Chapter 1

In the hollow of a spoon sat the inverted reflection of a unicorn’s face with an icy expression. "Set me free."

The white unicorn, wearing a different expression than was reflected, threw the spoon into the dish she was balancing on her rear hooves. She sat with her rump propped up on the railing of the highest tower of Canterlot Castle. Far below, the excitement in the streets of the southern part of the capital faded in the late afternoon. She looked southward in the distance, thinking. The early autumn day was cooled by a light breeze.

"Thou art looking for trouble, Gamine. Run away before she gets here."

She didn't pay any attention to the voice that only she could hear. Gaze and mind in unison wandered towards the horizon, an orange mist emanating from her eyes.

"Stop worrying about the feeling that is bothering thee. Worry about what will happen to us, if Luna finds us here!"

She couldn't stop worrying about the feeling she had, her heart felt like pinching by the uncontrolled desire to push her to the source of it, as if it called out to her.

"On second thought, focus on that feeling and go see what is going on." the voice in her head encouraged her.

The breeze was tugging on her mane and tail, the first braided into a long, heavy and thick carmine mat that covered the right side of her face, a blue hair clip with two phoenix feathers next to the left ear. A blue-tailed band covered the beginning of her tail, the strands of it divided into five braids, similar to her mane. The young mare's ears rose imperceptibly. From inside the tower, she could hear the sound of hooves climbing the marble stairs with a slow pace. To her, those hooves sounded like a hammer sealing a coffin. Nail after nail after nail. The voice in her head did not appreciate the turn of events.

"Dost thou hear that?” the voice whispered in her head. “She is coming. Dost thou really want to have this interview? We agreed that thou art not doing well, Gamine. We agreed that what thou art doing does not make any sense!"

The unicorn smiled sadly, and looked down at her bowl of spinach soup that had gone cold. The mist stopped emanating from her eyes. "Thou never cared about the consequences of thy actions, hast thou, Pepper?” Gamine asked. “She has a right to know what thou hast done to her sister."

Luna, the Princess of the Night - an alicorn with a midnight blue coat - stopped as she reached the top of the tower. Her gaze lingered on the pony sitting on the railing for a moment. There was only one pony she knew who sat in such a way. The realization quickly swept away any doubts she might have had, and she began to growl. A deep guttural sound coming from her throat. The princess walked closer to the railing, her magic grabbing the unicorn in front of her, forcing her to turn around and face her. The blue glow grew in intensity, pulling her off the railing and then slamming her back against it. Luna held her there, her back pressed against the stone wall. The bowl was not so lucky, it slipped out of the mare's hooves and fell, scattering the rest of the soup before breaking apart into pieces. "Thus, Reynaud was right." Luna said, wings spread out and her eyes fixed on the unicorn. The Princess of the Night was all regal standing there, though her voice betrayed a storm raging behind the calm demeanor she tried to show. "When my sister's butler told me in private before my meeting with Sir Adamantium, Lady Storm and Lady Shawarma that you were on this balcony, waiting for me, I was sure the old stallion had gone senile. But then I recalled that this is how you do things, Pepper.” her eyes glowed for a moment and she lowered her voice. “Choosing between listening to three leeches and an alleged criminal, it was fairly easy for me to choose whom I would like to grant the last audience of the day." The Alicorn of the Night scrutinized the unicorn, before lifting her by the neck, dangling her over the void.

"Kill her," whispered a dark pernicious voice in the vehement mind of the alicorn.

"Even after two months among us, you are still not able to eat your soup properly. I suppose you enjoyed last night. Your sweet dreams honoured your return to Equestria,” Luna said. “I'm going to give you one last chance to answer this simple question, Pepper: Where is Celestia?"

"I have already answered that question. Her sister is no more!" Pepper spat out to Gamine’s mind.

Gamine’s legs kicked and strained, trying to reach the edge of the balcony to support her own weight.

"I am warning you, Gamine, I do not like the way this is going. If thou do not do something, somehow, I will find a way to get us out of reach," Pepper warned in Gamine’s mind.

"What is the matter with you? You are usually so quick to speak. Did you lose your voice?" mocked Luna, her head bowed with malicious pleasure at the sight of the body struggling to find precarious support.

"What are you waiting for? Kill her!" a voice in Luna’s mind hissed, its tone dark, trying to stir up resentment once more, and turn it into blind hatred.

Luna paid the voice no heed. Instead, she brought the mare close enough that she could rest her hooves on the edge of the balcony.

Gamine coughed as the pressure left her throat. "As it has been said already,” she told Luna, “thy sister is no longer."

Luna blew through her nostrils. "You are lying! Give her back!"

Despite her desire to not go to such lengths, the unicorn closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn lit up with a golden glow, leaving the princess speechless, for the magic of the unicorn was no longer red like her scarlet eyes. The sun responded and submitted to her, sinking down quietly to the horizon.

Luna reflexively raised the Moon in response to the sunset.

Gamine avoided her gaze, her horn still illuminated with magic, and she remained silent in a desperate attempt not to provoke the Princess of the Night any more.

Luna was angry, her magic concentrated on Gamine's neck, lifting her up by it before throwing her flat on the railing. "Yesterday I read a letter from Twilight telling me that she had seen you on the side of the ruins of the castle where you used to hang out, and that the aura of your magic was no longer the same. I thought my sister's disappearance had given her hallucinations! What did you do to her?!"

Gamine panted breathlessly as she looked at Luna. "Her soul was destroyed in order to appropriate the power that was hers. I am not lying."

The little voice in Luna’s head greeted this revelation with anger and regret, but the princess found it hard to believe what she had just heard. She stepped back, lowering her ears, tears began to flow as she shook her head. It had only been three years since she’d been reunited with her sister, so the confession of her sister's murderer shattered her hopes of seeing Celestia again one day. The rage in her heart made her whole being boil with such hatred that her gaze became that of a Nightmare in the span of two blinks of her eyes. "You never showed any respect due our rank. But I thought it was because you were not an Equestrian. Your familiarity had something refreshing about it and that was why Celestia became fond of you. You spent your time making her laugh a lot at my expense. Did what you experienced in Equestria these two months not matter to you?"

Pepper’s thoughts wandered through her memories of that time. And of all her life, which was devoted to a perpetual quest for power, to reach an unrivalled position, Equestria was a breath of fresh air for her, the first in her life. "Tell her those were the best two months of my life, Gamine."

But the unicorn did not do anything, she simply shook her head with her eyes closed, before looking Luna in the eyes. With a most detached tone, and giving her a mocking smile, she answered: "Not in the slightest."

In her anger Luna hit again the one she thought was Pepper against the railing. Luna's magic then stretched to encompass the unicorn’s muzzle.

"She is at your mercy! What do you need more than that, pitiful filly?! Kill Her" yelled the voice.

"Enough!" ordered Luna to reduce the voice that haunted her mind to silence. She focused her attention on the mare, with a sly smile on her face. "Pepper my friend, believe me, when I'm done with you, you will never leave Equestria again." Luna tried to throw the unicorn down on the railing once more, but the mare suddenly vanished.

Far away, to the south of the Everfree forest, was the old castle of the two sisters, an outdated memory of a bygone era. Now, like a picture that had not lived through the horrors of time, this stronghold was in disrepair.

Gamine reappeared under a tree and collapsed to the ground, not far from the main entrance doors to the castle, which had been blown down on Pepper's second day in this world six months ago. The unicorn struggled to catch her breath, the stabbing pain in her body pushed her to bend and hold her stomach, in tears.

Despite the distance, Pepper could still feel Luna's gaze fixed at her. "Has this been according to thy expectations, Gamine? The higher thy expectations are, the harder thou shall fall."

"Why did thou warp us here, Pepper? I had the situation under control."

The unicorn heard the sound of air blowing through nostrils, like a disdainful laugh, in her mind. "Thou were warned. Thy will had weakened, so I acted. Now that thou hast done what thou wanted to do: head south. The more distance between us and her, the more peace of mind I shall have."

Gamine didn’t answer, simply using her magic. A halo ran through her body from the tip of her horn to the base of her hooves, making a pair of wings appear as she straightened up. She went to the river next to the ruins, where she used her telekinesis, which took the form of ethereal hands at the end of her hooves, to collect water and spray her face several times before wiping it off. The water temperature was almost freezing, but it served to drive her fatigue away for a while.

"One question though: Why didst thou not repeat my answer to Luna?"

Gamine looked at her reflection in the water. Pepper was staring back at her, mimicking the position in which Gamine was standing, but the monster had only a simple bun, her eyes devoid of sensitivity and compassion. "Celestia died because of thee. Thou ruined Equestria's harmony just to get a little more power. And thou want me to say that the stay has been the best thing that ever happened to thee? Has this really been the case? Hast thou considered stopping thy hunt? Hast thou considered the idea of settling down, because thou hast enjoyed this daily life with thy friends? No! Thou had to give in to thy thirst for power over and over again! But hear me, monster, I will make sure that thou canst never devour anyone ever again."

The monster did not blink even for a moment, confronted with this tirade. Instead it gave a cold look to the one who had control of the body, a look that said she never, not even for a moment, regretted any of her actions. She did not try to argue, accepting this astute observation with terrifying stoicism. "Fine."

With that subject off the table, the false alicorn began to gallop, jumping and spreading her wings to fly south, away from the furious Princess of the Night.

The alicorn turned her cyan gaze toward the ruins of the castle on the horizon, well aware this was the first place where Pepper would seek safety . Her two-toned mane, night blue and amethyst, floated by itself, pulsating with the magic inherent to alicorns. Melancholic tears fell from eyes full of cold anger.

"Why? Just why?! She was there, the source of all of Equestria's troubles! You could have ..., you should have ...!" barked the voice in the alicorn’s head.

"We have an agreement, you and I: you promised to make all those I will name suffer in exchange for your freedom," Luna recalled, with a thought for the attention of the one who was walking the dark corners of her heart. "Pepper is now your number one priority."

"A thousand years ago, you were only a puny filly, unable to do what had to be done to make the night revered. Even today, you proved your incompetence to act as required by the situation and by your status," the voice told her coldly. "I do not understand how you could still have any restraint about the fate of this regicide, who took your precious beloved sister from you - forever," the voice added, sounding perplexed.

"How could you? You've never had any friends," Luna whispered, a little mocking smile on her lips that died immediately. "Now that I know what fate befell my late sister, be assured that my friendship towards Pepper will soon turn to ashes."

The voice was stung into silence. Then, a black cloud began billowing out from Luna's regalia and gathering together above Luna's head. The clouds writhed and stretched, taking the form of Nightmare Moon standing in the air, two heads higher than Luna's. She looked down at the Alicorn of the Night, eyes like galaxies swirling with condescension. "You forget who you're talking to, little princess," Nightmare Moon commented in Luna's mind. Her ethereal body, looking like a condensation of constellations, only allowed her to communicate telepathically with the lunar mare.

“And you forget," Luna replied, "how much you rely on my power and on the Tantabus that I created and which you are using right now. You need me, so stop trying to control my actions, otherwise I'll make you go back to the prison from which I let you out," replied Luna, slamming the sabaton of her right front hoof on the stone floor to mark the end of this oratory joust. A short moment of silence settled in, then Luna resumed. "It's been a long day, I'm going to go and pray to the stars in front of my sister's memorial before going to sleep. Since Pepper seems to have a desire to stay, make sure she still has sweet dreams. It would also be good, if you finally finish slaying the Changelings at the same time," she said, pricking her dark alter ego again. "Three months it's been going on. Since Pepper has returned, would it be too much to ask that by tomorrow morning I learn about the definitive eradication of those creeping vermin? By the stars! You have the Tantabus as your own body, and the lunar guard! What else do you need? The Badlands are not the largest of the regions in terms of area," she cursed, as she jumped over the railing to fly to the city's gardens.

Now alone on the terrace, without disturbing the silence of the night she cherished so much, she metamorphosed into a simple black cloud, which split into four. The three new, smaller pieces opened a hole to the dream plane to rush into it. The cloud from which they came, on the other hand, sewed the fabric of reality together behind them, before heading south. When she arrived one hour later at the ruins of the castle, she quickly searched for Pepper, creating a few more clones to scan the surroundings, but they came back to her clueless, leaving her without a doubt, she was nowhere around. Luna being at Canterlot, her mind was now out of reach, and so was Nightmare Moon’s, allowing her to let loose her thoughts, looked at the situation with a small grin on her lips, amused by the mare's illusions.

Gamine stopped her flight and began to float in the air. In front of her towered a rocky mountain range. A road came from the city that she had passed a while ago, and she saw the road running through a tunnel in the mountains, leading to the barren lands beyond. To the left of this road was a forest and to the right an impressive camp. There were eight small circles, each made up of eight midnight blue tents that formed a circle around four tents that were three times longer than the others. These four tents themselves surrounded, forming a square, an imposing tent that stood out especially because of its dark purple colour.

Pepper broke the silence she retreated in since they left the ruins. "Look, Gamine, I am willing to help thee find out what is going on, that thou art attracted to it like that, arouses my curiosity."

"And I am supposed to trust thee, Pepper?"

"If our survival is at stake, I will always be an ally. Even if in thy eyes I am the worst of monsters, my power, my abilities, they are still thy best assets. But once I get to the bottom of this, I shall try to regain full control over thee at every opportunity."

"To continue thy hunt?"

"Dost thou naively believe that it will end one day? For now, either thou trust me to lead us to the end of the road, or thou will have to manage on thy own."

"Thy thirst for power has broken too many lives. Are thou not satisfied with the power that thou already have?"

From the bottom of her cage, the monster rolled her eyes, and sighed. "I have already taken what I wanted from this world. And I have to admit, it does become difficult to find a more powerful prey. For the moment I can stop my hunt, but I do not promise to stop it forever."

"What art thou going to do now?"

"A good start would be to avoid rushing in headlong."

"Considering all this purple and blue, it has to be affiliated with Luna, but seeing it so far from Canterlot, is strange. The feeling that thou were feeling disappeared a few minutes before thou set the sun. The source is further to the south, thou have to move forward, one way or another. Go around them, use the forest to thy advantage and as soon as the surveillance is reduced, go over the hills. Thou will have to figure out how to get back on track after that." This was the most appropriate method in the face of a big threat. Pepper was not used to attack head-on, she acted when the situation was to her advantage, so she could strike when no one expected it.

Gamine resumed her flight, flapping her wings just enough to glide towards the forest. While keeping an eye on the camp, she dived under the treetops. Once on the ground, she observed the surroundings. The camp couldn’t have been erected just yesterday, as only stumps remained from the trees closest to the road and there were dozens. Not far from there, she could hear a saw doing its job. She walked cautiously, concentrating on each step to avoid making the slightest noise, the still thick foliage obscuring her vision. She could only use her magic, her horn glowing like a torch, to improve her sight, while she was sneaking from one tree to the next, to avoid being spotted.

"All these lives reaped, all these souls collected, this power that I have gathered day after day, reduced to being used to light the path of the poor child thou art. Just great."

"Shut up, Pepper!" Gamine barked back within her head.

The batponies had launched a contest for the one who would pull the hardest on the handle of their saw. Their helmets were discarded on the ground, wings spread, heads down and their eyes were fighting. They smiled at each other, both convinced that they would be the one to give the final blow that would make the tree fall.

The mare was watching from afar, her face barely protruding from the trunk behind which she was hiding.

"Go on thy way, Gamine, Luna is still too close for my liking."

She conceded to the order, but she barely had time to take three steps when a sudden thud stopped her in her movement. In his desire to win, one of the batponies had pulled with all his strength, his opponent had been dragged into the movement, shouting when he hit the trunk.

"Hide!" ordered Pepper.

Everything happened at the same time, Gamine galloped away from the batponies, while the two soldiers turned to the direction where she had been standing a moment earlier. They had noticed her with their echolocation. Their eyes scanned the area, and they noticed a small golden halo further within the forest. Donning their helmets once more, they left everything in place, the saw and the half cut tree. Swords in mouths they rushed forward. They searched the surroundings, their night vision giving them a perfect view of the area. One of them planted his weapon in the ground and threw another echolocation to search the area, but nothing came back.

"Are you spotting anything?"

His comrade-in-arms shook his head, taking care not to touch him with the blade.

"Probably a wild animal. Let's finish harvesting the wood and go back to camp."

They left as they had come, armed and on their guard, in the greatest of silences. They finished sawing the tree and cutting it down, always with an alert look sweeping the surroundings, before tying it with ropes to drag it to the camp.

Standing on her front legs and leaning against a tree, the unicorn waited three minutes after the last of the noises died down before leaving her hiding place. Attentive to noise, watching for the slightest movement, she made sure that the area was clear.

"Their armours leave no doubt, they are under Luna's command," Pepper said as Gamine resumed her walk through the woods.

At the same time, a batpony walked along the Macintosh Hills, not caring about the weight of the two weapons she carried, nor about the patrols of lunar soldiers who roamed the last fertile land before the Badlands. She finally arrived at her destination. "Swift!" grunted the batpony as she landed next to him, quickly observing the Badlands to make sure there was nothing on the horizon.

The batpony did not take his gaze away from the arid and inhospitable expanse in front of him. "Oh, Cute Bite, are you checking on the patrols?"

"Swift, you left your weapon at camp. Again." she said in a sigh, gently tapping the flat of her weapon on the indolent soldier's helmet.

He didn’t no react to the tease, used to the batpony ways. "I didn't leave my head at the camp, it's well screwed on my shoulders.” he grinned. “Oh wait, are you talking about the sword? What's the point of taking it Cute Bite? Nothing's been going on for two months."

The mare frowned, her irises so small that her eyes were almost entirely amethyst. "Rule number nine, never move without your soldier's weapon," she said, as she stood on her hind legs, raising the sword as high as possible before knocking the flat blade down on him again.

Swift reacted with a quarter of a turn: After all these years he could read her like an open book. He rolled to the side, dodging the attack before leaping on her. He then took advantage of the proximity to gently hit Cute Bite's helmet as many times as she had hit him with the sword. "When I see how you use it, I tell myself I don't need it to defend myself against anypony."

With one hoof, she chased away the hooves that were pounding her helmet. "Oh, really, yet you always had trouble defending yourself against-" She suddenly stopped, realizing that she had just put her hooves on a soapy slope, and seeing the glow in Swift's eyes, she knew in advance that she was not going to escape it.

"Against whom? Oh wait, you remind me of that batpony, what was her name? You know, the one you idolize so much. Please help me, what's her name again?" he said warmly with a broad grin.

The batpony dropped the weapon on the ground, disgusted by Swift's attitude. She knew where this conversation was going, so she preferred to disengage. Turning her back she walked a few steps away, ears lowered, she observed the Moon, feeling melancholic. "Swift, you can't do your shift without your weapon, I'm not going to be able to cover you forever."

Swift sighed. "It was worth a try," he thought as he stayed in his corner, knowing full well that it was useless to try to and approach her when she kept her distance. "What's the point?” he asked aloud. “The changelings are dead, I tell you! Two months, and they haven't given the slightest sign of life."

"And if they were to attempt a breakthrough tonight, how would you repel them?" she asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Are we talking about the rest of the changelings that survived the genocide? Those who hadn’t had the opportunity to feed on love for three months thanks to us?" Swift began to mock her. He moved forward to stand next to his friend, pointing his hoof at the badlands. "Do you really think they have the strength to try anything? If they have, they’d feast on us on the way before they go for the ponies of Equestria. Whether I am armed or not, I doubt it will make a difference," he argued.

Cute Bite remained icy. "Orders are orders, Swift. If you want to continue to play the child, I can use your childhood name again if you prefer. Drooling Fangs," she whispered to tease him.

"Oh, you've been doing this since you were a foal, and I in return have always called you Cute Bite. I look forward to seeing the faces of others when you give orders, Major," Swift commented, pushing her gently with his right foreleg, going a bit further with his teasing, yet not past anything she was used to.

Cute Bite inhaled through her nostrils, holding her breath four seconds straight, then exhaled through her mouth. "Can't you ever be serious for two minutes?"

"When necessary, I can be serious Cute Bite. Like when, during our last assault on the hive, I made sure to keep the changelings at bay while you followed orders to the letter and took on the role of commander to assist our queen up to the end of the battle." He sighed, his satisfaction showing with a simple smile on his lips.

She turned her head towards Swift, her mind full of doubts. "And you still don't regret it? You’ve always been the smart one, so it would have made more sense for you to second our queen, and for me to defend the immediate perimeter around her majesty."

Swift unfolded his wing to hit his friend on the back of her head. Cute Bite didn't like this habit, giving him a reproving look out of the corner of her eyes. She put her helmet back on, suggesting a growl. "My poor Cute Bite, what am I going to do with you? You look so much at the past, you think too much about the choices that have been made and their consequences, when you should be living in the present. Those of your lineage have always been by the side of our queen. It was much more logical that this responsibility should be yours rather than mine."

"But that's stupid reasoning!" she shouted, before continuing in a more calm tone. "You should be the Aide de Camp, you moron! You should be the one of us who attends important meetings, and all that that implies."

The batponies that were on guard to make sure that no changelings crossed the mountain range, and that were sitting at their own surveillance post thirty meters away from Swift’s, stopped monitoring the Badlands, and took an interest in the commotion at Swift's position.

Swift looked around, seeing that she had attracted attention, before returning to talk to her, speaking in a low voice. "There is hardly a great spirit that does not have a touch of madness. You're younger than me. You still have a lot to learn, and this is a great opportunity," before going on aloud. "Yes! I'm stupid! It is Equestria that makes me this way! Too much oxygen is the problem, it goes to my head!"

Cute Bite answered in a whisper: "Swift, stop making a spectacle of yourself, it's embarrassing."

"What would be really embarrassing is if you missed this opportunity. Imagine how disappointed your parents would be if you remained a mediocre, non commissioned officer," he said in a low voice before resuming his acting. "We have to raze everything Cute Bite! We burn it to the ground, as dusty as the surface of the moon," he shouted as he walked on the flat peak on which they were standing, walking a few steps away from her before facing her again. He smiled at her and murmured. "As dusty as your useless sister was when she was alive." He choked on his own words, hating himself for saying that, but he needed to provoke her. If he could not push her to stop chasing her dreams, he should at least push her not to stumble, ensnared by her own doubts.

She swallowed the bait although it was obviously a lie as big as the moon. She couldn't let him spit on her sister's memory. She had to act. She grabbed her blade with the right hoof, unsheathing it and scraping the metal with force on the ground, sending stone projectiles flying towards the male batpony.

Swift protected his face in reflex. He tried to dodge to the side, but she didn't give him time to breathe. She rushed into him to knock him down with a blow of her shoulder. Swift fell to the ground. The impact on the spiky stones made him realize that the inhospitable character of the Badlands had crept down to the hills. His armour cushioned most of the brunt, but he still felt his head spinning mildly.

The still enraged soldier took a quick look around before placing a hoof on Swift's sternum. Too many witnesses. Carefully she pressed the tip of the blade against his throat and took a deep breath in order to set him straight . "Private Moonlit, cut the crap! That's an order!" before lowering her voice to whisper, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye. "Don't you ever call her that again, you moron."

"Major, yes Major," Swift replied. "It's getting easier and easier to let her win. Or am I getting sloppy?" he asked himself, muttering under his breath.

The batpony looked up to look at the curious people who were watching from their posts. "Our Queen Nightmare Moon ordered us to watch the border! What are you looking at?!"

None of the guards dared to answer, they all turned their eyes back to the Badlands, repressing a smile. From an outside perspective, the yelling between Swift Moonlit and his childhood friend was a common thing. There was always a reason, silly at first, more serious since the night of the genocide, and they always ended in a short brawl. If at first the majority of the stakes were on the older one at the beginning, since the promotion of the younger one to Major, it had become difficult to know who would win.

Cute Bite hit Swift on his head with the flat side of the sword before putting it away. "Moron." She pushed herself off his sternum to gain momentum so she could turn away from him and get closer to the edge of the hill, overlooking the forest. She looked at him over her shoulder as he stood up straight. "I'm going back to the..."

He expected yet another reprimand, but it did not come. Looking up at her, he saw her all absorbed in observing the forest below. He didn't say a word and went to see what was going on. At first glance everything was calm, but when the noise of hoofsteps reached his ears, he understood. There was something galloping down below. "Do we have an intruder? At least he's on the wrong side of the hill. What do we do now?"

The major threw an echolocation to her left, the batponies were surprised and looked again to understand the reason for the sudden call. Using her wings, she passed the following message. "One Intruder spotted. Pass the message for the camp to send reinforcements. I'll intercept them and hold them off until reinforcements arrive." Once she saw the message going from one batpony to another, she dived to take off in pursuit of the trespasser. Less than thirty seconds later, Swift joined her, without his helmet. "What are you doing here?!"

"I couldn't let you go alone. I told the others to cover for me, and even planted my sword in the ground and put my helmet on it! It will be as effective at watching the border as if I had done it myself, I assure you."

"What am I going to do with you?" said Cute Bite, exasperated, before diving below the treetops, closely followed by Swift.

"First we deal with the intruder. You can deal with me later."

Taking turns throwing echolocations, they slalomed between the trees. In this part of the forest, the foliage was so dense that the rays of the Moon hardly reached the ground. Everything was just a shade of dark grey. "You! In the name of the Lunar Guard, I order you to stop!" yelled Cute Bite.

Gamine felt the effects of the sleep deprivation coming back. She stopped on the spot, only because it was useless to try to run away at this point, and tried to wear her fatigue off by inhaling through the nose before exhaling through the mouth.

The monster sighed in exasperation. "Twice in ten minutes! Art thou trying to break a record, Gamine? Give me back control, thou art good for nothing!"

Swift placed his wing on Cute Bite's shoulder to signal her to stay still, while at the same offering to let him manage the situation by moving his head forward. "Identify yourself. What are you doing here?"

"Let thee handle the situation?” Gamine exclaimed in her mind. “Thou wouldst not be able to do anything without leaving a bunch of dead bodies in thy wake." There was no answer to Swift's words. Only the sound of breathing broke the orchestral symphony of the forest.

Batponies may be predators, but this intruder, who remained with their back to them, breathing with a laborious and sonorous sound, somehow made them uncomfortable.

"Take a good look at me, monster, I shall show thee that, unlike thee, I can achieve a goal without killing anyone."

Swift raised an eyebrow at the lack of reaction from what looked to be a pegasus at first glance. But after going around them to the left, head high and tilted to the side to get a good look of the intruder, they suddenly turned their head towards him. He made a few steps back, spreading his wings.

Gamine concentrated, her horn charged with magic, illuminating her face. Her gaze was devoid of malice, but it expressed her cold determination to overcome what stood in her way.

This look struck Swift in a way he had not expected. It reminded him of a friend who had disappeared. A wound reopened in his heart, one he was trying to hide from everypony. Stunned, he forgot about the situation. "Antarès?!" he asked.

The magic with its golden aura changed in nature, drawing its power from a darker source. It became purple with a halo of green, just as the eyes of the alicorn, from which the purple mist emanated, became entirely green. It only took a few seconds, and before any of the two soldiers could react, Swift was struck by magic and disappeared, leaving only an empty armour and sabatons on the ground.

Cute Bite watched the scene from her position, letting her subordinate handle the intruder. She lost her grip on the situation as she realized that who she thought was just a pegasus was actually a white alicorn with a carmine mane. She knew who she was dealing with. Drawing her sword she jumped on the criminal to try and kill her. But the latter hit her in the side, manipulating Swift's armour by telekinesis. The calculated attack slammed Cute Bite into a tree and was stunned.

The colour of the alicorn’s magic shifted back to a golden halo, while she picked up a candy from where Swift's armour had been a few seconds.

“Unlike the one I made of Celestia, tis one gets no decoration. I suppose he did not get his Cutie Mark yet,” noted Pepper.

Considering the situation and her options, she determined that the use of force remained a last resort, and she was still far from it. Her eyes turned to the batpony, who was just recovering from the shock. "Listen carefully, if thou want to see thy companion once more, thou and the others shall let me pass."

Cute Bite watched the mare for a moment, fighting down a shiver. "You're the one who abducted Princess Celestia, aren't you?" The batpony knew she wasn't in a position to say no. The orders were to monitor the activities of the changelings, not to prevent anyone from going into the badlands. In addition, she had some cards to play. "Well, I have no choice, but I will impose two conditions: First off I’ll decide which way you’ll take to pass, and secondly you will answer my questions." She had to take advantage of the opportunity to gather new information.

Gamine briefly observed the surroundings before looking at the mare. "Fine, but in that case it shall be just me and thee. For each of my answers I shall be entitled to one question myself, and if any batpony tries anything, being turned into a candy will be a way more enviable outcome, compared to what will remain of all of thee. Should I have to bring down all those who dare to stand in my way, I shall begin with thee."

"Thou art overdoing it. Someone will realize thou art lying when thou make threats this long," Pepper commented.

Getting up, the Major had to resign herself to accept these conditions. If everything was going according to her plan, Nightmare Moon would be there in time. She was the only one who could defeat her, and obviously this mare had no idea that the queen was free again. She had to keep this information from her, giving Nightmare Moon the possibility of a surprise attack. "In that case I have to inform you that I already alerted the camp and that a troop will be here shortly. I'll tell them to notify the guards and the camp so no one will interfere."

"Go ahead." She gave the candy to Cute Bite. "Thou hold the life of this warrior in the hollow of thy hoof. Make sure to do everything thou canst to make sure that I can lift the spell once we are on the other side of these mountains."

Only a handful of seconds later said squad arrived. The officer approached them and explained the situation before giving them orders. At the same time, without Gamine's and Pepper’s knowledge, she made signals, indicating that she would try to make the journey last until Nightmare Moon arrived. All gave a sharp nod with their heads before dispersing in accordance with orders to prevent any incident while they’d cross the mountains. Cute Bite looked over her shoulder. "Follow me," she ordered as she headed towards the camp.

Gamine observed the edge of the mountain next to them. She looked over to the batpony, and she started walking behind Cute Bite, who was walking at such a slow pace that it didn't take long for the alicorn to catch up. "Tis not the shortest way, thou must really have a lot of questions to ask me. I am listening."

"The most obvious question should have been the fate of Princess Celestia. But seeing that the colour of your magic is no longer the same as the one described in the file concerning you, I deduce that she is now officially dead." She looked at what was left of Swift. "So the question is, in the event that she has suffered the same fate as the moron I'm holding - are they still conscious in this state?"

Gamine was on the lookout. Even with a hostage she didn't trust the batpony and expected a sneak attack at any time. "No, once in this state, everything about them is frozen. When I will dispel it, he will have no memory of it. He will be in the same state of health, at worst a little confused by the sudden change of scene. For the rest, yes, Celestia is dead, Luna is now aware, and the aura of my magic is indeed proof."

"If she's telling the truth then Nightmare Moon must also be aware," Cute Bite thought. As Gamine didn't seem to have any questions, she went on. "Where are you going?"

"Across these mountains," said Gamine, pointing a wing at the hills.

"No, I mean, to do what, for what purpose?"

"I answered thy question, next time be more specific. By the way, what is thy name?"

"I am Major Antarès, Aide de Camp of this Lunar Guard detachment. The moron you took hostage is called Swift Moonlit. What exactly is the reason you're moving so far south?"

At first Gamine thought of answering with a lie, but she decided that the truth would be good enough. "Wouldst thou believe me if I said I felt some sort of a call? Nothing audible, but an unpleasant feeling in my heart, animating my body on its own. An almost sickly need to move beyond these mountains. To go there, to act."

"According to your file, you are a liar and you usually play on words. So I'll pretend that I believe you." She looked at the candy. "You were wrong, Swift, they're still alive," she thought.

The alicorn took a shot in the dark with her next question: "Couldst thou have an idea of why I feel this call toward the south?"

"Maybe." Antarès began. "We were ordered to decimate the changelings."

"Changelings? I have heard such a name before," Pepper said.

At these words, Gamine's frightened eyes betrayed her emotion, unable to keep acting after such a revelation: "What do you mean, you were ordered to decimate the changelings? Who? When? Why?" she asked with sudden agitation.

Cute Bite was surprised by the sudden flow of questions that were asked with a restlessness that contrasted with the emotionless tone used until now. She was tempted to maintain the rule of an answer for a question imposed by the one she thought was Pepper, but Swift's life was heavy in her hoof, and she finally thought it would be wiser to satisfy the monster's curiosity. "Without going into detail, after Princess Celestia's abduction, or should I say now her murder, Princess Luna ordered the eradication of the changelings."

Gamine lowered her gaze to her hooves, her heart troubled by this information.

"Enough Gamine, what is done is done. It is up to Luna to answer for this crime, she alone gave the order. Now thou havest to calm down and keep questioning her. Occasions to gather information so easily are very rare."

The alicorn composed herself, and put the now cracked mask, she had been wearing since two days now, back on and looked up at the batpony. "These Changelings thou art talking about, couldst thou tell me the essentials about them?"

"They are best known for their failed invasion of Canterlot at the wedding of Princess Twilight Sparkle's brother. They are a race halfway between an insect and a pony. They’re metamorphic predators that feed on love. Is death a necessary step in the process of stealing the magical power from your victims?"

"Oh, yes, I heard about this wedding." Pepper said distractedly. "So changelings are just love eaters?" Gamine could hear Pepper sigh in relief. "As long as these shapeshifters don't take the form of a chest around a corridor, everything should be fine. The dead have no opportunity for revenge." she answered.

"The dead have no opportunity for revenge.” repeated Gamine to Antarès’ question. “Since when is love nutritious?"

They entered the tunnel that separated the two regions. The alicorn mare kept an eye on the surroundings, the batpony was still walking, her eyes fixed at the light at the end of the tunnel, hoping to see Nightmare Moon's silhouette. "Princess Celestia may not be able to take revenge, but all of Equestria will demand your head when they’ll hear of your return. For the rest I don't know, probably since friendship and harmony can be used to overcome any problem," replied the major sarcastically. "What will you do once you find the changelings?"

"Where I come from, it is kill or be killed. In this world, except maybe the princesses, I do not know any ponies who can even pretend to take it," Pepper pointed out to herself.

"I shall do whatever it takes to make the call stop. In the event that you are the problem, I shall give you a chance to leave. Enough blood has been spilled already," said Gamine as she used magic. The halo ran over her body once more, this time to make the wings disappear.

"Good call to prevent these changelings from seeing an unknown alicorn in their territory. That would undoubtedly be a mess," noted Pepper.

Antarès looked at this physical alteration without being very surprised. "How generous. There is something I can't figure out, however. If you can travel through worlds, why did you come back here? And above all, why do you stay?"

The batpony’s questions put a smile on Gamine’s face. "Thou art the first to ask these questions, or at least to ask them openly. Yesterday the mane six just tried harmonizing me, at least I guess so, and tonight Luna just wanted to make me suffer. Thou ask questions that have the merit of being relevant."

"Don't get me wrong, I'd like to take your head too, but I understood that against you my chances are close to none. So asking questions is certainly more useful than walking in silence. The bearers of the elements or Princess Luna will take care of you sooner or later." She looked back at the end of the tunnel for the presence she hoped to see. "My queen will take care of you tonight, with a little luck." she thought.

"To answer thy question, Celestia's death had to be clearly announced. I could not let Equestria keep hoping for her return."

"I have always done it, I do not see the problem," Pepper thought with a shrug.

"So in your opinion, in the event that a pony has disappeared, it is better to shatter any hopes of seeing that person return? Does your cruelty have no limits?"

Gamine kept her head down to these words. "She is dead. No hope will change that. False hope only prolongs suffering."

Preceded by Antarès, Gamine arrived in the Badlands. She had only gone through a tunnel and yet she was presented with a new world. Standing on the edge of this enclosed basin she set her eyes on this region for the first time. A downward slope before her led to barren land that was desolate as far as the eye could see. It was flat and empty except for a few rock formations, as if the sun itself had come to crush down on it with all its weight, flattening everything that had been there once. Ashes had turned to dust, and life itself had given up any hope of claiming the affected area once more.

The soldier looked up at the batponies who were watching from the top of the hills. After an exchange of signs, she understood that her plan would be not crowned with success, but she still would have done her best to delay the regicide. She signaled to stand by for the moment and turned to Gamine. "You are now past the mountains. Release Swift!" ordered the officer.

The unicorn struck Antarès with her magic "Wouldst thou kindly remain motionless and silent for three minutes?"

“...? …!!” The warrior, trapped in her own body, tried to move, wanted to scream, but her body no longer obeyed her. She was under the influence of the spell and at the mercy of the mare who was now facing her for the next three minutes.

"Thou canst also add this to thy file," said Gamine turning to Cute Bite to get closer. Magic began to accumulate around her horn, targeting the candy in the mare's hoof. The sweet began to levitate and was put on the ground against the wall, next to the entrance to the tunnel. Out of the batpony's sight, she cast a spell upon it. Once again she wore that mocking smile, that look that seemed to be detached from everything. She acted without blinking. "Didst thou really think that I would keep my word? That I was honest? Poor Antarès, havest thou forgotten who I am? How dost thou think I got in this situation? Thou art but one more victim on my list of achievements, and this soldier is a victim of thy immaculate naivety. But, do not worry, I will manage alone now and I thank thee for everything. Our conversation has been pleasant." She started to walk away, her gaze was lost in the vagueness, she inhaled through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth before turning around to look at Antarès again with a softer smile. "I hope the next time we meet, you and I may share a cup of tea." Without waiting for any reaction, she galloped off to continue on her quest.

Unparalleled wrath coursing through her, Antarès had every opportunity to curse the unicorn inwardly with all possible qualifiers, before her three minutes were up. As soon as she felt the spell lose its effect, she inhaled to bark her orders. "Guards! Catch Pepper Chilly at any cost! I need her alive!" She shouted like the angry mare she was. Head lowered, anger giving way to self-pity, she approached and sat down in front of the candy. "I'm sorry Swift, it's all my fault," she whispered. With all the hope she could hold on to, she remained confident in the ability of the faction guards. That they would bring Pepper back prisoner, that they could force her to lift the spell. "You'll see, they'll bring her back soon, you'll be yourself again, and we'll laugh about it." Her eyes wet with tears, she lifted her chin, and prayed to the stars. "I've already lost my sister, I beg you, not Swift, too," she said in a sob.

Suddenly, a golden light emanated from the candy. Before Antarès could react, she was hit in the jaw by Swift's head as he returned to his former self. It was such a strong impact that she landed on her back.

Swift rubbed his head. He felt a bit lost as he looked around, noting that he had lost his armour, that the scene had changed, and that the intruder was nowhere to be seen. "Why are we here? Where is the intruder?" he asked, turning his attention to Cute Bite.

She held back her tears with great difficulty. There was a flood of conflicting feelings in her heart and she couldn't stop it. "It was the regicide, Pepper Chilly, and she left, the others are pursuing her."

Swift could only imagine how his precious Cute Bite could end up in such a state, but he was sure that she needed to think about something else, and he knew exactly what he had to do. He stood on his four legs and imitated the chief instructor from when they were still simple cadets. "Grunt Cute Bite! What is this attitude?! Look at your armour, it’s so dirty I can't see myself in it! I've seen a lot of batponies like you, Grunt Cute Bite! You weaklings are always welcome to resign and leave! For this is not how you will carry Antarès' name into the legends," he said, speaking normally, but loud enough, to give the impression that he was yelling at her. He leaned over her, and hit her on the sternum with the tip of his hoof, while with his wings were spread to their full extent.

"Moron!" barked Antarès, her rage suddenly dominating all the other feelings deep in her heart, and she gave him a perfect uppercut to his jaw. Swift bit his tongue as a result, and almost blacked out, falling flat on the ground. "Moron," she whispered again, as she took him in her hooves and folded her wings over him, crying with relief.

"Yaour ‘elcome." Swift replied in a whisper with a swollen tongue.

Author's Note

Huge Thanks towards two people who helped me to upload the current version of this chapter today.

First and more importantly, Luna Nightshade, for fixing the whole text and the meanings lost in translation.
Estee who pointed out a few necessary improvements and typos.