Exiles

Chapters

Chapter 1 (Rewritten/Revised)
Chapter 2: "Whatever It Takes"
Chapter 3: "Levitate"
Chapter 4: "Battle Cry"

Chapter 1 (Rewritten/Revised)

Exile.

By definition, it is the state or action of being barred from one's native country (typically for political or punitive reasons) while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return. Whether it is a form of punishment and solitude is completely irrelevant...for the most part, anyway.

Twilight Sparkle stood before her disappointed mentor, her mentor's younger sister, her friends and family, and the primary perpetrator who was the furthest off to the side with a smug look on her face. Good thing, too, seeing as she would've gladly smacked it off her and for her. Seeing as she was knew that there was something wrong and no one was taking her seriously, her thinking-over actions and flustered emotions were completely justified. The unicorn mage had attempted to take her brother aside and warn him about the unknown threat, but unfortunately for her, telling him his wife was a mischievous bug worked about as well as she imagined. Hell, even the Princess and her friends all blew her off and fell for the imposter's wounded gazelle act. It was as if the years of friendship lessons were carelessly tossed aside in favor of a superficial master of disguise, and her devastated nature could attest to that.

As Twilight was read her rights, a flurry of emotions swam around her head and sometimes leaked out of it. The most common were closely associated with anger, fury, irascibility, rage, and wrath. In spite of being completely out of line with her mostly kindhearted and idealistic character, she couldn't help but resent the smug snake that was the fake Cadance standing a few feet away from her with an equally smug smirk on her face, which remained virtually unknown to anypony but her and her only. However, she knew better than to attack her right there and right now, lest she extend her banishment sentence to all eternity.

It didn't matter anyway, for this was just the beginning for a start of darkness for her...

"Twilight Sparkle, you have been found guilty of attacking a member of the royal family with no evidence backing up your claims of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza being a threat to Canterlot or all of Equestria." Princess Celestia was cold and distant in her reading of her reading of Twilight's rights. "You are only alive because you have done many a great service to the kingdom. For your crimes against the crown you are hereby exiled from Equestria, all of our territories and any of our allied lands for 20 years. Should you ever step hoof on our lands ever again...and you leave us no choice but to permanently take care of you. All of your assets are to be seized by the state the moment tomorrow begins. Do you have any last words before we carry out your sentence?"

The now disgraced unicorn found it funny. With her head hung, she faced only the ground but she can clearly see the looks of disdain and dismay adorned on the faces of loved ones and innocent citizens alike. They were blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited them...and they didn't care. So... What is there left to say, Princess? With that, Twilight merely shook her head and raised her head to face her mentor with a vacant expression. Indeed, despite her being undoubtedly unnerved by it, Princess Celestia nonetheless continued on as her horn glowed with a golden light.

"I see... Then may Tartarus have mercy on your soul."

Within mere moments, Twilight was engulfed in said golden light...and transported to her promised land.

The tumbledown to the ground was...a lot softer than Twilight expected. She crashed to the sand and rolled to a stop before getting up rather quickly. Doing this was a response to her also expecting a suitcase or two ending up shooting through the portal and promptly smacking her in the head. With none seemingly coming after her, though, it seemed all for naught. Her baggage debacle out of the way, she now had to decipher where she was at the present moment. A vast desert with no nature in sight meant she had be transported to somewhere south of the Badlands. Not knowing what to do, she started to walk.

To where, she did not know.

She could only walk so far without collapsing in the warm sand. Dropping dead or into unconsciousness, she did not know or could not decide. It had been a long day, which left her with a long line of thoughts in turn. Many of them concerned over the fake Cadance, the real Cadance, and their current whereabouts, but she had additional concerns that did not concern them.

What would happen to the kingdom? What would happen to Canterlot? What would happen to my parents? What would happen to my friends?

My old friends? The ones who cared?

They would have to care about my wellbeing, right? I knew my new friends could care any less. I knew a mistake had been made the very moment I stepped inside the border of Ponyville.

I knew their excitement for the wedding would overshadow their concerns about Canterlot's security. I knew something was wrong when Cadance's behavior was unraveling in the spotlight. I knew...and they didn't.

And I was punished for it...but she wasn't.

The very thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. For trying to do the right thing, she was wrongfully punished.

The wrong action for the right reason.

All I wanted to do was save my brother and loved ones. I could care less about a wedding that I was invited and uninvited to. I just wanted the ponies I care about safe and sound. And what do I get for doing the right thing?

A wrongful exile.

Now I'm just a traveling vagabond without a road or path to take.

Then again, there was a road. A road that, upon closer inspection, lead to a nearby town a few miles from where she stood.

Sighing to herself, Twilight began her long walk to her destination point. As she got closer, she remained careful of her upcoming surroundings while examining from head to hoof. Dull-colored slums seemed to be the main households for the civilians living in this poverty-stricken settlement, while a watchtower was set up nearby next to a fairly-functioning waterwheel mill. A tirade of repeated screeches caused her to look up and find a green bird soaring across the sky while doing so...before promptly being snatched and slammed into a cage by a greyish pig. Flinching at the sudden nature of it all, she kept going in order to avoid being captured herself. Grabbing one of the many dusty hooded cloaks from a sleeping fish hobo, she traveled to the heart of the town, all the while laying low.

Even so, Twilight could not help but notice the stares beginning to pile upon her. She somehow got the impression that these folks were suddenly coming up with the bright idea to sell her for bits, but deciding whether or not to go through it. If they were leaning towards yes, then she would make them lean towards no. Of course, they were wasting their time by bickering with themselves, no attempt made at hiding their desires. She fought back the urge to sneer at them as she strode on past.

The former apprentice of Princess Celestia eventually stumbled upon a rather distasteful establishment. It was a brothel, a place where the nastiest of Equestria's natives coalesce to see female (and occasionally male) performers strut their stuff for the amusement and pleasure of their customers. Once former upholding citizens of the Equestrian system, they were soon relegated to disavowed stragglers with nothing to lose except their own lives.

Much like her...

It disgusted her, who knew they were better than this.

Better than her...

What has the world come to...?

Worse to her...?

The front entrance opened and a young dragon was tossed out. Her main color palette was brilliant gamboge with a hint of light gold, moderate cyan eyes and moderate orchid spines complementing it. Another form of complementation (though not in a good way) was given to her disheveled appearance, the main indicators being her watery eyes and torn-up dress that revealed wine-colored lingerie beneath. The horrifying sight before Twilight undoubtedly unnerved her just as her emotionless face did to Princess Celestia not long ago, and for very good reason.

She watched as the dragon silently walked away from the ghastly business place (or walked towards her?) before slumping down to a nearby front staircase and burying her paws into her face, letting the tears flow out. As she sat there sobbing her sorrows away, Twilight somehow found it within herself to comfort and help (if she could) the poor child. Taking a spot next to her as she hugged her knees, she looked on for a few more moments (She reminds me so much of Spike...) before slowly raising a hoof and patting her shoulder. The sniffling began to soften, but confusion began to cloud her.

"Are...are you okay?"

Still confused, the dragon sniffled and answered, "I've been worse. This is just another day."

Now, it was Twilight's turn to be as such. "Just another day of what...?"

The dragon frowned, still not facing Twilight. "Well, if you had known, another day of pain and suffering for the amusement and pleasure of my master. Even he isn't satisfied."

"And who might your master be?"

The dragon turned to face Twilight now, only to be taken aback by her appearance. Scanning her up and down, she could only sputter out, "You're...you're a pony, aren't you?"

Regardless of her growing confusion, Twilight responded, "Umm... Yes? Why?"

The dragon sat up straight and faced her directly. "Well... It's just that...nobody has seen a pony here in years."

"When was the last time?" Twilight scooched in a little closer now, intrigued by this turn of events.

"I heard it was about 20 years ago, though I could be wrong." The dragon leaned in closer as well, "I guess Princess Celestia was going through a phase and basically raided Klugetown before it truly become Klugetown. Before that, a couple of tourist ponies were passing by because they took the wrong directions to Saddle Arabia. Nobody ever saw them again. I thought I let you know. Oh, and going back to your earlier question, his name is Verko. He...kinda runs the place around here..."

Twilight listened to the dragon's tale quite carefully, which confirmed why exactly the residents were shooting quite the famished looks at her. She almost missed her master's name as well. Verko... Ugh. He sure sounds like a scumbag. Noticing the dragon's saddened expression, she continued patting her on the shoulder and made sure to ask the question with sincere tact.

"Well, forgive me for asking, but...what did Verko do to you?"

"No, it's okay." The dragon sniffled and wiped away her incoming tears before continuing, "I guess...it was just a really bad week for me that I refused to do my job properly. When he commented on this, I just couldn't help it anymore. I sorta blew up in his face and told him I could do it better than him any day. He agreed with me, and... He punched me. He then beat me up in front of the costumers and patrons before spitting in my face. They did nothing but stand there and watched. The worst part? He said to me: You should be lucky that I found you when your parents abandoned you to begin with..."

Her breathing hitched and she began crying again, prompting Twilight to hug her again. A hug that, although she found reluctant to return, did so out of pure fatigue. She was too tired and weary to resist the gesture, but the unicorn knew that she needed it when taking consideration the torture she was put through. They let the minutes pass before they broke apart and another word was spoken.

"What does he look like?"

"He's a naked mole rat."

"When did it happen?"

"Just now."

"Is he still inside?"

"If he isn't, he's working out deals with Capper."

"I see." Twilight stood up and faced the brothel before walking towards it, "Wait here."

Realizing what she was about to do, the dragon wanted to say anything to deter her, but she couldn't. She could only watch as Twilight entered the egregious establishment and listen on to what would inevitably occur.

When she entered inside, she was immediately greeted by a puff of smoke and a stench of whiskey. Her nose wrinkled in repugnance and she fanned away the smell, but it immediately got worse when she reached the center stage. Dragons and cats among other creatures danced around their stripper poles donning nothing but thinly-veiled lingerie; for others, it was their good old-fashioned birthday suits. Looking away in revulsion, she huffed and scanned the crowd for the crime boss. She finally located him after a moment, but in full honesty, she wished she hadn't. Examining him from head to toe, he was a filthy-looking fellow who really scraped the bottom of the barrel and left nothing but crumbs for the needy people. He was a sharp-dressed mole, but instead of the finest fabrics in Equestria, it was basically garbage chic for dummies. The top hat, red suit jacket, and brown bowtie were arguably the worst offenders in this regard. Judging by the way he leered at the female performers with risqué insults, his personality was definitely not evocative of a Prince Charming. In her right mind, he was the epitome of a self-satisfied slob.

Her eyes glancing towards backstage now, Twilight's mind began racing with an idea. A crazy, stupid, yet amazing idea. Making her way to it, she picked up a paring knife on the way there. She then scanned through the racks of endless lingerie and picked a set. When their turn ended, her and a few others' began.
. . .

. . .

Spoiler alert. Verko gets what's coming to him in the most satisfyingly brutal fashion possible.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Resting outside, the young dragon's head quickly shot up from the palm of her hand and turned toward the dreaded establishment, which found itself being vacated as fast as possible. Standing up from her spot, she slowly approached the brothel as the occupants screamed in horror, only stopping when she spotted Twilight exiting with a face that literally screamed bloody murder.

It certainly didn't help that her face was actually drenched in blood.

"You know... I was told ponies were pacifists. Was I told wrong?"

Twilight bitterly chuckled under her breath before she used her horn to levitate the decapitated head of a former crime boss into her view, "No. Ponies are pacifists...just not this one."

She then promptly dropped it to the ground and kicked away from them...towards a group of kids, who proceeded to play a game of soccer with it. The young dragon let out a chuckle of her own in amusement as she turned to face her savior. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me."

"Then why did you do it? Why did you waste Verko?"

"I just wanted to help you. Do something right for once. And now, well..."

Twilight then turned tail to leave before the dragon called out to her. "Wait! Where are you going now?"

"I don't know," Twilight stated the obvious as she turned around again to face her, "No place to stay, no place to hide. I might as well keep running."

"You don't have to...for the time being, anyway. You just got here, right?"

"... Yeah...?"

"So why not make a name for yourself like Verko did before you?"

Twilight opened her mouth to counteract that statement, but stopped herself when she realized that she was still out in the open. Glancing around to find everypony distracted by the game of headless hoofball, she speed-walked back to the young dragon and pulled her into a nearby alleyway. She then pulled off her hood and revealed herself.

"I already have, though I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't."

Judging by her surprised gasp and wide-eyed gleeful expression, however, it seemed that the young dragon indeed did. "Oh my Faust. Twilight Sparkle? The Twilight Sparkle? Apprentice of Princess Celestia herself?"

"Huh. I guess you do. And It's former apprentice, actually." Twilight winced at the dragon's fallen expression before it transitioned into that of curiosity.

"What do you mean by former?"

"It's a long story."

"I got time."

"I still need a place to stay."

"I have my apartment."

"Somepony's gonna find me here."

"I'll figure something out."

"Let's hope."

As much as Twilight wanted to deter the dragon from using her residence as a hideout, she refused to let her sleep on the streets, stating that it was the least she could do for quite unintentionally freeing her from the iron fist of the deceased Verko. It wasn't as unpleasant as she previously believed it to be too, so her decision of accepting her offer wasn't entirely a bad one. She straightened out her bed covers just as the dragon flew down and sat crisscross applesauce on her own bed, attempting to fully process the details of the tale regaled to her.

"So, lemme get this straight: A shapeshifter was trying to impersonate your about-to-be sister-in-law in order to take over Canterlot and eventually Equestria, but you were able to see through the ruse initially based on a childhood song you both used to sing together. Then, when you tried to warn the Princesses about this, they brushed it off as pre-wedding jitters and banned you from said wedding. And then, when you tried to defend yourself from the imposter, the Royal Guard was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And finally…when the Royal Family caught wind of this, they exiled you from the kingdom with the threat of murder?" The dragon cringed as she visualized the amount of turmoil Twilight was put through. "Wow. I can forget about that autograph now..."

"I have to admit it was foolish on my part to confront the imposter with a lack of evidence," Twilight smiled as she fluffed her pillow, "but that's just another lesson to learn. Speaking of which, we need to get some rest for tomorrow."

"Got it. Good night, Miss Twilight."

"Good night...umm, I never got your name."

"OH! That's right, it's Smolder. Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Smolder held out a paw for Twilight to shake, which she gladly did.

"Pleased to meet you, Smolder. And, uh...good night. Again."

"Good night, Miss Twilight...again." Smolder gave Twilight one more hug before she put out the light and tucked herself underneath the covers. The unicorn, despite her best interests, planted a goodnight kiss on her forehead before she did the same. She couldn't drift to soothing slumber just yet, so she merely mused about her uncertain future in Klugetown...assuming she even had one to look forward to.

One could only imagine...and hope... Twilight gently smiled.

10 Years Later. . .

Chapter 2: "Whatever It Takes"

A full year had passed following Twilight's exile, the former apprentice of Princess Celestia having finding it in the middle of easy and difficult when it came to adjusting to her new life in Klugetown. On one hand, there was the poverty-stricken condition of it all; given that she had recently murdered the closest thing to a mayor in an attempt to liberate an abused young dragon, she was unceremoniously appointed the new head of her new hometown. On the other hand, her willingness to make friends and stand up for the little guy caused her to befriend the young dragon in question as well as the reasonable authority figure of the brothel the dragon previously frequented.

Madame Harpy couldn't oversee the activities because of her pirating business in the sky, going by the name "Captain Celaeno". She was infuriated when she caught wind of a patron laying a paw on her "daughter", and was likewise satisfied when she subsequently learned that the offender in question had been taken care of. Twilight and Celaeno got acquainted with each other and bonded over their similar pasts; the latter was accused of a crime she didn't commit before she turned to a life of crime, much like the latter herself. The life of crime part, though, was debatable.

Smolder was suddenly compelled one day to fight crime and take justice, inspired by the both of her idols of course. While Celaeno was all too happy for her, Twilight was the more hesitant of the two, given that acts of violence performed by a child much like her wouldn't exactly go too well with other neighboring kingdoms. Nonetheless, she saw potential in her and agreed to teach whenever she had the time, leaving any other moment she didn't have in the hands of Celaeno and her fellow pirates. Neither Princess Celestia nor Shining Armor never had the time to train Twilight in the art of proper self-defense during the time in which she was her apprentice, prompting to teach herself while balancing her studies up to that particular point. This in turn intensified her determination to train the apprentice of her own to become skilled and empowered but never brutal.

Of course, given the amount of torture Smolder was put through in her childhood, it became clear that she was...a bit of a challenge, to say the least. During her time as a prostitute/stripper, the youthful innocence was slowly drained from her every single day working at that dreaded establishment. A small fire of hope was lit the moment she met her savior, who immediately lifted the burden off her shoulders by taking care of the abuser responsible. That hope eventually transitioned to that of overconfidence, believing that she could take on the world that was out to get her; her hair-trigger temper and tendency to punch her way out of sticky situations certainly didn't help matters. Twilight liked a challenge, however, and she found it more and more difficult to train the hotheaded dragon. She knew that she could one day get her to control her emotions...

…and that day was today.

Twilight delivered a roundhouse kick to a log of wood, blowing off little chips as Smolder and Celaeno watched from a distance. They continued to watch her hurl rapid-fire punches on more wooden posts and defend from any blows administered by practice fish. Her swift responses in the face of danger had a certain elegance to them, as if she made kicking ass and taking names look so good. Aside from that tested statement, though, there was also a methodical approach taken when confronting her adversaries. She carefully visualized every attack they would make and every defense they would take, countering both with some of her own. It was a testament to the fact that smart combat was the best form of combat...to an extent, anyway.

Unfortunately for Smolder, the fighting part (although a prominent part of training) would have to come later. She wasn't particularly against the concept of meditation, but she wasn't exactly open-minded towards it either. Venting out her frustration by punching decrepit wooden posts best suited her in her right mind, and her aforementioned hotheaded nature could attest to it. Twilight was intent on helping her control her temper, though, and assured her that the time would come for her to utilize violence as the proper response or a last resort...for lack of a better explanation.

Beckoning Smolder over, Twilight silently ordered her to take a crisscross applesauce position beside her. Raising her arms up high (prompting her to do the same), they both closed their eyes and breathed. And breathed again. And again. And again. This procedure continued for a hour and a half before Twilight spoke without opening her eyes.

"The key is to keep calm in the face of danger. No matter the situation you find yourself in, it is vital that finding a way out of it is your number one priority. Look at it from a different angle, find the weakness of your enemy, and use it against them. You should always be acting, and never reacting. Do you understand, Smolder?"

Her own eyes still closed, Smolder nodded in reciprocation. "Yes, Miss Twilight. But...what if some of the enemies I encounter have no weaknesses?"

"Then the best thing you can do is keep the battle on your own terms. Find an advantage and make sure it stays with you."

Smolder contemplated Twilight's words of wisdom and silently nodded again.

"Speaking of which..." Twilight opened her eyes and stood up, "Are you ready to fight?"

This question prompted Smolder to do the same and answer back, "Yes, Miss Twilight."

"Good."

As she turned and walked away to take her place on the fighting floor, Twilight smiled as she thought to herself: I know you're ready...because you're smart, strong, and determined. You pick up yourself whenever you get knocked down. You can be ready...

Whatever it takes...

Capper Dapperpaws was a con artist/street rat who lived up to his reputation on the daily in order to make ends meet. His criminal lifestyle began when his hometown of Panthera, Abyssinia was invaded by enemy forces. Among the rare few to survive and escape unscathed, he and his friend Chummer snuck aboard a pirate ship that happened to be commanded by Captain Celaeno and her band of parrot pirates. Then suddenly, this new guy called the Storm King was pursuing them for whatever reason, causing them to abandon ship and crash-land in Klugetown, where they attempted to pickpocket and bullshit their way into a decent living.

It turned out to be easier said than done, for their little get-rich-quick schemes unfortunately caught the attention of local crime boss Verko, who many a Klugetowner considered to be the mayor of the settlement. Both of them knew that neither of them couldn't stay much longer, so they struck up a long-shot deal with him: the Misfortune Malachite in exchange for a fully-stocked and heavily-armed airship. (For a bit of context, the Misfortune Malachite was a magical gemstone rumored to bring about bad luck, hence its given name.) However, the seemingly loyal ally of Capper had plans of his own.

Having given the words of Verko a moment of thought, Chummer had come to the conclusion that friendship was nothing more than a distraction from the goal ahead. Capper himself clearly disagreed with the mole rat's philosophy, even being disgusted by it. This made it all the more shocking and disheartening when Chummer decided to make haste and switch out the real Malachite for a fake, leaving his long-time friend to face the music all by himself. When he attempted to reason with him one more time, Capper was thrown off the ship by Chummer and subsequently tangled in a red coat...

A red coat which he continued to don to this very day...

As much as Capper wanted to distance himself from Chummer and disown him as his friend, he couldn't help but be disheartened by the events that unfolded on that fateful day. It was all because he expressed a desire to leave the criminal lifestyle behind and find a new home. He made a wish that wasn't granted, and he ultimately decided to reside in the circumstances he so desperately wished to abandon. What other choice did he have besides taking a chance to escape as far as he could away from Klugetown?

Just as Celaeno did from the comfort of the shade below, Capper watched from a distance as Twilight and Smolder continued sparring. A smile (genuine, if small and brief) began to grow as he crossed his arms and thought: I'll get out of here... Whatever it takes...

A full year had passed since the invasion of Canterlot left everypony in utter disarray, most notably those associated with the Royal Family. Princesses Celestia and Luna were among the many ponies who were entrapped in the cocoons for the Changeling Queen's own nefarious purposes. Specifically, she saw them as her trophies of war and hung them out on display for her "subjects" to see. Fortunately, Princess Cadance (having been imprisoned in the Crystal Caverns as a means for the Queen to impersonate her) managed to escape and round up any civilians, hiding them in the same caverns where she was kept trapped in. With that, she managed to stage a successful rescue attempt that resulted in many of the Changelings being blown away from Canterlot to parts unknown. Queen Chrysalis and her trusted lieutenant Pharynx were arrested and sent to Tartarus, while three others were granted asylum for their limited involvement. They were Kevin, Ocellus, and Thorax, the latter of which happened to be the lieutenant's younger brother.

Of course, as bad as the collateral damage was to Canterlot, the loss of property was inconsequential to the loss of a pony's life. Nearly 74 ponies (someplace in the hundreds, others said) had sacrificed their very existence for the ensured survival of Canterlot, leading to a lengthy memorial service for those who had fallen. Celestia could only watch in solemn despair as coffin after coffin was lowered down into the Earth, awaiting their burials to be performed upon. However, it wasn't because of the deceased that despondency overwhelmed her, rather she knew that this tragedy could've been averted...had she gone with her instincts and listened to her faithful student.

"You have failed, Celestia..."

Celestia shot up with a disheveled mane and wide-opened eyes as she glanced around her sleeping quarters. Sighing in relaxed agitation, she rubbed her head before hanging it and letting silent tears drop onto the bedsheets. This was the fifth time in a row that the Changeling Queen had plagued her nighty rest and injected some much-not-needed nightmare fuel into it. In all honesty, she hadn't felt this much dread since...

Sunset...

The Princess of Equestria shook her head, wiped her tears, and huffed in determination. No... I will make it through... I will find her... Whatever it takes...

Author's Note

In the one year that Canterlot was taken over by the Changelings, there were A LOT OF deaths. Some of them were killed by the invaders purely for sport, others performed sacrifices that gave the remaining heroes a chance at survival, but all of these might not stick for long. Given this is Equestria, though, somepony had to die in order to give the story a sense of realism. And yes...some of the character deaths were major, if not inconsequential.

Before we get into that part, however, let's talk about the resistance. Remember how Cadance was imprisoned in the Crystal Caverns? Well, let's say that she toughened up and led the resistance against Chrysalis, succeeding after a lengthy brawl. Flash Sentry, Trixie, Spitfire, Prince Blueblood, Garble, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were among the prominent members. If this story proves to be popular enough to warrant a spin-off detailing the aforementioned events, then I can certainly make something work out.

Chapter 3: "Levitate"

Flash Sentry had seen many things in his very brief life of service. But a unicorn stripper serving as a crime boss while moonlighting as a costumed vigilante? That surprisingly wasn't one of them.

Before we get into that, however, let's focus on his background check first.

Prior to the present, Flash was just a young Pegasus who aspired to follow in his father's hoofsteps as one of the Royal Guards. He never actually knew why exactly did he desire to be a part of the royalty service, other than the fact that he (and his great granduncle quoted) "saw the ad and thought it would be fun". And so, despite the instant ridicule he received from schoolmates and additional family members that weren't his parents, younger sister, and great granduncle, the young Pegasus soldiered on and vowed to become a Royal Guard, discovering a new reasoning to join them: to protect and serve. Ultimately, his parents (both of whom were former Royal Guards themselves) found themselves impressed by their son's persistence and promised to train him properly. A few years later, he was enlisted in the Royal Guard Captain Shining Armor invited him to his wedding as part of a training exercise in order for him to prove his worth.

Little did either of them know, said training exercise would be taken too far.

Although he didn't attend the kangaroo court trial that would ultimately result in Twilight Sparkle's exile, the fact that such a kindhearted young mare like her was accused of such a heinous crime made him lose a tremendous amount of respect for the Royal Guard. He had never personally met her in person, but from what he heard from the townponies and his own family, the younger sister of the Captain was held in the highest regard as a living legend, if not more so than her own older brother. To see and hear her being falsely charged of an unforgivable offense was just as heartbreaking for him as it undoubtedly was for those who saw her as a hero. It would seem that an serious error of judgment had been carried out that fateful day, seeing as a full-fledged invasion commenced during the wedding reception of Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, who turned out to be a Changeling Queen in disguise. This event proved to be the last straw, for he swore to never associate himself with anything that related to the Royal Guard ever again. Of course, this didn't stop him from co-leading the resistance against Chrysalis just a year after the disaster, which unfortunately resulted in mass casualties from both sides. His faith in peace and harmony was mostly extinguished following the accusations that caused the banishment of a complete innocent pony.

The amount of bloodshed he witnessed was just rubbing salt in the wound.

The very moment victory was declared, Flash immediately discarded his Royal Guard uniform and raced back to his surprisingly still-standing Canterlot residence to pack his belongings, the intent of taking an extended leave of absence crystal clear on his mind. Although his sister begged him not to leave, Flash promised her that his little trip wouldn't take long and just needed a break from all the chaos the Royal Guard had to offer. His parents, not knowing the true cause of his abrupt truancy (until much later), understood and allowed him to go as he pleased, knowing that parting ways with him while exchanging distasteful words would be unwise.

And that's how he ended up here. Bitter, cynical...and accidentally in love.

Flash glanced around in Klugetown and saw everything was unlike any other city he had seen beforehand. It was dirty, polluted, and completely overrun with crime...but still on the way to somewhere special. The citizens paid him no attention whatsoever, far too focused on themselves in order to go about their daily business. Some of them actually had jobs to make ends' meet, others desired to party until they stopped, dropped, and/or vomited. The rest... Well, they merely wished to visit the establishment he was currently standing in front of at this very moment.

He didn't want to be here at all. Nonetheless, he felt...compelled to do so. He didn't know why he was here, he was just here. Here standing a mere foot away from this filthy establishment. He figured that he can cross this off his bucket list now.

Entering inside, Flash was immediately greeted with a stench of whiskey and a puff of smoke. And flashes of neon, as well. Fanning away the smell in revulsion, the Pegasus ventured deeper and deeper inside the building, stopping only when he reached the center stage. Cats and dragons among other creatures danced around their stripper poles wearing nothing but rather scantily-clad lingerie; for the others, it was their good old-fashioned birthday suits.

The pony he saw next was decidedly not one of the others.

Whoa... Who is that?

She was a lavender unicorn with a sapphire blue mane emblazoned with purple and raspberry streaks that came with violet eyes. She donned jet-black lingerie with leather gloves and a matching fedora. She was looking right at him...

"Hello, good sir... What's your name?"

Too stunned to properly talk for a full minute, Flash stammered all over the sentences he thought up before making out, "F...Flash. Flash Sentry, ma'am."

"Flash Sentry... Mmm, you seem to have been taught some proper manners by your parents." Twilight leapt down from the catwalk and landed quite gracefully in front of the former Royal Guard. "You do have parents, right?"

"I...do."

"I see. Are you...a member of the Royal Guard?"

Flash seemed to have caught on and smirked if only a tad. "It depends. Are you some sort of psychic?"

"I wish. I can be if I wanted to."

"Hmm. Okay. I was a member of the Royal Guard. Something bad happened...and that something is something I needn't elaborate any further."

"But you do have combat expertise?"

"Enough to help survive up to six years or more."

. . .

"Good. Flash Sentry, you're hired."

"What?"

"I need someone for a Captain of my army. Someone I can trust."

"What's in it for me?"

She smirked and leaned in close so that nopony but them both could hear what she had to offer Flash. He himself took interest in said offer and smiled back. "All right, Your Majesty. It seems that you have yourself a deal."

"Thank you for looking into my offer. Now, if you excuse me..." She turned to face an unruly customer abusing a poor worker, smirking devilishly as she turned back to face Flash. "I have clients at my disposal."

"Wait! I never got your name!"

. . .

"It's Midnight!"

As she turned tail to leave the awed Flash behind, Twilight scowled under her breath at what she saw was a failure to come clean in regards of her true identity. Damn it, I'm already dirty enough as it is... Why should it matter, anyway? Oh, well. I'll tell him my true name once we hit off.

. . .

If we hit it off...

Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was completely and utterly miserable.

Four years had passed following the disappearance of her friend Twilight Sparkle, and there were still no viable leads that could jumpstart a proper investigation. She, among with the rest of her friends, was beginning to lose hope and give up right there, right now. However, to give up hope and quit the search for a friend in need was the last thing on her mind, because if she did so, she would deem herself not worthy as a loyal friend and ally to her. On the other hoof, though, overexertion was unhealthy and taking temporary breaks were ideal.

She settled on an annual Daring Do convention in order to get A.K. Yearling sign a book for Scootaloo. This is where she met her future coltfriend, an insufferable know-it-all and fellow Daring Do fanatic by the name of Quibble Pants. An Earth Pony unlike the Pegasus that she was, he met Rainbow Dash when she wasn't in the best of moods at the current moment. Sympathetic to her situation, he offered to accompany her around even if they got off to an admittedly rocky start due to his dismal towards the sequel trilogy. Eventually, their friendship blossomed into something more (a silver lining that went completely unnoticed in this black-and-white world of dark times), despite their repeated insistence that said friendship evolved into that of a complex and nuanced romance.

Their deep devotion for each other nonetheless shone through on multiple occasions. Case in point...

"Rainbow...! Rainbow!"

The Pegasus shot up from her bed and frantically scanned her surroundings. Gasping for air, she calmed herself upon realizing that this bed she woke up in wasn't her own. Judging by the IV tubes with its bag, the type of window that the night sky seeped through, and the light blue gown seemingly blending in with her fur coat, it was safe to assume that she was in the hospital...somehow...

Turning to her right, Rainbow found Quibble asleep in one of the three chairs and attempted to call out for him, but the volume of her shouting voice was beyond coarse. However, it caught his attention anyway, his head shooting up and his eyes opening wide before he rushed over to her side.

"Rainbow! Rainbow! Deep breaths! Deep breaths..."

Listening to his advice, Rainbow regained parts of her voice. "What... What happened?"

"You and the others... Your friends, the Royal Family, and the Princesses... You were captured by Queen Chrysalis. You were the last to be taken because you fought back, but a small army managed to overwhelm you."

"... And you saved me?"

"Yes...with the help of a few others, anyway. Starlight, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax, I think that was his name. Starlight led the quest to the Changeling Hive and managed to stop Chrysalis's plan. Most of the Changelings are good now, but Chrysalis went into self-imposed exile and escaped with a few loyalists. Those same loyalists did a good number on you, too, because you were unconscious when we found you."

"... And the others?"

"They're okay."

Rainbow felt tears welling up in her eyes and her attempts to wipe away didn't go unnoticed; Quibble pulled her into a warm hug as a result. She didn't feel like fighting back like she did towards the hostile shapeshifters from before. She could only melt in the snug embrace of her coltfriend and let the waterworks run their course. For the first time in forever, she felt powerless. Powerless that she couldn't defend herself or her closest ones.

Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was completely and utterly miserable.

But at least she had a loving coltfriend who cared deeply about her...

Author's Note

Please note: This chapter is unfinished, so feel free to judge me. So proceed with caution and believe me when I write this... Twilight is a stripper for a reason.

Chapter 4: "Battle Cry"

Three years had passed since Twilight had been exiled from Canterlot, two years since Smolder had been officially knighted as her apprentice, and a year since she had met her own coltfriend. Although reluctant to settle down in a mostly crime-free city (yet still crime-riddled nonetheless), Flash made it his mission to make the most out of his new life in Klugetown, becoming his boss's personal bodyguard and something of a replacement trainer/big brother figure towards her apprentice. Smolder herself became something of a little sister towards Twilight, who she said reminded her so much of Spike, who in turn was her own former dragon apprentice. On occasion, she would warn her about knowing who to trust and the reason why.

A prime example in an entire group would be that of the Magical Creature Overwatch, which was formed after the Changeling Invasion with the intent of hunting down creatures on the run and locking them up in Tartarus. They performed their job well, too well in fact. Despite their admittedly impressive track record of captured guilty monsters, what's more impressive was their track record of captured innocent monsters. Not helping matters was the fact that many of these blameless animals were executed without supervision and being proven otherwise. Adding insult to injury, the MCO wasn't even formed with the permission of the two Princesses or any other members of royalty whatsoever. Oh, and they were all ponies. Needless to say, the organization tasked with protecting Equestria from lethal creatures had earned itself an infamous reputation in its four years of existence by that same kingdom and its occupants, as well as the ire of Twilight, Flash, and Smolder alike.

All of that frustration had to be vented out somehow, someday, someway. That day was today...

Twilight, Flash, Captain Celaeno, and Capper all sat around a round table as they discussed their battleplan.

"So, our battleplan..."

"Yes?"

"We're essentially leading the MCO into a trap in order to prevent more innocent creatures from dying."

"Yes."

"And this is the crux of the plan, because...?"

"Because I'm choosing the lesser of two evils. Yes, their dedication to capturing the more evil creatures is irrefutable, but their execution of the innocent until not proven guilty has caused their families to lose their loved ones rather than regain them. And their methods of doing so are unforgivably brutal..."

"So are ours."

"But we at least have the decency to offer mercy toward our enemies before granting them a quick and painless death if they refuse."

"We must be careful then. Based on what I've seen, they're smart, pragmatic, and have the necessary resources to pull off their missions."

"Not all of them."

Celaeno left the room for a moment before returning with a crate of oddly yet intricately constructed weapons. They didn't seem to resemble swords, spears, staffs, or even crossbows.

"From what I've been told by the dragons, they're called guns. They're ranged weapons that can fire metal or charged projectiles so we don't have to rely heavily on hand-to-hand combat. Usefulness can be vary from different creatures."

"Quite fascinating. Is this all you have?"

"I have a few more on my ship. It should be enough."

"Excellent. We need all the guns we can get our hooves, paws, or claws on. Let's move!"

The four left their conference room and summoned their soldiers. Some of them were among the innocent that the MCO had intended to punish without evidence, but escaped due to high-quality planning and/or sheer dumb luck. A year after Flash's arrival, upon receiving word that Klugetown was ranked one of the safest places in a war-ridden Equestria at the time, the wrongfully accused prisoners retreated down south of the Badlands in search of a hopeful sanctuary. The town had expanded to 52 square miles, enough to harbor many of the prisoners; the rest were sent to two different geographic locations for temporary safekeeping. One half was sent to Trottingham, while the other half was sent to Monacolt.

One of the prisoners was secretly a former MCO-member turned Klugetown informant named Sandbar, whom Smolder fell in love with during Twilight's sorting of them. He was disgusted by his former team's treatment of non-pony creatures (innocent or otherwise) and immediately defected not soon after, something she appreciated and was impressed by. They were wise enough not to rush into romance with each other, however, and saw to it that their relationship was better developed. Of course, only a year had passed that Sandbar and Smolder decided to become a battle couple and defend their new home from the forces of evil that dare invade it.

As the soldiers loaded up and trained with their newly acquired firearms, Twilight and Flash readied weapons of their own. The former sheathed dual cutlasses and slung a M4A1 Carbine with an EOTech 552.A65 Holographic Sight and RM Equipment M203PI Grenade Launcher over her shoulder. The latter slid dual steel shield gauntlets to his foreleg and mounted a Noveske Rifleworks Diplomat with a M68 Aimpoint red dot scope and a Vltor VIS upper to his waist area.

"First ever battle. You nervous, Flash?"

"Yeah. Aren't you?"

"Nope. Why are you?"

"You said so yourself: first ever battle."

With everybody else's, their ears perked up at the sound of a horn blaring in the air, breaking the already tense silence of the about-to-be-war- battlefield. The couple shared a knowing glance, fully aware of the horn's true meaning. Silently passing a massage down the line for everybody to get ready and in their respective positions, they retreated toward the front of the line along with Capper and Celaeno, whose claws grasped firmly on the grip of her sword. A thick layer of mist surrounded them, so caution was risen to an all-time high; neither side wanted to accidentally kill their own allies.

"Occupants of this...crime-riddled town... We know that you are harboring fugitives who are guilty of the highest order. Give them up, surrender now, and come quietly, or there will be blood!"
. . .

. . .

"FIRE!"

The citizens opened fire and absolutely destroyed the first line of soldiers that charged at them with murderous intent. One by one, mindless cronies fell as they released their last shout of either horror or agony, all the while decorating the deserted wasteland with splatters of blood and guts everywhere. Each had their own reactions to the path of destruction laid out by this foreign weapon of mass destruction. Twilight and Flash's was one of fascination; Smolder and Sandbar's was one of shock; and Celaeno and Capper's was one of disdain. However, all of them shared regret: they all wished for the bloodshed to be averted, but they all knew that it was necessary for the sake of their safety and the prisoners'.

"CHARGE!"

Suddenly, the battle cry of twenty thousand more soldiers ringed out for the entirety of Klugetown to hear, and their hoofsteps followed suit not soon after. The denizens reloaded their automatic weapons and opened fire again, their number of kills matching that of their ammunition. So far, the only trouble they had were the armor-wearing and magic-wielding ponies, something Twilight and Flash noticed very well.

"Section #1! Attack!"

The aforementioned ground team joined their leaders into battle, specifically targeting those magic ponies in armor. Flash harbored no such desire to kill another living pony, let alone seriously maim him or her; he settled on incapacitation and knock-out maneuvers, instead. Twilight, on the other hand, gleefully made an exception to the rule as she sliced-and-diced any and all pony who was dangerously close to Klugetown.

"Section #2! Take to the skies! Citizens, hold your positions!"

Celaeno, Smolder, and the dragons/griffons flew up, up, and away carrying high explosives, which they dropped onto the areas surrounding Twilight and Flash and subsequently blew up various sections of ponies. They flew back when they noticed the others had wised up and began firing arrows at them. Even so, they began to retreat when their numbers dwindled drastically. Twenty thousand soldiers became ten thousand soldiers, while ten thousand became merely a thousand. The hundreds that did survive released the same screams of horror and agony as their fellow cronies did before their demise.

As silence replenished the atmosphere once more, the citizens of Klugetown gazed around the bloodied and bodied battlefield with equal parts dread and nausea. It would seem that celebration and mourning was in order, seeing as they won the battle but were far from winning the war; while racking up an impressive body count from the opponents' side, they themselves had suffered a significant loss because of mere stragglers. Speaking of which...

Twilight and Flash glanced over to find a lone survivor attempting to crawl away to safety. The latter flew over to him, picking him up and gently dropping him to a safe surface from where the former stood. If the soldier even dared to make a defiant killshot as a last resort, he would make sure that he would die before his swing fell, despite his reservations on taking a life (enemy or ally).

"Who sent you?"

"Go to hell," the soldier spat out blood in defiance, thankfully landing a few inches near her hooves.

"I was born in it already, as were you. Now..." Twilight stepped forward and slowly grinded her hoof on his stab wound, "I won't ask you again: who...sent...you?"

The soldier gritted his teeth, but ultimately relented after a few excruciating minutes, "N...Neighsay..."

Twilight and Flash exchanged glances of confusion. Who?

"He's... He's the newly appointed Captain of the Royal Guard. He was given a promotion after former Captain Shining Armor took an extended period of leave."

Caught off guard by the unexpected statement, Twilight stumbled back in shock. Her mind began swirling with a tidal wave of questions, namely What happened to him? Detaching her M4A1 from her waist, she reloaded her assault rifle, having emptied 60 rounds into 30 soldiers before resorting to her cutlasses.

"And where is the former Captain now?"

"Nopony knows."

"Hmm. Are there any survivors with you?"

"Just one..."

"Okay. Can you stand?"

The soldier began to push himself up until he could. "I... I don't understand. What do you want me to do?"

"Simple. I want you to run."

Firing a shot near his hooves, the guard shouted in fear before turning tail and sprinting as fast as he could. To prevent any soldier or citizen from shooting him dead, Twilight raised her left hoof and kept it suspended until he was out of sight and out of mind inside the fog. She too turned tail and trotted back towards the entrance of Klugetown, all the while sparing one final glance of the lifeless corpses of the Canterlot Royal Guards.

"Bury them," Twilight ordered a random citizen.

"I'm sorry?"

"These soldiers fought with honor. We killed them without a shred of it. It only makes sense that they receive a dignified funeral."

"... Yes, Your Majesty."

Ignoring the concerned calls of Flash and Smolder, Twilight went to her living quarters and curled up into a ball...but she didn't cry. She just couldn't find it within herself to do so...