Equestria, Ponyville

Castle of Friendship, Around 11 PM

Twilight Sparkle adjusted the stance of her desk lamp and continued to write, her pen moving quickly across the paper in front of her. She looked over her finished proposal with a smile and wiped some beads of sweat away from her brow.

"And that's that." she smiled, placing the proposal in her desk drawer, then noticing her clock. "Who would've thought it'd take this long?"

Twilight huffed in satisfaction, and hopped out of her chair, preparing to enter her bedroom, when she stopped and peered out the window at the stars. Inside the typical horizon full of white flecks and inky black sky, four blue lights were visible near the moon. In fact, it almost seemed that the stars were doing homage or swearing allegiance to the icon of the night.

Twilight let her breath fall away as she watched the blue stars flicker, then disappear.

"Hmm." she mumbled. "I wonder if Princess Luna scheduled those stars to appear…"

She yawned at that moment, and deciding she could write to the Princess of the NIght in the morning, she entered her bedroom and was soon asleep. However, if she had looked out the window one last time, she would have seen the four stars appear once again, brighter than before.

====
Cutie Mark Crusaders Treehouse,

Around the same time

Normally at this time, the trio of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo would be fast asleep at their respective homes. However, they were awake at this hour, preparing for their next adventure.

They had secretly coordinated a sleepover without the knowledge of their siblings. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but their particular destination would have been a big problem, or cause for concern.

They wanted and had planned to follow the stone path in the Everfree to the old Sister's Castle, and sleep in the courtyard. They had a map to their destination, food, everything they needed to be safe and sound.

Now the only thing they needed to do was sneak out and get into the Everfree without being noticed.

"Come on!" Sweetie Belle whispered. "What's taking you so long, Applebloom?"

"Sorry!" Applebloom whispered back. "My bag wouldn't close. Okay, all set!""

"Great!" Scootaloo grinned. "Let's get moving!"

As the three of them quietly descended from their treehouse and into the path that led to the castle, they didn't notice four blue stars shining in the sky begin to fall towards the Everfree.

====

Inside the Everfree, near the old castle

There was quiet. The night's gentle breeze stirred the old stones of the Castle. Then, there was the sound of faint breathing. Lying unconscious in the main hall were four bipeds, three males and one female.

The first was clad in plate armor with a mail undercoat, and he wore cloth banners colored blue and black, patterned like the waves of the ocean. The sigil of a sea serpent rested on his banners and the face of his Loran helmet. A longsword made for combat, not ceremony, rested at his side, the leather grip dyed black on the battle-worn steel guard.

The second wore a full set of plate armor, fitted to be thicker and broader. A sigil of the sea serpent on a chain medallion rested on his chest. He, like the first, wore a waist-sash colored blue and black. On top of his chest was a massive halberd, with a shaft of battle-scarred oak, its once-dark composition now fading.

The third wore leather and mail, and wore no plate armor. The only female of the group, her frame suited her equipment, made for swiftness of the blade and quick movement. A blue scarf bearing the sigil of the serpent rested on her neck. Twin blades, a shortsword and parrying blade, rested at her side.

The last one wore mail and leather, but with some plate on his chest. His banners and sash bore the serpent sigil, and a gauntlet made from iron chain rested on his wrist. A flail and shield lay to his side, colored blue and black. His helmet bore a visor shaped like a ship's prow.

As the four beings lay there, the first slowly moved his hand and moved upwards, using his sword for support. As he slowly removed his helmet, his face became visible. The man was around thirty years of age, with dark brown hair and storm-gray eyes. A stubble beard lay on his cheeks and mouth, and light scars ran along his face.

As he groaned, struggling to stand up, the one in heavy armor stirred as well. The two of them looked at each other, then nodded in recognition.

"Andrew?" the second one asked. "What has happened? Where are we?"

"I do not know." Andrew replied, finally managing to stand up without suffering a bit of vertigo. "The last thing I remember was Apollyon cutting my throat, and then now. I can't say where we are now, Samuel."

"Brilliant." Samuel replied. "What about Turris? Leah? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, never better." the one called Turris, who wielded the flail and shield, groaned as he helped the leather-clad one to her feet. "So, I guess it goes without saying that Apollyon killed you all?"

"Yeah." Samuel replied. "She tore us apart. And as far as I know, we're all dead. Dead as one can be. So, that leads us to the inevitable question of…"

"Where are we?" Andrew replied. "I cannot say. I can say that I presume we are no longer in Ashfeld. The constellations do not match the ones from home, and this is certainly not the Sea-fort we used to inhabit."

"Damn." Turris said, winding the chain of his flail around his wrist. "So, any ideas as to where we go from here?"

"We go to find shelter, food, and water." Andrew said, placing his helmet back on. "And then, we find whoever lives in this realm. Are you with me?"

"Always." Leah replied, the others affirming the statement. Andrew nodded and motioned towards the exit of the courtyard, and they began to walk out of the ruined castle.

====

As they exited the castle, Andrew kept a hand on his longsword while they entered the forest. The stars above provided some illumination, but the path was dark and it was hard to see.

That was proven when Samuel nearly fell after stepping on a tree root, with Turris steadying him at the last minute.

"We can't progress any further until at least we are able to see, Andrew." Leah said. "Any ideas?"

"Matter of fact, yes." Andrew said, using his longsword to cut a branch off a nearby tree. As he wrapped some vines around the tip, he motioned for Turris to come forward.

"What is it?" Turris asked.

"I need your gauntlet for a moment." Andrew replied. "I should be able to make us a torch if I can get this wood burning somehow."

Turris nodded and unraveled his gauntlet, handing the chain to Andrew. With a few attempts, some sparks flew and the vines caught fire, beginning to burn brightly.

"Nice job." Samuel said. "Where'd you learn to make that?"

"An old book I found in the sea-fort, written by a Samurai who lived there before us." Andrew said. "One of its teachings was how to make a torch should you have the proper materials."

"Huh, who would've thought Samurai texts would come to be useful." Turris shrugged. Andrew rolled his eyes as he stood up, and beckoned the way forward. As the four Knights followed the light of the torch, they didn't notice three small figures draw back from the ridgeline above them.

Author's Note

Yeah. I like this concept so much better than the conquest story.

Next time - The CMC meet the Tidal Legion, and promptly get shown why you never mess with Knights. (Timberwolf attack.)