,” she said, her smile fading. “Blueblood… I wanted to say good luck.”

“Thank you,” he said gratefully, inclining his head. “I suspect it will be fine... ideally they’ll use me as a navigation officer, which should keep me from being–”

“Blueblood,” she said again. “Please, let us be honest with one another, here and now.” She paused. “You may not return.”

He sobered. “No, no, I may not. But…”

“But?” she prompted.

“Well, it wouldn’t be all that much of a loss, would it?” he said with a shrug. “I don’t suppose there are many, pony or otherwise, who’d mourn for me.”

Celestia shook her head, a frown settling onto her face. “I won’t hear you speak like that, Blueblood. I simply won’t.”

“It’s the truth,” he said, trying not to sound bitter. “I–”

“No,” she cut him off. “You listen to me. I have known you for a very long time. Certainly, you have been a… less than stellar individual in the years I’ve known you, but so many have refused to give you a chance, so many ponies have looked at your exterior and refused to see what I, too, failed to see until now. That you were more kind, and more scared, and more damaged than they could ever have imagined.” She snorted. “It’s strange, so many see us ponies as the epitome of harmony, and yet we are so quick to judge, to condemn, to dismiss, and abandon. Even the greatest of us.”

“Auntie…” Blueblood said quietly.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I have been harsh to myself over these last few months. No doubt, this has been a trying time. But I do know that I was doubly so to you. I failed you, Blueblood. I don’t wish to fail you again.”

“You never failed me, Auntie,” he said softly. “And I can’t blame you if you did. I became what my father wanted, even though I didn’t want to.”

“Perhaps you did,” Celestia agreed. “but you also did something your father never did.”

Blueblood frowned quizzically. “What?”

“You became better,” Celestia said. Suddenly, she straightened, and her tone became more serious. “I have a special executive order for you, Blueblood, from both myself, and Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance.”

Blueblood straightened reflexively as well. “Anything, Your Highness.”

“Come back alive,” she said simply.

Blueblood blinked, his eyes watering slightly. “I…”

“Come back alive, and whole, and with all the joy I know you still have,” she continued. “Come back to your family, be a part of our family again. If you do that, all will be forgiven… just please. Do not die. We will lose much, and I will give all I can… but I cannot bear to lose you, not now that you have returned. I can only wish you good luck, my dear nephew.”

Blueblood paused, before nodding once, not trusting himself to speak. Celestia reached over and hugged him, closing her eyes, and for a moment, they were not Princess and soldier - they were Aunt and Nephew. They may as well have been mother and son.

For a moment.

“No! No, this… this wasn’t supposed to happen!”

Catseye heaved and bellowed, but the newspaper headlines remained unchanged. There they were standing stark, the black, all-capital words of the morning paper, a dreaded phrase etched into her mind.

PONYVILLE IN THE GRIP OF FEAR – AGAIN!

There were no details, though. Nothing said of Short Fuse, nor of the captured human, nothing. No doubt, the PHL’s grip on the press had only tightened with each passing day.

“Look at this… look at this!” Catseye snapped, pointing to the accursed article, yet keeping an eye on the only other person in the room with her, who was busily scrutinizing the pages without giving away emotion. “Maybe they’ve shoved it down on the bottom-right corner of the third page, but it’s clear as rain. One of our own is dead. How could we let this happen?”

And still that damned Royal Guardsmare looked unfazed.

“Constants and variables, Doctor,” Exit Strategy said, her tone even and calm. “We knew the risk going in that something like this might happen, and... Fuse triggered it in the end. Should have seen it coming, honestly. But, well, strange times make for strange bedfellows, and we’d figured when the law can no longer protect you, you turn to those outside the law. I don’t like it either, but there you have it.”

“Unbelievable. Unbeli... I knew this would happen, knew this would happen and… and... I called her! I called her and this whole mess unfurled.”

The unicorn massaged her temples, setting aside her glasses.

"... Where is she now, soldier? Where is Weaver?”

“Gone, without a trace.”

Both Catseye and Strategy turned to face the newcomer. Catseye’s felt her breath catch. It was Icewind. The handsome stallion stepped in, and hung his coat.

“Just got off the night train from Canterlot. Sorry, the door was open and... I took the liberty of stepping in right here, right now.”

“Thank Celestia you’re here, Icewind.” Catseye said with relief, while Strategy and the Sergeant exchanged respectful nods. “How did your conversation with this… Miss Chamomile, go? You did tell me her father’s still got quite the influence in the Guard?”

“Sympathetic, as ever, but she won’t sway her father to our cause. Neither would she sway Winter... even if I did plant the seed of worry in her over his possible… passing. It’s a shame, he knows the human war strategies and tactics well.”

He shook his head.

“Enough of my own worries. What happened, Ma'am?”

Catseye froze, hesitant to say more of that quaint, accursed, disaster-prone, little town. But Strategy came to her rescue, speaking on her behalf.

“We’ve lost one of our own,” Strategy said simply.

The Corporal threw the newspaper over to Icewind, who caught it in his mouth.

At the sight of this, a little something tore up within Catseye. A simple, ordinary gesture on the handsome’s stallion’s part. It had to do with being a unicorn, yes, a unicorn, no matter what the world may say, and how one grew more accustomed to using one’s TK. Sometimes, seeing how a pony from either other tribe got around their limits for basic everyday tasks in what, to a unicorn, was a childlike fashion, felt just so endearing.

Why, oh why, did Icewind have to act cute now, of all times?

Not that the effect lasted once he started reading. His brow fell as he skimmed the article.

“Alright,” Icewind began, clearing his throat. “Gather the others; we need to prepare for our strike. Sooner, rather than later.”

“Wait, but–”

“Now’s not the moment for ‘but’, Miss Cat,” Icewind continued firmly. “We… we need to act quick. Corporal!” he snapped, and Strategy stood to attention. “It’s more urgent than ever that you sway Lieutenant Winter Truce, and as many Guards as you can from the city, to our cause. This event will have created more doubters we can call up. Make sure you start from the lower end first, climbing slowly towards the officers, are we clear?”

“With due respect, sir,” Strategy interjected. “It would be much more effective if I rally others, and not Lieutenant Truce. Would it not be better for you to personally recruit Lieutenant Truce? You and he are friends, aren’t you?”

Much to Catseye’s worry, a shadow of doubt passed over Icewind’s face, as he looked over Strategy with those steely eyes of his.

“Were you there, Corporal?” Icewind said slowly. “Were you there, when the roaches stormed Canterlot? Seen them fight, with murderous intent?”

“No, sir. I’m afraid I joined after the… occasion.”

“Then you know nothing, Strategy,” Icewind replied, with a cool that’d make his name proud. “You don’t know how it felt like to be pursued by one of those… things. And the Queen… she’s the worst of them. And this friend of mine... his unit, all of it, is crawling with those leeches.” His teeth clicked. “Find Winter, Corporal. Bring him on our side. Make sure he goes willingly.”

“Why him, though?” Catseye inquired curiously. “Why not someone else? You could try for Green Fields, again, or maybe Lucky Card? You said she was alright by her friends, starting low and all. And that she might have second thoughts about fighting fellow Equestrians.”

Despite the tension rolling off him, Icewind took the time to catch his breath.

“May I have a seat, please, Miss Catseye?” he asked her. She nodded, and so he pulled up a nearby armchair to face her across the desk. “Winter Truce is… not a people person, not like Card. But he fancies himself a fine tactician, a skill we could really do with, now our numbers are cut down by a third, and we haven’t even finished planning what to do at the factories. And...” He shrugged, wings and shoulders sagging. “Well, he’s just Winter...”

“Very well, Sergeant,” Strategy said. “In the evening, I will return to my unit to begin preparations. I will not fail you.”

“You won’t,” Icewind agreed. “Good luck, Corporal.”

With a respectful salute, Strategy exited the room, and closed the door behind her. But Catseye, looking at Icewind, had more pressing concerns on her mind. For the first time since they’d met, his bearing, of habit lively and upbeat, seemed forlorn, distant. Tentatively, she approached the troubled-looking stallion.

“Sergeant?” she asked, wincing at the sound of her own voice. “Something troubling you?”

He looked over to Catseye, and gave a weak smile.

“Just… well,” he slowly said. “With everything so unclear now, I can’t say for sure…”

The newspaper landed on the desk gently enough that Marcus didn’t notice it at first. He looked up from his paperwork and stared at the paper, in the grip of a soft yellow TK field, as though it was mold, before looking up at the one holding it. Princess Celestia.

“Have you seen this?” she asked quietly.

Marcus sighed and looked down at the paper, reading the headline printed in bold.

PONYVILLE IN THE GRIP OF FEAR – AGAIN!

“Great,” he muttered. “Kind of surprised it didn’t take the entire page.”

“I’ve read the story,” Celestia said. “For now, we’ve prevented the details from leaking out at by claiming that we will be releasing the full story shortly. That usually works to prevent the more inquisitive of my subjects from trying to piece things together.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“I’ve been the trusted monarch for centuries,” Celestia said in a matter-of-fact tone. “One advantage of it is that when you say ‘things will be fine’, they usually believe you.” She sighed. “It still leaves us with the problem of precisely how to break the details.”

“Yeah,” Marcus said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Hoo boy, this is gonna be fun. Except it isn’t, and I would literally rather be shooting something.”

“I understand your sentiment, though personally, I’d prefer to be out on a balcony drinking tea and enjoying a cake,” Celestia said with a wry, mirthless smile. “But as they say, here we are.”

“Yes, here we are,” Marcus sighed. He checked his desk calendar. “This isn’t something we can decide on a whim. If we handle this the wrong way, the entire Alliance could fizzle out. Ponies could start questioning why they’re exposing themselves to these risks, what the gain is for them. The Exhibition went a long way to showing the stakes, but…”

“Even the most vivid pictures pale next to blood at your doorstep,” Celestia said softly. “Yes, it is a worry. And you are right, we cannot decide this lightly.”

Marcus sighed. “We need to talk this shit out. I’ve got an opening tomorrow, midday until sixteen-hundred. Was going to use it for training times, but this takes priority. We need to get our top brass together, figure out a plan of action.”

Celestia nodded. “A sound plan. Myself and Luna will be available, and I can ask Fancy.”

“Stephan should be ready as well,” Marcus said softly, “assuming we can tear him away from Trixie for any length of time.”

“We would effectively be discussing her fate as well,” Celestia pointed out. “I suspect you will have a hard time keeping him from this meeting, rather than the opposite.”

Marcus chuckled hollowly. “Yeah.” His smile faded. “Shit. Shit. I hate this. I hate this political bullshit. This is exactly the sort of shit I promised myself I’d keep the hell out of.”

“War asks more of us than the physical risks,” Celestia said sagely. “It asks for moral compromises, as well.”

“I know,” Marcus sighed. “Just wish it wasn’t like this.”

“I understand,” Celestia said. She paused. “Marcus… when was the last time you spoke with Cheerilee?”

“Cheerilee?” Marcus repeated, frowning. “I… I send mission reports, but...”

“I don’t mean professionally,” Celestia said. “I mean personally. When was the last time you sent her a message?”

Marcus sighed. “With the excitement of the last few days… ah, shit, I don’t remember. I guess it slipped.” He grinned ruefully. “Besides, it’s not even been a week for her yet.”

“That isn’t the point,” Celestia said softly. “The point is, you are under a lot of duress, and you cannot always deal with it alone. Nor should you.”

Marcus whistled in amusement. “Are you mothering me?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I am over two thousand years old. Believe it or not, I’ve learned a few things.” She sniffed. “And yes. I am mothering you. Deal with it, Colonel.”

Marcus shook his head, still grinning. Between the two of them, Tia in his mind and Celestia in front of him, he was being mothered more than he’d known in a good decade.

“Whatever you say, Ma'am,” he said. He sobered. “I guess I’d better start contacting people for that meeting.”

“Indeed,” Celestia said softly. She turned to go, before looking over her shoulder. “Queen Chrysalis will need to be there, you do realise this.”

“I do,” Marcus said, tight-lipped. “Problem?”

“More like a concern,” Celestia replied. “Today, she is our ally. It is convenient for her, and better than the alternative.”

“But?” Marcus asked.

“But,” she sighed, “what is convenient and helpful to Chrysalis today will not be tomorrow. If she ever sees a need to use this against us for her own convenience, she will.”

Marcus nodded slowly. “We’ll deal with that in the meeting. Here’s hoping she remains reasonable.”

Celestia nodded once. “I will defer to you in this regard. Until tomorrow, Colonel Renee.”

She exited the room, and Marcus let out a breath, before grabbing his iPad and drawing up a list of people to bring to the meeting.

“That political analyst you’re going to request should be there,” Tia suggested.

He nodded absently in agreement, before frowning.

“You still haven't finished the message.”

He sighed. “Fine, Mom.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

The chapel was, unsurprisingly, empty at this early time of the day.

Ana had assured the pastor of her intent to sit quietly in the makeshift place. The fact he recognised her as one of his few regulars when had helped tremendously. But the look which he had given her when he found her sprawled at the foot of Christ, fallen asleep from the previous day and night’s exhaustion, haunted the back of her mind. What small comfort she’d found under the watchful eye of God couldn’t make up for a simple fact – there was no-one whom she could tell about why she was here. Not even a man of the cloth.

Absent-mindedly, she fiddled her little crucifix, pondering what a certain military Englishman might have to say about keeping secrets. She chuckled at the thought, even as the reality of her situation continued to sink in. She was on leave. Essentially, forced leave. They all were. Thanks to the events of the last two days, events she had taken part in, the PHL was now facing PR fallout that could destroy it.

‘Well, all things considered, it could have been worse. Gotta give my thanks to Dula one of these days...’

With a sigh, she stood up, stretched a bit. And let out a gasp at finding out she wasn’t alone.

“Hi, Ana!” the purple-maned pegasus, who was resting against a chair in her row, exclaimed with a hearty wave.

“Oh, good morning... Morning,” Ana said, forcing herself to smile. “What’s up?”

It wasn’t that she minded having Morning Glory, the Vanhoover unit’s resident prankster, to keep her company. But the fact her only companion in this difficult moment happened to be an unapologetic funbag only did so much to help matters.

“Thought you’d be back here, Ana,” Morning said, hopping off the chair. “Guess I was right!”

“How’d you find me?” Ana asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean... oooh.”

“Yep!” Morning replied with a giggle. “I mean, it’s not so hard to follow your trail, jeez, Ana.”

“Oh really?” Ana scoffed, crossing her arms. But the mare simply nodded energetically.

“Mh-hm!” said Morning. “I mean, you’re barefoot and all. You left your boots outside again.”

“Alright, alright!” Ana said grumpily, but she couldn’t hold back that ghost of a smile, and Morning knew it. Sneaky little mare. “Don’t you pull that card on me, Missy. It was Prasad who told you where I’d gone, wasn’t it?”

“Got me there, Ana. She didn’t look too happy.”

“Why should she?” Ana said evasively. “You should be back at the barracks in New New York. What’re you doing here in Canterlot? Sneaked out on training again yesterday, didn’t you? I’ll bet you were out buying cake.”

“What, me?” the mischievous pegasus blurted, hoof over heart, as though hurt. “No, did not! Well, I did ask, but that doesn’t count.”

An innocent smile brightened those wide green eyes of hers. Ana stared right into them, hoping to catch her friend off-guard in her lie. Alas, Morning was too good at hiding things. With a sigh, Ana broke eye contact and dropped onto the chair next to her, but stared ahead, having decided that the Christ was a more interesting view than the comrade who was currently still gazing up at her.

“Something happened, didn’t it?” Morning asked softly. Right on the money. Her usual impisj tone was missing. Instead, she sounded concerned.

‘No use holding back, I suppose.’

“I’m on leave,” Ana said softly. “Enforced leave. I don't know for how long.”

The mare opposite was clearly taken aback, furrowing her brows in confusion.

“But… but that…” Morning replied. “Why? What happened?”

“It’s not something I can talk about freely,” Ana said. “All I can tell you is, I can't go back to Earth with you, all of you, for the moment.”

“Well, that’s not fair!” Morning exclaimed grumpily. “Can’t you do anything about it? The guys won’t be happy to see me return with nothing to show for it.”

“To be fair,” Ana replied carefully. “I’m… not sure I can pull any strings this time.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

"... Forget about it,” Ana hurriedly answered. For one, the memory of the artificial-hoofed mare in Indonesia, peering at her from behind those ever-present bangs, frightened her.

“Ana, please, you can trust me.”

“Careful there, Morning, she gets a little feisty about things,” spoke a familiar, youthful voice.

Ana whipped around so fast, the whoosh nearly toppled Morning off her chair. Ignoring her friend’s irritated grumbles, Ana waved ecstatically towards her other friend, one she’d dare even call her best friend. The elder daughter of the Whooves clan, Sparkler.

With a bright smile, the amethyst mare trotted over to Ana, embracing her warmly.

“Oh,” pouted Morning. “Now when she’s here, you’re all happy fun times again. Hmpf.”

“Relax, Morning,” Sparkler told her cheerfully. “Pretty sure Ana Bjorgman’s always happy to meet one of her own, ain’t that right?”

“Yeah, about that...” Ana tentatively replied, mindful of the offense she’d just committed against Morning. But Sparkler was already speaking up again.

“Listen, thanks for leading me to her, wouldn’t know where she’d gone otherwise.” Sparkler told Morning gratefully. Morning nodded briefly, before sticking out her tongue at Ana.

“Sure, sure, no prob,” Morning replied, mock-saluting them most carelessly with a wing. “Gotta leave soon, anyways.”

“You’re not staying?”

“Nah, sorry, Ana,” she said, ruffling her purple mane. “Got some errands to take care of. You two lovebirds better take care of yourselves.”

“Sparkler and I aren’t an item, please!” Ana retorted, blushing flusterdly.

“Sure you’re not, heh,” Morning said teasingly, but her tone turned serious. “Listen, Ana, Go talk to Harwood. I’m sure you’ll feel better with him around. Know what I’m saying, eh?”

The wink she added made things worse, if anything, for Ana.

“No... I...” Ana hesitated. Inwardly, she wondered whether or not she should explain that Harwood’s whereabouts were unknown to her. “I need to take my mind off things”

“Hey, c’mon, you know how much he cares ‘bout ya. Lend it some thought.”

She gave Ana a quick pat.

“I gotta go back soon,” Morning said resignedly. “Heard some prince’s being assigned to us, I think the Lieutenant’s not gonna be happy ‘bout that. At all.”

“Prince?” Ana echoed. She felt a bit groggy still. “Which Lieutenant?”

“You know the one. Winter Truce,” Morning said, patting Ana on her back. “Take care, will ya? The guys’ll miss you back there.”

She made for the door, but not before Ana caught a few more grumbled words.

“Guess I’m gonna be running a few more chores for Mother…” Morning muttered, probably more loudly than intended, not taking into account how acoustics worked wonders with whispers inside a chapel.

“Mother?” Sparkler repeated, in confusion.

“Nothing.”

Eyebrows raised in askance, Sparkler looked to Ana, who shrugged.

“That’s Morning, for you, heh.” Ana said fondly. “Always in a hurry, the sneak. You should see her back in the Company. She slacks off sometimes, but that mare can be dedicated if she wants to...”

She held back a yawn, stretching out her arms before looking over to Sparkler.

“So, uh, you up for a walk? I’m… technically off duty now, gotta, gotta tell the Sarge… eventually. But hey! That comes later, so, you up for it?”

To her great disappointment, Sparkler shook her head.

“I’m needed down over in the Castle, Ana,” she stated regretfully. “Got a bit of tinkering to do, runes and all…”

“Okay,” Ana said, aware of how disappointed she sounded. “That’s okay, well, I’ll… just be on my way, Sparkler, it’s fine...”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t drop off a friend afterwards,” Sparkler added with a twinkle in her eyes. “Tell you what. That girl’s sassing about you and Har, it brought something back to mind. Remember the time when you’d sussed out my dad’s fireworks?”

“Oh… oh, yes, I do.”

And she did. Half-conscious of how her mouth fell agape, Ana felt her mind drift back to that ethereal evening aboard the TARDIS, on the same day which had been marked by a mass transfer of clerical and ecclesiastical figures galore from Earth, invited to Canterlot Prime, or ‘Sunny’ Canterlot, for a very special debate.

“The night they asked the question of who Ambassador Heartstrings truly was,” Ana sighed most dreamily, slipping back, as she did so, into that weird mental state wherein she felt part of some greater whole, sharing her being with an Ana Bjorgman who was more than just Ana Bjorgman. “When they opened that oecunemical council.”

“Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter...” Sparkler recited dutifully, for the second time in as many months.

"... And love is no myth, after all,” Ana finished, quoting her own side of their conversation from many weeks past.

“Yeah,” sighed Sparkler. “Still wonder about that freak snowstorm, though.”

“Don’t think about it too much, Amethyst,” Ana chided her. Even if that little voice in her head told her otherwise. “We did enjoy it, right? C’mon, the Castle awaits us both!”

Sparkler smiled warmly. “So does your booth, milady…”

I mean, sure. Why not? We had one streak of good luck, what was one more? I thought we’d win. This is the other Equestria, the one where they solve problems easily. And quickly. I figured that I’d probably dealt with worse.

There were all the times we had to keep the higher-ups from playing politics even during the apocalypse and starving our funding. Trying to explain Defiance. Things like that. I’m sorry. I’m rambling. It’s not an easy thing to explain.

For one minute, one brief moment, I actually thought this would be easy. That we could deal with all of this and still come out clean.

I have never been so wrong in my life.

DAY ONE. NOON.

‘I can only wish you good luck, my dear nephew.’

He should have felt more comfortable aboard one of the airships he loved so much. But, as he looked around the near-empty compartment, clutching his bags tightly, biting back the urge to chew his lip, Blueblood was already second-guessing his means of travel. Even when he told himself he’d chosen first-class on a third-rate day journey from Canterlot to ‘New New York’, a time and trip where he knew the upper-crust would rather idle away luncheoning above deck on a luxury cruiser, the worry never left him that he’d be spotted.

At least one intuition of his had proven correct, for the most part. The only other ‘privileged’ passengers riding this train, so to speak, were an old grey mare wearing a yellow sunhat, a middle-aged red, moustachioed pegasus fellow leafing through some magazine or other, and last but not least, a rather tall, ivy-green female unicorn in a kimono, staring languidly out the porthole as she fanned herself.

Watching her, Blueblood suddenly found himself envying her the breeze. This airship had poor air circulation, and at noon in the middle of summer, the light through the portholes made for more than just a pretty sight, which didn’t help him any with his current anxiety. He wiped a bead of sweat off his brow.

“Hey, pal,” someone called from behind him. “Turn off the waterworks, will you? You look ready to start pouring down Neighara Falls.”

Hearing the voice, a female’s, Blueblood tried not to groan.

“You okay there?” the mare asked concernedly, drawing level with his row of seats. She was a little pegasus, with a rather fetching purple mane, Blueblood saw. “What’s with the raincoat in this heat?”

Since, unwilling to forgo old habit completely, he’d convinced himself he couldn’t make an entrance without clothing – a reminder that, destitute or not, he was still heir to noble Equestria, and counted knights amongst his ancestors – he’d opted for a simple grey raincoat. Following the surprise snowstorm a few weeks ago, the chill which he’d felt even through the petrified surface of his skin, Blueblood had no more faith in Equestrian weather than anything else since the humans had arrived.

“I’m…” he began, staring dead ahead as he searched for some excuse, before giving it up. “I… I’ve been outside for too long.”

The purple-maned mare wrinkled her snout slightly. “Well, unless you take that silly thing off, you won’t be wanted outside again for a while. C’mon, you’ll ruin your health that way.”

It all got too much for him. Blueblood began to giggle uncontrollably. The mare stared at him, looked around and left, if only for a minute. When she came back, she was holding a glass of water on her left wing. Gratefully, though still stiffling back giggles, Blueblood took it.

“That’s better,” she said after he’d had a good, long sip. “Now, what was all that about? You take it from me, you were going a little cuckoo, there.”

Blueblood wiped his mouth. “Figures. It’s something you said.”

“Oh? What was it?”

“Ruin my health,” he said, with a last titter. “I’ve heard going to war is bad for your health.”

She gave him a curious glance, a twinkle in her green eyes. But all she said was, “First step, lose the rags, it’ll save you from getting sun-touched. Here, I’ll help.”

“No, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” he said quickly, hugging the coat tighter.

The little mare sighed. “Then at least let me help you fan you down,” she said. To Blueblood’s confusion, her wings twitched once, twice, three times, before she checked herself. “Ah…” the mare mumbled, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry, forgot. I’m sure it’d be preeetty awkward if a perfect stranger offered to cool you down with her wings?”

Uncertainly, Blueblood nodded. “Um, yeah?”

“Ah, ya don’t know what you’re missing, pal,” the little mare sighed. “No matter. I’ll just go and borrow something, if Mother’s willing.”

All this only heightened his confusion as, without another word, the enigmatic little mare trotted over to the ivy-green, kimono-garbed, bored-looking unicorn, and mumbled a few words he couldn’t catch. He noticed the unicorn throw a glance his way. Was that a smirk on her face? As it was, the unicorn soon looked back away, ruffling the little mare’s purple mane fondly.

In the space of two minutes, the mare had returned carrying the unicorn’s handheld fan. Blueblood realised she must be an attendant of some sort.

“That oughta to do the trick,” she said kindly, holding it out for him.

But as, thanking her, he reached out for it, in a move of startling speed, the little mare suddenly yanked it away and, curving with deadly elegance, drew the fan’s abnormally sharp pivot up the hem of his coat, slashing it open in a neat line to reveal his compass-shaped mark.

“Just as I thought,” the mare said smugly, admiring her work while Blueblood gawped at her, mouth wide open. “Peak of summer, stallion wearing a fancy raincoat, he’s either an idiot, or hidin’ something, or was born with a silver spoon, or all of ‘em… Your Highness.”

It took several lumbering, heavy breaths for Blueblood to get his voice back. “How…”

Without invitation, the mare seated herself next to him, patting his shoulder patronizingly. “Sussed you out soon’s you mentioned the war, pal. You’re gonna be in my unit.” Letting the handheld fan drop, she held out her forehoof. “Morning Glory. Vanhoover Company.”

Not knowing what else to do, Blueblood shook hooves with her. “I’m…” he stumbled. “Blueblood. Um, that is, Astron Blueblood, fifth of his name.”

“As-tr-on?” Morning repeated, peeling the world savouringly. “As-tron. Huh, I dare say the name suits you, princeling.”

Blueblood wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. “Um, thank you.”

“Word to the wise, though, pal,” Morning said with good cheer. “Once we get there, you really want to do something’ll help you cool down, like, a lot. I’d suggest a dip in the pool. Fillydelphia Company’s pool, I mean. We ain’t got no pool at Vanhoover.” She leaned in closer to his ears. “Between you and me, they haven’t got a clue ‘bout it. But we’re usually the ones who’re littering the pool, and they’ve been blaming Baltimare.”

Blueblood blinked. “But, but–”

“Nah, don’t worry too much about it,” she said dismissively, moving away. “Cookie Batch usually takes Ana’s excuses at face value, and even she doesn’t know. Just worry ‘bout yourself, eh?”

“...but why?”

“Feh, always nice to have some rest between training this and that and whatnot,” she said. “So, well, you can expect some fun in our neighbors’ pool.”

Her eyes fell once more upon the exposed mark on his flank, an glinted, as though she’d just had a funny thought.

“Say, ‘Prince’ Blueblood,” Morning said slyly. “Getting a closer look at you now, I do notice a certain resemblance to your aunt. How much would you say you’d match her in grace?”

“Um?” Blueblood stuttered, caught off-guard by the weird question. “Well, we’re not exactly blood relatives, if that’s what you’re asking…”

“Huh,” Morning smiled. “Coulda fooled me.”

“No, no, really,” Blueblood said, still weirded out, but at the same time, glad of a chance to bring himself closer to mere mortals by distancing Celestia. “It’s all down to time-old… family habit, or, um, tradition, you could call it. My father and his father’s fathers, when the chance arose, they’d like marrying a certain type of mare, to get a certain type of coat… though they weren’t mares of your caliber, ma’am.”

By finishing in this manner, he hoped he’d now be closer in her good books. But instead, Morning’s smile just grew more rapacious.

“Well,” she said with a crafty grin. “Please be careful when trying out our pool. If it’s true blood’s thicker than water, then in our humble body of water, if your royal butt’s anything like Celestia’s, you’re set to make quite a splash.”

Blueblood felt his cheeks heat up, not so much from outrage, nor from how she had the gall to mock Aunt Celestia, no, but from his own embarrassment. He’d have given anything at that moment to sink into his seat, right past it and tumbling into the void below, if this teasing mare was anything like the rest of his future comrades.

Then, giggling, Morning leant over to pat his shoulder. Again, except this time, with a wing. There was reassurance in her touch.

“Eh, if anything, I can help ya with a couple things,” she said good-naturedly. “Mistress Moondancer won’t be happy to hear it if I keep tormenting her new charge.”

Upon the mention of that name, Blueblood’s ears perked up.

“Mistress Moondancer?” he said, full of hope. “Pardon me, miss, but, is... is she around?”

His newfound comrade tilted her head, an expression of curiosity marking her face.

“Aye, she be around, alright,” Morning finally said. “What about ‘er?”

“I… I was hoping I could meet her first, you see,” Blueblood said tentatively. “I can... I can assure you I was quite familiar with her back in the day. And… Green Fields too. Is the venerable Captain, or Lord Protector, still around?”

For a moment, there was a pang of recognition in the little mare’s eyes. But Blueblood’s expectations were dashed when she laughed heartily.

“Buddy, where we are, titles don’t matter no more,” Morning said, smirking. “I mean, you had me at Green Fields, Lieutenant Winter talked ‘bout him, but titles don’t mean much to us.” She smiled at him. “Besides, we’re on the same boat ‘round here. Who you were before, that there don’t matter, most of the time.”

And Blueblood, a weight on his chest he hadn’t known was there easing, felt somewhat relieved to hear this.

“I’ve got an errand to run today,” Morning said, nodding towards the ivy-green unicorn, who’d been joined by what appeared to be a sky-blue crystalpony. “Guess I’ll be seeing you around the Company, pal.”

Equestria was nice enough, Ana decided. Even as the proverbial Mordor back on Earth, well, come to think of it, until now, no-one had an idea of what Equestria really was like, apart from various photographs taken in controlled conditions in the other side. But of course, she hadn’t missed the footage of the test researcher who had... melted in Equestria. Due to lacking the protective charms placed by Queen Celestia, it had been claimed. Another lie, no doubt.

Even so, that image wasn’t going to stop the warier officials from insisting access be given to photographers and journalists, demanding protection here and there. So the Tyrant gave them exactly what they wanted, a few cunningly placed wards and spells. Of course, there were still the inherent sickness of the place, suffocating and bearing down onto the few envoyees brave enough to do things their own way…

… Or, as Ana’s old friend Dimitri had put it, “For science, and everything in-between.”

It definitely wasn’t the first time Ana had wanted to convert. Being a pony would be a nice, and certainly a thrilling experience. But, quite simply, the voice inside her head had said no, and that was the end of it. And as she paced around the room, the bag of fireworks safely in hand, Ana wondered about what might have been, if everything had gone differently. A better Earth. A better Equestria. A better everything, really.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when she nearly tripped over Dinky.

“Oof!” she grunted, deftly avoiding the filly with a hop. “Sorry, I...”

“It’s alright, Ana!” Dinky cheerfully replied, even if she did scoot closer to the TARDIS console. That brought a good-natured chuckle from Sparkler.

“Careful round there, Ana,” Sparkler said. “Kraber got stuck there last time around. It wasn’t too pretty with all the noise.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Ana replied, breaking her pace to sit down at a corner of the time-machine’s central console. Trying to relax, she took out one of her fireworks, to contemplate it as if hoping to decipher some greater meaning.

‘Gotta, gotta keep my head straight.’

She could stay here. Live a long life. Wait out the war. Equestria did kind of remind her of Norway, with its rural landscape, easygoing folk, and all…

Slowly, she began to hum a tune to herself.

“Ja, vi elsker dette landet, som det striger frem...”

She wondered when they the anthem had been adopted, or had who voted for it, as she began to closely examine the little firework she held in her hand. It was a funny one, an odd flurry of colors compared to the others. Yes, she remembered...

“Furet, værbitt over vannet, med de tusen hjem...”

When or how Doctor Whooves had got ahold of the age-old formula for the coveted fireworks was a mystery to all in Ponyville, but the voice in her head knew. She did know these funny little things, whether from experience or whatnot.

“Elsker, elsker det, og tænker, på vor far og mor...”

The firework began to spark, but Ana chuckled softly, extinguishing it with a touch. Harwood would have scoffed at such a concept. After all, flameless fireworks were, frankly quite ridiculous as a concept. But Ana would show him.

“Og den saganat, som sænker, drømme på vor jord...”

It’d be fine. He’d be awed. He’d be cheered up a bit from that gloom he always seemed to carry over his shoulders. And it’d all be fine...

But Ana remembered. How the child had wept. How it reminded her of her own losses.

“Og den saganatt som senker, senker drømmer på vår…. jord.”

She didn’t get to close off that sad thought when one of the accursed fireworks ignited, and promptly zoomed across the console room. Dinky dodged, Sparkler shouted, and Ana jumped, fingers reaching out for the thing. Too late, for it detonated like a brilliant kaleidoscope, showering the room in vibrant colors.

The younger of the two unicorns gaped in awe, giggling as she bounced and bopped each harmless rainbow flake floating away, while her older sister smiled and shook her head, earring jangling, removing her attention from whatever new wonder she’d been working on.

“Heh, glad to see they still work,” she said, trotting over to sit by Ana. “I was hoping you’d figure out how to set them off so… easily?”

She cleared her throat, catching Ana’s attention.

“So sorry, I was, I was...” Ana’s fumble was silenced when Sparkler held a hoof to her lips.

“Hey, don’t let it go to your head, Ana,” she said softly. “Whatever the Commander said, well… point is, it wasn’t your fault or anything.”

Ana kept silent, examining another firework in her grasp. The friend besides her persisted.

“Did you… you know,” she said slowly. “Meet the other me?”

All was silent, for a moment, but Ana relented. "... Yes.”

“Oh, good!” Sparkler cried, followed by a curious poke from Dinky, who somehow had managed to sneak up on both of them.

“You did!?” Dinky said gleefully, to a nod from Ana. “How did it go? What was she like? You talk to her? Did you meet the other me?”

Ana laughed, feeling a touch mellower than she had for the past few hours as she picked up the giggling filly, giving her a warm hug, and the room was filled with their laughter.

“Ja, I did!” Ana replied cheerfully. “You were as cute as ever,, and Sparkler was just as pretty as she is now, eh?”

She gave her friend a wink, rejoicing in her reddening face.

“Was she happy to see you?” Dinky enquired. “I mean, she probably was! But I gotta know. Pip’ll never believe it.” The filly trailed off, before a small blush tainted her cheeks over her own mention of her coltfriend. “Did you meet the other Pip too?”

“Of course I did!” Ana laughed. “He, and the other colts, and fillies, they were all there. The whole bunch....”

And she felt her smile waiver. Gently, she set Dinky down on the floor.

Before the tears could spill out of her eyes, the face on the little unicorn in front of her scrunched up strangely. Without a word, Dinky trotted away, into the forest of junk littering the time machine. Both Ana and Sparkler watched as they heard her rummage about, yet not for very long, for she came back with a pen and paper.

“Here,” Dinky said quietly. “Write to Marcus. He’ll bring you back. Then you’ll be better. Please?”

Ana reached out for the pen, her fingers tracing the paper in contemplation. It would be easy. Ask the Commander for a quiet assignment, somewhere where she’d be as out of the way as he liked, but still be doing something useful. Everything would be alright. She wouldn’t have to focus on any of it...

But then she was struck by memories.

Memories of a child begging for her mother, of an equally grieving aunt, who had lost a sister, of the day the world collapsed around them all. She remembered another girl, all set to make her way in life, when the ruinous news had reached her doorstep, and how she and her grandfather had waited for a letter they thought would, somehow, assure them everything would be alright… and how it was all for naught, leaving a girl without her parents, and an elderly father without his daughter, with scarcely a word of comfort.

Ana gripped her pen tighter, and looked at the siblings with resolve.

“Actually, Sparkler?” she spoke up, and the elder sister looked at her curiously. “Think we can make a stop at Ponyville?”

“Sure, what about it?” Sparkler said, nodding towards Dinky to readjust their course.

“Because… I think there’s someone else who needs the letter.”

The brown earthstallion called ‘Doctor Whooves’ by most, a pun he had learned to appreciate over the years, was talking to himself. For most people, talking to oneself was something done while doing a task on one’s own. ‘Where did I put X’, one might ask oneself. It is, safe to say, usually a rhetorical exercise.

Not so for Doctor Whooves. Not that he didn’t go for the traditional kind of talking to himself. Actually, he was the sort who had always found ‘talking to himself’ to be useful, to the point where he’d practically transformed it into an art form.

In this case, however, talking to himself was a far more literal affair. More specifically, he was talking to his selves. More specifically than that, he was in a meeting with the Doctor Whooves of this Downtime, ‘Sunny’ Equestria, and with an auburn-haired man in a green, knee-length tweed coat, corduroy trousers, black waistcoat and an off-white shirt, who went by the name of “Doctor Richard Bowman” - he, too, however, was the Doctor.

That, Whooves realised, sounded odd even to his own ears. He found it strange that this tall, lanky humanoid could be any version of him, even though “tall, lanky humanoid” was a very good description of many of his past faces.

‘I’ve been running around here too long,’ he thought to himself.

The three of them were sat in a small cafe in New New York (“Is that really what they call it?” Bowman had asked), drinking tea. Actually, the two Whooves were drinking tea. Bowman had secured himself a six-pack of Diet Coke, and had already gone through half of it.

“You know,” the Downtime Whooves said, “that stuff’s terrible for your teeth.”

Bowman shrugged. “I can regenerate my teeth.”

“If you say so,” the Downtime Whooves said with a shrug. Unlike Doctor Whooves, who had a big labcoat on over his usual tie, the Downtime Whooves had elected to wear a long, colorful scarf today, which was wrapped around his neck several times. “I still think I have fillings from my second body in these teeth.”

“Does that even work with equine teeth?” Bowman asked, frowning.

“Best not to think about it,” ‘Scarfy’ said with a knowing smirk.

“Gentlemen... gentlestallion,” Whooves said irritably. The two looked to him. “A little focus, please.”

Bowman inclined his head. “By all means, lay on, MacDuff.”

“Thanks,” Whooves said shortly. He leant forward in his chair slightly. “So... Doctor,” he said to the Prime Whooves. “Thank you for joining us.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” ‘Scarfy’ said. “I’ve a sneaking suspicion we’re going to need all three of us.”

“We’re going to need more,” Bowman said, his cheery manner gone.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Whooves said, frowning at his colleague. Bowman had approached him a few days ago, while he’d been working in his office on Earth. It had been…something of a shock, to say the least. “I don’t suppose you have anything useful to add?”

“That would depend greatly on your definition of ‘useful’,” Bowman replied, looking around. “D’you know, I’ve never been here before.”

“New York?” Scarfy asked.

“No, this Sunny Equestria,” Bowman clarified. “I’ve literally never had the time to come here. Things usually go to pot before I have the chance.”

“What do you mean?” Scarfy asked.

“Yes, Doctor,” Whooves added, still frowning. “Do you want to start sharing with us precisely why it is you came here?”

Bowman sighed. “Alright.” He glanced at Scarfy. “They sent me.”

It took Scarfy just a moment to realise who Bowman was talking about, but when he did, his eyes widened.

“They... why?” he asked.

“Well, I say ‘sent’,” Bowman said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m really just meant to be observing, cataloguing potential multiversal threats, preventing any of them from becoming real problems, that sort of thing. I just have so much carte blanche with this mission that it’s not even funny.”

“As in, carte blanche to hop hither and thither along the timeline like a space hopper,” Whooves said, slightly scathingly.

Scarfy frowned. “Wait, you change history?!”

“I prefer to think of it as… hopping to a preferable alternative,” Bowman said tightly. “Since when I go back, the old history still exists. Somewhere.”

Scarfy blinked. “Still, it's a lot further than we ever used to go. You can't really have their permission for this.”

“Carte blanche, especially the kind I have, goes a long way,” Bowman said with a smile.

Scarfy shook his head. “I dunno how you wangled that out of them, and I don't think I want to. One does wonder why, though.”

Bowman shrugged. “As it happens, I’ve become rather attached to this little neck of the multiverse. I want to see this war business concluded the right way.”

“Why?” Scarfy asked.

“A lot hinges on it,” Bowman stated simply.

“Which is a good reason to bring the three of us together,” Whooves put in. “We can put our heads together, try to come up with a way to help.”

Scarfy grimaced. “I’ve… been keeping away from the military side of things. I don’t want to have anything to do with weapons.”

“I understand that,” Whooves said grimly. “Under the circumstances, though…”

“Under the circumstances, I don't like guns and weapons and I don't have anything to contribute that you can't,” Scarfy said testily. “Though I’d have thought...”

“These are dark times, and sometimes, moments like this call for extreme measures,” Whooves retorted.

“Weapons aren’t the only thing we could contribute,” Bowman said with a wry grin, forestalling further argument. He looked to Scarfy. “Unlike our illustrious counterpart here, you have a fully working TARDIS.”

Scarfy coughed. “I… yes, but I don’t see–”

“Transport purposes,” Whooves said simply. “You can fit more in your fully functioning TARDIS than I can in mine at present. You can go faster, do more. Yours also has better defences.”

“And I can help fit better ones,” Bowman added. “I’ve been hopping for a while, picked a few things up.”

“Which means yours can stand up to more in a tight spot,” Whooves finished.

Scarfy nodded. “Alright then, transporting things I can definitely do.”

Bowman smiled, before taking a swig of his Coke. “We’ve been fortunate in many ways.”

“In what sense?” Whooves asked.

“Things on Earth aren’t quite as desperate as they were,” Bowman said. “The HLF are being unified and purified to be on our side, thanks to some friends of mine. The PER are being hemmed in, and the defences at New York and Boston are about as sturdy as they can be.”

Whooves sighed, before pulling a tablet out of his pocket with a concerned expression, laying it on the table.

“It might not be enough,” he said softly. He pulled up a satellite image and turned the tablet so his colleagues could see. Scarfy’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized it, while Bowman’s widened in shock.

“This is accurate?” he asked.

“It was a few days ago,” Whooves said softly. “I suspect it’s only gotten worse.”

“Well,” Scarfy said softly. “That is… a lot.”

“It’s the Tyrant’s final assault,” Whooves said grimly. “It seems she’s pulling out all the stops.”

“She’s not just pulled out the stops,” Bowman said with wide eyes. “Great Equestrian class, Fillydelphia class… I’m half expecting to see a kitchen sink amongst that lot. Those ships can’t have shields strong enough to withstand assault, not at the rate she’d have had them built. There'd be no time to install the correct defences.”

“With that many, does it matter?” Whooves asked.

“Well, I guess quantity has a quality of its own,” Bowman murmured. “But still… this is … troublesome.”

“That,” Whooves said, smiling mirthlessly, “is a word.”

Bowman sighed, shaking his head, before taking a glance at his pocket watch.

“Well, nice as this has been,” he said, “I’d best be off. I’m doing a favor for a friend.”

“What sort of favor?” Whooves asked with a frown. Bowman simply grinned.

“Taxi service,” he said in a Mockney accent. “For one Mr. U.Man.”

“Heh,” Scarfy chuckled. “‘U.Man’, I get it...”

Whooves frowned. “Bringing someone here?”

“Yup,” Bowman grinned.

“The Commander isn’t going to be best pleased,” Whooves pointed out. “He prefers people to carry official passes.”

Bowman shrugged. “Yeah, well… I don’t care.”

Whooves sighed. He had been people that irreverent before, but in his current, responsibility-laden body, he found it somewhat vexing. It was more vexing that he could see Scarfy smirking too.

‘Was I ever like that?’ he wondered. ‘Actually, when did I stop?’

“When you're done, come find me,” he said. “We need to see what else we can bring to the table.”

Bowman paused, before nodding. “Agreed. Have a nice confab, fellas.”

He stood up and walked off, leaving Scarfy and Whooves alone.

In The Pale Moonlight – Part 4: 'Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges'

In The Pale Moonlight – Part Four

‘Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges’

Authors:

Redskin122004

Jed R

Sledge115

VoxAdam

Editors:

Kizuna Tallis

Dustchu

Dances With Unicorns

“My father used to say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I laid the first stone right there. I'd committed myself. I'd pay any price, go to any lengths, because my cause was righteous. My... intentions were good. In the beginning, that seemed like enough.”

– Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘In The Pale Moonlight.’

“Let's make a deal, doctor: I'll spare you the ends-justify-the-means speech, and you spare me the we-must-do-what's-right speech. You and I are not going to see eye-to-eye on this subject, so I suggest we stop discussing it.”

– Luther Sloan, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: ‘Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.’

I’d like to be able to say I could think of something else. Anything else. I kept running it through my head, as the night wore on. Was this really the only way? I considered what other options we had again.

The truth…

Bowman’s words about faith in our allies came to mind. Maybe, I thought, we could try that. Lyra would have. She had faith, in all beings, to do the right thing, to stand by the side of life. But it was a risk. If we told the truth, there was a chance, sure, that everyone’d get it, see the risks more clearly knowing what the Solar Empire was capable of, even here…

… Or there was a chance we’d appear weak in front of our allies, that they’d question whether working with us was worth it. Worse, there was a chance we’d appear to be more a threat than the Empire; we brought the Spy into Equestria. We let her walk the streets without checks in place. More ponies would question why we had done this, why we had allowed this to happen. Any burgeoning anti-Alliance movements would only grow.

No, I decided. Bowman was wrong. We couldn’t risk having faith. Lyra could have pulled it off, but I am not her. I'm just me.

So, I turned again to other options. Maybe we could use a Changeling to confess, have them create a new baby-blue pony form for the occasion? But there’d be questions about that. Who was this mare? Who were her friends? Where had she come from? If we’d had more time, a month, say, to fabricate this fictitious mare’s life story, maybe we could have done it, but we needed a quick solution, and that would take far too long. But what about a Changeling using this world’s Trixie’s face? Maybe there’d be no need for the memories… except she needed to be absolutely convincing, needed to sell the confession. If there was any hint of a lie, of something amiss, then it wouldn’t work.

There were more ideas, believe me. Create a clone from the Mirror Pool? Maybe, except we barely understood the Pool and its potential, we barely understood how it worked… was the clone a sentient being? Wouldn’t that be worse, creating a sentient being for this sole purpose in life? I’d never been one for watching those old episodes of Star Trek where they’d argue the philosophy of creating intelligent life and treating it like shit, but this… hell, for a brief, dark moment, I was questioning if we shouldn’t just do that with our troops, until I realised how sick the idea of creating a clone army actually sounded to me. There’s a reason those projects were shut down back when Davis became President.

In any case, even if we used a Changeling, or clone, it would still look like Trixie. Whether she remembered or not, she’d be the face of blame.

We were damned either way, and so was she.

The morning came.

DAY FOUR. MORNING.

It felt like sleep.

A long sleep, yes, but all things considered, Ana felt nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the fact she’d just touched a tree and fainted from the backlash. Well, some backlash that was. She wondered if she was being monitored at all, for she’d been waited long minutes before the first nurse arrived to take care of her, after her rather anticlimactic awakening. Yet, of all things Ana could have thought, as she sat with an open Bible and Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince beside her, she thought of weeds. Not the peculiar little plant those Americans referred to as weed, but literal weed, the pest-of-a-plant that ruined many a garden.

‘Well, I guess I have all day to figure that one out,’ she thought.

There were many questions she’d have liked answered, such as how she’d got here, or what had happened inside the accursed cavern.

‘Welcome to my domain…’ the creature within the Tree had told her. A crystalline pony, to be precise.

And with the image of the entity within the Tree, Ana’s mind was once again drawn to the thought of weeds, an unrelenting parasite and unyielding pest. Yes, yes, she remembered the bits and pieces, here and there. But before she could gather her thoughts coherently, the door creaked open, and the last person Ana had expected to see stepped in.

“Harwood, I–”

But the man, ignoring her, grabbed the nearest seat in the pristine-white room. Dressed in combat fatigues, he looked outwardly fine, with not a single strand of brown hair out of place. The eyes, however, those green eyes must tell a different story. At no moment did they ever fully meet her own.

“Well,” he began slowly. “You look quite vibrant today, little duchess.”

All the tension in the room evaporated at a stroke, and soon Ana was laughing along with her eternal friend and companion, the overhanging worry of the last few days gone with the uplifting sound filling the room.

“Yeah, well,” Ana said, brushing away a lock of her hair, “Had the time to groom a bit, eh? Hospital’s not the best place, but here I am!”

She chuckled with levity, but even so a flash of concern went by Harwood’s expression.

“So how’s the Company doing?” she asked. “Did you have a chance to check in on them? They’re doing… fine, right? Dancer and the guys should be fine and all but, I gotta know.”

“Same old, same old,” Harwood said dismissively. “But that’s not what I’m here for, Ana.”

And Ana’s heart sank. “Harwood, listen,” she stammered out, nearly dropping her book from her lap. “Whatever happened with Colonel Renee, it’s not–”

He raised his hand. “Yes, I know, it’s all quite the… talk, Ana,” he said slowly. “Been wondering if you were alright, actually. Renee’s got something of a reputation as a hardarse when he comes down on people.”

To Ana’s own surprise, she simply shrugged. “He wasn’t like that, actually,” she said lightly. “But he… did have things to say about what happened in Ponyville.”

Harwood snorted. “I can imagine.”

“It was alright,” Ana said softly. “I got the same thing all of us did. Leave, while they… do whatever it is they’re doing.”

Harwood shot her a sullen look. “Well, in my experience that’s not really reassuring.”

His words were dismissive, but Ana thought she caught a tone of bitterness. For a moment, the two of them fell back into silence, and she began to ask herself whether Harwood had got a good look at the Spy after...

“How was the view up there?”

“Huh?” said Ana, shifting her eyes away from her twiddling fingers.

“The view of your…” Harwood cleared his throat. “Sniping range:”

“Well, it was... real hilly and... yeah. Real hilly. Bit tiring to get all the way up there in a ghilly. All things considered, it wasn’t a bad spot. Ponyville’s got some of the prettiest sights. You should check it out sometimes.”

“Heh, just like Ilkley Moor in ole Yorkshire, I suppose?” Harwood said, with a chuckle. Now, Ana remembered the man hadn’t actually mentioned his old home region all that much, beyond saying he was from a town called Sheffield. Mentioning home was a sure sign he was winding down.

“Well, I... haven’t actually been to Yorkshire,” Ana replied truthfully. “Apart from the whole deal with Blackburn, I’ve never had any real dealings with England.”

“That's fine, really,” answered Harwood, with a shrug. “Now you mention it, the Moor’s probably still around. Fancy a look with me?”

“Gladly!” Ana said eagerly. “I mean, you remember it so well and, it’ll be nice, and all.”

“The North remembers,” Harwood replied wistfully, with a characteristic smirk and wink. “Now don’t you go and beat yourself, Ana. Isn’t it your thing, always looking on the bright side?"

“You know me too well,” Ana told him, smiling, though she wasn’t sure how genuine it felt.

“We’ll have to make sure you bring a hat, though.”

“Pardon?”

“Tha’ll catch tha death o'cold barht’at. Then we’ll ha’ to bury thee.”

“... What?”

He laughed. “Remind me to teach you proper Yorkshire.”

“I’ve never heard you speak like that,” she said. “I mean, you do these things with your U’s and L’s, but I haven’t heard it so thick before.”

“And you don’t do the same with your L’s and B’s?” Harwood retorted, with unusual fondness. ”Anyway, I don’t speak like that much, for t’most part–” He winced. “I mean, for the most part. My granddad did, though. No one really talks like that anymore,” he said wryly. “Clever bloke, my granddad was. ‘Lad,’ he’d say to me, ‘dost tha know, tha can be as tough and as brave as tha likes, but if tha don’t think about what tha’art doin’, then tha’ll have a bash t’noggin from some bugger what does.'"

Ana wasn’t sure who started it first, but without a moment too soon, the pair was soon engaged in a mutual, hearty laughter. Yet as all good things do, it came to an end, when Ana remembered her charges in the Company. Trainees she’d probably never see again.

“Remind me,” Harwood said, interrupting her thoughts. “To bring you along to Central Park. A little bit of fishing should clear your mind. Wolfsschanze would sure love it if you came along, the big lug, to speak nothing of Morning Glory. I mean, I’d join you, but, as you may know, the brass are keeping me busy…”.

“Yeah…” Ana said hesitantly. “How’s that looking, anyway?”

Harwood shook his head, more out of frustration than anything. “Not so great. Three days on, they still haven’t got the Blue Spy out of her glass case–”

“Wait, three days? How… how long was I out for?”

Swallowing, Trixie willed herself not to tear her gaze away from the book she was trying to read in the relative comfort of her bunk, a task more easily said than done, since her book – a blocky tome entitled The Rider in the Hay’s Worth – wasn’t particularly interesting, and did not do much to draw attention away from her circumstances. Nor from the disquieting company she held in this place.

The Night Guards, standing watch beyond the bars of her cells since daybreak. Batponies. Thestrals. Perhaps she ought to have been reassured, with the light of day to see these strange, quiet pegasi by, but she did not. If anything, it felt uncanny, questioning what about her merited that Equestria’s night watch should stand guard outside their proper schedule. At least they made for better company than Locksmith...

Nothing was in its right order anymore. Not since the bear incident.

Colts and fillies in the night, beware! beware!

Creatures lurk within the dark, out there! out there!

Wouldst thou bringst disharmony, do you dare? do you dare?

Thestral-kin will taketh thee, take care! take care!

With a sad sigh, Trixie laid down the book, storing it under her surprisingly fluffy pillow. It was plain to see she wouldn’t be finding solace in there for now; her grandfather’s old nursery rhyme kept playing in her mind, its warnings against little foals’ misbehavior ringing only too clearly against the walls of her skull, given where she was.

Not for the first time, she wondered just how they’d got her.

It wasn’t even as if she’d been technically doing anything illegal, buying an old artifact from a curio shop up in Neighpon. Sure, the elderly shopkeeper might have shown reluctance to part with a rare, dangerous item, but wasn’t it his own fault, keeping that thing on display for any magical initiate to spot and covet? At least she had the scruples to bring fair, hard-earned pay.

Or that was how it’d have gone down, hadn’t the old fool told her the Amulet was confiscated.

They’d set an ambush. That was the only explanation. Somehow, they’d known what she planned to do, and had lurked in the shadows waiting for her to show up, see how she reacted when informed her hopes were thwarted. And, although she knew it was her every right, after the pains she gone to, she herself had to admit, she’d reacted a bit… poorly.

But destructive fury quickly gives way to cowering fear as thestrals swoop down to take you. And your first encounter with mythical ‘humans’ not far behind.

Ana could scarce believe her ears as she learned she’d been unconscious for over two days. She watched Harwood carefully all the while he told her, looking for some sign of what feelings this had left him with. He had said, apparently aiming for some ironic humor, that two ‘sleeping beauties’ in a week were more than any man of medicine might hope to handle. She quietly begged that he hadn’t noticed her blush as the word ‘beauty’. Although he’d put no particular inflection on it, the fact he glanced at her was enough.

Harwood’s explanations, however, were cut short by a knock on the door. With a look, he stood up, and went to open the door. There in the entrance stood a mousy woman, even shorter than Ana. Her nametag read ‘M. Hooper’, and she looked quite lost, even if her professional-looking wear bespoke of her occupation as an important personage’s assistant.

“Sorry, is this the right room?” she said hesitantly. “With, uh, Ana Bjorgman?”

Harwood gave Ana a glance before he answered the woman.

“Yes, what seems to be the matter?”

“The matter, Mister Harwood, is that I need to see my friend,” Amethyst Star’s voice cut in, and to Ana’s delight said mare strode into the room, looking none the worse for wear, relatively.

However, her somewhat disheveled mane, a contrast to her usual, impeccably combed state, implied otherwise. Still, the mare managed herself a smile.

“Hey, Ana,” she said, plopping herself upon the chair. “How’s it going?”

“Never been better, all things considered, heh,” Ana said with a friendly chuckle. “Still got this headache but, well, at least I’m awake!”

Sparkler looked her over with concern, and then shook her head.

“You were lucky that bit of the gorge wasn’t steep at all,” she said in exasperation. “Watch yourself out there, would you? You gave poor Daring and me a rightful scare.”

“Tell me about it,” Harwood interjected. The sound of the door swinging close let them all know that the woman who had been with Sparkler seemed to have left. “All of that trouble in Ponyville, and now… here you are.”

“Oh, hush, Mister,” Sparkler replied in annoyance, as Harwood sat himself on the other side of the bed. “I mean, you weren’t there when this graceful lady tumbled into the gorge. I was.”

To Ana’s eternal exasperation, two of her closest friends shared a laugh at her expense. With a huff, she set aside her Bible to open the other book, hoping to engage herself in deep thought mulling over the name of the Little Prince’s asteroid.

“Okay, that’s enough, both of you,” Ana said chidingly. “Who was that woman, anyway?”

The twinkle in Sparkler’s eyes faded. “Ah, I was… hoping you’d notice a little bit later, heh,” she said sheepihsly. “I… may have called someone.”

“Someone?” Ana raised an eyebrow. “Who…?”

“It’s a bit complicated... very complicated,” Sparkler said. “The point is, word got out about your little incident and... please don’t freak out,” she added, placing a placating hoof to Ana’s mouth. “And… well. He might have something to offer you.”

Another knock upon the door, and Harwood apprehensively stepped to answer it.

“Ah, Corporal,” the man at the door said genially. “I trust that this is the correct room?”

“Er, yes, sir,” Harwood said. “I suppose Miss Star invited you?”

“That is correct. May I?”

The man’s voice sounded professional and articulate, and to Ana’s eyes, it perfectly fit the individual who had just walked into her room. Although beneath the elegant suit, tie, and trouser ensemble,he looked older than he should be, with a receding hairline, and a few wrinkles around the eyes, it was his eyes that caught Ana’s attention, a watery gray color which complemented the look of a man who liked getting his way.

Meanwhile, Harwood looked unusually worried and confused as he closed the door.

The man sat himself on the chair Harwood had previously occupied, setting his jet-black umbrella and briefcase nearby. He gazed at her in a look of intense scrutiny, before reaching out to shake her hand with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Miss Bjorgman, I have to say, finding you was quite the challenge,” he said, still in that professional tone, and a distinctly English accent.

“Er, to whom do I owe the honor?” Ana stammered out.

“My name is of no consequence, Miss Bjorgman,” he said, in a tone that implied he wasn’t used to telling strangers or subordinates his name personally. “But you’ll find it easily enough in the visitation list down at the lobby.”

“... Alright, I guess,” Ana replied.

“As your friend said, Miss Bjorgman, I am here on your companion’s invite,” he said nonchalantly, nodding to Sparkler. The unicorn also seemed a little put off by him, but nonetheless, Ana kept her cool.

“Oh, so what… brings you here, sir?”

“Ah, it concerns recent matters,” the Englishman replied, calculatively. “If I may, two days ago, what exactly were you doing with Miss Star, Corporal?”

Suddenly, the room felt that much colder.

“It was, it’s, it’s not what you think, sir,” Ana said frantically. “It… well, it was a simple visit between old friends, nothing more or less.”

The Englishman observed her curiously, as if her answer didn’t match what he’d anticipated.

“Very well,” he said, after a moment’s contemplation. “I presume there’s no harm done, apart from your… accident, Miss Bjorgman?”

“Yes!” Ana said, nodding vigorously. “There, there was no harm done, at all, sir. Miss Daring Do and the others can vouch for me, though even then, I’m still not sure how I got here..”

Harwood looked positively mortified by the inelegant answer, but Ana brushed it off. Of course, Harwood wasn’t quite as reserved as the man opposite her seemed.

“I see,” the man said plainly. But his tone lowered. “However, as I’ve read from Colonel Renee’s report, eyewitnesses aren’t the most… reliable of sources, Miss Bjorgman.”

“Sir?” Ana said, twiddling her fingers, and holding her breath.

“Hyperbole,” the Englishman said coldly. “In my experience, and that of my dear brother, the more imaginative eyewitnesses are the most likely to be quoted and taken as a valid source. The human eye can only remember so much, and I daresay the same applies to our allies.”

He leaned back, steepling his hands. “On that note, do forgive me, for arriving to my conclusions so bluntly,” he said. “With everything considered, the only reliable source of yesterday’s curious intrigue is the very same woman that lies before me, Miss Bjorgman, and not your comrades here.”

Behind the man, Harwood stepped up, a frown on his face as he clenched the chair’s back.

“Sir, with due respect,” he said firmly. “Ana here isn’t fully recovered yet, and anything she says might not be of any worth for Colonel Renee. I will have to ask you to leave her to recover fully.”

“Harwood, please,” Sparkler scolded him.

“I’m not here under Colonel Renee’s orders, Corporal Harwood,” the Englishman said quietly. “And Colonel Renee has no knowledge of the events that led to the hospitalization of Miss Bjorgman.”

“Pardon?” Harwood said, folding his arms. The Englishman picked up his briefcase and handed it to him with a distinctly triumphant look.

“Miss Bjorgman has been awake for almost a day,” he said. “So, do forgive me if I assume Miss Bjorgman is perfectly capable of responding to any question I wish to see answered, Sergeant.”

Harwood, to Ana’s surprise, recoiled.

“Sergeant?”

The Englishman tapped his folder.

“Only if you’re willing to let Miss Bjorgman speak with me, Harwood. Your documents are contained within this file, and I can assure you, any promotion is very much legitimate.”

“Excuse me, sir?” Ana interrupted, as Harwood stared at the folder with increasing curiosity. “With due respect, what drew your attention here?”

“There are quite a few reasons for my presence here, Miss Bjorgman,” the Englishman said, his grey eyes boring into Ana’s own. “But... my query remains...” He leaned closer to her. “What did you find within the Tree?”

Ana’s eyes widened in surprise, confusion, and everything in-between. “I… don’t understand?”

“Yes, you do. Before I came here, Miss, I took the liberty of questioning Miss Star,” he said mechanically. “While I personally do not deal with matters regarding the most sensitive of the thaumaturgic division, your case with the Tree is a distinct one.”

Ana began nervously. “I’m, I’m not sure I’m at all qualified to answer your questions. The Colonel, a-and Major need to–”

“Neither I nor Miss Star are here, to their knowledge,” he interjected. “I have little business to conduct with them after my current, rather delicate task has been accomplished, for they lack the subtlety and dagger-precision I need. I prefer methods that do not utilise blunt instruments such as the Afrikaner, nor the so-called Dragons of the East, Miss Bjorgman.” He nodded towards Sparkler. “Your friend here, as well as her father, have thankfully assured me that information of our exchange, before or after the fact, will not be sent to Colonel Marcus Renee or Major Stephan Bauer.”

Cold sweat dripped down past Ana’s brow, and her finger tapping became more pronounced with each passing second. Yet the man did not yield in his gaze, and Ana wasn’t sure if this Englishman would accept amnesia as an excuse.

She felt fur brush against her hand, and there Sparkler was, comforting her with a touch.

“Ana, you can trust him,” Sparkler said. “Dad knows him from way back. Dad and I, we’re not exactly friends with Bauer or the Colonel. He doesn’t like Bauer, for sure. Whatever you say won’t reach their ears, I can assure you.”

And Ana realized how much trust she had placed in the brilliant mare. Finally, she relented.

“Alright, sir.”

Comfortable as this place was, it was still a cell, and Trixie was starting to wonder if she had been placed in a cell for a particular reason. Was the Amulet she’d been trying to seize important to someone? Was it important to these human strangers, maybe? Was that why she was receiving special treatment, because they planned to do something to her, or because at the very least they wanted to speak to her about it?

‘I just wish I knew what they wanted,’ she thought to herself. ‘I can’t stand this waiting!’

She sighed and leant back against her bed. The pillows were fluffy. She snorted. Fluffy pillows. In prison. None of this was making sense. No-one put fluffy pillows in a cell.

Trixie frowned slightly as she heard the sound of hooves tapping against the floor outside. A moment later, the door opened, and Trixie sat herself up. And blinked in shock at the sight of whom stood there.

“Trixie Lulamoon,” Princess Luna said quietly. “It is good to finally meet you.”

“Princess Luna!” Trixie said, stammering, instinctively jumping off her bunk to kowtow to her royal visitor. “Princess. “Trixie, that is, I–”

“Be calm, Miss Lulamoon,” the Princess said quietly. “And please get up. I do not mean to cause you alarm.”

Trixie raised herself, but she felt no less assured, looking at the much taller mare. “Princess, if this is about the artefact–”

“No,” Luna said, cutting her off. “It is not.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Miss Lulamoon, what do you know about magical means of altering a pony’s memories?”

Trixie blinked. ‘Altering a pony’s memories?’ What did that have to do with anything?

“Trixie knows… that is, I know they exist,” she said slowly, fighting the urge to speak in the third person. “I know that, mostly, they’re banned, they’re seen as immoral. But I don’t see…”

She trailed off at the Princess’ grim expression. “What’s happened?”

“Miss Lulamoon,” Luna said slowly, “you believe you were arrested by my Night Guards, brought here to a cell in Canterlot merely for attempting to steal an artefact.” She paused. “That is not the case.”

Trixie blinked, her eyes widening in horror. “I... no, b-but that’s impossible. I don’t remem–” She stopped, rethinking the sentence. “I don’t have any gaps, any signs…”

Luna simply sighed. “Listen carefully, Trixie. We believe that agents of the Solar Empire, the enemies of the human beings whom we have agreed to assist, managed to... alter your mind. You… have been convinced to perform… unpleasant actions.”

Trixie frowned at the description. “Unpleasant… in what way?”

“It would be difficult for you to accept,” Luna said quietly. “For they are actions which resulted in your incarceration, and actions you must be asked to answer for.”

Trixie took a breath. “How bad?”

“Bad enough,” Luna said quietly. “Hence, we believe, why your memory was wiped.” She smiled softly. “However, I believe we may be able to undo the work that has been done to you. We have scheduled an appointment for you to have this damage repaired–”

“What damage? Trixie doesn’t–” Trixie exclaimed, before calming. “I don’t feel damaged.”

“That, I fear, is merely a sign of how skilled the artisan of said damage was,” Luna said. “But rest assured. We shall repair the damage, and you shall know the truth… and be able to answer for it.”

Trixie blinked. “Princess, I… I don’t even remember what I did. How am I supposed to answer for it?”

“Not alone, that much is certain,” Luna said. She gave a small smile. “Do not be afraid, Trixie Lulamoon. Though there must be consequences, you are not alone. We have assigned a Friend to you.”

Somehow, the old-fashioned alicorn made the capital ‘F’ stand out in her pronunciation of ‘friend’, and Trixie, remembering her history, realized what Luna meant.

She swallowed. “A… you mean a Prisoner’s Friend? W-who, may I ask? I hope they are at least competent…”

Luna’s eyes gave a small twinkle. “I am a little rusty, Trixie Lulamoon, but I believe I am, at least, competent.”

Trixie blinked. “Y-you, Princess?”

“Indeed,” Luna said. “I suspect that, whatever has been done to you, it was not entirely of your own volition, and with that in mind, I will ensure you will be treated fairly. Do not be afraid.” She paused. “I… will be here for you. Whatever happens.”

“Th-thank you, Your Highness,” Trixie said slowly. “I am honored.”

Luna inclined her head slightly, almost in respect, before turning and exiting the cell, leaving Trixie alone, suddenly very tired. But her memory felt fine. She couldn’t detect anything that might indicate an irregularity…

‘... “That, I fear, is merely a sign of how skilled the artisan of said damage was”,’ she remembered. ‘The artisan. Makes them sound like a Faust-damned painter.’

“What was it?” she asked the empty cell aloud. “What did I do?” She felt a ghost of a feeling, like something walking over her grave. “What did I do?”

DAY FOUR. NOON.

They had moved the Spy from her glass box on Doctor Bowman’s request. Yet she was strapped to a bed still, and Stephan had been somewhat edgy about having her moved, in case she tried to escape, but for the moment, she seemed to show no sign of stirring. The palace bedroom was somewhat crowded, considering its small size of it. In one corner, watching them like a hawk, was Chrysalis, her eyes flicking from the Spy to Stephan, and then to Marcus and Luna, all of whom were standing near the Spy.

“When’ll he be here?” Stephan asked quietly, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on his beloved.

“I don’t know exactly,” Marcus replied. “But hopefully soon.”

Stephan nodded once, silently cursing the Doctor, all incarnations of him. Marcus sighed and moved a bit closer.

“This is shit,” he said quietly. “I know.”

“But we’re still doing it.”

“Yeah,” Marcus said quietly. He shook his head. “I was up all night, thinking it over. Trying to find another way.”

“Nothing?”

Marcus shook his head. “Nothing. Mirror pool clones, Changeling drones, none of it would feel... right, and we need it to be rock-tight.”

Stephan sighed. “Yeah. I know. Doesn’t mean I like it.”

“Neither do I,” Marcus assured him. “Neither do I.”

They paused, before glancing at Luna. She couldn’t have heard them, but she was looking at them with an odd expression. Stephan brushed it off for the moment. Pleasing as the Night Princess’s attention may be, his whole being was focused elsewhere.

“So,” Chrysalis said. She was addressing him and Marcus. “Where is he? Where is our professed expert, hm?”

“Mister Holmes may have a means of contacting him, Your Majesty,” Stephan replied tersely, “but I am not in possession of any such homing beacon, and for some reason, Holmes felt it more important to saunter off at the drop of a hat this morning. The Doctor will be here soon, however.”

“We made the consequences clear if he didn’t come through for us,” Marcus added grimly.

As he said it, a familiar groaning sound began etching its way into existence, ending in a thump, and the Doctor walked into the room. He looked very tired, like he hadn’t slept a wink. He wore a scruffy t-shirt and hoodie under his old tweed coat, like he couldn’t be bothered with the smarter getup.

“You look like shit,” Stephan commented, trying to lighten the mood.

The Doctor glared at him, but said nothing. He looked back at the unconscious Trixie.

Marcus folded his arms. “Alright, Doc. Stephan said you had something that could do this job.”

“He meant this,” the Doctor said, holding up a small crystal. “An Eponian Apex Crystal. Complicated bit of kit.”

“Will it do the job?” Marcus asked.

“We-e-ell, it couldn’t fix all of the Blue Spy’s problems,” the Doctor said, “but copying her memory is a simpler job, in theory.”

“‘In theory’?” Stephan asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Doctor shrugged. “I don’t exactly make a habit of this, Major.”

“... Wait a minute,” Stephan said, holding up a hand. “Before, when you came to try using that to help Trixie, you said you got that from the future?”

“Yeeees, that is the gist,” the Doctor said, frowning.

“Then why can't you just go back in time?” Stephan demanded, folding his arms in turn. “Maybe stop this from happening?”

The Doctor sighed. “Ah, how best to explain this…”

“It's a good question,” Marcus put in. “Back in your days at R&D, Colonel Hex always said you changed history before. He said he thought you were manipulating events. Colonel Munro backed him on that one.”

“And they were half right,” the Doctor said, slipping the crystal back into his pocket, “but they were also wrong. Without going into technical details, I can't change the history you’re experiencing, and it would be foolish to try.”

“Why?” Marcus asked. “If you’ve done it before?”

The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, so, history can be changed. With precision. I can’t change everything, only things that won’t end up radically messing with things.”

“Such as?” Stephan asked.

“Well, for example, a ship full of relative nobodies - or maybe one mare here or there,” the Doctor said, shrugging. “But even when you change history, you're really just either swapping timelines or creating a new one. That line becomes your present... but no-one else’s. From your various perspectives, I would change nothing. From my perspective, an entirely different Marcus, Stephan, etcetera, would be waiting for me.”

“Then why change anything?” Stephan cried angrily, clenching his fists.

Try and hide it though he might, he was getting sick of it all. Sick of worrying for Trixie, sick of Kraber, sick of Bowman. Almost enough to wish Miss Cutter would actually dig up dirt on the Doctor in her trailing. He felt sick of everything.

“To create a new timeline with better outcomes,” the Doctor shrugged. “And that timeline would likely become the ‘Prime’ of a particular multiversal strand, which makes it the… well, ‘healthiest’, I guess you could say, less likely to disappear up a causal nexus or get swallowed by a crack in time or something catastrophic like that. And ‘Prime’ timelines can sometimes absorb non-Prime timelines, if the differences are minute enough.”

“How can timelines be absorbed if the events are different?” Marcus asked.

“Why do you think two people can sometimes remember things more differently than merely having different perspectives would allow?” the Doctor asked. “Your memories aren’t just at the mercy of your little human brains. They’re at the mercy of time itself.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “That sounds hilarious.”

The Doctor glanced at her, a soft smile on his face. “It’s also the reason you once forgot where you put Cadance’s favourite comb, searched the same spot three times and found nothing, and then found the thing there two days later.”

Chrysalis’ smile dropped. “How do you know about that?”

The Doctor winked at her, before turning back to Stephan and Marcus. “So yes, I can change things. Those changes can even get absorbed back into the flow of the ‘Prime’ timeline. But it’s precision work. Almost like pruning flowers. Except not, because it’s not flowers and I hate gardening.”

Marcus shook his head. “This time travel shit really makes my head hurt.”

“As it is, I met a starship captain who had the same problem. I recommended herbal tea,” the Doctor said sagely, with a look at Stephan.

Marcus nodded with a soft smile. “Yeah, that–” He paused, before shaking his head. “Dammit, Tia.”

The Doctor ignored him. He lifted the crystal back up, frowning at it. “Alright. Chalcedony?”

The crystal began levitating, before floating away from the Doctor, hovering above the ground. A moment later, a light flared, and suddenly a grey unicorn mare was standing there, her expression neutral.

“Chalcedony, online,” she said dully, her voice tinged by something unnatural. “How may I be of assistance, Doctor?”

Marcus stared at her with wide eyes. But Stephan scowled, reminded of an unpleasant memory, and Luna seemed neutral. Chrysalis gave a small, inscrutable smile.

“The hell is that, Bowman?” Marcus asked.

“This is an Apex Crystal,” the Doctor repeated. “Depending on what words you want to approximate the concept with, it’s basically a really, really, advanced computer. One that has an intelligence.” He paused. “I custom-wrote Chalcedony, based on… a friend.”

“How may I be of assistance, Doctor?” the mare asked again.

“You’ll need to make contact with the blue mare in the bed, and copy down memories of the last seven days for perusal and rework,” he said to her. “This is a mission of extreme delicacy. No damage to her memories. They want her to be the same as she was before you copied her memory. Also, erase her memory of your incursion.”

“Noted,” the mare said, turning to look at the unconscious Trixie. There was another flash, and the crystal had floated over to Trixie’s head.

“Not to be pushy, but a lot is riding on this, Bowman,” Stephan muttered.

Chrysalis looked as if there were half-a-dozen dirty, or otherwise inappropriate jokes she wanted to make following the recent developments, but if so, she kept unusually quiet. She was busy observing, fascinated, the business between crystal and mare on the bed.

Regardless, The Doctor threw a sideways glance at him. “Oh, please. I know the stakes. You can hold a gun to my head, if it makes you feel better.”

“Gentlemen,” Luna said in a warning tone, taking note, as Stephan had, of Marcus’s rather thoughtful look, him no doubt actually contemplating the idea. “Remember that we are all on the same side, and want the same things.”

The Doctor snorted, but said nothing else. He looked at the crystal that was sitting on Trixie’s head with a worried expression.

“Now what?” Marcus asked.

“We wait,” the Doctor said quietly. “This is delicate business, Colonel.”

“Waiting,” Marcus said. “I hate waiting.”

Usually, Stephan wouldn’t have shared his friend’s impatience. But now, eternity stretched before them. And at the same time, everything about the future felt as though it approached with inexorable, relentless finality.

Trixie Lulamoon, the real Trixie, opened her eyes, and found herself lying, staring up at a white expanse of nothing. She frowned. The last thing she remembered was… what was the last thing she remembered? She wasn’t actually sure. Something about Ponyville, and...

Imagine you are the Blue Spy.

She shook her head, trying to clear it. Her mind was fuzzy. She didn't clearly remember everything. It was like there was a wall of some kind, blocking total recall out…

“Where am I?” she asked. “Where is this place?”

“Technically, this is not a place,” an unfamiliar, feminine voice replied.

Trixie sat up, finding herself in the company of a sad, grey unicorn mare with an equally grey mane and eyes. An individual whom Trixie recognized from one of her intel files.

“... Chalcedony?” she asked.

“You do not know me,” the mare replied blandly. “I am an Actualised Intelligence construct designed to match the late Chalcedony’s physical parameters. An atonement.”

“What, for your whole ‘Equestrians for Humanity’s Survival’ crap?” Trixie asked, frowning.

“No,” the mare said shortly.

She raised a hoof, and a translucent screen appeared in midair, showing an image of the Everfree Forest. It appeared to be from someone’s point of view.

‘My point of view,’ Trixie realised with wide eyes.

“What’s going on?” she asked aloud.

“Your memories are required,” the construct of Chalcedony said, blandly. “To this end I have partitioned your memories from your conscious mind.”

“‘Partitioned’…” Trixie repeated. “Why?”

“Your mind would attempt resistance,” the construct said. “This option negates that possibility. Your conscious mind is partitioned. Access to your memories and alternative personalities is restricted or limited. This is only a temporary effect.”

Trixie shook her head, feeling a little lost. “What are you doing to my mind?”

“Perusing the contents of your memories,” the construct said. “Once a complete ‘photocopy’ has been catalogued we shall terminate this conversation. And I will erase any recursive memory of our discourse.”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “You can’t do that.”

“Incorrect,” the construct said. “Morally, the question is irrelevant. As a matter of practicality, I am more than...”

Trixie roared suddenly, charging at the mare, only to bounce off of an invisible wall that lay between them, solid as rock.

“That was futile,” the construct said. “Our interaction is limited to discourse. Your perception of mobility is a concession to your personal comfort. You cannot touch me.”

“If I ever see you in real life, I’ll murder you!” Trixie yelled.

“Unlikely on both counts.”

DAY FOUR. AFTERNOON.

The Doctor hadn’t said a word for two hours, his arms folded as he observed the unconscious mare and the little crystal he had sent to work. Chrysalis had her eyes focused firmly on the mare, a frown on her face as she looked at the crystal, which seemed to pulse faintly as it performed its job.Meanwhile, Stephan was sitting, hands clasped, still as a statue, watching his lover as her eyes darted back and forth beneath their lids.

“Is it some kind of REM state?” he asked softly.

“Don’t know how to couch it in ways you’d understand,” the Doctor replied shortly. “But call it a REM state if that makes it easier.”

“Great, thanks,” Stephan muttered.

Marcus walked up to the Doctor, before leaning by his ear.

“Do you think you can maybe go a bit easier on him?” he said quietly. “After all, this is the mare he loves.”

The Doctor glanced sidelong at Marcus. “Being repeatedly insulted and having my friends threatened with death does not put me in a mood to maintain my bedside manner, Colonel.”

“Look, I know I’m not your favorite person right now, but this was better than our plan B,” Marcus hissed. “Which was finding and killing a conveniently baby-blue scapegoat, Doctor.”

The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up. “So a heinous act can be forgiven as an alternative to a truly appalling one. Duly noted.”

“Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones,” Marcus said, “but you still have to choose.”

The Doctor’s eyebrows settled into a perturbed frown. “Ah, that old chestnut. I remember.” He paused. “For what it’s worth, Colonel Renee, I do understand that none of this is easy for you, whether I agree with your choices or not.” He snorted. “I suspect that had your mind and body not undergone the changes they had, you would have broken down by now.”

Marcus crossed his arms. “‘Mind and body changes’, huh? What do you know about those?”

The Doctor shrugged. “Nothing more than the things in ancient records, but they had some fascinating stories.” He sighed. “In any case. Chalcedony should be done soon.”

“And then you can transfer these memories to our world’s Trixie?” Luna asked, speaking for the first time in hours.

“Not as they are,” the Doctor said, frowning thoughtfully. “I’ll be perusing them and setting them for alteration after our time here. We’ll need to make sure they mesh with the other Trixie. The process of altering her memories will be a complex one.”

“But it can be done?” Luna asked again.

“You’ve spoken to her already,” the Doctor said. “If you can convince her that her memories were tampered with, plant the seed of validity for new ones, they’re less likely to be rejected.” He sighed. “Tell me, have you given much thought to what happens to her afterwards?”

Marcus and Stephan exchanged glances.

“Uh, no,” Stephan said, frowning somewhat at the lack of forethought on his part.

“Given that she is a subject of my sister and I, her care would fall unto the royalty.” Luna stepped forward, her face showing nothing but determination as she looked to the suffering patient on the bed. “I’d rather have no more bloodshed. There have already been too many losses, and we’ve yet to even reach the field of battle.”

“I see,” the Doctor said, but he did not elaborate, his face clouded in thought.

“You don’t approve,” Luna pointed out, looking at the Doctor.

“As has been made clear to me, Your Highness, my personal approval is irrelevant,” the Doctor shrugged. “I suspect you can do whatever you like to make her comfortable, but it will not change what happens, what you are doing.”

“Perhaps,” Luna agreed. “But if we are asking an unknowing sacrifice of her, we shall honor it, even if we cannot tell her that.”

The Doctor nodded, though his expression did not change.

“So,” Trixie said, still staring at the fast-paced slideshow of images. “Chalcedony, why do you want my memories?”

“I do not ‘want’ them,” the construct said, almost haughtily, as though the very concept of ‘wanting’ something was mildly offensive. “I have been ordered to retrieve them.”

“By whom?”

“That data is not relevant,” the not-Chalcedony said.

“Yeah, well, I’m curious,” Trixie said. “You want them for some reason... so what...”

She paused, her eyes widening.

“You’re giving them to another,” she whispered.

“I am not aware of any intentions in that regard,” the construct said.

“I don’t remember,” Trixie whispered. “What did I do? Did something happen to me?”

The construct paused. “That information is not relevant.”

“It's relevant to me!” Trixie yelled. “What happened to me?! Why do you or whoever sent you need my memories?!”

The construct said nothing.

“What did I do?” Trixie whispered again, before her eyes went to the translucent screen… just in time to see a fuchsia mare, Cheerilee, staring at her in horror, and the sight of red blood. “What did I do?!”

“That information is not relevant,” the construct said blandly. “If it is any comfort to you, I beliveve that Princess Luna and your Major Bauer will come to rescue you soon. Until then, this is your consignment.” She paused. “Data copy compete. Wiping interaction.”

There was a sudden flash of light, and Trixie knew no more.

The crystal suddenly glowed slightly. The Doctor straightened.

“Is that it?” Stephan asked, looking between the crystal and the Time Lord. “Is it done?”

The crystal floated away from Trixie for a moment, and then with another flash of light the grey mare was standing there.

“Chalcedony,” the Doctor said softly. “Report?”

“Incursion complete,” the mare said blandly. “The subject is undamaged. All trace of incursion wiped.”

“Oh, thank God,” Stephan muttered. He leant over Trixie for a moment, pressing his hand to her forehooves. “We’ll get back to you soon, Liebchen.”

“So, you've got what you need, right?” Marcus asked the Doctor.

“Potentially,” the Doctor said. “Chalcedony: log off.”

The mare nodded as she disappeared, and the crystal floated back to the Doctor’s hand, where he pocketed it. He closed his eyes.

“You okay?” Marcus asked.

The Doctor’s eyes opened, and he glared at Marcus again. “What do you care?”

Marcus straightened, looking unusually stung by the remark. “We need you.”

“I know,” the Doctor replied. “I’m starting to really wish you didn’t, any of you.” He paused. “I’ll return to my ship, work this stuff through. I trust you’ll be alright with it taking a day?”

“As long as it takes no longer than that,” Luna put in. “The sooner it is done the better. I promised Fancypants we would have a press conference in three days hence to reveal the truth of our ‘investigation into Ponyville’.”

“The ‘truth’,” the Doctor repeated. “Well, then. I’d better go make the truth for you.”

The Doctor said nothing else. He turned and walked out the room, his expression unreadable.

Luna stared after the door he’d left through. “Is he reliable?”

“We have leverage,” Marcus said. “And Holmes believes we have the Doctor’s cooperation.”

“He neither likes nor respects any of you,” Luna pointed out. “Even the blind could see that.”

“And yet he will do the task we ask,” Marcus assured her.

“You’d better know what you’re doing, Holmes,” Stephan said to no-one in particular. “I don’t like any of this.”

“There is little to ‘like’, Major Bauer, though you’ve convinced yourselves that all is necessary,” Chrysalis told him. It was the first thing he’d heard her say in hours. She paused. “Yet don’t blame the Umbrella Man for all your woes. I suggested a body, and when that fell through, it’s Moonbutt who saw fit to doom another Trixie by bringing up her name.”

“I shall never know why I chose so,” Luna said regretfully. “It would be right that Miss Lulamoon carry out a sentence for her infraction, yet in no way can what we are doing be called a fair, just sentence, by any law... Yet there was a saying in the old days. Given the odd overlap between many of our languages, you may be familiar with its meaning. Inter arma enim silent leges.”

Marcus snorted as the Lunar Princess now walked towards the exit without another word.

‘In times of war the law falls silent,’ Stephan thought grimly. ‘Small comfort.’

“What the hell are we doing, Marcus?” he asked quietly. “This all feels so fucking… zwielichtig.”

“I know what you mean,” Marcus said quietly. He shook his head. “It’ll all be worth it, Stephan, I promise.”

‘Goddamn it, but it had better be fucking worth it.’

The Doctor – oh, how he now hated the name ‘Doctor Bowman’ and all it had come to represent about him – walked down the corridor towards the little blue box. Nopony seemed to have noticed it, was it just that they were used to the unusual? Celestia had been quite the eccentric when he had known her, but… no. That had been very long ago, a different Celestia. He approached the box and gently opened the door. The dark console room greeted him with the twinkling lights of the console, the soft hum of the time engines at rest, and an indescribable feeling of being home. He had the urge to hug something.

‘I should never have come back,’ part of him thought.. ‘But I did, and it was still the right thing to do. It has to have been.’

He went to the control console, pressing a few controls and turning a few dials, before sighing. He heard a small beep. He blinked in mild surprise as he went to a hatstand in the corner and took a small phone from one of the coats.

One new message, it blinked at him.

“Huh,” he grunted.

My dear Doctor Bowman, read the newest message in his long-disused PHL email inbox. Once you are quite done attending to the matter of the Blue Spy, I’d like you to do a small favour for me–

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “And I’d like to have my own personal tailor, a few people back from the grave and a more consistently functioning set of navigational controls on the TARDIS, but I guess we all live in false hope, Mikey.”

I assure you, this is nothing untoward, continued the message, as if somehow anticipating his objection. I merely wish you to examine a patient, of sorts. Meet me at Canterlot Central Hospital, Unusual Cases Ward, Room 231.

The Doctor sighed again. “Ready when you are, mate.”

After switching off the inbox, he pulled out the small Apex Crystal from his pocket and placed it on the console, and a moment later it began softly glowing.

“Alright, Chalcedony, let’s look through this,” he said quietly. “Fast playback, main screen.”

He turned to look at the screen, his eyes narrowing as a series of images began playing, faster than human eyes could have comprehended. His mouth thinned as he watched, but never did he turn away, even as an innocent met her sad fate because of the Spy.

When it was over, the Doctor turned around.

“Interface,” he said. A moment later, the grey mare stood by the console, looking at him with a frown that might have been concern.

“Doctor, are you alright?” she asked, her bland voice belying the words.

“Fine,” he said simply. “just… I don’t want to remember seeing that. I can’t imagine how the Downtime Trixie Lulamoon is going to react to actually thinking it was she. Besides, I knew her once, in another world. I don’t like the idea of doing this to her.” He took a breath. “But… that’s what we’ve been… asked to do.” He sighed. “There’ll need to be a lot of reworking, especially considering the fact it needs to fit with the subject’s own memory–”

“Doctor,” the not-Chalcedony said. “I have been programmed to assess your mental health as part of my role as your Actualised Assistant. You seem distressed.”

The Doctor smirked. “How thoughtful of you.” He paused. “I am distressed. I… I don’t do this. Don’t do these sorts of things. Not anymore.”

“What course of action would you like to take?” the not-Chalcedony asked.

“What would I like to do, y’mean?” the Doctor asked. He frowned slightly. “I don’t know. Go to Space Bermuda for a week, sunbathe and forget this nonsense ever happened?”

“This is a time machine,” the construct reminded him.

“I don’t like cheating too much,” the Doctor said. “I’ve already broken more rules in three relative years than I have in three thousand.”

“Nonetheless, a period of relaxation might be in order,” the not-Chalcedony suggested.

The Doctor smiled. “For an AI, you’re remarkably persistent.”

“I was programmed to be persistent,” the construct remarked.

He nodded, a slow smile appearing on his face. “As it happens, I do have one idea. Little bit of a cheat… but I suppose checking what the history books say never hurt.”

The Doctor flicked a switch, moved to the typewriter, input a series of coordinates, and set the TARDIS in motion...

There was a certain charm in rereading a book, over and over again. A flow of sorts, if Ana were to describe the sentiment. Unfortunately, her latest read-through of The Little Prince was occasionally interrupted by the coughing of the only other person in the room. The peculiar Englishman with the umbrella. It wasn’t only that, either. From glances here and there, the man came across as someone who possessed quite the intelligence, and knew it. His gaze confirmed as much when Ana caught him scrutinizing her for the umpteenth time.

He had said something earlier about calling in a specialist in ‘unusual things’ to examine her, and that they would be arriving shortly. That had been at least two hours ago, and he had only grown more visibly impatient as time went on. Suddenly, from somewhere outside the room, there reverberated a noise, a distant rumbling, ringing noise, one very familiar to Ana.

She started. ‘But that’s–’

A moment later, a new man walked into the room, a slight frown on his face. He was young, somewhere in his late twenties, perhaps, with red hair cut reasonably neatly. He wore a tweed coat over a mothworn green jumper and brown corduroy trousers.

The Englishman frowned at him as he entered.

“You’re late, Doctor.”

The man, surely no lowercase-D doctor, smiled thinly. “Traffic was murder.” He looked at Ana. “This is the patient you wanted me to examine?”

The Englishman glanced at Ana with that icy gaze of his.

“Yes, obviously,” he said, shortly. “Doctor, would you kindly…?”

“Yes, yes, ‘get on with it’, I get it, Mikey,” the redhead said irritably. He walked up to Ana’s bed, frowning at her. “What happened to her, anyway?”

“I touched a tree,” Ana blurted out, quickly, simply.

The redhead blinked. “You touched… a tree.”

“Well, in my defense,” Ana continued, ignoring the dark look from ‘Mikey’ “It wasn’t exactly an ordinary tree, or ordinary anything, really. It’s hard to explain, so, um, bear with me?”

The redhead motioned for Ana to continue. His expression had softened from disbelief to something resembling curiosity.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve got all the time in the universe.”

“Right… right,” Ana inhaled. “It’s… old. Really old, I mean. an ancient tree, white and glimmering. You, you could tell it’s old just by… feeling it, or even just looking at it. I sound ridiculous, don’t I?”

The redhead shook his head, eyes narrowed. “Not at all. It sounds like you encountered the Tree of Harmony.”

“The ‘Tree of Harmony’?” the Englishman repeated with a frown.

“Short story, magical tree of magical magicness,” the redhead said. “Longer story, technical source of Harmony with a capital ‘H’ in Equestria. Thing’s a great big source of ‘Big Good’. Generally powerful magical… thing, and sometimes alive, depending on which version you look at. The version on this world serves as much as an epitaph as anything else. Or a legacy.” He turned back to Ana. “I never caught your name, by the way.”

Ana smiled. “To be fair, I never caught yours, Doctor…?”

“Just Doctor,” the redhead said. “Or ‘the’ Doctor. Definite article. I had a real name... but it’s long and very boring. I go by ‘Richard Bowman’ sometimes, but given certain individuals…” Here he glared at the Englishman, “I’d rather not go with that one if it can be helped.”

“The Doctor is here at my personal request,” the Englishman said stiffly.

“I’m here because Mikey threatened my friends,” the Doctor clarified, smiling sardonically. “But, hey ho, that’s probably the least unpleasant thing I’ve encountered over the last few days, so, Miss…”

“Ana Bjorgman.”

“... Bjorgman.” The Doctor smiled. “Let us have that examination.” He turned to look at ‘Mikey’. “In private.”

“Doctor,” the Englishman said, “I really think–”

“Ever heard of ‘doctor-patient confidentiality’?” the Doctor asked. “Trust me, it’s awesome. Don’t get your starched underwear in a twist, Mikey, I’ll let you know if there’s anything you need to worry about. Unless of course you don’t want me around?”

The Englishman sniffed. “Very well, it seems you leave me little option, Bowman.” He inclined his head. “Miss Bjorgman.”

He turned to leave, and the Doctor sighed in relief.

“Phew, thought he’d never go,” he said. He took a small silver device, not unlike a penlight, from his jacket pocket. “Now then, Miss Bjorgman…”

“Are you the Doctor?” Ana blurted out.

The Doctor blinked. “Pardon?”

“Sorry, that came out faster than intended,” she said sheepishly. “But, I know Sparkler, and I’ve met her Dad–”

“Oh, right!” the redhead said, smiling. “Uh, no, I’m not him. Technically, I used to be ‘somepony’ very, very similar to him. Used to be a bit of a big secret, it did, but the cat’s out of the bag now, he knows.”

“Oh, cool,” Ana said, smiling. “Harwood made me watch Doctor Who... once…”

“What?” the Doctor asked, concerned by the sudden worried expression on her face.

“Well, I never saw too much of it,” Ana explained, “but if he’s here, and you’re here, then isn’t that bad?”

“Oh, no,” he said with a smile. “Different timelines. He’s never going to become me. When I was him, I never married Derpy Doo, and Dinky wasn’t my child, and Amethyst Star had literally nothing to do with them.”

“Wow,” Ana said, blinking at that last one. “That sounds… strange.”

“Imagine how I feel,” the Doctor said with a snort. “I come here, and the version of pony me running around is married. As in, married. To a missus and everything. Not something I’d have expected.” He paused. “Anyway, I believe I have a job to do.”

“Oh, right, right,” Ana replied hurriedly. “Where do we begin, Doctor?”

The Doctor ran his penlight over her, before glaring at it. “Huh. Let’s start with the other brain pattern that keeps popping up in your head, shall we?”

“O-other brain pattern?”

The Doctor smiled. “Yup. Faint reading, but definitely there. Or didn’t you know?”

‘Oh. Well then.’

“Shh.” Ana whispered out.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Nothing rea– just, just carry on.”

The Doctor frowned. “Hm. Y’know, if the is another brain pattern in there, it could very well be malignant. I could–”

“I’m sure it’s fine!” Ana said, her haste betraying her.

The Doctor smirked. “Well, if you’re sure.” He glanced at his device. “Well, apart from that, you’ve just had a bit of what I suppose you could call a thaumic shock.”

“A thaumic shock?” Ana repeated. “What does that mean?”

“Uh, think static electricity, but bigger and thaumaturgical in nature,” the Doctor explained. “Must have been when you touched the tree. What made you decide that touching the blasted thing was a good idea?”

“Well, ‘I don’t know’ wouldn’t be a good enough answer, I think,” Ana said. “But… well, I really, really don’t know what pushed me there, to do it and all.”

“Does the voice inside have anything to do with it?” the Doctor asked.

“Uh… would ‘no, ish’ be good enough?” Ana asked with a slight shrug. “I can’t say I fully understand it myself.”

“And why wouldn’t you?”

“Because it’s on her, really.”

“Her being…”

“The ‘other brain pattern’, I guess. Never thought of it like that.”

“No,” the Doctor said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose you wouldn’t.”

There was a pause. Ana idly wondered which Doctor he was, with the eccentric behavior par for the course when one spoke with the Doctor himself. He did come across as slightly weary, compared to Amethyst’s ‘father’. Jaded, maybe even fatigued, but very much ‘the Doctor’.

“Curious as to what Mikey was worried about,” the Doctor said after a moment

“Well,” Ana replied, “he does seem like someone who’d be worried about anything.”

“Hmph,” the Doctor said, his tone turning bitter. “That’s one way to put it. I’d put it that he’s a politician. Willing to do anything and everything he can to get what he thinks is the best option, whether he tramples on anyone’s toes or not.”

Ana blinked at the tirade. The Doctor turned away from her, tapping his sonic screwdriver with one knuckle and frowning at it, as though expecting it to tell him something more.

“Um, Doctor,” she began slowly. “If… if you don’t mind me asking…” He glanced at her, and she gulped. “What… what did he do?”

“To me?” the Doctor asked. “Threatened me, mainly. And my friends, which is basically the same thing.”

“But… why?”

“Why?”

“Well, he…” Ana paused, thinking her next words over carefully. “He doesn’t come across as a man who does things for no reason.”

The Doctor snorted. “Oh, he had a reason, alright. Not a very good reason, but a reason.”

There was a pause. He blinked at the expectant look on her face. “Oh,” he said, “you wanted me to tell you.”

“If… if that’s alright.”

He smirked. “Well, I don’t care much about keeping his secrets right now. Just don’t spread this around, please.”

She nodded once.

“Basically, he wants me to do something abhorrent,” the Doctor said slowly. He frowned, as though deep in thought. “It… he… a question, for you.”

“Oh?” Ana asked, taken aback.

“Do you think a bad deed can have a good outcome?” the Doctor asked. “Do you think it would be worth it, even if it did?”

And Ana found herself back in that one, dark corner of her mind.

If she were to have taken the shot early, would it make a difference? If she had never taken up that unblinking, polymer-hoofed mare’s offer in Indonesia, what good would she have done? And where would she be now, if she had never accepted a shady smuggler’s work offer, all those years ago in Russia?

“Well,” she finally replied. “It… wouldn’t be too obvious, without, without the benefit of… hindsight, as it were. I mean… we, we all have, well, one or two mistakes or, wrong turns, in our pasts, of course.”

“Some of us more than one,” the Doctor said quietly. “Alright, how’s this for a question. Imagine you’re doing something bad. Now, imagine you have a time machine, and you go to the future to see just what happens, and it’s even worse than you imagined. The ‘good’ thing you wanted to happen, happens, but there are prices to pay that none of the people asking you to do the bad thing anticipated, or if they did, they didn’t try hard enough to prevent it. Now the question stands, are the bad deed, and that ‘good’ outcome, really worth it?”

Ana frowned, feeling a weight on her head. “Does this… does this have to do with Ponyville?”

“Perhaps,” the Doctor said. “I can’t really talk about it, of course.”

It all came back to the shot. Her call to make, how one mistake led to another. But was it a mistake? Was it not?

“Difficult, isn’t it?” he asked with a sympathetic smile. “Fortunately, it’s my problem to deal with. Too much foreknowledge’s a terrible thing. I should really give it up.”

Ana inclined her head, not entirely sure of her own response.

“Now here’s a final question, Miss Bjorgman,  the trickiest of all,” the Doctor said. He sighed. “I know one person will suffer terribly for what happens. I’m not talking about probabilities here, I know what is going to happen to them. I’ve seen it. I can try to save them, but it’s risky. A lot at stake.”

“Like… what?” Ana said quietly.

The Doctor sighed. “My friends. If I don’t do as I’m asked, Mikey’s made certain aspersions, and I believe he’d follow through.”

Ana blinked, surprised at that. For a moment, there was a silence, as she thought about what he had said.

“I… well, I don’t know you very well,” she said. “But I wouldn’t think you were the type to give in to threats.”

“Normally, I’m not,” the Doctor said with a sigh.

“Then what’s different?”

He paused for a moment, as though trying to find an answer, then he shrugged.

“By the way,” he said, “have you ever heard a song in Simlish?”

“In what?” Ana asked, bemused by the sudden non-sequitur.

“Simlish. language the Sims use. I can’t stop listening to them. It’s so weird when the TARDIS tries to translate it.” The Doctor chuckled. “Sorry. That just occurred to me.”

“Well, I might have, but it’s been a long time since anyone’s played the Sims…”

“Ah, quite,” the Doctor smiled. “Well.”

“Look, Doctor,” Ana said, frowning slightly. “I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about but… do what’s right. That’s important, isn’t it?”

The Doctor took a deep breath. “It is. It always is.” He paused. “Alright, Miss Bjorgman. You seem fit as a fiddle, thaumic shock notwithstanding. Have a day more in bed, and.. Oh...” He pulled out a small metal case out and passed it to her, winking. “Take two of these and call me in the morning.”

He stood up to walked out, closing the door behind him. “Oi, Mikey…!”

“Well, Bowman,” she heard the voice of ‘Mikey’ say from outside. “I trust all went well?”

“As well as anything’s well these days,” the Doctor said shortly. A pause, yet as Ana strained her ears, she caught the sound of him rustling around his pockets. “All on this beauty… and, no, Mikey. You’re not having it.”

“‘No’?” the Englishman repeated, barely audible over the sound of footsteps, with both men wandering ever farther off. Yet Ana managed to get the Doctor’s last few words.

“The crystal,” he said. “Apart from what Colonel Renee said, there’s also the fact I custom wrote this AI, modeled after someone dear to me. She’s essentially a living being. I’m not giving her to you to dissect...”

The reply of the strange Englishman with the umbrella was lost to her. Shaking her head, Ana chose to put it out of her mind for now, focusing on the metal case before her. Hesitating, her  memory still fresh from the last time she’d touched something unknown, she lifted the lid. Inside were… sweets?

There was also a small note, written on a card adorned by a question mark.

It’s the simple things in life you miss the most when they go.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Ana said aloud, smiling. She took one of the sweets and bit into it. Relishing its succulent taste, she decided to lay back and relax, maybe have another.

‘It’s the simple things.’ She nodded. ‘I can definitely get behind that.’

“I know she’s not the same as the one you love,” Chrysalis said. “Yet even I would find it hard to believe that after seeing what our enemy forced your girlfriend to do, Bauer, you can just sit there and watch as we make another Trixie Lulamoon pay for it.”

Stephan ignored the comment, keeping his arms folded as he observed the unconscious Spy. The three of them were the only ones left here.

“Silent treatment?” the Changeling Queen asked, snorting in amusement. “That’s hardly a mature attitude.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Stephan asked suddenly, sounding more than a little angry.

“‘Enjoying’?” she repeated. “Why yes, I suppose in some ways I am.” She chuckled. “After all, it’s not every day one gets to witness an absolutely masterful ploy such as this. I could learn a thing or two.”

“You might think this is fun, Chrysalis,” Stephan said, scowling at her, “but I don’t.”

“No,” the Changeling Queen said with a smile. “And that’s the most ironic thing about you humans yet. You’re willing to do such things, willing to lie, to cheat, use others to take the blame for your actions… and yet you’re so dour about it all. No sense of playfulness. So talented at what you do, while hating the fact that you do it.”

Stephan’s scowl deepened, but he kept silent. If only she knew how wrong she was about certain people he’d rather not name.

“I mean, look at this situation,” Chrysalis said. “You accept that you need to do this to the Blue Spy’s oh-so-innocent counterpart, and yet here you are, brooding about it. It’s really quite hilari–”

“Shut up,” Stephan snapped. “I’m not interested in your sniping, your barbs, or your cleverness. Yes. I hate this. Would it make more sense for me to enjoy it? Would you prefer it if I had a laugh about what we’re doing? Would that make it easier for you?”

“Easier? For me? No,” Chrysalis said, unruffled. “But still. If you hate this so much...”

“If I hate this so much, why am I letting it happen?” Stephan finished. “You could ask any of us the same question. I dare say you’re the only one getting any enjoyment out of this.” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “Though I will remind you, Chrysalis. You were the one who suggested giving the other Trixie the Spy’s memories.”

“Well, yes,” Chrysalis admitted. “And it makes wonderful sense. But I neither love her nor particularly care what happens to her, whereas you apparently do both.”

“I do,” Stephan admitted. He glared at her. “And you’re right. This entire thing is scheisse. But we do it anyway.”

“Why?” she asked, still smiling.

He looked away from her. “Because it means someone else doesn’t have to.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Well, we should hope that this mythical ‘someone else’ appreciates it. Otherwise this would all be rather pointless, wouldn’t you say?”

He said nothing.

Luna approached Celestia, who was staring out of a window in the empty corridor. The Sun Princess had her back to her sister, but Luna could catch a glimpse of her expression reflected in the window. Melancholy, regret, concern.

“Well?” Celestia asked quietly.

“The seeds of doubt are planted,” Luna said, dolefully as ever. She stepped up to stand next to Celestia, looking out of the window with her. “I do not doubt she at least partially believes me, even if she senses nothing wrong with her memories.”

“Of course,” Celestia said quietly. “I have told Fancy that the PHL will give a press conference with the perpetrator. He is making preparations.”

“He believed us, then,” Luna noted with a frown.

“I hardly expected another course,” Celestia said quietly. “Who would disbelieve us?”

Luna glanced at her sister, to see her face had grown dour.  “Tia,” she said softly. “if you do not believe this is the right course-”

“I don’t,” Celestia hissed. “This is such… the words fail me...”

“It is Discord-work,” Luna finished for her. “Warping the minds of people to our own ends.”

Celestia nodded, her expression hardening. “And we agreed.”

Luna took a breath. “We could still stop it. Could speak with Marcus, this Mister Holmes, come to some alternative arrangement…”

“Could we?” Celestia asked. “Now we are so committed?”

“Yes!” Luna hissed softly. “Why not? Why could we not? Neither of us likes this, Tia, not me, not you, not Stephan. Even Marcus hates it, you must sense that, too.”

“Oh, yes,” Celestia said with a mirthless smile. “His expression is quite plain, much as he believes himself the picture of stoicism. He hates this as much as we do. Hell,” she added, her voice taking on a strange timbre, “even Holmes has a fucki-”

She caught herself, closed her eyes, and Luna’s frown deepened.

“Sister?” she asked softly. “Are you alright? That… did not sound like you.”

“Marcus’ memories have left their indelible mark,” was all Celestia said, by way of explanation. She opened her eyes again. “There is not one amongst us who believes this is a good option, Luna. That was never the question. The question is, do we believe we have another?”

“The truth?” Luna asked.

“No,” Celestia said. “No, not this time. Sometimes, the truth is not good enough.”

Luna’s expression turned icy. “So when did lying to our subjects become something we were comfortable with?”

“I am not comfortable,” Celestia hissed, rounding on her so fast that Luna actually took a step back from her sister. “Nothing about this makes me comfortable, or happy, or satisfied.”

“Then why are we doing it?” Luna asked. “Do we really trust our subjects so little?”

Her sister sighed, turning away from her. “It’s… not about trust.”

“Oh, it is,” Luna said, scowling. “Celestia, when did we stop trusting our subjects?”

Celestia gave her a look, full of sorrow and anger all at once. Then she sighed. “When we learned that, even on this world, some would rather support the genocide of an entire species than defy tyranny. Our little ponies, Luna. Not strangers with their faces from another world. Our. Ponies.”

Luna blinked. “Tia… you do not believe that. This isn’t the real reason. You, out of all of us, would know ponies aren’t perfect. Many of them are just scared. They do not understand. They have not seen the world Tirek has created, not like we have.”

“Except they have,” Celestia said heavily. “By proxy, anyway. In the month of my absence, what did we allow the PHL to do, if not hammer the same lesson into them, over and over, that Equestria’s great enterprise of Harmony is doomed to fall into corruption, unless, if we truly want peace, we must prepare for war?”

“We’ve seen war before,” Luna reminded her sister. “Together, we shouldered this burden for hundreds of years, keeping the nameless things that gnaw at this world at bay, so that our people would not let deepest fear cloud their vision, and focus their attentions on what truly matters… each other. But if we no longer trust them, what was the good of it?”

Her head began to sag, suddenly tied down by invisible weights. She straightened up again, however, as she felt Celestia droop a comforting wing over her shoulders.

“Little Moon,” Celestia said with a sad smile. “You know how, out of all the mistakes I’ve made, my greatest regret is my failure to sense your loneliness, a long time ago. How I remember, it is not anger which drove you at first, even as you refused to wrap up the night.”

As, slowly, she nodded, Luna had to hold back tears. “And I’m still… sorry for the pain I’ve caused you, big sister. I thought, if only they could stay and see how beautiful my night was, they’d like me. Instead, they grew afraid, and I grew angry.”

“And so you declared war on the day,” Celestia said simply.

Luna flinched, but did not rebuke. Hard as they were to hear, her sister’s words spoke truth.

“Yes,” she said. “A brief, bitter war… upon you. Wearing a monster’s face, but deep inside, it was just me... sad, and angry, and vengeful. How you could trust me afterwards, I don’t think I’ll ever understand.”

Celestia nuzzled her forehead. “You’re my sister, Luna. Always. The same sister who let dark forces take her, whom I believed that, on a night when six of our subjects had rekindled a friendship like the one I let slip away from us, would embrace its spark, because this is what Princess Luna truly wanted.” She exhaled, blowing softly on the strands of Luna’s starlit mane. “Nightmare Moon was just a bad dream. Inside, you were always you.”

Luna slowly shook her head, in regret, not denial. “What are you trying to say?”

Celestia sighed. “Maybe this is how to make our subjects truly understand,” she said sadly. “Make them see. They’ve been shown images, heard the stories, but it’s as if they weren’t hearing about ponies at all, merely another monster, which happens to wear ponies’ faces.”

“But that’s just what this is,” Luna said, pulling away from her sister. “Tirek, his claws around many of our people and the converted humans alike, like a puppeteer pulling strings. The Tyrant has less to do with you than Nightmare Moon did with me, Tia.”

“Yes… Except they do not know of Tirek. Nor of what humans are capable even without him.”

And at last, true understanding struck Luna. “Madame Heartstrings… her secret... this is exactly like that, isn’t it? What you mean when you say the truth isn’t good enough. You believe, for now, it is lying which shall elevate us.”

“Nearly,” Celestia said. “Or close enough. Our people won’t go into war knowing those they fight are, essentially, them, twisted out of shape by the Centaur. All they see, all they’ve been taught to see, are creatures who look like ponies yet act like the worst Tartarus has to offer. And I don’t mean the Newfoals.”

“But the humans…” Luna began slowly.

“... have, from the start, not been fully honest,” Celestia acquiesced. “Why should they be? They need us. And if the Tyrant comes here, we shall need them. It’s the reason we cannot admit that what Miss Lulamoon did was, beneath the subtle manipulation, a product of human warcraft.”

Luna stared out the window. “So… is this it?” she asked, glancing at a line of dust on the sill. “To deny this hooded mare her victory, we sacrifice one more of our people for humanity’s sins. When I mentioned we had another Miss Lulamoon in custody, is that why you allowed me to continue speaking?”

Celestia sounded grim. “Do you remember what we each said that day, before we learnt of the terrible news, after we’d presented Sir Fancy anew with the keys of power?”

Closing her eyes, Luna nodded. “My words were, ‘Humanity’s wrath today shall be the vanguard of this lesson. It is time that our ponies learn we shall not always be around to stem the punishment which their faults bring upon them. A simple smile cannot make all of the Nightmares go away’.”

Though Celestia chuckled, there was no humor in it.

“You do love grandiosity, dear sister,” she said. “I must admit, it’s most easy to get caught up in your passions. I was scarcely better. In declaring Equestria needed to forfeit its arrogance, I saw too much of this dark Empire we’re confronted with, and not enough of the quiet, peaceful nation we’ve truly been for centuries... Yes, Luna. To preserve humanity’s image as righteous victims in this war, we must make our people see that the evil we face is no outsider, no fearful ‘other’, but a rot which lurks inside each of us... Us ponies, that is.”

“And so our Trixie Lulamoon becomes our proof,” Luna whispered. “Our proof of how anger, fear and desperation can drive basically decent people to commit great crime… even though, in her case, that isn’t what actually happened.”

“Yet does it matter,” said the High Princess of Equestria, “so long as a lesson is learned?”

A great weight hung between them following those last words.

Finally, Luna sighed. “We have already taken... the first steps.”

“Indeed,” Celestia said softly. She took a breath. “Now all we are left with is the hooded mare.”

“The one Major Bauer encountered?” Luna asked.

Celestia nodded. “With this unsavory business concluded, we shall need to turn our attention to her.”

“You suspect she is the enemy’s agent on our world,” Luna guessed.

“It is obvious, is it not?” Celestia asked. “An agitator, one who seeks to sow confusion, or something more perhaps. I suspect all that has transpired has done so according to her design. The Spy, Bauer’s kidnapping, perhaps even the chaos in Ponyville and its results.”

“Whoever she is, she’s dangerous, dangerous enough to threaten Discord, Bauer, the Spy,” Luna said. “We are not facing an ordinary opponent. And yet…”

“And yet?” Celestia asked.

“The Spy could have been turned to deadlier purpose,” Luna pointed out. “Deadlier still than she was. It seems strange she should be set upon a village like a blunt instrument.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia said. “But we mustn’t assume our enemy did not make that choice deliberately, or that she did not do so for a reason. Make no mistake. We act now as much to counter her plans as we do to protect the Alliance, whatever her endgame may be.”

“We cannot be on the defensive forever.”

“There,” Celestia said, a new, almost predatory look in her eye, “you are absolutely right.”

Luna sighed. “For now, we await this Doctor Bowman, see what he’ll do with the memories.”

“Yes. What he will do. Whatever that proves to be.”

“What do you mean?”

Celestia met her eyes. “Marcus knows of Bowman through reputation, primarily, but they have met. The impression I get is that he is not one to simply ‘do as he is told’.” She smiled mirthlessly. “You may yet get your third option.”

Luna nodded. “Until then, we bear this shame together, humanity and we.”

“Like any good packhorses, my sister.”

We had the first pieces of the puzzle in place. The memories of the attack on Ponyville had been copied, the innocent Trixie Lulamoon had been told our lie, and was even swallowing it. Part of me thought, ‘maybe we should stop’. That we should quit while we were ahead, let Bowman go do whatever he wanted, and forget this whole stupid fucking thing.

But now we’d committed. We’d promised to reveal the details to the public – and I still couldn’t bring myself to believe the truth wouldn’t damage the Alliance. I couldn’t. It was too big a risk, especially now, when we were so fucking close...

And so we pressed forwards. Now all that remained was implanting the memories in the other Trixie…

The Human

(A/N: Okay, so here is the rewrite of 'The Human'. As you can tell, the writing style is far different. That is because I enlisted the aid of a budding Author who volunteer to help with my writing. I was so impress with what he sent me, I asked him to be a Co-Author to the story. He fleshed out the story quite well if I don't say so myself.)

Authors: TB3 and Redskin122004

THE CONVERSION BUREAU: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM

CHAPTER ONE: THE HUMAN

“There are many who are living far below their possibilities because they are constantly handing over their individualities to others. Do you want to be a power in the world? Then be yourself.”

– Ralph Waldo Trine

“You see, Nightmare Moon. When those elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element; the Element of Magic!”

– Twilight Sparkle

Ponyville, Equestria, 2nd Year Anno Harmonia

Twilight Sparkle watched in horror at the creature thrashing against the hospital bed’s restraints, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“SPARKLE, YOU EVIL WHORE! WHERE HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME! WHICH BUREAU IS THIS?”

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about” she replied, feeling a moment’s pity for the poor thing that called itself a ‘hew-man’, or was it ‘human’? “This is a ‘hospital’ – it’s where we make ponies better...”

“I’M NOT A PONY!” he roared, flexing his arms and torso in an attempt to sit bolt upright, at which point two of the heavier nurse stallions leapt in to pin him down. “I’LL NEVER BE A PONY! I’D RATHER DIE BEFORE TAKING YOUR POTION!”

“He’s going to tear his stitches!” shouted one of the nurses. “Someone sedate him, quickly!”

“I...I don’t know if I can...” whimpered the anesthagician, a fearful unicorn colt. “His...his body mass is far more than that of a pony!”

“Just try!” pleaded the attending doctor, and with a small swell of courage the anesthagician stepped forward, his glowing horn enveloping the human in a twinkling field of medicinal magic. Immediately the patient’s limbs flopped back against the restraints, his entire body going limp.

It didn’t stop him from screaming though.

“GET OFF ME! GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU WON’T PONIFY ME!”

“I...I don’t understand” gasped the anesthagician. “That same spell would have put a full-grown stallion to sleep!”

“Never mind,” soothed the doctor. “He’s a completely unknown species, though perhaps we may need to request a specialist from Canterlot. You prevented him from hurting himself further, and that’s enough, for now...”

Fingers scrabbling like the legs of a spider, the human managed to twist his head in Twilight’s direction, his bloodshot eyes staring straight into her own, and she felt her ears flick back as if in the presence of a dangerous animal.

"YOU WON'T CHANGE ME, SPARKLE! I WILL KEEP MY HUMANITY, YOU GENOCIDAL MURDERESS!"

Twilight flinched and turned away, unable to steel herself against the force of his screams. Quickly, she trotted away from the human and made her way towards the lobby of Ponyville General Hospital, the human’s furious howls chasing after her as she went.

"THAT'S RIGHT! WALK AWAY FROM ME, YOU PRINCESS CUNT LICKING DRONE!"

It was enough to make Twilight feel sick, not just from the vulgarity of what he was shouting, but the fact that the creature, a complete stranger, was angry with her at all.

‘Why’ she thought to herself, completely out of her depth, a situation which terrified her. ‘Why does he hate us ponies so much?’

As she pondered, her troubled thoughts leading her nowhere but in circles, her hooves managed to lead her into the lobby, where her friends were waiting for her in worried expectation.

"Sugercube, are you okay?" Applejack asked softly, looking back to the room the unicorn had just vacated.

"I....I don't think so." Twilight said quietly, her voice faltering. "He called me a...he called me all kinds of names."

"Twilight, Darling." Rarity cut in. "The brute called all of us names. There’s no need to feel he’s singled you out for worse abuse than the rest of us."

"That's just it though," Twilight muttered, head turned down as if searching for enlightenment in the gleaming floor tiles. "He knows us, all of us, by sight.”

Then she whipped her head back up and stared at them, features contorted in frustration. “And he called each and every one of us by our actual names. You don't think that's weird?"

"Um....why?" Pinkie replied, her usual enthusiasm only partially dimmed by the strange events. Before Twilight could answer, the pink party-pony reared back and spread her forelegs wide. "I mean, this means we must be famous enough to be known throughout the whole world! Isn’t that super-de-dooper amazing!"

"Pinkie. We didn't even know the name of his species until he shouted...no, screamed it at us. How can he be expected to know us so intimately, while he remains a mystery to us?" Twilight said, bringing a hoof to her face in frustration, before jabbing the same appendage in Pinkie’s direction. “And he called you ‘Pinkamina’. How many ponies know that’s your actual name, let alone complete strangers!?”

Sudden realisation struck at Pinkie, who fell back onto all fours, her jubilant expression collapsing. Twilight meanwhile had begun to pace, voicing her thoughts out loud in an effort to untangle them.

"It makes absolutely no sense. I mean, yes, I felt an magical anomaly forming in Ponyville and got to the square just before that portal opened and he was hurled out of it, but that kind of long-distance magic takes incredible power. Why go to that much effort just to fling a random ‘human’ from Celestia-knows-where into Equestria? And then, the portal closes back up, no explanation, and when Spike and I tried to help him up off the ground, he took one look at us and screamed in fear..."

‘No...’ Twilight paused, correcting herself. ‘Not just fear. Outrage, and hate. A noxious mess of emotions, all directed at ponies who had only been trying to help...’

For some reason, that last thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. Wondering what could have inspired such emotions in the stranger, she could not help but shudder.

“He was afraid, and he was angry.”

“Well, duh, Twi,” Rainbow Dash snorted from where she was resting in a wheelchair, various bandages covering her body and her expression pale from a combination of exhaustion and painkillers. "He might have been screaming at you, but he attacked Applejack and me the moment he saw us."

As if presenting evidence she indicated towards her cyan wings, which were both strapped against her barrel to prevent her from moving them. In a tussle that had lasted only a few seconds, the human had managed to dislocate both at the shoulder joints, grounding the supersonic Pegasus until they healed.

Applejack nodded her head in support of that statement, turning back to Twilight. "Dash is right. He may have run from you at first, but the moment he laid eyes on us, he darn flew straight from fear into anger, and take it from a pony who corrals critters fer’ a living, he was spoilin’ for a fight."

The sturdy farm-pony grunted as she shifted her weight to her hind legs, which were heavily bruised, darkening the three apples that made up her cutie mark.

"He knew almost exactly where to hit us too," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry that my Stare didn't work on him," Fluttershy whimpered hoarsely from a corner, causing all the ponies to shiver in fear. That the Stare, powerful enough to quell full-grown dragons, had failed here, suggested the human possessed monstrous will power. Fluttershy herself had almost gotten choked to death the moment she tried to use the Stare on the human, and it was only thanks to Pinkie blasting the attacker with cream pies and her Party Cannon that the butter-soft Pegasus had walked away relativity unscathed.

"It’s alright Fluttershy” Twilight muttered, trotting over to give her quailing friend a supportive nuzzle. “I don't think any of us could have expected the Stare not to work on him. Still..."

"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked, joining Twilight in comforting Fluttershy. The indigo unicorn remained silent for a moment, rubbing slowly at her chin.

“Well” she clarified. “Let’s recap what we know. He knew us all by name, did not have a positive opinion on any of us, was fearful, angry, driven, and knew how to fight ponies effectively. And there was something else... He kept screaming about ‘staying true to who he was’ and something about a ‘potion’."

"Potion? What potion?" Applejack asked, momentarily cocking her head, before leaning forward and narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “You don’t suppose he’s one of them there folk who take dangerous tonics and herbs for fun or somesuch hooey?”.

"No, I don’t think it’s anything like that,” Twilight muttered, rubbing at her forehead to try and massage away an impending migrane. “He used the words ‘ponify’ and ‘ponyfication’ a lot in conjuction with references to this ‘potion’, so perhaps that’s some sort of clue.”

“Ahuh, ‘ponyfiction’ huh? And whassat when it’s at home?”

“That's just the thing. I have no idea what he was talking about" Twilight all but screamed, falling back on her haunches and flailing her forelegs in frustration. “It’s one thing to be an inexplicable six-foot hairless ape that for all I know is from beyond the stars, but to be making up nonsense words, whilst simultaneously speaking perfect Equestrian!? I’m sorry, I don’t have an answer, but when the universe decides to resume spinning in the right direction and everything returns to normalcy, I’ll let you know!”

The other Bearers of Harmony shot one another a serious glance as their friend continued to ventilate her increasingly disjointed thoughts. Twilight seemed to be working up into one of her full-on obsessive freak-outs, the kind that tended to require several days and the reconstruction of half of Ponyville to clear up. Before they could intervene, a sharp “Ahem!” from across the lobby cut Twilight off at the rictus-grinning event horizon of delirium.

“Miss Sparkle,” Nurse Redheart said, firmly but not unkindly. “Much as I appreciate your help in moving the...’patient’ here without further injury to himself or anypony else, would you mind taking your frustrations outside? This is a place of rest and recuperation. Besides, a walk in the fresh air might do you some good.”

“I’m...but he’s, and we’re...” Twilight stammered, before suddenly taking a deep breath and slumping forward in sudden exhaustion. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a problem dear. No go, we’ll take care of the ‘human’, so go rest yourself” Redheart smiled. “That goes just as much for your friends.”

As the six friends made their way towards the exit, the older mare paused and turned to glance back at them.

“You can leave the wheelchair, Rainbow Dash,” she added sternly. “You’re grounded for a few days, not crippled.”

“Aw, ponyfeathers!” Dash seethed, before dismounting from the chair and bucking it back across the lobby.

“I’m sorry guys...” Twilight said as they walked out of the hospital, hanging her head low in shame. "I mean, humans are...sorry, were nothing but an oddity known only to antiquarians and fringe lunatics. Aside from a few cryptic references inferred from archaeological digs and old records, nopony had more than a crude idea as to what they supposedly looked like, or even if they were anything more than an old myth from the paleo-pony period.  But now here’s a creature claiming to be one, screaming at me, attacking my friends, and accusing me of being a...a ‘genocidal mass murderess’."

As the rest of the group followed her towards her home in the Golden Oaks library, nopony (expect perhaps Pinkie) appeared to notice a pair of golden eyes watching them from the bushes beside the road.

"I better write to the Princess and tell her what is happening," Twilight murmured as she led her friends into the library. “If anyone might have a clue as to the origin of that portal, and maybe even the human, it would be her.”

The moment the library door shut, the aforementioned bushes rustled and a mint green unicorn jumped out.

"A human! I knew they existed!" Lyra squealed, dancing about on the tips of her hooves in giddy excitement, before suddenly coming to a halt as the rest of the conversation she had eavesdropped on settled into her mind. “Fringe lunatic? Oh Twilight, you narrow minded little filly!” she growled, remembering how often the magical prodigy had managed to come across as more than a little eccentric herself, both before and after the two of them had graduated from Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The moment’s gloom was short lived however, as Lyra’s enthusiasm transformed her into a aqua blurr of fur and flying hooves as she thundered up the hill towards the hospital.

“Ohmygosh! Human-human-human! I’ve got to see this for myself!”

Reaching the hospital she forced herself to act casual. Somepony had left an empty wheelchair just across the lobby from the door, and borrowing it (with a mental promise to return it later), she slowly wheeled herself around, playing the role of a patient trying to get some exercise. Finally she located the room the human was being kept in, only to find it was being guarded by a couple of security ponies.

“Horseradishes!” she grunted, before tapping her hoof against her chin, thinking on how to get around the latest obstacle cruel fate had decided to throw in her way.

"Hmm.....Oh!" she beamed widely as her eyes alit on a door marked ‘locker room’. Ignoring the smaller print that declared ‘only properly authorised ponies allowed beyond this point’, she discretely slipped in and found a spare doctor's coat, leaving the wheelchair for somepony else to return to the lobby.

‘This...is genius’ she crowed to herself as she donned the garment, before rearing back on her hind hooves and slowly trotting her way, biped-style, back towards the human’s isolation room. ‘All that practice in the bedroom mirror paid off at last! Bon Bon, I wish you could see me now!’

The two guards stared in disbelief as she approached, holding her forehooves out to the side in a faltering attempt to keep her balance.

“Lyra Heartstrings” she announced, attempting an officious tone. “Doctor of Anthropology at Canterlot Medical University. I’m here to examine the human, gentlestallions.”

“Uh-huh” growled the first, a heavyset colt with stubble thick enough to sand down walls. “Bigshot Doctor from Canterlot. With no identification, no credentials, and no word from any of the local staff that you were coming. Pull the other hoof kid, it’s got bells on it.”

‘An intelligent guard’ Lyra thought, her grin becoming a little fixed. ‘Did not expect that.’

“Yeah” added the second guard, a younger colt whose grin was wide beyond smug and approaching sickening self satisfaction. “Loads a’ ponies been coming by trying to get a look at the human...takes more than that to get by us. Nice try with the weird walking though, looks painful. You get points for style, kid.”

“So,” grunted the older guard. “You can trot off back to Canterlot, ‘Doctor’, and...”

“Canterlot!?” exclaimed another voice, and Lyra, falling back onto her forehooves, turned to see an actual doctor approaching. “Ah, you must be the specialist we requested to help us with the human!”

“I...ah...yes, yes I am...” Lyra replied, as the doctor led her straight through between the two stammering guards.

"Excuse us, gentlestallions."

"Uh, ah, yessir!” the senior security pony replied, utterly abashed. “Sorry for inconveniencing you, Doctor Heartstrings."

Lyra silently answered them with a smile and an imperious nod of her head as they parted to let them through the door. The real doctor was continuing to natter about how quickly she had gotten to Ponyville, praising the speed of the Friendship Express from Canterlot, but she finally managed to get a few words in edgeways, requesting a few minutes alone to examine the ‘patient’.

“Ah, of course” he replied. “We’ve attempted to sedate him ourselves but the spells seem to wear off almost immediately.”

“So, he’s resistant to magic?” Lyra questioned, intrigued.

“Well yes...and no. Trying to heal him with magic has yielded as much results as waving a magnet at a wooden plank. It’s almost as if he was...well, dead to magic, a lump of cold iron...”

“As pure, warm iron as is the blood and bone of life and magic itself, so is cold iron, child of the forge and smithy, a worked and exhausted corpse, stolen of life, and lost unto magic...” Lyra recited in answer, remembering the old words from her schooldays. “Starswirl the Bearded.”

“You know your classics” smiled the doctor, before shaking his head. “Well, perhaps you can find some answer. If he gives any trouble, just give a shout.”

The door clicked shut softly behind him, and Lyra felt a grin of elation spread over her face. Finally inside, and with no-one else to bother her, she trotted slowly up to the curtain that had been drawn around the room’s sole bed, her breath quickening.

“A human...” she said softly. “A real, live, human...”

From where she was standing, the curtain hid everything except for a booted pair of feet that hung over the bottom of the too-small bed, but the sight of that alone was enough to excite her. She eyed the workmanship of the boots, which seemed well-made, and intended for practical use, unlike the fanciful clothes ponies tended to wear solely for decoration.

‘Cold iron...’ she thought to herself. ‘Child of the forge and smithy. Worked and shaped and tempered until it is devoid of magic, but serves a useful purpose. What shaped you, human?’

Faintly, she could just perceive the sound of metal against metal, and drew a hold of the curtain with her magic, sliding it back. The tinkling sound stopped and she heard the human inhale sharply. Something went ‘plink’, and she glanced down to see a small metal pin lying on the floor, just beneath where one of his restrained hands lay on the bedspread. Captivated, she moved in closer, eyes fixated on the five digits that graced the end of his arm.

"So...." A deep voice called out, causing her to jump back. "They finally bring the Potion. Well, let’s see how long it takes you to force it down my throat, you heartless bastards."

Suddenly, the hand that had so fascinated Lyra raised up from the bed, and she realised he had used the pin to pick the lock restraining his arm. Momentarily marvelling at the dexterity of his fingers she suddenly realised she could be in danger, and backpedalling sharply she watched in awe as the human sat up.

“I...will never...change” it said firmly, turning to look at her and falling abruptly silent.

Lyra stared, heart thudding away inside her chest as her eyes took in everything. Her first observation was that the human wore clothes as well as the boots; the legs were clad in pants made of a thick material dappled in different shades of green. His chest however was bare, exposing a heavily muscled and strangely hairless body, one that was covered in a horrifying assortment of scars and freshly-dressed wounds, as were his arms. The neck was short and trunk-like, and the face, although vaguely similar to that of a pony, was flattened, the snout an almost unrecognisable bump just below the eyes, which were small and piercing. His dark mane was cut very short, and his two tiny, unemotive ears were just a pair of shrunken stumps positioned low down on the sides of his head.

And then she saw his mouth, hanging open in what could only be an expression of shock as the human stared back at her. Feebly, she waved a hoof.

"Hi, my name is-"

"Lyra...." The human whispered, the two syllables catching in his throat. “Lyra Heartstrings.”

Lyra reacted with surprise. "Yeah, how'd you know my name...who are you?"

"You're....you're alive." He whispered, tears beginning to shed from his eyes, and his chest heaved in a gigantic sob. "You're alive!"

"Err....the last time I checked I was," Lyra replied, grinning nervously. Somehow, this human knew her, and was implying that she had been dead some point, which was just ridiculous.

Then she saw that the human was fumbling with the lock securing his other hand, and took a step closer, suddenly concerned. "Are....are you sure you should be doing that, the doctor said you needed help to- eek!"

Freeing himself, the human had twisted to one side and fallen out of the bed, sprawling himself across the floor. Before Lyra could say anything he pulled himself up and clumsily staggered over on his knees to embrace her in a titanic bear hug. She blushed brightly; no-one held her like this since she was a foal, except perhaps her marefriend.

"You're alive." he wept, cradling her tightly. “How...how did you escape? Do you have a safehouse nearby?”

Before Lyra could answer any of his bizarre questions, the wardroom doors banged open and the two guards burst in, followed by the panting doctor. Alerted by her shriek and the sound of the human falling, they drew up sharply at the unexpected sight of the creature cuddling a pony to himself.

The human's demeanour changed instantly. Face contorting into a baleful scowl he grabbed hold of Lyra and pushed her behind himself, as if trying to shield her. All four ponies momentarily gasped at the incredible spectacle as he rose to his full height, almost as tall as a full-grown minotaur.

"Stay back! You’re not taking her away again!" he roared. Ignoring the threat, the two guards rushed forward, only for him to grab hold of the bed and swing it across the room on its castors, knocking the two of them sideways. The doctor’s horn lit up, but before he could cast any kind of a spell he took a bedpan to his face and fell back, stunned. Lyra had barely enough time to raise a hoof in protest before the human scooped her up into his arms and sprinted out into the corridor, bull-rushing past nurses and doctors.

"Wait! Wait!" Lyra cried out, but the human ignored her and pushed on, despite the fact that he was staggering and weaving uncertainly, possibly from the last time the staff had tried to magically sedate him. Twice he veered off course and crashed into passing staff and patients, pausing only to seize the bed sheets off of a gurney to fashion into a crude poncho.

"I will keep you safe, Lyra, I promise," the human muttered as he resumed his madcap ran.

"Safe?! Safe from what?!" Lyra asked, struggling to breathe in his tight grip.

"From the Sun Tyrant Celestia, of course!"

Stunned, Lyra could only shake her head in disbelief, but resigned herself to being carried along. Despite all his anger, she had the strangest feeling that the human would not do anything to hurt her, and trying to get away from him might only put more ponies in danger. All she had to do was wait until he tired himself out, and then talk him back down to reality. Either that or make a break for Ponyville.

But when he pushed through the hospital’s main doors, instead of following the beaten track down into the town, he turned off and began fleeing across the fields towards the Everfree Forest, thick, dark and threatening in the evening light.

“What are you doing?” she yelled, resuming her struggles as they reached the treeline. “Don’t drag me into the Everfree! There’s monsters in there!”

“The...the Everfree?” the human stopped just within the fringe of the forest, suddenly uncertain. “And...and monsters?”

“Yes!” Lyra shrieked, managing to finally twist free of his grip, landing in a mulchy bed of leaves. “You know so much about me, so how can you not realise that in this direction Ponyville is bordered by the Everfree Forest, and every manticore, hydra, cockatrice and grundle that comes with it!?”

“Grundles good...” the human muttered, staring off between the trees down towards where the lights of Ponyville twinkled in a fold of the valley. “Pon...Ponyville?”

Lyra slowly came around to his side as his eyes travelled up to Canterlot, majestically cantilevered off the towering flank of the Canterhorn. The capital city gleamed proudly in the waning light as Celestia’s sun made its bed behind the hills to the east.

The human gave a single, bitter laugh, like the bark of a dog. “I...I thought we were in upstate New York, maybe in the Sleepy Hollow Bureau...easier to deal with me away from the chaos of Manhattan I supposed. But this... this really is Equestria, isn’t it?”

“Who are you?” Lyra asked. “Of course this is Equestria. And what was that about ‘Manehattan’...I’ve got family there and I’m certain they would have let me know if someone like you had dropped into the Big Apple!”

Suddenly feeling much like Twilight most likely had, Lyra drew a deep breath and released all her feelings in a single shout, trampling the ground with her hooves as she did. “WHAT’S GOING ON!?”

The human looked down towards her, sadness filling his eyes. "Lyra...”

He kneeled and stared into her eyes, as if searching for something deep inside her. Lyra herself was captivated by his gaze, barely noticing the familiar way in which he had cupped her cheek and was lightly scratching the sensitive spot just behind her ears.

“Yes...yes it is you,” he said at last, sitting back and sparing a quick glance at her cutie mark, a golden lyre. “I could never mistake you for anyone, or anypony else. Which means...”

He fell back into a seated position against the foot of a tree with a pained moan. “That bitch took your memories didn't she? She wiped all recollection of us, of your friends, and the PHL..."

Lyra, clueless as to what he was talking about, took a single step closer, only to rear back as he pounded the ground beside him with a clenched fist, roaring with rage.

“DAMN YOU CELESTIA! IT WASN’T ENOUGH TO TAKE MY FAMILY, MY HOME, MY CULTURE! NOW YOU’VE STEALING MY FRIENDS TOO!”

"Um...." Lyra said, slowly edging closer. She had no idea what the human was talking about, but now that he had finished screaming, she could almost feel the pain radiating off him. More to the point, he was crying, and her inner pony cried out at her to comfort him.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been friends” she said kindly, nuzzling against his side. “But I’d like to be. Would, would you like to talk about it?”

“Heh. Still the same Lyra...” he smiled, reaching out to once again scratch behind her ears with those amazing fingers of his.

"Don't worry, once I figure out how to breach the barrier and get us back home to New York, we’ll find some way to restore your memory. Maybe Vinyl knows some kind of spell that could jog your mind, or perhaps we could just play you some Charlie Chaplin movies. You always loved those old comedies..."

It was as if he was talking gibberish, but she had made him smile, and that was enough for Lyra. Spreading her bespoiled medical coat out like a blanket she curled up beside him on it and gave him a light prod with her horn.

“Alright,” she grunted. “This isn’t all coming for free. If I’m going to play along with this, then I want some answers. First of all, what’s this ‘barrier’ you’re going on about?”

"The one that surrounds Equestria...or half of Earth the last time I checked." The human growled. “Don’t ask me to go into an exact thaumic description of how the damn thing works; explaining trans-dimensional physics was always more Cheerilee or Doc Whooves’ domain.”

"Wait wait wait, backtrack for a moment!" Lyra exclaimed, causing the human to stop. "What are you talking about!? Cheerilee and Doctor Whooves? What do Ponyville’s schoolteacher and Derpy’s husband have to do with anything? How come I’ve never heard of any barrier around Equestria? Where or what in the hay is ‘Earth’? And most importantly, why do you keep talking to me like I died or something?"

"Because you did die..." the human said sadly. "Lyra Heartstrings, former Equestrian ambassador to the United Kingdom, first pony to speak out against the Conversion Bureaus, heroine of the Battle of Thunderchild, founder of the Equestrian rebel group PHL, the Ponies for Human Life, leader of the Manhattan/Manehattan Underground Railroad. After all that, how could you, ‘the pony who said ‘no!’’, not be at the top of Celestia’s hit list? When they caught you, she had you publically executed ‘to make an example of you’, or so I thought.”

He gestured with one of his arms, spreading it wide to encompass Ponyville and Canterlot. “Here, you’re just a memory-blanked drone, one of Celestia’s millions of pony-puppets. But back home, you’re a symbol, a legend, a heroic martyr who provides hope and inspiration to everyone who stands against Celestia’s tyranny, human and pony alike. You led the PHL for our cause, you saved thousands of human lives with your warnings and actions, sabotaged dozens of batches of Potions so they were ineffective, and smuggled human artefacts and culture into Equestria to subvert Celestia’s propaganda."

"I...I don't understand." Lyra muttered.

"You came to the aid of mankind in our time of crisis, and other ponies followed. You all fought alongside us to save humanity, and liberate both Earth and Equestria from the Tyrant Sun Princess, Celestia, and her dark protege, Twilight Sparkle.”

He turned to look down at her, eyes full of emotion, and Lyra suddenly felt both hopelessly tiny and gloriously empowered.

“Lyra, you were trying to save humanity from being ponified."

Memories

Memories

(A/N: Alright people, so here is the next re write of Chapter 2. As you can see, the Chapter name has been changed, but it fits the bill now. Okay, now on to the show!

**Authors:

TB3

Redskin122004**

CHAPTER TWO: MEMORIES

The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.

-Tryon Edwards

I just don't know what went wrong!

-Derpy Hooves

The Everfree Forest, Equestria, 2nd Year Anno Harmonia

Lyra slowly came into awareness, snuggling up in the bed sheets for warmth.

“Mmmm... Good morning, Bonny” she whispered, reaching out to pull her special somepony into a breakfast nuzzle.

Her hoof groped in mid air for a moment, and then fell with a dull ‘clop’ onto the rock-hard root of a tree…

…wait, what?

Lyra’s eyes flew open and she drew breath sharply as the memories of last night came crashing back. The human, her ‘foalnapping’, and their sudden flight from the hospital. Breathing deeply to try and calm her sudden panic, she slowly looked around and tried to piece together her situation.

She was, indeed, still inside the Everfree Forest, the human’s mud-stained ‘poncho’ draped over her to serve as a makeshift blanket. Celestia’s sun was just visible overhead, peeping through gaps in the thick, enmeshed foliage. Morning dewdrops sparkled on leaves and flowers, lending everything a strange, shimmering beauty.

Then she slowly looked down, towards the human. He was standing with his back to her in the small clearing they had camped out on the edge of. In his hand was what looked-like a snapped-off treebranch, about half as long again as one of his arms, and he was putting it through a strange series of motions, sometimes tossing it high overhead to catch after it made several mid-air rotations, at other times spinning it in his palms with incredible speed and skill.

Not for the first time, Lyra glanced at her blunt hooves, and flexed them at the ankle joint, envying the privilege of digits.

‘Oh, the things I could do to Bon Bon with hands…’ she idly thought to herself, a grin half-born of lecherousness and affection spreading across her face. ‘…I could make her squeal…well, squeal more than I do already.’

The thought of her candy-sweet marefriend however only led her back into her current predicament, and looking back up she once again focused on the human and his strange exercises. The pattern of tosses and twirls seemed random at first, but eventually she noticed a pattern; every so often, he would bring the stick smartly to his side, one end resting against the floor, or buttress it against one shoulder, cupped palm supporting the base.

‘He looks like a guardspony on parade, drilling with spears and swords…’ she suddenly realized, thinking back to all the times she had passed by Canterlot Castle during the Changing of the Guard. ‘Is he…is he a warrior?’

It was an alarming thought. After the debacle that was the changeling invasion of the recent Royal Wedding, most of Equestria had gone into a state of paranoia, fearing everypony and anypony could be an insectile invader. It had taken the full deployment of both the Solar and Lunar Guard, and their reservists, to various hotspots across the country, to restore the peace and reassure the population that the threat of Queen Chrysalis and her hives had passed. Shining Armor himself had been sent on an immediate tour of inspection in Ponyville as soon as his honeymoon had ended (and boy, that must have pissed Princess Cadance off to no end) , and it had been quite a shock for Lyra to see just how much Twilight’s sweet, slightly dorky BBBFF had grown into such a commanding presence. At the wedding, when both he and Lyra herself were not under the googly-eyed influence of Chrysalis, he had been much the same colt she remembered from their youth, but in his armor of office, scouring Ponyville and the Everfree for possible pockets of changeling resistance, he had been an intimidating sight.

It was the same feeling, of immense strength tempered with years of training, that she now sensed radiating off the human as he practiced with his stick. Seeing how gracefully he handled it made her nervous, for the first time, of just how deadly his hands could be with their amazing fingers wrapped around the hilt of a weapon.

Troubled, and wondering if it was best to try and make her escape before he noticed she had woken, she rolled to one side, and came face-to-face with the severed head of a Timberwolf. For one heart-stopping moment she stared into the animal’s cold, dead eyes, and then she screamed aloud.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhiieiee!”

The head, lying neatly on the forest floor, bloody sap pooling around it, did not react to her shriek. Chest heaving, Lyra slowly reached out with one hoof and bopped the decapitated object on the snout, as if to confirm this was not a nightmare.

It was wood. Solid, dead, wood. Lyra herself was ready to scream again when she suddenly heard something go ‘scrunch’ in the litter beside her. Slowly, she turned, to see the human towering over her.

His ‘stick’, she could now see, was actually the dead Timberwolf’s tail.

“Well...” he said in his deep voice. “I suppose there’s worse ways to wake up.”

Lyra yelped and rolled away from him, her coat fluffing itself up in an instinctive attempt to intimidate him by making herself seem larger. Suffice to say, it didn’t work.

“H-human!” she squealed in fright, backing away from him as she did. “Uh…good, good morning…”

Before she could say anything else, she felt her plot reverse into something large, heavy, and sticky. Dreading what she would find, she slowly swallowed, turned her head, and saw that she had inadvertently located the rest of the timberwolf’s corpse. More of the creature’s deep-red ichor was now smeared over her flanks, lending her cutie-mark a rusty patina.

“Ah…ah…ahahah!” she began to babble, eyes shrinking into pinpricks as she burst out in terrified laughter, only for the human to step towards her, pick her up, and stare sternly at her.

“Ambassador Heartstrings!” he barked, stunning her into silence. “Get it together, right now!”

*

London, England, 2020 Anno Dominae

“Ambassador Heartstrings!” someone roared. “Get it together, right now!”

Heathrow Airport was chaos given physical form. Jets crowded nose-to-tail along the taxiways, fighting and jostling for access to the runways. Helicopters were crammed into gaps between the airliners, rotors roaring in readiness for flight. Anyone with a portable radio would have found every aviation frequency jammed with angry shouting as pilots and Air Traffic Control argued over which aircraft had priority.

Amid the chaos, people flowed between the flying machines like a living flood, British and American servicemen directing them onto waiting flights.

“It’s not enough!” sobbed a mint-green unicorn, standing to one side with her cream marefriend. “There’s not enough room for all of them!”

“I said pull it together Ambassador!” snapped her bodyguard, a burly man wearing the uniform of a US Marine. “You’re one of the few Equestrian allies these people have. They need to see you strong in this moment.”

“Ponies!” one group of refugees screamed in their direction as they passed, words heated and angry. “Thieves! Murderers! Merry-go-Round toys!”

“Are you sure it’s really us they need to see?” Bon Bon snidely asked, stepping aside as a hurled bottle smashed into the jetway beside them. “I don’t understand, don’t they see there’s no need for this pain? If they just allowed themselves to be ponified they’d not have to suffer any of this. There’s plenty of room within the barrier for everypony, and they’d never have to worry about anything ever again!”

“If you’ve lived here all this time and not found the answer for yourself, then I doubt you ever will, Bon Bon” the soldier replied coolly.

It was Operation Neon Exodus, the final evacuation of the United Kingdom. To the south and east, beyond the suburbs of Hounslow and Richmond, the Equestrian Barrier stretched right across the horizon, slowly swallowing the center of the city that had once governed the British Empire. Some evacuees, already airborne, could only watch in horror as the pink wall of effervescent energy swallowed the London Eye and the gothic majesty of Parliament. With a colossal pealing of bells, the clock tower commonly referred to as Ben Ben groaned in a final death-knell as its foundations crumbled, before the towering structure collapsed backwards like a sinking ship, vanishing into the dimensional void. Moments later it was followed by Westminster Abbey, worldwide seat of the Anglican Church.

Slowly, unemotionally, the whole of London was being wiped away. Where the Great Fire of 1666 had failed, where Hitler’s Blitz had bombed in futility, the ‘magic’ of Equestria was permanently erasing over two thousand years of history. By the end of the day, the city that the Romans had named ‘Londinium’ would cease to exist. Hundreds of miles away, the opposite front of the Barrier was encroaching on Berlin, where the US Air Force was spearheading a similar evacuation.

Everything in between, most of Western Europe, was already gone. Paris, the City of Lights, had been extinguished forever. The European Parliament had been dissolved along with the rest of Brussels, and Rome, although not built in a day, had fallen in just hours, along with Vatican City.

It had been a slow process, one lasting months as the Barrier had slowly expanded. Diplomatic appeals to Equestria had been met with stony silence or saccharine platitudes of ‘this is only what is necessary, it’s for your own good’. Physical attack against the barrier had also failed, with everything from gunfire to missiles simply disintegrating in the field of arcane energy. Even the forced de-orbiting of the International Space Station onto the heart of the dimensional junction, what had once been the Swiss city of Geneva, had made no scratch or breach.

The only option left was to run away, across the Atlantic, to North America. At the barrier’s observed rate of expansion, Canada and the United States would not be in danger for between two and three years.

Maybe, just maybe, that would be enough time to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.

“Word from the City!” someone shouted, and a soldier pushed through the crowd, carrying a handheld radio. “The King’s convoy was intercepted by the PER on Kensington Road! Where’s Prince William?”

“En-route from Windsor Castle with his family, coming round on the Eastern Perimeter Road now!” replied a sergeant of the Royal Marines, yelling to be heard over the howl of engines. “Why? What’s happened to King Charles?”

“The…the report was incomplete, but…but…”

“For Heaven’s Sake man, report!”

“The…the entire convoy was Ponyfied, including His Majesty and the Princess Consort.”

“Then the King is dead…” replied the sergeant, before spinning on his heels and directing his attention towards his unit. “Long Live King William!”

The men took up the cry with a shout, proud even on the brink of defeat, before he led them off to secure the newly-promoted Monarch. Lyra, ears hanging despondently beside her head, could only watch as they ran in the direction of the expanding Barrier, now only six miles away and advancing at a remorseless walking pace.

Then, her eyes saw several dark pinpricks against the light of the barrier, high in the sky and advancing in formation. Rearing back in surprise she pointed a free hoof upwards with a shout of alarm.

“PEGASAI!”

“Lyra, Bon Bon” their guard grunted as he took the safety off his rifle. “We have to go, it’s not safe here.”

*

Equestria

“We have to go…” the human said, almost to himself, as he stirred the embers of the campfire with one of the dead Timberwolf’s legs. “It’s not safe here.”

“Uh-huh?” Lyra replied leadenly, unsure of what to say and unable to pull her gaze away from the severed limb he was slowly fire-hardening.

Eventually he noticed to focus of her attention and waved the leg towards the rest of the corpse.

“You’re wondering about this, right?” he said nonchalantly. “I went to…ah, ‘relieve myself’ in the night. Came back to see the bastard sizing you up as a possible meal.”

His cadence suddenly turned slightly lyrical, as if telling a nursery rhyme. “Looking to gobble up a pony, in one fell swing...”

Shaking his head he began to chuckle softly. Lyra stared in disbelief, recognizing the words as Zecora’s personal telling of the Legend of Nightmare Moon. After a few more seconds tempering the wood in the fire, the human lifted the glowing tip out and regarded it thoughtfully, the firelight reflected in his dark eyes. “Well, let’s just say I managed to take him out before he got you.”

Turning towards her he grinned, exposing his teeth. Lyra felt her breath catch when she saw the sharp canines and incisors positioned towards the front of his mouth, but then remembered that, according to her own research, humans were omnivorous. But not in the manner of pigs or rodents, no. There was a special term for it…

‘Hunter-gatherer…’ she suddenly remembered, her eyes wandering to the Timberwolf’s decapitated head. ‘Like the Griffins; intelligent, adaptive predators that use tools and the environment to achieve the kill…’

“Thank…you” she said at last. Terrifying master of the food chain he might be, but from the sound of things she owed him her life, and her thanks. “How...How did you manage to kill it without waking me up?”

“It’s amazing how single-minded carnivores are when they are about to make a kill.” The human replied idly, as if discussing the weather schedule. “Though I really didn't expect the head to fall off after I snapped the...uh....neck?”

“It is made of wood.” Lyra pointed out, relieved to feel a little of her usual contrariness coming back to her.

“I didn't know that at the time. I thought it was a regular wolf.” The human rolled his eyes, before silently beginning to twist the claws out of the severed limb. Lyra, for her park, could only gape at his supreme indifference to the fact that he had taken down one of the Everfree’s Apex Predators.

As she stared, she finally noticed a detail about him that had eluded her until now. There, on his shoulder, was what was surely a cutie-mark, one more intricately beautiful than any she had seen on any pony.

It portrayed an eagle perched atop a large sphere, behind which could be seen a large anchor. Tipping her head Lyra took in as many details as possible. The eagle’s wings were spread in a gesture of pride, and in its mouth it carried a banner, on which were emblazoned two words.

‘Semper Fidelis’ she mouthed to herself, recognizing it as Old Equin, the lingua franca of the old Unicorn Kingdoms. ‘Forever Faithful.’

Wondering at how he was marked in the dominant language of magic and spellcasting (another mystery amongst many), her attention finally shifted to the sphere, which was surely a depiction of a globe. It was an unfamiliar hemisphere, one dominated by two counterweighted continents that were joined together by a narrow isthmus.

“Is…is that Earth?” she said at last, pointing with one hoof.

The human, who had been trying to grip some of the timberwolf’s claws between his fingers, turned to glance down at his own shoulder, and frowned, as if offended.

“Yes…” he grunted. “North and South America. Pretty much the only landmass left where the Barrier has not made landfall, unless you count Australia and Antarctica, but no-one ever does. Ha!”

Suddenly, he stood and began dusting himself off. “Okay, time to get out of here.”

“Hold on a minute!” Lyra barked out. “So, everything you told me last night, all of that was true?”

“Of course it’s true.” The human rolled his neck, the sound of cracking bones causing Lyra to wince. “I can't make that kind of stuff up. Now come on, we need to get out of here before the Solar Guard come for us.”

“Wait! Why would they come after us?!” Lyra asked in surprise.

“Because, notwithstanding the fact that I technically kidnapped one of her subjects, the two of us reunited are perhaps the greatest threat to Celestia’s plans to dominate Earth,” the human answered. “Just look…the fact that I’m standing here, breathing this air, proves that all her crap about humans being unable to survive in Equestria without ponification was an utter lie. Her mistake in bringing me here could be the event that topples her entire house of cards!”

Pausing in full flow his expression hardened, and he turned down to regard Lyra with a stern glare.

“And I swear, Lyra, for raping your memories, for faking your death, for all her crimes against humanity and ponydom alike, I’ll make sure it’s the last mistake the Royal Bitch ever makes.”

And there he was again, going off about her apparent ‘death’. Well, enough was enough.

“Alright, tell me this. How did I...uh...‘die’?” she asked, putting her hoof down. “Because even with Princess Celestia’s level of magic, I’m pretty sure either myself or Bon Bon would have noticed something as important as my departure to the Great Hereafter!”

“Petrifaction” he replied bluntly. “You were turned into stone.”

“Oh!” Lyra started. “Well, that possibly makes sense. They say petrifaction is just like falling asleep, and then you wake back up as soon as the magic is…”

“…and then an angry mob smashed you into rubble” the human finished, cutting off the rest of her sentence. “Bon Bon was chained in place and forced to watch, before they did the same to her.”

“Wha-wha…” Lyra stammered, frozen in horror, before regaining control of her body and narrowing her eyes. “No! Just, NO! There is no possible way that Celestia, Princess Celestia, would allow something like that to happen, let alone forcing a special somepony to watch the…the murder of their loved ones!”

“SHE DID!” the human shouted aloud, the force of his yell laying Lyra’s ears flat along her head. “She murdered millions of people, with the barrier, and her potions, before she even got to you. All of Europe, and massive chunks of Africa and Asia, millions killed so that she could…reshape them in her own image!”

“Well, what’s wrong with that!” Lyra screamed back. “From what I’ve seen, humans are just angry, abusive, bloodthirsty psychopaths! Why wouldn’t you be better off as ponies?!”

The second the words left her mouth she realized she had gone too far. The human, ‘stick’ in hand, shoulders rising and falling with every angry breath, stared at her for a long, furious moment. Slowly, she began to edge way.

Then he laughed softly, low and dark, like the distant roll of approaching thunder.

“You sound just like Bon Bon did, before Heathrow…” he said, before straightening upright and beginning to once again repeat his strange drills, tossing, catching, spinning and presenting the club he had fashioned for himself.

As he did, he began to speak aloud, as if reciting from memory. “The power of the Amiomorphic Spell is not to be denied, but for all its ability to reshape the form of a pony, it is incapable of true metamorphosis. For a short time, a unicorn might know the joy of flight, or an earth pony the grace of magick, but these transformations are, by the decree of natural law, a temporary state. To effect a permanent change in any being’s innermost alignment, which arises from the magic of the soul, would require a vile ensorcelling of that same soul, a disfiguration and violation so blasphemous, so abhorrently contrary to the truths of Harmony, that it sickens me to even contemplate the possibility. Know this well, my little ponies...”

“Starswirl the Bearded…” Lyra said at last. “You know your classics.”

“I should do” he replied, eyes focused on the blurring motion of his hands. “You introduced me to his writings…and the Daring Do novels.”

He sighed, and turned his head slightly so that he could just perceive her at the fringe of his vision. “When the Ponification Potion was first announced, it seemed like a blessing. An end to disease, to pestilence and disfiguration, all contained in a scant few ounces of magical goop. The only cost was our opposable thumbs. Honestly, my first reaction was the hope that I might be a Pegasus…”

Then he glowered. “But then, the more insidious changes made themselves known in the first ‘newfoals’. They were different, in ways beyond the physical. You saw it in little things at first – they could no longer swear, and always seemed happy, particularly when the subject of Equestria came up. Then they began changing their names to something ‘more pony’, and started to proselytize on behalf of Celestia and Ponyfication, regardless of what they had believed before, or why they had made the choice to ‘go pony’. Give it six months or so, and you’d not be able to recognize the person they once were, in the pony they had become. By that point most of them had quit their old jobs, abandoned their old interests, foresworn their old culture, even cut off ties to friends and family who refused to Ponify. The majority eventually emigrated to Equestria with not a backward glance. That was when the barrier began to expand, and Celestia showed her true colours. She was stealing us, like a thief in the night…robbing us of our friends, our family, our history, and our entire world.”

“That’s…that’s terrible!” Lyra exclaimed, a shudder running through her at the implications of what he was saying.

“Oh, it got worse” he seethed. “Some ponies, and people, decided that it wasn’t enough for the Barrier to force people to either ponify or die, but that the right thing to do was accelerate the process. They called themselves the PER.”

“P-PER?” Lyra asked.

“Ponification for Earth's Rebirth!” the Human spat. “A terrorist group that goes around forcing humans to change into ponies. Their favorite tactic was Potion-bombing. They called it ‘Equestria’s grace’. I called it ‘rape’.”

Lyra shuddered at the venom in his words, and then realized that he had stopped drilling, and was instead staring at her, pointing with the stick as if it was some sword of destiny.

“You were the one that ousted them, Ambassador Heartstrings” he said coolly. “Celestia publically denounced the PER, while she was actually accepting their members into Equestria with full pardons, secret ponifications. You revealed her duplicity, and publically acknowledged what the potion did to humans; wiping away their very essence, their spirit and very soul. You stood before the cameras of the world to vocally disown Equestria as your home country, and to confirm that regardless of whatever she said, the Solar Tyrant’s goal was the conquest of Earth. Many other ponies escaped from Equestria to join you in founding the PHL. Other organisations, like the Human Liberation Front, were initially wary of you, and their hardcore membership, the supremacists and fringe-wing bastards, still refuse to see any pony as anything but enemies. But you managed to prove your worth to many humans after Thunderchild, and your death made you a martyr, even among those who did not trust you.”

Lyra looked at the ground, unsure if what he was saying was true. She looked back up to examine his face, seeing the sincerity burning in his eyes like a righteous fire. Then she spun on her hooves and began the trek back to Ponyville, head held high.

“Hey?! Where you going?!” the human yelled in surprise. “We need to head away from Ponyville and the Canterhorn, not towards them!”

“No.” Lyra said firmly. “If what you said is true...Then I need to see for myself.”

“You still think I'm lying!?” For all his strength, the human looked hurt at this.

“No...” Lyra said, her stride faltering for a second before she pushed on. “I believe you...but there is no barrier surrounding Equestria. Across the Eastern Ocean lies the Griffin Kingdoms, and the San Palomino Desert and the Badlands border the south. You can just see the desert mesas from Canterlot on a good day, and the mountains of the Frozen North in the opposite direction. And last I checked, none of them had been replaced by a dimensional void! At least...I don't think so.”

She turned and looked back to where he still stood in the clearing. “Look, I'm confused too, but one thing is definite in my mind. You said Twilight Sparkle is the enemy, but I’ve known Twilight since I was a filly and I know that’s not possible. She’s a gifted, socially awkward and very headstrong pony, but despite that, she’s one of the best friends you could ever have.”

‘And she’s the Element of Magic’ Lyra added to herself. ‘If magic equals friendship, if true magic stems from Harmony, then ergo, Twilight’s gift is not only magic, but the essence of friendship, or harmony, or empathy, whatever!’

“The Twilight you described to me last night is a raving egomaniac!” she continued. “Confident, arrogant, full of herself, and the head of a cabal of terrorists, not the six mares I know. She’s like a parody of the real Twilight Sparkle, and I refuse to accept that they are truly the same pony. There’s something going on here, yes, but it’s not what you think it is…”

Her breath expended, Lyra trailed off, directing as pleading a look in his direction as possible. The human grimaced and looked away, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers against his biceps.

“Please…” she implored. “You said I was the first pony to speak the truth, so please believe me now.”

“Argh...fine!” he grunted, reaching for the mud-stained remnants of his poncho. “But so help me, Heartstrings, if we get caught I will cut your head off just to deny Celestia the privilege.”

Lyra smiled and nodded her head, hoping that the threat was his version of a joke.

“Don't worry!” she said, trying to force a bright note of optimism into her voice. “It’s still early in the morning, so nopony will be awake at this time.”

Then, as Lyra watched, he tore the poncho in two, and fashioned one into a sling with which to carry the Timberwolf's head.

“What are you doing?” she gagged in disgust.

“Getting supplies if this turns into a fight,” the human explained. He made a fist, and Lyra felt herself turn pale as she realized that the Timberwolf’s claws, gripped between his fingers, now projected forward like spikes.

“And what is a…a head going to do in a fight?”

“Well, the sight of it alone was enough to shut you up. How would you react if it came flying at your own face?” the human smirked toothily as he hefted it across one shoulder. “I’m the Headless Horseman, and this is my flaming pumpkin!”

With that, the two of them started off down the rough track towards Ponyville, the human still carrying his stick braced across his chest, occasionally giving it the odd twirl and toss.

“Why do you keep doing that?” she asked at last.

“It’s how I remember” he replied flatly. “Who I am, where I come from, why I fight…”

“Okay. Well, please remember that you promised to trust me.”

“Oh I will, for now. But if this does turn into a fight, I won’t hold back.”

“Heck,” he added, a little too enthusiastically for Lyra’s taste. “If I get lucky and this turns into a free-for-all, I might even get a chance to take Sparkle out.”

“Umm...” Lyra replied, managing an awkward grin. “From what I heard, Twilight blasted you straight through a wall when you arrived in town.”

“I was distracted” he replied defensively.

“By what?”

“I was in the middle of trying to take Rarity's head off.”

*

The Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville

Twilight yawned and smacked her lips as she woke up from an uneasy night’s slumber. Slowly, she looked around and felt a smile blossom within her.

All her friends lay around her, sleeping soundly next to each other in the library’s main room. Rarity was cuddling Spike to herself as she slept, the young drake looking like he was in a private heaven as he hugged her back. Applejack and Rainbow leaned lightly against one another, sometimes wincing when they touched on one of their injuries, but still dreaming soundly. Fluttershy and Pinkie looked comfortable, although how Pinkie had managed to get into a sleeping position on top of and across Fluttershy’s own back was beyond Twilight’s reasoning. Fluttershy herself was oblivious, head curled up on her hooves and making soft whistling sounds as she slumbered.

‘Even her snores are graceful!’ Twilight marveled as she quietly rose to her feet and carefully moved among the mares that had become as close to her as family. Her good mood faded however as her eyes alit on the injuries her friends had sustained during yesterday’s fight. Word was that the human had escaped custody in the hospital shortly after she and her friends had left, taking some Canterlot doctor as a hostage. Twilight and her friends had volunteered to help mount a search, but the town guardsponies had insisted that, Bearers of Harmony or not, the six of them needed to rest.

Feeling a twinge of pain in her back, Twilight could not help but agree with that sentiment, even as she reflected sadly on how quickly an otherwise perfect day had fallen apart.

‘Dear Princess Celestia’ she began to write, having taken hold of a quill and parchment from her writing desk. ‘Although you may have already been made aware of recent events in Ponyville, I have news of an uncertain and possibly grave nature to report to you…’

*

Ponyville Park, Yesterday

“C’mon Twilight!” pleaded Spike. “It’s a beautiful day, why’ve you always got to have your snout buried in some mouldy old book?”

“It’s not some mouldy old book Spike, and even if it was I would treat it with the respect it deserves” Twilight replied primly, before clutching the volume in question to her chest and squealing in delight. “It’s the newest Daring Do novel, and I managed to get the first copy in town! Rainbow Dash was so jelly!”

“Yeah yeah” Spike replied, rolling his eyes before directing his attention to the newest member of the Golden Oaks family, the infant phoenix he had recently taken in. “C’mon Peewee, I’ll show you the sights. It’s your first time visiting the park after all.”

Twilight smiled fondly as the young dragon walked away, Peewee perched on his shoulder. Finally assured of a moment’s peace, she lay down on her belly, and turned to the first chapter of ‘Daring Do and the Fallout Quest’, by the acclaimed authors Kay Kat and Somber Bush.

‘If I’m going to tell you about my adventures as Daring Do…’ she read aloud. ‘I’m going to first have to tell you about pithbucks…’

Then, she blinked and squinted at text, struggling to make out the suddenly blurred words. She felt woozy. Did everything suddenly taste purple, and why was her horn aching?

Magic…somewhere a massive spell was being cast. Nearby, yet somehow, far away at the same time. Everything seemed skewed…sideways, or twisted up. Her eyeballs felt like they were being pulled inside-out.

“Uh...Twilight?” she heard someone say, and attempting to turn to face them she only succeeded in rolling onto her side, as if she had several flagons of hard cider in her. Spike was standing in front of her, his head tilted to one side in confusion. Peewee was mimicking his posture.

“Twilight…all the other unicorns are acting kinda…dopey…are, are you alright?”

“Magic…” she managed to force out, sweat beading on her brow. “Incredible, magic…”

Then, as quickly as it came, she felt the spell gradient peak, leveling off into a steady, stable mandala. The symptoms of thaumic overexposure almost immediately abated, and she struggled to her hooves, the latest adventures of Daring Do forgotten.

“Come on Spike!” she yelled, quickly levitating the drake onto her back before she took off running towards Town Center.

“Twilight! What's wrong?!” Spike shouted as he tried to keep Peewee held safely against his chest.

“I don't know. But there’s a lot of magical energy manifesting in town. Look at all the unicorns!” she replied, and Spike looked around to see all the unicorns either lying sprawled on the ground, or turning like weathercocks in the same direction as Twilight.

“How much magic are we talking about?” Spike asked.

“A lot!” was all Twilight could manage as she galloped past the Hooves couple, Derpy and her husband, the renowned theoretical physicist Time Turner. “Like off the end of the meter lot! But it’s so strange! I feel like I should recognize this energy signature, but at the same time it feels so alien!”

Finally Twilight hurtled into the Town Square, homing in on the source.

“Where is it? Where are you?” She muttered, one eye twitching as she turned in circles.

“Uh...Twilight.”

“Not now Spike.”

“Twilight.”

“Come on, where are you?”

“TWILIGHT!” Spike screamed, forcing Twilight to give him the benefit of her attention.

“WHAT?!”

“Look!” he shouted, grabbing hold of his surrogate sister’s head and turning it towards the centre of the square, where a speck of octarine light burned brightly just above eye level. Then, before Twilight could appraise it, the pinprick expanded with a crackling roar into a large, shimmering nimbus, large enough to drive the Friendship Express through.

“Amazing...” Twilight breathed, eyes wide as she took a step closer. “A stable trans-material portal. But trans-mat spells require immense reserves of power to perform...so who made you-EEK!”

Twilight abruptly jumped back as something came tumbling out of the portal, landing in a crude roll that left it standing upright on two legs. The bipedal being groaned as it staggered away from the portal, before flopping onto its back and staring dumbly up past the scattered clouds.

“Blue…” it muttered. “Not seen blue sky in a while.”

Twilight ignored his rambling for a moment, summoning all her magic to try and ‘spike’ the portal, tracing it back to its point and pony of origin.

“Come on, come on, where are you from?” she muttered, before growling in frustration when the portal abruptly collapsed back into a singularity and winked out of existence.

“Ponyfeathers!” she seethed, before turning back to see the creature still lying on the ground and moaning in pain.

To her horror, Spike was slowly approaching it, Peewee chirping from his customary perch on the dragon’s shoulder.

“Hey....are you okay?” Spike enquired, gently reaching out to touch it with the tip of a claw.

“Spike!” Twilight yelled, everything she had ever read about first contact with exotic species crashing through her mind in a panicked torrent. “Get away from it! You don't know what it is capable of!”

Her horn glowed, capturing the baby dragon and dragging him back to her. Then her blood ran cold as she heard the newcomer mutter her name.

“Spa…Sparkle?”

The word was loaded with enough dread to sink a ship. Abruptly the being sat up, staring at her with mixed emotions.

“Um....sorry…” Twilight said nervously, realizing that her words might have offended the creature. “I didn't mean to-”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” It screamed, masculine voice deep and threatening.

“Wait! You're hurt! We can-AH!” Twilight's eyes suddenly burned as the creature hurled a scoop of dirt into her eyes. Through the pain and tears, she could just see him scrambling back up into the same bipedal posture he had assumed on arrival.

“I SAID STAY AWAY, YOU GOD DAMN KILLER!” the being screamed, bolting away from Twilight while she tried to clean her eyes.

“Twilight!” Spike rushed to steady her.

“I’m…I’m okay, Spike. Where did he go?” Twilight's horn glowed as she placed Spike on her back, Peewee having flown away in fright.

“That way!” Spike pointed, and Twilight galloped off in hot pursuit, only to turn the corner and see that the creature was fleeing straight towards the Everfree Forest.

“Wait! You can't go in there!” Twilight grimaced, momentarily panicking. “Ah, um, yes!”

Clenching her teeth she shaped a quick spell and hurled it at the fleeing animal in a bolt of indigo energy. The magic connected in a violet flash, but to Twilight’s shock it only caused him to momentarily stumble in his flight.

“What was that?” Spike asked in surprise.

“Lethe’s sleeping spell, it was suppose to put him to sleep!” Twilight said numbly, shaking her head and bursting back out into a gallop. But for all her health she was a scholar, not an athlete, and although a fast sprinter, she knew she could not maintain this speed for long, where the being was already nearing the end of town.

Then her ears pricked up as she heard a familiar pair of voices approaching.

“Well Dash, Ah’ve gotta say those are some mighty fine specs. I dunno though, kinda makes you look like a bit of an, oh what’s the word…’egghead’.”

“Egghead? Ha! It takes a real pony to wear these in public! Real mares aren’t afraid to…”

“Applejack! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, seeing the two ponies coming around the corner. Dash was wearing a cumbersome hooves-free headset that allowed her to read the new Daring Do novel on the go, and Applejack was mercilessly teasing her over it.”

“Oh, hey Twi’, whas’ gotcha up in such a tizzy?” Applejack started, before the indigo unicorn rushed up to them and pointed towards the fleeing being.

“Girls! Creature! Catch! Danger!” she panted, trying to convey everything that had happened between breaths.

Both mares turned in surprise towards where she was pointing, finally seeing the creature, which had come to a halt just at the edge of Ponyville, hands on its knees and chest heaving. Then it glanced over its shoulder as if checking for pursuers, eyes zeroing in on the three of them.

Twilight decided there and then that, to the end of her days, she would never forget the look of shock, followed by inexpressible rage that plastered itself over his features.

“YOU FUCKING CUNTS!” he roared aloud, before abruptly launching himself back in their direction, charging like a locomotive turned loose.

“Whoah nelly!” Applejack exclaimed, shoving Twilight out of his path while Rainbow dropped her headset, spread her wings and shot off in a vertical takeoff. As the creature hurtled up to her, Applejack planted her forehooves in the ground, spun around and lashed out at him with a powerful buck.

The attacker however wanted none of that. Dodging Applejack’s kick he leapt off the ground and, planting a foot in the orange mare’s back, used her as a springboard to fling himself up at Rainbow Dash. As the farm pony was mashed into the ground the biped flew through the air and tackled the cyan Pegasus, dragging her back onto the hard ground.

The two rolled around for a bit before the creature managed to pin Rainbow on her stomach in a submission hold.

“Hey! Get off of me!” Rainbow shouted, struggling to throw off the angry being, but unable to lift his weight.

“Rainbow, stop struggling!” Twilight shrieked. “He’s got you in a hold! Quit fighting and he won’t hurt you-”

There was a sickening pop, and Twilight saw Rainbow’s eyes widen in shock before she suddenly began to scream in pain.

“My wing! He popped my wing!”

“Let’s see how well you fly ‘Dashie’,” The being hissed in rage.”When your wings are nothing more than tattered stumps!”

He began to pull on her second wing, causing Rainbow to cry out, her frantic efforts to throw him off only worsening her agony.

“I’m a comin’ Dash!” Applejack said, struggling up and throwing herself straight back into the fray, but not before another wet pop announced that he had managed to dislocate another wing from its socket.

“My wings!” Rainbow screamed, before collapsing into wordless howls of pain. Twilight, frozen in horror when the being had demonstrated his horrific capacity for violence, suddenly found the use of her legs return to her, and horn glowing she galloped up to administer an anesthetic spell to the grounded Dash, Applejack having rolled the attacker away.

“Ah-ah, ah…” Rainbow sobbed as the pain abated, before noisily sniffing back the worst of the tears. “Thanks Twilight!”

“Don't thank me yet. That was only a numbing charm; your wings still need relocating.” Twilight explained hurriedly, her horn glowing once more as she tried to hurl the same spell at the monster currently tussling with Applejack, only for it to splash ineffectively across his back in a flicker of energy.

“Gah, somehow he’s resistant to magic!”

“Don’t worry Twi, he’s all mine!” Rainbow snarled, running straight at the wrestling duo and ignoring how her wings now flopped uselessly at her sides. “Get help!”

Applejack was breathing heavily, trying desperately to wrangle herself on top of the angry being currently trying to pin her. But his claw-like appendages gave him the advantage in the tussle, enabling him to hold down her forelegs in a manner no pony could.

“I got your back AJ! Take this!” Rainbow screamed, trying to spin and buck the creature, only for him to roll sideways, using Applejack as a living shield. Dash’s hooves powered into her friend’s gut, the blow powerful enough to cause AJ to vomit up her breakfast.

As Applejack fell aside, breathing weakly where she lay in a foul puddle of half-digested apple oatmeal, the being stood up and gave her a brutal kick in the ribs.

“Merciless whore! How’s it feel to be on the receiving end for once, Miss Applejack Smith!? Is honest pain too much for all your lies to take!?”

“Hey, studly!” Rainbow shouted, galloping up and hurling her full weight into him. “We’ve got a word for bullies like you here! Glue!”

Splaying his feet the creature took the brunt of her attack, and then with a feral grin he seized hold of one of her damaged wings, clutching it like a handle.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Rainbow yelped as fresh pain burst through the numbing veil of Twilight’s spell. “Hey! HEY! STOP!”

“FUCK OFF, BLUE BITCH!” he roared as he spun, dragging her around like he was cracking a whip with her wing, before he hurled her away at Golden ‘CT’ Harvest’s nearby carrot stall, causing it to collapse in a avalanche of wood, trapping Rainbow underneath.

Bruised and beaten, Applejack struggled to get back onto her hooves, when he gave her another cruel kick, knocking her back on her side.

“You’re so proud of your legs” he laughed darkly, causing the steadfast pony to quail in fear. “How’d you like try living the rest of your life without them.” Dropping onto his knees to straddle her back, he began to lay into her hindquarters, claws clenched tightly and pounding her flanks and thighs remorselessly, causing her to cry out in pain.

“No, please stop! I need those to support my famil-AIEE!” she shrieked as he brought his elbow down hard and she heard a bone snap like dry twigs.

“Then its fair play!” he roared between blows. “You took my family, so I’ll deprive yours of you!”

Another bolt of magic slammed into his back from behind, with just enough force to knock him away from Applejack.

“Ha!” crowed Twilight, newly returned with reinforcements in the form of the other Bearers of Harmony. “Now GET AWAY FROM OUR FRIENDS!”

The dangerous glow of her horn caused the being to hesitate for a moment, just enough time for a normally timid Pegasus to drop down into the street in front of him.

“How dare you...” Fluttershy whispered, her wings flaring and her eyes growing huge and dark as she stared at the aggressive creature. Taking off with uncharacteristic confidence she flew directly at him and hovered in his face, one hoof planted right in his chest. “HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIE-ark!!”

Twilight and Rarity stared in horror, unable to move. Although the menacing biped was unable to look away from the soul-piercing depths of Fluttershy’s eyes, he had managed to bring his hands up and wrapped them around the buttery pegasus’s neck, clenching furiously in an attempt to choke the life out of her.

“Get out, of, my head!” he grunted, sweat rolling down his brow. “Get. Out. Of. My. Head!”

“Ne….ne….no!” Fluttershy gasped, refusing to break the Stare even as she struggled for breath. “Not…until you stop, hurting, my friends…”

“Never…” he growled, eyes bloodshot and face flushed. “It’s you, or me, Flutterbitch. I’ve dreamed of this moment, for years. How does it feel, to be trapped, like the rest of us, in a vice with no escape? Tables finally turned, bitch. Now, you, are, going, to, DIE!””

Fluttershy’s hooves flailed weakly against his chest. The two were locked in a stalemate of wills, and sooner or later one of them would have to yield.

It was Fluttershy. Starved of oxygen, her eyes rolled back in her skull and she fell limp in his grasp.

“Yessssss…” he hissed as the Stare was broken, tightening his grip as if trying to pop her head off. “YESSSS!”

“HEY, BRONY!” a new voice suddenly screamed, as Pinkie Pie somehow sprung up between Fluttershy and her attacker, balancing a whipped cream pie on her hoof. “LEAVE THAT MARE ALONE!”

With a mighty swing she splattered the pie into his face, only for him to jerk forward, head butting her right between the eyes, but dropping Fluttershy in the process.

“That's not nice!” Pinkie protested as the force of his blow hurled her back, eyes rolling. Landing in a pink blur, she suddenly produced a huge gunmetal blue piece of artillery as she rolled back onto her hooves. “Now say hello, my little friend!”

The being cleared his eyes, only for them to widen in surprise when he saw the big blue Party Cannon aimed straight at him.

“Surprise!” Pinkie whooped, slamming a hoof down on the trigger, firing the cannon and sending the being flying through somepony’s kitchen window in a blast of confetti and party favours.

“Pinkie! That was amazing!” Twilight marveled as she rushed to help Fluttershy.

“Amazing is what I do- DUCK!” Pinkie forced Twilight to the ground as a razor-sharp bread knife came flying out of the broken window, embedding itself into a lamppost right where Twilight’s head had been moments before.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, fucking pink annoyance non-pareil!” the being growled, scrambling back out through the window. “Confetti, Pinkie? Tut-tut. You should have brought your A-Game, because this time I am going to snap your spine, like a damn candy cane!”

“Can't we be friends instead?” Pinkie ducked his fists while Twilight teleported away, transporting Fluttershy to safety with her. “My name is Pinkie Pie, hello! Oh, but you already know that. Hey, how did you know my name anyways? You don't have to be a big meanie you know? We can all be friends and play A-Games toge-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The creature roared as he lashed out, the bellow startling Pinkie, but not enough for him to actually land a hit on her. “Is that what you call war? Friendship? How about genocide, or isn’t there a word for that in Equestria!?”

The pink party pony began ducking and weaving between the blows, seemingly contorting like taffy, but her happy smile was quickly vanishing. First her expression morphed into concentration, then panic when his claws began to brush at her coat. Finally he managed graze her across the cutie mark, four red welts of blood puncturing the three balloons that marked her special talent. Pinkie yelped in pain, and the moment’s distraction was enough for him to deliver a mighty haymaker that left her sprawling on the floor.

Panting from exhaustion, but managing a triumphant stance, the being raised his leg over Pinkie to crush her skull, when a rope sheathed in a shimmering field of magic wrapped around him, pinning his arms and causing him to topple back on the hard cobblestones.

“So undignified,” Rarity stated, horn glowing as she manipulated the rope with her skilled telekinesis. “I must say, ropeponyship is more Applejack’s field of skill, but as the old proverbs say, it takes a beauty to bring down the beast.”

Trotting up she smiled and pushed up her mane, batting her eyes as winsomely as she could manage. “Now, would you kindly remain still so that we might discuss this like civilized ponies?”

“Rarity…” the being seethed contemptuously, before he flexed his arms, straining against the rope. “I am not, and I will NEVER be, a GODDAMN PONY!”

The weak stitch knot that Rarity had tied him with began to pull open under the strength of his exertions. Narrowing her eyes she lit her horn and took a hold of the rope, trying to restrain him further, but found her magic unable to keep a hold of him, as if both he and the hempen line were covered in butter.

“Oh dear…” the stunned fashion pony said, before backing off in full-fledged retreat as he managed to free his arms.

“Wrangle him, Rarity!”yelled a limping Applejack. “Ain’t you a proud, magical unicorn?”

“I can't! My magic is slipping off the rope!” Rarity backpedalled further, fear etched onto her face. “Twilight, darling, assistance please!”

Twilight’s mind raced as she tried to indentify a spell to stop this seemingly unstoppable beast. Then her thoughts flashed back to how her spells had managed to knock him around, even if they failed to have any other effect.

“That's it!” she exclaimed, before teleporting to Rarity’s side, just as the creature freed itself and attempted to kick the fashionista in the face.

“Hey, you!” Twilight yelled, drawing his attention. “Meet my friend Sir Isaac Neighton!”

She hurled another bolt of magic at him, but this time a levitated rock was cradled in the spell, and the force of the impact was enough to knock him on his back.

“Smartass little mother…” he seethed, trying to pull himself upright.

“Ha!” Twilight yelled in triumph. “You might be resistant to magic, but you’re not immune to the laws of motion! Now TAKE THIS!”

Horn blazing, she seized hold of the wreckage of the carrot stall pinning Rainbow Dash, and flung it at the creature, the combined mass of wood and vegetables driving him through the side of an unfortunate dwelling.

“I…I…” Twilight panted, before flopping on the ground in exhaustion. “I think that did it.”

“Darling, that was simply incredible!” Rarity gasped in delight, before warily eying the devastation before them. “If a little crude.”

“Yup! That was some smart thinking, Sugercube.” Applejack added, tendering gauging the extent of her injuries. “You okay there Rainbow Dash?”

“Do I look alright” Rainbow, now liberated from her prison, wept as she cradled one of her wings. “Just look what he did to me!”

“Aw shucks, it’s just a dislocation. Lookit me, broken leg and all. Now we just needa getch’ ourselves up to the hospi…”

They all froze at the sound of broken wood shifting, Slowly they turned to see the being pulling itself free of the wreckage. He was breathing deeply, struggling to walk through the rubble.

“You think you won...” the being gasped, his breathing short and shallow. “I know how to die, too! And I’d sooner die than change...”

“What?” Twilight and her friends began to take several steps back as he staggered towards them. “What are you talking about!?”

“You will not change who I am...”the being growled, yanking the bread knife he had hurled earlier out of the lamppost it was embedded in. “I was born as a human being...”

Twilight’s mind faltered as the ‘hew-man’ grasped the knife with both claws and raised it over his head, his face set with grim determination. Then she realized what he had in mind.

“NO!” she screamed, hoof outstretched.

“…AND I’M GOING TO DIE AS ONE!” he roared, attempting to plunge the knife into his chest. But then, blade glowing, the knife was yanked out of his grasp. Twilight, horn glowing and face scrunched up in concentration, slowly floated it away, struggling to maintain a grip against the lingering touch of his strange resistance to magic.

“No…” the human moaned as the blade drifted away, low to the ground and, blade elevated upwards. “You won’t rob me of the right to die true to who I am!”

Hurling himself forward he made a desperate attempt to throw himself onto the knife. At that moment, Twilight collapsed from over-exertion and the knife, no longer magically suspended, fell harmlessly onto its side, while the ‘hew-man’ only succeeded in planting his face in the ground, knocking himself out.

Battered and bruised, the six friends stared at the unconscious creature for a long moment, before  Applejack summed up what everyone was thinking.

“Okay...Now what?”

*

Golden Oaks Library, the present

‘Your faithful…if confused student, Twilight Sparkle…’ Twilight finished the letter surmising yesterday’s events, before sighing and gazing out of the window, where the sun was slowly rising into the sky.

'Too early' she yawned. ‘I’ll ask Spike to send the letter when he’s woken. Actually, a little more sleep sounds good about now…’

But before she could lay herself down beside her friends, someone knocked at the door. Groaning, Twilight made her way towards the entrance porch.

“Urgh...who is it?” she groaned quietly.

“Twilight, it’s me, Lyra!” the voice on the other side said. “Please open up, before someone sees.”

“Lyra? Argh....it’s too early…” Twilight muttered. “Wait, what was that about being seen?”

“It’s about the human!” Lyra exclaimed.

Muttering angrily and preparing to give the self-proclaimed ‘anthropologist’ a piece of her mind, Twilight took a breath and opened the door.

“And what would you know about...the...” her voice faltered and her ears flicked back in fear as she saw a familiar figure rising tall and dark behind the minty unicorn.

“The word you’re looking for is ‘Human’,” he finished for her, leaning forward with an unpleasant grin.

“Twilight, we have to talk.” Lyra said quietly.

Strike

Strike

Author:

Redskin122004

Editors:

Drawdex

Proudtobe

Beyond the Horizon

Kizuna Tallis

ThatClosetBrony

Doctor Fluffy

Serpenti

In a battle all you need to make you fight is a little hot blood and the knowledge that it's more dangerous to lose than to win.

-George Bernard Shaw

There is no glory in battle worth the blood it costs.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

No, that’s your limitation! In this space full of turmoil, you act like a king and seal other lifeforms!

-Simon, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Somewhere in the streets of Boston.

The calm wind blew from one side of the peaceful wastes to the other undisturbed, dragging along dirty plastic bags and faded posters in its grasp. The buildings of old were gradually being reduced to crumbling relics by nature, but nothing else could do anything to mangle the epic signs of civilization. There were few creatures that lived in these wastes; flies, insects, rats, and anything else that claimed these peaceful and silent cities as their safe havens. Nothing was happening in the city. Nobody had reason to be here, much less fight each other. Indeed, whatever was in this city was here for a peaceful and relaxing stay.

Oh, if only it would be so good if that was actually true.

“OPEN FIRE! GODDAMN YOU ALL, FUCKING FIRE ON THAT BITCH!”

The air was filled with munitions of every sort, punching through any obstacles that were in their way, drilling through rock, marble, and asphalt as if they were cheap plywood, or simply pulverizing them enough that other bullets could break through. The walls of the buildings that were holding witness to the center of the madness took mere seconds to become riddled with pockmarks as a result of so much ammunition being fired.

Stephan would never fully recall what had happened. All he could remember were simple little memories, with a few events that seemed impossible to believe and a couple of random details that jumped out for no particular reason mixed in. He remembered an insane alicorn from his nightmares coming for a nice chat. Stephan remembered the way her right eye twitched a little when the draconequus wrapped his tail around the smaller blue alicorn’s hind leg before vanishing from his vision.

Then there was the colorful call to action before the world erupted into a hellish landscape, the air filled with flying bits of metal and fire spells. He remembered covering Trixie with his body to shield her from the deadly projectiles, the smell of her mane as he held her close, the pounding of his heart in his chest, and the utterly blank look on the Tyrant's face as she watched on behind her golden shield as hundreds, if not thousands of bullets, spells, grenades, and rockets slammed into it. The amount of fire she was under was enough to cause the golden translucent shield to become a semi-sphere of solid gold.

But not even a single bullet pierced through.

"Impossible..." Trixie whispered in frightened awe as she stared. The full-on assault began dying away, the shocked troops in as much awe as Trixie was. "There's no way."

Stephan could only think the same thing. It was impossible. Not even potioneer ships could sustain a shield against such an assault.

"Stephan, it’s Alicia. I need time to set up. Daniel and I had to reposition for a clearer shot."

"How much time you need?"

"Thirty seconds."

"Shit. You got twenty." Stephan growled as he got back up and rushed forward, his magical machete held tightly in his hand.

"Stephan!?"

"Stay there! I'll handle it!" Stephan yelled back to her as he rushed forward.

Celestia watched as a human jumped back to his feet and sprinted to her person. She half expected him to be screaming his head off, but he made no sound as he rushed towards her.

She watched with some amusement as the armored human ran at her with a pitiful blade. She decided to play with him a bit, let him assume that she would allow such attack of her person with such a flimsy weapon. The human held the blade out behind him as he ran, as of to build up his strength for his attack. She was somewhat surprised as it flared with blue flames, shifting to a large glowing blade.

Ah... the 'Knight' of Germania, a worthy human to change and cripple his followers.

"Interesting blade," Celestia commented idly as the human jumped and slammed the blade onto her golden shield... achieving absolutely nothing, the blade’s metal ringing against the solid magic of her shield. "But ultimately useless, like all the other weapons you come up with."

"Ach, Mist..." (‘Oh, shoot...’)

Celestia’s horn glowed for a single spell, impacting against the human's chest. She expected him to scream in pain, she expected him to be sent flying like a gnat that he was, she expected the human to be nothing more than a passing memory before she dealt with the rest.

The spell splashed harmlessly across his chest, not even a single twitch of the arms to indicate pain. The human looked down at his chest before looking back up at her, she could feel the smugness coming from him.

It irritated her to no end.

Runes, what a bother. Celestia thought to herself before she flared her wings open. "Do not believe I am a one trick pony! Your smug attitude will be your downfall. Now, begone from my sight and lay on the ground like a good human!"

"I will never-"

Celestia flapped her wings once, the magic coursing through her wings gathering and manipulate the very air to her control, sending what could once be a mere gust to tornado like winds. She watched on as the human was sent flying into one of their disgusting, foul air throwing carriages, crumbling underneath his body and lodging him in its side.

"Now then, humans of this city, I come for two beings that believe to be my sworn enemy and younger sister. I wish to take them away before they give you false hope in this 'war'. Try to see it from my view. You wander in the dark, lashing out at anything that is different or befriend anyone that would hurt you." Celestia called out to every human in sight. She watched as the human struggled out of the carriage, managing to free himself before collapsing on the floor with a loud groan. She looked on, a scowl mentally forming in her head as she saw the same blue pony with domino mask standing just in view, but she had bigger wheats to cut down. "I only wish to help you help become better. To become more than what you have. To finally walk down the street without fear. I bring Harmony to you all. I only desire one thing... Your absolute trust in me to guide you to a better life."

“I’M SORRY, WHICH OF US WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” Kraber yelled, his hand fumbling to reload his MG2019, his emotions running high with fervor.

Alicia scowled as she listened for Stephan’s voice. She finished setting up the DSR.50 with Daniel standing behind her, frowning as he watched Stephan with concern.

"Damn it Alicia! Hurry up!"

"Almost done!"

"Stephan is 'almost' dead! Take the fucking shot already!"

"Now witness the wonders that I can bring! Witness salvation in the form of a single drop of a wondrous and generous potion a being can create! WITNESS MY-"

"Not today," Alicia whispered as she lined up the target reticule with the tyrannical alicorn's head. "Because today, we bring you down."

A DSR.50 is a weapon capable of punching through an engine block from a mile away with complete ease, even killing the driver and the person behind him if the sniper angled it right. Granted, it wouldn't be a merciful death as they would be missing some of their lower abdomen, but it would be a kill all the same.

A DSR.50 enhanced with magic inscribed on it was far more powerful, more than any rifle had a right to be. The barrel was strengthened and could dissipate heat more effectively due to the cooling runes. The very same runes also acted as magic resistors and absorbers, to fend off unicorns attempting to take said weapon away from its operator. Any unicorn trying to pull an “assisted suicide,” as Kraber called it, would get a very nasty shock when they tried to even touch it.

Another great feature of her rifle was the integrated hydraulic recoil damping system in the buttstock to absorb the shock after firing.The giant integral muzzle brake reduced the perceived muzzle blast and used the gases to reduce the recoil even more. Without those, someone could break his or her hand. And the entire arm. And probably the shoulder, too.

Runes were inscribed on the insides of the rifle and magazine, or any weapon in general with these enhancements, allowing levels of stopping power and adaptability in bullets that hadn’t been seen since Borderlands. Firing it caused the bullet to be charged with unstable magic that would allow the bullet to discharge all of the chaotic energies in a burst of pure destruction. There were even people thinking of modding the rune-enhanced bullets to be incendiary, acidic, or electric.

On the other hand, exploding on contact, weakening armor or shields, at the same time allowing the bullet to continue on without waste and hitting the target fully without causing the round to suffer any loss of penetrating power? That worked just as well.

However, the bullets used by Alicia were far different. A crystal tip .50 caliber (Or anything above that) was not an ammunition made in bulk. It took time, effort, magic, backroom deals, and more money than many of us would see in a month to craft such a bullet. Several hundred pounds of crystals had to be smuggled from Equestria, from Canterlot itself from the Crystal Mines, or skimmed out of someone’s haul, in perfectly calculated minuscule enough amounts that nobody would notice their absence. It would be brought to Earth and used by the PHL, to enhance weapon and vehicle defenses. Few crystals were pushed off to ammo creation, and this was where the most dangerous form of rune magic was placed onto them.

Nullifying Runes. Usually found in ancient tombs to deter Unicorns from simply magick their way through the defense, it was also deadly to highly magical creatures like Phoenixes and Golems, but it it was theorized that a bullet with such a rune could completely ignore a magical shield or rip apart magical creatures. There had been a few experimental null-enhanced weapons in the Crystal War, but they were still in the development stage, in part due to certain policies that Celestia had about the sympathies of Equestrians, no matter how important they were.

Unfortunately for her, the PHL managed to snag several plans for said runes and the humans, being who they were when given a nifty new toy, made dozens of prototypes yet to be used on the field.

Something Alicia was all too happy to test out on the Tyrant. If it failed, it’d be one hell of an expensive failure, but if it succeeded, then it’d be worth every penny or bit.

"Eat crystal, bitch." Alicia growled as she pulled the trigger. The bullet flew true, flying down a range roughly the length of a football field.

The bullet punched through the air, displacing the air as it traveled.  It met the golden shield and, with a slight pause, suddenly punched through it, deflecting very, very slowly as it met the air behind her shield. It left a gaping hole as it passed, the shield appearing to shatter like glass.

Fate, however, is a very cruel being.

The Tyrant had just lowered her head somewhat while Alicia squeezed the trigger, a condescending look on her face as she stared at Stephan who was struggling to his feet, but she didn’t get away scot free.

The bullet sheared through the Tyrant's ear, creasing her skull, passing through her mane and grazed one of Fluttershy’s legs, causing her to squeak out in alarm and jumping behind Applejack. Applejack’s eyes darted wildly as she scanned the length of the street, looking for the shooter that had dared to hurt her *goddess***.

The first blood drawn on the Tyrant, made by a human weapon, and Alicia was proud to be the first one to make it, even if it it was a miss.

Celestia froze, her eyes drawing on a single piece of flesh on the ground. A piece of white fur she had been familiar with for years, but had never thought she would see anywhere else. Blood dripped from the side of her surprised face, staining her almost pure white coat. Then something else corrupted her omnipresent motherly calm.

The unbridled rage her boiling red face gave out.

They dare strike me?! First the lowly princess refusing my offer, then the foolish Blue Spy taking what is mine and destroying my prison, and now this!! *No. I can not allow this to go on. It is time for me to punish all those that dare stand against me and my rule.*** She looked through the closing hole in her shield, her horn glowing as she took in the building and finally decided it was time to take the foal shoes off.

"It ends," Celestia called out, feeling out the trail left behind by the bullet. While Earth appeared to be all but non-magical, that was wrong. Magic was everywhere, even on this dirtied world. It was nowhere near the same amount as Equus, but it was still there. Not that she was going to tell the humans that, after all, it was the entire reason she kept them out of the barrier. Following a trail of nullified magic was as simple as following a dirt line for her. Her horn flared before launching a single devastating spell at the building. "NOW!"

Alicia set her sight back on the Tyrant, a vicious grin on her face as she was going to take her down before she even knew what was happening. Through her scope, she found herself looking at the Tyrant, and her looking right back at her with utter spite in her eyes.

For a split second, Alicia’s world screeched to a halt, as if Death placed a grisly claw on her shoulder and told her it was time to go. For that moment, she was able to take all the little details in. The way the Tyrant's now missing ear bled and trickled down the side of her face, the way her right eye twitched ever so slightly, the way her mouth opened to say a single word.

"NOW!"

"Everyone out!" Daniel grabbed Alicia roughly and dragged her to her feet. She saw the way the Tyrant's horn glowed, realizing in horror that she was staring directly at them.

Daniel pushed Alicia to get to the other side of the office building, towards the nearest exit, their men quickly following suit. Daniel looked out the window to see her horn glow reached its apex.

There was no time to reach the nearest exit, and they were trapped on the sixth story.

"Windows! Jump!" Daniel shouted as he dragged Alicia behind him as he raced to the glass, pulling up his weapon and firing a short burst to shatter the impact resistant window.

Celestia smiled, as if she found the whole situation vaguely amusing, as she released her spell at the ten story office complex. It looked like miniature sun as it flew towards its intended target. Alicia and Daniel saw how it passed underneath them as they jumped out, the glass and metal not even giving the least bit of resistance before it vanished from sight in the building.

The very floor they once stood on seemingly erupted into fire and melted globs of metal, the metal dripping down like a waterfall. Alicia’s world slowed to a crawl as she felt the heat at her back and feet, slowly twisting around in flight to see the room erupting into hell itself. She could see how some soldiers weren’t fast enough to reach the nearest window and got caught by the flames, some burning to ash in mere seconds. Some were caught in mid flight of their escape, the spell viciously taking them away from the others.

Unfortunately, the spell wasn’t their only problem. Alicia, Daniel, and the five survivors jumped out of the sixth story building with no means of landing safely on the ground.

Stephan looked up just in time to see Celestia release her spell, his head following its trail before it impacted the building...

The same building he had sent Alicia and Daniel's team to use for sniper support. He stared numbly as two silhouettes, hopefully Daniel and Alicia, jumped out of the building mere seconds before the spell impacted, followed by the others as the building seemingly melted/collapsed onto itself.

He watched on, the world going at a snails pace as he saw them fall until he lost sight due to the buildings. A single minute passed as his mind raced, waiting for his friends to radio in, but none came. He quickly brought his hand to his radio, calling out to his team.

"Daniel… Daniel, do you read me… Alicia, do you copy?" Stephan’s hands shook, waiting for the radio to crackle to life and Daniel to laugh over the radio that it was fun ride, for Alicia to curse him out for giving her the shitty job. "Heinrich... Joseph... Gottverdammt! Answer me! Anyone please!"

No response.

Trixie was standing cold where she was, looking at the collapsing building before Stephan’s voice shook her from her horror. Stephan needed her; she looked back to see the UN troops taking position, their grim faces telling her that they would not yield until they lay dead on the ground.

"Stephan... we need to fall back... Please..." Trixie whimpered to him, struggling to get him to his feet. Stephan shook her off, still in shock at what he just witnessed.

We managed to survive against all the odds. He slowly focused himself, his head filled with burning anger and hatred. He needed to focus, but this was too much. No one in their groups had any sort of Rune armor like the one he just received or went through a dangerous experimental surgery for runes like Marcus. They had enchanted armor, and as great as they were, they weren't made for long-term survival in mind.

The things we had to do… what I did to survive. He groped for his machete until he felt its rubber handle. The handle felt comfortable in his hand as he struggled to his feet, rising up from his knee to keep fighting.

And this is how it’s going to end? Lying in the dirt while my friends die against a being like her? He finally rose to his full high, eyeing the Tyrant who ignored him, but still watching the burning building with interest. His body shook with barely controlled anger and despair as he finally got a full look at her.

She is smiling. She is smiling! She is Smiling! She Is Smiling! SheIsSmiling!SHEISSMILING!SHEISSMILING!** Stephan felt something within snap, his eyes dilated as rage coursed through his veins, screams and cries of haunted memories of thousands, nay millions, of people he was unable to save in her xenocidal war.

Stephan knew he was broken goods, a man barely holding himself together thanks to his friends and lover, and just like that two of his friends were killed. They were not killed in the heat in battle, they were not fending off a checkpoint from a horde of terrorists or mad New Foals; they were killed by a fall. A fall forced upon them to by an alicorn who was all be confirmed to be insane. She didn't even seem to care, like they were insects grounded beneath her hooves.

Stephan roared, shoving Trixie aside as he rushed for the Queen under her golden shield. His machete turning into a claymore once more, heating the air around it like it is a cooling vent for Stephan’s inner rage. I will not let it end like this!

Celestia finally took notice of the armored human, whom refused to learn his lesson and lost reason as he was screaming bloody murder, attacking her again. Pathetic.

Stephan felt his armor react to himself, helping boost his already impressive physical fitness to new levels as his rage overtook common sense and left it far behind him. He jumped up off the ground, a full seven yards from the Tyrant, bringing his sword up and slammed it against her shield. Landing lightly on his feet, he spun the blade around and bashed it again with the long side of his magical weapon. Celestia only smirked when his attack didn’t even leave a scratch on her barrier.

Stephan swung his sword again, hitting the side of her shield. I will kill you. And another one from the other side. I will kill you! Another one from the top. I WILL KILL YOU! He stood away, bringing both hands to the handle, red slowly covering his vision as he spread his stance, holding the claymore like he was about to charge in an attempt to stab through.

Somewhere deep in his head, he realized that the Tyrant was only doing this to screw with him. To create ultimate despair in him, and all of humanity, by letting him think he had won, and throwing him back into the jaws of defeat, made even more crushing.

He didn’t give a single fuck what she thought it would do.

Celestia watched in amusement how every strike hit her shield, but not doing anything. Then he attacked again, this time the tip of his sword hitting her shield straight on. “Give it up 'Knight'. You will never be able to lay your filthy hands on m-”

*Crack*

Celestia blinked a few times at the sound. She looks at the point where Stephan’s sword hit the shield. There, on her shield, was a small crack, not even an inch long.

She could see him making what looked like a smile.

I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL SHOVE MY SWORD IN YOUR BLACKENED HEART AND SLICE YOU IN TWO! Stephan pushed harder against the shield, his muscles screaming in agony but he kept going. His sword glowed bright as he struggled to break Celestia’s shield, little lines began to appear on her protecting barrier, like cracks on glass.

Celestia harrumphed as she saw how the human dared to damage her golden shield. “You are one resilient human, aren’t you?” She opens her wings again. “Learn where you belong!” She pushed her wings forward, and another tornado-like wind caught Stephan and threw him through the air.

However, this time around he was prepared. Landing on his knees, ramming his sword into the ground, and slowing himself down until he was at a full halt. His arms stinged while he fought against the wind, but he managed to move one hand to his rifle, lifting it to rest it on his other arm which still held the sword. He aimed carefully at the point he just damaged and pulled the trigger.

“Oh, please,” Rarity sneered. “Like that will ever-”

The weapon bucked in his hands, spitting fire point-blank at the Tyrant with six hundred rounds per minute. Every bullet in his fifty round drum mag exploded against the shield, looking impressive, but ultimately futile. But then the cracks became bigger, and finally the last few bullets managed to make a little hole in it. One or two even got through and just missed Celestia and the the Elements by inches.

"ENOUGH!" The Tyrant roared, her rage pushing her just to the edge of sanity.  Various pieces of rubble and abandon vehicles floating off the ground, magic encasing them as she brought them floating before the enrage human. Her horn glowed with power as she seethed at the human, it shouldn’t be possible for him cut through so easily. "You will show me your power and I will strike you down before you can use - **SLAP*"*

Stephan blinked in surprise, his rage taking a back seat to what he was witnessing, the strangeness taking precedence. The girls behind the tyrant drew their breaths being witness of a large black sphere hovering in air, with a claw reaching out through it, a rolled up newspaper in claw.

"Wha--**SLAP**"

The claw whacked the Tyrant again, this time with a little more force as it caused her to stagger somewhat away from the floating hole. The dozen items floating in her grasp dropping to the ground with a loud crash.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What are we going to do with you?" Stephan turned his head upwards, seeing the draconequus floating downwards to them. His claw arm resting behind his back and a knowing smile on his face. "I mean really, acting like spoiled foal is really unbecoming of you."

Celestia glared in anger, her horn flaring as she lit the newspaper up in flames, causing the claw to let go of it and wave itself around and slipping back through. Discord winced somewhat as he held his claw before looking back to her.

"Discord."

"Crazy Whorse."

Stephan heard a gasp coming from behind him, looking back to see Trixie holding a hoof to her face, a light giggle escaping her. He turn back to see the Tyrant's right eye twitch just a bit more, a scowl on her face as she stared at Discord with contempt.

He didn’t get it. Didn't he just say horse? Was that an insult?

"It was a very poor decision in coming here, Discord." The Tyrant seethed. "Did you not believe I would not notice you coming to this world? Even you are not that stupid to believe such a foal of me."

"Frankly, I don't care." Discord stated as he walked up to her shield, examining it with some interests. "I find your power play to be overrated at best, all this talk about perfection and what not is simply ill-suited of you. It’s simply trading one annoying goddess for another, and, to be honest… I like the old Celestia more.”

"Says the being that enslaved the minds of thousand and caused anarchy across Equus." Stephan was rather surprised at the response, but Discord blew a raspberry at her, scoffing at her accusations.

"You believed your own hype about myself? Huh, shouldn't be too surprised at that. Feeding yourself your own manure can't be healthy." Discord droned as he raised a single small hammer, a frown on his face. "I didn't enslave anything, I discorded a dozen or so ponies, and most of a village, but they were so… annoying! 'Ah! It's the monster! Ah! It's going to eat us! Ah! Eating all the cheese!' Bah! They went back to normal after I left, and there were ponies in Manehattan that didn’t even notice! Besides, I wanted you off your throne and making you look incompetent would have served that purpose.  Either way, I don't really care about that."

"Oh, and what do you want?"

"A nice distraction while I get close to this shield." Discord said with a smile, hitting the shield lightly with the small hammer. The Tyrant's eyes widen as cracks spread across the golden shield.  "Next time, don't use magic with the grains of my power laced through it."

“For a goddess-tyrant,” Trixie whispered down to Stephan, “She certainly makes a lot of mistakes, doesn’t she?”

“That she does!” Discord laughed. “It’s just adorable, isn’t it?!” He snapped his claw, appearing down the street with a tuxedo and a magician hat placed haphazardly on his skull. A stage appeared with him, various UN troops sitting in the seats in utter confusion. Discord held up a large red satin sheet, showing everyone the empty stage.

"Aha! For my first trick, I’ll summon a Leopard!" Discord crowed at the top of his lungs. He waved the red sheet once, appearing to land on something, something that appeared to be very familiar to Stephan.

"Tada!" Discord ripped the sheet off, revealing a Leopard2A7 sitting right on stage. Stephan watched as the barrel of the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun L/55 quickly zeroed  in on the Tyrant and fired, Discord shielding the troops below the stage with his magic, protecting them from the noise and force.

The Tyrant was still struggling to bring up her shields when the DM11 HE grenade struck her weaken shield and exploded spectacularly, shattering the shield and sent the Tyrant tumbling down the street.

Stephan watched as the Elements hide behind a hastily constructed shield made by Twilight Sparkle, utter spite directed at Discord as they made their escape through a side alley. Stephan couldn't help but smile, they no longer had an alicorn to protect them.

"Hey!" Stephan perked up, looking back to the tank and seeing Peter waving from hatch, a big smile on his face.

Stephan widen in surprise, his hand coming up to his ear as he called over the radio. "Peter?! What are you doing in that tank?!"

“Well. . . not sure. I was busy with some repairs, and the next thing I remember was that this feller-” he points at Discord, “Shows up and takes the tank with me.”

Stephan stared at Discord, then back at Peter. “Isn’t that Mueller’s tank?”

“Yeah, he is driving.” He looks down the hatch and screams. “Say hello boy!”

The driver hatch opens up and the head of Mueller appears. “Hi Major! What do you think of my baby? I made some upgrades.”

Stephan looked the tank over. He knew that Mueller loved to make his tanks his own. He saw that the remote controlled weapon station on the main turret was not the same as before. Normally it would be one with a single extra gun, but this one was a leftover from Dynamit Nobel Defence that had been looted from an armory before the Barrier ate it, one that could carry two weapons. For example, it could carry one .50 and one 40mm grenade machine gun.

However, Mueller, like the tank maniac he was, mounted a 40mm grenade machine gun and a rocket pod which held two Panzerfaust 3’s in it. Even if a tank was overkill, Mueller would always manage to set the bar even higher. Stephan could also see the telltale hungry red glow of runes all over the barrel of each weapon, four lines that were crossed with a fifth.  There were hundreds all over the main weapon. Stephan doubted that Mueller really counted for every single kill, but he was sure that Mueller could do a lot of damage when he drove the sixty-two tons of mass destruction.

Stephan shook his head, smirking slightly as he turned back to the Tyrant slowly getting back to her hooves. "HQ, its Bauer,  I need that strike now. Distance from my position is a hundred meters due south. Cruisers should do the trick."

"Roger, Major. ETA one minute."

"Oh yeah, Elements are in the city. Time to start hunting down some naughty little slavers," Stephan said. “Have fun..”

“Oh, I will,” Kraber’s voice crackled in his ear. “They’ve spread out a bit, but I’m sure we can find them.”

There was the sound of a weapon being gratuitously cocked.

“Just don’t go postal, Kraber.”

There was a pause.

“He’s not going to listen, is he, Aegis?” Stephan asked. Oh, this was going to be brutal.

“Nope,” Aegis said. “And for that matter, neither am I!”

Celestia slowly got back to her hooves, her right eye constantly twitching in growing rage. Discord’s interference, somehow even more infuriating than usual, had been the final straw. There was no way in Tartarus that she would let this go. They had embarrassed her for the last time. She looked up to see the armored human walking away from her, as if the battle was done and over with.

Like he had won already.

Such...insolence from a lesser species!**

She straightened herself out, her eyes burning with rage as she opened her mouth to call out to them.

She never even heard the roar of the missiles until they landed directly on top of her.

Stephan joined up with the others, not even bothering to look back as the street the Tyrant was sitting in exploded as three cruise missiles impacted area, destroying the entire street and surrounding buildings. He watched as the Draconequus ate some popcorn with a pair of sunglasses on his nose, a goofy grin on his face.

"Pretty." He simply said, causing Stephan to give a tired laugh at that. As he walked up to Peter, a stinging sensation emitted from his chest. “I like what you did, by the way-it has style. Though it could use some more style. Maybe, say, some triangular shades? I’ve heard they make everything more awesome...”

“Don’t,” Trixie glowered. “I’ve seen your style, and it would look ridiculous.”

"Peter... Daniel and Alicia..."

"Are fine." Peter stated, startling Stephan out of his growing despair. "When this Discord feller arrived, he brought them and their surviving team along with him. They're okay, but we had some losses, the rest of them are just banged up and slightly singed."

Stephan felt like his leg would give out on him. They're... Alive… thank you up there… guess you haven’t abandoned us after all...

"I'm sorry I couldn't save the rest." Discord stated, his eyes looking at the flaming mess down the street. "I was too busy gauging her strength. I was so sure she was more powerful than that... Perhaps its only on-"

The street exploded with a magical flare, rubble being tossed aside and barely standing buildings collapsing from the magical energy. Smack dab in the middle of it stood the Tyrant. Her face contorted in pure spite, her eyes and horn glowing with massive magic coursing through them. Trixie, who was standing beside Stephan and waiting for her turn to berate him for his foolish plan of attack, whimpered and sank to the ground as the magical might overwhelmed her. She wasn't alone, the few unicorns within the group also cried out in alarm and utter terror.

Discord slowly pulled his sunglasses from his face, a frown forming as he held up a single claw. Stephan watched as the Tyrant screamed in with absolute hate filling her voice,

"I GROW WEARY OF YOUR DEFIANCE! SUFFER YOU FOALS!" Celestia bellowed, her horn glowing, balls of magic flying out directly at them. The few that slammed into the side of the buildings exploded with massive force and a few dozen were still heading right towards them.

*Snap*

Stephan blinked, finding himself, his unit, and UN troops, at Fenway Park, along with the Mueller’s tank. Dozens of medical personnel looked at them with stunned looks before an explosion ripped through the air to the west. Stephan looked on, before bringing up his hand to his radio.

"HQ, the bitch is still going."

Discord coughed as he pulled himself from the rubble, waving his claw to clear the air. "Was that really necessary?"

"No more games, Discord." The Tyrant seethed as she walked towards him. "I should have taken you seriously, but I allowed myself to believe you would simply roll over and give up."

"Well shame on you then." Discord chuckled, flexing his arms as he prepared for a fight. "In your world, you took your Discord off guard, but I'm not letting you do that this time."

"You speak as if you know what has happened to your counterpart..." Celestia trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she finally took him in. "I see, I didn't understand at first when you said I took your power for my own."

Discord chuckled darkly as he bowed to her, looking back up to her with his eyes filled with the promise of death. "Hello, Celestia."

"That final attack you performed in the Crystal Mines was a means to hide yourself within my student." Celestia scowled before stomping the ground in agitation.  "Always with the tricks."

"Let’s cut the chat, shall we?" Discord’s tail slammed into the ground, shattering the asphalt with its impact.

Celestia smirked as she looked at him. "Do you really believe I would not come prepared? There is a reason I brought the Elements with me."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but they have other matters to attend to," Discord smirked as he walked towards her.

He could hear a soldier laughing hysterically, firing off some gun with a fire rate so ridiculous that it sounded like a buzzsaw going off.

"From the sound of that, very… pressing matters. Its the reason why I brought my own playing cards."

Celestia scowled as she slammed her hoof into the street, her hoof digging into the ground, her wings flaring open in a form of natural intimidation. "Luna."

"Correct!" Discord declared as he spread his own wings, claws extending from his lion's paw. "But let’s cut the chatter. Let’s see if you really have what it takes when I finally decide to cut loose."

"I'll gladly put you in your place." Celestia sneered as she fixed her glare on him. “I’ll make you regret everything in the next few minutes of your life!”

"The Wheel of Fate is turning, Heaven or Hell! Let’s Rock!"

Celestia looked around for the source of the voice seemingly screaming out of nowhere at them. Yet, in the time it took her to blink, Discord was already before her, slamming his claw into her face, almost shaving her head off her body and sending her spiraling down the street.

She straightened herself out, landing on her hooves as she skidded across the ground, her horn flaring to life as she let loose several incendiary spells. Discord weaved through them, chuckling the whole time as he raced toward her. He roared as he flew, and brought down his taloned fist on her skull, attempting to crush her skull into the pavement. Celestia jumped back, rearing as she was about to let a devastating spell on Discord as he lodged himself to the ground via his fist.

Discord smirked as a black hole appeared on the ground as his fist went right through it, with another hole appearing underneath Celestia’s chin. The result was a complete cheap shot by any other standard, as her jaw felt like someone decided to drop a flying castle on it. She was lifted off the ground before she felt her own tail being stomped on, before Discord pulled her through the black hole and slammed her into the ground  behind him by her tail, making her bounce off like a ball. She was still in the air when Discord slammed his own tail into her gut and knocked her down the street, flying through a building into the afternoon sky.

She barely had time to flip herself up right before she found herself staring at Discord aiming at her with his strange bracer.

"Like it? I got it from a friend, had to stay on their world for a bit longer than necessary, but it was so much fun to play with." Discord smiled as he gently brushed the bracer with small hidden gun popping out.

“A gun?!” Celestia laughed. “Of all the weapons you could have cherry-picked from the infinite universes in your search for this pathetic world, you pick a tiny gun?! What could that possibly do to me?!”

“Oh, you would be so surprised!” Discord laughed as he cocked the weapon,  “I found Angel Arms, guns that stabilize the longer you fire them-didn’t like those much, by the way-a shotgun that shot walls of explosions, and things you can’t even believe, but this just… I don’t know, its just..."

Discord smiled as he realized what term he was looking for as he pulled the trigger "Full of surprises."

A massive bullet, one that was half the size of her potioneer ships, came flying out, a large vicious grin and arms on it as it sped out and slammed into her. She barely had time to comprehend what happen before it buried itself and her along with into the building and exploded, collapsing the surrounding buildings along with it.

"Is this truly all that you have?" Discord called out, a grin on his face as he surveyed the devastation. "Not very impress-" Discord turned slightly, eyes wide with surprise as Celestia appeared right next him, bucking his face with her rear legs and sending him into the building below.

"You were saying?" Celestia called out as she watched Discord stumble out of the hole, holding his face with his paw. "Stop this now Discord, you don't have any hope of defeating me! You should bow before me before I truly get upset. "

"Wow, a little early for the evil monologue a bit, don't you think?" Discord muttered as he cracked his neck. He looked up to see Celestia’s horn flaring with magic, sending a beam of Solar Fire at him. Discord only rolled his eyes as he held up a single paw, blocking it, and let the rest play out.

Celestia watched as Discord held up his paw, as if to catch it, much to her delight, only to be blindsided...

By her own attack. The small floating black hole popped out of existence once its job was complete in redirecting her attack.

She seethed, struggling to right herself as she glared down to see Discord racing towards her, a knowing grin on his face. "Enough."

Discord reached out to her, his claws gleaming with chaotic energy, but Celestia let out a powerful pulse of magic, catapulting Discord backwards. He barely had time to right himself before his skull exploded in pain, as Celestia released a point blank spell at his face, sending him skyward. She glided after him, pulling up at the right moment of his flying trajectory and bucking him in the chest, forcing him to sign for a short stay at a forty story office complex on the other side of the street.

Discord landed heavily on his feet on the concrete exterior, cracks spreading across the building. Celestia attempted to follow through, only to gag as Discord caught her with his tail. He stood up on the wall, ignoring gravity as he glared at Celestia. "Well, lets see how well you like it when your face is being pulverized."

Celestia struggled to free herself as Discord twisted his upper body around several times, before he began to fall to the ground, and dropkicked the Tyrant face first into the concrete wall. Discord shoved her through, breaking steel supports and solid stone, before spinning her once more as she slammed face into the wall again. Celestia was unable to stop him as he repeated the motion as he fell forty stories, constantly slamming her through the outer wall at a dizzying pace before finally slamming into the ground.

The air around the impact site was clouded to all before a bright light appeared within, the dust and smoke banished by the force of magic as Celestia’s horn flared with power and shot Discord down the street. Discord landed on his claws, his teeth gnashing as he raced straight back at her, his eyes filled with growing rage as he saw her step out of the crater with little care.

Celestia raised a shield, blocking the attack with little issue. She gave him a small smile before realizing something was amiss. The answer came from a hoof slamming into her jaw, coming straight out of the ground like a tree. It was enough for Discord to shatter the shield and backhand her across the face, staggering her. He look down at the three chibi dolls, a grin forming as an idea popped into his mind.

“What are you playing at?” Celestia asked, shaking her head. “You may have an infinity of tricks, but what can those toys possibly do to stand up against me?”

"Nothing much, just take you to court!" Discord laughed as he threw the doll out to her.

Celestia coughed as confetti and smoke filled the area before she pushed it away with a single flap of her wings. However, instead of seeing Discord,  she found a single human standing before her. Wearing a blue suit with a red tie, his very being stood out of place in the war zone, much like his spiky hair. The human gave her a confident grin, taking a deep breath before screaming at abnormal levels while pointing an accusing finger at her.

"OBJECTION!"

Celestia ears rung with blinding pain, especially worse when she could only cover one. That was louder than Luna on a good day!? Her eyes watered as the shout nearly burst her ear drums. She looked up to see Discord holding a giant gavel, dressed up like a judge with glowing yellow eyes.

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" Discord yelled before pounding the down on her. Celestia attempted to shield herself, but the shield explosively shattered before it could fully take form. Celestia was crushed into the pavement, before she was lifted off the ground and was punched in the gut with incredible force. She lashed out, the magic catching Discord off guard as he was sent down the street,  but was able to grab the second chibi doll, a human-looking being with cat like features.

Celestia heaved as she tried not to vomit, her eyes trained down the street for Discord, only to see a young woman with vibrant blue hair standing in the middle of the street. Celestia blinked once she realize that she wasn't wearing underwear with stockings out in the open.

It was fur.

The strange woman gave her a small smile, her tail and ears twitching as she walked towards her. Celestia scowled as she sent spells to take care of the strange human, only for her to fall on all fours and dash straight to her with speeds that not even an earth pony could achieve. The human's odd body contorted around the spells like a cat, its slim figure squeezing through the gaps of the spellfire as she got closer and closer. And right as she narrowed the gap between herself and Celestia, she jumped, and for all intended purposes, spiked Celestia’s skull into the ground like a volleyball. Celestia’s head slammed into the ground, bouncing off and found herself in a flurry of painful swipes of elongated claws. She flared her horn, only to receive a devastating paw-kick by the strange cat woman, who used her tail to balance herself as she kicked out with both feet.

The strange woman raced after her, staying low to the ground as she zeroed in on the Tyrant. Celestia shook herself as she prepared to banish the creature, but was too late to react as the woman rolled into a ball and spun rapidly across the ground to her, slamming into her legs into Celestia’s gut.

Celestia flew backwards her wings flaring open as she righted herself and looked down to unleash Tartarus on the foolish woman, but only found a strangely dressed masked human, with swords and guns strapped to his body. She blinked as he vanished from sight, and felt something hit her horn. She looked up to see a large grey lump lodged on it, beeping softly much to her confusion.

She jerked her head as she heard giggling coming from behind her, turning to see Discord squatting down with the human, covering his ears while the human held a strange device in his hand.

She blinked as he looked back to her, and gave her a small wave as he pushed the button.

*Boom!*

Celestia coughed as she beat her wings to clear the air, her face filled with soot and her horn appearing to be slightly burned. She saw the human walking towards her in such a silly manner, it caught her completely off guard that he was still there to begin with after attacking her. She scowled as he hummed an annoying tune and attempted to back hoof him, only for him to kick out his leg to catch it before she could so much push forward, throwing a small item in her face before it exploded in a bright light and sound.

Something wrapped around her neck as she tried to blink away the stars. When her vision finally cleared, she couldn't help but gasp in pure, uncomprehending shock at the scene before her. Discord and the costumed human were holding absurdly large bats, a pair of wicked grins on their faces. Her horn flickered weakly in an attempt to shield herself, but she failed to react quickly enough as the two swung, catching her in the face with a sound of wood hitting skull and sent her spinning into the air. The forgotten items around her neck beeped once before they exploded, shoving back to the ground at body shattering speeds.

She crashed through a building's roof, drilling through and unceremoniously falling in a heap in the streets. She laid there, in utter confusion in what happen in the last minute. She heard the sounds of footsteps all around, no doubt humans and their traitorous ponies surrounding her.

"Oh ho ho, if I known they were going to be this good, I would have asked Deadpool to make more. Good thing I found his friends in my travels. Ah, such a shame what happened to Pinkie-" he stared at her with the utmost disgust. “They would get along great together.” Discord laughed as he floated before the stunned Tyrant. He look down at her, a smirk on his face. "You were beaten by dolls, Celestia, and let me tell you, two of those humans are trained fighters, and they were not even the most powerful beings you can find in their worlds. If you can't even handle them on this level, what chance do you have in subduing the rest of the universes? The place with those explosive shotguns… wow. You would be running from there screaming, tail between your legs."

Discord grinned as the Tyrant slowly got back to her hooves, her mane hiding her face from everyone. Discord took note of the humans slowly surrounding her, along with PHL ponies, as they came up to the lip of the crater. Their weapons cocked and ready. "You can't even beat me, face it Celestia.  You would lose every time; the only way you can ever win against me is cheap shots or the Elements. "

Discord never saw the vicious grin forming on the Tyrant's face.

Discord only had a second to react when Celestia’s magic skyrocketed, her horn flaring with blinding light. The power she built up blew her mane backwards, showing the world the madness that had taken a hold of her before she blasted him in the stomach. Discord's eyes widened before he was thrown through several buildings and jettisoned out into the upper atmosphere.

“Not… again!” he yelled as he sent flying, the only indication of his flight was a small shining 'star'.

"You are wrong."  Celestia’s voice carried across the field, the humans and ponies that were knocked off their feet quickly getting back up and aiming at the floating mad mare. "I am far more powerful than you insects can ever imagine. I grow tire of this city and it defiance to my order. Begone all of you."

Celestia’s horn took an orange hue, and the very air felt like it was on fire. The multi-species group only had time to take several steps back when Celestia finally spoke.

"Ashes of Solaris."

"Doctor! Get this tub moving!" Cheerilee cried out, causing Doctor to turn and glare at her.

"You did not just call the TARDIS a-" Doctor growled out, but Sparkler pushed him back to the console.

"Dad! More driving, less defending!" Sparkler yelled, giving a smile as the TARDIS chirped up in response,  humming with more power and speed as if to show Cheerilee she was anything but a tub. Doctor only grumbled but continue to steer her over the city.

"We're nearing her position, Cheerilee. I'm going to have-" the Doctor started to say before a familiar bell tolled, causing his eyes to widen. "Oh no. The Cloister Bell!"

"The what?!"

"A warning alarm. The Tyrant is about to do... something!" Sparkler answered as she looked to the monitor.

“What?!” Cheerilee asked.

“I don’t know what it is,” the Doctor said, “But it can’t be good!”

"Then send out a warning! Get them out of there!" Cheerilee rushed to the radio, quickly switching to the appropriate channels. "This is Cheerilee, all units near the Tyrant's position, fall back, I repeat fall!"

"We’re getting interference to the units near her position. They can't hear us! We’re trying to make our way over to them as we speak, we are two minutes out!"

"Which unit is in the area?"

"Unit Paris 4."

Cheerilee blinked at the name before turning back to the radio, jaw dropping as she realized just what that meant. No no no no… Not... "Negative! I'll do it myself, fall back!" Cheerilee ordered before looking to the Doctor. "I need to get to there now."

Doctor took one glance at her and shook his head. "No."

"Excuse me?" Cheerilee looked at him, surprised.

"Trust me Cheerilee, you do not want to be there," the Doctor said, refusing to look at her, his focus on the console. He ignored her as she stormed up to him, until she grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Now." Cheerilee growled before she marched to the doors leading out of the TARDIS.  She never saw the look of despair on his face before making the change of course.

Cheerilee opened the door, the street below filled with debris and broken buildings. "Cheerilee please, don't go out there!" the Doctor pleaded, grabbing her shoulder, turning her to look at him. "You won't like what you see!”

"It’s war Doctor, I already don't like it. There are children down there, some fighting for us, others just hiding out until it’s too late." Cheerilee said quietly as she inspected the street below. She panned back to the Doctor with a sad smile on her face. "I can't let them face that, not when there are still adults out there fighting for them. Goodbye, Doctor!"

Doctor watched numbly as Cheerilee jumped out of the TARDIS, falling three stories before landing on the street, kicking up dust and dirt. Her runes glowed brightly before she ran down the street.

"Dad?" Sparkler look to her father as she walked up to him, eyes wide as she saw tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Cheerilee." Doctor whispered, "I'm sorry for what you are about to see and suffer."

Cheerilee dashed down the street, her runes glowing brightly underneath her coat as she made her way to the unit’s position. It was a unit she was familiar with, as they had ten children within their ranks.

Cheerilee knew all of them, as they were same children she met and grew to adore in France. They all volunteered to help, they were able to get into areas most adults couldn't get into. It broke her heart to see them in the final days before the Battle of Boston started. All of them smiled when they saw her and promised her they would be safe and stay out of combat. Almost there, kids.

But some promises just had to be broken.

She turned the corner and saw the Tyrant glowing brightly just above the street, her runes radiating as they absorbed the excess magic in the air. Her eyes widening in horror as she raced down the street.

"Fall back!" Cheerilee cried out as she made it halfway down the street when the Tyrant spoke.

"Ashes of Solaris."

A blast of hot air washed over Cheerilee, the world turning into a blinding haze before it finally died down. She strained her neck to see the sky, blinking away the stars as she saw the Tyrant standing at the lip of the crater with a condescending smile on her face. Cheerilee took note that not a single human or pony moved as the Tyrant step closer to them before she lightly touched them...

And fell apart like dust.

Cheerilee froze at what she saw, before the coughing sound of a survivor caught her ears. She turned to see a familiar human crawling away from the scene.

"Jean!" Cheerilee gave a hushed yell as she made her way to young teen. Cheerilee had almost died in defending against the horde of New Foals back in France, this young boy being one of the survivors. He was only twelve at the time of the attack in France and signed up immediately for combat training when he turned fifteen.

"Mademoiselle Cheerilee." Jean Kirchstein gave a harsh cough, whimpering as the pain he felt was blinding. "It’s only a scratch... No?"

Cheerilee dared to glance down onto his legs, giving a startled cry as she saw he legs were gone. In their place was a trail of ash, and he was losing more every second as the spell traveled up his body. "No...No. It's okay, I can... I can..."

"Its fine..." Jean whispered, clutching her fetlocks in his hands. "I understood that something like this would happen."

"No! You can’t understand this!" Cheerilee cried as she held onto him, trying to absorb the spell, but she was chock full, unable to absorb anymore. "You are going to live, you understand?! You have your whole life ahead of you!"

"Vous êtes un menteur terrible." Jean whispered, hissing as the spell reached his hips and slowly made its way up his torso. "Please don't ever change that about yourself."

"No...please no." Cheerilee cradled his head in her lap, stroking his hair with her hoof. "You’re only fifteen years old. You... you should be dating... you should be getting in trouble for doing stupid things... you shouldn't be fighting… you shouldn't..."

Jean raised his hand held her hoof, his other stroking her cheek, wiping her tears away. "You'll make me cry too if you keep that up." His own tears sliding down his cheeks as he gave her the most confident smile he could muster. "I am so glad you are the last person I saw before I died."

Cheerilee felt her heart break at those words, she watched as he struggled to breathe, choking on his own ashes as the spell reached his lungs. She held him as he began to shake. "L-look at me Jean." She whispered, the boy's eyes focus on her own. "Please. I love you, I love you like my own foals. I'm so proud of you, of all of you. I wish we didn't live in this world, fighting and killing because of a single mad pony. Just know that I care. You hold onto that, okay?

Jean only looked up to her, his shaking becoming worse as the spell ate through his body, closer and closer to his heart. He gave her one last look, one filled with fear of the end, something that Cheerilee never wanted to see on any child.

"J'ai très peur..." Jean whispered before falling silent, Cheerilee shook as the light in his eyes faded. She held held the hand tightly against her cheek, silently begging anyone listening that the boy to live. Tears dropped onto his face as the spell slowly converted the rest of him into ash. A light wind picked up, blowing the ash away, leaving Cheerilee alone on the ground.

She heard hoofsteps coming up to her before finally stopping. She ignored them as she tried to gather the ashes, sniffing as she tried to understand what happened.

"This is the price of defiance. Death is something I wished to avoid, but this is only a natural result of your petty rebellion against me. Death is all that remains of him, a child forced into combat by the parents. Corrupted by his humanity, and I could have saved him if he only allowed it; instead he died in this forsaken city for a disgusting race." The Tyrant spoke to her, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "His life must have been truly pathetic if he found small comfort in his cause before his demise."

Pathetic...

Cheerilee twitched, the words echoing within her mind.

Pathetic!

She slowly looked up to the Tyrant, eyes training themselves on her face as she glared down her.

"Now Cheerilee, its time for you to admit defea--”

"PATHETIC!?" Cheerilee screamed as she launched herself at Celestia, supposed queen of ponykind and savior of humanity. Her runes glowed with power as she launched a powerful uppercut at the Tyrant's jaw. “YOU CALL YOURSELF A SAVIOR?!”

Alicorns, both ascended and created, are powerful beings of magic. They have all three traits of ponykind itself: Strength, flight, and magic at their hooves. At any other time, assaulting an alicorn without magical backup was tantamount of suicide.

Fortunately, Cheerilee had plenty of magical backup on hoof.

Celestia watched as the fuchsia mare leaped at her, cocking back her left front hoof and slammed it into her jaw. An earth pony of even considerable strength would only give her a mild annoyance at being hit.

The smack from the angry former teacher to her jaw was anything but that. The moment her jaw felt the hoof, her magical reserves dropped like an unenchanted zeppelin. If possible, it felt even worse than Discord's own blows. Celestia felt something snap, blinding pain encompassing her jaw as she flew up from the blow, spinning backwards several times before she descended back to the ground.

“HOW,” Cheerilee yelled, heaving in rage as she watched the alicorn fly upwards “COULD ANY OF THIS POSSIBLY QUALIFY AS SAVING THEM?!” Cheerilee's entire body hummed and glowed, her runes like a beacon, her hooves cracking the pavement as she pressed on the falling body of her former leader. The runic mare jumped as she neared the falling alicorn, bringing up her rear legs before dropkicking the alicorn in the back, feeling satisfaction when she felt one of her wings snapping from the blow. Cheerilee expelled a good portion of her magic in the kick, blasting the Tyrant down the street.

Celestia tumbled roughly across the street before slamming into a building wall, lodging herself within. HOW?! Celestia screamed inwardly. HOW IS SHE SO POWERFUL?! She finally focused herself, seeing the mare rushing right at her, rage filling her face. Celestia’s horn glowed, forming a shield before her to stop the insolvency.

Cheerilee charged at Celestia, feeling the runes supporting her physical abilities. She saw a golden shield appear before her enemy, she wanted to stop, but at that moment she saw Jean, his once smiling face forever replaced by his dying one.

"J'ai très peur..."

I'm scared...

Cheerilee felt the tears return.. She roared in both rage and despair, runes flaring-no, blazing-to life even more. The sensation of burning was the last thing she felt as her hooves shattered the ground as she sped up, rushing straight to the being that took a child's life--no, a world’s lives and souls--and ripped it to shreds.

Celestia looked up to see the mare running up to her shield, leaping up and slamming her shoulder into it. Once again, she felt the same drain of magic while her shield buckled and shattered like glass, allowing the mare to land and bodily tackle her through the wall.

The two rolled inside, one runic mare and alicorn locked in combat, the Tyrant was still struggling to accept what she was fighting against when Cheerilee reared up and slammed her hooves on to the floor, shaking the ground around her, causing Celestia to lose her footing.

Cheerilee capitalized on it immediately and set herself onto her hindlegs, bringing up her forelegs up and raining blows onto the Tyrant's face in a combination of jabs and crosses, the very same style Marcus taught her. This forced Celestia to rear up, to escape the punishing blows, but only served to give Cheerilee an opening as she placed herself closer to the Tyrant’s body, using her own head to keep her up while standing on her rear legs and began to lash out with devastating blows to her body.

"HE WAS A CHILD! THE ONLY REASON HE FOUGHT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON HE IS DEAD! NOT BECAUSE OF HIS PEOPLE! YOU’VE DONE NOTHING BUT BLAME THEM FOR THINGS THAT WEREN’T THEIR FAULT! THEY DIDN’T HAVE AN IMMORTAL QUEEN WATCHING OVER THEM, TO GUIDE THEM DOWN ANOTHER PATH, WE CAN’T ALL BE SO FORTUNATE!” Cheerilee screamed. She might not have liked what humans did in the war. She might have hated the Newfoal Employment Programs that were virtually slave trades, and had been unable to eat for the rest of the day after hearing that broadcast from Isaac Acevedo, but dammit, they’d been forced to those depths.

If Acevedo was evil, he wouldn't have sounded so damned broken by what he’d done.

Cheerilee pulled back both hooves, and slammed them into the Tyrant's stomach, forcing the larger being off of her. She turned and planted her front hooves in the ground, the runes on her rear legs flashed with magical excess before she bucked with all her might, hard enough to do even Big Macintosh proud. She felt the alicorn’s ribs break as she disappeared outside the building, several walls falling on her pass.

We’ve been breaking a lot of walls, Cheerilee thought before shoving the inane thought aside.

Celestia coughed as some persistent dust reached her tongue, using her horn to move aside any irritating rubble that remained. Once she raised to her hooves, her eyes widened in shock at the sustained damaged she was ‘feeling’. Everything was like it had just reached the cusp of simply breaking with the slightest push of wind. Her jaw, her wing, and ribs alike were slowly healing, but her magical reserves were far lower than what it should have ever been. She was, how did engineers on the Equestrian Railway, say… running on fumes? It was impossible to conceive that this single mare did more damage than Discord did in the entire fight.

"You tread a dangerous path, Cheerilee." Celestia scowled, her horn glowing with harming intent, as she cleared the small cone of broken stone she had formed. "Your runes may help you, but even you cannot hope to ever beat me with just brute force."

"If there is something I learned from Marcus, it’s that sometimes all you need is brute force if you want to get your point across," Cheerilee hissed at her, stepping out of the building, rage building in her heart. "And so far, it seems to be working quite well on you."

"Foalish." Celestia whispered as Cheerilee rushed at her once more, the Tyrant letting loose a single blast of magic, watching the mare hold up her forelegs to block it.

Something she was counting on.

Cheerilee sailed through the magical attack, her runes absorbing it like water to a dry rag, only for the Tyrant to hold up a single hoof and lash out at her. Cheerilee held up her foreleg to block it, and fortune smiled on Cheerilee as a majority of the attack was absorbed by now broken blocking extremity. On top of that, said blow was powerful enough to push past her block, strike her in the face and catapult her down the street, the fortune here being it was not only her head being sent down the street.

Pain filled Cheerilee's head as she bounced down the street before slamming into a old parked luxury car. Cheerilee whimpered as the inertia that had plastered her to the vehicle finally let her go and she struggled back to her hooves, feeling the healing runes direct their energy to her right leg. She glanced up to see the Tyrant land a fair distance from her.

"Do you not see? You are outclassed in every way. While your runes give you a small chance, it is hardly an issue for me." The Tyrant said to Cheerilee, a smug grin on her face. "Now then, I have a wayward 'sister' to -"

*SLAM*

Cheerilee blinked once and found herself gawking at a satellite where the Tyrant once stood, Discord sitting on top of it with an annoyed glare on his face. "Jeez, at least make sure you defeated me before you start making plans on ruining everyone else’s day."

The satellite groaned, beams of magic punching through the metal, forcing Discord off his ride. Discord landed next to Cheerilee, his form showing he was ready for round two in this fight. The space worthy item exploded, fragments spreading everywhere, the Tyrant giving Discord a rather irritated look.

"I am growing tired of your meddling!" Celestia growled, only for Discord to roll his eyes and wave her off.

"Well, I'm growing tired of this encounter too. So how about you kneel over and die already," was Discord’s scathing reply.

Before either being could continue their fight, both felt the magical pressure of the air abruptly increase. Cheerilee winced, as her runes also buzzed in response to the massive explosion of magical presence in the air. Discord appeared quite pleased with this development, smirking back to Celestia.

"Looks like Lulu found something she didn't quite agree with." Discord said off handedly,  watching as the sky began to darken, as if the sun was setting at a rapid pace.

"What did you-?!" Celestia eyes shifting to Discord with anger.

"Me? I just told Lulu to rip Twilight's mind apart, find out whatever secrets you may have told her." Discord said nonchalantly, looking at his claw with little interest. "Looks like she found something alright."

The ground began to shake, weakening buildings collapsing due to the tremors, the sky darkening until it was filled with billions of stars. The ocean splashed against the harbor, winds howling, the clouds darkening. Ships rocked in the wildly choppy sea, with one of the few boats left in the city thrown into the Legal Seafood on Old Atlantic Ave, just by the New England Aquarium by a particularly intense wave.

Destroyers and frigates within the harbor shook wildly as the sea threatened to capsize them, with sailors trying desperately to keep the valuable military equipment onboard. While out in the open ocean, the carriers could only watch on helplessly as the sky over Boston darkened with magic unheard of before. A small dome of night, like a window into the night sky of another world, hung over Boston.

The few thaumometric devices on the ships, made with materials imported from Equestria, jury-rigged by Equestrian scientists deeply displeased that every one of their studies of Earth was blocked off, or taken from homes and looted from universities, were going… well, to say they were going nuts would be putting it lightly. They were going absolutely crazy, with wildly spinning dials and cracked glasses. One device, which its inventor had called a “Thaumo-emotive Indicator,” (Though most of the Vandegriff’s personnel referred to it as a sense-sifter, for no adequately defined reason) was a small floating cube on a pedestral that measured ambient magic in colors, nestled deep within the frigate USS Vandegriff.

The Thaumo-emotive Indicator was now a deep, dark, crazy indigo, so dark that it was almost black, spinning so fast and off-kilter that it looked like it could burst out of whatever kept it on its pedestal.

Then came the terrible cry, too low for the pony ear to listen. Everyone could feel the vibration though, and it was rare to find anyone who hadn’t gotten a headache as it slowly but surely built up in intensity. But then it grew, and with it, its true voice, increasing in volume each second.

Until it was in the spectrum of sound.

"...aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!"

Cheerilee's eyes widened in shock as bolts of magic flared off in the distance. She had little doubt that all unicorns in the region were incapacitated by the combination of unchecked emotions and overwhelming magic. She took a step back as the flares of power exploded in one giant aura of dark indigo magic, lighting up the sky. Something screamed in utter despair before a bolt flew from the flare.

Straight at them.

Cheerilee stumbled back as something landed with a large crash, the ground buckling underneath it. The deep indigo magical aura surrounding it dissipated piece by piece, revealing the being within. Cheerilee couldn't help but whisper in terror at what she saw.

"Nightmare Moon."

Training Days: First Days Part 1 (WARNING: CLOP SCENE)

**Training Days

Authors:

Proudtobe

Redskin122004

Editors:

Doctor Fluffy

Kizuna Tallis

TB3

Rush

Beyond the Horizon

Inquisitor-Awesome

Jed R

Red Bomber**

Not Long After Sombra’s defeat..

Sitting in his room with profiles of various leaders coming to his new species-wide boot camp, Stephan was preparing himself to meet the offered armies from Equestria. Of course, it wasn’t new for him to train soldiers and those in charge in new ways of combat. He’d met all kinds of different people during his time in the military, even before the war with the Tyrant, trained with them and fought with them. But this time was different.

These last few days had consisted of training this Equestria’s Elements of Harmony in the art of fighting, as well as learning about the different cultures in Equestria. The Buffaloes, Minotaurs, Griffons and even Dragons! They would be probably the biggest challenge. Of course, the Griffons were an entire species of ‘proud warrior race’ archetypes, as were the Minotaurs, and to some degree, the Diamond Dogs were as well. But he could handle them since they were not that much bigger than an average human. He did find himself wanting to refer back to Star Trek though… perhaps Worf or some other Klingon would be a useful guide for him right now.

It was the Dragons that made him worry. He had met Uptime Spike, who would be considered a teenager in dragon terms, and he was already quite big. He could only imagine the size of a full grown dragon. It would be less a matter of training and more a case of directing them in how to roast or eat new foals efficiently. A good first impression was needed to show them that he was in charge: the same went for the other leaders who were supposed to come.

He shifted his shoulders a bit to get his shoulderplates in a comfortable position. The runes on his armor glowed a warm red, and his reactive plates made his chest look even wider than they actually were. He could feel his body react to the power the runes gave him, making him stronger as the weight of his gear grew less and less bothersome. Otherwise his armor was decorated with rewards and medals, the Schützenschnur (Badge of Marksmanship) hung over the right side of his chest and two patches on his shoulders which showed the European stars and the symbol of the UN, together with the German flag. It stood in total contrast with the runes which still glowed. A side effect from the natural magical field in Equestria.

“You look great.”

Stephan turned his head to the source of the voice and saw Trixie sitting on the ground. She was surrounded by her own equipment, which floated around her in her magical grasp. Aside from her usual stuff, she was wearing a stylized uniform in German Flecktarn, or spotted camouflage. She received it after her training back on earth and since then, wore it rarely. On her shoulders where epaulettes with the rank of a Leutnant (First lieutenant), the same rank Stephan had only a few years ago before he became a Major.

Even though she was actually part of the PHL, she was technically also part of the German military as she signed in for training with them. She wore her rewards as well, along with a patch that showed her connection with the PHL.

Of course she didn’t need to wear it, but she was interested in giving a good first impression as well.

“You look good, too,” Stephan returned with a honest smile.

Trixie tilted her head a bit at that comment. “Only good?”

Stephan rolled his eyes. “You look sexy in uniform.”

Trixie beamed at him and trotted over to his side, her stuff floating behind her. “That’s better.”

‘Women,’ Stephan thought. He loved her, but she still had some of her old habits.

He was actually still amazed that she could stand and walk after last night.

!!!!!!!WARNING: CLOP AHEAD!!!!!!!!!

Last Night

“Oh my gosh! Oh…" Trixie threw her head back as she bounced her hips, eyes rolling back from the intense pleasure. "Oh...please...ah!”

Trixie had all but dragged Stephan to bed after he finished his healing from the Crystal Kingdom fiasco, stress combined with long days without his company, and a little bit of meddling from a certain pink alicorn gave Trixie a rather severe case of love making in the works.

Trixie stopped bouncing, her eyes fluttering closed as she gave a lusty moan. She did not want the pleasure to end as she sat on top of her lover, enjoying how he filled her up in ways she never got from a stallion. Her hips began to grind against the very excited male underneath her. She held her forelegs behind her head, stretching her barrel to give Stephan a full view of her body, feeling the wonderful hands ('Maybe Lyra was onto something?')trailing up and down her slim figure.

She knew Stephan enjoyed her slim figure greatly, but she also knew he loved the curves she had, given how 'grabby' he was of her hips and rear. She opened her eyes and gave the man below her a sultry smile and began to bounce once more.

"Yes... give Trixie more... Trixie is a naughty girl." Trixie moaned out, giving a sharp yelp as she felt a slap on her rump.

"Yesss. A very naughty Mädchen. Mein Mädchen." Stephan sat up, holding Trixie tightly against his scar covered body. Trixie kissed the scars on his shoulder, moaning softly into his neck as their lovemaking began to reach a new high. Her moans got louder as she felt Stephan gently nibble her ear while he reached for the base of her tail and pulled on it.

"Ah! Stephan! Mehr! Bitte! Bearbeite mich! Bleib bei mir für immer!" Trixie whimpered out in German,  knowing full well that would only excite the German soldier further. Stephan growled as he buried his face into the crook of her neck and began to bite, causing her body to shake as she felt those sharp canines digging into her skin. Sharp pleasure and pain raced up and down her body, causing a strange feeling to well up in her.

She was riding a powerful hunter, and she was at his complete mercy. He could make her do things with a simple touch, the sharp teeth digging into her neck reminding her that he was a carnivore and she was trapped in his arms. Never to let her go willingly, to own her very life in his powerful arms and hands.

"Mein." Stephan growled as he began to use his hands to lift the excited mare off of him and drop her roughly back down. If Trixie was close to paradise before, she gone beyond the gates and landed right smack dab in the middle of it now.

Trixie opened her mouth, but not a single word or sound escaped as she felt her body shuddering from another body rocking orgasm. Stephan moved from her neck to her jaw, leaving a trail of kisses till he captured her mouth.

Stephan began to move Trixie faster, the mare moaning into his mouth at the quickened pace. Her world all but shrank to the both of them and the bed. All she cared for was right here, the rest of the world be damned. Luna herself could walk through the door and she wouldn't give a single damn.

"Scheiße ... Ich komm gleich." Stephan grunted out, the mare wrapped her forelegs around his neck the moment she heard it.

"Nicht aufhören ... Innen ... Bitte ... Ich bin so nah zu ..." Trixie whispered and Stephan grunted as he began to move her faster. Trixie continued to whisper in her sultry voice to Stephan in German, making the most lewd comments that would have made his father, a hard and no-nonsense man, blush from hearing it.

"I... I'm-" Trixie gave a loud moan, Stephan giving out a loud groan before falling back onto the bed, taking Trixie with him. Trixie moaned from the heat blossoming from her womb, nuzzling Stephan’s chest as she rode on her orgasmic high.

The two laid for a few minutes, before Trixie pulled herself off his chest and brushed her mane from her face. She gave him a warm smile before leaning down and kissing him. She gave a small laugh as she laid back down and nuzzled his jaw.

"Six... Six times..." Trixie laughed out, "You beast!"

Stephan said nothing to this, a smile gracing his face as he leaned down to capture one of her ears, which he began to suck on gently while scratching the free ear, causing her to seize up. He let out a groan of his own as he felt something up seize up as well. Trixie had a hard time to catch her breath as she rolled off of him, chest moving up and down as his lungs struggled to pump fresh air into him. “Yeah… the doc said that... something like this could happen because the healing magic restores my stamina as well… like being born anew...”

Both laid on their backs, heart rates calming down to a normal level.

Which then went up again as Stephan said, “Okay, I can go again.”

“Wha-hmp!” That was all Trixie could say before Stephan rolled on top of her.

CLOP DONE

Present

Stephan groaned as he walked to the balcony, looking out to the city and surrounding lands in the early morning hour. He admitted to himself that he never thought he’d live to see Canterlot and the countryside that Trixie once described to him. Well, if he lived, he’d probably be a newfoal, but that wasn’t really all that different. Now it was here in front of him and he could see where she once lived when she was younger.

And it was beautiful. It was as if the whole country was some kind of  nature preserve and precisely maintained. Well, except for Discord’s construction site.

He looked off to the distance, seeing a miles long expanse of barren dirt marring the landscape. Discord had been working on the area with the Equestrian Royal Guard Corps of Engineers, for the past two days, uprooting trees, draining lakes, or redirecting rivers.

'Discord…' he mused silently, wondering what the chaotic being was doing out there. To him, it had all the  makings of a training ground, but that couldn't be it as it was simply too massive in size. His eyes drift towards Ponyville, frowning as he thought back on Marcus’ first arrival into the town.

He blinked as a large cloud of dust exploded into the air from the Everfree forest, snorting in amusement as the dust appeared to scale some distance. 'There's Marcus. Probably still trying to run without running into any trees.'

A heavy boulder flew up hundreds of feet into the air.

'.... Aaaaand failing at stress management.'

Marcus was probably the one person he was worried about the most. He was human, born and raised as one, and now he was essentially made into a true superhuman, as stupid as it sounded. And, Stephan had to admit, a suspiciously convenient leg up for them to win the war. Seeing him struggle down the hall, shaking as he ate his food, giving into frustration and reducing a marble statue to dust with a single punch was too much for the Marine.

During yesterday’s company roll-call, Marcus stepped down as Commanding Officer and passed it to Stephan before exiting, nearly shattering the doors as he did so. Stephan couldn’t help but see the look of sadness on some of the soldiers in the room as they watched him leave.

The only thing that could help them was work. As harsh as it sounded, it would keep their thoughts in check instead of wandering around Marcus. Still, Stephan knew he had to think about a way to tell Cheerilee what happened to Marcus without getting slaughtered, since he was supposed to take care of him.

Stephan’s line of thought was stopped by someone knocking at his door. “Come in!”

The door opened and Shining Armor together with Luna walked inside. Both of them wore heavy armor from the look of it. Shining’s had a purple color while Luna’s was metallic silver. Their helmets were being carried in their magical grip and swords had been strapped over their right side.

“Good day, Major. Trixie Lulamoon,” Luna said with a friendly smile.

“Actually, its Leutnant Lulamoon for today, Princess,” Trixie said politely and bowed to the Princess.

“Good day Princess, Captain Armor,” Stephan said and gave them a little nod. “I hope everything had been prepared in time?”

“Yes, everything and everypony is ready. The Royal Guard is already in position. But none of your soldiers showed up yet.” Shining clarified.

“They will march in with us,” Stephan began to explain.

“I will make sure that we give a good show,” Trixie stated with a grin, flaring one hoof with all the skill of a natural showpony. “A great and powerful display!”

“No fireworks,” Stephan cautioned.

“Hmpf!”

Luna had to swallow a giggle down. “Its about time. Shall we?”

Stephan nodded, following Luna and Shining Armor out of the room and closed the door behind him. It wasn’t the first time that he’d walked through the Castle of Canterlot, but still, it had a charm of its own that had yet to not impress. The windows were intricately crafted as well as the statues and banners; everything from the vaulted ceiling to the marble floor spoke of centuries of art and civilization. And everything was so big, Stephan thought clouds wouldn’t have a problem hanging under the ceiling.

It was comforting that all that this palace represented; all the magic, history and strength in Equestria, and then even more, was throwing its lot in with humanity in the struggle for Earth’s destiny.

Buoyed by that thought, Stephan stepped into the warm sunlight, the morning sun shining brightly down on him. He looked back to the castle, seeing that many of the balconies were filling up with servants eager to witness the proceedings, including the Elements of Harmony. After a few minutes of walking, the group met up with the ponies and humans from Earth and marched on with them.

In the distance, Stephan could already make out a line of ponies in golden armor standing in formation upon a large parade ground.

‘And by large’, he mentally annotated, ‘this is a space big enough to accommodate most of the Olympic Games!’

Any other time the sight of so many war horses would have him readying himself for combat, but he kept his control and maintained his position beside the Princess, Shining flanking his lunar diarch on the other side.

One of the Royal Guards in front of the formation barked a quick order. “GUARDS! HEADS, LEFT!”

All heads turned towards the group that consisted of the Princess, Shining, Trixie and Stephan, following them with their eyes until they came to a halt in front of the Guard who was clearly in charge here.

“Princess Luna, Captain Armor, Sergeant Lancet Edge reports!” he saluted, “The Welcoming Committee of the Royal Guard is fully present!”

Shining saluted back while Luna nodded briskly. Stephan stood silently aside since he had not been spoken to directly. His eyes followed the line of guards. Every single one of them stood perfectly in line with each other, heads high, expressions serious. Almost like statues.

‘When was the last time Equestria engaged in a serious military action?’ he thought, struggling to dredge up the minutiae of Trixie’s history lessons. If his memory was correct, the answer lay somewhere between ‘never’ and ‘not applicable’.

Honestly, they wouldn’t survive the first five minutes on a real battlefield. But then again, he hadn’t had time to see them, or indeed any of the EUP Pony Protection Platoons in combat.

‘Oh yes you have. You’ve been fighting against their counterparts for years...and alongside a ragtag assembly of Equestrian citizens...and if a teacher, musicians, farmers and magicians can fight like demonic racehorses with ginger in their backsides, then these fillies and colts should do just fine.’

And then, in a brief flash of pessimism. ‘It’s you that bears the burden of training them. Any failure of theirs in the field will reflect your own failure to prepare them for the fresh hell ahead.’

Well, at least now he had the weeks and months needed to turn them into real soldiers, thanks to wibbly-wobbly time shenanigans which he had neither the desire (or the necessary non-euclidean mental geography) to unravel. He had summed up his limited understanding thus: time runs fucking slower here, which nearly caused an outraged Twilight Sparkle to drag him into a ‘science training session’ of her own devising, which just resulted in headaches for both involved. Never again, that mare was crazy enough to ignore his orders once she got going.

“At ease, Lancet Edge. Return to your unit and await new instructions.” Shining said, dismissing the guard with another exchange of salutes.

Shining, the Princess and Stephan then turned around, their backs now towards the Guards.

“So,” Stephan began, “who is scheduled to arrive first?”

“First should be-” Luna started but was cut off mid-sentence by a loud screech. Hearing it she looked up into the sky and smirked, a warlike glint in her eye. “Ah, there they are.”

Stephan followed her gaze and his eyes fell upon a small cloud which became slowly bigger until he could see that they were Griffons. They flew in several groups of large triangles, like migrating birds, or the tip of a dagger. And following behind, bursting from the cloud cover and forming the blade to that dagger, were airships, massive and lethal.

'No... not airships. Warships.' Stephan corrected himself as he saw dozens of cannon-ports studding the hulls. Although hidden from view, the potential of the craft to suddenly bristle with deadly metal was a potent threat.

They vaguely resembled the airships the Tyrant used against the humans. A big balloon supporting a construction that looked like an archaic sailing ship under it. But there ended any similarity.

While the Equestrian airships looked like they were crafted by artists, the Griffons’ Warships were more rough in their construction and built for practicality, function (and presumably, economy of construction). Metal armor plates covered most of the ship, which together with the hundreds of cannon-ports and sharp spikes and blades to deter attacking fliers added up to a potent message - “Do not mess with us.”

There had to be a trade off though. All that weight surely dragged down speed and maneuverability. Likewise he was sure they lacked the magical shielding of the Equestrian ships, and could probably be shot down easily. He would have to consider some improvements.

Well... not him per se, but the dozens of engineers, scientists and PHL mages that had came with them could probably do something. Supposedly, the Crowe labs personnel were already working on improvements to Equestrian ships, perhaps a side-channel could be opened to do the same for the griffons.

A large group of the flying dihybrids separated from the rest of the flock (or was it a pride?) and descended towards the ground, swooping down like predators on the hunt. Stephan had seen some birds of prey during his youth, visiting the old family farms around Hamburg and Kiel. These creatures clearly shared some DNA with those potent raptors.

The diving griffons suddenly spread their wings, breaking out of their dive just a few meters from the ground. Pulling back in an expert stall they shed all lift and dropped to the ground their, hindclaws clicking like spurs as they landed in line formation, a second rank forming up behind. Stephan counted at least fifty soldiers, with more squadrons still circling overhead in holding patterns.

The Tsumerai, elite bodyguards to the Griffon monarchy, had arrived.

He was genuinely impressed by the discipline they showed. Like the royal guard, they held their heads high and stood straight and strong. Each one of them was wearing light plate armor shielding their torsos and forelegs. The joints were covered in chain armor for flexibility. Still, he could make out some individual izations here and there, ritual marking he suspected matched service ribbons, customised pauldrons or greaves, or just some simple filigree.

Stephan’s attention turned to four massive shapes, accompanied by two smaller figures that nevertheless were still bigger than the average griffon, as they flew over the formation and landed gracefully, sinking to a bow in a gesture of respect to Luna in her own land. Luna mirrored the gesture, wings held down in a symbolic demonstration of trust. Shining Armor and Stephan matched the formalities in their own way, the german soldat mentally thanking Marcus Renee for a quick crash-course in diplomatic soldiery.

‘Because as much as I like to think of him as a buffoon from time to time, he has been around more royalty and persons of great importance than I have ever before the this war.’ Stephan thought as he finished his greeting, thinking back on Marcus’ ever growing concern in drilling him in proper etiquette greetings.

The four griffons who landed first were clearly personal guards, clad in shimmering dragonscale armor and matching helmets with closed visors. Stephan could barely make out their eyes, and he was genuinely impressed with the quality of their equipment. He understood the Griffon Lands saw infrequent attacks from rogue wyrms, and soldiers who proved themselves skilled in repelling these incursions not only got fast-tracked towards the Tsumerai, but often got first-dibs on use of the valuable scale and hide ‘liberated’ from their defeated quarry.

That was one advantage these troops had over their Equestrian kin; actual combat experience. Against freaking dragons!

Impressive the guards truly were. But the two griffons in the centre of the delegation drew his full attention now. Rising from his bow, their leader was revealed to be an elder who had clearly seen more than his share of battle, proud and in bearing, his regal demeanour enhanced by a leonine mane of bronze feathers and silver fur surrounding his head. A monarch of the sky-prides, a lord of the zephyrs.

Prince Tobias, heir to the Throne of the Clavenpaw, had arrived. He wore a beak-guard carved from a immense claw, and like his guards he was armoured in dragonscale, distinguished by a red cape slung around his body and fixed with a leather belt. It was secured between his shoulders so as to not interfere with his wings, the span of which dwarfed even Celestia’s. Comparing him with Luna, Stephan realised in that instant that the first-born son of the griffon crown probably exceeded the body mass of both royal sisters combined.

His escort could be none other than his mother, the High Queen Hedwig. Stephen had only a brief chance to study her profile in the royal archives, and had at the time made the mistake of writing her off as a trophy wife of the late king, a placeholder until the next generation took the throne.

Now, seeing this eagless in the toned, muscular flesh, he remembered an old lesson: the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

On the African serengeti, it was the lionesses who bore the lion’s share (ha!) of the hunt. In the lifelong mating relationship of the bald eagle it was the female who was the dominant partner. He didn’t want to wager which of the two royals now facing him bore the greatest chance in a fight, but where Tobias was dressed for diplomatic grandeur, his royal mother came dressed for the hunt.

‘She looks like she could take down a dragon on her own! Is this what ‘wickle bitty bitchy witchy Gilda’ will be when she grows up!?’

Even though Hedwig was a bit smaller in build than her son, she made up for it with an attitude of utter command. Her fur was a majestic gunmetal blue and her feathers were storm-grey, shot through with steely streaks, making it look as if the Griffon queen was clad in daggers, daggers as bright and keen as her silver eyes...eyes that had the look of many lifetime’s experience of all life’s joys and pains.

The blades strapped to her side were sharp, her headdress polished to a mirror’s gleam. The badge of her office, a blazing white gemstone, was set in the crest of the helm, and drew all eyes to her own with an almost hypnotic intensity...those burning silver eyes...the eyes of an old predator that had faced countless terrors…and vanquished every single one.

Luna was the last to rise from her bow, spreading her wings with a regal flourish. “It is an honor to meet you again, Queen Hedwig.”

Hedwig gave her a sharp little smile before she spread her own wings and let loose a piercing battle screech that rose the blood and hackles of all listening. Luna did not so much as even flinch, just returning the queen’s knowing smile.

“The honour is ours, Princess Luna,” Hedwig proclaimed. “We come ready to stand beside Equestria, to pit ourselves against this travesty that usurps your noble kingdom’s name, and utterly destroy it and every foul deed it has worked!”

The declaration did not go unappreciated. There were approving murmurs coming from the ranks of the Royal Guard, and from the distant castle balconies cheers, whoops and wolf-whistles were going up by the dozen.

Aloof to the spirited response, Hedwig’s eyes wandered to the left and right as if she was looking for someone. “May I ask where Princess Celestia is? Or Commander Renee?”

“Our royal sister has been called away to attend upon urgent affairs of a private nature,” Luna replied with political polish. “And the most worthy Commander is still recuperating from his heroic deeds in the Crystal Empire.”

“Really?” Hedwig murmured, managing to not so much as raise an inquisitive eyebrow. “Such a pity.” She then turned her gaze towards Stephan who gave her an acknowledging nod, despite feeling like a small animal caught in her headlights.

She studied him at great length before she opened her beak again, her attitude curious, but reserved. “And who is this fellow?”

Stephan came to a snappy salute but kept his silence, deferring to Luna, at whom the question had been directed.

“This is Major Bauer,” Luna answered, and Stephan realised he could hear a trollishly mischievous lilt in her words. “Most recently of the Earthly realm of Germania, where he is a Knight of the highest standing! He comes before us now as a champion of armies, and hero of nations: High General and battlemaster of all human forces in Equestria.”

Stephan had stayed rock still but sweating inside as Luna laid on the praise with a trowel.

‘Don’t lay on the fucking ‘Knight of Germania’ shit Luna, you know I hate that name!’

Hedwig must have caught onto the little game being played as well, because he could now see a smile curling at the corners of her beak…and yet her eyes were still slicing up up like a particularly succulent cut of meat.

And then, as if in an afterthought, the Regent of the Moon casually added; “Oh, and he is also a close personal friend of Commander Renee.”

“Well, well…” Hedwig said, feigning a tone of awestruck amazement. “Such impressive titles and accolades, Major Bauer. We have Knightly orders of our own within the Griffin tribes. Perhaps the conference of one of our own titles upon yourself is in order…”

‘No. No. No. Fuck. No! Not another one!’

Her smile vanished as Hedwig came up close and studied him in closer detail. The service ribbons and badges of rank on his battle-dress seemed to catch her interest briefly, but what really drew her gimlet eye were the runes engraved all across his armored body, and the material. He wondered if she had seen ceramic plates or kevlar weave before. He guessed that to her eyes he was an impressive sight, and desperately hoped he wasn’t selling Earth short.

“Light… so light,” he heard her whispering to herself as she circled him, and he desperately tried to think of Trixie - his Trixie, and not those sleek and powerful flanks… or that amazing tail.

“...and yet it must be strong, and flexible…” he could hear her continue to murmur in a low tone, thinking aloud. “Impact resistant, and yet supple enough to bend at the joints. Dragonscale and hide can achieve such effects… but there’s never enough for mass production… but to have this to armour each and every new-blooded chick and hatchling as if they were Tsumerai… no clan nor nest would ever need fear a dragon-blight again!”

Hearing her thinking aloud, he could see her keen mind turning, could see her examining the possibilities opening up not just for Earth and Equestria, but for her own people. There was fierce intelligence there, but compassion too, care and concern for those for whom she bore responsibility.

'Much like the Colonel, dangerous and lethal, but with a mind and heart.'

He felt a connection to her in that instant, not romantic or even platonic, but of understanding. And as Hedwig looked towards Trixie, standing proud beside him, he could guess what the High Queen was thinking.

‘This mare is barely grown, a chick hardly come into her wings, yet she stands with all the bearing and discipline of one of Equestria’s Royal Guard. But this is no parade-ground puppet; this is a warrior poured from a crucible of blood. Behold those eyes… eyes that bear the sharpness of a soul who has seen too much death in her short life. This child of Equestria will go far indeed… oh brave new world, that has such creatures in it…’

Finishing her inspection, Hedwig stepped back and appraised the two of them. Then she looked to the group of humans and ponies behind them, all of them standing at attention. Yes, some fidgeted in place, clearly not born to be soldiers or warriors, but still showing their determination to see this war through to the end.

She made a soft, clucking noise, almost like a hen watching over her chicks, and then she spun in a whirl of scale and feather and roared to her troops both on ground and aloft.

“BRAUSE! BRAUFSTIEG! BRACHTUNG!”

In that instant, every griffin on the ground, Hedwig and Tobias included, tipped back their heads and roared aloud, a leonine chorus matched only by the raptorian screeches their brothers and sister above added to the chorus.

‘Welcome to Narnia, Stephan… heaven above that’s an amazing sound!’

“We salute you all, brave soldiers!” Hedwig proclaimed to the gathered ponies and humans as the echoes of her troops cries resounded around the streets and peaks of Canterlot. “We shall serve beside you with fealty and pride! This we swear on our blood and honour! Let there forever be peace and friendship between our realms, and may swift justice be done upon our shared foes!”

Stephan felt his chest swell with pride, and opening his mouth for the first time since stepping outdoors he barked out a command of his own.

“TROOPS! SALUTE!”

Shining Armor repeated the order to his own forces, and as one, every human soldier and pony guard present returned the Griffon peoples’ show of respect. The audience, not to be outdone, cheered in response. It was a moment that could only be summed up in one word.

Awesome.

At last, the echoes died away, and Hedwig spoke directly to Stephan.

"Colonel Renee said nothing of other humans arriving”.

"This was a last second plan of action, Your Majesty," Stephan replied, still maintaining parade attention. "He realized he couldn’t train an army worth a damn, so he got me instead."

Hedwig smiled again, and then raised a single eyebrow at the sound of a snort from one griffon who, from the splendour of his armor, was clearly the ranking officer among the representatives of the Tsumerai.

"Doesn’t mean the Commander can't lead one”, Stephan continued. “He led one of the most powerful armies on Earth, and I took command of the second most. He appointed me to take command in field should something incapacitate him."

“Good to know; a wise leader always chooses their subordinates with care,” Hedwig complimented, before waving an introductory claw towards the Tsumerai who had snorted. Beside his swords, he clearly had a pair of flintlock pistols strapped to his haunches.

“Before I forget. Major Bauer, allow me to present General Ironclaw, Supreme Commandant of the Griffon Empire’s royal armies.”

There was a challenge in her voice, as if she expected sparks to fly and was interested to see who came out on top.

“Our troops stand before you, ready to serve!” Ironclaw declared, pride and arrogance resounding in each rasped syllable. “Each a seasoned fighter, fire-forged and battle-hardened! I highly doubt that we need your so-called training.”

The general's voice was harsh and rusty, as if he had screamed his entire life. Remembering some old drill-sergeants, Stephan would not be surprised if he had. Old soldiers never died...they just got rougher and meaner.

And Ironclaw was clearly a very old soldier. That didn’t excuse him for the insult though.

Stephan’s eyes narrowed slightly. This show of disrespect was beyond belief, but he kept calm.

“With respect General, I believe you will find that the way we approach battle is considerably beyond what you're trained for your entire life. We understand no race on Equus has developed handheld ranged weapons more advanced than your flintlocks, but each of our soldiers go into battle bearing weapons with a rate of fire measured in hundreds of rounds per minute, and accuracy at range that would be impossible for any archer to match. It is important, vital even, to get our forces at the same level before we commit to joint operations: otherwise it would end in chaos. We would do more harm to each other than the enemy.”

Somewhere in the distance, Discord's ears twitched gleefully at the word 'chaos'.

“We griffons are proud warriors, and we have fought more battles than these ponies for sure. Our whole lives are defined by struggle… struggle for position, for rank, for survival. The art of war is bred into our very bloodlines!”

The general wasn’t afraid to say what he thought, even though he knew it would most likely annoy some people - and some ponies too. "Being close to the dragon lands, raised from hatching upon the anvil of rogue and feral wyrms, has made us hardy and strong. My fair Queen told us of your 'dilemma', and I scoff at it. There is no reason that the ponies should be able to fight us off, and-"

As the tirade proceeded, Stephan resisted every urge to wring the old turkey’s neck. The only thing that kept the twitch in his left eye from developing into an international (or transdimensional) incident was the knowing looks that Luna and Hedwig were exchanging as the ‘High Commandant’ made light of Earth’s entire war for survivilveredal.

The old general scowled as he looked at the ponies before looking back to Stephan, opening his mouth to outpour more vitriol…

...before he was interrupted by a most unexpected individual.

“General, SHUT UP!” snapped Trixie, not breaking formation but staring forward with utter contempt in her eyes and the fury of a raging storm in her words. “You know nothing of humanity’s plight! Nor of your own!”

“What plight of my own!?” Ironclaw stepped back in shock, and in the background Stephan saw Hedwig and Luna share a discrete hoof-to-claw bump. Tobias was trying to hide his amusement. Very well then, rather than ordering Trixie to control herself, he’d yield the stage to her.

Like every stage-mare, she was born to it. And if there was one thing Trixie liked (Ironic for one who had become so famous for covert operations) it was center stage.

“You see, in the Equestria that I come from, your ‘proud warriors’ are starving from a trade embargo, crippled by the suspension of the Pegasus Weather Management Treaties, and virtually crippled as a state. The Empire is gone, every nest pillaged, every clan dispersed, every egg smashed and nearly all hope is crushed! Without the Ponies For Human Life, without us, there would be no chance of salvation for your people. Most importantly, you are afraid.”

Ironclaw drew in a gasp at that hated word. But, Trixie noticed, where Ironclaw looked personally insulted, Hedwig looked saddened and horrified.

“That’s right,” Trixie said, narrowing her eyebrows, “Afraid. You and the zebras are all but counting the days till Celestia sets her eyes on you. And before you delude yourself further, you addle-brained idiot bird, she’s not afraid of you. She considers you beneath her notice.”

“I would not stand for such things to happen! Surely, my counterpart had died heroically in the fight to save my kingdom?“

“...For a given value of heroic,” Trixie snipped. She decided not to mention that Ironclaw had died leading an angry uprising that wasn’t even worthy of being called a rebellion. More like a pubcrawl gone wrong, or a riot. “Worst of all, if the Queen takes Earth over, she’s coming for all of you. And this will happen all over again, if you’re lucky.”

Ironclaw stood stunned, before managing to regain some (small) shred of composure.

“Regardless. I find it hard to believe that a simple rush of bodies can do so much damage," he jested cruelly,  his eyes filled with disgust. "It is easy to stop such a thing."

"Oh really?" Discord snapped into existence, wrapping his tail around the group. "Stop this."

Luna, Hedwig, Tobias, Stephan, Trixie, and Ironclaw found themselves in the middle of an open field. Before the elder griffon could curse Discord’s name, a low rumble echoed out, as if a storm of hoofsteps was blazing a trail way towards them. Stephan turned, his eyes wide as he stared at the familiar sight.

Newfoals, thousands of them coming over the hill with bright smiles on their faces.

"Joinusjoinusjoinusseethelightbecomeaponybeingaponyisgreat-"

The ponies rushed down the hill towards them, in a single minded drive.

“Discord, stop this nonsense!” Stephan yelled at him.

"Oh, no, my sainted Knight." Discord’s voice echoed around them. "This is to show them just how their new enemies work."

“He’s right, Major…” Luna said, turning herself head-on into the oncoming horde. “I’ve seen this depravity with my own eyes. Let our new allies share in that wisdom.”

“Indeed,” said Tobias. “Come Mother, General. Let us see first hand the future bearing down upon us.”

Gun emplacements, tanks and human soldiers popped into existence all around them, all of them rushing towards their defensive lines to hold off the newfoal horde.

"Fire!" someone screamed, and the world tore apart in fire and death.

The line erupted in a fusilade of high-explosive munitions, and the veteran general stared in horrified shock as scores of the glassy-eyed ponies were ripped apart, torn, dismembered and disemboweled... and yet not a single one of them wavered from the charge, ploughing on through their own wounded, trampling the still-living into the blood-soaked mud. They died by the hundreds, by the thousands, but they simply didn't care. A few wailed and cried about how they had failed their queen, but the body of the beast shrugged off those tiny losses and kept coming at the enemy with ruthless determination.

It would be admirable if not for how unsettling it was.

“This...this is insanity!” Ironclaw shouted in disbelief. “Why don’t they rout? Why don’t they scatter? Why don’t they use any form of strategy or tactics!”

“That is their tactic, Old Iron…” Hedwig said, not unkindly laying one claw on his shoulder. “The newfoals are not allowed to. They spawn disposable slaves by the thousands, and waste them just as readily. The Princess of the Moon made it quite clear to me… we face not just madness on this battlefield, not the terror of the wyrm’s fiery mind and breath, nor the treachery of the cunning, ambitious rebel. This is a fight against an utter evil… a darkness that holds all life in contempt, and sees us merely as dust to be ground underfoot.”

“My Queen…” he mumbled, unable to vocalise any deeper thought. “Oh, my Queen.”

As they watched, the human line was quickly overrun, heard the screams of soldiers crushed and buried beneath the sheer press of newfoals, while others, those rare, intelligent monsters that the potion sometimes spawned, ripped the place apart, field-stripping rifles, tanks and emplacements with their magic or blasting those still fighting apart with little concern. Pegasi flew above, dropping enchanted bombs and potions, while unicorns set humans ablaze or crushed them with telekinesis.

The battle went on, humans fighting to the last man and woman...then the last man…

… and finally, a child. A small, battle-weaned boy who was unlikely to know anything other than war, who swore and cursed, firing his rifle wildly on full auto, standing atop a pile of corpses, human and pony alike in death.

As soon as he ran out of bullets, he resorted to stabbing. But he couldn’t drive them back forever, just as the tide not could be withstood. One screaming newfoal, howling with glee, potioned him, and the boy screeched as his fingers melded together, hooves exploding from beneath the skin, fur erupting up his arm as he fell onto all fours.

Luna wept with stoic resolve, tears falling freely down her face whilst she reached her hoof out to the boy, as if she could rescue him from such a fate. Ironclaw stood mute with horror, while Trixie looked away.

But Stephan watched Hedwig and Tobias closely, because in that moment he realised, that of all those present, himself included…

... only they had ever been parents!

The two griffon nobles did not so much as blink as the transformation proceeded to its horrific, inevitable end, until a newfoal sat where once there was a human child. And then he leapt to his feet and praised his Eternal Queen, a smile on his face, and a scream in his soul.

And then it was over. Dead humans lay everywhere, and it was hard to say whether or not they were lucky not to have been ponified.

Stephan turned to the two griffons royals and studied them closely. What had they seen in that moment…had Hedwig seen her entire brood in that final stand? Had Tobais witnessed his daughter Gilda being transformed into a hideous mockery of herself?

What had they seen? He could only wonder, because from the searing, blazing look they shared mother-to-son, High Queen to Heir, it was clear they would never tell.

“Alright…” he said at last, turning to Discord with a little smile, in spite of residual shock and horror. “Not quite what I expected from you for, but… definitely effective.”

Discord looked at Stephan, slightly confused. “What did you think I’d use it for?”

“Well, I knew it’d be a training area,” Stephan said. “I saw how you built this over the last several days from my room, and I know a training field when I see one. But I didn’t think you’d… Sonovabitch, that was awful!”

“You don’t like it?” Discord asked, feigning a wounded tone. “I worked awfully hard on it. And I’m not even finished yet!"

“Still, I agree with you- wait what?"

"My good major... this is only temporary. " Discord proclaimed, snapping his claw and returning the post-apocalyptic scene of horror to an open field. "My masterpiece has yet to be seen!"

"I’m almost afraid to ask..." Stephan mulled over what he said before offering him a smile. "Well, what better way to show them what to expect than to throw them into the cold water?”

“So, you’re not surprised?”

“I am talking with you, the God of Chaos, or whatever you call yourself now. I saved the Crystal Empire, fighting alongside two alicorns, one whom I wanted to see dead, and now I am in a different Equestria, facing the challenge of training an army of griffons, Dragons, Diamond Dogs and other mystical creatures from to fight in our war! I’ve had tea with Princess Celestia, and found that she is actually rather nice! At this point, dear darling Discord, there isn’t much that can surprise me anymore.”

Discord's shoulders hung a bit lower but then he turned around and huffed with crossed arms.

“Spoilsport,” he whispered petulantly.

“I’m German Dissy. Except for a beer-swilling Bavarians, spoiling your fun is what we do best. Just ask the Brazilians.”

“WHOA! Major!”

“What?”

“Too soon for meta humor,” Discord smirked and shook his head, before snapping them back to Canterlot. "Anyway, I am not quite done with my Magnum Opus just yet. It should be ready in the next hour. Until then… Auf Wiedersehen! ”

Stephan nodded, “I count on it.”

Then he turned back towards the griffon entourage. Luna was in deep discussion with Hedwig and Tobias, the atmosphere around them electric. Good for them. Ironclaw on the other...claw...seemed to still be processing what he had just witnessed.

“I believe we can all agree now, General…” he said, almost casually. “That I’m best qualified to train your troops for what lies ahead?”

Ironclaw looked at Stephan and gave him a tiny, almost incremental nod.

“Yes. I will allow it. We both needed to see that, horrifying as it was. Or rather, because it was so horrifying.”

“As I hoped you would, General…” Hedwig said firmly as she came across to them.

“I apologise for my incivility, my Queen-” Ironclaw began, bowing his head low before Hedwig cut him off with a raised claw.

“I trust in the capabilities of our soldiers, General, and I trust in you. Never has your skill or faithfulness been in question. You have served my house since before I ascended to the throne, and you have mastered all foes that ever came beating at our door. But we are now in changed times. You witnessed what we will soon be sending our sons and daughters into and I doubt that they are ready for that, or ready to take up human arms.”

She turned and elevated her claw towards Stephan and Trixie.

“And who else would be better to train our troops than those who has survived for so long under such conditions? Just as I would send this mare and her man to study beneath you were they called upon to guard a nest against a feral wyrm, so we must now come to their door as willing understudies. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Ironclaw maintained his silence, turning his head towards the griffon soldiers who still stood to attention in a perfect line behind him. He gave a curt sigh and nodded. “Yes my Queen.”

“Then we have an agreement?” Princess Luna walked over to them. She didn’t mention that Shining Armor had to calm down the griffons after Discord took their Queen, Prince and General away without warning. Still, it may have had pleasant repercussions. The Tsumerai later expressed how impressed they were that a ‘dinky white pony’ could be such a commanding presence… him isolating the most agitated soldiers inside an impregnable magic bubble until cooler heads prevailed may have boosted his parade-ground ‘cred’ immensely.

Hedwig gave Luna a small smile. “Yes, we have an agreement. Please, take good care of my troops.”

“Don’t worry. I am sure the Major will make certain that they are ready for the fray. Right Major?” Luna turned her head to Stephan.

“Of course,” Stephan said, grinning a little, and matching the predatory smirk on Hedwig’s face perfectly.

And so, in greater and lesser ways, did the corps of the new forces begin to come together.

Tobias was going to add a comment of his own but the earth began to shake.

“An earthquake? In Equestria?”

“No. Not a earthquake.” Stephan turned his head towards the cloud of dust slowly approaching them from behind the woods. “More military formations on the move.”

Everyone now directed their attention at the cloud, which after a few minutes resolved itself into the sight of immense bipedal figures trooping out of the woods that covered the leeward side of the Canterhorn, making their way towards where the city was perched on a rocky saddle. Hedwig and Ironclaw, blessed with the acute sight of eagles, discerned who it was immediately..

Minotaurs. At least an entire Battalion marching upon Canterlot, their hooves stomping on the ground with thunderous force. But they weren’t alone. From the south, following the turnpike road that shadowed the railroad line, there appeared a legion of Buffalo, accompanied by a formation of Diamond Dogs. Well, if you could call a loose pack, some walking on two legs and some on all fours, a formation.

‘Great, that means overtime.’ Stephan thought as he spotted that last addition to his growing troupe. Military discipline was probably an alien concept to them. The Buffaloes did slightly better in sticking together, possibly a trait learned from their traditional stampedes, but he doubted they had any military training whatsoever, though from what he understood, some of the younger calves might have potential as quick and nimble special forces operatives.

The Minotaurs seemed to have the same standard as the Buffalo. They didn’t walk in a full formation, but at least they did better than the Dogs, keeping themselves tight and organised.

It took them some time for the various forces to reach the parade ground, giving plenty of time for Stephan to refine his initial impressions. The Minotaurs took their place to the side of the Griffons and Stephan noticed a few gazes between them: not friendly ones for sure. The Buffaloes mustered beside the Minotaurs, while the Diamond Dogs at least ‘attempted’ to fall into something that looked like a parade. He could hear several barks, probably from individuals trying to make a good impression by demonstrating their spirit. Which, of course, immediately failed them.

With their various contingents wrangled into place, a representative from each of the additional races walked towards Stephan and the others, coming to a halt and presenting themselves to the growing delegation..

The Minotaur was the first one to spoke up. He stood at least two to three heads taller than Stephan, his hide a dark tan above the waist, and deep brown beneath. His shoulders were wide enough to support bridge pilings and from the sheer weight of muscle on his arms he looked as though he could tear anybod...anypon…anyone present in half with no trouble. He probably needed that kind of physical power just to heft the immense battleaxe carried on his back. What little battle dress he had consisted of cloth and armor plates, spaced loosely enough that his heavily scarred chest could be seen through the gaps. His face and muzzle were equally weathered and torn, so that when he spoke it almost looked like his mouth was simply the largest scar amongst a tapestry of wounds.

“It is an honor to meet you, Princess Luna. I am Warlord Wilmorn Darkhoof, chosen to speak for the united Minotaur Morae.”

Luna dipped in greeting while he held his left fist to his chest and gave her a small bow.

“It is an honor to meet you as well, Warlord Darkhoof. The fortitude of your people’s armies is legend in Equestria and beyond, we thank you for this great show of strength.”

She then turned to the Buffalo representative, and another exchange of bows and nods was played out. “It is good to see you too, Chieftain Thunderhooves. Pray tell, how fares relations between your folk and the citizenry of Appleoosa?”

Stephan almost laughed aloud. ‘Ponies and their town names.’

“It is growing, Princess. We make great progress each day,” Thunderhooves replied. “We trade for apples and other wares, making payment with the gems found in abundance upon our lands. Some of your subjects have even come to us seeking to learn our ways and join in our clan as buffalos in spirit, if not flesh. It is a strange, but invigorating time… sadly one I fear is over.”

The Princess gave him a smile at that. “Those times will come again, I promise you by the moon and stars, and we shall all look to your wisdom and experience in forging a new age among our own growing company of friends.”

Last of all was the Diamond Dog. A Groenendael, if Stephan remembered his breeds correctly, distinguished by long, flowing fur streaked in black and grey, and an equally deep muzzle over two two bright golden eyes watched all and missed nothing. His only article of clothing was a simple cape which seemed old - really old, and which was clasped at the beck by his collar. Despite the shabbiness of his appearance, the overall effect was to lend him an wisdom that he wore with a quiet dignity, much to Stephan’s surprise..

“Lord Shadow,” Luna greeted, bowing extra deep as if in supplication to a respected sage.. Stephan could hear a bit of surprise in her voice, and wondered if there was indeed something to it.

‘Lord Shadow’ respectfully returned the Princess’s salutation, one forearm held to his chest. “It is a privilege to see you with my own eyes, Princess. And a great honor for you to know my name. May your moon light passage in the dark times.”

Luna flushed somewhat at what sounded to Stephan like an old, ritualised greeting, but she smiled warmly. “Thank you, your Lordship. Please, forgive my ignorance, but the last information I had received informed that you no longer led the assembled pack of the Diamond Dogs, and had not done as such for the last ten years.”

The old Lord chuckled at that. “That as much is true. I have been… reelected, so to speak. The young Lord Canis had no experience in leadership in battle, although that does not mean he can not fight. You just have to look at my troops to see we have fallen somewhat in terms of a trained army, but like the old dog you see before you, they are willing to ‘learn new tricks’.”

A low chuckle rolled around the gathering of dignitaries as Shadow turned his attention towards Stephan, who once again was mentally busying himself. “You must be the human I have heard of. Colonel Renee, if I am not mistaken?”

Stephan looked back and shook his head. “No, I am his subordinate, Major Bauer. The Colonel is not in fit condition to oversee the training of our assembled troops right now, so I have taken over.”

The Lord curiously sniffed the air a bit, hummed a bit and then nodded. “You are a capable pack leader. I can smell that.”

Again he hummed thoughtfully.

“Good, I will entrust my troops to you. Treat them well and they will follow you with all due loyalty.”

Stephan rose an eyebrow at that. “Just like that?”

The old dog chuckled. “My pup, I have walked on this world for 105 years now, and my nose is still in a good condition. I can smell the warrior in you. And the leader. Yes, my nose says that I can trust you, like so many others trust you already.” He pointed at the group of ponies and humans behind him by the last part.

‘My pup, he says. Great, I probably just met another Peter. And 105 years old? Dog years must be the actual lifetime for a dog here…’

“No offense Lord Shadow, but this little human does not look like a warrior to me,” Warlord Darkhoof said. “Mere armor prettied up with fancy magic writings doesn't make someone a warrior.”

‘Again?!’ Stephan sighed inwardly, before mentally trying to dial up a frequency that he really resented having to resort to, but which kept proving so very useful…

‘Discord… Discord I need you right now!’

He didn’t know if this would work, but if anyone was telepathically listening into this conversation, it would be him. To his relief he was suddenly rewarded with a dial-tone and the crackle of a recorded message.

‘We’re sorry,’ the Lord of Chaos snarked inside his head. ’The Deity you’ve dialed has gone ex-directory. Please hang up and try again… and naughty boy, stop thinking such kinky things about Queen Hedwig. A certain Tricksy little mare might not approve…’

Stephan’s eyes widened at that.

"Hey, stop reading my thoughts!" he shouted back through his mind.

‘Sorry Stephan,’ the Lord of chaos crooned. ‘You sought me out, and practically invited me in...’

While Stephan tried to hold a mental telephone conversation with an eldritch entity of chaos, the newly arrived delegates were getting into a debate. Luna and the others, including a much wiser Ironclaw, simply remained silence and let the latecomers speak their piece.

“There is more to someone than just their look, Warlord. I thought you already knew that,” Shadow curtly barked at Darkhood, their differing attitudes over Stephan plain for all to see.

The Minotaur merely snorted. “Of course I do. But still, this ‘human’ and the others don’t look like real fighters to me. Just look at them, all soft skin and fur.”

Chief Thunderhooves spoke up. “Clearly, these humans have to be warriors. How could they have survived such a long war if they aren’t capable of battle? You rely on your eyes too much, and see too little. Do you not see their eyes? Do you not see their souls? They have suffered beyond what any being has a right to suffer, endured torments I can scarcely imagine. I may not understand their plight, but I am willing to listen.”

Warlord Darkhoof just turned his head away, right as Stephan finally felt Discord relent.

‘Oh alright. Hello there. I’m Discord, and I’ll be your concierge tonight. So, tell me what you’re wearing, sweet pants…’

“Discord… do the thing, please. If I have to deal with one more imbecile doubting me, I’m going to lose it.”

‘Ooh you naughty boy! Same procedure as before?’

“Same again. Though Chief Thunderhooves was rather personable about it.”

“What are you…” Shadow asked.

“Phone call,” Stephan explained, as if it was only natural. It wasn’t, of course, but he just didn’t care anymore.

‘Oh goodie!’

*snap*

"So what have we learned?" Discord asked with a smirk as he dispelled the illusory battlefield for a second time.

"I spite you, Lord Discord, and would smite you but if I could; I should have the honor of separating your head from your neck with my axe,” Darkhoof growled, before relenting by a single inch. “But I digress, I understand now."

“Take a number, Warlord,” Stephan said. The minotaur didn’t understand what he meant by that, but didn’t seek clarification either. “What you just saw was only a glimpse of what awaits us. But increase the number of Newfoals into the millions and you’ll get some clearer idea of what we’ll be up against.”

Darkhoof and the others stared at him with such disbelief that he might have just told them with utter conviction that Princess Luna was bright green and shat rainbows. And yet he could see that they believed him.

“And you can prepare our soldiers for that?” Shadow asked with some concern.

“I can train them, temper their skills and will. But nothing is like the first time in actual battle.” He pointed at Discord. “That is why he's worked on preparing the training ground you just experienced. It’s not the real thing, but it's close enough.”

“I do what I can.” Discord pronounced with feigned humility, transparent as glass. Literally.

Stephan turned over to Luna. “Your Highness, how long until the last of the new recruits arrive?”

“The Changelings and Zebras have the greatest distance to travel to Canterlot. But they should arrive within the hour.” Luna answered him.

“And the Dragons?”

Luna paused to choose her next words carefully. “The Dragons--”

“Are pretty lazy.” Discord butted in.

Luna glowered up at him in annoyance. “Speaking as a being who is part dragon?”

“What, don’t shoot the messenger! It's true! They take hundred year catnaps, and waking them up is almost impossible. And then most won’t deign to abandon their hoarded treasure because they don’t even trust their own kind to not steal it!” Discord pronounced matter-of-factly, arms crossed over his chest. “It took two whole centuries to rally them behind a single leader, and ol’ Spykey only holds onto the crown by being the biggest, toughest, most-hardscaped wyrm in the entire chunk of cheese!”

“Watch your tongue, Draconequus!” a loud voice, even more imposing than Luna’s, boomed out of the skies.

Heads craning up, all of Canterlot gasped in awe at the sight of an immense drake, his wings furled, perched upon a spur of the Canterhorn, gazing down on them with lordly mein.  At least a score of his subjects circled above the mountain’s peak, gliding with absolute silence.

Discord shattered the moment with a petulant jeer and a raspberry. “Oh shut up,  you know it’s true.”

And he vanished in a puff of brimstone.

‘He’ll be back. Meanwhile, just look at that!’

Diving forward off of his improv rookery, the male dragon dived towards them, his vast shadow spreading bigger and bigger across the parade ground until he landed on a free spot with an impact that could have cracked solid stone.

‘And now I’ve jumped from Narnia to Skyrim…’ Stephen mentally gaped, struggling to not let his awe show on his face.

The drake before him was at least as big as a five storey building, sitting upright as if upon a throne...no, this creature made his throne wherever he went.. His face vaguely reminded Stephan of an alligator, but a garland of spikes grew out from under his chin and around his cheeks. Two long horns, curling upwards in a spiral, projected from the sides of his head, and his scales were coloured in a deep royal purple. His wingspan had to be at least twice the length of his body, and even grounded his shadow encompassed Stephan and the other leaders with ease.

“Spykroan. King of Dragons.” Luna welcomed him curtly, her tone of voice all but indicating she barely tolerated his presence. Stephan could hardly fault her wariness in front of the ancient wyrm.

‘Remember Bauer, this is the guy who purged an entire country of all life in order to stop a dark and corrupted artifact. There’s overkill, there’s scorched earth, and then there’s Spykoran…’

“Princess Luna.” Spykroan spoke, in what might have been an ‘indoor voice’ for him, but which to everyone else was a grinding rumble in which could heard the motion of continents. “How have you fared since last we met? I see we are missing Celestia, is she occupied with your irksome nobility?"

"Sadly no, she is..." Luna trailed off, unsure of how to answer the majestic dragon before her.

"Given how wary you are to answer, I discern she is away on a matter of no small import..." Spykoran purred, before gazing up to his swirling flight of dragons dragons. "Though given the recent return of the Crystal Kingdom and the destruction of several mountains in the Frigid North, I would surmise she has much on her mind."

Stephan swallowed as the large dragon turned his sights on him and leaned in close, a pair  emerald eyes filling his entire field of vision. They were cold and reptilian, and yet burned with an inner fire...

"Oh?” the dragon king said. “Now another human stands before me. Introduce yourself, warrior. And perhaps you can tell me, where the renowned Commander has disappeared to?"

Stephan managed a salute, which prompted a growl of amusement. “Greetings, your Majesty! I am Major Stephan Bauer of Earth. I've taken Commander Renee’s place: for the time being, he is healing from the unprecedented magical exertions he was called upon to perform in the battle for the Crystal Empire.”

“Healing, you say?” Spykroan gave a knowing smile. “I am seen much medicine in my time, and yet I have yet to see any form of healing that involves planting one’s face into a mountain…”

‘Okay, so I’m betting you ran into Marcus on his way. The commander probably went headfirst into a cliff and was busy pulling himself out! Hrm...I wonder what a dragon ROFL looks like?’

“Yes, I suppose it would seem strange,” he replied, not breaking external composure. “I suppose it classifies as a form of physical therapy, though.”

“So you the one who will train us in his absence, then?”

“Yes.” Stephan said, trying to convey in that one word that he would not accept any objection, not even from a dragon whose lifespan was measured in millennia.

“Major Bauer has fought in many battles, and even slain a clone of the evil Tyrant from the second Equestria.” Luna proclaimed, walked up to Stephan’s side, as did Trixie. The Princess flicked a quick glance in Stephan’s direction and he let her take the lead: if anypony knew dragons and what needed to be said to get them onside, it was here.

“I saw it with my own eyes. No matter how often he fell, he got up and fought again until victory was in his hands. In those same hands, great Spykoran, noblest of beings, your Drakes and Drakaina will become a force unequalled in all of history. Ne’er again would your just and mighty rule be questioned by upstart wyrms, not with such an army at the beck of your claw.”

Dimly, Stephan remembered from mythology that dragons were vain and prideful creatures, expecting abject flattery as nothing less than a show of ‘good manners’. But even then, Luna was once again laying things on a bit thick…

And then Spykoran laughed.

“Oh, you clever little pony, you silver-tongued mare. Such a force you would have been, if only you yourself had been born a drakaina…”

Lifting his crocodilian head high again the drake cast a glance across the others gathered upon the parade ground. Diamond dogs, ponies, buffalos and even some of the minotaurs, humans and griffons all shrank beneath his fiery gaze. Stephen understood that there was much bad blood between the Dragon and Griffon kingdoms, enough that once upon a time they might have been called archenemies. Nowadays those old grudges were reduced to the occasional feral attack on Hedwig’s subjects, and distinctly frosty diplomatic relations.

He himself did not quail however. Neither did Luna or, to his quiet pride, Trixie. Their fortitude seemed to finally break Spykoran’s shell, enough that the Dragon Lord graced them with a slight dip of his head.

“You are a persistent one… like those mares beside you... Luna I have long known to almost have dragon blood in her soul. I wonder, does the same fire burn in your own spirit, human?”

He looked up to the sky where the rest of the Dragons still flew. “Fire or not, I respect your courageous resolve to stand against a seemingly unstoppable enemy, and the battles you have faced. But a few of my young ones will probably think differently. They may prove..a challenge to your command.”

“Let them come,” Stephan answered, allowing a sinister smile onto his face. “The stubborn ones are my favorite.”

Somewhere, not too far away, Rainbow Dash sneezed.

"Huh... weird," she sniffed as she looked around, trying to keep her image clean.

Smiling on the outside, Stephan could not quite maintain the same calm on the inside.

‘Shit-shit-shit! They’re dragons man, fucking dragons! How do I to train them, or discipline them...how are we even going to deploy them? They’re frickin flying war elephants...oh, oh WOW! YES! That’s what they ARE! Flying war elephants….aerial APCs that can carry troops and spit fire! The ultimate mobile heavy emplacement...oh wow, oh sweet, oh this is going to be AWESOME!’’

“A-CHOO!” Rainbow sneezed again, and rubbed at her snout. “Am I coming down with something?”

Struggling to get his mind away from glorious imagines of a legion of firebreathing, flying, organic battlecruisers, Stephan cleared his throat and addressed Spykoran again.

“Your Majesty, we are honoured to have your mighty progeny at our side. But please, may we move to other urgent matters. We are still missing the Zebras, the Changelings, and the reindeer. Did you chance to spot any of their forces on your flight into Equestria?”

Spykroan looked over his shoulder towards a road. “The Changelings took another path, as we did. But we witnessed the Zebra breaking camp not long before our approach to Canterlot; they should be here any moment now.”

“Alright then. Would you and your people kindly take your place on their designated end of the ground?” Stephan pointed with a finger at a vast demarcated landing pad beside the Diamond Dogs.

The Dragon King nodded, then turned his head toward the sky and let loose the loudest roar that had been heard so far today, dwarfing by himself even the thunderous cries of the griffons. Responding to his call, the dragons circling in the sky descended towards the ground and landed besides the Diamond Dogs, who seemed quite intimidated at their new neighbours, some of them making whimpering sounds.

The flight leader of the dragon legions was a Drakaina, a regal female with scales of silver, accented with elaborate war-markings of red and blue. Her black talons gleamed like obsidian and her eyes were an electric blue. Immediately behind her stood four other dragons of similar bearing and silvery colouration..

“My eldest daughter and Chief Justice…Wyndblade Goldfyre,” Spykoran introduced them. “And her paladins. They will act as your subordinates and aid you in training our kind.”

He nodded. “Daughter, I defer command to you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the drakaina said, before sinking into a courtly bow, her voice surprisingly gentle and cultured. “Use us as you see fit, Major Bauer. We are at your service.”

Luna gave Stephan a gentle nudge in the side and whispered as quietly as possible. “The paladins act as the lawkeepers of the Dragon realm. The silver scales are an enchantment; their uniform and mark of office. They travel throughout the kingdom and deal justice upon those who defy Spykoran’s rule and abuse his citizens. Slayers of violent rogue dragons and champions of the weak and oppressed. They forswear personal ambitions for the duration of their service and do not even hoard treasure...and thus they are greatly respected. They will be an asset to you, so long as you do not abuse their trust.”

“And if I do?”

“Oh, then they’ll probably eat you, or burn you to dust with lightning fire,” Luna replied in far too chipper a tone. “No pressure.”

“What’s the matter?” Trixie said softly. “Getting weak knees?” she smirked as she noticed him shake a little.

Stephan wanted to laugh with nerdy delight.

“Paladins! Flying D&D paladins! Oh, boy. This going to be fun…” he whispered to himself.

“By fun, I think you mean a hellish challenge…” Wyndblade chuckled, and seeing her twitching ear-squales, Stephan realised she had probably overhead the entire exchange, and blushed, not entirely out of embarrassment.

‘Goldfyre...is that literal?’ he secretly pondered. ‘Would her flame look like she was breathing liquid gold? Such amazing colours...and eyes...and what a form - so lithe and serpentine and STOP THAT BAUER! You’re spoken for...by a mare who can shapeshift...oh boy…’

Rolling with it and trampling those thoughts down (for very careful recovery and examination at a later date), he shook his head.

“No, I know what you mean by a challenge, Chief Justice…look at what we got.” He let his head follow the entire line of ‘soldiers’ in front of them. “I’m pretty sure that all of these races harbor prejudices against the others.”

His eyes lingered on the dragons and diamond dogs, some of the latter still whimpering as the stood in the shadows of the colossal reptiles.

“Or fear one another,” he added, before gazing back at the curious female. “But I don’t. I’m pretty much ignorant of any rift or quarrel between the races of Equus and I don’t propose to wade into that quagmire. All I see are fresh recruits, and it’s my job to break them in!”

Trixie hummed a tone to herself. “Hmm, well you’ve got the credentials, right? You managed to train ponies and humans to work together. And me.”

She lifted her nose just slightly, the mock haughtiness bringing a little smile to his lips.

“True enough…” she continued. “True enough. But that was just ponies and humans. Here is it a bit different.”

“Fear not, Major,” Luna said, shooting him an honest smile as she stepped up to Wyndblade and rapped one armored hoof against the drakaina’s immense talon in a manner that suggested an old friendship. “You have friends here, and we shall all aid you in this endeavour. It is but the least we can do after you helped us in the Crystal Empire.”

Stephan nodded, while mentally wondering how the immortal princess and the dragon paladin knew each other...somehow he suspected it involved a rogue dragon and a bloodsoaked ‘girls’ night on the town’.

While the attention of the crowd was still on the dragons, Trixie took advantage of the distraction and hissed sibilantly in his direction.

“Oh, I almost forgot!”

“Not this again…” Stephan rolled his eyes and whispered back.

“How did you get Luna’s and Celestia’s scent on you?” Trixie gave him a look that she won’t drop that topic soon.

“Trixie, now is not the time,” Stephan answered her sternly.

“It is never ‘a good time’...and what was that look I saw in your eye when Hedwig was inspecting you?”

“I urm… well… do you think your shapeshifting magic could… go beyond pony morphs…”

Trixie gaped at him in shock, and then glowered gritting her teeth slightly.

“You’re sleeping on the couch tonight. She’s old enough to be your grandmother by the way!”

“She may be…” he answered suggestively, and this time could not hold himself back. “But what about a young, toned griffoness with powder-blue fur and a plume of silver feathers, or an adolescent drakaina, all muscle, scale and fire… a tricksy predator who just loves to toy with her prey?”

She made a squeaking, furious sound that guaranteed him the couch for an entire month. But he could see a slightly lewd blush on her features, and that gave him high hopes for future secret fun times. Letting her have the upper hand… or paw… or claw… might prove quite invigorating.

“Dammit, stop giving me ideas!” she hissed.

The sound of Luna stifling a giggle broke the moment, and Trixie narrowed her eyes at her monarch, who was sniggering with Wyndblade and making all sorts of suggestive gestures in their direction, hidden from everyone else’s view by the paladin’s sheer bulk.

“Oh shut-up Lulu…” she hissed, before she suddenly gave a gasp and rolled her head skywards. Stephan jumped back and gasped as her shapeshifting magic flared off, causing her horn to vanish and a pair of wings to pop open at her side.

“Trixie…”

“Sorry, sorry…” she apologised, quickly reverting back to the unicorn he loved. “That was just out of surprise… I can feel a familiar magic, Stephan.”

As the sound of buzzing made itself heard, she looked him in the eye, and then pointed up to a black cloud coming into view over the city, moving against the air currents and twisting as if it was alive.

“Chrysalis is here.”

As the sound of thousands of chitinous wings grew louder, Stephan saw several of the assembled ponies react with revulsion. He quickly gave up trying to count the sheer volume of drones descending towards them, and instead focused his attention on a second approaching army...marching along the ground with all the rigid discipline of a roman legion, an advancing wall of black and white stripes.

The Changelings and the Zebras had arrived.

Luna gave her Guards a short look and they pulled themselves together into a defensive formation. Of course Stephan had already been briefed on the ‘Canterlot Wedding Invasion’, even from the aggressor herself. But the last thing he needed here was more bad blood.

He had already declared himself colour-blind to the racial politics of Equus; now he had to prove it.

Trixie on the other hoof looked positively giddy at the prospect of meeting her old mentor again, even though she well understood that this was NOT the same Queen Chrysalis she had studied under. The old Changeling Queen died on Earth. And that was a fact.

‘Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. God save us from the queen,’ thought Stephan.

Her own wings buzzing, eyes narrowed in their usual expression of half-lidded contempt, Chrysalis hovered towards the assembled leaders with two smaller Changelings at her side.

“Ah, Equestria…” she sighed melodramatically, landing with all the imperious arrogance of a returning conqueror. “How kind of you to welcome me back.”

“Still as slatternly as ever…” Stephan heard Luna mutter under her breath, but the two monarchs still greeted each other with all due formality...with, admittedly, considerably more snark.

As the zebras marched into the parade ground their own leader stepped forward. He was a bit bigger than most males of his race, with a scattering of sandy red mixed into the monochrome patterns of his fur. Gold rings pierced his ears and nose, and a silken robe was tied loosely around his body and shoulder, leaving plenty of room for freedom of movement.

At his side was an assistant who also wore rings in her ears, as well as several larger ones around her neck. She had a fit, toned physique and a spiky mohawk mane with red streaks running through it. Both of them had the posture of professionals, but the male bore about him an air of wisdom won at great cost. Like so many others Stephan knew, there was something about his eyes that told the hard tale of his life...

The Zebras bowed slightly in front of the Princess. “Princess Luna. It is an honor to receive your welcome.”

Luna returned that bow, with considerably more enthusiasm than she had with Chrysalis. “Rise, Shaman Quagga. To see a good friend again is always wonderful.”

The two zebras smiled and turned to Stephan and Trixie. Quagga sized them both up for the briefest of moments.

“And you must be the new human I have heard of...” he said at last. “And his renowned pony helpmate.”

That last comment drew Trixie up a bit taller, her chest swelling with pride.

“Welcome your Excellency!” Stephan saluted. “I am one of the humans. My name is Major Stephan Bauer. And this is indeed my second, Leutnant Lulamoon.”

Beaming, Trixie performed a small bow for the shaman.

“Ah, so you are the one they call Bauer…” Chrysalis trilled, her limpid eyes wandering over his form. “So you are the one who met my counterpart then?”

It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Stephan gave her a nod.

“Yes Your Majesty. We found her in poor health, poisoned by the tainted love of the Solar Empire’s slaves. We did what we could to prolong her life, but it wasn’t enough to heal her.”

Chrysalis looked at him for a few long seconds before she opened her mouth again. When she did speak, her voice was low, and her expression almost sorrowful.

“What was she like?”

Stephan took a long moment to find the right words to tell her, finding the sight of fangs inside her pony-esque mouth unnerving.

“She was kind of crazy,” he admitted. “If only a little bit. And a bit of a megalomaniac. Liked to think that the world turned around her. And she was always trying to find herself a nice snack in form of a loving couple.”

‘Like that one time she hid outside Marcus and Cheerilee’s quarters during their ‘private time’... poor mare was stoned for two days straight after that overdose… and that time she snuck into our bathroom and waited for us to ‘get in the mood’... we heard her from the bedroom! She was moaning louder than US!’

From the flush on Trixie’s face she was remembering the same thing. But the Queen's eyes had narrowed the longer Stephan had spoken, most likely not finding his testimony to her liking. Before she could complain he opened his mouth again.

“But she also had a caring side to her as well. She helped where she could and was surprisingly good with children. It made no difference to her if you were pony or human. For her, everyone’s love was equal. The old monster was one of our own, and tried to be to us what she was to her old hive.”

Stephan paused briefly. “And she was a very close friend to myself and Leutnant Lulamoon.”

Chrysalis did not speak while she processed what he had just told her. From experience Stephan suspected few knew her beyond the ‘monstrous queen of the hive’. Beneath all of her schemes and casual cruelty was a mother who wanted to support her children. She would walk over corpses for her hive. Literally.

“Thank you, human,” Chrysalis said at last, dismissively turning her attention upon a defiant Trixie.

“And you are the pitiful mare who stole our secret magics?”

“I stole nothing, Chrysalis…” the mare replied bluntly.

“You will address me as Queen Chrysalis, or Your Majesty…” the hive mother replied cooly.

“When you’ve earned it,” Trixie responded with equal cool. “The other Queen Chrysalis…my Queen Chrysalis, taught me to become invisible to the Tyrant’s forces, to wrap myself in illusion so that I could walk among them with impunity. Thanks to her, I was able to accomplish many a mission behind enemy lines. Without her and the Major’s help, I would not even be alive right now. When you’ve shown even a scrap of her character, then I’ll address you by her title.”

"Oh, just delightful!" Chrysalis replied, with surprising amusement. She leaned in close to Trixie, as if trying to swallow the mare in her green eyes, and inhaled deeply, sensually. Stephen felt one of his eyebrows cock itself.

And then Chrysalis, face flushed as if she had just sampled a particularly good vintage of wine, began to howl with laughter.

“You loved her… how delicious… oh you are an interesting mare," she hooted, cold eyes focusing like lasers on Trixie. “Very well then, I’ll play your game, little mare… and see if I can turn what love you feel for her, to myself.”

Trixie closed her eyes, huffing once before giving a very haughty smirk of her own. “Perhaps in time you shall, or you can be left wondering how such a being like yourself was accepted by all. This… little game of yours, will do you no favors in the long run. If you wish to live long enough to be accepted in even a civil setting, be wary of who you act up around. Especially to the humans.”

“Oh, you are a treat…” Chrysalis tittered, coming right up to Trixie and grinding their foreheads together. “If you want to play, let’s play. When this is all over I think I’ll keep you around as a pet, little pony.”

“Game. On.” Trixie hissed back, a smile every bit as wicked as Chrysalis’s own on her face.

“Your Majesty, please!” snapped Luna. Still laughing in malicious glee, Chrysalis pulled away from the smirking unicorn, trotting with a swing of her haunches back to face Luna. She completely missed the raised eyebrow of Stephan, who silently wondered if there was more to the conversation than let on, and if he was somehow going to be a part of it in the end.

“Well you must be Princess Woona, what a delight to you meet you at last. I didn’t have the honor last time… do tell, where is your sunny sister? Her absence strikes me as odd during such a troubling time as this. Where is she? Or is she now the one who always turns up late for the main event?”

With a flicker of baleful green magic Chrysalis morphed into a picture perfect likeness of Celestia.

“Hello everypony!” she declared, one hoof held to her chest. “Have I missed anything?”

“Stop it, Chrysalis. Now is not the time for such foalishness,“ Luna said sternly, before smirking. “Besides, your guise is fallacious. My royal sister has nowhere near such a trim posterior!”

‘Did she just say Celestia is a fatass?’ Stephan thought with amusement. "Well, she’s got a fine meaty looking body, I’ll give her that. Note to self, never tell Trixie you think Celestia is sexy."

“You sound jealous, little Woona…” ‘Celestia’ sneered, before another flash of green left Luna staring at a mirror image of herself.

“Oh, woe is me!” the fake princess of the moon bewailed, turning to examine her own butt. “How many treats must I sneak from the royal dessert trolley before I possess such shapely glutes!“

Luna was particularly steaming right now as her doppelganger spun back to face her and stuck out a mocking tongue.

“Oh, get a sense of humor Moonbutt! Besides, I bet all the stallions, even some of the mares, find you very desirable indeed.“

She leaned in and once again sniffed. “Oh yes… you’ve had quite a few lovely admirers in your time, you dirty little filly! And is that human I taste… oh my!”

“If you are done tarnishing the reputation and likenesses of my royal sister and myself…” Luna sighed deeply. “Perhaps we can move onto affairs of state.”

“As opposed to affairs of delicious, fattening cake for thy boney royal backside?” Chrysalis sneered, earning her a scowl from Luna. Satisfied in getting in one final barb the Queen reverted back to her normal form, a small pout on her face. “Fine, I’ll have fun later, maybe with a handsome male human?”

Stephan found himself the unwelcome object of her attentions, the changeling queen flashing him a lecherous grin.

“We could tie her up and just leave her in the closet while we have our own time together,” Trixie muttered thoughtfully. “She is really just a big prude you know. You know how flustered our Chrysalis got when she walked in on Dinky and Pipsqueak in the middle of some innocent petting.”

For the first time, Chrysalis found herself unable to retort at what she had just been called. “A p-prude?!”

“Point,” Trixie whispered as she held her head high.

Stephan shook his head. On his other side Luna was disconsolately prodding her haunch and muttering quietly that “my backside is not boney…”

In the back of Stephan’s mind, Discord was howling with laughter and spraying popcorn everywhere as he listened in to everyone’s thoughts.

“I am grieved that Princess Celestia could not be here,” Shaman Quagga lamented, kindly pulling events back on course. “I hoped that I could share a fine tea I brought her.”

“If you wish, then we could share it. I only hear wonderful things about your teas,” Hedwig offered with a grin which the Shaman returned.

“But of course, Majesty. Major, who is left to arrive?”

“I actually think we’re almost complete,” Stephan said. “Queen Chrysalis, Shaman Quagga, your place is over there.”

Both dignitaries gave him a nod as they moved to join their respective forces.

“What, what? No show for them?” Discord petulantly asked from within the depths of the soldier's mind.

‘Oh, don’t be that kind of guy now. Your time will come again.’

‘Still useful to know. You have a thing for griffons, drakainas, and the princesses...if Equestria hadn’t come along I think you would have ended up in jail… Tell us the truth. You’re a Furry! Le Gasp!’

‘Shut up! There is a very clear difference between such things! And stop reading my mind! And… what is that sound.’

Distantly, rising over Discord’s glee, he could hear the sound of bells. He wasn’t the only one to notice it.

“Does anyone else hear jingles?” Trixie asked, her ears flicking.

Stephan scoured the land all around. “No, I hear it too. It sounds like sleigh bells…”

He turned to the hosting monarch “Luna. Who’s the last on the list?”

“That would be the reindeer,” she told him without hesitation, an excited smile replacing the sour expression Chrysalis had left her wearing.

“I don’t see them.”

“Don’t look down Major…look up.”

He did, and awestruck, Major Stephan Bauer witnessed last new additions to his army flying towards him.

“Du willst mich doch verscheißern...”

Trixie was the only one who could actually understand what Stephan just said, thanks to her time learning German.

And she had to agree.

Every foal in Equestria knew the legends of the Reindeer, the masters of the distant north who lived in homes and palaces carved from fire-ice and living rock. They were said to be deep and powerful mystics; raised under skies that burned with the energy of the Aurora Thaurealis, they possessed insights into natural powers few scholars could match. Theirs was an entire culture founded upon magic, a civilization of scryers and seers and workers of miracles. They rarely waged war or practiced conquest, and their great renown was as vassals of peace, and the bearers of gifts.

And once a year, they showed that to the whole world, bringing the gift of joy to every corner of Equus. Hearthswarming might have been an Equestrian holiday, but each culture on the planet had a counterpart holy night. And on those silent nights, when all was still and the snow lay deep upon the ground, the sound of sleighbells was heard across the land, as the reindeer raced across the sky, bringing hopes and dreams to life.

She had stayed awake on those nights as a filly, hoping to meet a child of the Adlaborn face-to-face, but her young eyes had always fallen heavily asleep as soon as she heard the merry tinkling of their bells overhead.

But now, that would change.

Everyone watched in enraptured awe as the reindeer appeared in the sky. They did not fly by magic of horn or wing, but literally ‘walked’ upon the air, as free and weightless as clouds, their hooves trailing dust of the aurora as they thundered silently across the sphere of the heavens.

And at their head, leading this herd celestial, was their immortal king, a majestic, primal stag. His coat was as red as the first light of dawn and blood on the morning snow, and his mane and beard were silver as fresh ice. He wore no crown, for nature had anointed him with a helm of state, proud antlers as gnarled and whorled as carved wood. Silver bells were strung along their length, and they shimmered with the same aurora light as his hooves.

Trixie felt a sob catch in her throat, and tears stinging at her eyes. Where she had come from, all of the reindeer had been put to the Tyrant’s sword. Her armies had had literally killed joy. Seeing these angels racing down out of the sky now, reminded the unicorn mare that they had to win this war, for the sake of everybody, everypony and everyone else.

But for a moment, she just let her inner foal cry with utter delight.

“Who… who is that…” she heard Stephan whisper, and in that instant she knew he felt the same way as her. Seeing this, for a moment he was no longer a beaten, worn soldier, but a child on Christmas Eve.

“That’s Sint Erklass… the starstrider...” she smiled with soft, teary joy. “On Earth you called him Santa Claus…”

“But… but Der Weihnachtsmann isn’t real…”

“For you, neither were unicorns, griffons, or dragons, until a few years ago,” she said, slipping her hoof into his hand. “You’ve seen the horrors of Equus, Stephan… I’m so happy for you to see its beauty at last.”

He sighed, and wiped away his own tears, "This other universe stuff is going to mess with my head. But you’re right Trixie. It is beautiful..."

Sint Erklass landed in front of Stephan and the others without a final flourish of bells, sparks of rainbow light flashing from his hooves as they clattered onto the flagstones. He was definitely taller than Stephan, even bigger than Celestia, almost certainly the largest quadruped he had ever seen aside from the dragons, but somehow he wasn’t ‘looking down’ on him, nor did he seem to expect Stephan to bow, praise or genuflect. It was as if they were two equals who had just met as friends.

Stephan had the sudden urge to go out for a drink with him… maybe a mead hall would fit the bill.

The stag bowed his head low, immense muscles coiling beneath his pelt like boulders churning in a sack. His antlers were enormous, almost like tree branches. He had a titanic presence, strong, but comforting and kind, as was his voice.

“Welcome to Equus, Stephan Bauer. It is a honor to finally meet a child of Earth in the flesh.”

Stephan couldn’t help but return the bow. Mentally he desperately fumbled for the right title by which to address the reindeers’ leader, and finally latched onto the only word he felt appropriate.

“Thank you, Ehrwürdiger. This is an honor for me, and the dream of every child of Earth.”

The stag gave him a broad smile and lifted his head again, looking over the group until his gaze settled upon Luna. His smile if anything grew wider, and he threw out a hoof.

“Princess Luna! Daughter of the Moon! How are you dear child?”

Stephan might have expected a solemn exchange of formalities, or some more ritualised brown-nosing. To his utter surprise Luna, with tears in her eyes, threw herself forward and buried herself in the reindeer’s embrace, either forgetting the vast crowd present, or simply not caring.

“She was raised in his court as a youth, along with Celestia…” Trixie whispered to him, her hoof still clasping his palm. “That’s another one of our Hearthswarming tales. Clover the Clever sent them into his care when Discord came to power. When the two princesses were ladies grown, Sint Erklass brought them back to reclaim Equestria and end the days of chaos...they were his gift, his first gift to Equestria. They’re practically family.”

‘Hmph! Take a beach vacation in the middle of Canterlot, do a little magic and suddenly I am the bad guy and ruling over the pony race with an iron claw.’ Discord muttered ‘I will have you know that I put everything back and left! I only ever came back because of those two. Bah!’

‘Why are you still in my head, Discord?’

‘Oh, sorry Stephan. I was just curious...’’

‘You better stop doing that...’’

‘It’s roomy in here by the way.’

‘Oh, shut up.’

'Why, how rude of you human!'

'Just get out of my head already!'

While Stephan argued with his mental stowaway, Luna and Sint broke their reunion and bowed low to one another. The Princess of the moon was practically radiant, her mane and eyes shining with stellar light.

“Sint Erklass, thank you for blessing us with your presence. It is most wonderful to see you again at last, Mein Pate.”

“As it is to see you restored to you true, wonderful self, dearest heart…” he beamed, eyes twinkling. “For a long millenium you watched over us by night… but for me it was torture to see you emblazoned upon your lunar charge. To have you here again, in the flesh, strong of spirit and heart, is the greatest blessing that Equestria could have ever received.”

Then his expression darkened. “I feel we will have need of such blessings. I understand you have spoken at length with Major Bauer and other representatives of Earth. Tell me, is the horror we have scryed from our distant homeland true?”

Luna’s own expression turned black, and she looked up at her godfather and spoke in a voice that promised blood and thunder.

“It is true. The treachery of the beast claiming Celestia’s name appears to know no bounds.”

Sint took a single horrified step back. He choked out, “All of them? Every stag and doe and fawn? She killed them all?” he spoke in a low voice.

Luna nodded, and the two of them shared a black glance. “The Kingdom is naught but ash and melted stone.” Sint shed a tear.

“Oh Celestia… dear sweet Celestia. How could a soul as bright as yours fall so low?”

“It was not entirely her fault, Godfather…” Luna replied, resting a single comforting hoof upon his chest. “That bag, made by that which sought to destroy all, corrupted her.”

“Tirek…” he rumbled. “You speak of his bag…”

“You scryed that too, didn’t you?” she asked gently, and he nodded.

“We were aware of the rift in space as soon as Marcus Renee arrived in your kingdom. Elsa and our best mages were at length able to peer beyond the veil into this new world… and reported horrors beyond belief. We had all hoped that they were somehow wrong…”

Given that Luna tried to figure a way to see if there was any survivors, she would know, since the worlds were linked. Spykoran grunted in agreement, breaking into their conversation.

"You were not wrong, greymane. I know the taste of Tirek’s power, and it bleeds through the portals from Earth like a vile stench. We are dealing with something of indescribable evil."

There was a deeper tone in his volcanic syllables, of immense personal pain and rage. Spykoran had committed the worst crime possible in an attempt to prevent Tirek’s possible comeback, and now knew that in at least one world, even that had not been enough… the beast of old had returned, corrupted a nation, and turned its depravity loose on two whole worlds.

A heavy silence fell, and Spykoran laid one immense forepaw onto that of his daughter. In that gesture Stephan saw the depths of his grief. He knew that Wyndblade’s counterpart, and every other dragon on the alternate Equestria had met the same fate as the reindeer. In that world, Spykoran’s desperate act of containment had failed, as utterly and totally as it was possible.

That realisation broke the spell that Sint’s arrival had cast. They couldn’t afford to be children or foals now… not when actual children had been killed, slaughtered, by the millions.

“The Dragon King is right. And it falls to us, we gathered together here, to bring that evil to an end.”

He strode forward, drawing Sint’s attention back to him. They locked eyes quietly, studying one another. Stephan felt like Sint was looking far beyond his eyes and into his soul. Yet it didn’t perturb him; in fact, Sint’s comforting aura was honest and respectful. Stephan sensed that the second he asked, the Reindeer would have pulled back out of his examination.

“I see a great sadness in you, Stephan. Pain, and conflict,” Sint said to him with a sorrow that was almost angelic.

Stephan held eye contact for a while before his control over his vocal cords returned.

“I know, and that’s something I need to prepare your best stags and does for.”

Sint rose his head again and looked over the reindeers who followed him. Many of them were still young, barely just adults themselves. Most of the ponies and humans gathered were not much older. To waste such young lives clearly saddened him.

But both of them knew what was at stake.

“Do you really think you can prepare them for the horrors of war?”

“No, not for that. But I can teach them to survive long enough to figure out how to live on after that war.”

“They will need it.” Sint hummed a bit and gave Stephan a nod. “We have not possessed a standing army in centuries. All you see before you are volunteers, who have put themselves forward for this. I  entrust them to your care, Major. Please help them become good soldiers...and then help those who survive to come back from that.”

“Thank you for your trust,” Stephan replied, feeling the weight of his burden growing.

Sint turned over towards Luna and gave her a nod. “I hope we can enjoy a true family reunion sometime soon, Luna. Maybe with your dear sister present as well.”

“I can barely wait,” Luna said with barely-concealed anticipation. “And I know Celestia feels the same way.”

Sint walked over to his volunteers and marshalled them beside the zebras. He didn’t even flinch as he passed the Changelings, even giving Chrysalis a warm smile as he passed her, with the result that her eyes fluttered for an instant before she looked away in embarrassment.

“I read his description, but to see him in person… damn...” Stephan said in quiet reverence..

“He is really something else, isn’t he?” Trixie agreed.

‘Eh, he’s a bit too holly-jolly for my tastes, not to mention boring,’ Discord groused, nonchalantly waving a mental claw.

“Oh be quiet!’ Stephan cut him off. ‘We have far more important stuff to worry about. Like the fate of our very existence for example.’

As Discord retreated back into sullen silence, Stephan glanced and Luna and exchanged a nod.

“Well, I guess I should go greet them all now properly.”

“I defer to you, Major. From here, consider this your show.”

Hands folded behind him, Stephan walked to the front of his new recruits, head high and the Equestrian and PHL representatives standing proudly at his side.

“Welcome, soldiers of Equus. As you know, I am Major Stephan Bauer of Earth. Currently, my home is under attack by an alternate Equestria, led by a monstrous copy of Celestia.“

A silent murmur rose from the soldiers but it was silenced by Stephan.

“When the other Equestria came to Earth, they initially seemed kindness itself, lending out a hoof of friendship. What they offered was a magical potion; that was claimed could cure all ills, with the only cost being our human form. All those who drank of it, became healthy and happy ponies. It seemed all too good to be true, and it was. The potion not only changed their bodies, it also wiped away their minds, broke their will and bound their souls to the mad queen, Celestia.

“Not content with that, this ‘Solar Tyrant’ also generated the Barrier, an expanding magical wall that is consuming our world. Everything we have created, it destroys, vaporizing our history and accomplishments and leaving nothing, not even dust behind. She wants to transform us into her ‘perfect’ vision of a pony, nothing more than an unquestioning, mindless automaton that praises her power. These creatures, these enslaved ‘newfoals’, now gladly throw themselves upon our weapons, faster than we can kill them. I will stress, these weapons are not spears or swords, nor the flintlocks you are familiar with, but automatic projectile firearms that can put out hundreds, even thousands of rounds per minute, and still they overwhelm us.

“That is what we face, a monster so mad that she wastes lives by the millions, just so she can continue her acquisition of power. It is a genocide on a level never before witnessed.”

There was a hushed gasp at the word ‘genocide’, and Stephan immediately amended that statement to drive the point home.

“No, not genocide, xenocide. The elimination of an entire species… Now, many of you have fought wars, haven’t you? Interspecies battles, skirmishes over territory rights…”

He looked around, searching for someone that would understand what he was talking about. Several of the more war-like species turned to one another, agreeing somewhat hesitantly to his questions.

“Okay. Well, get whatever you know of war, and toss it out of your head. Everything you’ve ever learned? Unlearn it! I’m not going to lie to you - this is conflict beyond your dreams and nightmares. It’s not a skirmish for a small town, or a field. Our battlefields are cities that dwarf your greatest metropolii. Nearly half of my world is gone, including my home country. All wiped out. And what's left of us world is struggling together in this fight. Every city, fighting for its very soul, and the souls of those that dwell within. Cities whose populations number in the millions."

Stephan saw some of the stiffen up at that, no doubt insulted by the prospect that such a community could exist.

"And in these battles, we are forced to fight former humans. Friends, loved ones, even our own... children."

Stephan paused on this. Not really for them, but for himself. Sint was studying him closely, possibly seeing his internal struggle. Even Luna, who still don’t know the finer details about his past, seemed to notice his hesitation.

“We have not been able to count all of our fallen. Too many have been lost in the chaos,” Stephan continued, struggling to read this unpleasant bit of information. “But… the death toll is estimated to be over 2.5 billion.”

The various races below sat in horrified silence.

“Yes,” Stephan said. “Billions. It is truly a war for the survival of our species. Not just our lives, but our memories...if we lose, there will be no ruins or cenotaphs to mark our passing. All of our many cultures, our entire history, will die with us. And although I am sorry to say this, the same fate now probably awaits you.”

A horrified silence, that quickly filled with mutters of discontent.

“Yes, your own survival is on the line now, because the Solar Tyrant almost certainly won’t just stop with Earth and humanity. She has gone after all challenges to her authority and crushed them under her hoof. Peaceful protests are shattered, put down with lethal force, and virtually all of the ponies of her land are either too brainwashed or too afraid to want to fight. She slaughtered the reindeer and dragons, and reduced what remains of the givens to adject penury. Her armies are strong, her power immense…but we have something she doesn’t...each other.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luna smile and nod slightly. Well done.

“In her arrogance, she seeks to stand alone. In our desperation, we will stand together, and prove that we stand stronger! She has destroyed all that does not meet her standard of purity. We will welcome all who wish to oppose her, and make their strengths our own. The army we are building will fight with the fire of the dragons and the passion of the griffons! Horn, hoof, hand and talon raised together in defiance...yes, we need all the help we can get, but with that help, we will triumph! And so, I thank you all for coming to aid us in this darkest hour. Without your help, I know that mankind would have been extinguished, forgotten forever.“

His eyes wandered over the ranks of creatures…soldiers, standing in formation before him.

“So, I ask you - will you be a part of this army. Will you help us? Will you let me train you, and learn from you, to become all we can be? Will you stand together as we unite science, skill, magic and faith in a single campaign to cast out this darkness? Will you follow me like you followed your leaders? Will you give it your all?”

No one said anything. How could they? What he just said was a pretty hard pill to swallow, an immense standard to meet. Stephan remembered the first batches of ponies he had trained with in the PHL. How they all had second thoughts. But he knew there was always the one who broke the ice for the others. Someone would cheer, or salute, and from there…

“HORSEAPPLES!” someone shouted, smashing that expectation. "So, we help you and then what? You’ll just turn on us and kill us all! Human, I think your species is better off going extinct!"

Stephan was barely able to process these words before Shining Armor descended upon the Royal Guards like a rabid dog. Whoever the dissenter was, their voice came from somewhere in there.

“WHO SAID THAT!” the Captain roared, his horn flaring to life as he stormed down the line, voice magically amplified. “WHO IS THE SMART FLANK THAT OPENED HIS TRAP!”

"I did, sir!" a grey pegasus guardspony answered, slightly sweating as Shining Armor teleported before him, eyes filled with anger.

“Identify yourself!”

“Sergeant Icewind, sir!”

“Well then, Sergeant!” Shining Armor growled out as he got in his face, “What in the pits of Tartarus was that?!”

“Speaking the truth, sir!” Icewind answered, his eyes straight ahead. Despite the sweat on his brow, his tone was defiant, self-certain.

“Truth? What Truth?”

“The truth about the humans. How they are all monsters.”

“And who told you this?”

“Doctor Catseye, Professor of Anthropology. I’ve read her academic publications on humanity at length, and she has nothing good to report on them.”

Stephan frowned at his answer.

‘Of course this Equestria would have a counterpart to that whorse!’

There blew an ill wind. He could hear Luna muttering Catseye’s name under her breath, planning something no doubt.

“And you listened to that idiot!?” Shining yelled at the sergeant, and Icewind’s stony face finally broke, the pegasus guard scowling back at his captain.

“If I’m an idiot for trusting a leading academic, then you’re a foal for taking these monsters at their word, sir!” Icewind growled out, causing many of his fellow guards to blink in surprise. “Or did you forget that one of them attacked and nearly killed your sister, sir!”

“You are out of line…” Shining gritted his teeth, only for Icewind to scoff and step out of formation.

“No! I am the one thinking clearly here! Doctor Catseye provided unquestionable proof that the humans are a race of barbarians! Stories of our neighbours’ animal viciousness have been passed down into our history from out of legend, but that beast standing there comes from a race that makes their savagery look like colts at play! Their history is endless war, their politics an eternal waltz of treachery! You are leading us into an alliance with the avatars of evil and chaos on par with Discord himself!”

‘Oh wow, I’m actually kind of hurt by that.’ Discord commented, his voice filled with sarcasm. Stephan was less concerned about the draconequus’ wounded pride than that of the other foreign delegates, most of whom were now displaying black looks at Icewind’s unfortunate choice of words. Stephan knew this type, a racist (speciest?) who had found a meaty new bone to gnaw.

He also knew that left unchecked their toxic words could quickly prove infectious.

“Oh! And look, there he is!” Icewind snapped, pointing a hoof at the silent Stephan. “The enemy himself! Marring our land, our sacred soil, with his disgusting touch!”

Icewind was on a roll, the fervor in his growing speech at an all time high. Worse yet, the poison was beginning to spread. Seeing several other guards muttering amongst themselves, spurred on by Icewind’s words Stephan opened his mouth to defend his race, only to be silenced by Luna.

“Allow me, Major. I think a demonstration of my trust is in order.”

And with a flap of her wings, the alicorn princess swooped over to plant herself firmly at the side of the furious Shining Armor. Icewind, caught up in his own tirade, did not notice her until too late, at which point he cut off in a terrified squeal.

“...practically invaded by beasts and animals! And furthermore, we have the Changelings here as well! Monsters that attacked our fair city! And we’ve welcomed them here! Invited them in! Now we’re being told we have to fight alongside them! Why! Can you tell me that, Capt-Princess!!

“You will salute your diarch, ser-” Shining Armor begin, only to be cut off as Luna lifted a single wing in front of his mouth.

Then, she silently made eye contact with Icewind, returning his fire with nothing but a cool gaze. If this had been several weeks prior, Stephan suspected she would have busted the eardrums of every being within a mile of herself for such language. After all, to many ponies with an oddly selective view of history, she herself was one of Equestria’s greatest terrors of old, the Nightmare in the Moon. He understood how hard her reintegration into society had been, guessed at the inner demons she felt. But he also knew that her experiences in Boston had all but exorcised those demons...battling with the Tyrant had not only allowed her to vent her hurt and frustration, but had revealed to her an evil against which her own sins paled into nothingness.

For the first time, he supposed the lunar diarch no longer saw herself as living in Nightmare Moon’s shadow. Good for her.

“You do not trust me, Sergeant Icewind” Luna said at last, “I can see it in your eyes.”

“No, I do not!” he snapped, taking refuge in audacity. “First, Princess Cadenza disappears to take charge of some empire we’ve never heard off! Then Princess Celestia retreats from public view to be ‘Healed’, and finally you jump on board and immediately announce that you’re throwing us into war!”

Face flushed, Icewind pointing a tembling hoof at her. “Your true self shows even now, Nightmare Moon!”

Stephan gave Luna a side along look, for a moment fearing she might just fly off the handle. But, to his everlasting pride, she only gave a small giggle, shaking her head in amusement at the accusation.

“Are you done?” the princess asked, her smile becoming slightly frigid. “I find it amusing, Icewind, that given your expressed fear of anything that is not a pony, that you would accuse me so openly of treason and collaboration, in front of an audience comprised of every race of Equus, plus several of these ‘chaotic, evil’ humans, not all of them necessarily in the best mental state. Aren’t you not frightened of what will happen?”

Stephan expected the pegasus to be cowed from standing before a being that could be called a deity in all but name, but Icewind’s fear melted away into misplaced anger.

“I speak only the truth, Mare in the Moon,” he whispered, prompting Luna to roll her eyes at the foalish title. “You needed a means to defeat Celestia and the Elements. So you tempted the rest of the world and promised the beasts power in return for overthrowing Equestria as vengeance for your banishment! Freeing Discord wasn’t enough for you, was it? You needed true monsters, so you brought forth humans, the most vicious of all! But you couldn’t control him, so you’re their patsy! Their puppet, dancing to their will, traitor!”

‘You know… In a crazy sort of way, this plan of his makes sense. Wow, this guy is very good at thinking up evil conspiracies on the fly!’ Discord said.

‘Can you shut up and let me think if I want shoot him or gut him.’

‘Touchy, touchy.’

“Say your piece, Icewind.” Luna said when he had finished, her voice carrying a dangerous tone. “I will allow you to leave once you’ve gotten this madness of your chest, but I want that armor off your back once you leave Canterlot Barracks. No pony such as you can be allowed to serve in the most honorable Guard founded to serve and protect my royal sister.”

“Yes!” he hissed. “Founded to protect her from demons like you!”

Luna dismissed him with a flick of her wing, and Shining Armor stepped forward, fire in his eyes and a gleeful sneer on his face.

“Sergeant, you are hereby dishonourably dismissed, with full cessation of all rights and privileges as of this instant. Your pension funds will be returned to you…minus the cost of wear on your equipment, and we’ll even toss back any money you put into the squad betting pool. NOW STRIP!”

Icewind looked like he just got punched in the gut, but steeled himself as he ripped off his helmet and tossed it aside.

“Listen to me, ponies!” he cried out as he continued to remove his uniform. “These humans come carrying war and death, trying to escape the fate that this other Equestria righteously deemed fit to cast upon them! They have allied themselves with with Discord and the Changelings, attacked our fair Sun Princess, and now wish to place this lunar patsy upon her throne, a lesser light that can never match her unyielding sun! No! I wish to defend Equestria, but I will not fight for these creatures - monsters wielding weapons that casually slaughter by the hundreds!”

Icewind turned his glare on Stephan, who only gave him a blank look in return.

“The good Doctor Catseye was right, mark my words! These are warmongers, killers who value life as expendable. They’ve just come to us because their crimes have finally bitten them in the flank. I say let them fall and allow a new future take their place. Who is coming with me?”

For a long moment, no guard member moved, but Stephan could see doubt rising in the ranks. He turned to Luna, giving a small nod to her as he stepped forward. Time for his own form of triage.

“If you want to go, then go. I have no use for cowards or doubters! When any of you guards signed up, did you think you’d be playing as soldiers, getting an easy ride?” he barked out, before turning to salute Luna.

“Your princess stands before you. She has fought for my people, and I trust and serve her, just as all you ponies have sworn to to do."

He spun back to the guards.

“This is your one chance, leave and no repercussions will fall. Just know this, you turn your back on both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia themselves if you do so. Leave now, and you are the worst thing that a soldier can be - an oathbreaker, a deserter with no honor!”

“Lies and transparent justification! Come on, I am not dying for these savages!” Icewind screeched, throwing off the last of his armor. He frowned for an instant at the pathetic pile of brass, then turned to leave. Shining scowled at the retreating pegasus, his glower deepening as more guards stepped out and pulled off their armor and left.

Luna and Stephan both sighed as nearly thirty guards stripped and walked off, some looking regretful, but the majority of them glaring daggers at Stephan and his troupe. The humans and ponies standing together returned those glares with equal vigor.

“Well, this isn’t going bite us in the ass later,” one of the veterans sighed to the man standing beside him, Isaac Acevedo.

“Don’t worry, Grimnebulin. They sabotage this good streak we’ve been having, I’ll rip them apart,” Acevedo replied.

“I think I killed that guy Icewind in Paris,” Vinyl growled after them. “I don’t remember it very well, but if I gouge out his eyes it will probably come back to me.”

“Want me to take them out now and save you the trouble?” a Russian woman with a sniper rifle strapped to her back asked, not joking.

“Stay your hand, please…” Luna said, returning to their side. “They must do as their consciences demand. To punish them for that, or compel their obedience by threat of force, is to become our enemy.”

Stephan nodded at that wise, if unwelcome sentiment. Shining Armor on the other hand was shaking in fury, glaring molten steel at the retreating ponies.

“Cowards and traitors, the lot of them,” he muttered, his horn sparking in response to fury.

“The Labyrinth take their souls!” Warlord Darkhoof said in agreement, swinging his battleaxe with a worryingly contemplative look on his face.

"Forget them! Luna’s right,” Stephan said, trying to cool the atmosphere. “And we’ve got work to do. There are more than enough present actually ready and willing to stand against the darkness. Its time we made them soldiers!"

Leading the way for the rest of the group, Stephan brought them back to the head end of the parade ground.

"Trainers! Fall in!"

Fifteen soldiers, mostly humans and ponies, but with one diamond dog among their number, stepped out of formation and lined up behind Stephan, a small smile on his face at he witnessed their their speed and precision.

The, he looked towards Trixie, and gave her a small nod.

“You promised ‘Great and Powerful’?” he whispered. “Time to bring the show home.”

“Did you every doubt me?” she answered slyly, before winking. “My little mouse?”

He shivered with excitement. In that wink he had seen a flash of her shapeshifting magic, and for a second her eyes were those of a predatory bird...or a griffon.

‘Secret fun times ahoy...’ Discord sneered in his mind.

‘Oh shut up Discord, and watch the show!’

“Races of Equus!” Stephan proclaimed, as Trixie wound up a spell. “May I present fifteen of Earth’s greatest heroes!”

There was a flash and bang as Trixie conjured up a wall of smoke behind the podium, and then a dazzling light show as she projected giant images of himself and the PHL contingent onto it.

They looked tall, strong, and invincible. Or, in other words, Great and Powerful.

‘Well done indeed, mein Trixie…’

The multispecies army watched in awe as the veterans stood tall and proud, fifty-foot high duplicates of themselves rising behind them. The ponies, Redheart, Vinyl Scratch and Allie Way among them, all wore the same uniform of kevlar tac-vests, emblazoned with the PHL’s emblem, a white-on-blue lyre over a wreath, but the gathered bipeds had wildly different uniforms and personal standards of grooming.

A balding Israeli man with a full beard and a metal prosthesis for an arm. He stood at attention beside the diamond dog, who wore an eyepatch where a mighty scar cut across one side of his face.

A woman whose Alice-frame backpack bore all manners of technological odds and ends. To Stephan’s eyes, she looked a bit like a Ghostbuster. The Russian sniper loomed next to her, hard as ice.

Another male, dark-skinned and stocky, shouldering a medical bag and cast in the shadow of a giant of a man wielding an equally immense heavy weapon, huge both in size and caliber. A male with a fine stetson hat, red hair only on one half of his head and terrible burn scars, carrying a short, heavy rifle that appeared to have three barrels.

Imagining how strange and alien they must have seemed, Stephan introduced them.

"The fifteen you see behind me are the best of the best! I didn’t train them all, and most learnt their skills on the battlefield. But I can speak for them all. Each and every one of these ponies were civilians in the other Equestria, who defected to fight beside and support us. By contrast, most of their human companions come from their respective nations’ armed forces, bringing with them the pride and history of those services to our cause!"

Stephan walked to the large gathering, his eyes going cold as he glared at them

“Most importantly, these fifteen represent some of most brilliant and creative engineers, strategists and tacticians. Among them are weapons experts, medical geniuses, gifted magicians and infiltration specialists. They are people who have shown their ability to adapt in a rapidly changing environment, to make the most of disparate assets and deploy them to their best effect.”

He paused, allowing the words space to sink in, before continuing.

“These fifteen will be your senior trainers, acting below me. But first, they will be evaluating you, studying your native battlefield tactics and abilities, and learning how best to train you for the conflict ahead. They will be your teachers, and your students. And I will not tolerate any being who makes light of their accomplishments or abilities. They have found out first-hand how to survive in a world as wild as untamed as the Everfree or Badlands, while in a state of war. If you want to survive in that world, only they can teach you."

Many groups swallowed at this pronouncement-slash-threat.

“I cannot make this any clearer,” Stephan said. “We are not on an exercise. We are not here for pleasure. The fate of not just our world, but yours and countless others hang in the balance. Running is not an option, and neither is retreating, because for every second we are off the field, the stronger the darkness gets. This alliance is the first and only line of defense.”

He let that sink in.

“But we can’t just throw you into the fray,” he continued. “We cannot waste this opportunity, and more importantly we cannot waste you. There are people and ponies in the world who could fight to the bitter end and give as good as they take, I don’t doubt that. But we can’t muster an army like this again. The fate of three worlds - ours, yours, and the Equus that evil has usurped - hang in the balance. And so, if we must wait and prepare our strength, then we must make every second count.”

Another shower of sparks from Trixie was the prompt for the ‘Blue Belle Cousins’, Vinyl Scratch and Allie Way to step forward, her stage magic adding a glamour of light to them both. Even without giant doppelgangers backing them up, the two of them looked amazing in their custom battle-saddles.

As the two mares presented themselves, Stephan spoke again.

“These two mares wield weapons both mechanical, and magical...you’re going to need to do the same. For those of you who possess thumbs and opposable digits, human weaponry will be simple to master. Those of you who do not, will soon see that humanity is very, very clever when it comes to overcoming a problem.”

Without any need for a prompt, the two cousins activated their packs, which seemed to come to life, barrels extending forward and magical HUD visors shimmering into view over their eyes. They looked far more threatening as the cousins crouched in a battle position, a vicious smile on their faces.

“And when cleverless alone is not enough, you’ll see how overwhelming force can remove that problem!”

Both of the cousins fired over the crowds’ heads, launching flash-bang grenades and magical charges that burst and flashed in the air above. The bass cannon Vinyl had grafted to her assault saddle (the things were modular, of course, but nobody had expected she’d do that)  blazed, electronic music issuing forth from its speakers, and the hidden speakers they’d placed nearby. Yet, oddly, Stephan could hear a cello in between the electronic beats.

His audience of recruits no longer looked scared or intimidated. Now they were excited, riled, and intrigued.

As magical lights, old-fashioned fireworks, and the bright lights of Vinyl’s wubs blazed in the sky, Stephan knew in that moment that he had them in the palm of his hand.

“That’s what we’re here for!” he wrapped it up. “Humans and ponies and all manner of others, working to help adapt you to our science, and us to your magic. We are the bridge between our worlds and cultures...and what we bring, is a harmony. Move out, everyone. Your training starts within the week!”

That should have been it, but before anyone could react, Trixie’s screen of stage smoke suddenly writhed and twisted into a familiar, chaotic shape.

"Oh my, my, my!" Discord applauded. "What a exit, what a show! But it’s lacking a punchline…”

With everyone staring up at the smokey avatar of the Lord of Chaos, Stephan drew a hand over his eyes.

‘Is this your masterpiece, Discord?’ he thought. ‘Your magnum opus?’

‘But of course Major...let me show you your new army’s ‘private quarters’...’

Unable to look away, Stephan instead sighed and folded his arms. High above, Discord had summoned into his huge paw a ball of crackling energy.

“And here. we. go.”

He snapped his talon, and the ball shot across the sky and came down in an empty river valley just to the north of the Canterhorn, landing just downstream of the Neighagra Falls.

“Wow, good fastball,” someone muttered.

As soon as the ball hit the ground it expanded, lightning and thunder exploding from it as it swelled to fill the sky. Rain poured down in waves, drenching the land with torrential force.

And then, like a tree sprouting after a drought, a giant metal beam erupted from the ground.

“What’s going on?” Stephan asked.

“Urban renewal,” Discord stage-whispered.

The beams grew higher and higher, stretching up into the sky. What came next looked like the unholy offspring of an earthquake and a tidal wave as the ground itself exploded into life, more beams bursting into bloom, even as the earth and rock caved in in oddly square spaces. Liquid concrete burst forth from cracks, (no, ‘crack’ wasn’t the right word, those were far too straight. They were seams...) filling in the holes to form something like foundations and cellars. Great canyons opened up between the checkerboard of scares, the concrete filtering into them, only for the canyons to close back up.

Before their eyes, blocks of stone grew between the beams, until…

“Is that… You’re making a skyscraper? It’s too small for all of us,” one human said.

“Ah, but I never said I was making one!” Discord answered.

“And that’s not just any building…” Vinyl gasped, lowering her shades to better see. “That’s the damn Freedom Tower!”

It was happening all over the area. An entire city was growing before their eyes, almost organically, bricks and stones assembling together like building blocks set down by a giant colt or filly. The metaphor seemed apt when involving Discord, though.

‘Give me some credit, Major. I don’t use children’s toys! All of this is brought to you by the magic of Minecraft!’

The Neighagra River spontaneously redirected itself, writhing and coiling to surround the growing city, large bridges blooming to span the water’s flow and connecting the banks to a growing island on which the bulk of the new growth rested.

As the town grew - no, the city, for what town had buildings so huge, comparable only to the soaring heights of Manehattan, but in much greater numbers, something about the styles of architecture became apparent. The hints of Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Arts Beaux, the brick tenements… the incredibly tall skyscrapers…

“Well, shit, Vinyl’s right!” said one of the trainers, a stocky New Yorker named Abel Owens, “He grew it, I can’t believe he grew it. He grew-”

“Manhattan Island!” Stephan swore. “The whole of Manhattan…. I… can you do other places?”

“Leave New Jersey out, please!” Owens called out.

“Give me a minute…” Discord strained out, sweat covering his head. Stephan could only assume this was a lot more complex than anyone like to think, but it must have been wonderfully chaotic.

‘Don’t you believe it… growing a field of candy canes? Easy. Spawning cotton candy chocolate rain clouds? Child’s play. Recreating a city in its entirety and NOT adding a sugar-frosted coating? Agony!’

With a final burst of energy, Discord poured his power forth and completed the complex spell.

“There!” he said, reappearing in normal scale dressed in a hard-hat and overalls. “That there’s a right fine bit of work, all up to spec. You just to let it finish itself off. It will be several days before the city has finished ‘cooking’ itself and the dough cools, but no worries, it is structurally stable… I think?”

The PHL stood stock still, watching as the city finally finished growing, some of them becoming a little misty-eyed at seeing such a familiar sight before them. Stephan knew how they felt. New York had come to represent strength of unity in trying times, after the Fall of Washington, it had become the functioning heart of America, and a sign to the world that humanity was not down and out.

“It’s up to you, New York...New Yooooork!” Discord crooned, holding a pink cigarette to his lips and inhaling deeply before blowing out a cloud of flower-heads.  “I spent a lot of time in various versions of the Big Apple, and I figured you might like it a backup copy.”

He paused and chuckled. “Granted, I may have… missed certain things, there may be buildings missing or some you’ve never seen before… I think I relocated Madison Square Gardens to Central Park and merged the original Penn station with Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill’s redevelopment plans, because marble and glass go together so beautifully...cut the Death Star out of TriBeCa too, but no one will miss that...and you’ll be happy to know that I have eliminated every Chuck E. Cheese franchise and Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria within the two-and-a-half boroughs, and replaced them with a string of decent bars, including the Steinway Beer Garden and O'Zorgnax's Pub.”

That last retcon was received with cheers of adulation from most, and a look of confusion from Stephan.

“O’Zorgnax? That’s a weird name?”

“Well it wouldn’t be ‘New New York’ without it, would it?” the Chaos Lord said defensively. “You may find a few other small tweaks too…shame I couldn’t get in the transportation tubes, admittedly, but I’m not perfect. I wasn’t meant for perfection… and speaking of perfection!”

Carrying the construction worker stereotype to its climax he blew a wolf-whistle as the other delegates walked by. “Hey Chryssi! Looking mighty fine, totally divine, almost hole-ey!”

Chrysalis glowered at him, a light blush flickering across her face before she raised her snout and strutted away. Luna seemed to find this hilarious, shooting a condescent smile in the direction of the hive mother as the two monarchs passed one another. “Not so nice being on the receiving end, is it?”

Stephan ignored them, keeping his attention on Discord.

“This is real? Not a trick?”

“No trick, I swear by my Mother,” Discord said in all seriousness, before spreading a paw across his new creation. “I present to you… New York! Or at least, Manhattan, and a bit of Brooklyn and Queens.”

“Why’d you make so much of it?” Stephan asked. “Isn’t that a little extreme?”

“Really, Major? I thought you would appreciate my efforts in this.” Discord waved his arms to the massive city, a giant grin on his face. “Aside for the fact that I was able to use my chaos to make the ‘City that never sleeps’ a reality, but I gave you the ultimate training ground.”

Stephan blinked in surprise, and some of the trainers started in realization. Discord had built them a canvas, a blank slate...a perfect recreation of a human city on which to train their new army.

It was perfect.

‘Okay… I did not see this coming...’ Stephan thought, maintaining a cool exterior, but within he was as giddy as a new recruit holding his first rifle. Or a PHL soldier scheduled to field-test a new weapon. He could see the others felt the same...Vinyl was practically dancing on her hoof-tips.

“Welcome everyone, to the Big Apple. We have Empire State Building over there on 5th Avenue, a very efficient subway systems to get across town, along with a fully functioning utilities system, no purged of alligators and mutant ninja turtles. Over there you can see the beautiful Central Park, and downtown there’s the newest adition to the skyline and central headquarters of our fair interdimensional travelers, the World Trade Tower!”

“Where’s the Statue of Liberty?” Owens bluntly demanded.

“Never satisfied, are you?” Discord griped. “Clients always want after-job modificiations. Fine!”

He snapped his fingers and in the distance there was a flash of light on a bluff overlooking the city, where the Neighagra falls divided around a huge outcrop of rock.

“Yes I think Lady Libby will get a better view from up there…” Discord said, before rounding back on Owens. “And before you ask, I am not giving you back Staten Island or the Verrazano Narrows Bridge! Besides, I don’t think the locals would appreciate me generating a vast body of saltwater, killing off every bit of farmland downstream.”

“Uh...fair enough…” Owens laughed nervously. “You’re the...erm...architect!”

The sun was just setting to the west now, throwing the newborn city into deep shadow. Cracking his knuckles, Discord warmed up one last round of magic.

“And now, for the finale.”

He snapped his claw, and a pulse seemed to run through the city. Before everyone’s stunned eyes, the entire metropolis came alive. Cars and buses popped from the ground, power hummed through the buildings, signs and billboards flared to life.

And overhead, rising radiantly over the monument to Earth, was the shining sphere of the moon. Surprised at that touch, Stephan saw a woozy Discord share a glance with Luna, who winked back.

“Hwoof, that took a lot out of me,” the spirit of chaos whispered. “Think… I might need a nap.”

“It’s perfect…” someone whispered, the other PHL vets nodding to his words as they watched the city flared and burn with life.

Then Allie Way reared up and bolted towards the center of Canterlot.

“The Manehattan Railroad runs just south of there!” she called out. “Come on, let’s catch the next train and check it out!”

“Aww Yeah! There might be a Starbucks with actual coffee inside!”

“Oh hell no! I am making me a pizza, New York Style!”

“Hard Rock Cafe here I come.”

“...Oh, Five Napkin Burger, how I have missed you,” said Isaac Acevedo, his mouth watering. “Discord! Did you stock the fridges with meat?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, it’s not from Equestria,” Discord said, reassuring the various herbivorous races of Equus. “Everything is stocked with food and time-locked to keep it perpetually fresh. That last touch wasn’t easy, I might add.”

‘He’s supplied us...an entire city of fresh food. Every larder and fridge and store...we’ve got enough food to feed millions!’

Stephan blinked in shock as his core group dispersed, leaving him overseeing the delegates and their armies. He didn’t have the heart to stop them, the fact that a small piece of home was here with them was a god send…

Or Discord-sent.

“Bravo, Maestro…” he said to the Draconequus. “A true masterpiece!”

“You’re quite welcome!” Discord said, before disappearing in a bow.

“Alright…” Stephan sighed, before turning to his assembled leaders. “Your Majesties and Excellencies. Might I ask that you prepare your troops for a final march. Feel free to claim whatever accommodation you need in ‘New New York’. We’ll gather tomorrow in Central Park to commence the training...”

They responded with a series of nods and affirmations, leaving him free to rally what remained of his own inner circle.

“The rest of you…” he said, trying to gather his swimming thoughts. “Lets head to the Trade Tower, set up shop there and prepare for the next week. Though everyone may be caught up in the wonders of the new city, it’s not all fun and games. It’s not merely a bold experiment in architecture, it’s also to acclimate all the races of Equus to the urban warfare we’re already familiar with. It will be a big leap. From combat suited to flintlocks to urban warfare. But I have the utmost confidence in all of them.”

He then turned to where Luna was addressing the gathered leaders, coming in on the tail end of her speech.

“...please understand this. Human warfare is loud and chaotic, their warzones can change the very landscape as easily as any powerful magic user. But they will be your friend in your time of need. I’ve seen humans confront overwhelming odds with fear in their hearts, but standing fast if only to spit in Death’s face. Keep your hearts strong and your resolve as hard as the finest forged steel. Know this, I seen first hoof what we can do together. We will prevail.”

Luna’s wings spread as she grace them with a warm smile before she flew to the castle, preparing for the long months ahead.

Stephan, meanwhile, was looking for Trixie. When he did find her, he quickly swept her up into his arms and sprinted for the train station.

“You, me, and the penthouse suite at the Plaza Hotel!” was all he said.

Luna landed on a balcony perched on the side of Canterlot Castle’s tallest tower, startling the Element Bearers with her landing. As with the palace’s serving staff, they had not missed the chance to witness the gathering of armies.

“Princess!” Twilight exclaimed, only for Luna to raise a wing, wordlessly pleading silence. Receiving it, she came to the balcony’s edge and joined them in watching the armies move towards their new lodgings in the massive human city.

"Keen Sight," she said quietly, and in response a figure melted in from the shadows, a bat-like thestral pony. His sudden appearance prompted a startled squeak from Fluttershy.

"Yes, my Princess?"

"I want a small task force created," Luna ordered as she watched several of the flying species taking flight towards ‘New New York’, no doubt explore the city and find a suitable place to roost. She expected several proposals to link it up with Canterlot, and idly speculated on how the cities could change if they were ever merged together.

"What is our mission, your Highness?"

"I want you and your task force to keep an eye on a unicorn named Catseye. A so-called ‘Anthropologist’, a self-proclaimed leading expert on humans." Luna scoffed, watching as Stephan rushed towards Canterlot’s central rail station, Trixie slung over his shoulder, laughing out loud. "I’ve read her work, and I am frankly unimpressed with how one-sided she is in her approach, research and confusion of fact with opinion… her theories are the worst kind of popular hype, her methods are sloppy and her conclusions highly questionable… as are her embarrassingly childish responses to criticism.”

“These hardly sound like punishable crimes, Highness,” Keen Sight said, a touch concerned.

“Yes… though perhaps grounds for annulling her doctorate…” Luna conceded, before her tone hardened. “However, I’m more concerned with what she might do. Her uptime counterpart helped to inflict the potion upon humanity and later, when the war commenced, co-led a terrorist group that spread misery and death wherever they went. She willingly aided the mad Tyrant’s cause, destroyed countless lives…”

“Are you dyeing her counterpart with the same brush?”

“Call it a precaution. Our own iteration of Catseye is showing herself to be upon a similar path, though thankfully she does not have anywhere near the resources or the influence - perhaps she may even form plans to undermine our work. While I believe that it is a fallacy to arrest people for what they might do, there's too much at stake to let an unknown variable like her go unwatched. It’s been said countless times, but… it terrifies me how lucky the humans have been in this. I’m not letting them fall into the jaws of defeat when they’re so close to finally winning."

Which was quite the understatement, but the thestral accepted it. The Night Guards were professionals, after all.

"Parameters?" Keen asked.

"Keep watch for now. I believe I shall pay a visit to the ‘good doctor’ and attempt to convince her of the error of her ways. If she rebukes me, well, I cannot arrest her for voicing her opinions. You will continue to watch her however, and any observance of strife, anti-human sentiment, and unrest linked to her or any group of her founding may duly be taken as evidence of treachery, disruption of our war effort, and aiding and abetting the enemy. Then you may place her under arrest… with prejudice, if necessary.”

Keen Sight bowed and dissolved back into the shadows. Sighing, Luna quietly turned to the somewhat unnerved Elements. "Twilight, Rarity, Lyra. Come with me. Let us begin your own training in advanced magic."

Later that night

"I feel like I headbutted a train..." Lyra mumbled as she trudged alongside Twilight and Rarity. The other two mares were not in the best condition, their faces and bodies showing all the signs of exhaustion.  "Princess Luna doesn't pull any punches, does she?"

"Darling, we are preparing for war," Rarity sighed as she rubbed her head. "We are just beginning our magical training."

"But all we did was levitate balls for several hours!" Lyra cried out, frustration on her face. "We did that in school!"

"Lyra... you just had tennis balls..." Twilight mumbled as she felt her head pound with pain. "I had to lift up fifteen pound weights..."

"Because, as Stephan likes to point out, ‘freakishly strong with the Force are you’. It’s your cutie mark for Celestia's sake," Lyra pointed out. "A couple of tennis balls doesn't do anything for you. Unless Luna asks you to spin them in various directions."

Twilight froze up, turning and glaring at Lyra as she gave her a cheeky smile.

"I remember you trying really hard to do that back in school..." the minty unicorn said in a singsong tone.

"You wouldn’t-" her lavender companion gaped.

"Oh! What happened?" Rarity asked.

"Lyra! You better not-" Twilight started only for Lyra to talk over her.

"Oh it was so bad!" Lyra laughed. "My control is pretty good, has to be to use string instruments like a guitar or lyre. So the teacher asked us to spin the balls around us and keep adding. Twilight here decides to grab all the balls at the same time and spin them. Didn't work out well. When it was my turn, I was able to spin all the balls after a few minutes. Clockwise, counter clockwise,  around my head and hooves, near the ceiling and even had two in figure 8s. Twilight couldn’t believe it. I mean yeah, I stopped because I couldn't keep it up, but I was able to do it."

"Lyra, I am begging you! Stop!" Twilight blushed brightly, swallowing nervously as Lyra near the end of the story.

"When I finished, Twilight jumped up and tried again, the teacher tried to stop her but she was pretty adamant." Lyra chuckled as she thought fondly at that moment. "Twilight grabbed all the balls, stuck out her tongue,  and we all hit the deck when those balls went flying EVERYWHERE! I caught one in my flank!"

Lyra laughed out loud, and Rarity blinked before she began to giggle at the thought of a young Twilight sheepishly looking around as countless balls bounced away, out of control.

Twilight couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment, her ears flat against her skull. Then she jumped as she felt Lyra wrap a leg around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Twilight. You can tell embarrassing stories about me too!"

Twilight stared before giving her a rueful smirk, shaking her head. "What stories can I possibly say that embarrases you? You're Lyra, the pants wearing, flirty to both colts and fillies, eccentric mare of Canterlot."

"And proud of it!" Lyra held her head high. Rarity giggled as Twilight shook her head in amusement at this acknowledgment, before a devious little smirk crossed her face.

“But there is that song…”

Lyra went as still as a bolt. “You wouldn’t…”

“What song?” Rarity pressed, enjoying any shred of gossip.

“A recording Stephan brought through with him...Earth’s current top forty musical hitlist. Since Boston, this old, old song from some old human movie has suddenly come into the top spot...but someone, no-one knows who, went and tweaked the lyrics…”

“No...nooooooooo…” Lyra moaned, hooves over ears as Twilight jauntily trotted on, head thrown back and singing softly, teasingly.

“She wore a blazing saddle!

She played a golden lyre!

Her song called forth to battle!

All good folk near and far!”

“Whyyyy….” Lyra moaned.

“She conquered fear and she conquered hate,

She turned our night into day,

she…” Twilight burst into a fit of giggles, but pressed on.

Rarity’s stifled howls of laughter and Lyra’s tiny, embarrassed moans were cut suddenly short however by the sound of other voices.

"I'm telling you, this is how Equestria is supposed to be!"

The three unicorns blinked at that, and they quietly made their way towards a balcony and peeked over to see Vinyl Scratch, Trixie, and several humans, all of whom were pulling together their gear to transport to the new city.

“Come on, let’s go…” they heard Trixie pleading.

“Easy Trix!” Vinyl laughed. “Allie and Stephan are arranging a special train for us now. Just relax for a minute...enjoy this moment, this true Equestria.”

The observing unicorns wrinkled their nose at the awful smell that drifted up to them, arising from several cigarettes held in the humans' grasp, and one caught in Vinyl’s magical grip.

"You sure this is how it was, Scratch?" one man asked, his voice strongly similar to those of Trottingham. "It has been a bloody long time since you been to Equestria."

"No, she’s right." Trixie gave a quiet sigh, relaxing a little and muttering something about a promise and a hotel room.

“Go on then, expand, elucidate. Educate us…” the same voice said.

"Oh it’s the little things. Feeling the sun's actual warmth and not that pallid touch, that sickening coldness in the air. That malaise doesn’t exist here. The sunlight...and moonlight too. It’s pure, untainted."

"Shit," a dark-skinned human muttered as he snuffed out his cancer stick. "Lil’ Killer is right; living on the edge for three years, waiting for some Fruit Loops zombies to come popping my ass ain’t easy, especially when I seen some of my home boys bite it and turn into those freaks. Fuck man, here... my problems... just drift away. Like I’m getting all the benefits of smoking pot, without the urge to snack on Doritos."

"I don't suppose you have some on you?" the Trottingham accented man asked, "I haven't gotten a good spliff in a while."

"Sorry cracker, with everything going down to shit, no one cares about selling the grass anymore."

“Dammit!” muttered one of the humans, a tall, lanky man that Twilight vaguely recognized as one of the PHL members (Though he’d been referred to as an “outsider” numerous times) often found at the various research labs she frequented whenever she got the chance. His name was… Avocado? No, Acevedo. “I’ve been wanting a joint for like forever…”

"Bloody hell," the Trottingham-accented man muttered, turning to a woman sitting on the steps, running a whetstone over the edge of her blade. "How about you Lee? How do you feel being here?"

"It feels like I’m back home. Staying at my grandfather's place in the mountains of Japan," the woman replied as she examined her sword closely. "I feel a peace and serenity I haven’t felt in years."

“Listen to you,” joked Vinyl. “I didn’t take you for a poet.”

One of the humans snorted and hummed a few bars of music...

“There’s no place, I can be,

Since I’ve found Serenity…”

“...and you can’t take the sky from me,” they all chorused together. A moment of companionable silence lingered for a second, before each of them sighed in their own way.

"I guess it’s the true magic that Zecora always told us of," the last human said quietly, his darker complexion and accent vaguely similar to those of the zebras. "We must enjoy this time while we can."

“Sounds about right, Ogunleye. How bout you, Avocado?” Vinyl asked with a grin.

“It’s Acevedo!” Acevedo sighed, annoyed. “But… this is just… it’s…”

Any vestige of annoyance disappeared from his face. “It’s downright heavenly. The sky’s blue, the grass is green, I’ve finally got enough to eat-”

“Should you be doing that?” the woman named Lee asked.

“It’s fine, I saw a nutritionist,” Acevedo shrugged. “It’s just.. I haven’t felt this good in forever. I feel like drawing it all. Maybe even painting it!”

A smile spread across his face. “All I need to do is teach griffons how to make bleu cheeseburgers, and it’ll be paradise. Still… it’s pretty close anyway. My sister woulda loved this.”

“Is she…” Anderson asked.

“What? Nah, she’s fine. She’s back in Rio,” Acevedo said.

"Got that right, all of you," Vinyl whispered as she looked up at the night sky. She gave a sad sigh before laying down.

"What's wrong, DJ?"

"Nothing, Anderson," Vinyl said quietly.

"Come off that crap, girl." Anderson scowled. "Seeing you all depressed and shit is really making this awkward as fuck. Say something to cheer her up, Thomas."

"What the fuck do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Pip pip talley ho?"

"You bloody arrogant Yankee!"

"Faggoty ass tea drinker!"

"Full of shite fat ass!"

"Fugly teeth muthafucker!"

Both men stopped arguing as Vinyl rolled around on the steps, laughing at the growing absurd insults to each other.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Trottel.” The good thing about german was that everyone else around her couldn’t hear her insulting them right now.

"Come on DJ." Anderson bumped his fist to Thomas, who only smirked in reply. "What's up?"

“You’re hurting deep, Vinyl,” Acevedo said. “Anyone can see it.”

"Fine… I… just… It doesn’t feel right is all.”

“What doesn’t?”

“When we came, I thought we’d be in the belly of the beast! But it turns out it’s just as good as I remember. Maybe better! How can it just be like that and… and…” she sighed and lowered her head.

“Come on, tell us ‘Pon-3’…”

“I'm thinking of when it all went wrong." Vinyl whispered, lowering her head. "It’s just… I can’t take it. I mean, look at all this!”

She swept her foreleg out, pointing in every direction.

“What do you mean?” Acevedo asked. “I mean, it’s a nice view and all, but-”

“I just don’t get it! When did we stop being Equestria and became a despotic, fascist, slave-taking hellhole that thought newfoals were alright?"

Trixie lowered her head, a frown on her face as she thought back. There was no clear answer for this; thanks to the Bag of Tirek, ‘their’ Celestia could have been just one straw short of a total mental breakdown, and coming into contact with humans may have caused her to snap. Or maybe she had sought them out as part of the bag’s colossal circle-jerk of revenge.

Thankfully, the Celestia of this world seemed more together… mostly. Admittedly, she’d blown up a few mountains, so her sanity was in question, but she’d done that in righteous anger after being shown the potion trials. So her heart was at least in the right place.

Up above, as of yet undetected, Twilight and Rarity could only frown at this exchange, but at the mention of the bag a look of panic had flooded across Lyra’s face, and she had clamped her hooves over her mouth to keep herself from blurting out.

Down below, Trixie was taking a thoughtful drag off of Vinyl’s cigarette, exhaling a small cloud of sparks that flittered like fireflies...a little touch of stage magic.

"I think…” she thought aloud. “I think it went wrong when they started making those 'Totem-Proles', and spread them everywhere across Equestria after the Crystal War."

"Nah!" Vinyl waved her thoughts off. "That was just a prelude to everything. I mean, the war was bad...but it was justified, you know. Silly-Celly took the real moral highdive just after that. Heck, she swan-dived off the tallest mountain when she decided to take the Crystal Throne for herself. You know how I know?"

The group looked to one another and shrugged before looking back to her. Vinyl leaned forward with a haunted look in her eyes.

"Okay...so, you all remember the night she revealed the portal to Earth to the world? Well me and Tavi were in Baltimare, providing some of the entertainment for the launch of the Great Equestrian: she was a backing musician for Billygoat Bridle and I was on the mixer-board. So, everything’s going great, and we’re just taking time to relax on deck  when the main show piece.... um... Kin and Kith?  Yeah! That's it! Kin and Kith Crowing Harmony! It was a beautiful crystal statue, right? Well, the second Celestia plops her plot on the Crystal Throne, thousands of miles away, that statue turned into a crystal death trap!"

"Crystal death trap?" Lee asked, confused.

“You were on the Great Equestrian?!” Acevedo gasped. “The one that-”

“Yeah, I know, the one that nearly drowned Boston to with its potion clouds.” Vinyl said. “But it wasn’t like that at the beginning…it was a passenger ship to begin with, not a warship for newfoals that couldn’t even really appreciate its beauty. And get this? From what Rarity’s lil’ sis told me, it was built as a giant middle finger-”

Acevedo snorted slightly.

“-I’m serious, a giant middle finger to Celestia’s regime! It wasn’t quite the Empire back then. The ship’s designer, he’d tried to make the finest skyliner in the history of Equestria, a flying monument to the kingdom at its best, so he put these amazing artworks all over the thing. It was like a flying gallery, Tavi and me loved it! All of these carvings and paintings and tapestries representing peace, unity, the common folk-but, coincidentally, no alicorns. You dig?”

“We dig.”

“Okay, so ‘Kith and Kin’ was this crystal statue, straight from the Crystal Empire, sitting right in the center of the ship, showing almost every race on Equus giving a hoof-bump or high-five or whatever. And then…”

“Then what?” Acevedo asked.

“It exploded,” Vinyl said. “Crippled and killed a lot of ponies. And not ten minutes later, Queen Celestia declares to everypony that she’s made her claim on the Crystal Throne…”

Eyebrows shot up. Now that was interesting. Speculation broke out among the humans and ponies standing there.

“Did she intend to explode it? As a sort of ‘I see what you’re doing, and I don’t approve’ thing?” Ogunleye asked.

“Could be,” Lee said, one hand to her chin. “Wouldn’t exactly be out of character…”

“Or the crystals could have just exploded in reaction to her soul,” Trixie added. “I talked to other ponies like Fancy Pants, who said that other imported crystals from the Crystal Empire exploded as well. Or just took on awful colors.”

Everyone in the vicinity puzzled over that.

“So… maybe she’d been planning quite awhile before then?” Thomas asked.

“I did hear some odd conversations between Mr. Isneigh and Mr. Kreme-Brulee,” Vinyl said thoughtfully. “One was the company chairman and the other the ship’s engineer...they thought something was wrong with Equestria, even then. Ol’ Kreme was raging after the aftermath of the wedding invasion...”

“Plenty of ponies were rather disturbed by that...” Trixie added. “I mean, Celestia tried to exterminate all the changelings in revenge. That’s pretty out of character for her…”

“I spoke to both a changeling and a royal guard from here, earlier,” Ogunleye mused. “They were both appalled by that. It never happened here. I mean, yes, the guards were sent to search for changeling infiltrators all across Equestria, but they didn’t kill any of the ones they found…hey, you know what’s odd?”

High above, Lyra trembled, her eyes watering ever so slightly.

“What?” Trixie asked.

“Did any of you notice that Cadence is an alicorn here?!” Ogunleye said. “Our sweet little princess, an immortal demi-goddess! How in the hell…”

“That is pretty strange,” Vinyl agreed. “Pretty awesome if you’re her husband though… rawr…”

That got a mix of laughter and groans, along with a couple speculative looks from some PHL personnel.

“Hey,” Acevedo suddenly said, jumping to his feet. “OK. I know how to find out where it went wrong.”

“You can do that?” Vinyl asked.

Everyone crowded around him, curious, looking at him expectantly.

“Well, yeah,” Acevedo said. “See… I happen to very much like alternate history. And every alt-history has its point of divergence, be it an election or a West Virginia mining town getting dumped into 1630s Thuringenwald...”

“You read some weird shit, dawg…” Anderson bluntly told him.

“Proudly!” he responded, cracking his knuckles. “So how ‘bout we…do a little research? Try to see what went differently. Where that point of divergence was.”

They all stared at him, intrigued.

“Don’t know if it’ll give closure,” Vinyl said, an uncertain expression on her face. “And I always hated research. But… dammit, I’m curious.”

Observing a conversion turning towards the magic of academia, Twilight’s eyebrows shot up, a smile on her face. The word ‘Wonderful!’ and several others like seemed to be on the tip of her tongue, though they never escaped her mouth…

...because Lyra had thrown one foreleg over the bookish unicorn’s mouth, shaking her head vigorously and just barely holding back sobs.

“What?” Twilight hissed, turning around only to see Lyra bolting away in a panic, tears streaming behind her as she fled.

Rarity and Twilight stared in shock at her before giving chase.

"Lyra! Wait! What's wrong?!" Twilight cried out as Lyra ran off into a vacant guest room and locked the door.

Twilight frowned, her horn glowed, and she teleported both Rarity and herself into the room. Their quarry lay weeping on the bed, her face buried in a pillow.

"Go away..."  Lyra whimpered.

"Darling... what is it?" Rarity asked gently as climbed up beside the little green unicorn and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"I... I know why..." Lyra trailed off, her eyes wide as she stared at something behind them. Both mares blinked in confusion at the terrorised look on her face before turning around...at which point they both joined her in horror.

"Oh mother of Starswirl… Spike?!" Twilight whispered, staring at the Celestia-sized dragon resting on the bedroom’s other bed.

In the future, Twilight would thank Celestia that she hadn’t seen her #1 Assistant during his captivity in the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Solar Empire.

Looking on him now, a tiny, rational part of her mind remembered when he had hit that sudden growth spurt on his birthday; his first change had brought him into his adolescence. This Spike was just a bit bigger than that…

“Oh Spike…” she breathed. “What did they do to you?”

She had heard from secondhoof (or hand) information that he had been imprisoned for trying to stop Uptime Rarity from getting corrupted by the Tyrant, and she’d heard the most awful rumors about what had been done to him for the course of almost the entire war, but she hadn’t been prepared to see this.

The scars and bruises were horrific. And they were just the start. Barely-healed wounds that a railroad spike could have comfortably fit through were all over his body-and, Twilight realized, they must have pierced him. Gone all the way through his wrists. His wings resembled nothing more than parchment that had been left out at night during a rainstorm and then dried to a fractured crisp, and there were  massive scars on his wingbones where he must have been impaled yet again. Much of his body seemed to be riddled with ugly brownish-yellowish-orange-green scabs.

“How… how could they?” Rarity choked out with a mixture of sadness and rage. “They… they hurt SPIKEY-WIKEY LIKE THIS?!”

Then she screamed. “I’LL DESTROY THEM! THEY ARE MONSTERS! BRUTES!! They’re not just traitors to all that ponydom  values, they’re traitors to decency! To any sort of morality!”

"Rarity..." a deep voice echoed from the bed, causing the mare to fall silent. She found herself immersed in the glowing emerald eye that was focused on her, lost in that beautiful and radiant eye. As he looked upon her, she felt short of breath, and her face flushed in embarrassment. The eye moved away, freezing on the mare beside her.

"Twilight..." Spike growled, the monitor attached to him blaring out a series of tones as Spike's heart began to beat wildly, changing on the digital graph from slow, measured beats to shapes that vaguely resembled the Crystal Mountains. He glared at her with utter rage, looking like he was about to break out of his bandages just to try and get to her.

“No, no no,” Twilight whimpered, not sure whether to be scared or sad, backing away as Spike shakily pulled himself up from the bed, the moonlight shining down on his royal purple scales, giving him both a majestic and terrifying presence.  “I’m not that Twilight, I’m not her! I don’t know what she did to you, but I’d never-”

“That’s utterly rich, you traitorous BITCH!” Spike yelled. “What’s that? You don’t know what you did to me?! I’ll show you exactly what!”

"Please, Spike!" Twilight swallowed and shrank as the dragon towered over her, jade flames dripping from his mouth.

“Time to free you from your misery," Spike growled as he glared down her, and yet the single eye held utter sadness at his actions. "I'm sorry, Twilight."

“SPIKE!” Rarity yelled at him, jumping in front of Twilight. “Calm down and listen to us! We’re not the Twilight and Rarity from your Equestria! Did no pony tell you about this?!”

Spike stared down at the unicorn, shaking as he looked down at the two. A single tear fell from his eye as he took a deep breath.

"Spikey?" Rarity pressed gently, then froze. Because now the dragon, a charge of flames building up in his mouth, was glaring at the both of them.

"Never again..." he muttered quietly

“Oh sweet Celestia, not again,” Twilight said, doing her best to keep calm as she summoned up a quick shield. There was still a hint of fear in her voice.

Then rescue came.

“How did you stupid fillies get in here?!” Nurse Redheart yelled as she bucked open the door. “Shit! He’s… you’ve destabilized him!”

Spike’s eyes flashed to the nurse, his moment’s hesitation allowing her mare to fish out a bottle and throw its contents at him. The bottle shattered across his chest, spilling a thick green salve which instantly began to bubble and turn gaseous from his high body heat.

“Fuego Salve’s, thermal sedation potion…” Twilight began to mutter before Redheart shoved her towards the door, the nurse donning a gas mask.

"Go, go! Out before I have to drag your charred corpses out!"

The gas spread quickly through the room, Spike involuntarily drawing a deep breath. The potion acting fast, his eyes slowly drooping shut as he collapsed on the ground.

Twilight teleported them out, and the evicted mares found themselves gasping on the roof of the castle barracks. In the distance they could see the glowing 'human' city, outstripping Canterlot in nighttime brightness. The city looked alive, pulsing with energy as its new inhabitants began to explore their new home and training ground.

Its warmth and light could not break the pain they shared however.

“What… what was that…?” Rarity sobbed. “What… what happened to him?”

Twilight could not weep. The horror of seeing Spike brutalised had shaken her so much that in her grief she defaulted to cold logic; a reaction both to protect herself, and allow her time to accept what she had seen. She turned to Lyra, unable to ignore her gut feeling that the turquoise unicorn knew something that she wasn’t telling them.

“Lyra…” she said, tears in the corner of her eyes betraying the pain her mind would not let her feel. “Why were you crying? They were talking about how Equestria fell from grace… and you began to cry.”

Lyra looked away, but Twilight would not let her. Jaw clenched, she reached out and turned Lyra round so that their gazes met.

“You know something, don’t you?”

"It’s a long story… I just found out two weeks ago," Lyra sighed softly.

“Tell us…” Twilight pressed.

“Lyra, you can tell us. We won’t judge you or anything,” Rarity added, in a softer tone.

Lyra stared towards the city for a moment, and wiped fresh tears from her eyes.

“What happened, to the other Equestria… Celestia’s madness, the war, the newfoals.”

She turned to face them.

“... it was all my counterpart’s fault.”