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.