Dusk Village

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Rainbow Dash all started backing up. They were cornered by General Iron Hoof and his men. Rainbow Dash briefly thought about turning back and going back inside, but as soon as she did, the massive gate opened up behind them, and the soldiers from inside the ruins closed the space behind them. Now they were completely surrounded from every angle.

"This chase has gone on long enough. You are all to be considered prisoners of Lord Paragon hence forth." Iron Hoof declared. "Further resistance is futile; you are utterly defeated."

"I wouldn't count on that!" Said Scootaloo, "If I can stand, I can fight! And if I can fight, I haven't lost anything!" Scootaloo stood her ground, a fierce look in her eye.

"I have no qualms about bringing news of your deaths in place of still living bodies before my Lord. And I sincerely doubt he would be anything more than mildly disappointed to hear about four fewer prisoners. If you fight us, you will die." Iron Hoof was very frank about his statement. He meant it.

The other Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed to agree with Scootaloo, but Dash was hesitant. Again, she felt herself clinging to life, despite the belief she had given up on it. Seeing old friends had given her hope again. She didn't want to lose it; and besides, somepony has to know about these ruins. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were significant somehow. The image of that final mural was as clear as day in her mind. Somehow, she knew it was important. Maybe it was the way Iron Hoof had looked at it; maybe it was something much more than that. Dash thought that maybe it would be better if she was taken alive. Whatever torture or maltreatment Paragon would provide; even for somepony like her who had crossed Paragon before; would be preferable to death. But would she really let herself be taken alive, while her friends fought and died? Stay alive, and hope for a brighter future, or die fighting by her friends' side. That was the decision.

As she stood there, thinking, it seemed as though the decision would be made for her, as Iron Hoof's soldiers starting closing in on the four of them. The CMC each took up a position facing the small army around them, roughly in a triangle, with Dash standing in the middle, confused and afraid. Her heart was pounding, as she tried to work up the courage to do what she knew was ultimately right. She had to turn herself in. No matter what, she had to stay alive. No matter what guilt it would bring her to abandon her friends inevitably futile resistance, no matter what torment awaited her in Paragon's castle, she had to live on.

"Wait, I-" Dash started but she was cut off sharply by a voice coming from the forest.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" The voice was loud and commanding. Iron Hoof and his men all stopped and turned to the source of the voice. Out from the forest emerged a tall, dark pony with a flowing, sparkling mane. Rainbow Dash and the CMC recognized her immediately.

"Princess Luna!" They all called out at once. They were overjoyed to see one of their princesses again.

"If you harm one hair on their manes, you'll regret it dearly." She warned.

"Princess Luna." Iron Hoof was not intimidated. "You have managed to escape our grasp for some time now. How generous of you to donate yourself to us so willingly." He motioned for the soldiers to move away from Dash and the CMC. His focus had completely shifted to Luna. "You are a far more desirable prize than those other ponies combined. Soldiers, capture her alive! I understand Lord Paragon has a special plan for dealing with her..." On command the soldiers began to move towards Princess Luna, who stood her ground fearlessly, seeming more annoyed than afraid.

"Do you claim to underestimate me?" She asked rhetorically. "In case you have forgotten, I am an Alicorn, just like Paragon, the only difference being that I am older and far more experienced than him. I wouldn't recommend taking me lightly..." As she spoke, her horn began to glow a deep blue. Iron Hoof halted, halting his men with a wave of his hoof, and waited. Something caught his eye from above, and he looked at the sky. It was night time. What he had seen was a star, but there was something wrong about it; it was getting... bigger?

A second later, Iron Hoof understood, a look of shock on his face.

"MOVE! EVERYONE, MOVE! GET OUT OF THE  WAY!" He ordered, he and his men scattering every which way. Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo also moved out of the way. After a few more seconds had passed, a large meteor slammed into the ground; exactly where Iron Hoof had been standing mere seconds ago; throwing those present to the ground with all its colossal force. The meteorite tore a long streak out of the ground, before it eventually skidded to a halt a few hundred feet away. In the wake of the chaos, Iron Hoof stood and looked at Luna, his calm and stoic expression now replaced with one of remote fear. Luna simply replied by cocking an eyebrow.

"Dost thou require any further evidence of my prowess?" She asked him.

In response, Iron Hoof snarled angrily, and ordered his troops to gather around him. "You... I won't forget this humiliation! I might not be a match for you, but the next time you encounter me, you will be captured at last! You cannot evade us forever!" And with that, he summoned a portal, though which he and his troops escaped. Luna allowed them to leave, and eventually she was alone with the others.

The CMC ran up to Princess Luna, cheering.

"That was so totally cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You're so awesome, Princess Luna, you saved us!"

Luna smiled modestly, but then looked a little sad. "I haven't saved anypony, I've only delayed our defeat."

The CMC immediately stopped cheering. "What do you mean? With help like that, there's no way we can lose! Your magic is more than powerful enough to make a difference in this battle!" Sweetie said encouragingly.

Luna just shook her head. "I'm glad I can be of help, and to see your faces so alive with hope is pleasant, but... I cannot help you." Luna said.

Applebloom frowned. "Why not?"

Luna stood there, and looked at each of their faces, hesitating. "I may seem strong, but really, I am weak. I couldn't stop Equestria from being taken over, even when I was with my sister and Cadence and all the royal guards. I call myself a Princess... I tell people what to do, I try to be fair and likable, and I try to run this country by my sister's side... but the moment it's safety came under threat... when the moment finally came for me to stand up on my country's behalf and defend it with my life... I froze. I was paralyzed with fear. I didn't know what I was doing, or how to do it properly. Once Celestia was captured and Shining Armor was defeated, I... I turned and ran. I turned my back on my soldiers. I turned my back on my home. I turned my back on my duties and ran away. How can I help anyone if I run whenever I am in danger? How can I take back my country when I couldn't even so much as delay it's take over? I am not strong enough. I am not strong enough to defeat Paragon. I am sorry, but I cannot help you."

"I think you can." Dash said, finally speaking up.

Luna looked over at the rainbow colored mare. "How?"

"Luna, there's something in... these ruins here... I need you to look at. It might be something... important, but it's written in... some language I don't understand. I figured you might have... a better idea of what it's about... being an Alicorn and all."

Luna clearly didn't know much about what Rainbow Dash was talking about off hand, but she shrugged anyway. "I'll do what I can, Rainbow Dash. Show me these ruins."

Rainbow Dash led them all back into the first hallway where she had first entered the ruins. Luna and Sweetie Belle used their horns to illuminate the way. Luna regarded the walls with a certain curiosity and even... familiarity.

"So what do you think... Luna? Do you have any... information for us?" Dash asked. Luna continued observing the many murals, almost as if she hadn't heard Dash speak. She was quite transfixed.

"Luna?" Scootaloo nudged the princess a bit to get her attention. Luna finally realized that she had been spoken to, and apologized for zoning out.

"Well, you must have something then, since you seem so interested in these pictures." Applebloom observed.

"Well, yes and no, I..." Luna paused, looking once again at the murals, almost as if to confirm her thoughts. "I don't have a very vivid memory of it... it was so very long ago, and most of my memories from prior to my... you know... are dull at best, but I believe... I think I was born here." She finally said.

Dash and the CMC were audibly surprised by this. "Born here? In this busted down old place in the middle of no where?" Scootaloo was dubious.

"Well, as you can well imagine, it was a very, very long time ago... this place did not used to be 'broken down' or 'in the middle of no where.' It was once a grand palace, where all Alicorns lived. Celestia and I were both born here. This used to be the heart of all ponykind's society, thousands of years ago. I can't believe how different it is now... I can't believe I forgot about this place..." Luna continued to observe the murals lining the walls with fascination. "These murals... I recognize them from my childhood... we used to have a book that spoke of each story these murals tell, and a copy of each picture went with them. Like this one here..." Luna looked up at one mural, depicting an Alicorn hovering over a great divide, different ponies on either side. "This mural is about the time when my grandmother once split the land, which was once in a perpetual war, in order to cease their quarreling. And this one..." She jogged down closer to the entrance to look at another mural, Where an Alicorn stood under a great rainstorm, standing before a group of other ponies. "This one is about how one of my great grandfathers brought many days and many nights of rain to a vast desert in order to support a band of outcast ponies who had been banished there in order to save them from extinction. As life began to flourish there, they settled and made a home there. By the time that Alicorn died, it had been transformed into lush, green fields. They truly were gods..."

"But, I'm pretty sure Paragon... mentioned something about... each generation of... Alicorns beings stronger... than the last." Dash pointed out. "If that's true, Luna... then you ought to be... amazingly powerful!"

Luna shook her head again. "No, I'm really not... I mean, I am, but... it's hard to explain... I'm... different." She sighed. "Because of the fact that I am different, I can't ever access my true power safely. I didn't always used to be like this, though... something... somepony made me different. They took advantage of me when I was emotionally weak and..." Luna trailed off. She was obviously talking about how she came about becoming Nightmare Moon, the first enemy that the Mane Six had ever faced together. Luna's alter ego and polar opposite, the Elements of Harmony managed to suppress her a long time ago. It had been a recurring source of guilt for Luna ever since.

"Luna it's okay... don't feel too bad about it... okay?" Dash said, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like it was really your fault." Sweetie chipped in.

"You don't understand!" Luna exclaimed, but then she just sighed again. "And it's probably for the best that you don't."

A long pause fell over the group. Eventually, Dash broke the silence, and spoke again to Luna.

"There's one more mural... I want you to look at... Luna." She started walking toward the next room. "This way!"

They all walked into the interior room where they faced the final mural again. Luna saw this, and for once she seemed completely unfamiliar with it. That did not bring Dash confidence.

"Well Luna? What do you say about... this one?" Dash asked.

"Wow, this one's huge!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

Luna looked at it for a while, trying to make something of it. "Well, I don't recognize it off hand. This might have been made after we left, or very shortly before. I was just a filly at the time, I don't remember much. But I do recognize this language." She said. Dash felt a little more hopeful.

"So, what does it say?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking the words out of Dash's mouth.

"Hmm, well, that's hard to say... it's written in an ancient, now mostly dead language, called Aliconus Linga; literally meaning 'Gods' tongue.' It was the primary language of the Alicorns when they first arrived here. It was a highly sophisticated language which was very metaphorical and symbolic. Speakers often refrained from saying things literally, which made it difficult to interpret. Only the wisest and most intelligent ponies could deceifer it. The first ones to speak it fluently where a particular sect of the unicorns, thus earning them a high place in the natural hierarchy of ponykind. they were called Aliconus Osa; Gods' Mouth. They acted as the voice of the gods, conveying their message to the mortal subjects of this world. Believe it or not, this was actually the first language that Celestia and I learned to speak. We learned English as a second language growing up. It's been so long though, I haven't spoken or read this language in centuries." Luna frowned, looking at the inscription intensely, trying to decipher it. "Celestia would have an easier time reading this.. I was still very young when I started to learn English, thus replacing Aliconus Linga in my usual speech. Celestia, on the other hand, was 17 years old when she started; she knows both languages very well. Let's see... well, the first things that stands out to me is that this inscription is... different from the others. The others all recount things that happened in the past... but this one seems to be talking about... the future."

"The future?" Dash and the CMC were all intrigued by this.

"Yes, I have heard that in times long past, there was a very special strain of unicorns who were closest to the Alicorns that possessed a special talent unlike any other. By their own description, they all felt very strongly and assuredly about future events. Their connection with the future ranged from a guiding voice indicating what they should do next, to vivid mental images of things that would eventually come to pass. For this reason, they were kept very close to the Alicorns, who wished to help all the ponies of the Equine world as best as possible, and so they waited on the word of these special unicorns to act. In a sense, you could say that these special unicorns were in the fact the true rulers of the land before Equestria, as it was their premonitions that often dictated what the Alicorns would do to help the world. This went on for many generations, until..."

"...Until what?" Dash asked, though she expected that she might regret asking.

"Well, until Hayperion came to power. Hayperion despised the thought of gods serving the ponies of the Equine world. Rather, he believed it should be the other way around. Thus, he wiped out the psychic unicorns promptly, and dedicated his life to reversing the order of the ponies, reorganizing this once peaceful, holy coexistence into a religious empire, with himself as emperor. That is why our mother hated him; she despised what he was and what he stood for, as she still believed in the old way, which even now is still our way. It appears, however, that some of these special unicorns have survived, for this mural looks old enough that it was made while I was young, but still within my lifetime, which hadn't even begun until centuries after this supposed eradication." Luna finally concluded.

"Well all that's fascinating, but you still haven't told us what the thing says." Scootaloo pointed out.

"Oh right, yes, the inscription. Like I said, I'm very shaky with this language, and I could not give you an exact translation but, hmm... let's see... it talks about... a male. A male Alicorn... and about a certain event, what does that say?... the... something of the... Gods? the evening... the night of the... oh! the Twilight of the Gods!" Luna exclaimed. She seemed excited at first, but then frowned as that last phrase sunk in.

"Twilight of the Gods? What's that?" Appleboom asked.

"I've never heard of that." Sweetie Belle frowned.

"Well, it's always been a hypothetical thing until recently, but now that there are fewer and fewer Alicorns, I guess it's just about time... The Twilight of the Gods refers to a period in time where the Alicorns, having done all they can for this world, begin to die off, unable to continue reproducing, and eventually they leave this world behind. It is believed that by this time, ponykind, under their guidance will have attained true perfection, and thus would no longer need gods to keep them in line." Luna explained. "And that is precisely what this inscription is about. It's talking about the Twilight of the Gods, and how when they are gone, they will leave behind a perfect world. This last line is purely metaphorical from what I can tell. This final, perfect Alicorn who is supposed to complete us all is simply referred to as a.. 'flawless diamond'? Does that make sense to any of you, by chance?"

They all stood around and thought for a few moment. Sweetie Belle spoke up at last, and she seemed alarmed.

"Um, guys... correct me if I'm wrong, but in a literal definition, doesn't the word 'Paragon' mean 'flawless diamond'?"

Everyone went wide-eyed. The realization was almost staggering.

"And... and the inscription... specifically mentioned... a male Alicorn..." Dash could hardly breathe.

Luna collapsed to the floor of the ruins. She become so weak so fast that the light coming from her horn almost went out. "It can't be... is Paragon... really the one they were talking about?"

"Say it ain't so!" Applebloom cried.

"If this really was the message they were trying to convey... and Paragon really is the ultimate Alicorn..." Luna said, trying to sort out her thoughts, "Then.. could it be, that all along, we've had the wrong idea? That all this time, we've been fighting a battle we're destined to lose? Is the world really intended to end this way?!"

"I find that hard to believe." Scootaloo thought out loud.

"I won't accept it!" Dash exclaimed. "I've fought Paragon.... I raised Maree... I have done all these things... throughout my life... that I believed were... the right thing to do... I won't be told by some... stone slab in the middle of... nowhere tell me that... I've been wrong all along!" Dash was getting very worked up, and her breathing quickened to keep up with her speech. "I will keep fighting against... Paragon, because I know... in my heart that he... is a truly evil person... and that he must be stopped... no matter what this stupid rock... says!"

"Here, here!" Sweetie Belle cheered.

"Come on, let's get out of here, we need to find where the others from Ponyville are, so that we can fight Paragon together!" Scootaloo commanded, starting for the exit.

As the others started to mobilize, Luna stopped to take one last look at the inscription, and noticed something strange about it.

"Everyone, wait! Look at this!" She called to others. Dash and the CMC all rushed back over to the mural.

"What is it, Luna?" Dash asked.

"Here, at the very end; there are some marks that... well, they look like someone has scratched out the last few words of the inscription."

There was little relief and much confusion among the group.

"So, what does this mean?" Applebloom asked.

"It means that someone, thousands of years ago, took this last piece of information with them to the grave, and now we have no idea what the true meaning of this inscription is." Luna explained sadly.

"But wait! That might mean that... Paragon isn't the ultimate... Alicorn after all! Maybe whoever did this... did it to trick. Paragon!" Dash said hopefully.

"Or maybe this entire inscription has been an elaborate ruse by Paragon, set in motion centuries ago to make us go around in circles just like we are right now." Sweetie Belle pointed out flatly. "Look, we can't just keep changing theories like this every time we see something new. We need facts, and we need evidence to support those facts. I suggest we seek out those facts and that evidence so we can know once and for all what is going on here."

"But where do we even start for something like that?" Asked Scootaloo.

No one knew the answer.

"Well we have to start... somewhere, guys." Dash said in frustration.

"I have an idea, but it's not one that I like too much, as it puts us a great distance away from home, and it would not be a pleasant place to visit..." Luna said with hesitance.

"Where?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Luna did not answer immediately. "We could try going to Paragon's home land in the southern mountain range, outside Equestria." Luna suggested. "Paragon always holds onto high profile captives for as long as possible, and in my travels I went there to see that there were still some guards, but not nearly as many as there was in Equestrian cities. That tells me that there's something there worth guarding, albeit not much in Paragon's eyes. If there's anypony in the world who can help us, it ought to be one of the prisoners in his castle."

"How long will it take us... to get there?" Dash asked.

Luna thought for a moment. "From, here, it's a little over two weeks each way. All in all, it will take nearly a month long round trip." She concluded.

"That is an awful long time..." Applebloom admitted.

"Well, if there's any hope to be found there, then I'm all for it. Let's get going!" And she headed for the doorway again. Dash had to admit that the idea of a month long trip was daunting, but the idea of having some sort of direction; some kind of purpose; was refreshing. It was nice to be in the company of others again.

They got outside and started heading due south for their long journey. Before they had even left the vicinity, however, a portal opened up behind them, which caught their collective attentions. Form this portal spewed many armored ponies, all of them clearly from Paragons army. Before long, well over a hundred had gotten through. At the end of this small army, General Iron Hoof emerged once again, but this time he was accompanied by another pony; a very large, red-orange Alicorn with a short, curly mane. It was Paragon's brother, Helios.

"There! Lord Helios, these are the ones I spoke of." General Iron Hoof said, pointing to Dash's company.

Helios looked at them with a nasty smile. "Ah, well if it isn't my dear sister, Luna. At long last we finally meet again."

End of Chapter 9