Answer Me

You could feel it. The air was thick with it.

An unspoken atmosphere that made itself known between the echoes of every hoofstep down vinyl polished floors. It followed them from the moment the announcement had been made twelve days later, two days almost too late. It tip-toed behind her from the entrance stairs she once climbed over a thousand years ago to a castle that had once been solely meant for courtly duties among the citizens and aristocracy. It peeked ahead from the next corner, their ears always perked for the simplest sign of an attack awaiting to subdue them or the simplest movement that showed signs of retaliation. And as her guards flanked out behind and in front of her, Empress Luna could feel this oppressive, unspoken presence tighten its hold on the tense muscles of every Guard beside her as they moved along empty corridors.

It's name was tension, and it was only just getting through introductions.

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack, the sound was almost rhythmic as they moved.

She was a guest, not a prisoner. It was important you remember this lest you cross the returned Lunar Princess once praised for her military achievements, known as being the backbone of Equestria's might. She who had led many battles, she who had built the first training regimen of the Guard.

So yes, she was a guest. Not a prisoner. Empress Luna told herself this not because it was a lie that needed to be believed but because it was the truth. Not because she needed it as she was beyond petty justifications, but because she had both been told this by her hostess and also knew it for herself. She knew she was a guest not because she'd been welcomed as one per their agreement, but because they had no choice in the matter.

After all, it was better for everyone involved she be treated as a guest instead of a prisoner. No one wanted to see what she could do in an escape attempt, especially not now.

Not that it really matters, her other half whispered in one ear, to which Luna could only mentally nod in agreement.

For one is only a prisoner, if they do not have the strength to free themselves of their captors. And if the current circumstances were anything to go by? The new Princesses or 'Representatives of Equestria' (for whatever reason they chose such a title), were surely aware of just how powerful she could be.

The Royal Guard and Cosmic Storm moved as one, heading towards another unit that they would meet with before the three squads would move on to their final destination. Guards of all sizes wore gold armor reminiscent of the same color honoring royalty and the Crown. They moved forward at a pace she barely needed to think on to match, while guards dawning dark purple and orange in contrast moved beside and behind her. They marched, she followed. And as she followed it was difficult not to notice the changes.

Like for example, some of these sapient creatures weren't all of equinal origin.

She was still getting used to that, even if it had been almost two weeks since her comeback. The fact that the Army allowed other species as a joint part of Equestria's military was like the distant dream two sisters had hoped achieve in their time of rule...only to realize that dream would take awhile.

"You", the company stopped a second too slow as their target of interest came to a halt.

"Me?" was the surprised reply. She ignored this.

"What is your name?"

The griffon blinked. He was surprised, they all were. The spell of silence that had persisted since she'd been summoned had been broken. What they didn't see what she immediately saw, was that even if there had been a war not too long ago, this griffon had a look about him, young, almost but not exact. She could see it in his eyes. The knowledge he had joined not because he had been given the freedom to choose, but because he had to.

The young joining the Army back in her time had been normal. He was older, no doubt, definitely older than the ages she could recall back in that time. But...Things were different here. There was an extended age limit now. You had to be this old to join and there were no exceptions. Joining these days seemed to be a choice not a requirement or even necessary need...

Which made this confusing. You didn't conscript the young unless you were desperate. In her youth, 9 years old was the standard to begin training. Younger if it was a time of war. As young as 6 or 7-- "...better to start them early when their spry, limber and full of energy", the saying had went.

In this time, it was 19. You could go into Reserves at 16 but you didn't join the Army till 19. You didn't need to join because Equestria had been in a time of peace for centuries following her absence, and the other nations had faired better in some degrees as well-- so if that was case why did he look so...familiar?

In that moment of silence, as Luna stared, images flashed through her mind. Images of the dead.

Hundreds of faces on ghostly wings floated by. It was in the winter. She could feel the cold dig its icy fangs in her coat. Feel the wind whip against her face as she found herself staring through the griffon guard and out onto a horizon covered in ice and snow, watching the silhouettes of a hundred griffons flying towards her and her army, the waves the only thing to greet them below. This was back then.

Back when Sombra had taken his place as successor.

A Sombra who had still been sane, but was filled with anger against a griffon kingdom under the control of Queen Paulina. A queen who clawed her way through the trying patriarchy of griffon society and solidified her reign by ruthlessly executing any and all that opposed her. A queen who had been responsible for the death of his beloved guardian, Princess Amore, a friend she'd had to bury. Luna watched hundreds of young griffon faces, both male and female alike, take wing to the skies to charge into a war against Equestria over a piece of the Crystal Empire that neither the Crown nor the leader were going to give up without a fight. It had been the start of the first battle; the beginning of the Griffon Wars. It began along the Eastern borderline between what was now Baltimare versus what was formerly Queen Paulina's capital. One-by-one the faces floated by, some of them those under her command- many of them on the enemies side as they counted the casualties at the end of a battle and a shakey victory. Movement caught her eye, and there he was.

A griffon, male, he was younger than the one in front of her but she saw the resemblance even if it was distant. The look in those eyes, the shape of the beak, the coat color while not exact was similar; both cerulean of different shades, the roguish appearance even while matted in snow, sweat, and blood--

She was back there. The cold nipped at her. Her body was sore but she stood tall and watched.

Watching in a mixture of awe and apprehension as something shifted in the snow and out came a body-- two bodies. He heaved the dead body of a crystal pony off and rose. Barely alive, struggling to draw in breathe. A survivor, struggling to survive in the frozen warzone, talons wrapped around a bloodied knife stuck into the chest of a corpse. She watched him shiver, hack, spit out a wad of blood and phlegm, eyes glazing in pain as the life escaped them when the talon pressed onto a deep wound on his side just to hear him hiss as he turned his head to meet her stunned eyes.

There were no words between them. There was just resignation. Time ticked, neither of them noticed.

Then all of a sudden those eyes were filled with recognition followed swiftly by hate. Hatred that burned like the fires of a bonfire as he was suddenly filled with strength. The griffon gripped his weapon, newfound willpower forced shaking limbs to move and he rushed towards her with alarming speed for a being on death's path. He moved like lightning, closing the distance, raising the blade towards the lunar harbringer, determination burned in his bright orange eyes as he saw her caught off guard by sheer surprise and--

She blinked. Luna stared a thousand miles away into the past, the voice in her head shouted, forcing her back to the present.

It was only a second or two of hesitation in real time. The uncertainty had faded and the Griffon stood just a bit straighter after regaining etiquette and looked up into those opal eyes. "Lieutenant Gallus Windchaser", he paused for a second then added "your Highness."

"Lt. Gallus", she said nothing more. The griffon-- the one she'd helped draw his last breath was somehow related to the one standing before her now-- remained silent. The alicorn eyed the griffon with a curious stare devoid of emotion. Her eyes locked onto the scar across one of his forelimbs, in the background, tension got comfy.

"How did you get that scar?" came the question, which to the surprise of almost the entire two units was a question they had not seen coming. The Empress ignored this.

"It is impolite to keep one waiting when a question has been asked, Lieutenant", Luna's eyes narrowed and she took satisfaction in seeing the military training take effect when the griffon went rigid and stood at attention.

"I received the wound three years ago in a confrontation involving gang violence in the Battle for Manehattan. I provided support for friendlines on the battlegrounds during conflict with the Chalice family. Fighting broke out in their refusal to submit to the Representatives demands. After the Overlord was defeated the mafia divisions of Manehattan that sided with him revolted and refused to back down on the stolen assets of the National Alliance, Empress", Gallus informed. "We had to move in when Jagged Edge and his gang of misfits attacked and killed a few of the guards sent there to issue a warning."

And there it was, the event that still filled the papers and continued to be the talk of today. A piece of the bygone war and one of the many causes of its continuing aftermaths.

"When I was last here" Luna pondered aloud, "Equestria had only just settled our strenuous relationship with the Griffons of the Griffon Kingdoms. Now they help us handle the squabbling of foals." She leaned her head down, eyeing him curiously "Your nation was very divided in its early times. Each clan that held noble titles battled against another for the right to rule and lead their people. And when one clan member succeeded they kept themselves always wary of betrayals. It was what took us so long to form any kind of pact with Griffonstone. This war however", her tone dropped low, "It seems this Twilight Sparkle and the Ladies of Equestria have done much for international relations in my absence. For that I cannot deny. During my time in the tower, I've come to see that much has truly come to pass...outside of the Solar Witch's passing..." Luna trailed off, a lance of anger spiked into her heart mixed with a pinch of grief, her eyes dilated becoming slits and for a second the blue of her coat went two values closer to black--

"What are you waiting for?" Nightmare Moon's voice hissed. "Lead on! We waste time standing here."

There was a brief pause where tension bit its nails and hoped for its buddy violence to make a swift pass by with the drinks, sadly it didn't happen. The griffon nodded, barked one or two words towards his peers, the Captains of the units righted themselves, and off they all went down the corridor they'd been walking.

Steps echoing, tension lapping at the heels.

They headed for the Royal Courts, the destination they'd been aiming for all along. Trotting through the dimness provided by a row of archways, the company and their asset stopped in front of the last archway as the doors closed behind them.

Standing before them, three unfamiliar faces. Nightmare Moon could not have looked more bored to have been there or see them.

As one, an officer of each unit stepped forward. Standing in front of one of the three figures before them.

"Captain Moondancer of the Cosmic Storm" the cream yellow unicorn mare saluted to the unicorn mare that wore the crescent crown. "Reporting in."

"The Great and Powerful releases you." The light blue unicorn responded.

Immediately, the members of Cosmic Storm's Unit stood down.

Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed. She eyed the mare that no doubt represented her night, and she found herself seething even if the mask of blankness showed nothing beyond the tense jaw.

"Captain Flash Sentry of the Crystal Solitaire", the pegasus responded, causing an ear to perk "reporting in."

A stallion with the role of Captain of a branch? unheard of in her time. If a male led any branch it would have been a ruler or being in a powerful position of office.

The white stallion bearing the virtually impossible to see scars, at least to normal eyes, returned the salute. "At ease." The troop of crystal ponies stood down, and moved to the side as Cosmic Storm had.

"Captain Tempest Shadow of the Royal Guard", snapped the orchid unicorn mare saluting to the other unicorn mare before them.

"At ease", she responded. Which was when Nightmare Moon noticed the sun themed crown on her head, and that's when the room dropped into a noticeable chill.

"Empress", the unicorn with the solar crown nodded a tight smile. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all yours", came the Nightmare's even reply. "We presume you are--"

"Solar Representative", the mare quickly interjected, "Sunset Shimmer. Yes, and again, it is a pleasure to finally meet the mare I've read so much about and heard so much of from my mentor."

There was no response. Slit pupils eyed Sunset Shimmer, the same mare letters had been exchanged with on her refusal to meet face-to-face with anyone till the agreement of her deal with the other Princesses had been met. After a time she eyed the other two, said nothing, and waited.

The fraud that filled her position glanced cautiously to the stallion beside her that also wore a crown. "I...We are uncertain of--"

"She's probably waiting for you to introduce yourselves", Sunset Shimmer tried to whisper but failed in the empty room among guards that stood like statues.

"Oh", she coughed, "right, well... The Majestic and Regal Lunar Representative, Trixie Lulamoon is humbled to meet you, Empress Luna of the Night."

The Empress was a statue. Her eyes eyed Trixie with aloof silence but there was a subtle nod at the theatrics shown in her honor. Her eyes turned to the last one.

"Lord Shining Armor, Emperor of the Crystal Empire." Which caused her eyes to widen.

"...you? A son of Sombra?" The stallion stared with a look of confusion but before more could be said Nightmare Moon shook her head and looked forward. "We will answer these questions in time. Lead on."

The three rulers glanced at each other, then with subtle nods, turned towards the large gold doors behind them.

"The others are already here, so we won't need to wait" Sunset informed. "Shining, if you would."

"Captains, on me! Move!"

Without a sound the courtroom doors opened, no magic, no manual pushing or pulling. She heard metal turn and work as the massive doors were mechanically opened and then without missing a beat the three rulers moved forward.

Nightmare Moon followed behind as the soldiers formed a wall of bodies along the walls, creating shadows that blocked the light of windows that flanked each side. As soon as they were all in the captains shouted an order, then moved to follow the four rulers into the court.

She stood in a large dome shaped room, different windows framed different pictures on the walls. Pictures of the past embedded in the walls. Above them the dome of glass divided into two circles; one inside the other. The first was stained by an alicorn surrounded by five mares, the Ladies of Equestria. Beyond that stained glass made way for regular glass cut into large triangles that shaped the see through roof of the outer circle. The walls were white, touched in a warm glow of yellow from the sun above. The pillars that stood to support the roof above the dome glass were guarded by three statues of the three tribes, all of them armored.

Ears perking, Nightmare Moon looked down at Shining Armor, her steel gaze meeting his unwavering small smile. "Empress, excuse us, but before we can begin we must retrieve the others. They are beyond those doors."

She looked to where he pointed and saw a smaller pair of redwood doors waiting just beyond them by several feet. Looking back down the Nightmare replied "Then we go through them with you."

Shining Armor made to speak but Princess Sunset Shimmer, cut him off. "Empress, if you'll excuse my interruption Shining", he nodded, "we hoped to address your questions easily in the Hall of Truth. You did say in your letters you had many questions, outside of the one's relating to Princess Celestia's passing, yes?"

"...yes", her eyes narrowed. "That is correct."

Sunset Shimmer smiled. "Then please, wait here with our captains. We merely thought it would be best to give you a chance to look around. Especially since there have been...changes" she said carefully, "from before."

They waited for her response, or to be exact her reaction.

"Fine. Be gone. We shall wait here for your return. Do not keep us waiting." And without a word she watched them give a low dip of the head to no doubt appease her before they trotted off towards the court room doors.

It was not long Nightmare Moon let her eyes wander, she ignored the sound of doors opening and closing, knew a Silence Spell had been put into place when she couldn't hear the heartbeats of multiple living on the otherside of the door.

"Empress", eyes turned to slits and she looked down at the unicorn mare with a scar running from cheek to eye.

"Captain Tempest Shadow", she stated. "I am not surprised you chose to accompany us."

The unicorn nodded. "As I said before Princess, I am your guard, not your warden."

Nightmare Moon stared. "Hm, we shall see." She turned, eyed the statues in front of the pillars, ears perking for the sounds of the guards beyond the doors they had entered from. After a few seconds she turned her full attention to the stained glass on the walls. Each one holding a story that touched on questions she had every intention of getting answers to.

The first answered one question: The Elements of Harmony had found new Bearers. Six mares stood around a bipedal figure blasted by the Elements of Harmony. The figure was shrouded in light, silhouette only thing visible and the crown they wore shattered as images of dark magical energy flowed out into the sky like a dam breaking and a torrent flowing.

She stared at this for a few seconds. Knew her theories had been answered, then moved on.

A colt with a blonde mane carried a battered changeling infant on his back, fleeing a storm of trampling hooves and carrying the pieces of a broken crown in his magic, as he fled the trampled pieces of a several rings she recognized were signs of status. The desperation in the colt's eyes was exquisitely detailed, and in the stained window next to it the same unicorn colt could be seen running to a figure made of fire.

Curious, Nightmare moved on.

An image of a unicorn (Sunset Shimmer she believed) wrapped in shadows, floated in the abyss. Light from her horn shot out like rays of sun and cut through the inky black surrounding her, the Crystal Empire making it just barely in the distance overhead of her dimming light. One eye glowed a sickening green, the other glowed pure white. Phantom wings hovered at her back; two barely visible shadows of the same unicorn stretched out before her.

On the right, the shadow was made of faded white light, a gold field encasing her horn. On the left the shadow was a light red and had the field of purple light emitting from its horn.

Turning her head slightly to the right Nightmare Moon stared at the second depiction of stained glass. The same unicorn appeared, the same fire-haired unicorn was depicted fighting shadows-- Fighting Sombra.

"The Crystal War", she heard the voice state. She turned to Flash Sentry.

"Sombra returned stronger than anticipated. He started a war. Solar Representative Sunset Shimmer played large a role in it." Captain Flash stated.

She turned back to the window, then looked at another one. "And this."

A stallion, he was orange in color. Had white fetlocks, wore full moon shaped glasses. His horn glowed with power and scrolls held in his magic wrote something down while at the same time his magic lashed out in tendrils of white. Touching crystal ponies in armor with sickly glowing green eyes in some, removing the glow in others.

"Sunburst." Moondancer smiled. "He was the reason we were finally able to beat Sombra after Twilight was captured and Spike was struggling to get the Crystal Heart to Empress Cadenza."

She stared at it for a second, then her eyes skimmed through the others till they fell onto that.

As if being compulsed, as if there was a force pushing her forward, Nightmare Moon moved towards one specific window and as she did the three captains shared different expressions of concern, worry, and sadness.

Armored hooves echoed as she moved, and before she knew it there he was. A image that called to her.

Without even thinking about it, Nightmare moon reached out and touched it.

Manastatic zapped her metal shod hoof and travelled up her leg in a subdued white glow.

Nightmare Moon's eyes flashed white. And in an instant, as voices in the ever growing distance shouted protests, the world fell away.

"I was born to destroy." Her mind knew he stated a fact.

She blinked. He sat there. They were on an island.

Cape hugged his form, armor bulked underneath. He looked out on the edge of a cliff, sea breeze tugging at their mane, a gentle breeze flowing through the grassy plains.

There were two of them now.

One was Nightmare Moon, her mane a blue so dark it nearly was black as the night.

The other was Princess Luna, her mane a soft bluish-purple. Sitting beside her other half.

"I was created to conquer." His head turned slightly to the left just barely giving them the chance to make out his features. It was odd really. To be as large as they were and have to look up towards a being so vague in the distance.

"You must understand that." The wind echoed his words. "Had my creator had his way, there would be nothing. He hated you all. He gave me life to spite the Scholar and torture him for everything he reminded my creator of. Despised you all for all of what you reminded him of and he would have stopped at nothing to ensure your princesses knew the pain he had felt in defeat and in Tartarus. Yet..." and there was his pride, the hints of a smile forming into a grin. "I surpassed my destiny, and chose to create another."

The wind stopped, the calming ocean went silent. "I wish to help you all. I want to help you all. Your heroes will not always be there for you, so I will build you up...But others... Those who do not agree with me...they may tell you otherwise."

He pointed with a armored hand that became a hoof encased in grey armor and said "Look, and see with your own eyes what goes on in your world. Open your eyes and see."

The thunder struck, Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon found themselves pulled by a unknown force forwards-- faster than they could see, faster than they could process-- a feat that should have been virtually impossible by anyone other than Discord-- they looked, and saw.

A buzzing cloud of floatsprites attacking a town. Devouring everything in its wake. Ponies screamed left and right-- the vision changed.

Changelings seizing Canterlot. Ponies going missing. Dragged to a cocoon by changeling warriors, forced into the opening cavity as it started to fill up with goo--

A bugbear bulldozed through walls and lunged at the nearest creature in sight--

Chocolate cake rained from the sky and singing daises accompanied a deep laughing voice.

"I was created to destroy, and had he won, though my body be weak I would have found another way."

The world plummeted into darkness. Nightmare Moon and Luna found themselves pressing against each other. Flank to flank, protecting the other as they had been since the change.

Green eyes burned to life and purple flames rose outward. The shadow moved as if it was alive. It rose like a wave growing larger and larger--

"Sombra", Luna said her eyes narrowing.

"Fallen", Nightmare Moon hissed, her serrated teeth clenching.

The mass of darkness that was Sombra's shadow laughed, only to charge a second later as his darkness pressed down on all sides.

In an explosion of magic from both Luna and Nightmare Moon the shadows were pushed back by barriers of magic and an instant later as Sombra tried to crush them, the vision collapsed as a inner light broke Sombra apart.

Their eyes were shielded, but they felt the thumping. The ground shaking.

A entity stomped across hills. It was massive, enormous. Light bended around it masking its form and only allowing glimpses. A horn, a tail, a beard, a hand. And with every step the land shook with power. The world was barren of life save the two alicorns and as the giant moved closer he began to shrink but lost none of his muscle or youth.

"Tirek" Luna and Nightmare Moon said as one, their bodies rising into the air by unnatural wind. "Back to the bowels of yon cell with ye betrayer!" the two said in union. Their eyes glowed white and their horns flared to life.

"Never." It was the one word he spoke. Cold and heartless, chilled and uncaring. Their horns sent out a beam of light, it formed a spear that flew towards his heart-- it did nothing. It imploded into bubbles, dissipated into the air.

Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna scowled, their expressions synced, their eyes glowing brighter as dark flames and green light danced from their horns.

"You dare defy ME?! Defy US?! Foolish mortal, you play with forces you could not comprehend!" they yelled but the towering centaur said nothing. He stood several steps away, a chasm mirroring the Great Rip of the Badlands dividing them.

With a snarl the two lashed out, never leaving an opening of the others side. Magic lances soared like Roc the Hunter after prey. It aimed to maim but did nothing but bounce back, sending them on defense against their own attacks. Spear after spear their attacks were useless. Finally, He raised a hand, snapped a finger--

POP

They were powerless.

They were falling.

They were weak.

The two foals landed with a thud on the ground and huddled together, hoof over each other's shoulders.

Tirek looked down at the foals before him and the only visible thing outside his shadowy form and the hair that moved dramatically behind him like angry vipers were his eyes. Glowing yellow eyes where one pupil was smaller than the other.

The sign of madness. The sign of change. The sign of death.

No the two foals thought as one. "How?" they whispered as they gazed into the abyss that shrouded him and it gazed right back.

He smiled. Stars exploded overhead and the barren world flashed the ghostily images of hundreds of bodies, dead buildings, injuried soldiers, ruined homes.

"A destroyer" the stallion's voice said from afar.

Light flared above Tirek's head but before he could do more, the stallion with the cloak appeared. He intercepted the magic, beam for beam, and with a terrible cry from both Tirek and himself the world exploded into light.

Nightmare Moon and Luna screamed as they were blinded, two bodies becoming one once more.

In the distance, faintly, as the light consumed them- she heard his voice whisper; a plea of desperation: "Let me help you."

"Don't make me do what must be done."

She blinked. She was aware of being shaken.

"Empress!" Captain Flash Sentry shook her. "Empress are you with us?"

Wings flared out and in a blink of light Flash had returned to Moondancer's side her eyes wary, her horn glowing, posture defensive.

"We are fine", she blinked and took a step away from the glass, her eyes seemed unable to see it before.

Realization hit her and she knew it was an enchantment. A complex spell that drew the person towards the object with curiosity without ever fully showing what it was till the message had been delivered.

"Who is this...Captain?"

The three captains glanced at each other. The tension leaving them as they noted the curiosity and interest in Nightmare's voice.

"Supreme Lord Overcast", Flash Sentry stated, she glanced back to find the scowl matched his tone. "As he preferred to be called when he began taking power."

His coat was rusted orange, his mane was pure white with streaks of red, his eyes glowed white with power. The artist filled his surrounding form with crackling magical energy, cloak billowing on aether wind, the land around him charred in some places yet lived and flourished in the background behind him. The citizens looked happy underneath him, he was surrounded by guards and nobles in the background, all bowing or saluting.

She narrowed her eyes and there was the reflection of a cage on the gem that buttoned his cloak. His goate was straight, his expression confident on the surface but in the fragmented parts above him that made up parts of the clouds showed he was kind, he was calm, and he held a ruthless smirk.

Underneath the enormous stallion and the happy citizens beneath him was a map of the world. The erosion at his hooves reached out, darkening the ocean; turning geographic landmasses a dark red-orange wherever it touched and leaving those it had yet to touch white, clean.

A crown hovered above his head, but the nameless stallion didn't seem to acknowledge it. It floated above his head, carried in grey and black aura, the color of his magic. And there it stayed, repelling weapons, spells and anything else thrown at it. A picture of power.

A part of Nightmare Moon, the part that wasn't Luna, felt something for this tyrant; strange and unknown it stared intensely at the stained window as the feeling that blossomed in their chest. Enamored, romanced, amazed by the sheer strength. The other half however, it revealed itself through Nightmare Moon's silence.

"Empress?" the Nightmare tensed. She turned and watched Princess Twilight Sparkle, Empress Cadence, Emperor Shining Armor, Princess Sunset Shimmer & Trixie Lulamoon, a dragon, a blonde unicorn stallion and the Ladies of Equestria striding towards as they made their way down hall, now emerging from.the redwood doors.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked with her smile switching to concern.

Nightmare Moon cut in before anyone else could with a firm and resolute "No."

Twilight glanced at the captains, Tempest shrugged. "Oh...well then" she smiled, "Are we ready to begin?"