Rising Star

by Argonaut44

Rating: teen
Tags: Violence, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Drama, Queen Chrysalis, Starlight Glimmer, Adventure
Length: 147361

Starlight Glimmer, after running away from her old life, must confront some old wounds when the past catches up to her.

Starlight Glimmer, having recently escaped the clutches of her old enemy Queen Chrysalis, has run away from her old life. Yet, she is forced to confront some old wounds when the past catches up to her.

Published 2020-09-09 00:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-01-20 05:59:29 UTC

Chapter Two: Anywhere But Here

Trotting through the white streets of Canterlot, Twilight shielded her eyes from the sun, not having been outside in months. It took an entire day of convincing for Spike to get her to join the others and board the train from Ponyville. She hadn’t said a word to anypony all day, and was dragging her hooves a few feet behind the group, head cast down to the ground. As they moved through the city, several ponies stopped and stared at the well-recognizable princess, some even trying to get her attention, though none succeeded. There was a dark cloud over Twilight’s head, that made her heart heavy with glumness. Ahead, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity had long given up on trying to cheer Twilight up. Twilight simply ignored them all, remaining in her own headspace, where it was safe.

“Spike, do you even know what this is all about?” Applejack asked.

Spike thought about it, and then shrugged.

“Whatever it is, it’s important enough for us all to be here,” he said.

The group eventually made it to the royal palace, where a small entourage of soldiers was waiting for them. Their leader removed his shiny golden helmet, revealing a wavy blue mane and a pure white face. Shining Armor smiled and approached the group, a big-hearted smile on his face.

“Hey guys! Celestia’s been waiting for you,” he said, jovially.

“She called you here too?” asked Spike.

“Me and Cadance, yeah. She’s already up there, but I’d thought I’d give you all a royal welcome.”

His attention shifted to the back of the group, where his sister was standing, disinterested in the world around her.

“Twilight!” he yelled. Rarity shot Applejack a look, knowing Shining Armor was bound to be disappointed in his sister’s shape.

Shining Armor jogged past Pinkie and Rainbow and embraced Twilight, though she gave nothing in return. Shining Armor noticed how cold and stiff she was, and backed away, hesitantly.

“How’re you doing?”

Twilight took a deep breath.

“It’s good to see you,” she managed to say, though it didn’t sound like she meant it. Shining Armor turned back to the others in confusion. Applejack motioned that they continue, Shining Armor nodding slowly in response, unsure what was going on.

“Alright, let’s get a move on. Don’t want to keep the princess waiting.”

They progressed up through the palace, eventually arriving at the mighty doors to Celestia and Luna’s thrones.

Inside, Twilight saw the other three princesses, all with distraught expressions on their faces. Then she saw somepony else, a small foal, brown in color. The kid seemed shook up.

“Twilight, thank you and your friends for coming. I do apologize for the suddenness of this all…”

“It’s no problem, Princess,” said Twilight, softly. She rarely spoke these days. Everytime she did, the others would react with surprise. Twilight led the group to join the princesses and the foal at the end of the hall. The large room was bathed in the white light from its tall windows, shining upon splendorous golden fixtures. Twilight dug her hooves into the ruby-red carpet on the floor, preparing herself for whatever was so urgent.

“Twilight, I understand that this may be a...touchy subject matter, but...I believe this situation involving your...former student requires our...intervention.”

Twilight’s eye twitched, and her body shook at the very mention of Starlight, her greatest failure.

“I don’t quite know what you mean,” she said, coldly.

Celestia hesitated to speak, Luna deciding to take over.

“Twilight, for months now, there have been reports of a unicorn...matching the description of Starlight Glimmer to a tee...who has been terrorizing the countryside of Equestria. Just after we sent your summons, this colt arrived at our doorstep, yammering on about the destruction she caused...and the lives she took.”

Twilight glanced at the colt, who had been traumatized by yesterday’s events.

“She’s not capable of that,” Twilight retorted, defensively. Behind her, Rainbow and Applejack both produced a heavy sigh, sensing Twilight would undoubtedly get worked up by the topic of conversation.

“Somepony is. Whether it’s Starlight or...somepony else playing some kind of masquerade...as far as any of us should be concerned, this pony needs to be brought in...alive,” said Luna.

“For too long we’ve let Starlight roam freely around Equestria…wreaking havoc and so forth.” said Celestia.

“The search for Starlight went dry weeks ago,” said Twilight, bitterly, “for all we know, she’s dead, or has left Equestria completely. And what about Chrysalis?...Surely, she’s a larger threat. She could be anywhere. There’s no trail to begin with.”

“We’ll be tripling our efforts to locate both of them. We know Starlight’s the one behind all of this mayhem, in the southwest...Twilight, Cadance, I want both of you to begin there. Search for this menace, and bring her to justice,” commanded Luna.

Cadance nodded in compliance, while Twilight remained defiant.

“Starlight would never do the things you’re accusing her of!”

“Twilight, she’d been locked in Chrysalis’ lair for weeks...certainly, it’s possible that she’s been...corrupted, or something to that extent,” said Luna.

“I won’t believe that...it’s sure as anything, to me, that it’s Chrysalis behind all of this violence and destruction, posing as Starlight to trick us into going easy on her.”

“Regardless of who it really is, they need to be brought in.”

“And while I’m searching for Chrysalis, what about the real Starlight?”

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other.

“What would you have us do, Twilight? It’s like you said, that trail went cold,” said Celestia.

“Then try harder! She’s out there, somewhere, I know she is! Every city from coast to coast should know her face! Then if she’s spotted, we’ll find her.”

Celestia exhaled, deep in thought.

“Fine, Twilight. I will alert the municipalities to lead search parties, and spread awareness regarding your...friend. But if you’re wrong, and she is the one behind all this death and destruction, then I hope you realize...she may not be the pony you once cared for...and more drastic measures may need to be taken.”

Spike and the others all looked over at Twilight, who was more determined now than ever.

“Understood.”

“Good. Now, you, and Cadance, and Shining Armor, and your friends, if they’d like, go now, and good luck.”

Twilight nodded, and turned to leave. There was a visible hatred on her face, a long-toiled over hatred, for the one behind all of this misery, and the ruining of her friend’s life. Queen Chrysalis. Twilight’s deepest regret was not killing that monstrous demon when she had the chance.

This time, she knew better.

In the center of the San Palomino Desert, was a small outpost-town, built far from any other form of civilization. The laws of Equestria had little bearing on the type of folks who would pass through. Bluntly put, it was a hideaway for ponies on the wrong side of the law.

On one morning in this dusty, sun-baked town, a new face made her way into town. And more, she was a unicorn, a rare sight that was sure to draw attention. She had a pink coat that was dusted with sand blown at her from the howling desert winds, and a purple mane with teal streaks, her horn poking out from her wavy locks. She paid no notice to the unwelcoming stares of the locals. She hated them more than they could ever hate her, after all. She wanted to be out of here as fast as possible, but first, she had to get what she came for.

Strutting through town, she stopped at one building, made of wood, as most of the buildings were. This was the bar, where the worst creatures in town would dwell. The unicorn had a feeling she’d fit right in. Stepping past the swinging doors, she stood still as nearly everypony inside stopped and shot her a menacing glare. She watched as one pony, a large, gruff stallion with a hole where his eye used to be, got up from his seat, his eyes locked onto the unicorn.

“That mare’s with me,” said a voice from a faraway shadowy corner of the room, “Sit down and mind your business.”

The gruff stallion’s eyes widened in fear at the command, and decided to do as he was asked, sitting right back down in his seat.

The unicorn smirked and trotted over to the shadowy corner, an open seat waiting for her.

“Always one for an entrance, I take it, your highness,” the voice said again. The unicorn sat down, smiling politely.

“Sawtooth, I don’t think your friends like me,” she said, grabbing a mug of cider that was also waiting for her from the table. The voice in the shadows scoffed.

“Oh Chrysalis, friends? Definitely not...and neither are we, so don’t expect my help anymore once you leave this cow sty.”

“After today, you’ll never see me again.”

“Good. You’ve been stirring up such a storm across Equestria, word’s even reached here. I’m surprised nopony’s recognized you yet. Entire villages destroyed, they say! You certainly don’t try to keep a low profile.”

“I’ve just killed at least eight hundred ponies myself in the past few months. If that doesn’t get Canterlot’s attention, I don’t know what will,” said the unicorn.

“You’re in luck. I’ve caught wind of something else, that might just peak your interest. The Crystal Empire princess, and her mate, and the other princess from Ponyville, they’ve been sent after you.”

“Ponyville? You mean, Twilight Sparkle?”

“That’s the one.”

The unicorn’s careless demeanor faded, replaced by a slight concern. The Princess of Friendship was one of the few ponies she feared. Sawtooth carried on.

“I’m going to have to remember that...it only takes a few hundred corpses and a couple burnt cities to convince our dearest royalty to step in.”

“Aside from that. Do you have what I need?”

The source of the voice leaned in from the shadows, revealing a reptilian snout and yellow, devilish eyes. He was a dragon, red-orange in color, twice as large as a pony.

“Aye, Chrysalis, I’ve got what you need.”

Chrysalis, disguised as Starlight Glimmer, was delighted. Things were going perfectly.

“From what I’ve gathered, that gemstone you’re looking for is buried somewhere in this very desert...heading east from here.”

“How far?”

“I can’t say...few creatures have ever laid eyes on it. They say it looks like a tomb, in the middle of the desert, just lying there.”

“Can I get inside without a key?”

“I think so. The trouble is finding it, Chrysalis, worry about that first.”

“Very well. While our Princesses are on their wild goose chase for Starlight, I’ll be securing the means to destroy them, once and for all.”

Sawtooth the dragon smirked and nodded to her, leaning back into the shadows.

“You enjoy yourself now, your highness.”

Chrysalis nodded and stood up, exiting the bar and facing the endless desert at the edge of town. The heat may kill her, so may the dehydration, but no matter what, she was going to succeed. After so many losses, at last she would have her greatest triumph.

Oblivious to all of the destruction done by Chrysalis in her name, the real Starlight was heading home from Jackpot’s house, having spent the night there.

“Thanks again, see you next week?”

“You bet. If I’m around.”

“You’re always around,” Dust Bunny said, wrestling into her coat as she left with Starlight, who was wearing one of her comfy sweaters. The two set out from Jackpot’s apartment near the docks, braving the light snow that melted into the sea. The docks were largely open space, as opposed to the claustrophobic tight riverways in the main part of the city. Starlight liked to spend time here occasionally, as it made her feel free.

“I’m serious about coming over to the Magnates’ to help you. I know those two foals can be a handful.”

“Oh, that’s alright. I was just stressed last night. I can handle it,” Dust replied, putting on a white mob cap that nestled itself around her wavy black hair.

“It’s just...they barely ever show me any thanks, or, or kindness, you know? And they make me wear that stupid outfit, and the kids! Don’t even get me started! I just...I want to get out of there, so bad sometimes, you know? I feel like I’m being held back...I just got to pay off all those school debts, and then I’m out of here. Out of this town, see the world. Anywhere but here.”

Starlight didn’t answer, slightly hurt, taking it as though their friendship would end as soon as that happened. Dust noticed this, and immediately regretted getting so talkative.

“Hey, I didn’t mean that I don’t like this town, or you…”

“I know, I just, I guess I just...don’t want you to leave,” Starlight said, half-embarrassed to be so open with her emotions.

“Starlight, you’re the best friend I could’ve ever asked for, and let me tell you, if I hadn’t met you, I’d be a lot more miserable.”

“Thanks,” said Starlight, laughing, “You’re really going to leave when you get the chance?”

Dust hesitated to answer.

“I don’t know, maybe for a little while...I guess I was just saying all that...the job just makes me feel that way..I love this place, and you, really. But I’ve spent my whole life here! I’ve always wanted to see the rest of Equestria! Deserts, and sunny beaches, and forests...that’s only ever been in stories for me.”

Starlight nodded, understanding Dust’s desire.

They continued together until they reached the Magnates’ house, the wealthiest house in town, at the upper end that overlooked the edge of the mountain shore.

“Well, I’ll see you sometime next week, okay?”

“Okay, yeah.”

Dust waved one last time before trotting up the stairs to the mansion-like house and disappearing inside.

Left alone in the cold, Starlight began to head back into town. It was morning, which meant most ponies were at work, and the wooden sidewalks were far more empty. She thought about what Dust said, about leaving and seeing the world. She wondered if Equestria had changed at all since she’d been gone, or if her disappearance was entirely inconsequential. She supposed few ponies were important to warrant that much significant change by leaving, but still, a part of her wanted to know. Did anypony miss her? Care that she was gone? A part of her wanted to believe they did, and that by leaving she was punishing all of them. However, she knew it was wrong to want that. She sincerely hoped her old friends were all happy, and had moved on from her. She thoroughly believed her presence had only ever caused trouble, and that now that she was gone, their lives would only improve. But, naturally, everypony wants to be missed.

Lost in her thoughts, Starlight’s hoof caught itself on a warped floorboard in the sidewalk, causing her to trip, slamming right on her face. She groaned in bitter pain, and picked herself up. Glancing around, she was relieved to see that nopony was around to see that. Whilst dusting some snow off from her sweater, something caught her attention. Several yards straight ahead of her, was a strange boat parked right outside from where she lived. She blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing it right. It was an expensive boat, uncommon for this middle-class part of town. She knew everypony in her apartment complex, and none of them were planning on getting a new boat. She remembered what she had seen yesterday, those two ponies in the Captain’s Daughter tavern, who were both staring at her. She feared the worst, that these two strange occurrences might be related. She bit her lip anxiously, and prepared herself.

Starlight slowly approached her on the staircase that led up to her front door. She peeked around the corner and saw nopony. She proceeded, cautiously, to walk up the stairs and towards her front door. Her horn began to glow a preemptive blue, as she reached the top and extended one hoof for the doorknob.

After a brief moment taken to work up the courage, she flung the door open. Inside, her house appeared to be empty. There was nopony waiting for her with a weapon drawn, as she had expected. She gave a sigh of relief and stepped inside, closing the door and moving to the kitchen to make some breakfast. A smile returned to her face as she began making some pancakes, with fresh blueberries from the local greenhouse garden. Her smile faded when she noticed a single, white piece of paper, left on her kitchen counter. She picked it up and examined it. On it were written just two words, though that was enough to turn Starlight as white as the snow outside.

Come Quietly.
At first she didn’t know what to make of it. She turned around and checked every room for any intruders, but found nothing. No sign of anypony being in her house, except for this strange note, with an even stranger message. Without a doubt, somepony was after her. But who? It couldn’t be Twilight, she would never do something like this, but what about Chrysalis?

‘It’s not her hoofwriting,’ Starlight recalled, having spent enough time with Chrysalis to know.

Starlight was absolutely aloof, but she was sure of one thing, that she didn’t feel safe in her own home.

Jackpot was chewing on an especially flavorful stick of gum, as he carved a small block of wood with his knife. It was a hobby of his, making tiny wooden sculptures. They weren’t very impressive, but he enjoyed doing it. There was an old record spinning on his record player, that filled the silence in his one-story apartment by the docks. Curiously, a knock came from the door, something that rarely ever happened. He got up and reached for the old crossbow he kept on his couch-side shelf. He sauntered over to the door, muttering every curse in the book for the nerve of whoever this pony was, to disturb his peace this early in the morning. When he opened the door, he was blinded by the bright sun that reflected off of the white snow outside. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust and see who had come knocking.

“Starlight?”

“Hey, can I come in?”

“Good Celestia, was breakfast not enough? You want lunch now too? This isn’t a supermarket you know.”

“Jackpot, can I just come in?”

Again, Jackpot noticed how serious she was. Starlight seemed jittery and on guard, making Jackpot a little nervous.

“Alright, alright, for Luna’s sake, be my guest.”

He moved out of the way, Starlight scampering inside.

“Sorry, I just...” Starlight began, unsure what to say. The truth was, she felt safer with a friend than alone in her house.

Jackpot barely heard her, as he was too busy clearing off his table of his wood chippings. When he was finished, he sat down across from her, on the couch. He waited for her to say something, though she was stone silent.

“Starlight, would you just tell me what’s going on?” he said, annoyed with all of this strange behavior.

“I...There’s….if I...you know what, forget it,” she sputtered.

“Do you trust me? Just talk to me. I want to help,” Jackpot said, earnestly.

Starlight took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off by the doorbell ringing again. Jackpot flashed with fury.

“And who is that?!”

Starlight didn’t answer, though she did know who it was.

Jackpot stared at her, discontent, and went back to the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It was Dust Bunny who was standing in the door frame, who looked about as thrilled about coming back here as Jackpot was about being a host.

“Okay, what is going on? Did you two coordinate this just to ruin my day off?” Jackpot said.

“Don’t look at me! Mr. Magnate gave me a letter from Starlight, telling me to come here on my noon break!”

Jackpot stared at her, beside himself, and turned back to Starlight, who was still sitting on the couch.

“You can’t just invite ponies to my house, you crazy bitch!”

“Jackpot!” Dust Bunny yelled, smacking him in the face. She stepped inside, Jackpot slamming the door closed.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve told you...I just...I wanted to talk to you...Both of you.”

Jackpot glanced at Dust, who was just as confused.

“Well go on then, you’ve certainly got my attention.”

Starlight nodded, nervously.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you…”

Dust and Jackpot loosened up, noticing how serious and scared Starlight was.

“Last night? Why I wanted to stay over? I saw these two ponies at the bar, they were staring at me...for a while...I wanted to think it was nothing, but...I thought it was weird, so I didn’t want to be alone.”

Her friends stared at her, relieved it was nothing too serious.

“Was that it? Come on, Starlight, you could’ve told us. We would’ve done it for you anyway,” said Dust.

“That’s not all...I went home today, and...somepony was in my house...and I think whoever was after me last night, is still after me.”

“After you? Why would anypony be after you?” Dust asked.

Starlight hesitated. Her hoof instinctively reached to rub the scar that ran along her eye, as she prepared to relive some painful memories.

“This scar, and the limp, and the bruises, and all that. I used to be...friends, sort of, with Twilight Sparkle...the alicorn Princess in Ponyville. I had done a lot of bad things, and she...she took me in. As a kind of student...to learn about friendship. But the ponies in that town, and her friends, and Twilight too, they never quite accepted me. I was always the...the dangerous threat they had been told I was. I...I wanted to be better, but nothing I did ever seemed to change anypony’s minds. And I couldn’t admit that they were just using me...until….well you see, Twilight Sparkle had a lot of enemies, and one of them, a changeling, the queen of the changelings...C-Chrysalis. One day, me and a friend were heading home from a trip, and she...she kidnapped us both. She had my friend hostage, and my father, and a bunch of other friends too, and she made me...suffer, for her amusement, and if I didn’t do what she wanted, she’d hurt or kill them...Twilight came looking for me, and eventually we all got out. But I couldn’t go back...I just didn't want that life anymore. Risking all my friends’ lives because of my...selfishness. I was unfulfilled...just a...plaything for the good and the bad to use against each other. So I left. As far I could go, which was here. Then I met you guys, and...you’ve both helped me start a new life. But, the problem is...I think those ponies I saw yesterday...the ones who broke into my house...they’re going to take me back...and I...I can’t go back…”

Starlight struggled to hold back the tears, while Dust and Jackpot stared at her in utter shock.

“Wow,” Dust said.

Jackpot began chuckling, trying to calm Starlight down.

“You know, I always thought it’d be a crazy story, but I mean, wow.”

“Starlight, however you need us to help you, we’ll do it.”

“There’s only two of ‘em, right? No bigee,” said Jackpot.

Starlight wiped her eyes and smiled.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to tell you all that.”

“Look, I couldn’t possibly know what any of that was like, but...we’re your friends now too, and we’re not going to let anything happen to you. Right?” Dust said, nudging Jackpot.

“Right,” he said, albeit with slight hesitation. Changelings and alicorns were no small problems.

“Thanks, guys, sorry about everything...I just really wanted to-”

The sound of the door slamming open cut Starlight’s sentence short. Jackpot and Dust both jumped to their hooves and turned around.

“Hey! You son of a bitch! That was my door!” Jackpot exclaimed.

The door to Jackpot’s house had been kicked down to the floor. In stepped three ponies, all male, all physically imposing, and all armed with bladed clubs and bats.

“Mister Jackpot, pleasure to….oh no,” said the leader, caught off guard as soon as he saw Starlight sitting on the couch.

“She’s supposed to be at home!” said another.

Before any of the three could raise their weapons any higher, Starlight’s horn fired three blasts of magic, freezing each of the intruders in three large individual blocks of ice. Jackpot and Dust both yelled in surprise and back away.

“Sweet Luna on the moon! You-! Good Celestia! Are they dead?” Jackpot sputtered, loudly.

Starlight stood up and walked beside the other two.

“No...B-but we need to go.”

“Celestia save me! How am I gonna explain this to the cops, Starlight?!” Jackpot yelled.

“Uh, Starlight, are we in danger?” asked Dust, nervously

Starlight had a million thoughts on her mind, blinking hard to concentrate.

“You heard them, they didn’t come for me, they came for him,” she responded, motioning towards Jackpot, “Which means...yeah, you might be in danger.”

“Starlight, what the hell have you gotten me into?” Jackpot said, desolately.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know this would happen!” Starlight said, panicking.

“Starlight! Listen to me, it’s okay! We’re in this together now!” Dust said, trying to calm them all down.

“Three frozen bastards who came here to kill me, or worse! The price for friendship with Starlight Glimmer!” Jackpot continued.

“Jackpot, even if they were just after her, would you just leave her alone?” Dust asked, angry at Jackpot’s hopelessness.

Jackpot sighed.

“No, you’re right...I’m sorry, this is just...a lot is happening at once.”

“It’s okay, we just need to leave town for a little while...Jackpot, can we use one of your fishing boats?” Starlight asked.

Jackpot shook his head.

“Boats are all out. I’m one of the only ones left, today was my day off. And what a day it’s been.”

“There’s no boats left?” Dust asked, doubtful.

“Only private ones, and I don’t think any of them are gonna even consider lending us a hoof.”

Starlight was exhilarated. She hadn’t used magic outside of her home in so long.

“Come on, don’t you have a friend, whose boat we can borrow?” Dust asked.

Jackpot thought about the question, and then began nodding.

“Windward.”

“Windward?”

“Windward. He’s got a boat we can use.”

“Okay, let’s get out of here, and I’ll figure out a way to get both of you out of this.”

The other two stopped and stared at her.

“Starlight, we’re in this with you. We’re not letting them hurt you,” Dust said, putting her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. Starlight glanced at Jackpot, who was reasonably stressed. He hesitated, but eventually broke into a smile.

“Over my dead body, is any son of a bitch laying their filthy hooves on you, Glimmer,” he said.

Starlight smiled and hugged both of them together.

“Okay, let’s get out of here.”

Jackpot went to fill a bag with the essentials: bottled cider, his crossbow, playing cards, and his three favorite records. With that, the trio exited his house, leaving the three frozen intruders inside, where they would likely take days to thaw out.

Chapter Three: Get Out While You Can

On a long dirt road heading south, rolled a carriage, large and elegantly decorated, carrying some high profile passengers. There was Shining Armor, who was asleep, his head pressed against the window, snoring loudly. Beside him was Twilight Sparkle, gazing through her window at the distant mountains, which seemed not to move as the carriage continued along the road. Cadance was there as well, struggling to stay awake after hours of traveling.

Pulling the carriage was Applejack, Rainbow, and the six soldier ponies Shining Armor had brought with them. On the roof of the carriage was a second open seating area, where Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and Rarity were sitting.

Twilight felt slightly embarrassed about having Applejack and Rainbow pull her carriage, though they insisted she accept the luxurious treatment.

They were heading after Starlight Glimmer, or rather, as Twilight had correctly presumed, Chrysalis in a disguise. She simply refused to believe any other possibility. Their only lead to the whereabouts of this pony was the testimony of a colt survivor, who had run several miles from his destroyed village all the way to Canterlot. Twilight had been given full control over the hunt for the ‘Scourge of the South,’ as Chrysalis had been dubbed by the local population. Twilight accepted the mission eagerly, desperately wanting closure for the past months of psychological distress. Whether that closure meant reuniting with Starlight or killing Chrysalis, she needed something.

Twilight concluded that the Scourge was drifting about in the southwest area, based on the patterns of the most recent attacks. She was shocked at how many ponies’ lives were lost. Twilight relaxed on the carriage bench, outfitted with soft purple fabrics and golden railings, watching the grey sky outside mesh with the dreary tan-colored grasslands, that sat beneath the far-away mountains. The scene resembled a painting, and the neutral colors helped put Twilight at ease. The magnificent carriage itself was a gift from Celestia, given in an attempt to brighten her spirits.

As Twilight admired the view, she felt the carriage come to a sudden halt. Shining Armor nearly fell forward on his face, Cadance catching him with her magic, snickering. Twilight, confused as to why they had stopped, stuck her head out the window. She saw Applejack in the front undo her ropes, and trot over to the window, excitedly.

“Twilight, there’s a town up ahead on this road. Not the one that colt was from. I think I’ve got a cousin, second or third, who lives up there. Now I know we’re not due to stop until nightfall, but I thought we might want to ask around up there, see if anypony knows anything about what’s been going on,” Applejack said, while Twilight processed it all. She simply nodded, and then stuck her head back into the carriage.

Applejack stuck around a few more moments, hoping Twilight might open up a little bit more. Though, as usual, Twilight was in no mood for conversation.

Applejack nodded to herself to try harder next time, trotting back up to the front and telling the pull horses the change of plans.

The town Applejack had spoken of was built at the foot of a mountain range, its buildings a collection of crude browns and greys. The arrival of such an extravagant carriage, as a result, was treated as a major event. Nearly every pony in town stepped into the street to see what all of the commotion was about. When they saw not one, but two princesses step out of the carriage, a few nearly fainted. They called out their names and cheered, though Twilight wasn’t interested in getting to know anypony. She was on a mission, after all, and wanted to be out of here as fast as possible.

“Applejack!”

Applejack turned behind her to see a mare, with light yellow fur and a tan mane with red ribbons in her hair, push past the crowd to the front, a wide smile on her face.

“Hi there Jonagold! How are you?” Applejack said, approaching her cousin with equal excitement.

“I’m swell! What’s all this about cousin?” Jonagold asked, still in awe at the splendor of the carriage and the majesty of the princesses.

Applejack glanced around at the crowd of excited ponies, her smile fading.

“Is there any place we can talk...uh...privately?”

Jonagold was confused, but nodded, curious what the meaning of this visit was about.

“Well uh...sure, come on,” she said, leading her back through the crowd. Applejack motioned to Twilight and the others to follow her. Shining Armor and his soldiers had to act as bodyguards, stopping the crowd from getting too close to the princesses, as they all followed Jonagold.

Jonagold brought them to her house, cluttered and homey. Twilight, Cadance, and Applejack entered first, Spike and the others all coming in afterwards. Jonagold noticed Spike immediately, and approached him.

“My my! A baby dragon! Ain’t that a sight,” she exclaimed, shaking an embarrassed Spike’s hand. Jonagold backed away so she could get a good look at everypony’s face.

“Welcome to my humble home, y’all!” she said. Outside, Shining Armor and the soldiers stood outside the door, preventing the crowd from bursting through and entering the house. Jonagold seemed a bit nervous about having two princesses in her tiny home, though tried her best to act like a good host.

“Can I get y’all anything to drink?”

“Just cider if ya have it, thanks. We’ve been traveling all day,” Applejack requested. Jonagold nodded and rushed to her kitchen.

Twilight glanced at Applejack, who seemed perfectly fine with doing most of the talking.

“When’d y’all leave?” Jonagold asked, as she poured out a few glasses of cider.

“Just this morning,” Applejack answered.

Twilight began to get impatient. Outside, the crowd raged against the line of soldiers to get inside the house. Jonagold placed a tray of glasses on the coffee table in the living room, and waited for Applejack and the princess to sit down. Applejack subtly motioned over to the kitchen, and Jonagold understood. The four of them left the living room, leaving Spike and the other four ponies, who each grabbed a glass and drank, all exhausted from a long day of journeying.

In the kitchen, Jonagold sat down across from Applejack and the princesses, as if she was being interrogated. Cadance and Twilight hadn’t said a word yet, adding to Jonagold’s anxiety.

“Now uh...y’all excuse me if I get a bit nervous here...We don’t get visitors often...hardly any famous ones neither…” Jonagold said, noticing Twilight’s serious demeanor. Applejack had to act twice as friendly to make up for Twilight’s strict business-only attitude.

“I’m glad to see you, Jonagold...We were just passing through, see, heading further south, actually,” Applejack said.

“There’s not much worth going to once you’re past here. Where y’all headed?” Jonagold asked, taking a large sip of her glass of cider.

Applejack paused, not sure if Jonagold was aware of the recent disasters plaguing the region.

“...A small little town, called Balknap.”

Jonagold stopped sipping on her cider and stared at Applejack, blankly. Her jovial expression disappeared, and she set her drink down, taking a deep inhale for what would be a difficult conversation.

“Applejack um….I wouldn’t advise you head south, least of all to...Balknap,” she said.

“And why is that?” Applejack asked, trying to see what Jonagold knew. Twilight and Cadance both glanced at each other, deciding to let Applejack handle this for now.

“Why?” Jonagold smiled in disbelief, and then resumed her grave expression. “Well it’s why I assumed y’all were down here in the first place...There’s a new story every day. Balknap was just a few days ago. They said….they said nopony made it out. Burned down to the ground. But, you don’t need me to tell you this, you must already know. Right? Ain’t that why you’re here?” Jonagold asked, as if she was asking for help.

“That’s right,” said Twilight dryly. Jonagold nodded grimly.

“Okay...well, what do you need my help with?” she asked.

“We need to know if you, or anypony around here, has seen a unicorn, with a pink coat, purple mane with teal streaks, and blue eyes. Ring any bells?” Twilight inquired.

“Pink unicorn….” Jonagold tapped the wooden kitchen table with her hoof, trying to recall.

“You know...there was something strange the other day.”

“You saw her?” Twilight asked, sitting up a little.

“No, no, not the unicorn...but there was something…” Jonagold said, wondering if what she was thinking bore any relevance.

“What was it?” asked Cadance.

“This ought to sound more odd to you folks than it does for me. We get unsavory characters passing through this town every now and then, you know. Mostly I think nothing of it. But the other day, this one fella, a dragon, he came through town, and not a friendly little dragon like that one you got back over there. This one was big, bright red, and mean looking, and out for trouble too. He got the town a little shook up. None of us is any stranger to violence, but we’re peaceful folk. And he comes in here, stirring up a ruckus, asking whether we’ve seen a pink unicorn, just like you said,” Jonagold said.

“Why did he want her?” Cadance asked.

“He wanted to meet with her, I presume. I think she was supposed to show up here, but she didn’t. And if you’re saying she’s the one who’s been behind all this trouble, then I guess we’re all lucky she didn’t.”

“So this dragon...he knows her?” Cadance asked, looking for confirmation.

“I believe so,” Jonagold answered right away.

“And what happened to him?” Twilight asked.

“He left the same day he came. Into the desert, the San Palomino desert that is. South, just like where y’all were headed. But again, I wouldn’t advise going that way.”

“What’s in that desert? Any kind of settlement he might stop by at?” Applejack asked.

Jonagold thought about it, shaking her head.

“Nothing close to any real town...well, actually, there is this one place, right in the center. A traders’ stop it is. Called the Den of Thieves. If he was headed anywhere in San Palomino, it’d be there. And considering his sort, that wouldn’t be very strange.”

Applejack glanced at Twilight, both concluding they had what they needed. Jonagold stared at them, realizing they intended on heading there.

“Whoa whoa! Um, your highnesses, you can’t really be thinking about going down there! It’s packed to the brim with the worst creatures you could find around these parts! It ain’t safe for you!” Jonagold exclaimed.

Twilight appreciated Jonagold’s concern, but shook her head.

“We’ll be quite alright. We can’t allow this to continue,” she said.

Jonagold nodded, though still thought it was a bad idea.

They all stood up, Jonagold hugging Applejack tightly, possibly for the last time.

“Good luck cousin, I’d love to join you, but...well if this pink unicorn shows up here, I don’t plan on leaving all my friends to die,” Jonagold said, fear audible in her voice.

“That won’t happen. We’ll be putting an end to this, I promise,” said Applejack.

With that, the ponies exited Jonagold’s house, pushed through the crowd once more, and set off back on the road.

Chrysalis had been walking for hours. The sun beat down on her without mercy. She had decided to trek through the San Palomino Desert on hoof, as using her wings would compromise her Starlight Glimmer disguise. She thought about teleporting, but she feared she’d overstep and miss her mysterious destination. She wasn’t quite sure what she was even looking for. A tomb, in the middle of this hellscape desert. Every step she took burned, the hot sand cooking her skin like an egg on a stove. She ignored the pain, focusing on why she was doing this in the first place: an ancient treasure, buried away in a secret place, hidden from the rest of the modern world. With it, she would achieve the means to at last take over Equestria.

Chrysalis’ heart burned as hot as the sun above her, desperate for her revenge, on everypony that had wronged her. She said the names in her head every now and then, to invigorate herself to persevere.

Starlight Glimmer.

Twilight Sparkle.

Their very names made her seethe with anger. The humiliation and failure they cast upon her were enough to drive her into this very desert, searching for a lost power that may or may not even exist. The only thing that was for certain, is that Chrysalis would never give up.

Hundreds of miles north, Starlight Glimmer was trotting along a concrete bayside walkway, her two friends Dust Bunny and Jackpot close in front of her. The crashing of small waves against the seaside concrete added an ominous ambience as the trio walked at a casual pace, attempting to escape the city. Starlight was trailing behind the other two, constantly checking over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t being followed.

There was a knot in Starlight’s stomach, and her mind was dizzy, anxious over having to deal with the problems she had thought she’d outran. Using her magic on another pony, which she had swore she’d never do again, brought her back into the mindset she was stuck in when she was under Chrysalis’ control. She was scared, both of what she was capable of, and whether she’d ever hurt anypony again.

“So...how come I’ve never heard of this pony?” Dust asked Jackpot, Starlight snapping out of her negative thoughts to join the other two’s conversation. She stayed on high alert, though tried her best to calm down and enjoy the time with her friends. Jackpot, who was in the front, glanced back at Dust to answer her question.

“Who? Windward?”

“Yes, Windward. You’ve like...never mentioned this name before, and it’s a little weird,” Dust said, suspicious, “Is he your friend?.

Jackpot didn’t answer right away. Dust frowned.

“Is he?”

“He’s...well no. But he owes me a favor,” Jackpot said, defensively.

Dust laughed, her doubts being confirmed.

“I knew it! Well that’s great. Our only shot out of here is somepony who-who probably won’t even help us!” Dust exclaimed.

“Oh calm down...just wait, and let me talk to him. I’ll persuade him.”

“You couldn’t persuade a fish to swim!” Dust yelled, getting emotional over their desperate situation. There was an awkward pause, broken by Jackpot’s jolly laugh.

“Usually I’m the one throwing the fit. You’re supposed to be the level headed one, princess,” Jackpot teased. Dust sighed and regained her senses.

“Sorry,” she muttered, turning her head to gaze off into the open sea, covered in drifting sheets of ice. Dust glanced back at Starlight, who seemed even more stressed out.

“Starlight, you okay?”

Starlight snapped out of another fit of worrying about the past, and nodded.

“Yeah...Just...I haven’t used my magic like that...in a long time,” she said, her voice quivering.

“Turning ponies to ice. You shoulda told me you could do that, then my cider would always be cold,” Jackpot said.

Starlight tried to hold back a smile.

“So...you knew Twilight Sparkle? What’s she like?” Dust asked, unaware of Starlight’s complex feelings towards her former friend.

“She’s...she’s nice. She’d like you.”

“So Starlight, you’re like...a celebrity,” Dust said, containing her excitement, “Hey Jackpot, we’re friends with a celebrity.”

“Fantastic. Can I get an autograph then?”

“Sure thing, get in line,” said Starlight.

They all laughed, trying to ignore their nerves over their situation.

“Well, I guess I’m quitting my job,” said Dust, feeling a strange sense of relief.

“Then one good thing’s come out of this,” said Jackpot.

“You know, I always wanted to make a big show of it. Like...tell them how I really feel.”

“That you hate their guts?” Starlight asked.

“Yeah, that,” Dust replied.

“Alright, both of you shut up, Windward’s old ship is coming up,” said Jackpot.

The trio continued a few more meters, until Jackpot stopped at the bow of one of only a few ships left at the dock. The boat was tied down to a small beam sticking out of the wooden dock floor. Jackpot peaked into the boat’s interior, searching for signs of movement.

“Hey! Windward!” he yelled.

He was met by silence, and then, a few moments later, the rustling of bags of equipment out from a hatch that led to the inside part of the boat. Out from the dark hole popped the head of an earth pony, blue in color, a tad portly, a blue coat and a dark, bouncy blue mane. Windward squinted a few times in the sunlight, until he could make out just who had interrupted his cleaning of the brig.

“Oh for...Of all the ugly faces, in this ugly town, in this ugly sea, in this ugly world, it’s you.”

Jackpot maintained his blank smile, while Dust and Starlight looked over at him, waiting for a response.

“Hello to you too, Windward.”

“Just what makes you think you’re welcome over here anymore? Aren’t you with the Danecolts now? On the West Side?” Windward spat, exaggeratedly disgusted.

“I’m not here for business, Windward.”

“Then I care even less.”

“My friends and I need help, Windward. There’s barely any boats left, and-” Jackpot tried to say, but was cut off by Windward, who wasn’t biting.

“Save it! I don’t want to hear it! You think you can just march up here and take advantage of me!? Like you always do! You’re a two-faced con!”

“Windward, I didn’t want it to come to this, but you’ve forced my hoof! Now you know you owe me!”

“Owe you!?”

Windward was so shocked that he had to jump out from the brig and stand up at the back floor of the boat, stepping towards Jackpot, unafraid and unimpressed.

“I don’t owe you shit!”

“Eight months ago! That storm?! You almost died! You would’ve too, if I didn’t save your dumbass!”

“I didn’t need your help! And you only did that so you could hassle our captain for a share in the load!”

“You ungrateful, lying son of a bitch!”

Starlight stuck her head between the two, trying to ease the tension.

“Um, Mr. Windward, hi, I’m Starlight...We really need your help. Just to get out of town for a little while!” Starlight pleaded, unsuccessfully.

“I don’t do pleasure rides. Especially for backstabbing mercenaries,” Windward said, glaring at a fed-up Jackpot.

“Please, we’ll pay you! You can’t just strand us here!”

Windward noticed Starlight’s anxiousness, and began to feel sympathy. He glanced at Jackpot, then back at Starlight, trying to stay strong on his word.

“Look, I don’t know what this is about,” he said, calmer, “But you’re all going to have to find a different boat. Maybe somepony with less brain cells, who would trust this maniac.”

Starlight exhaled out her nose, defeated and frustrated. She turned with Dust to leave, while Jackpot stayed where he was, glaring at Windward, motionless, but clearly enraged. Windward stood his ground, glaring right back at Jackpot. Until, his eyes widened in shock, while Jackpot remained completely oblivious.

“Holy sh-!!”

Suddenly, a blast of fiery-hot energy hit the ground right behind Jackpot, throwing him into the boat. Windward watched as the smoke cleared, an entourage of ponies approaching the boat from several yards away. Starlight and Dust immediately rushed back to the boat, frantically.

“Jackpot!” Dust yelled, leaping into the boat beside him. He was groaning in pain, his fur blackened and burned. Starlight stayed where she was on the dock, while Windward stayed frozen, glancing rapidly back and forth between the wounded Jackpot and the approaching group of ponies.

There were six ponies walking towards them, five male, and one female. The female was the only unicorn, and the one responsible for the blast. She had bright red fur and a dark red mane, that spiked up at the top and fell back behind her head. Her eyes were a serpentine green, and she was brandishing a sinister smile.

“Starlight Glimmer,” she said, her voice smooth and unnerving.

Starlight backed up slowly to the edge of the dock, while the six attackers approached her ever so slowly. She didn’t recognize any of them, but knew they weren’t here to make friends.

In the boat, Dust tried her best to resuscitate Jackpot, who was struggling to breathe. She pressed down on his chest, though Jackpot still found no breath. Starting to panic, she glanced up at a frozen Windward.

“Windward! Please! Help us!”

Windward made no movement, watching as the entourage of ponies kept coming closer. He was in a state of shock, and wasn’t sure if he wanted to involve himself in whatever was going on.

Starlight mustered up some courage and readied her horn. The ponies behind the unicorn were a mix of earth ponies and pegasi, wielding a variety of weapons, all looking rather hostile.

“You’re not hurting any of my friends,” Starlight said, commandingly. She was scared to death, but tried her best not to show it. Now more than ever, she had to be brave. The red unicorn simply smirked, seemingly unimpressed.

“And we won’t...Just... calm down, and come with us. We just want to talk to you, Starlight.”

Dust continued trying to give Jackpot CPR, still to no avail. She sat up, took a breath to put aside the embarrassment, and bent down, pressing her mouth against his and breathing in air. She did it three more times, until Jackpot eventually took a large gasp, panting heavily, his vision blurry and his whole body stinging. Dust smiled in relief, and looked back at Windward again, her eyes desperate and pleading. Still regaining his strength, Jackpot looked up to see Starlight standing off against their attackers. He turned to Windward, gritting his teeth in pain.

“Windward…” Jackpot said through rasped breaths.

Windward cursed under his breath, looked around, arguing with himself in his head, until he finally turned around and jumped up onto the second-floor deck, manning the wheel, turning the keys and flipping a few switches. The boat’s engine came to life, startling Starlight.

“Starlight! Come on!”

Starlight glanced back, giving the red unicorn enough time to fire another beam of magic towards her. Starlight turned around just in time, deflecting it to the ground and shooting a beam of fire at the floor, creating a flaming barrier between her and the ponies, who backed away before the fire could consume them.

Starlight jumped into the boat beside Dust and Jackpot, who was still gasping for breath. Windward looked back to see Starlight had made it, and began steering the boat forward. It took off at a rising speed, escaping the red unicorn and her band of thugs.

The red unicorn stepped past the dying flames and watched the boat escape. Despite her targets escaping, she considered this a victory. After months of searching, they had finally found Starlight Glimmer.

As the boat cruised along the icy water, the trio remained together in the back, while Windward was in the second-floor deck, steering the boat into the open sea.

The cool wind blasted against their faces as the boat sped through the dark blue waters. Jackpot eventually sat up, finally feeling alive again. He groaned, cracked his jaw, and smiled.

“Dust, you saved me…”

Dust said nothing, simply nodding as if it was nothing. She was partially traumatized from nearly losing one of her closest friends, and needed some time to relax.

Jackpot’s smile only grew in response to her silence.

“You know, Dust...the second time you did that mouth to mouth thing...I was already awake. The third was just for fun,” he said, grinning like a schoolboy.

Dust glared at him with distaste, but eventually smiled too, glad they were all alive and safe. Starlight, meanwhile, was even more shook up than before.

“Jackpot, are you okay?” Starlight asked, feeling especially guilty for nearly getting one of her friends killed. .

“Got toasted a little, but that’s nothing too bad...I think they missed me,” he said, smiling, trying his best to lighten the mood.

“I can’t believe I brought you into this,” said Starlight, regretfully.

“Starlight, look...the way I see it, whoever those bastards are, they were gonna find you here, even if me and...my angelic savior over there didn’t know you. We just happened to be your friends is all...shitty things happen to good ponies. And right now is a shitty thing, ain’t it. But the thing is, you’re not alone. Friends are most useful in the shitty times, right? We’re with you, and see, even if they kill us, at least they’ll kill us together.”

Starlight and Dust stared at him.

“That was...strangely comforting.”

Jackpot smiled, and then glanced over at Windward from the upper deck.

“Windward!”

At first, Jackpot believed he hadn’t been heard, as Windward neglected to answer him for a few moments.

“What?!” he yelled, over the raging blast of the boat’s engine and the crashing of waves underneath the boat’s hull.

“Thank you!” Jackpot yelled back, relieved that they had made it out.

“Yeah yeah….” Windward muttered.

Starlight leaned back against a leather chair dumped in the back of the boat, looking at her exhausted friends. In the middle of this chaos, she found the briefest of comforts in the very presence of her friends.

Twilight and her group of ponies had set off from Jonagold’s town in the afternoon, braving the blazing desert. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like days. The sun began to set, walking across the sky until it touched the edge of the horizon. Nopony knew exactly where they were headed. This place, the Den of Thieves, was a mystery to all of them, and certainly seemed to have an inhospitable reputation.

At last, Applejack spotted some sort of civilization, miles away in the middle of the desert. She cheered out in relief, the other carriage pullers all weakly joining in. During the journey, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy felt obligated to switch off to give some of the others a break, as the trek was perilous and exhaustive.

Twilight ordered Applejack to stop the carriage where it was, miles away from the outpost. She exited the carriage, and called everypony together.

“Alright, I’m going to need three ponies to come with me. We’ll walk there on hoof. Everypony else, stay here with the carriage. You’ll all be safe from this distance,” Twilight said.

“Twilight, didn’t you hear my cousin? Those creatures in there aren’t friends of ours. They see you, and we’re bound to get into trouble,” Applejack said.

“We’re bound to get into trouble with or without me. I want to handle this myself,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, and who’s gonna mess with an alicorn princess?” Pinkie asked rhetorically. Applejack tilted her head to the side, hesitant to risk Twilight’s safety.

“Fine. I’ll come with you,” she said.

“And me! I love meeting new ponies!” Pinkie said, excitedly.

“You won’t like these ponies, I think,” Applejack muttered, heeding her cousin’s warning.

“Anypony else?” Twilight asked.

“Hardball, go with them,” Shining Armor commanded, glancing at one of the soldier ponies. Hardball, a grey stallion with curly black hair and brown eyes, simply nodded, standing alongside Applejack and Pinkie.

“Great. The sun’s setting, we should go...if we’re not back in...let’s say thirty minutes...something’s gone wrong,” Twilight said.

The others all nodded, understanding the danger. Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Hardball all gathered what belongings they needed and set off again into the desert, heading towards the distant outpost.

Entering the dusty road that separated the hovels, small shacks and stores, the foursome immediately drew attention to themselves. Ponies, dragons, Diamond Dogs, and all sorts of rough looking creatures eyed them up and down. While the other three began to grow wary of all the beady eyes glaring at them as they trotted down the road, Twilight remained undeterred. She recalled Jonagold’s description, focusing only on that.

Red dragon.

Most of the creatures here were dull in color, which gave Twilight hope that this dragon would stand out more.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” said a grimy voice, belonging to a pony, who was stomping out of a poorly-constructed wooden house. The pony’s face was warped with anger, and then dropped in fear.

“An alicorn?!” he said, jumping back, putting himself in a defensive position. The other townsfolk were drawing in around them, surrounding the ponies. They snarled and grimaced at the ponies, trying to frighten them. Twilight, still, was completely unphased.

“An alicorn princess on our doorstep...you can’t count on taking any one of us in without a fight,” the stallion bellowed, clearly frightened by Twilight’s presence.

“We’re here for one. A red dragon.”

The horse glanced around at the townsfolk. Twilight reasoned he was the closest thing to the leader in this outpost town. He was a large stallion, with thick mutton chops and a creased face. He was sweating with nervousness, glaring at Twilight, unsure what exactly she wanted.

“A red dragon? By what name?”

“I’ve told you all I know. Is he here?” Twilight asked, emotionlessly.

The stallion fidgeted, again glancing at the crowd for support.

“Why is it you want him?” the stallion asked.

“That’s not your concern, is it?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes. If it meant getting to find and kill Chrysalis, Twilight would mow down every one of these low-lives with little hesitation. The stallion seemed to understand that, as his breath grew tighter and faster. He nodded, understanding there was little any of them could do to stop her.

“You aren’t to make a mess here,” the stallion warned.

“Where is he?” Twilight asked again, becoming impatient.

“Last time I’ve seen a red dragon was in that tavern, right over there,” the stallion answered with a shaky voice, pointing over to the other side of town. Twilight turned around to see where he was pointing, turned back, and nodded. Wordlessly, she turned and led the other three through the nervous crowd of crooks and hoodlums, who made way. They clumped back together, finding safety in numbers.

Approaching the tavern, Twilight stopped, and turned to the others. She looked back at the crowd, which was still right where they had left them, standing around, hoping that the ponies would leave as soon possible.

“Hardball, stay outside and don’t let any creature enter. Applejack, Pinkie, stay close to me, and let me do the talking,” Twilight told the others, who all nodded. Pinkie was regretting coming along on this one.

Twilight pushed the doors open, entering the dusty old tavern. She was taken aback, as seemingly no creature was left inside.

“Your highness,” said a dark voice from a shadowy corner in the far right, “You’ve found me.”

Twilight stepped in front of the others protectively, and approached the dragon. He leaned in from the shadows, revealing his leathery snout and furious red eyes. He was Sawtooth the dragon, who had stayed behind in the tavern when every other creature fled outside.

Twilight had a menacing look on her face, looking forward to getting a bit closer to Chrysalis.

“You know why we’re here then,”

“Hardly,” the dragon said, coyly.

Twilight stared at the dragon, who was smugly playing dumb.

“Why make this difficult on yourself?” Twilight asked, “We don’t care about you, you know who we want.”

“Who? Oh, that’s right. Your failed student. Running amuck and causing trouble. How many ponies dead now? Over eight hundred?” the dragon said, flashing a pointy-toothed grin.
Twilight exhaled deeply, angrily and unwilling to put up with games.

“Do you think I’m stupid? I know Chrysalis is behind this, and I know you’re helping her!” Twilight said, marching a few steps closer to the dragon, who sat up, caught off guard by Twilight’s intense demeanor.

“Your highness, you mistake me for some sort of fool. You have absolutely no proof of anything. More than likely, I simply fit a description. Which really isn’t enough to incriminate me. Am I right?”

Applejack glanced at Pinkie, both beginning to waver on Sawtooth’s guiltiness.

Twilight never broke her intensity, even for a second. Her horn glowed a bright purple, and Sawtooth stood at his feet.

“Don’t you dare, your highness! I’ve done no wrong!”

“Twilight!” Pinkie yelled in surprise, as Twilight inched closer to the dragon, who was backing up into his corner.

“Here’s my first and final offer...you’re going to tell me where Chrysalis is heading, and I’ll leave you here, free and unharmed.”

Sawtooth scoffed, preparing himself for a fight.

“And if I refuse?”

“You even think about trying to attack me, it’ll all be over for you. Who do you think Celestia is going to side with, you or me? There’s no point in trying to hide, or fight. I’ve got you, right here. Right now. So if you value your quality of life, tell me the truth. Where is she going?” Twilight said, her words smooth and venomous.

Sawtooth relaxed his posture, and lowered his head.

“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” he said, refusing to even make eye contact. The other two ponies both glanced at Twilight, worried about her temper increasing. Surprisingly, Twilight seemed more relaxed, content even. A small smile forced its way onto her face.

“Have it your way.”

Without warning, Twilight’s horn ignited a bright purple, and a blast of magic sprang out in the form of a beam, slicing directly through Sawtooth’s left arm. The arm fell right off from the stump, landing on the ground with a loud thump. Sawtooth howled in pain, grabbing at his burning, bleeding wound and collapsing to the ground. Applejack and Pinkie stared, shocked and horrified at Twilight’s actions.

Twilight said nothing while Sawtooth carried on, howling and crying his heart out.

“You psychotic bitch!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, as her horn glowed bright purple once again. The dragon cowered in fear, shielding his other arm with his body.

“Wait! For the love of-Wait!!! She went into the desert! Chrysalis! She went east! Looking for a….for a tomb! An old tomb!” he wailed, begging for his life.

Twilight’s horn dulled, and she glanced back at the other two, tilting her head, as if to say ‘I told you so’ for being correct about Chrysalis’ identity.

“Why is she heading there?” Twilight asked.

“An...an ancient power….she’s after it...you weren’t supposed to find me….she’s...she’s gonna kill you, I swear…” Sawtooth groaned and then passed out from a combination of blood loss and shock. In a matter of minutes, Twilight had got what she came for. She turned and walked back to the others, who were slightly disgusted, yet impressed with Twilight’s efficiency. None of them said anything to each other.

“What the hell happened in there? I heard screaming,” Hardball said, immediately after the ponies exited the tavern

“We’re finished. Let’s go,” Twilight muttered, eyeing down the disgruntled crowd of creatures.

As the foursome walked back to the carriage, Twilight smiled to herself. At last, Chrysalis would finally get what was coming to her.

Chapter Four: When the Whole World is Quiet

Crawling her way through sand and rock, Queen Chrysalis was beginning to think that her journey had all been for nothing. She had traveled all day yesterday, leaving her heavily dehydrated and disoriented from the heat. And to make things worse, she found herself almost frozen to death once the sun went down. Desert nights were far colder than she had imagined.

Now it was morning, and Chrysalis continued, her tongue hanging out, as she panted like a dog. Every step in the hot, coarse sand was agonizing. She considered giving up, forgoing her Starlight Glimmer disguise and flying away back to civilization.

It will all be worth it.

She stopped moving, closing her eyes, meditating, trying to calm herself down and focus. Then, as she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of something shining in the distance, beneath the small cliff she was standing on. It was just for a second, and then it seemed to have disappeared. Chrysalis wondered if she was hallucinating, but was almost certain she had seen something. She was a lone pony in a vast expanse of red rock, yellow sand, and a cloudless blue sky. Deciding it couldn’t hurt to try, she took a deep inhale and continued walking forward, towards where she had seen the light.

Halfway there, she saw the object again, reflecting a brilliant white light from the sun, again only for a moment. Invigorated, Chrysalis broke into a sweaty jog, galloping towards the object.

When she reached the spot, her heart fell with disappointment. Nothing but more sand. Perhaps it was just her imagination.

Or maybe not, as after giving an exasperated sigh of hopelessness, she turned around to head back to the spot she had come, and then stopped, as she felt the ground beneath her hooves shudder, as if a miniature earthquake was rumbling underneath her hooves. She jumped out of the way to solid ground, as the spot she had been standing collapsed in on itself, dirt and rock crashing into a large pit that led beneath the earth. Chrysalis felt herself to make sure she wasn’t injured, and, after the dust had settled, she stood back up, and approached the pit. She smiled with delight, as she noticed a staircase, carved into the rock, leading into the mysterious black pit. Her horn produced an immaculate white light, which guided her way down the steps, cautiously for more falling debris.

She silently crept down the stairs, until she at last reached the bottom. It had to be at least ten yards below the ground. Dirt and broken rocks from above were all over the floor, and there were still drizzles of sand spilling from the hole, that coated Chrysalis as she walked beneath them. Curious, she started exploring the strange subterranean lair. Her light grew brighter, and she saw the four distinct walls that surrounded her. The withered stone and unreadable carved text on the walls tolds her this place must’ve been carved by ancient ponies. She got a closer look, studying the strange old inscriptions carved into the rock.

“Step into the dark, traveler.”

Chrysalis spun around, her horn glowing a furious green. Her eyes darted around the room, but she saw nopony.

“You have nothing to fear. Come, step into the dark,” said the voice. It was a mare’s voice, warm and gentle. And yet, Chrysalis was still hardened and on the defensive.

After a brief bit of silent hesitation, Chrysalis loosened up, her horn dimming, though just slightly.

“Who are you?” she called out, commandingly, into the dark. She glanced around the room, desperately trying to locate the source of the voice, which had seemed to be coming from all directions.

“The important question is who are you...you, who must have traveled so far. Why have you come here?” the voice asked.

“It seems you already know...the artifact, where is it?” Chrysalis spat, seeing no purpose in pleasantries.

“So hasty? You must practice patience, traveler. The artifact you speak of is not here,” the voice said, almost condescendingly.

Chrysalis stammered, shocked to hear this major let-down.

“But...it was supposed to be here! I nearly died to get to this place!”

“Worry not, it may yet be yours...This was but your first test, the first of three, of which all must be completed before the artifact may be revealed.”

Chrysalis' mouth hung open, outraged.

“Well then? What is this test?!”

“You have already passed it. The ponies of the old days, my kind, foretold that only the pony who is willing to persevere against great odds may attain the great power that the artifact possesses. Your perseverance, through the desert above, has brought you here. When you could have turned back, you did not. For this, you have passed.”

Although Chrysalis was annoyed she couldn’t get what she had suffered for, she did feel slightly relieved, that at least she was one down, two to go.

“Now answer me, who are you? A spirit?” Chrysalis asked.

“I am the guide. My kind has long left the world, and I am but all that remains. Only in words and guidance, our legacy carries on. The wielder of the artifact holds the power of a hundred generations. Through me, traveler, you may yet achieve it.”

Chrysalis nodded, ready for whatever task came next.

“Well then, what am I to do next?”

“The next trial, you will find in the Forbidden Forest, in the East. You will find me there, once more.”

Chrysalis nodded again, and turned to leave, back up the staircase.

“Traveler, must you leave without telling me your name? It is a great honor, for anypony to have made the journey so many have failed,” the voice said.

After making it three steps up the staircase, Chrysalis turned back, smirking.

“Starlight. Starlight Glimmer.”

While Chrysalis was investigating the ancient tomb, Twilight and company were en route to the same location, currently miles away in the endless desert.

Twilight had forced the others to let her take a turn pulling the mighty carriage, insisting she share the burden. Everypony could sense something was off about her, though none of them were brave enough to say anything. They were all miserably sweaty and dizzy, as they pushed through the inhospitable desert.

“We’ve got to stop,” muttered Rainbow to Applejack, the two of them at the front of the carriage pullers. Applejack glanced at her, trying to stay focused on pulling the unbelievably heavy carriage.

“Twilight said no stops.”

“We’ve been…” Rainbow began, pausing to grunt in pain as she heaved on her line, “...going all day! We need to rest!”

Applejack said nothing. She felt the same way, but really didn’t want to have to be the one to tell Twilight.

“Fine, you tell her then,” Applejack muttered.

“Let’s tell her together,” Rainbow said, more or less unaware of Twilight's delicate psychological state. Applejack, realizing Rainbow might set Twilight off with her brash antics, decided it would be best if she did intervene. She nodded at Rainbow, and the two of them stopped. Behind them, the other carriage pullers all stopped immediately, having been waiting for a break for hours. Twilight, halfway down on the right side, stopped too, confused.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, aggressively. She was just as sweaty and exhausted as the others, though she didn’t care. Chrysalis was within her grasp, and she knew it.

Rainbow undid her harness, as did Applejack, the two of them walking across the hot sand back to Twilight.

“Twilight, I think we could all use a quick break,” Applejack said, nervously.

Twilight only stared at Applejack, blankly, as if the earth pony had lost her mind. .

“There’s no time. We can’t let her get away…” Twilight said, passionately.

Applejack glanced over at Rainbow, hopelessly. Rainbow rolled her eyes and stepped between them.

“Twilight, seriously, we haven’t stopped once all day! We’re not going to make it anywhere if we don’t have enough strength. And if we do find Starlight, or Chrysalis, or whoever...and we have to fight, do you really want us to be in this kind of shape?”

Twilight hated to have to concede, though Rainbow had successfully persuaded her.

“Fine. Fifteen minutes,” Twilight said, dully. Rainbow smiled, and immediately trotted over to a shady undercliff, for a quick nap.

Applejack stayed with Twilight as the others all undid their harnesses and fled to get water, or rest in whatever small bits of shade they could find. Twilight was consumed with hatred, it was visible on her face.

“Twilight uh...I think we should talk,” Applejack said, concerned for her friend.

Twilight made no response.

“It’s just...look, I know this is probably all...personal for you, but...you can’t lose sight of who you are...Twilight?”

Applejack noticed Twilight was barely listening. She was only focused on one thing, and that was finding Chrysalis. Applejack accepted she’d have no luck trying to talk to her, and sighed, joining Pinkie and Fluttershy a few yards away, all of them concerned about Twilight’s well-being.

Aboard the Winter’s Glory, a small fishing boat owned by a persnickety blue earth pony named Windward, was Starlight Glimmer, lying on an uncomfortable leather chair dumped in the back of the boat. There was little space for anypony to sit in, as the boat was packed to the brim with old boxes of equipment. Dust Bunny was sitting on a bench attached to the left side of the boat, while Jackpot was leaning against a crate of rusty gear on the floor. Windward, meanwhile, was up on the second-floor deck, steering the boat. Starlight closed her eyes every now and then, the cool ocean breeze relaxing her body as the boat sped along the ocean waves. The sun was beginning to set, hidden behind the dark grey sky, rays of orange and yellow striking the ice-cold waters. Beads of salt water that flew up from the rushing waves coated each pony. They could taste the salt.

They were far away from any sort of civilization by now, though Windward hadn’t stopped driving the boat forward, into the open sea, as if they were still on the run. Starlight glanced at her friends, both exhausted. Jackpot’s coat was flayed and blackened as a result of his attack. He seemed not to be affected, though by the looks of his injuries, it had to hurt. For Jackpot’s near death experience, Starlight felt especially guilty. Nopony had said anything to each other for the past couple hours. Until, Starlight couldn’t take it anymore, consumed by her emotions.

“You must hate me now,” she said, loud and sudden enough to startle the other two. There was a brief period of silence, filled only by the loud engine of the boat and the splashing of waves as it bounced along.

“I drag you both into this, and...and Jackpot almost gets killed, and….I’m sorry...I really thought things would be different now, that I wouldn’t have to deal with all this…”

Jackpot shook his head, frustrated by Starlight’s self-deprecation.

“If we hated you, we would’ve turned this boat around, handed you over, and been done with it…And trust me, if it was any other bloke those rat-fucking nutjobs were after, I would do just that. But I know you, Glimmer. And you don’t deserve that. You ain’t got nobody but us to see you through this now, right? So quit bitching about us, it’s you you should be worried about. Them ponies are after you, not us, right?”

“Jackpot!” Dust snapped, annoyed at his insensitivity.

“No, he’s right…” Starlight muttered. She realized she had been so worried about her friends, she almost forgot to be concerned for her own safety.

Dust watched Starlight hang her head in hopelessness. She sympathized with her friend, though she couldn’t deny she was scared to death of the possibility of death as a result of this madness.

“I hope my parents will be alright while I’m gone….” she said, forlornly.

After a brief pause, Jackpot scoffed.

“What, they can’t handle their precious little filly leaving town for the first time since...ever?” Jackpot said. Dust frowned at him, offended on her parents’ behalf. She noticed Starlight’s wide-eyed gaze, and realized the mention of her parents only added to Starlight’s list of worries. Dust regretted bringing it up, and took a deep breath. She started talking, just to fill the uncomfortable silence.

“No...they just...care about me, is all. I’d always...When I was a filly, and the school teacher would ask us, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up,’ I’d always say, ‘I want to be a scientist.’ I wanted to be an adult, with responsibilities. To be respected, and have lots of money, and fancy degrees, all that. And my parents, they hear me talking about all this, and they don’t get it. They’re not rich, they’re just run of the mill, normal ponies, who work as hard as anypony. They thought what I wanted was...unrealistic, that I was shooting too high. But I really wanted it. I put the effort in at school, and at some point I finally won them over. They helped me as much as they could to put me through university, not because of what they wanted, but because of what I wanted. Indulging their entitled brat, I guess,” Dust said, hurting her own feelings. “Four years, I had done it, masters in geophysics. I was set, except for the debts. And then my parents retired, and I had to take care of them, and...my dreams kept getting postponed. And then I end up just a stupid maid to the biggest asshole in town. Mom and Dad never said they were disappointed, but I mean, I could tell. I let them down. They built me up to be something great, and I let them down. They need me. They took care of me, and now it’s my turn to take care of them. And maybe, one day, I’ll finally make them proud. Make all the effort they put in worth it. I don’t know...this is probably way more stressful for you than it is for either of us, Starlight. I just...I hope those ponies don’t go after them, my parents…if I never get that chance, to show them their little filly turned into a success after all, I… she trailed off, unsure what to even make of such a terrible scenario.

Starlight felt like crying, seeing how much of a toll this situation has taken on her friend.

“I won’t let that happen...everything’s gonna be fine…” she said, though she didn’t believe her own words. Now that those ponies had found her, she wasn’t sure she could ever return to town. She considered going to Twilight to help, but knew she had to figure this out on her own.

Dust laid back on her bench, thinking about the possibility she may never return home.

Jackpot chewed on his tongue, glancing back and forth between the two mares, annoyed with their relentless worrying.

“A boat carrying red paint.”

The other two both paused, raised their heads, and looked at him, absolutely clueless as to what the hell he was talking about.

“What?” Dust asked.

“A boat carrying red paint, crashes into a boat carrying blue paint.”

The other two kept staring at him, waiting for him to start making sense.

“The crew was marooned.”

Jackpot chuckled to himself, while the other two remained thrown for a loop.

“Cause red and blue makes maroon,” Jackpot said, annoyed they didn’t get his attempt at a joke.

“No, I got it. It was just terrible,” Dust said, Starlight laughing in agreement.

“And I suppose you could do better then?” Jackpot said with a smile, trying his best to raise their spirits. Dust smiled and gave in, sitting up, nearly losing her balance as the boat jerkily sped along the ocean waves.

“Does it have to be boat-related?”

“Well, duh.” Jackpot said, smirking.

“Okay, um…...oh, I know, ok, I heard this from one of the White Harbor sailors, at the Captain’s Daughter a few weeks ago...I don’t know if I remember the whole thing...ok, there’s a thirsty sailor, right, and he walks into a bar…”

“Classic set up,” Jackpot said, approvingly.

“And he runs up to the bartender and says, ‘twenty shots of your best cider! Quick!’ And the bartender pours ‘em, and the sailor drinks them all as fast as he can. The bartender, he’s impressed and he says…’I’ve never seen anypony drink that fast!’ and the sailor says...shoot, he uh….oh, he says ‘you’d drink fast too if you had what I have!’ And the bartender asks, ‘What is it? What do you have?’ and the sailor responds…‘an empty wallet.’”

Starlight chuckled slightly, while Jackpot’s wide smile grew even wider.

“Alright, you've outdone me.”

Dust eyed, him, understanding his intention, and smiled, appreciative. She sat back on the bench and let the ocean breeze blow her mane back. She closed her eyes, trying to relax.

Starlight watched both of her friends try and rest their eyes. She promised herself, right then and there, not to let anything happen to them. She couldn’t go through the guilt, and she knew it. She nodded to herself, her eyes drawn to the endless blue ocean, stained yellow by the sun. A few rain droplets fell down on the boat from the dark clouds above. Starlight wondered how she could get out of this, if it was ever possible to truly escape the repercussions of the past. Above all else, she knew she had a responsibility to protect her friends, no matter what.

Twilight struggled to stay awake, trying her best to appear unaffected by the relentless desert conditions. It was late afternoon, and they had only stopped once. The other ponies had all collectively reached the verdict that the dragon at the Den of Thieves must have been lying about Chrysalis’ whereabouts, and this was simply an effort made to distract and/or weaken them. Twilight, however, wasn’t planning on turning back until they found her.

Then, while the others had their eyes cast down at the sand, tugging on the carriage, Twilight looked up, past the orange cliffs ahead, taking in the view of the sandy void. But, peculiarly, something caught her eye. A white, glimmering light, on the horizon. It was only there for a second, but she could’ve sworn it was real.

“Everypony stop!”

The others all struggled to a halt, Rarity collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. Rainbow, who was right behind Twilight, and didn’t think there was any point in going any further, glared at the princess, bitterly.

“What?” Rainbow spat.

Twilight ignored Rainbow’s resentful tone, and pointed to the spot where she had seen the light.

“I saw something...over there…”

Rainbow turned back at Fluttershy, who was right behind her, the two of them both unconvinced.

“Leave the carriage here. Cadance, Applejack, Rainbow, Shining Armor, you come with me. The rest of you, stay here,” Twilight commanded. Shining Armor turned to his worn-out troops, bringing just two of them with the Princesses, Rainbow, and Applejack.

The seven ponies gathered what little belongings they needed, and followed a determined Twilight deeper into the desert, towards the mysterious disappearing light.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, Twilight brought the group to a halt, at the very spot where she saw the light. She had only seen it once, and began to doubt herself, wondering if the desert truly had warped her mind. She waited, but nothing came. Right as she was about to turn to apologize to the others, they all felt the ground shake.

“Twilight! Look out!” yelled Cadance.

As the ground beneath them caved in on itself, Twilight took flight, shocked as to what was happening. Cadance, Rainbow, and one of the soldiers, who was a pegasus, all joined Twilight in the air, while the other three dove to solid ground. Twilight watched as a square, stone-carved entryway revealed itself beneath the rock and sand, a staircase leading from the ground level to the mysterious darkness below. After a minute, the square tomb was fully unveiled, the last bits of rock falling to the ground below. Twilight, after glancing at the others as if to prepare them for battle, slowly descended down the staircase, the other ponies following her in single file. Each unicorn’s horn glowed an ecstatic white, as they climbed down the ancient staircase.

Twilight reached the bottom, and got out of the way to make room for the others. Once they were all below, Twilight began walking around, admiring the ancient craftsmanship and architecture.

“Step into the dark, travelers.”

Twilight turned around from examining the markings on the wall, startled. It wasn’t Chrysalis’ voice, though she knew Chrysalis could be putting on a disguise. The voice was feminine, calm and focused.

Twilight stepped in front of the group, who huddled together in a defensive formation at the foot of the staircase. None of them could pinpoint the source of the voice, adding to their paranoia.

“Chrysalis! Show yourself!” Twilight yelled, enraged and ready to get this over with, her horn glowing a furious purple. They were met by a brief spout of silence, before the voice finally responded.

“I’m afraid this...Chrysalis you speak of is not here...”

“Then who are you?” Cadance asked, believing this to be one of Chrysalis’ famous tricks.

“Who I am matters less than who you are...and why you are here. Tell me, what have you come for?”

“We’re looking for a...a changeling. Queen Chrysalis. Whoever you are, have you seen her?” Cadance asked, taking the lead in favor of an emotionally charged Twilight.

The voice hesitated, clearly confused as to the meaning of these ponies’ visit.

“Few ponies of your time have ever discovered this place. And most curiously, you ponies aren’t the first to arrive here today.”

Twilight eyed Cadance, who raised her voice to speak.

“A pony’s already been here? Today?”

“Yes, in search of the treasure.”

“What treasure?” Twilight asked, trying to figure out what exactly Chrysalis was scheming about this time.

“The treasure of which this temple was built for...a sacred artifact of a bygone age...the Queen’s Jewel.”

“The Queen’s Jewel?!” Twilight yelled, out loud. The other ponies all had no idea what that was. Twilight noticed their confused glares, and decided to elaborate.

“It gives whoever owns it great power. Uncontestable power,” said Twilight.

“You travelers are not in search of this artifact, then?” the voice asked, disappointed.

“That pony, who came here to you, whoever you are, you can’t give it to her! She’ll use it for evil!”

“It is not within my power to give the artifact, nor can I take it away. I am simply the guide. It is the seeker who earns the artifact, through three great trials. One, the pony you seek has already passed. A test of perseverance.”

“Where has she gone?” Twilight stammered.

“To the second trial. A test of bravery.”

“Where?” Twilight asked, uninterested in the finer points of Chrysalis’ trials.

“To the Forbidden Jungle, in the east. And yet, this pony who came to me, did not call herself Chrysalis as you’ve said. No, she was called Starlight Glimmer.”
“She’s lying. It’s what she does best,” Twilight said, angrily.

“If you mean to stop this pony, travelers, you’d best waste no time,” the voice advised.

Twilight nodded, motioning for the others to leave. She came out from the tomb last, the bright sun that was stuck in the sky blinding her. She was bitter about having to wait even longer for her revenge, and yet, also afraid. Now that she knew what power Chrysalis sought, stopping her had become even more necessary.

Behind the dark, smoke-colored clouds, a full moon shone down on the ocean below, illuminating it, white light reflecting off of drifting chunks of ice.

In the darkened navy blue waters, which became more momentous as the night carried on, the Winter’s Glory came to a stop, right in line with the moon, in the middle of the sea. There was no sign of land in any direction; they were completely alone.

Windward climbed down the ladder and joined the others, dumping his lantern in the middle of the foursome, as if it was a campfire. The boat rocked back and forth on the waves, Windward having already thrown the anchor off of the front deck. He left the other ponies for a moment into his interior cabin, to fetch a thermos of whiskey. A few moments later, he popped back out of the darkness, like a ghost.

“Well, that’s it then for the night, no way anypony’s finding us out here,” Windward said, as he trotted back to the group and sat himself down on the floor in a heap, between Dust and Jackpot. “Now...you lot have some explaining to do, I think…” Windward said, eyeing the other three ponies like they were criminals.

Starlight wished she didn’t have to keep talking about it, but knew that she owed Windward the truth, considering he saved their lives.

“Those ponies, back at the dock. They want me dead,” Starlight said, bluntly.

Windward nodded, having guessed that already. He sipped at his thermos of whiskey, intrigued but also a bit frightened.

“Just you? If anypony, I’d assume it was him,” Windward said, nudging Jackpot, who groaned in pain at his prodded wounds.

“Just me. We just needed to get out of town for a little while…” Starlight said.

“And then what? They ain’t gonna be waiting for you when you get back?” Windward said.

Starlight didn’t know what to say. Leaving her new home behind would mean risking pulling herself into her old life even further, which meant even more danger. Yet, if she went back, she’d undoubtedly run into trouble again.

“I don’t know the area around here well enough...is there any place we can stay for a few days? Away from town?”

Windward sipped at a thermos again, and wiped his mouth, glancing at the warm glow of the lamp.

“Nopony’s surviving out in the wilderness, away from civilization. It’s a frozen wasteland in every direction. And if that’s not enough, see that?” he said, pointing with his hoof to the north, towards some distant storm clouds, that rumbled in the dark like a prehistoric beast.

“That storm’s coming south...you ain’t gonna make it outside for long,” he said again, hoping they’d come up with a better idea.

“What about south?” Dust asked. She’d never been out of town, and considered for a moment that maybe there were a few positives to this terrible situation, namely, getting to travel.

“Sure, Vanhoover, it’s only about-” Windward began.

“Not Vanhoover,” Starlight said, wary of large cities where she might run into ponies who would know her.

“What about Saddleopolis? It’s about halfway from here to Vanhoover…it’s small, but it might be good to lay low for a little while,” Jackpot said.

“Saddleopolis?!” Dust exclaimed, recognizing the name.

“You’ve never been there, Dust,” Jackpot said, spitefully.

“No,” she said with scorn, “But a friend of mine moved there a few years ago! She might be able to help us!”

Jackpot cracked a smile.

“A friend, huh? What’s her name?” he said, suggestively.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Dust muttered.

“Windward, can you take us there?” Starlight asked.

“Saddleopolis? Sure. If it means getting those lunatic ponies away from my boat, you got it,” Windward said.

“Okay, once we get there, I’ll find a way to get you two back to town,” Starlight said.

“What’s that supposed to mean, you’re ditching us?” Dust asked, feeling betrayed.

“I don’t want you two to get hurt! I’ve put you in enough danger already!”

“We’re not leaving you! You could get caught...or-or killed, or whatever those ponies want to do to you!”

“What about your parents, huh? Or your job?” Starlight asked, trying to get personal. Dust shook her head, seeing right through Starlight’s attempt.

“My parents will be fine without me for a while. They’ll worry about me, and dad might have to get off his ass a bit more often, but they’ll be fine. If I left you to fend for yourself, Starlight, I’d regret it forever,” Dust said, persistent.

Windward glanced between them, feeling the tension in the air. Jackpot raised his hoof with a new idea.

“You know, I’ve got friends too, Dust. In fact, I’ve got one very good friend in Vanhoover. Now I vote we head there, get some backup, and take these pricks head on. I mean, they nearly blew my head off. They’re definitely looking for a fight.”

“I don’t want to fight anypony,” Starlight said.

“We’ll stand a better chance that way, instead of being on the run for who-knows-how-long.”

“What you oughta do is alert the authorities, I’m sure they could handle this easily,” Windward said.

“Moron. When have the authorities ever done anything for the likes of us?” Jackpot spat, disgusted at the very notion.

Windward rolled his eyes.

“That, we can agree on. But still, you’re dealing with a pack of murderous delinquents, not bothersome shipping tax rates.”

“If the Royal Guard found me, they’d be after us too,” Starlight said.

Windward stared at her blankly.

“Well what the hell are you, public enemy number one?” he asked.

“Lately it seems that way,” Jackpot quipped.

“And what about me? Am I a target now too? Am I gonna get jumped in the streets, like a miscreant?”

“You are a miscreant, you slimy son of a bitch,” Jackpot muttered.

“What was that?!” Windward yelled.

“You’ll be fine, Windward. Just...maybe stay out of town for a little while,” Starlight said, cautiously.

Windward shook his head, wondering what he’s gotten himself mixed in with. He then struggled to stand up, doing so with a prolonged groan.

“Well, I’m going to bed. You three enjoy the luxuries of my vessel. Except you, Jackpot. I hope you have the most uncomfortable sleep you’ve ever had.”

“G’night, Windward,” Jackpot said, smiling.

Windward left them, taking the lantern with him to the enclosed room underneath the second-story deck, where his bed was.

The three ponies sat in the darkness, the waves pushing the boat back and forth, rocking them to sleep.

Dust was the first to fall asleep, and then Starlight. Jackpot, however, perhaps due to Windward’s curse, found himself unable to rest. He got up, climbing along the railing that surrounded the exterior, and plopped down at the very end of the bow, his legs hanging off the edge. He leaned against the railing, gazing at the dark waters, and then at the distant storm, which blew a cool jet of air through his curly hair. The clouds above had the boat had moved along, and the sky was a clear black, lit up by a collage of interstellar bodies. He saw far-away streaks of lightning beneath the storm on the horizon. He wasn’t sure why, but on that boat, in the middle of the sea, beneath an interstellar painting, far away from a tumultuous cataclysm of rain and lightning, he felt a strange sense of peace.

“Can’t sleep?”

Jackpot, startled, turned to see Starlight crawling beside him, a tired smile on her face. He nodded, enjoying the ambience of nighttime ocean waters. Starlight lay down next to him, shuddering as her back touched the wet deck of the boat. She stared up at the stars, which dotted the black night sky in a collection of spectacular light. She relaxed, just staring up and enjoying the beauty of the sky. Jackpot noticed what she was doing, and lied down next to her, staring up at the same sky. He propped one leg up, and smiled, recognizing the beauty. For a few minutes, they were quiet, blissful in a state of admiration.

“When I was little...I loved the stars. They were special to me, like I owned each one of them. There were some days when...I felt like I just couldn’t take it anymore...Being at home, I mean. Mom...and Dad, they just....they just never stopped. They always had something to be mad about. Like they liked being angry at each other. I’d listen sometimes, and usually I didn’t even understand what it was about, but every time it sounded like it was the breaking point. Like it couldn’t get any worse. And sometimes I would just leave….for anywhere else. Far away. When no one would know I was gone, at night. Because at night, the whole world is quiet. It was like this, right now...just peaceful. Nothing else to it. Just you and the stars. When I looked up there, I could forget about all my problems...my parents….that I...that I wasn’t good enough...all that, I could ignore, just for a little while. And only then, would I really feel happy…” Starlight said, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She sighed, relaxing her body even more, desperately trying to feel that same happiness in the current moment.

Jackpot was looking at her as she continued staring upwards. He hesitated to say anything in response, as he rarely ever opened up about anything. He took a breath to prepare himself.

“Who told you that you weren’t good enough?” Jackpot said, softly, in contrast to his usual demeanor. That statement struck a nerve with him. Starlight smiled, a smile that quickly faded away, replaced by a tidal wave of emotion. She didn’t quite know how to answer. All she knew was that thinking about it made her want to cry.

“My whole life, I wanted to believe I was special. But nopony ever thought so. I got rejected from Celestia’ school, more than once, I got my cutie mark late...nopony ever wanted me to be my friend...I just assumed it was me who was the problem. So I tried, extra hard, to be the best. I studied hard, and when I finally made it, I used all that power for evil...Taking advantage of ponies, I nearly destroyed Equestria! All because I thought I’d be happy...but I wasn’t...and then I met Twilight Sparkle. You ever meet somepony who just...changes your whole world? Or at least you think so? That’s how I felt with Twilight. I thought, maybe, somepony actually liked me for who I was...but it was just the same old story. Her, and her friends, and everypony in Ponyville...I could tell, they looked at me like I was some sort of stranger. An enemy. A dangerous outsider. And that’s when I knew...that my mistakes would follow me wherever I go. That maybe Starlight Glimmer was just one big mistake. One big failure.So I tried to start my life over. And maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do, but...it made me just a little bit happier. I thought, nopony will ever be hurt because of me again, but now look. It’s all happening again. And this time I’ve got nowhere left to run away to.”

Starlight couldn’t help it as a few tears strolled down her cheeks.

“Failure…” Jackpot muttered, taken aback by everything Starlight had just laid on him.

“You’re no failure, Glimmer. Far from it. You’re one of the good ones, I could tell, the first time I met you,” he said, laughing as he recalled their first meeting, “You stepped in for a drink, and I said to my buddy, ‘Do you see that unicorn?’” he said, putting on an exaggerated imitation of his voice. Starlight smiled, and Jackpot noticed it, continuing. “Here, at the edge of the world, we don’t get many ponies like you. I thought to myself, this one’s special. Wasn’t sure why, but I knew it. You’ve got more to live for than I do, and that’s a fact…” Jackpot said.

Starlight kept looking up, trying to calm herself down.

“I’m just...tired...of trying so hard to be good…” Starlight sighed, exasperated, “You don’t get it...I am a failure. Since the start. And I thought I could run away, like that would change anything…I just...I just wish I was good.”

Jackpot chuckled to himself.

“Maybe I don’t get it. But here’s what I do know. You don’t need me, or anypony else, to tell you you’re a good pony or not. You can’t let anypony make you feel like you ain’t worth something. Everypony’s worth something. It’s like...it’s like those stars...up there, right? They’re each special, and made just the right way, each worth something...And you, Starlight, you’re one of the brightest ones.”

Starlight turned her head to look at him, into his tired, hopeful eyes. She cracked a smile, leaned in suddenly, and planted a kiss, right on his unexpecting mouth.

“That was the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard,” she said, laughing, lying back down. Jackpot stayed where he was, in a state of shock, feeling his face with his hoof. He lied back down slowly, the boat rocking them to sleep beneath the stars.

Chapter Five: A Friend In Need

Bright and early in the morning, Starlight Glimmer’s pleasant sleep was rudely interrupted, when the seafaring grouch Windward shook her awake with his coarse hooves. She blinked her eyes open, confused and disoriented. The sky above her was darker than she expected it to be, the storm from last night now nearly on top of them. The clouds sprinkled a light mist down on them, so subtle that Starlight didn’t even notice it for a few seconds.

“If we’re going to Saddleopolis, we’d best go now,” Windward explained, as he stepped over her to begin reeling in the anchor. She got to her hooves, and immediately nearly lost her balance. The boat was being flung back and forth, both by the stormy winds and the restless waves beneath them.

She stumbled back around to the back of the boat, where she found Dust Bunny and Jackpot, both eating some fruit from Windward’s supply.

“Morning,” said Dust, barely awake.

Starlight sat down beside them, and met Jackpot’s longing look. She recalled what they had done last night, and blushed, a mixture of excitement and regret swirling around inside her. Dust, however, was completely oblivious, chewing on an apple, wondering why they were looking at each other like that.

The trio’s attention was diverted by Windward, rushing around the railing and up the ladder to the deck, muttering a thousand curses.

“Damn you! We won’t make it out in time!” Windward yelled, enraged at the pressure of having to outrun a storm.

“That’s the spirit, Windward,” Jackpot called out, grinning.

The boat’s engine sprang to life, just as the light drizzle escalated to a substantial rain. Windward gritted his teeth and began steering the boat, southward.

Then they were off, rushing past the raging blue waters and away from the fast-moving storm.

As Windward steered the boat south, away from the roaring storm behind them, Starlight lay on the same chair she was in yesterday, nestling herself into the worn-out cushions. She watched as the boat sped away from the seaborne storm, the sky becoming a slightly lighter shade of grey the farther they went. She wondered if they would ever be truly safe again, wondered if she’ll ever feel the same as she used to. For some reason, something Jackpot had said last night made an impact on her. Now, strangely, she actually felt like she was worth something. She wanted to laugh at herself, for all the regretful decisions she’s made, and thought to herself, that she should just go find Twilight, and apologize, and maybe she can at last move on. The idea of a happy reunion was comforting, though before she could do that, she had to deal with whoever these dreadful ponies were who were chasing them.

Jackpot finished off the last apple in Windward’s seawater-smelling box of fruits, and laid back against the side railing of the boat, producing a cartoonishly exaggerated yawn.

“So, you’ve got a friend,” Jackpot said, eyeing Dust, who was still feeling drowsy. She nodded, softly.

“When I was a kid, we were friends...she ran away from town a long time ago, said she was heading to Saddleopolis. Hopefully, she’s still there to help us out,” Dust explained. Then her face became strained with fear, as she thought more and more about their uncertain future.

“This place...will we be safe there?” she asked.

Jackpot shrugged, carelessly.

“It’s no different from any other lousy city. And I don’t know how those ponies would know to follow us there. But if things go south, remember, we’ve always got Vanhoover…”

“If they’re following us, they’d probably go to Vanhoover first. It’s a bigger city,” Starlight countered.

“Maybe so, but it just so happens that my friend is in Vanhoover, and-”

“I already told you, I don’t want to fight them,” Starlight said, sternly.

Jackpot didn’t want to argue with her, but it was clear he disagreed. To both of their surprise, it was Dust who tagged in on Jackpot’s behalf.

“Starlight, they nearly killed Jackpot...I mean...if worst comes to worst…”

Starlight simply shook her head.

“I’m not hurting anypony.” she said, refusing to give in.

“Well what if they try and kill us again? Neither of us can do much against a unicorn, Starlight,” Dust said.

“That’s not true, my friend in Vanhoover, see, he knows a neat little trick, to-”

“If I have to protect us, I will. But I’m not starting any fights,” Starlight said.

That seemed to be enough to satisfy the other two.

Starlight sat back in her chair, and hoped that she wouldn’t have to fight anypony at all. Still, those ponies, whoever they were, were definitely capable of violence. She dreaded the idea of having to fight, but dreaded losing a friend even more.

By the time the seaside city of Saddleopolis was within view, it was the middle of the afternoon. Windward was absolutely ecstatic to have beaten the storm, while Dust was more than a little nervous about entering foreign territory for the first time.

The Winter’s Glory found a place for itself to dock, beside several other comparatively more impressive vessels. Windward spat into the sea, seeing his humble ship as a hundred times more capable than any fancy boat Saddleopolis had.

The trio gathered their things, and stepped onto the dock, intimidated by the high-rising buildings and rambunctious ambience of city life.

Windward exited the boat and joined them, his breath salty and his hair wild from the ocean wind.

“I guess I’ll see you off here,” he said, gruffly.

“Thank you for everything,” Starlight said, earnestly, surprising the crusty Windward with a hug, which he hesitantly accepted. When she backed away, Windward turned to Dust, who simply smiled and nodded, which was all the sailor really needed as a show of thanks. And then he came to Jackpot, who had a ridiculous smile on his face.

“Windward, you musty old dog, you’ve really come through for me. I now declare us even,” he said, smiling ear to ear. Windward was disgusted.

“We’ll be even, when I never see your wretched mug again, you conniving twat.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, until they eventually both broke into a hearty laugh, smiling at each other.

“I’ll be off then, I’ve got ponies waiting for me back in town,” Windward said, untying the boat from the dock and jumping back in.

“You all stay alive, now,” he said, waving goodbye as he climbed the ladder back up to the deck. Jackpot smiled and waved, thankful he had somepony to help them in their time of need.

They watched as Windward and the Winter’s Glory sailed off back into the sea, leaving them on the shiny wooden dock.

Now alone, none of them were sure at all where to go, or what to do.

“So...any idea where your friend might be?” Jackpot asked.

“Not a clue,” Dust replied.

“How about we get something to eat? Most of Windward’s food was either old or rotten,” Starlight said.

The other two nodded, and the group trotted off out of the dock, and into the bustling streets of Saddleopolis.

They perused the wide assortment of shops and restaurants the city had to offer. In every direction, there were ponies in dark clothing with miserable expressions, going to and fro their respective lines of work, their eyes conveying a profound dissatisfaction.

Eventually, the trio settled on one restaurant, an old fashioned cafe, on the corner edge of an intersection. The place was called Paprika’s, and smelled of delicious fare.

Entering the restaurant, a young colt with twig-like blue hair and half-opened eyes greeted them.

“Welcome to Paprika’s. Three?”

“What’s it look like, kid?” Jackpot said, annoyed with the question.

The colt stared at him blankly, before turning to show them to a lowly booth stuck on the side of the restaurant. It was completely empty, save for them.

“I hope this city’s food is more lively than it’s ponies,” Jackpot said.

“You better keep your mouth shut, you’re gonna get us in trouble,” Dust cautioned.

“Trouble? What kind of trouble is worse than what we’re already in?” he asked, laughing at his own question.

“Hi, welcome to Paprika’s. Can I get you all started on some…” began the waitress, who had surprised them, sneaking up beside their booth without a sound. She trailed off, as soon as she noticed who was sitting in the right side of the booth.

“D-Dust Bunny?” the waitress pony asked, her eyes wide with incredulous excitement. Dust looked up from the menu as soon as she heard the voice, and immediately broke into a smile.

“El!”

Dust practically jumped from her seat to hug the waitress pony, who hugged her back, just as affectionately. The pony had bright red hair that was tied back in a pony-tail, and a light pink coat. She had freckles on her face, and soft, tired eyes. After a brief moment of surprised laughter, Dust turned to the other two.

“Guys, this is the friend I was telling you about. Elodea,”

“Uh, hi…” Elodea said, anxious about meeting new ponies.

“Hi!” said Starlight, enthusiastically, always happy to make a new friend. Jackpot simply waved. Now that he believed he actually had a chance with Starlight, he decided to put away his womanizing shtick for the meantime.

“That’s such a pretty name! What’s it mean?” Starlight asked.

Elodea didn’t seem to like the question.

“It’s a...it’s a plant. My parents were both marine biologists,” she said, though clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, I’m Starlight, this is Jackpot. It’s so nice to meet you!”

Elodea seemed a bit taken aback by how friendly these stranger ponies were, though, if they were friends of Dust, they were friends of hers.

“What are you doing here?” she said to Dust, like a concerned parent.

“It’s a long story...we actually...need a place to stay.”

Elodea took a second to understand, and then nodded.

“Yeah, sure! We should talk...look, I get off in like ten minutes, is that alright?”

“Totally.”

“Great,” she said, trotting away from the booth in a rush, after taking the trio’s orders for drinks.

Returning less than ten minutes later, Elodea sat down with them, having poured them each a glass of cider.

“How’d you find me here?” Elodea asked, drinking her cider as if it was the first she’d had in a long time.

“By accident! I wanted to find you, though.”

“Getting into trouble?” Elodea asked, smirking.

“A little,” Dust said sheepishly.

“Uh huh. And what have you two got to say?”

Starlight and Jackpot glanced at each other, unsure who should talk first.

“You’d be saving our skins if you could help us...just for a little bit. And as soon as you need us to leave, we’ll go,” Starlight said.

Elodea nodded, seemingly agreeable.

“You can stay, it’s ok. Anything for an old friend of mine. I can’t say I have much to offer in the food or luxuries department.”

“Anything’s better than nothing,” Starlight said.

Elodea nodded again.

“You work here?” Dust asked.

Elodea cracked a slightly-embarrassed smile.

“Yep. Here. It’s been a long time, Dust...Years, I guess. This was the best job I could get. Before this, I was pickpocketing and living in a shitty alley. Funny, right? Ran away from my parent’s three story mansion and ended up sleeping in a cardboard box. Then I got hooked up with some...uh...less savory types of ponies...I shouldn’t be telling you all this. But I never get to talk to anypony about anything, you know? Nopony ever replaced you,” Elodea said, her voice grave and somber.

“You’re alright now?” Dust asked, concerned.

“I’m doing as fine as any other idiot street rat is doing in this city. I’m actually really glad to see you. I haven’t seen any friendly faces in...well ever, since I got here. Ponies in this city don’t smile. That’s what I miss the most about home, that everypony was always smiling.”

“You can always come back...your parents probably miss you, you know,” Dust said.

Elodea scoffed.

“That life is a joke, Dust. Maybe mine here is too, but it’s a joke for different reasons. The truth is, my life is a miserable mess whether I stay here or go back. Staying here, working all day, is what gives me a reason to keep going...even if I don’t care about it at all...it’s something. I’m just another cog in the machine. Either that, or doing blow in some club basement with the other low-life scum of this city,” she said, frowning.

“Well, if you ever want to...I’ll be waiting for you.”

Elodea hesitated, touched by her old friend’s sentimentality.

“That’s what I miss too. Ponies here would never say stuff like that…”

Elodea glanced at a nearby clock, and exhaled sharply.

“Okay Dust, I’ve got to work. I get off at five, you three come back here then, and I’ll take you to my place.”

“Okay, sure thing,” Dust replied.

Elodea got up and left, leaving the other three in a strangely awkward silence.

“Well Dust, your friend’s a ray of sunshine, ain’t she?”

Dust scowled at him. He always had to make a comment.

“She’s always been a good friend to me.”

Jackpot stared at her, and then nodded, unable to find anything wrong with that.

“If she can get us out of this, she’ll be a good friend of mine too.”

The tremendous carriage housing Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle, after an entire day of traveling, finally made it past the last grains of sand of the San Palomino Desert, entering into the grassy wilderness towards the East.

They stopped in an empty field, where everypony could get a chance to rest up and eat something. Their reserves were supposed to last a week, though the high demand for water during the relentless heat of the desert made it more like four more days. Twilight sat alone, while the others ate and relaxed together in groups. She was staring into the distance, to the East, the direction they were heading. She wondered if Chrysalis was but a few miles ahead of them, an unseeable dot in the mountains and forests beyond. She wondered if Chrysalis was looking back, right now, fearing Twilight’s arrival. Twilight hoped Chrysalis was afraid, she hoped the wicked bug would cower when she saw her. Twilight’s face became warped with fury, as she considered every possible way of killing Chrysalis. It brought her a sick sense of joy, and she could barely contain her excitement. She knew of the ancient artifact Chrysalis was after, the Queen Jewel. It was an old relic, whose name she had read in a few books years ago. She had always thought it was a myth, though, considering she had spoken to a disembodied spirit the previous day, it was safe to say that it was not, in fact, a myth. She found Chrysalis to be relentless in her pursuits of power and chaos. So much death and destruction. Twilight recalled what she had done to that dragon, and knew she was supposed to feel guilty to some extent, and yet, bizarrely, felt nothing. No regret, no pain. Just another necessary step in getting to Chrysalis. Maybe when it was all said and done, and Chrysalis was six feet beneath the ground, Twilight felt she might feel guilty for her actions. But until Chrysalis was dealt with, absolutely nothing could convince her to stop.

Queen Chrysalis had been traveling for days now, journeying past deserts, fields of grass, forests, and mountains, heading to the east, towards the Forbidden Forest, where the mysterious voice she met in the San Palomino tomb instructed her to go.

It was getting close to nighttime, and Chrysalis was more than ready for some much-needed rest. She halted and dropped her bags of supplies, and then froze, noticing something in the distance.

Above the canopy of trees below the hill she was on, she could see it. Lights in the distance, flickering. Music, life, civilization. It was a city of some sorts, right on the edge of the forest, built along a passing river. She could practically jump for joy at the sight of it. Finally, she was at the end of her long and tiresome cross-country trek.

Chrysalis picked up her things and headed down a hill, covered in trees and untamed wildlife. She had to be careful, avoiding being stabbed by prickly plants and bitten by pesky insects.

At the end of the forest, she came upon the river, where a small wooden building sat. On the other side of the river was the town, built atop dirt and cleared trees. The river was green, and the sky was turning a rosy pink as the sun set. Chrysalis, who was still disguised as Starlight, approached the wooden shack, trying to act as innocent as possible.

There was a window on one side, though after peeking in, Chrysalis reasoned it was abandoned.

“Who the hell are you?” said a voice from behind her. She turned, to see a yellow, pot-bellied pony with brown hair sticking out of his ears and one eye that seemed to be smaller than the other. The pony spat at the ground and wiped his hooves with a filthy rag, while Chrysalis remained where she was, awkwardly.

“Is there a fare to cross?” Chrysalis asked, eyeing the nearby boat tied up near the shack. The stallion chuckled, as if she was an idiot.

“Ten bits.”

Chrysalis grimaced, reached into her bag, and tossed the stallion his due. He collected the bits greedily, smiling down at them in his hooves like they were a lost lover.

He gestured for her to get in the boat, after he shoved it into the water. In no time, he rowed her across the gentle flow of the river, which spanned about 300 yards in width. At the end, she hurried out, without saying anything to the ferryman.

Stepping past the wet grass at the edge of the river and above a small dirt hill, Chrysalis took in the spectacular color and music of the city in front of her, ponies all outside in the streets, dancing, eating, enjoying each other's company. There were colored lights that dangled across streets, and ponies all over town having the time of their lives. Chrysalis shuffled past the crowd of energetic ponies, all either drunk on something or high with the thrill of the party. The city was truly alive, though Chrysalis, naturally, found this to be a bother. Not only did she hate seeing ponies enjoying themselves, but she also only came here for directions. The Forbidden Forest was huge, after all, and to find the exact location of this second trial, she would need help.

She caught sight of a tavern, which seemed to be the centerpoint of the town’s merriment. Outside the tavern were outdoor eating areas, where every seat was filled with a pony, and every hoof holding a pint of cider. Chrysalis walked right through the middle walkway into the tavern, which was even louder and more crowded than outside. The room was doused in orange-yellow light from the ceiling-bound candle chandeliers, and everypony had a smile on their face.

Chrysalis eventually made it to the bar, where she waited for ten minutes before the bartender pony finally made it to her.

“Hello darling, what can I get for y...ah ah! A unicorn! A unicorn, here? Hey Backwoods! Look here!” the bartender called. Chrysalis frowned, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible. Suddenly she felt a stallion breathing down her neck. He had shoved his way right beside her, an entourage of his drunk friends all following, surrounding her, and aweing at the very presence of a unicorn. For some, it was the first unicorn they’d ever seen. Backwoods, who had a light blue coat and red hair that hung down to his shoulders, was looking at her at every angle he could.

“What’s with the frown on your face, huh? Lighten up around here...come on…” he said, slurring his words.

“Wait a minute…” said one of Backwood’s friends, narrowing his eyes at Starlight.

“I...I could’ve sworn I’d seen this pony before,” he said. He had light grey fur and a black head of hair that stuck up. The others all rolled their eyes at him.

“You ain’t never seen no unicorn before, you lying bastard.”

“I did! I swear! I just...can’t remember…”

Chrysalis turned her head away from him, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself.

Then the pony’s eyes widened in horror. He stuck his hooves out to get his friends to back away, unintentionally losing his balance and falling on the floor. The other ponies all stared down at him, confused and concerned. Starlight was still facing away from him, hoping he would just pass out or something.

The room began to get quiet as more and more ponies noticed the stallion on the floor, backing up using his arms, hyperventilating, his eyes locked on Chrysalis.

“I-I’ve seen that pony before! Th-that’s the scourge of the south!” he yelled.

The crowd all turned to Chrysalis, and immediately drew into a panic. The bartender hid under the bar, while the crowd desperately funneled out of the exit. Chrysalis, annoyed with her cover being blown, turned around, her horn glowing, prepared to burn yet another city. Until, in the chaos, she failed to notice a two-by-four swinging into her face, nailing some splinters into her cheeks, and knocking her unconscious immediately on impact. She collapsed to the ground in a heap. Backwoods was standing over her, triumphant, holding his wooden plank with pride.

“Everypony! I got her! I got the bitch!”

The crowd slowly stopped their panic and approached the scene, and, after a brief bit of drunkenly-slow realization, they all cheered again, the hardest anypony had cheered all night.

“Throw her in one of them cells, and for the love of Celestia, get one of those shits for her horn,” said Backwoods, directing them with his victorious plank. Two ponies went to pick an unconscious Chrysalis up, six other escorting them, making sure she wouldn’t wake up.

Chrysalis awoke several hours later, in one of the municipal prison cells. The room was tight and dark. It was the middle of the night, and mostly everypony in town had finally stopped partying and gone to bed. Chrysalis came to the horrified realization that there was a metal ring locked around her horn, and that all of her limbs were bound with iron. She was still in her Starlight disguise, which miraculously hadn’t given out while she was unconscious. She glanced around for a chance to escape, but could see nothing but rock and the bars of her cell. She turned her body to face the window that was built into the rock, also outfitted with metal bars. The window was right at ground level, bits of grass and dirt from outside growing into the rock. She turned back to face the bars, glumly, deciding to wait for a better opportunity to escape, cursing herself for not just burning the town when she arrived.

“Hey you, you awake?”

Chrysalis spun her head around. From the window, she could see a colt’s legs, green in color.

“Who is that?” Chrysalis spat, expecting the ponies to try and gloat their victory over her.

“I’m Savoy. You’re the scourge of the south?” said the colt, who had a subtle accent.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, though had to admit, she didn’t hate the nickname.

“Starlight. Glimmer.”

“Right, right, Starlight Glimmer…” the colt said. She could still only see his legs, “Why have you come here?”

“I wasn’t meaning to destroy your village, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Certainly not. I assumed you were passing through. No?”

“That’s right. Into the Forbidden Forest.”

“The Forest? You are in luck, Lady Scourge, I know the forest very well.”

Chrysalis stared at the legs of the colt, absolutely confused.

“Why would you ever help me?”

“You are a criminal. And so am I. The ponies who brought you here would do the same to me if they saw me.”

Chrysalis felt like laughing, at this measly colt comparing himself to her.

“I am offering you a chance to escape...and I can take you through the forest...for mild compensation, of course.”

“They took my bag.”

“Bag? You mean this bag?” he said, dropping an unseen bag from his back to the floor in front of her skeptical eyes. Chrysalis stood up on the tips of her hooves to get a closer look, and was shocked to see it really was hers.

“How did you-”

“I am a thief. This is what I do. You haven’t much time to discuss. I want a yes or a no. Otherwise I’ll leave, and you will never see me again.”

Chrysalis hesitated, though, having a guide in the forest would be immensely more beneficial than not having one.

“Alright, kid. Deal.”

“Fantastic. Now stand back, as far as you can. And turn your face away, or it’ll burn off.”

“What?!”

“Ready? 3…”

Chrysalis took a moment to see what the colt was doing, placing a collage of explosive devices around the metal edge of the window bars. She frantically turned to face the opposite direction, shielding her face.

“2…”

She braced herself, shutting her eyes and praying she’d survive whatever bombs this kid had been cooking up.

“1!”

Chrysalis waited for the impact, though it didn’t come for a good three seconds, catching her off guard. A massive spectacle of fire and collapsing rock burst from the window, throwing Chrysalis into the metal bars, facefirst. She groaned in pain, and then felt herself starting to choke as the smoke filled the air.

“Come on! We must hurry!”

The colt’s hoof found her in the smoke, dragging her out from the rubble and up onto solid ground. Chrysalis coughed several times and wiped her eyes, finally getting a look at the colt. He had green fur and a dark green head of untamed hair. He waited for her to recover from the explosion, looking around, nervously. Then he took a hammer from his satchel and brought it down on Chrysalis’ chains several times, freeing her.

“Hey!” said the warden of the prison. Savoy turned to Chrysalis, nodding for her to follow him.

Together, they ran into the darkened forest, as the town woke up and discovered what had happened.

Chapter Six: Momentary Happiness

Twilight Sparkle and co. had stopped their seemingly endless pursuit of Queen Chrysalis once the sun had gone down, settling down in the middle of a moonlit pasture, the mountains and jungles ahead looming behind darkened clouds. Applejack started a fire, where the ponies all gathered together to relax. They were all dirty and weary, yet, thanks to each other’s company, they were able to feel a bit at peace for a while. Even Twilight, surprisingly, had joined them around the fire, her eyes fixed on the flames, which danced and birthed embers that floated up to join the stars above.

Twilight had a tremendous headache. She was beginning to fear what she was doing to herself, that perhaps by the end of their virtuous quest, she would end up as corrupted as the monster they were hunting. She knew right from wrong, and yet, had never desired to see anypony be in pain so badly before. She began to feel the sting of guilt, for how she’d been treating her friends, for what she did to that dragon, and worst of all, for betraying Starlight’s memory. Deep down, she believed Starlight would disapprove of her desire for violent revenge. Thinking of her failed student put Twilight back into a dark place of remorse and regret, one that seemed inescapable. She just wanted a chance to talk to Starlight, but, for the foreseeable future, that would be impossible.

“Twilight!”

Twilight jumped in surprise, and saw Spike flying towards her from around the fire. The other ponies all got quiet, noticing Spike’s distraught demeanor.

“They found her! They found Starlight!” Spike spat, exasperated. Twilight stood up in shock, her face contorted in disbelief.

“Celestia! She sent a message! A garrison in the north, they were tracking some kind of disturbance, and the locals gave a perfect description of Starlight! They said she was heading south!”

The other ponies all stared at Spike, in shock, and waited for Twilight’s reaction.

“What kind of disturbance?” the princess inquired, struggling to process everything at once.

“They...they said there was some sort of fight, nopony saw it up close.”

Twilight noticed the others, who all seemed relieved that Starlight was alive, and that hopefully Twilight’s mental state would improve. Yet, if anything, she became even more anxious.

“Who’s been sent for her?” Twilight asked, worried that Starlight would be placed in harm’s way.

“They’ve alerted all the northern cities, they’ll all be looking for her,” Spike responded. Twilight sat back down, and nodded.

“That’s good. But we need to focus on Chrysalis now,” she said.

“Twilight, aren’t you happy?! She’s ok!” said Rainbow, confused by Twilight’s cold, unfeeling answer.

“There’s more important things to worry about than Starlight right now, Rainbow.”

“Isn’t this all about her?” Rainbow said.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, stuttering over her words, trying to ignore her fears and judgement-clouding emotions.

“If Chrysalis gets what she’s after, she’ll be unstoppable. Starlight’s no threat to anypony.”

“How do you know?” Rainbow asked, forcefully.

“Because I know her! I trust her! And apparently none of you do, since you all thought Chrysalis was her!” Twilight yelled, angrily.

The other ponies all stayed quiet, ashamed for falsely blaming her. Twilight regretted her harshness almost instantly.

“I’m sorry...I’m just...I just want to see her again, it’s just...I’m afraid she won’t like me anymore. That’s it…”

Twilight was red in the face, letting out the emotions she had been bottling up for months.

“Look, we were wrong about Starlight. She’s our friend, and she always will be. We’ve all just got to trust her,” said Applejack, trying to ease the tension in the air. Twilight sighed, calming herself down.

“I’ve treated you all poorly, and I’m sorry. I just...I just want to find Chrysalis, and put an end to all this madness.”

“We do too, Twilight, just...remember we’re your friends, and we’re here for you,” said Fluttershy, speaking on behalf of the other ponies, who all nodded in agreement. Twilight wiped a tear away and smiled.

“What would I do without you?” she said, glad she had friends to keep her heading past the brink of sanity.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel a bit more relieved to know Starlight was alive and well. Yet, she still feared the monster that was brewing inside her, and wondered if that side of her would ever resurface again.

Starlight, Jackpot, and Dust Bunny had been wandering the filthy streets of Saddleopolis, aimlessly, wasting time until they had to head back to Paprika’s, to reunite with Elodea. Right at 5:00, they arrived at the restaurant, and stepped inside. They saw Elodea walking right towards them, her head hung low, so that she didn’t even realize they were there until she saw their hooves.

“Hey! Ready?” Dust asked.

“Oh, hey...yeah, just got to-” Elodea began.

“El! Where the hell do you think you’re going? You’ve got a double shift today!” yelled the voice of a short, curmudgeon stallion, Brown Barley, behind the front counter of Paprika’s. Elodea glanced back at the three ponies, not a hint of care on her face.

“Um...I’ve got friends over, can I make it up tomorrow?” she asked, pretending to be polite.

“‘Can I make it up tomorrow?’” Barley mimicked, disgusted with the question. “Like hell you can. Get back here!”

“Up yours, Barley!” Elodea said, forgoing the act, as she waved him away with her hoof and turned to walk out with the others. Barley continued to scold and pout as the foursome of ponies exited the restaurant, awkwardly.

“Um...are you gonna get in trouble?” Dust asked, feeling guilty for indirectly causing that altercation. Elodea scoffed.

“Who cares? I’d rather spend time with you than run around in that greasehole all day.”

After settling down at a different restaurant to have dinner together, the group continued through the streets, Dust, Jackpot, and Starlight all noticing the quality of housing deteriorate the farther they traveled. At the end of one street, they came to a stop.

“Up these stairs,” Elodea said, leading them up two stories to a hallway, which had two lights out and reeked of cigarettes. Third door on the left, Elodea wiggled a rusty key into the doorhole, eventually forcing it open with a shove.

“Welcome to my home sweet home,” Elodea said, sarcastically. The apartment was covered in shag carpeting, and had tight walls. So tight, that Starlight wondered how it could even fit just one pony.

“You can use my bed to sleep in if you want,” Elodea said, directly to Dust, “There’s a couch over there, whatever suits you,” she continued, talking to the other two.

“Thanks again for doing this,” Starlight said, ignoring the inadvertent disgust she felt when entering the apartment.

“I haven’t got a radio to listen to, if you were looking. Way too expensive. You know, my parents had a television. Can you believe that? A real television!” Elodea said.

“Is that a record player?” Jackpot asked, pointing what was obviously a record player sitting atop a small wooden shelf beside the couch.

“Yeah...one of the first things I bought when I got here,” she said, laughing at herself, “It was an impulsive buy. I thought I’d get to use it. Had to pawn all the records I got with it for the cash. That thing’s next, I guess but...I don’t want to get rid of it. I want it to motivate me, you know? Like maybe one day I can get those records back,” she said, forlornly. Jackpot sat down on the couch, which was a brownish green, right in the middle of the room. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out one of the records he brought, and began placing it on the record player, excited. There was very little furniture in the living room, and only a few lights. The sun had practically set already, meaning the room was very dimly lit. Starlight, trying her best to stay positive, considered it to be cozy.

“Well uh...Dust, you want to come to my room? We should catch up. And you two can stay here, let me know if you need anything,” Elodea said, leading Dust into a different room. Starlight waited for them to close the door behind them before slowly approaching the green couch, jumping on it, beside Jackpot. She let her head fall deep into the soft pillow, which was surprisingly comfortable.

“You don’t trust her?” she asked Jackpot, who was busy fiddling the record player. When he had finished, and soft guitar music began to fill the room, he sat back on the couch and sighed, relaxing, until he remembered Starlight had just asked a question.

“Don’t trust who?” Jackpot asked.

“Elodea. You barely said a word to her all dinner...You don’t even look at her,” Starlight said, from the other side of the couch.

“I don’t distrust her...I don’t know her, is all. If Dust says she’s alright, then I assume she’s alright. And the reason I’m not looking at her, is because I’m usually looking at you,”

Starlight giggled and crawled over on the couch towards him, gently placing her head on his lap.

“I wish things were normal again,” she said, sighing.

Jackpot had no answer. His eyes were closed, enjoying the low-volume music that reminded him of less stressful times. Starlight glanced up at Jackpot, whose eyes met hers. She sunk into his arms, startling Jackpot, who rarely ever got this personal with anypony. He saw how tight she was against him, more scared and vulnerable than he had ever seen her.

“Me too…” he muttered, relaxing with the weight of Starlight’s body pressing down on him.

“What’s in Vanhoover?”

“What?” Jackpot said, put off by the question.

“You keep saying you want to go there...What’s there?” Starlight asked, figuring now was a good time as any to be open with each other.

Starlight could feel Jackpot tense up, and feared she struck the wrong chord. After a brief bit of contemplation, Jackpot finally worked the nerve for an answer.

“Vanhoover...I lived there, for a while. Few years. Me and a friend of mine. Counterfeit, was his name. When I got there, me and him, we became sort of business partners, you could say. Working the Vanhoover gambling scene. It wasn’t a big deal, so don’t get pissed or anything. Then it became more and more serious. Hit jobs. Embezzlements. Too much for me to handle, frankly. I left it all, headed north, fucked about on my own merit. Not that my own merit is worth a damn. And Counterfeit, well, we’re still friends of course. He stayed behind. What I was hoping, was to get some sort of help from the son of a bitch. But since Dust’s got us covered in the reliable friend department, I’m thinking we’ll be fine here.”

Starlight didn’t respond right away, absorbing it all while resisting the urge to drift off to the soothing music being spun around the record player.

“So I wasn’t the only one hiding something.”

“I said it wasn’t a big deal. Not as much as being the Celestia-damned student of a Celestia-damned alicorn princess.”

Starlight smiled.

“You really want to fight those ponies that are after us?” Starlight said, though she hoped it wouldn’t lead to an argument. Jackpot hesitated, also not wanting to aggravate Starlight.

“...In my experience, when a pony wants you dead, which just so happens to be the case for us...you’ve got one of two choices. Either be killed, or fight back.”

“I don’t think ponies want to cause harm to other ponies, intentionally. Sometimes they just have a...a warped perspective on things, that makes them act like worse ponies than they really are,” Starlight said, hoping she was right.

“Maybe...let’s say that….most ponies are like that. Good at heart, I mean. But there’s some ponies who aren’t like that. Something’s just not right with them, in the head. They thrive off of cruelty...and-and pain. Not everypony can be reasoned with,” Jackpot said.

Starlight said nothing, unsure whether she could allow herself to believe that. Certainly, she thought, there were some ponies who were beyond redemption, Chrysalis being the first to come to mind. And yet, despite all of the torment, and humiliation, and pain Starlight had suffered under the Changeling queen, a part of her, deep down, wanted to believe that there was a light, somewhere, deep inside of her sworn enemy’s heart.

“It’s only been a few months, you know, since I met you,” Jackpot said. Starlight glanced up at him, again, smiling.

“Feels like longer,” she said.

Jackpot relaxed his posture a little, and somehow Starlight could sense he was becoming emotional.

“Ponies like me don’t usually keep friends that long. Let alone friends like you,” he said, hesitantly. He squinted his eyes against the dim light of the nearby lamp.

“I never thought I’d make it this far, you know. I’d like to think there’s a purpose in that, staying alive so long, but I can’t seem to figure it out.”

Starlight shuffled in Jackpot’s lap, turning so that her back was on his knees, her face aimed right up at his.

“You told me that everypony was unique. Special, for different reasons. You think you’re any different?”

Jackpot snickered, impressed with her using his words against him.

“Some ponies are more special than others, I suppose...when I was a kid….my mother, she died, when I was very young. Too young to even remember her face very well. When she passed, it was just me and him, my father. I grew up in a shitty hovel of an apartment, not too unlike where we are right now. And he...never said anything that would let me know he cared about me. The only clue I ever got was that he made the effort to work the job he hated, to put food on my plate and keep a roof over my head. There was...once or twice he grabbed me by the neck, shook me around like he wanted to kill me, like he wanted the burden to be gone. He yelled at me, all the time, too. For always getting in trouble at school...and Celestia, he hated my friends. But I never complained about him, not to him, not to any of my friends, not even in my own head. I figured, he earned the right to treat me that way. For everything he had done for me, to raise me. And if I didn’t turn up a success, he’d never forgive me. Like I owed him or something. But what the hell was I gonna do? I was a poor piece of shit, living in the worst part of town, going to the worst school, where I got my ass beat every damn day, and got shitty grades. My result was predetermined. A dead end set at the start. And I think my father knew it, too. It was like...he was trying as hard as he could to stop me from ending up like him, but it was unavoidable. So when he went and had a heart attack when I was still in middle school, I wasn’t even sure I felt bad. How fucked is that? I just stood there for a while, at least an hour, looking at the bastard’s corpse, wondering what the hell he exactly wanted from me all this time. And I guess I’ll never know. Cut to now, where I’m on the run from some fucking assholes, hiding in this musty shack of shit. The only thing I’ve got, right now, is you, and Dust...and maybe Windward, that bastard…” Jackpot trailed off, forgetting what his point was. He realized, maybe, he just wanted to talk about the things he never got to talk about. Starlight watched Jackpot, who refused to make eye contact, embarrassed. She was quiet for a while, taking some time to dwell on it all.

“You’re not at the end, you know.” she said, softly. In her heart, she empathized with his struggles.

“The end?” Jackpot said, laughing, trying to repress his misery once more, “I’m way past the end. Like I said, I don’t know why I’ve made it this far.”

“You’ve made it this far because you’re not at the end. Do you love me?”

Jackpot stared down at her in shock, hesitating to answer such a rattling question.

“I...I think so,” he said, unsure how to handle or explain his feelings.

Starlight smiled back at him, excitedly.

“Well there, that’s one thing you’ve got to live for. And Dust, you care about her, right?”

“Right,” he said, weakly.

“And you’ve got...music...and...food...you know, the comforts in life, the things that make us happy. Maybe your father didn’t need you to be a success. Maybe he just wanted you to be happy.”

Jackpot wondered whether that was the case. He had never told anypony about his childhood before. Simply because, he didn’t think anypony would care.

He didn’t respond, instead he just continued sitting on that worn-out old couch, holding Starlight in his arms. They were mostly in darkness now, the lights of the city outside shining brighter than the dim lamps inside the apartment.

After a few more minutes of bliss in the dark living room, Jackpot and Starlight were both startled by the bedroom door opening, out stepping Elodea.

“Hey you two...I’m sleeping on the floor in the other room, Dust is in my room...you two ok with the couch?” she asked.

Jackpot nodded solemnly, while Starlight chirped an appreciative “yes.”

“Ok, well, goodnight,” Elodea said, sauntering off, tired from another long day.

After a half hour, Jackpot’s record had reached its end, and it was late enough for both ponies on the couch to mutually agree on going to bed. Jackpot laid down closer beside Starlight, who pressed herself against him, both to avoid falling off the couch, and to be closer to him. If it wasn’t for the consoling presence of each other, they would both be bothered by how uncomfortable the couch was. Yet, neither had felt as happy at that moment for a long time.

In the Forbidden Forest, Queen Chrysalis was struggling to keep up with the quick strides of her colt guide, who had freed her from her prison earlier that night. The moonlight was nearly completely blocked by the thick canopy of the jungle. Occasionally glimmers of light could be seen reflecting off of dew droplets or small ponds that they passed. The colt had freed Chrysalis of all her restraints, except for the metal ring fastened around her horn, locking her in her Starlight Glimmer disguise. She had yet to protest, focusing on staying with the colt, who was agile in his movements across the forest floor. Eventually, they came to a stop, along a large fallen tree, guarding a small treeless clearing. The air was cold in the dark forest, Chrysalis even able to see her breath in the air as she panted in exhaustion.

“Why did we stop?” she stammered.

“I thought you could use a rest. Look at you. You’ve never been here, have you?” said Savoy, the colt.

“If I did, I wouldn’t need you,” Chrysalis spat.

“Do not forget, Miss Glimmer, that without me you would still be in that prison to rot…”

“Where are we?” Chrysalis asked.

“There are no landmarks in the forest. The layout changes every now and then. There’s a curse on this forest, an evil curse. That’s why it’s so easy for ponies to get lost.”

“And you don’t?”

Savoy smirked as he climbed up onto a small cliff that rose from the ground. Chrysalis was still on ground level, catching her breath.

“There are patterns to the chaos of the jungle. But the curse is not what you should fear, Miss Glimmer,” Savoy said, coyly.

“And what is it then?”

“Beasts, monsters of all sorts. Some I have only heard of, never seen. But ponies have sworn to me they are real. Others, I have seen myself. More grotesque than any stretch of the imagination. They devour you, or rip you to pieces, or both.”

“You’re just an earth pony, how do you defend yourself?” Chrysalis asked, suspicious of these tall tales.

“I can run fast, and I know the forest better than the animals do. They simply wander, and kill anything in their path.”

“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, I can’t run fast...so why don’t you do us both a favor and take this thing off my horn?” Chrysalis demanded, pointing at her horn.

Perched above the small cliff, the mooncast silhouette of Savoy was silent.

“Hey! Did you hear me, I said-”

“I heard you, Miss Glimmer. But you’ll have to wait.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Hard to trust anypony donned the Scourge of the South.”

“Without you, I’d be dead in this jungle. I need you to guide me, and in return, I can offer you protection.”

“I don’t desire your protection, Miss Glimmer,” Savoy said, dryly, “I desire your payment for my services. Which...by the way, I’ve already taken the liberty of acquiring,” he said, revealing a stack of bits in his hooves. Chrysalis did a double take, checking her bag and realizing the colt had robbed her blind. Before she could react, the distinct sound of a distant drum beat made her jump. She glanced around into the darkness of the forest, though was unable to see anything.

“What was that?!” Chrysalis asked, admittedly slightly concerned.

Again, Savoy was silent.

“Damn it, twerp! Answer me!”

“I suppose there’s no more point in pretending anymore…” Savoy said, his tone changing to be more sinister. Chrysalis slowly turned back to glare up at him, unsure what he meant by that. She was caught off guard by another drum beat far away in the forest, just as Savoy began speaking.

“The ponies back in that town...they are fools, who meant to keep you alive and in good health, as a measly prisoner. I saw this plan, and I thought, they cannot do this...she will escape somehow and kill us all. So I urged myself to take action. And so I’ve brought you here.”

“You traitorous rat! You’ve sentenced yourself to die!” Chrysalis yelled, though found herself unable to follow up on her threats, as her magic was still being blocked by the ring around her horn. Savoy burst into laughter, as the distant drum beats began to increase in frequency. Chrysalis was sweating with fear, helpless in a foreign realm rife with unknown dangers.

“I asked myself how should I have you killed….feed you a poisonous fruit of the jungle, or perhaps let you be mauled by one of the beasts....but I decided that the cruelest punishment for you, who’s killed so many innocent ponies, ponies younger than me...I decided that the best punishment was to hand you over to him…”

At the last word, the drum beat in the distance grew louder, and faster, rapidly, and was joined by the sound of at least a hundred ponies, all muttering something in unison, in a language unfamiliar to Chrysalis. Screams and cries of laughter mixed in with the drums and the chanting, and came from every direction, creating a wall of chaotic, unsettling noise that seemed to surround Chrysalis on all sides. It was as if the entire jungle was alive, encircling her, closing in for the kill.

“Who?!” Chrysalis asked, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

Savoy simply smiled, before turning around and scurrying off into the brush of the jungle. Chrysalis knew it would be impossible to follow him, and resorted to staying in the open area, where she could at least see more clearly beneath the moon light. She cursed the miserable Savoy for his treachery, and backed up into the center of the clearing. The noises, drums, and chanting continued to grow louder, until it was as if it was all upon her at once. Then, she felt a painful object hit her in the head, and then her view of the dark forest went completely black, and she heard no sound at all.

Chapter Seven: No Safe Haven

There was nothing quite like waking up in somepony else’s arms.

Starlight stretched a hoof into Jackpot’s face, who grunted and turned away, forcing Starlight to tumble off the couch. She landed hard on the ground in a slump, groaning as she picked herself up. The sun was out, rays of sunshine climbing over the tall towers of Saddleopolis into Elodea’s humble downtown apartment. Jackpot was still snoring, his face buried in the worn-out green cushions of the couch. For some reason, Starlight found the way he was sprawled across the couch to be humorously cute. She wandered into another room, the kitchen, which seemed to be sparsely populated by any food.

“Hungry?”

Starlight spun around to see Elodea, perched on a stool near the window, huffing on her morning cigarette.

“I didn’t mean to barge in, sorry,” Starlight said, embarrassed.

“Don’t be, take what you like. Haven’t got much though, I’m afraid,” Elodea said, yawning. She pointed to a nearby pantry with the butt of her cigarette.

Starlight followed Elodea’s gesture to the pantry, where she spotted a lone yellow apple in a small wicker basket on the second-highest shelf. She grabbed it and immediately began eating, desperate for some source of energy.

“You and Dust go way back, huh?”

“Way back. Grew up together. Though I...can’t say I remember you in town,” Elodea said, as if she was suspicious of Starlight’s true identity.

“I’m uh...I just recently moved there,” Starlight said.

“Dust told me you knew Twilight Sparkle?”

“Um...yes,” Starlight said, her eyes falling to the floor, wanting to talk about anything else. Elodea quickly understood it wasn’t a desirable topic for conversation.

“Dust always wanted to go on adventures, you know. When we were kids, she’d always make up these crazy plans, to go find some missing treasure or something. Stuff only a kid could come up with. She’d go too crazy sometimes though, and we’d get in trouble, and I’d always end up taking the fall for whatever she did. Her folks thought I was a bad influence on her.”

“Why'd you come here?” Starlight said, mid-chew of her apple.

“I didn’t have enough money to go farther, that’s why. Then I got stuck here. Dust really graduated?”

“Yep.”

“Good for her. I knew she’d do it,” Elodea said, trailing off, considering what she herself could have achieved for herself had she stayed behind. She stared out the window at the city morning, thinking about her choices in life. Catching Starlight off guard, Elodea jumped off the stool to her hooves, after noticing something outside.

“What?” Starlight asked, slightly concerned over Elodea’s terrified expression.

“Um...that doesn’t have to do with you guys, does it?” Elodea said, pointing out the window.

Starlight stepped closer to the window and followed Elodea’s hoof, down to the streets below. She dropped her apple to the floor in shock, at the sight of at least sixteen royal guards exiting a parked carriage, rushing into the apartment complex.

“Wake up the others,” Starlight said, trying to stay calm. The soldiers had already entered the building, and would likely be upon them in a matter of moments.

“No one said anything about the police!” Elodea yelled, rushing into the living room to retrieve some bags of illegal belongings, and then running back to the kitchen to hide them away in a cabinet.

“Everypony wake up!” Starlight yelled from the kitchen, panicking.

Dust had just finished getting her hair ready in the bathroom, exiting just as Starlight started yelling.

“What? What’s going on?” she said, concerned over Starlight’s frantic behavior.

“We need to leave! Right now!” Starlight said, rushing into the living room, gathering what few belongings she had.

Jackpot lifted his head in response to the commotion.

“Now?”

“Right now!!!” Starlight yelled. A large thud at the front door made everypony’s head turn in surprise.

“They’re here…” Starlight muttered, petrified. Jackpot leaped to his hooves, grabbing his bag and stuffing not only his own record, but also Elodea’s record player, inside.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Elodea yelled, entering the room. Her eyes widened in horror at the second thud.

“They’re trying to get inside!” Starlight said.

“Uh...shit! Put something in front of the door!” Elodea said, not psychologically prepared for this situation.

“Put what?” Starlight asked, hesitant to possibly damage Elodea’s few pieces of furniture.

“Anything!!!” Elodea yelled, desperately.

Without hesitation, Starlight’s horn glowed bright blue, and she instantly picked up the couch, a table, and a leather chair, the only furniture in the room, and stacked it all in front of the door.

Elodea rushed to pack a bag of the essentials, which mostly constituted cigarettes, drugs, and candy bars.

When the four ponies were ready to leave, they found themselves frozen in space, realizing that their only exit was blocked.

“Um...ideas?” Dust said, her whole body quaking with fright. She wasn’t even sure who the ponies pounding on their door were, which added to her anxiety.

Jackpot rushed back to the window, and saw there were four soldiers positioned outside, each brandishing large pointed spears.

“There’s four outside waiting for us,” he said, hopelessly.

They all jumped again in fright at the sound of the door bursting open, though thankfully the furniture was still blocking the soldiers from entering.

“Starlight Glimmer! Come out right now!” one of the soldiers yelled. Starlight turned away from the door, ignoring him.

“I can teleport us out of here, everypony grab my hoof,” Starlight said, determined to get all of them out of this alive.

“Teleport?! Is that safe?” Dust asked, very inexperienced with magic.

“Well I haven’t done it in a while….but yes, it’s very safe, do we really have time to argue about it?” Starlight said, more aggressively than Dust was used to.

Suddenly, they were all thrown back by a large explosion, the entire front door of Elodea’s apartment being torn apart in a bright flash of light. The stacked furniture too had been thrown about, the couch nearly squashing Jackpot on the ground. The pack of soldiers filed into the room, stepping over small flames that lingered on the floor. Their leader, who was responsible for the blast, grimaced at the sight of Starlight.

Starlight had been thrown headfirst into a wall, barely able to think straight as she mustered as much strength as possible to regain her sense of surroundings. Before she could get a grasp of reality, she suddenly felt herself be lifted to her hooves by a stallion’s arms, who bared his teeth at her. Panicking, she blasted him with a non-lethal burst of magic, sending his entire body flying right through the drywall into Elodea’s bedroom.

Starlight stood up straight and shook her head, ignoring the pain of the bloody bruise on her head she had sustained. She was literally in a corner, her three friends groaning in pain on the floor around her. At least ten soldier ponies were in a semic-circle, slowly closing in around them. All of them were unicorns, and all of them were ready to attack.

“It’s over, Glimmer! You’re not hurting anypony else ever again, you hear me?” yelled the leader.

“W-What?” Starlight said, lowering her guard, confused. One of the soldiers took advantage of this, attempting to paralyze her with a beam of magic. Starlight deflected it right back at him, reducing her set of pursuers down to nine. The soldier collapsed to the ground, completely immobilized.

“I don’t want to hurt any of you! But you’ve got to let us go! We haven’t done anything wrong!” Starlight yelled, extremely worried she would lose control and really hurt somepony. She recalled telling Jackpot and Dust that she would fight in order to protect them, but now, when that obligation was actually upon her, she found herself freezing up in fear. If she did accidentally hurt somepony, she could never forgive herself.

The guards seemed slightly perplexed by Starlight’s seemingly good-hearted defiance.

“Give up,” commanded the leader, “You’ve got nowhere to run.”

Starlight looked at him as if he was a moron, and sighed, deciding she had to end this. In a flash of light, she teleported out of sight. The soldiers remained where they were, staring at the spot where she had been standing, unsure what to do.

“She can do that?”

Then one noticed exactly where she had teleported to—right behind them, her horn glowing a terrifying blue.

“Sorry,” she said, honestly, before blasting all nine of them with a tumultuous wave of blue magic that instantly knocked them all unconscious. Out of breath from the intensity, Starlight rushed over to the other three, who had just recovered from the front door blast.

“Okay! Everypony, grab my hoof! Let’s go!” Starlight yelled, trying to help them all to their hooves.

The other three all slowly put themselves back together and followed her instruction. Then, in another flash of light, they disappeared from the room.

In the rundown café Paprika’s, Brown Barley, the owner of the restaurant, was scowling at an unfavorable opinion article in the local newspaper. His attention was then grabbed by a few faint sparks of blue magic, popping randomly out of thin air. Successively, four ponies all fell from a few feet up in the air to the floor. For a few moments, they were all just lying on the hard floor, groaning in agony from the high fall.

“Sorry...Haven’t done that in a while,” Starlight said, referring to her miscalculation of the height, as she held her bleeding head in exhaustion.

After making it to their hooves, Elodea realized just where they were.

“Starlight, why are we here?” she whispered, angrily.

“This was the first place I could think of, we’re safe now,” Starlight said, smiling, a great sense of triumphant relief descending upon her.

“Well well, if it isn’t El! You’re just in time to make up the shift you missed yesterday!” Barley said, smirking.

“Fuck off, Barley. Did you not just see us teleport out of the thin fucking air? I’m going through a lot right now!”

Barley rolled his eyes. Elodea turned away from him, and then realized something.

“Hold it, Barley...Did you tell anypony where I live?”

“What kind of question is that? I don’t even know where you live, you dumb bitch.”

“Then how the hell did they find us?” Elodea said.

“Does it matter? They’ll find us again soon enough,” Jackpot grunted.

“Soon enough indeed.”

Before Starlight could even turn around, she felt a massive blow to the chest, sending her and the other four ponies flying backwards, landing hard into the left side wall of Paprika’s. Jackpot landed atop a table, splitting it in half. Starlight got hit the hardest, her bones rattling as she slammed into the stone wall. She fell to the floor as dust cascaded down from the wall atop her head. She rose to her hooves as fast as possible, dusting herself off and wiping some blood from her cheek. Dust made it to her hooves second, and nearly passed out when she saw who it was who had just nearly killed them. Jackpot was lying on top of one half of a table, and weakly lifted his head to get a glimpse. He then dropped his head back down, breaking into a disheartened laughter.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. Starlight stood as tall as she could, though she couldn’t deny she was absolutely terrified.

Princess Luna was standing near the booth Starlight had sat in just yesterday, a miserable frown on her face.

“You’ve proved quite elusive, Starlight Glimmer. I expected my guards to be able to handle you,” Luna said, slightly condescendingly.

Starlight’s eye twitched, tired of having to put up with so many constant obstacles. She remained in her defensive posture, while Dust cowered behind her in terror.

“St-Starlight, that’s-”

“I know, Dust.” Starlight said, wondering how they were going to get out of this one. Barley stared in horror, and then scurried off out the door, limping from his injuries. Nopony paid him any notice as he left. Luna was clearly only fixated on one pony, and that was Starlight.

“I expected you to come here, if you managed to escape. I’ve been watching you all since you’ve arrived here, mind you.”

Luna began pacing around them, as Starlight tried to stay calm. Luna smirked at the sight of Starlight trying to act as impressive as possible.

“Starlight, you can’t possibly think you can contest me.”

“M-maybe not...but I’m not going to stand here and let you hurt my friends,” Starlight said, trying her best to be brave in the face of impossible odds. She was staring down death in the face, and she knew it.

Luna smiled and nodded, finding Starlight’s stubbornness to be humorous.

“Let’s say you get away, then what? You’re wanted by every pony with any sort of jurisdiction over anything. Across Equestria, they know your face. You can’t outrun us forever.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong! You can’t treat me like I’m a villain!” Starlight yelled.

“But you’ve always been one, haven’t you? Since Twilight found you! Being Twilight’s student was just a cover, wasn’t it? To get on our good side. And look at how you’ve defiled our trust,” Luna said, truthfully feeling betrayed.

Starlight, however, wasn’t sure exactly what she was talking about.

“I see your mind. You’re afraid, aren’t you? Actions have consequences, Starlight Glimmer. And my, the consequences we’ve got planned for you are just terrible already. No need to worsen them by continuing to run away.”

Luna saw Starlight was undeterred, unaware it was because she had absolutely no idea what she was alluding to. Chrysalis’ atrocities in the south had yet to reach her ears, meanwhile to Luna, it was all she could think about. The deaths of nearly a thousand ponies had to be avenged. Luna considered Starlight to have promising potential under Twilight’s tutelage. However, all respect and love she had once had for the unicorn had completely dissipated, in wake of Chrysalis’ reign of terror in Starlight’s name.

“And your friends there, they’ll be executed, surely. Or at the very least, be sent to Tartarus for the remainder of their years. For helping a monster like you evade the law.”

Starlight breathed deeply through her nose, furious.

“I’m not a monster, and you can’t treat me like one!” Starlight said.

Luna opened her mouth to respond, giving Starlight an opportunity to catch her off guard, using every ounce of energy she had to fire a beam of magic into the ceiling above them, which immediately came crashing down. Luna raised her head up in surprise, and formed a magical bubble around her, which shielded her from the impending carnage of the falling rubble. While Luna was forming her bubble-shield, Starlight concentrated on teleporting herself and the other three. Once Luna had blasted her way out of the rubble, she immediately fired a beam at Starlight, just as they were teleporting out of the room.

Luna sighed in bitterness, Starlight and her accomplices having escaped. She picked herself out of the rubble and flicked some dust from her shoulder, exiting the restaurant as it continued to fall apart. Despite a small loss, Luna was still determined. Although she escaped, Luna knew Starlight couldn’t run forever.

Along the streets of Saddleopolis, four ponies spontaneously arrived in a flash of light, all covered in dust and bruises. They fell to the sidewalk, pony pedestrians taking a moment to check if they were alive, and then continuing along, ignoring them.

The ponies were all barely hanging in there. Elodea helped Dust to her hooves, as Jackpot leaned up against a street lamp, rubbing a dust-covered patch of torn-off skin on his leg.

“We need to get out of the open…” Elodea said.

“Starlight!”

Dust fell to her knees beside Starlight, who was lying motionless on the floor. She shook her back and forth, Starlight completely unresponsive.

“Oh Celestia...is she okay?!” Jackpot asked in despair.

Dust examined the heavy burns that covered her chest and right arm, realizing Luna’s blast apparently didn’t miss after all. Dust looked up from Starlight’s maimed, limp body, to a horrified Jackpot, both unsure what to do.

Chrysalis awoke suddenly, in an unfamiliar place. All she could remember was the terror of the jungle, a million voices calling out to her at once. She reeled in disgust at the sight of her still in her Starlight Glimmer disguise, her pink fur stained with dirt.

Instinctively, she attempted to cast a spell, yet the metal ring those ponies had stuck on her remained on her horn, prohibiting her from using her magic. She grunted in frustration, tied up in chains for the second time in two days. However, she had a feeling her imprisonment this time wasn’t the work of those drunken townsponies from that village.

Getting a look at her surroundings, she found herself in some kind of tent, pitched right upon the jungle floor. Her arms were tied behind a large pole that rose up to the top of the tent.

She was facing away from the door, and the tightness of the chains restricted her from turning her head too far around, as she tried to find something to help her escape. She then jumped in surprise, when she noticed there were two other ponies lying near her, also in chains, leaning against the tent wall. One was a stallion, muscular with a combed head of dark brown hair. He was keeled over, his head facing his stomach. Chrysalis believed he had to be either unconscious or dead, though she hardly cared which. The other pony, a bright pink unicorn with magenta-colored wavy long hair and sad eyes, was tied right beside the stallion, and was awake, to Chrysalis’ relief. The unicorn hadn’t said a word since Chrysalis had woken up.

“You! Where are we?” Chrysalis asked, as if she was interrogating her.

The pony ignored her, pretending not to have heard.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!”

“Talk to somepony else then,” the unicorn muttered. Chrysalis saw the mare had a ring around her horn to prevent her from using her magic, just as with Chrysalis, except the pony’s ring seemed to be far more crudely made. Soon enough, Chrysalis gave up with the mare and continued searching for an escape. She had located the exit, though as long as she was stuck in those chains, her situation was hopeless. Chrysalis rustled with the chains, to no avail, before eventually getting tired, slouching down to the ground. She heard the distant chatter of voices outside, and fear began to take a hold of her. Being unable to use her magic made her helpless, in what had to be one of the most hostile places in Equestria. Her ears perked up, at the sound of two ponies approaching the hut, talking to one another. They entered, though Chrysalis couldn’t get a glimpse of them, as she was tied facing the opposite direction.

“That one,” said one of the ponies, his dark, foreboding tone sending shivers down Chrysalis’ spine. To her despair, it just so happened that “that one” meant her. A stallion untied her from the post, and pulled her to her hooves, using the chain like a leash,

Chrysalis stared into the stallion’s face with a mix of disgust and hatred. He had a shaved head, and his face was covered in strange white markings. The other stallion, who was waiting by the door, had a similar appearance.

“Let go of me! You’ve made enemies with the wrong-”

The stallion slapped her in the face, knocking her to the floor. The bound unicorn on the floor burst into a fit of laughter, as Chrysalis picked herself up, scowling at the unicorn as she wiped dirt from her face.

The stallions grabbed a hold of her again and dragged her out of the hut, as she continued struggling and protesting.

Once outside, Chrysalis got quiet, and her mouth hung agape in shock. She was actually quite high up from the ground, in a civilization of small, primitive-style huts and buildings, where hundreds of ponies were traversing about. The community was right along a green-colored river that ran through the center of the jungle. The sky was a faint orange that morning, and the jungle air was especially humid.

Chrysalis was dragged up several slopes, cliffs, and hills, passing houses, shops, and the judgemental stares of the pony natives. They all bore the same white markings on their face, and all had their heads shaven. There were far too many ponies for Chrysalis to fight on her own, and she knew it.

At the highest point of the settlement, Chrysalis saw a large building, made out of wood and straw like all the others. Chrysalis was mildly impressed with the decapitated heads on spikes that decorated the out entrance to the house.

She was brought inside the building, where a small crowd of ponies was already waiting. The room was dark, practically pitch-black once the guards closed the door behind them and the sunlight disappeared. Through the crowd, she made out the dull glow of a candle, the lone source of light in a world of darkness. She stepped through the crowd at the guard’s insistence, hesitantly, nervous about what she was brought here for. When she made it to the front of the crowd, she saw him.

He was a short earth pony, middle-aged, greying hair and a worn-out tan coat. A side of his face and most of his body was hidden in the shadows, while the rest of him was illuminated by the subtle orange glow of the candle. He was staring at it, watching it bend back and forth to his breath.

“Starlight Glimmer.”

At first, Chrysalis was confused as to what her sworn enemy had to do with anything, and then remembered that she was currently disguised.

“Who are you?” she asked, without any hint of respect. The stallion hadn’t even looked over at her yet, his eyes stuck on the small flame of the candle in the corner. He waited to respond, taking his time to finish appreciating the light of the candle.

“Comrade,” he said, turning his head slowly to face her.

Chrysalis was beginning to get impatient with him, glancing back nervously at the crowd, who were all stone-faced and silent.

“Why have you taken me here?” she asked.

“You weren’t taken. You were brought,” the stallion corrected.

“The colt tricked me!”

“You’re here now,” he said, as if she was already dead. He bit his lip as his eyes stayed on the fire, beckoning it to show him what he had yet to understand. He raised his head to face Chrysalis again, even slower.

“I take it you’re not one for any sort of introduction, Miss Glimmer. That’s quite alright. I already know much about you. In my time here I’ve been able to learn a great deal about what happens out there. And now you’re here. We so rarely bring ponies here, er...still breathing. Ponies...they are the takers. All they do is take what shouldn’t be theirs. But you, Miss Glimmer, you’re quite different. I’ve heard so much about you, it’s really quite strange to be meeting you in the flesh…”

Chrysalis felt something odd about the way Comrade conducted himself. As if he could see right through her.

“The forest is nature at its finest. It is a far away place, and, to me, not meant to be inhabited by ponies. It’s wild, and untamable, and cannot be conquered. And yet we insist on doing just that. Conquering the unconquerable. Defiling the sacred. Because it gives us power. You are such an example. A great defiler...of life. The most sacred, basic element of nature. How many ponies have you murdered in all this time?”

“Hundreds. The second I get free, you and your ponies will join them,” she said, after hesitating with such a question.

Comrade said nothing, unphased by her threat.

“Do you know what this is?”

“What?”

“This place…” he said, waving a hoof across the air.

“No.”

“It’s a haven….in a world of despair. An oasis in a desert. Where justice is uncorrupted, and ponies are in control of their lives. Out there, ponies tear each other apart. They do it everywhere they can, and when they find some place that has yet to be taken, they waste no time doing so…They’re hungry. For power, and wealth, and control. You, Miss Glimmer, you like power and death, the same way a child likes his favorite toy. I suppose you have the right to kill me. I’m just another face in a crowd of corpses to you. You’ve taken so much from so many, you can’t even recall the exact number. You have the right, certainly. But you are a novice, a chaotic wind high on the thrill of destruction and pain. A freak occurrence in a world of greater evil. It’s impossible for me to describe, even, the truth behind what evil the world has concocted. It festers, and bleeds. Endlessly. Like a sore that never dies. It cannot be stopped, and it only grows. As long as ponies rule the world, so will evil corrupt it, slowly, but surely. Just like in this forest. Inch by inch, day by day, it will disappear, and be made into another soulless city or a wasteful depot. Which is why, by my persistence, evil must be mastered. Configured, to serve a purpose. You, Starlight Glimmer, are the antithesis to that design. You are a menace, who kills blindly and without discrimination. You do it for attention, oblivious to the deep-rooted evil , which you distract from. There is no purpose to your actions, other than to achieve some sadistic glory. And maybe in that, you have succeeded.”

Chrysalis was frozen in space. She watched this pony carefully, whose face was still partly hidden in the cold shadow of the room, as the manifestation of her fears. A thought-to-be morality, or a conscience, returning with a vengeance after years of subjugation. The small crowd of natives behind them was listening intently, silently. Comrade let his head fall back against the wood, as he began to reminisce.

“I remember, long ago...when I served in the royal guard. Feels like a lifetime ago. I came from nothing, though most of us came from nothing. In the south, there was a village, fraught with a bizarre plague. It was a truly mad disease...that killed hope as much as it took lives. We were the providers of a supposed vaccine, given to us by Equestria’s top scientists. The disease has killed most of the older ponies. In fact, the village was mostly children. Large families. By then, large families of orphans. We gave them the vaccine, and administered it. And then, as we began to leave, one of the children ran out, and was crying. He had gone blind. So we went back, and we took off the arm of every pony we gave the vaccine to. Those were the orders. I thought it was horrendous, to live with one arm missing, but I suppose they ended up lucky after all, since most of them didn’t have to live with it at all. The village was black and empty when we came back the next spring. And all I could do was stand and look at the aftermath. That’s all we could do. Deal with it. And when I watched the ashes of charred bodies blow into empty stores that used to be run by happy families with everything to live for, I felt myself fall backwards, into a dream. Another world, where things began to make sense. And I saw myself, not as I wanted to, but as I was. A killer. Bred for war with an endless list of interchangeable enemies. Championed as a protector of ponies, responsible for the greatest tragedy I had ever witnessed. And I realized...that those who tell us where to go, and what to do, and how to act, and what to believe, they are stronger than we. That there are fundamental differences between those who speak and those who listen. They could stand us, what we had done. There was no reprimand, or punishment. They accepted what we had done as something benign. An unavoidable casualty. They could stand that we were monsters, ponies trained to take. Take life, take food, take innocence, take joy...Wars are fought to take. Take land, or validation, or just all for selfishness...It’s all so arbitrary. This world is so temporary. This forest, here, right now, is temporary. We ponies are the takers. The real monsters. And those at the top, they can stand us. They can stand that we have families, and friends, and love, and joy, but could still commit atrocities nonetheless. They excuse it. These ponies here have gathered by the hundreds, from far and wide, because they have seen the paradox that I have. Death, and misery, they are natural parts of life. They are to be controlled. And I am the one to control it. So I came here, to a place untouched and uncorrupted by the sinister exploits of ponies. I defy those ponies who excuse such immorality. We live in simplicity, because that is all we need to thrive. We search for those who are guilty, and we do what we must. All of us, everypony, is guilty of some evil. Yet there is order in evil. A process, by which anypony can learn through. My process is effective, and not only effective, but justified. To root out the evil that destroys society, and morality, and nature, and eradicate it, for the betterment of all. And so you’ve been taken here. As a prop, an example of the chaotic evil that the world has spewn out. You must atone, Miss Glimmer, and you will never leave this place alive.”

Chrysalis was led back outside of Comrade’s hut, consumed by an unexpected terror. It dominated her thoughts, and refused to release her. Outside, the sky had become a darker shade of red, and the pony population of the settlement had gathered down below, around some sort of religious altar. It was too far to make out exactly what was happening.

Comrade joined her and the guards outside, smiling as he breathed in the air of the forest.

“The air is so clean today. Truly, today is a blessed day.”

Comrade raised a hoof in the air, and, to Chrysalis’ confusion, the crowd below began cheering. She watched as a pony was dragged out through the crowd to the altar in the center. Her eyes widened, when she saw it was the unconscious muscular stallion she had been imprisoned with, now very much awake, yelling and flailing about. He was tied down to the altar, screaming and fighting without success. Then a native pony stepped towards the altar, brandishing a large, ornate weapon, with a large bladed edge on one side. The crowd began chanting, something that Chrysalis couldn’t quite make out.

“That stallion works for the bureaucracy. He’s a thief, and looks down on those he considers beneath him,” Comrade explained.

Chrysalis could predict what was coming, but was more concerned about her own future here. Trapped with a psychopath, outnumbered by the hundreds and unable to use her magic, she was waiting for a miracle. Below, the crowd continued chanting together, ecstatically raising their hooves in anticipation.

“It’s so simple to bring ponies together. All you have to do is give them a cause, an enemy, and a fanaticism to do something about it,” Comrade said, as they watched the scene unfold below.

The crowd’s chanting grew more intense every step the pony made towards the restrained stallion on the altar. The pony was wearing a strange headdress, and was muttering something in a strange language.

“That is my method. A legitimate, effective method.”

The pony with the headdress finally made it to the altar, as the stallion whimpered and pleaded, buckling in his restraints back and forth. The crowd was practically screaming in excitement, yelling a thousand cries of simultaneous pleasure and anguish.

Then they were silenced, after the pony’s axe came down through the restrained pony’s neck, separating his head from his body, blood jetting out in every possible direction. Chrysalis flinched, which she found odd of herself to do, given how well-acquainted she was with death. But something about the nature of that stallion’s death just didn’t sit right with her.

The crowd waited for some ponies to collect the sacrifice pony’s head and body, carrying his remains to another location. Then they began to disperse, as if it was just a normal, everyday occurrence. Chrysalis glanced at Comrade, who seemed neither proud nor disappointed. Truly, this was just a normal day.

“And they call me mad,” he said aloud, staring off into nothing. He seemed to neither love nor hate what he had brought about. Merely, he was weeding out the evil of Equestria he so despised. To him, it was a natural obligation.

He nodded for Chrysalis to be taken away, as he returned to his hut at the top of the hill, to find his candle still waiting for him.

Outside of the Forbidden Forest, Twilight Sparkle and her band of ponies stopped their carriage at the riverbank, unable to cross. Twilight spotted a worn-out shack along the grassy coast, whose old wooden boards shook and buckled in the wind. Twilight trotted towards the shack, accompanied by Fluttershy and Shining Armor. The trio investigated the shack, though it seems abandoned.

“And just who the hell are you?”

Behind them was a yellow, pot-bellied pony, who was chewing on a moldy fruit and reeked of the river moss. Twilight gave a slight smile as a menial form of endearment.

“We would like to cross, please.”

“Uh-uh. No way, fancy folk.”

Twilight’s smile dropped. She glanced back at Fluttershy and Shining Armor, though they had no ideas as to how to handle this either. Twilight cleared her throat, while the stallion stood his ground, the disgusting sound of his chewing filling the awkward silence.

“We are well-prepared to compensate you, if you-”

“It don’t matter whether you’re the queen of Equestria. Ain’t nopony riding on my boat, because ain’t no strangers allowed on my boat no more. Not after last time.”

“What happened last time?” Twilight asked.

“Another fancy-talking unicorn showed up, I brought her across, turned out she was a crazy no-good bitch. They locked her up for a day, but she escaped, I hear. That’s the story.”

“Mister, that pony, is extremely dangerous. Me and my friends here, see, we’re trying to find her, and capture her. I am a Princess, I’ll have you know. Now if she was here, we need to find out as much as we can.”

The stallion grumbled to himself and kicked at the dirt.

“I ‘spose I won’t hear the end of it if I bar a princess, huh. Fine then. Still full price. I don’t discriminate.”

Twilight nodded and paid the pony, who transported the group of ponies who couldn’t just fly across the river, taking multiple trips.

“The carriage will have to stay there,” said Twilight.

“I’ll have some of the boys stay with it,” Shining Armor said, right after reaching the other side of the river. He assigned the job to two of the soldiers, while the other ponies all continued into the town.

Immediately, the townsponies began to fret over the arrival of Twilight and Cadance. A crowd began to form, most of them asking questions regarding their recent trouble with a certain pink unicorn. One horse, who had a light blue coat and red hair, stepped out of the crowd to formally welcome the ponies.

“Your highnesses...welcome to our little village. I’m Backwoods,” he said, enthusiastically shaking their hooves.

“I take it you’ve heard about our recent trouble…” he said.

“You apprehended her?”

“Temporarily. Somepony set her loose, and went off into the jungle.”

Twilight glanced over his shoulder at the aforementioned jungle, which towered high and stretched north and south as far as the eye could see. The town was situated in a carved-out section of the jungle, which hugged against the river on either side of its borders.

“Then we’re heading into that jungle,” Twilight said, conclusively.

“Uh, your highness. You can’t just go into the jungle. It’s way dense, and impossible for any newcomer to navigate.”

Twilight was about to answer, until she spotted something strange in the crowd. A colt, who had joined the crowd to see what was happening, was staring at her, eyes wide with fear. He was backing up slowly, praying she hadn’t noticed him. She turned towards him, and the colt immediately sprang away, shoving past the crowd with all his strength. Until, he found himself hovering in the air, in a magical bubble of Twilight’s creation. She brought him to the center of the crowd, right before her hooves. The townsponies mumbled in confusion. The colt struggled with all his might, yet was rendered completely helpless. He had light green fur and a darker green mane, and a hateful expression.

“Let me go!”

“Who are you?” Twilight stammered. Behind her, her friends began to grow concerned, believing her to be hassling an innocent minor.

“I said, let me go! I haven’t done anything!” the colt yelled.

“You tried to run! Who are you?” she yelled, trying to frighten him into talking. She had a gut feeling he was involved somehow. After tightening her grip around him, he gave in.

“Savoy!” he spat, sputtering as he struggled against Twilight’s hold.

“You know what happened last night?”

“Of course I do! Everypony knows!”

“Where were you when it happened?!”

Savoy didn’t answer for a while, giving the crowd a reason to find him suspicious. Their suspicions increased, when nopony could recollect exactly where he was that night.

“Yeah, kid, you weren’t around,” said one pony, and the others soon joined in. Twilight rode her power trip as her doubts were confirmed by the crowd.

“You helped her, didn’t you?”

“No! I-I…” he sputtered as Twilight’s magical restraint began to choke him by the throat. He sputtered, his face turning red.

“Yes! Okay?! Let go!” he yelled, desperate for air.

Twilight relented, dropping him to the ground as the crowd hissed and jeered at him. Savoy glared at Twilight, enraged. Twilight remained unimpressed.

“You can take me to her?”

Savoy hung his head facing the crowd, and then got a new idea.

“Of course I can take you...in the jungle, I know it well.”

Twilight stared at him, still suspecting he had ulterior motives. She glanced at her friends, who were more than a little frightened by her blatant demonstration of uncontrolled temper. Twilight lifted her head to address the crowd.

“Everypony! Listen to me! I promise you, that I’ll find that pony, and bring her to justice! No more innocent ponies will be harmed!” she said, emphatically, and was met by thunderous applause and cheers. She helped the colt to his hooves. The colt clearly didn’t want to help them, but given she had the power to kill him in an instant, he knew he didn’t really have a choice.

While the crowd dispersed, Twilight convened with the others, who were all a little nervous about heading into the jungle with a colt as their guide.

“Twilight, we can’t trust that kid,” Rainbow said.

“We’re not trusting him. We’re using him.”

“Twilight, darling, have you heard what the locals said? They said that the pony was a pink unicorn, the whole time! Even when she was caught!” Rarity said.

“What about it?” Twilight asked, confused as to what her point was.

“So don’t you find it strange? If this is really Chrysalis in a disguise, why wouldn’t she give up her disguise at some point? Even when she was discovered?”

Twilight did admit that was odd, but refused to give the theory that Starlight was the culprit any ground.

“What matters is catching her, then we’ll figure out who’s who,” Twilight said.

The other ponies prepared for their journey into the jungle, fearing the assortment of dangers that lie ahead.

In the city streets of Saddleopolis, Dust Bunny was kneeling beside Starlight Glimmer, tears streaming down her face. She slowly bent down and pressed her head down against Starlight’s chest, and smiled, still highly emotional from their near death experience.

“She’s breathing…” Dust said, relieved, “El’s right, we need to get inside...Princess Luna will find us.”

“Here, there’s a bar over there,” Elodea said, pointing off down the street.

“Jackpot and Dust picked up Starlight’s unconscious body, and followed Elodea along the sidewalk, before turning and entering the bar. Once the other three were inside, Elodea stuck her head out the door, looking up into the sky, making sure Luna wasn’t anywhere near.

“I don’t care! This ain’t a hospital, pal.”

Elodea re-entered the bar, which was filled to the brim with ponies, and walked in on an argument between Jackpot and the host of the bar.

“Look here you son of a -” Jackpot began.

“Please! We won’t be long,” Elodea said, intervening. The host pony’s face loosened as he took a closer look at the beaten and bruised ponies.

“You’ve got fifteen minutes,” he said, reluctantly.

“Thank you!”

They shuffled over to a booth in the back, laying Starlight’s loose body down on the bench. The other three remained standing, unsure what to do next.

“What now?” Dust asked, trying not to cry.

“We can’t outrun a princess,” Jackpot said.

“What about her? She needs a doctor,” Elodea said, glancing over at Starlight, whose mouth was hanging was open and eyes closed.

“Don’t you know some of that stuff?” Dust asked.

Elodea glanced back again at Starlight’s condition, and shook her head.

“That’s some serious burns. She needs like, a real doctor.”

“She’s a unicorn, can’t she heal herself?” Jackpot said.

“Maybe, do I look like a magic expert to you? And even if she could, she has to wake up first!” Dust said.

“We can’t stay in this city. They’ll be searching for us,” said Jackpot, determined to get Starlight to safety.
Elodea stared at them, trying to collect herself.

“First off, mind telling me why the fucking police, and an alicorn wants your friend, and apparently all of us too- dead?” Elodea asked.

“I told you, a lot of ponies have it out for her,” Dust said, defensively.

“You never told me Princess Luna was after her! Or all of Equestria! Isn’t that what she said? Everypony everywhere wants her dead? Just who the hell is this pony?!” Elodea yelled, beginning to draw attention to the group.

“Keep your voice down...Look, she’s a good pony, and she’s our friend. Now you’re my friend too, El, so I’d hope you’d stick by us. You can either come with us, or stay here, and they’ll probably find you, and arrest you.”

Elodea stared at Dust, mildly impressed, not used to Dust being so assertive.

“Well where the hell are we supposed to go?”

“Vanhoover,” Jackpot said, immediately.

“Starlight said no, remember?” Dust said.

“She said no because she thought the cops would find her. Well the cops have already found us. What we need right now, is to get far away from the fucking Princess of the Night, and get to some place we can lay low...we need friends right now, since we’re apparently a bunch of Celestia-damned fugitives.”

Elodea shook her head in disbelief, and caught Dust’s longing stare.

“Please El, we need you…” she said, near-tears.

Elodea sighed, knowing she had to do the right thing.

“I’ll come,” she said, though Dust wasn’t sure if she really meant it.

“I’ll send a letter to my friend in Vanhoover, so we’ll have somepony to house us as soon as we get there,” Jackpot said.

“How the hell do you plan on doing that? We can’t be out in the open,” Dust said.

“Pigeon,” Elodea said.

The other two stared at her blankly.

“What?” Dust asked, trying not to laugh.

“Back in the circuit, we’d use pigeons to carry messages across Equestria without having to use the post office.”

“That’s stupid. How will the pigeon know where to go?” Jackpot said.

“Yeah, and where do you keep your pigeons?” Dust said.

“You let me worry about the fucking pigeon, you worry about your friend, ok?” Elodea said, “Now, where exactly does your friend in Vanhoover live?”

Jackpot took a moment to recall.

“Dixie Avenue, 476.”

“‘K. I’ll go sort that out, I’ll meet you back here in twenty.”

“They’re kicking us out in like, ten minutes, you know,” Dust reminded Elodea, as she picked up her belongings to leave.

“Then I guess you’ll have to talk your way out of it,” Elodea said, smiling. She stepped away from the group and began walking off.

“El! Good luck,” Dust said. Elodea turned, and by her look of fearful guilt, Dust wondered if she was planning on leaving them, that the pigeon was just an elaborate alibi. El simply nodded and left.

Dust and Jackpot sat beside each other opposite to Starlight, who was still unconscious.

“Execute us? Really?” Jackpot said, struck by the threat.

“That’s what the princess said,” Dust confirmed, having been thinking about the same thing.

“There’s no way she’s really as bad as Luna said, right? I mean, look what she did! What do you have to do to piss off a princess that bad?” Dust said.

“We said we’d stick by her, and we are. She saved us at least twice today,” Jackpot pointed out.

Dust nodded, thankful they were all alive.

“Hey uh, are you guys gonna buy something, or just sit there?” said a passing waiter.

“Oh, um, I’ll have a water, thank you,” Dust said, politely.

Jackpot ignored the waiter, who bitterly walked away.

“I always wanted to meet Luna, but not like that.”

Dust nodded, stifling a laugh.

“How are we getting to Vanhoover?”

“Merchant caravan. They pass up and down towns. We get in a disguise, we won’t be recognized.”

Dust lit up at the prospect of waltzing around in a disguise, struck by the wonder of going on an adventure. Then her thoughts came back to their grim reality.

“What about her? She can’t walk, can she?”

“We’ll figure something out. We’re not leaving her.”

Dust noticed the way he looked at her, and suspected his feelings for her ran deeper than a simple amicable respect. Jackpot noticed her skeptical look, and smiled.

“What?”

“Are you two-”

“What?”

“You know…”

Jackpot gave a small smile and glanced at the floor.

“It certainly seems so,” he said aloud. Dust’s eyes widened.

“Oh, well, uh, good for you guys,” Dust said, slightly resentful of two of her only friends forming a relationship that went deeper than anything she had with either of them. She had considered the prospect of being with Jackpot, but only rarely, and never acted on it unless by accident. Of course she wanted both of them to be happy, but still felt the slight tinge of jealousy.

“We’re all gonna get through this.” Dust said, mostly to console herself.

“And to think, it all depends on your crack whore friend’s carrier pigeon scheme,” Jackpot said.

Dust smiled and shook her head, equally astonished by what had to be the strangest time in her life.

Chrysalis had been brought back to the hut she woke up in, finding herself beside the pink unicorn with the magenta hair yet again. Chrysalis, now understanding their situation was dire, knew that collaboration was the only key to success. As soon as the guards left, Chrysalis started talking.

“You know what they did to that pony?”

The mare stared at Chrysalis, and then shook her head.

“I saw. They brought him out, and they chopped his head off. Clean off. Dead right away. Then they threw his body in the river, for the crocodiles to eat,” Chrysalis said, making up the last part. The mare, still, was completely disinterested.

“What is wrong with you? They’re going to kill us!”

“And what are we going to do about it? I saw the camp, there’s hundreds of them.”

“I can handle them.”

“Okay, pal, sure,” the unicorn said, scoffing.

“I can, and when I get out of here and burn this place to the ground, maybe I’ll leave you to die with it. Or, we could help each other.”

“Why should I trust you? You’re just another low-life unicorn with nothing to live for.”

“Low-life? I’m Starlight Glimmer.”
The mare stared at her, trying to recall the name.

“The Scourge of the-?”

“Yes!”

“Oh.”

Chrysalis waited for the mare to bend to her will, and yet, she still seemed unimpressed.

“So?”

“So?! I could level this place in an instant if I had my magic.”

“But you don’t have your magic. Right now, we’re equal. In fact, I’ve got a better chance of escape than you do. One of those guards left a box of shit over by the door, and I’m closer to it.”

Chrysalis tried to see what she was talking about, but couldn’t turn her head that far back.

“Then what the hell are you waiting for?”

“Even if I escape, they’ll catch me, and kill me anyway.”

“Not if we destroy this place, and everypony in it.”

“Wow. I guess I should expect that to be the Scourge of the South’s plan. You know they have mares and children here, right?”

“You may prefer to die on the moral high ground, I’d rather live.”

“Moral high ground? I don’t know who you think you’re talking to. I’m Violet. Violet Heirloom. I work for a smuggling ring on the east coast. And just because you have a sick hard-on for killing innocent ponies, doesn’t make you anything special. Just an attention whore, if you ask me.”

“You’re exactly right. All that was just a distraction, so I could have time to find what I’m really after.”

“Do tell.”

“There’s a great treasure, and somewhere in this jungle is the key to finding it. That’s why I’m here, then these psychotic fanatics apprehended me.”

“Going on a treasure hunt? I thought you were supposed to be a mass-murdering supervillain, not an amateur.”

“Amateur!?”

“You heard me. You’re sloppy.”

They stared at each other for a few hate-filled moments, before mutually coming to terms with the possible benefits of collaboration.

“Work together?”

“Just until we get out of here,” Violet said, deciding they might have a chance together after all. She turned her body and stuck her leg as far out as possible. After three tries, she finally managed to get a hold of the handle of the box near the door, dragging it towards her.

“Well? What’s in it?”

“I’m looking...matches...cards...a hammer!” Violet said, after emptying out the contents of the box in front of her.

“We can break the chains?”

“We can try,” said Violet, again turning her body 180 degrees to grab the hammer. She whacked against her chains repeatedly, until, after the 26th strike, finally broke herself loose. She took the hammer and smashed the ring around her horn, regaining her magic. The strike to the ring gave her some mild horn damage and a massive headache that she soon overcame.

“Well? Untie me!”

Violet hesitated, considering her chances alone, before deciding she did need the help after all. In one quick spell, Chrysalis was free of her chains, and the ring around her horn, proving Violet’s magical capabilities and even impressing Chrysalis.

“What now?”

“Follow me,” Chrysalis said, eager to have some revenge.

“Hey!” cried one of the guards, before being incinerated by Chrysalis’ spell. She blasted every building, pony, and tree in sight, setting fire to the entire village. While the village was thrown into a panic, Violet assumed they would make a run for it while they had the chance. Yet Chrysalis just continued on through the town, up the cliffs towards the top of the hill, destroying everything in her path.

“Shouldn’t we be going?” Violet asked, fed up with Chrysalis’ persistence.

“They’ll come after us. Nopony survives,” Chrysalis said, as she burned ponies to ashes, their screams being abruptly cut off.

Violet too joined in on the warpath, though resolved only to kill the ponies who tried to attack her. In every direction, there were charred corpses and collapsed buildings, fodder for the enormous fire that was sweeping the village. The screams of the native ponies could probably be heard for miles, though were slowly being drowned out by the raging crackling of the fire.

Chrysalis and Violet made it to the top of the cliff, while the entirety of the settlement burned a furious orange beneath them, lighting up the entire jungle beneath the black night sky. Chrysalis killed both of the guards without blinking an eye, before she entered Comrade’s hut. Violet decided to wait outside, leaving Chrysalis to find the last piece of her vengeance.

Again, the house was extremely dark, Chrysalis barely able to make out her own hoof in front of her. She cautiously walked forward, her horn glowing to light her way through the dark.

“You have the right to kill me.”

Chrysalis smirked and turned around to see Comrade a few yards away by the wall, his candle now lit, painting the underside of his head in a fiery orange.

“But, Miss Glimmer...you will never be free…” he cracked a smile, the first time she had ever seen him smile, and for some reason it made her terrified.

“We blame everything and everypony we can. We make enemies with as much as we can. But still we know...that we are each our own worst enemy. We will never be free.”

Chrysalis trembled as her horn glowed brighter, and then screamed as she fired a blast through Comrade’s chest. The stallion collapsed to the ground, dead. Chrysalis’s head was in a whirl. For the first time in what felt like forever, she hesitated to kill another pony. She felt no relief in his death. She felt as though the stallion was still very much alive, only inside her mind. .

Chrysalis exited the hut after catching her breath, and was half-surprised to find Violet still waiting for me.

“I thought you’d leave,” Chrysalis said, clearing her throat, trying to appear intimidating again after her recent struggles with morality.

“I thought it’d make more sense to stick together. The forest is dangerous. It’s better to be two than one,” Violet said.

“Not for me.”

“Well, it is for me. I’m sticking with you until we get out of here, got it?”

Chrysalis relented, only because she owed her for the escape.

“Let’s not waste any time sticking around here then,” Chrysalis muttered, walking down the hill, Violet following, the two of them high above the unfathomable fiery chaos they had wretched.

Chapter Eight: Escape From Saddleopolis

“This is a ridiculous plan.”

Standing atop the roof of a skyscraper, above the smoggy clouds that hovered over the city of Saddleopolis, were Dust Bunny, Jackpot, and Elodea, all shivering from the chilly high-altitude air. Starlight Glimmer was lying on the ground near one of the roof’s air vents, still unconscious from her recent Princess Luna-related injuries. The other three were standing near the edge of the roof, several stories above ground level. In one of Elodea’s hooves was a live grey pigeon, and in the other was a rolled-up letter, a letter that had just been penned by Jackpot, seeking the help of a friend in Vanhoover. Elodea was currently struggling to tie the letter to the pigeon’s foot, while the other two stared on, doubtful the plan would work.

“We shouldn’t be out in the open like this…” Jackpot muttered, nervously scanning the sky for a particular alicorn princess.

“It will only take a minute,” Elodea said, as she finished attaching the letter.

“There!”

She pet the pigeon’s head and tossed it into the air, where it took flight, heading south, at a reasonable speed for a pigeon.

“Fly! Go on! Fly!” Elodea yelled. The other two shared a look of mutual uncertainty.

“Alright, now that we’re done being morons, let’s get back inside,” Jackpot said, picking up Starlight from the floor, with Dust’s help.

In the hotel they were staying at, the ponies were in conflict over the plan to get out of the city, before Luna and the royal guard inevitably located them.

“We need disguises,” Jackpot said.

“That’s a bit much,” Elodea replied, finding disguises to be childish and embarrassing.

“They know what we look like now, right?” Jackpot said.

“All I’ve got is some sunglasses,” Elodea replied, as she put the pair of sunglasses on and smiled.

“Look, I’m unrecognizable,” Elodea teased, carelessly.

“There are guards at every exit of the city, and they’re bound to be doing inspections,” Jackpot said.

“Forget about the inspections, you guys are missing the big problem. Her.” Elodea said, pointing at Starlight, who was lying on the bed.

“I’ll get a cart to dump Glimmer in. I don’t want to be carrying her tens of miles to Vanhoover.”

“They might not recognize us, but they’ll definitely recognize her.” said Dust.

“So….we’ll hide her. I'll go get the cart, we’ll hide her, and we’ll be fine...Don’t worry so much, Dust, I’ve got everything under control,” he said, standing up to leave and go buy a cart.

“Under control!? We’re national fugitives! Nothing is under control!”

“Not with that attitude. Now stay here and watch her, and your miscreant friend,”

Elodea stuck her tongue out at him as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Your friend’s an idiot,” Elodea said, chewing on a wad of pink bubblegum while lounging on a chair in the corner. Dust was still watching the door Jackpot had just left out of, longingly.

“I know.”

Jackpot returned some time later, having bought a sizable wooden cart. They dumped Starlight inside, covering her in bedsheets and pillows they had stolen from the hotel room.

“That’ll do for now,” Jackpot said, as he began dragging the cart down the street, the other two walking along beside him.

Elodea brought them to a vendor's district, full of exotic ponies selling exotic things.

“Alright, everypony get some new clothes, and some random shit to throw in the cart.”

Dust found a black brimmed hat and a matching jacket, which she wore over top her black dress. Returning to the cart, she saw Jackpot, wearing a sort of grey cloak wrapped around his head, and Elodea, who hadn’t bought anything.

“El!”

“What? Sunglasses, remember? I’m covered.”

Dust shook her head in disapproval, while Jackpot dumped some newly bought wooden chairs, some tables, and a dresser drawer in the carriage, accidentally smacking Starlight in the face with a chair leg in the process.

“So what exactly are we telling the cops? We’re...furniture salesponies?”

“Delivery ponies. Tell ‘em somepony ordered all this,” Jackpot said, making up the story on the spot.

“Got it,” Elodea said, chewing on her bubblegum, seemingly completely unphased by their desperate situation. Dust, against her instinct to trust her friend, found Elodea’s disinterest rather suspicious, as if she already knew she had nothing to lose.

The three ponies walked towards the edge of the city, and located a crowd of merchants, all talking amongst themselves, trying to get through the city’s south gate. Near the end of the line, the trio shuffled past ponies of all shapes and sizes, all selling a variety of goods.

“Dust, act natural.”

“What?”

“You look too suspicious. You’ve got to be more natural.”

“Suspicious?! How exactly do I-”

“Damn it Dust! Lower your voice, you’re attracting too much attention.”

Dust rolled her eyes as they inched forward in the line of merchants. Dust glanced into the cart, barely able to see the outline of Starlight’s head beneath all of the junk.

‘We’re gonna get you out of here, I promise,’ she thought in her head, though without Starlight to protect them, she felt extremely vulnerable, particularly since she was in a completely foreign place. Not to mention, she was apparently wanted on the federal level, for crimes she wasn’t even aware of.

When they had made it to the gate, Jackpot nodded to Elodea to let her do the talking, while he tried to avoid eye contact with the customs officials, doubting his ability to keep his cool.

Elodea approached the officer, who seemed about as lively as any other pony in the city. As Elodea made her way to the officer, Dust, for a second, wondered if Elodea was about to rat them out, right then and there, and get a lighter sentence in exchange. She prayed their friendship would pull through.

“Hello, officers,” Elodea said, an innocent smile on her face.

“Cargo?”

“Miscellaneous.”

“What kind of miscellaneous?”

“Just some furniture.”

“Where’s it going?”

“Where do you think? Vanhoover,” Elodea said, unable to prevent herself from showing attitude.

“Don’t get smart with me,” the officer said, glaring at her.

“Sorry,” Elodea said, though clearly didn’t mean it.

The officer stood up straight in his chair, insulted by Elodea’s tone.

“You don’t mind if we take a look?”

“Can you get us on the way back? We’re on a tight schedule here, you know.”

“No, I think we’ll do it now,” the officer said, ticked off.

Elodea bit her lip in frustration as the officer was joined by another pony, the two of them stepping over to take a look inside the cart.

Jackpot was sweating beneath his cloak, nervously looking at Dust, who was trying to maintain her composure.

The cops rifled through the cart, knocking the furniture about, for at least ten seconds. Yet, Starlight was buried so deep beneath the sheets and pillows that finding her wasn’t easy, and, even after minutes of prowling, the officers came back with nothing.

“Alright then, proceed,” said the first officer, still suspicious of a still-smirking Elodea.

The trio began moving forward, until the distinct sound of Starlight groaning in pain from inside the cart made them all freeze.

“What was that?” said one officer, who began approaching the cart again. Jackpot, not knowing what else to do, kicked him square in the face, and began sprinting away towards the still-open gate, dragging the cart behind him.

“Don’t let them escape!”

While two guards pursued Jackpot, another ran to the customs booth, and pressed a button on the table, which activated the gate to begin closing. Jackpot ran with all his effort, as he watched the gate slowly close. He didn’t look back, even for a shred of a second, desperate to save himself and Starlight. Miraculously, he made it, and quickly slipped into the dense crowd of merchant ponies, safe from the pursuing guards, who made it to the gate just after it had closed.

Dust and Elodea, meanwhile, were backing away from some other guards, who had joined the scene after hearing the commotion.

“You’re both coming with us,” said one, slowly approaching them.

“Dust?” Elodea muttered, as they backed away into a nearby alley.

“Yeah?”

“Run!”

Elodea spun around and began running away, Dust wasting no time in following. They ran down an alley, towards a fence that would lead outside the city.

When they made it to the fence, Elodea shook it incessantly, to no avail.

“There’s no way through it…”

“Over it?” Dust asked, as she nervously checked back and saw the officers in hot pursuit towards them.

“I’ll give you a lift!”

Elodea squatted down, and let Dust jump on her back and shoulders. Grunting with Dust’s weight, Elodea slowly stood up, until Dust was able to successfully jump over and land on the other side. Brushing herself off from the scrapes and bruises she sustained from the fall, Dust grabbed the fence, desperately.

“What about you?!”

Elodea’s head swiveled back and forth between the fast-approaching officers, and a wide-eyed Dust.

“I can’t follow you this time, kid,” Elodea said, regretfully.

“El!”

Unable to stop her, Dust helplessly watched Elodea climb over a nearby dumpster into another alley, avoiding the officers just as they arrived. The two shared one last look before Elodea disappeared out of sight.

“Cut that fence down!” yelled one of the officers. Dust waited for a few moments, hoping that Elodea would come back, though she knew it wouldn’t happen. She ran off around the corner, and sprinted towards the caravan, which was still nearby.

Now out of the city and hidden in the crowd, Dust believed she was safe, subtly making her way past ponies until she saw one stallion with a recognizable head of orange-brown curly hair.

“Jackpot!”

Jackpot spun around in shock, at first believing Dust was a cop. When he saw it was her, he wrapped his arms around her, relieved.

“Oh, thank Celestia…”

Dust hugged him tightly, partly out of joy to see him alive, but mostly to console herself after losing Elodea for the second time in her life.

“You’re both alright?” she asked, slowly breaking away from the embrace.

“Fine. Those cops must’ve missed leg day...Where’s Elodea?”

“She...she stayed behind,” Dust said, her voice quivering.

Jackpot shook his head, remorsefully.

“Pity. I was just starting to like the junkie.”

The two remained close to each other as they traveled with the caravan, south towards Vanhoover, now with only each other and an unconscious Starlight to keep company.

Twilight’s eyes were locked on Savoy, their colt guide, who was leading the group of ponies through the dense jungle of the Forbidden Forest, in search of Queen Chrysalis. Twilight didn’t trust the colt at all, especially since he had already tried to run away. Twice.

Rarity and two of the soldier ponies had stayed back in the town, while the others all departed into the forest.

Twilight was nervous, perhaps the most nervous she’d been this entire journey. She felt a strange sense of uncertain danger as they trudged deeper into the heart of the jungle, the dark green of the forest becoming darker and less friendly the farther they traversed. The terrain was difficult to navigate, with bushes, sticks, and mud haphazardly covering the forest floor. Savoy seemed to know where he was going, though Twilight, naturally, feared he was leading them into some sort of trap. Still, it was arguably better than having no guide at all.

“If Starlight is up north, why are we even wasting our time here? This is all probably just some trick,” Rainbow whined, flying in the air near Twilight, dodging the occasional low-hanging branch.

“She can’t be two places at once,” Twilight responded, tired of arguing.

“Can’t she duplicate herself?” Spike pointed out.

“On opposite ends of Equestria? It’s unlikely she could have the strength to pull that off.”

“Not impossible,” Spike retorted.

“What’s so special about that thing she’s after anyway?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight shook her head.

“It’s been a while since I read about it. It’s a longshot to try and find it, too. It’s been hidden for thousands of moons.”

“Whatever it is, it better be something special. I didn’t think we’d be taking a tour of Equestria when we left,” said Rainbow, who would much rather be asleep in the comforts of her own home than lost in some devilish jungle of misfortune.

Suddenly Savoy stopped, and Twilight responded by flashing her horn a luminescent purple, expecting him to try and pull another trick again.

“Something is wrong,” he said.

“Oh. Right. Nice try. Go ahead and run again, kid, you won’t get very far,” Rainbow threatened.

“It’s not that...This part of the forest, it’s too quiet...The small animals have scattered...All I can hear are insects and…” he trailed off, sniffing the air for anything suspicious. He then realized what the problem was, springing forward and taking off deeper into the jungle, unexpectedly.

“Hey!” Twilight yelled.

“He’s gettin’ away!” Applejack said.

Rainbow, without any instruction, took off at a high speed into the jungle after him. She smirked as she came close to catching him, until she ran face-first into a surprise tree branch. She fell hard to the dirt ground, her head in a whirl.

When the others had caught up, Rainbow grunted and pointed in the direction Savoy had gone off towards.

Following him, the ponies soon began smelling the same scent he had picked up, which got stronger the further they went through the thick brush. The ponies cringed in disgust at the terrible smell, which resembled burnt flesh and a city’s worth of smoke.

Then, they came to the edge of the ridge, which descended downwards into a low-sitting grassy plain, that gradually inclined upwards into a hill. There were houses all along the ground and up the hill, or rather, what remained of those houses. The whole valley was desolated, black with ash and smoke. Every building had collapsed, every tree burnt to a crisp, and every blade of grass shriveled up and disintegrated.

Savoy was staring at the carnage from the edge, just as shocked and horrified as Twilight and the others. Among the ashes were bones and ghastly charred red innards. There were patches of fur ripped right from the muscle, ripped-open organs, and shredded tendons that were still on fire, burning small flames along the ground as if it was a candle vigil.

“...What happened here?” Fluttershy asked, horrified, and yet unable to look away. The body count was certainly above a hundred, counting only those who still resembled bodies, that is.

“I did this…” said Savoy, who was hyperventilating with a sense of terrible guilt.

“I brought her here…I thought...I thought he would kill her...I thought he would end it all…”

“Who?” Twilight asked, even more suspicious of the colt now.

“Comrade, he...I would bring him ponies, ponies he thought were guilty and deserved to die...and in exchange, he would give me protection...I just wanted it all to end...I just wanted Glimmer to die.”

“She did this? Starlight?” Cadance said, shocked.

Twilight exhaled deeply, enraged and saddened at the sight of so much senseless death and destruction.

“She couldn’t have gone far. There’s no point staying here.”

“Twilight...shouldn’t we...bury all these ponies, or something? We can’t do anything about this,” said Applejack.

Twilight turned away from the destruction, her face bludgeoned by the impact of the great, agonizing sense of loss. Her eyes were cast down at the dirt, wondering how a creature could be able to commit such evil on such a large scale. It wasn’t fair, and yet, as long as Chrysalis eluded her, it would only continue.

“We’ll bury them when we’re finished. The longer we take to find Chrysalis, the more time she'll have to….to do more things like this to more ponies,” said Twilight, struggling to keep her composure.

The others hesitantly agreed, and slowly began shuffling back into the brush. Eventually it was just Savoy and Twilight left, both still taking in the unforgettable, terrible sight.

“If we find her...you have to kill her,” the colt said, his guilt slowly being replaced by a vengeful hatred. Twilight blinked a few times, and simply smiled, a delightful, cruel, half-delirious smile.

“Oh, I’m going to kill her.”

Miles away in the same jungle, Chrysalis and her newest temporary accomplice, Violet Heirloom, had finally taken a rest break, after hours of walking through the incomprehensible endlessness of the Forbidden Forest.

They hadn’t spoken a word to each other the entire journey. Chrysalis, for one, hated ponies of any kind, and was only keeping the unicorn around to watch her back in the hostile jungle. And Violet, meanwhile, still only believed Chrysalis to be yet another villainous pony, completely unaware that the ‘Starlight Glimmer’ she had met yesterday was really the dreaded queen of the changelings.

“Stand up,” said Violet, talking to Chrysalis, who was sitting on a large rock near a stream, resting her legs. Mass murder sure was exhausting.

“Excuse me?” Chrysalis fired back.

“Just stand up!”

Chrysalis scowled and stood up to her hooves.

“I knew it! I’ve seen that rock before! It’s got that divot in the center! We’re going in circles!”

Chrysalis hadn’t even realized it until Violet pointed it out, and then noticed that indeed, their surroundings did look rather familiar.

“Great. We’re lost.”

“I’ve been lost since I first got here...” Violet said, looking around the forest for any other memorable landmarks.

“Well? Have you got a plan?” Chrysalis asked, unable to think of a course of action herself.

“If there’s a stream, it leads towards civilization,” Violet said, pointing at the nearby stream.

“I don’t intend on returning to civilization quite yet. There’s a place I need to find, in this jungle.”

“Gee, that narrows it down.”

“If I had it any narrower, I’d have found it by now.”

Violet rolled her eyes, and sat herself down on a rock of her own, her legs dangling over the running stream.

“What do you think it looks like?”

“The last place I was at, was a sort of tomb…”

Violet looked around the forest sarcastically, before staring blankly at Chrysalis.

“Hm. I see...trees, trees, trees, ooh! More trees!”

Chrysalis scowled at her bothersome traveling companion, sitting back down on her rock, facing away from her.

For a few moments, they just sat there silently, both worried they’d be stuck in this forest for the rest of their lives. Chrysalis wondered how long she would have before Twilight finally wised up and located her. If she didn’t find that Queen’s Jewel sooner, she’d miss her chance for world-domination forever. Violet, however, was only concerned with escaping this forsaken jungle in one piece. The longer she spent here, the more likely she was to be killed, by an concerningly wide assortment of means.

Caught off guard, Violet jumped to her hooves at the sound of Chrysalis screaming. When she turned around, she saw a snake, at least a foot wide and at least 18 feet tall, its tail wrapped around Chrysalis, tightening every rotation, cutting off airflow rapidly.

“Vi-ach!-olet!!” Chrysalis croaked, as her throat closed from the pressure of the snake’s grip. The snake, black in color, with red, demonic eyes, appeared to be smiling down at Violet, who couldn’t help but be intimidated by its monstrous size. Violet watched Chrysalis struggle, unable to focus her magic to cast a spell to save herself while she struggled to intake any air. Violet considered leaving Chrysalis for dead and fending for herself, her natural selfish instinct.

“Any….time….now!” Chrysalis squeaked, until she lost the ability to speak entirely, as she felt her breath completely give out, and her bones creak from the tightness.

Just as the snake began moving to snatch her up, Violet’s horn glowed bright red, and fired a blast of energy so hot, and so focused, that it tore a hole straight through the snake’s head, end to end. The snake immediately fell to the ground, dead, its tail giving out around Chrysalis, who fell to the ground, gasping for breath, her lungs depleted of oxygen. Violet fired two more shots into the snake’s head to make sure it was dead.

“That thing was huge….” Violet muttered, never having witnessed anything so monstrous in all her years alive.

“You sure took...your time...with that rescue,” Chrysalis said between her panting, glaring bitterly at Violet.

“That’s a strange way to say thank you,” Violet said, smirking. She waited for Chrysalis to catch her breath, no even after a minute, she was still wheezing.

“Would you pull yourself together? I think we’ve learned our lesson about taking rests in this jungle. We’ve got to move.”

“You almost let me die!” Chrysalis yelled, enraged.

“But I didn’t, did I? Now you’re alive, I don’t see what you have to complain about. Are you coming or not?”

Chrysalis took one last deep breath before fully recovering. Her body ached from the tightness of the snake’s grip, red streaks imprinted across her legs and chest. She couldn’t deny that she was scared, helpless to die, powerless in an unknown location, without glory or honor. For a second, she had felt what it was like to be the prey, instead of the predator.

“Let’s go.”

The two set off into the forest again, hopefully this time more aware of their surroundings.

Chapter Nine: Something To Live For

The sun was beginning to waver behind the shuddering canopy of the jungle, thin beams of yellow peeking through the leaves. Below, on ground level, Chrysalis and Violet were still on the move, heading in a new direction. Neither of them had any idea at all where they were heading. Landmarks all looked the same, and soon it felt like forward was backward.

Chrysalis contemplated shedding her Starlight disguise and just flying out of this wretched jungle. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to, considering how much of an effort she had already made in search of this accursed treasure.

“Hey, Glimmer, what’s that?” said Violet, wiping sweat from her forehead. She was pointing past the brush, over a steep ridge that dropped an eighth of a mile down, to the treeline below. Violet had caught a glimpse of something shiny, almost like the light of a star, flickering through the trees. Chrysalis hadn’t seen it, but, considering they had nothing else to go off of, she followed Violet to the ridge to get a closer look.

Stepping past the trees to the small grassy bed that reached the edge of the cliff, they gazed down below, both of their jaws dropping. There was a waterfall nearby that ran down below into a green-colored river, containing a variety of plants and small insects. And built atop that river, were the glorious ruins of an ancient temple, built with tremendous stone that had worn with age, adorned with rusted metal and once-shiny crystals. The temple, which was the size of a castle, seemed completely abandoned, except for the abundance of plant life. The forest had conquered it, weeds and ferns growing on every column and rock and between every crevice and crack.

“I assume that’s our destination?” Violet asked, taken aback by the immense scale of the temple below. It was the first instance of civilization she had seen in nearly a week, and would have found it to be a comforting sight, except for the fear-inducing mystery that surrounded it. Violet, after all, was more or less unaware of all the ancient significance that Chrysalis’ quest involved.

Chrysalis hadn’t even answered Violet, as she had immediately begun her descent down the cliff, climbing down a nearby steep downwards path that ran along the sharp drop beneath the ridge. Violet followed suit, hurrying down the cliff, hoping they wouldn’t find any trouble below.

When they were both all the way down, Chrysalis took the lead, approaching the temple cautiously. Her horn was at the ready, unsure what perils awaited them inside.

“What’s with the look on your face? What’s waiting for us there?” Violet asked, concerned. Abandoned ancient temples rarely brought good tidings.

“Probably nothing good,” Chrysalis muttered.

“Great. Just where I wanted to kick the bucket. A smelly, disgusting jungle.”

Chrysalis ignored her companion’s complaints as they arrived at the entrance. Cobwebs and hanging dark green plants were what welcomed them, effortlessly evaporated by Chrysalis.

Inside, the duo found themselves in a large courtyard, with some sort of deteriorated statue of some unrecognizable pony from a bygone age stuck in the center. There were pillars lining the walls, some having been knocked down and replaced by the forest overgrowth. The temple was in a treeless clearing and the courtyard had no roof, so the sun was able to beat down directly on the ponies below.

Both ponies nervously made their way deeper into the courtyard, trying to ignore the dead animal carcasses, skeletons, and twisted brown vines that were littered across the floor.

“Starlight Glimmer.”

Chrysalis straightened up as soon as she recognized the eerie voice. It came from nowhere, surrounding the ponies from every direction. Violet shrieked in surprise, her horn glowing bright magenta, defensively.

“Who’s there?!” she yelled, terrified.

“Calm down,” Chrysalis said.

“You have made it to your second trial, Starlight Glimmer. With help, it seems.”

Chrysalis had been worried that bringing Violet along would complicate things, though judging by the voice’s calm tone, she was relieved to think it wasn’t a problem after all.

“Go on then! What do I have to do!”

The voice giggled, as if it was mocking Chrysalis. Chrysalis frowned in response, not having time for the voice’s games.

“Your impatience will get you nowhere. You ought to know, you are not alone in your search for the artifact.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened in shock.

“What?! Who!?”

“I’m afraid they never told me their names. There were many of them. Two of them, I believe, were alicorns.”

Chrysalis felt her stomach wrench at this ghastly revelation. All this time, she had believed Twilight Sparkle and her cult of friendship-loving morons were off searching for the real Starlight. She wondered how they had managed to locate her, and then she recalled that wretched dragon Sawtooth, who she was highly suspicious of since their first meeting.

I knew I couldn’t trust him.

“Most curiously, one of them, an alicorn, purple in color, she called you by another name, Chrysalis.” the voice continued.

Chrysalis wasn’t sure whether she wanted to hear anymore. She was about to come up with some sort of excuse, both to a confused Violet and a clearly suspicious disembodied spirit voice, until the voice continued.

“Though, her companions seemed to doubt this. Tell me who you really are, Starlight Glimmer. Deceiving me will not help you gain the artifact.”

Chrysalis had already reasoned out the most practical course of action. Despite Twilight having assumed the truth, she still had no actual proof, which meant Chrysalis would just have to keep up the act a little bit longer.

“Twilight Sparkle is in denial. She can’t accept that I’ve changed, that I’m not her obedient little pupil anymore,” said Chrysalis, doing her best Starlight impression.

Chrysalis waited for an answer, as it was impossible to judge the reaction of the bodiless voice.

“Very well, Starlight Glimmer. Then I have no reason to keep you from your next trial….a test of courage. Few ponies have passed the first trial. None have ever passed the second. Though, nopony has ever come with help before. Perhaps together you will fare better than those poor souls of the past. To win this trial, you must defeat a beast of prehistoric monstrousness, brought back from the pit of darkness it was cast into to serve one purpose, destroy all those who dare to take the greatest power ponykind has ever sought. It will not stop until either you or it is killed. Its hunger is insatiable, as is its love for brutality. Starlight Glimmer, I present to you...The Behemoth.” As it went on about the beast, the voice became dark, and prophetic, and terrible, as if the whole world was crumbling down around them.

Violet was now severely questioning what exactly she had gotten herself into, while Chrysalis was preparing herself for whatever this beast was that they would have to kill.

The ground beneath them suddenly began to rupture, and tear itself apart, beneath it rising a form, burly and primal, hairy, with powerful, defined muscles that stretched beneath its leathery skin. It had the proportions of a bat, with large, arm-like forelegs, and smaller hind legs. It was covered in wiry brown hair, and had horrible claws, that were like a handful of sharpened knives. It’s head resembled that of a wolf or a dog, with yellow and red eyes, pointed ears, razor sharp teeth, and a thick snout. It stood almost the size of a school bus, towering over the ponies.

It slobbered and roared as it climbed out from the wreckage beneath the floor. The ponies back away, staring at the monster in terror. Violet immediately got up and rushed to the door, but found it was no longer there, somehow replaced by solid stone. She fired a beam of magic at the wall, which had no effect. Dread set in, as the monster gained its footing, growling.

“Violet…”

Violet slowly trotted back to where Chrysalis was.

“There’s no way out.”

“Not until we kill that thing, or it kills us…”

Violet took a deep breath as she accepted the likelihood of death.

“Fuck it.”

Violet stepped towards the Behemoth first, blasting it in the face with all the magic she could muster. The monster howled in pain, though seemed barely affected, a small black mark on its cheek being the only lasting damage. Violet felt her confidence drop to a state of nonexistence, hope for victory disappearing in an instant.

“Glimmer, ideas?”

“It’s impervious to magic,” Chrysalis replied.

“How the hell do you know that?”

“I’ve studied this beast in books. I knew we’d have to face it.”

Violet stared at her blankly.

“And you neglected to tell me?! That we’d be fighting a giant magic-proof monster to the death?!”

“There’s a way to kill it,” Chrysalis said.

“I think I made it angry,” said Violet, as the monster finally began preparing its attack.

“Listen to me, there’s a magic dagger, hidden somewhere around here. It’s the only thing that can kill it! You have to find it,” Chrysalis commanded.

“Why do I have to find it?”

“Would you rather be the one to distract that thing? Because that’s what I’m doing!”

Violet nodded, deciding she had the better job after all. She rushed off, turning over every stone, rock, and bush in search of this dagger.

Chrysalis meanwhile, stared down the beast. Her magic had no effect, and as a result, she was relatively helpless. The beast bared its fangs at her as it approached, its tremendous legs carving craters into the ground as it stomped towards her.

The beast took its first swing, Chrysalis barely managing to jump out of the way. The beast’s claw carved right through the stone wall behind her like butter, sending shards of broken rock flying out in every direction. Chrysalis wasted no time sprinting to the other side of the court yard, as the Behemoth screamed a blood-curdling cry of fury, turning and pursuing her at full speed. Again, she managed to dodge the beast’s swing, this time successfully causing it to crash into a column. She didn’t wait around for it to recover, heading for the other side again.

Violet, meanwhile, was turning the place upside down, yet there was no sign of any kind of dagger. Just dirt, rocks, and plants.

“Glimmer! There’s nothing here!”

“Look harder!!!” Chrysalis screamed, narrowly avoiding another slash, that sliced a nearby column in half. Violet panicked and continued looking around, until she slowly looked back up at the beast, having noticed something.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Hanging around the beast’s neck was the dagger, though, to a pony, it was large enough to be considered a sword. It dangled from the beast’s neck by a loose rope-collar. The blade occasionally chipped some flesh off of the beast’s neck as it flew back and forth, but never deep enough to cause any real damage.

Violet inhaled, and ran straight towards the beast as it was chasing Chrysalis. She ran up a small staircase that led nowhere, and flung herself right onto the back of the beast. The beast, enraged, stopped chasing Chrysalis and began shaking itself violently, trying to pull Violet off of itself.

“What are you doing?!”

“Neck!” was all Violet could manage to get out, as she struggled with all her might to hang on to the ferocious beast.

Chrysalis picked up on the hint and discovered the dagger swinging from around the beast’s neck.

Great.
Chrysalis tried to pick up the dagger with her magic, yet, just like the beast itself, the weapon was impervious.

Chrysalis ran at the beast, high on the thrill of battle, running straight for the dagger. However, the beast realized what they were trying to do, and managed to whack Chrysalis hard into a wall with one of its claws, tearing flesh off of her back. She shrieked and collapsed to the floor, struggling to tolerate the pain. She slowly picked herself up, invigorated by the screams of Violet behind her, who was now on the ground, holding a fallen pillar above her to prevent the beast’s jaws from slamming shut around her head.

“Glimmer!” she shrieked, as the beast began chomping away at the column, slowly whittling it down. Chrysalis, pumped with adrenaline, stood up and ran for the dagger once more. She made it much closer, managing to grab a hold of the hilt before the beast grabbed a hold of her with its claw. It pulled her away, unintentionally breaking the dagger off from the rope in the process. Chrysalis was unable to stop herself from letting go, as the beast threw her across the courtyard into another wall. Violet saw the dagger was free, and dove for it, knocking the beast in the face with what remained of the column. She grabbed it, just as the beast grabbed her by one leg with its mouth, its teeth tearing right through her flesh and muscles. She screamed as it dragged her along the floor. Violet, through teary eyes, shrieked as she let go of the dagger. The beast dropped her to the floor, her leg now mangled and bloody. Violet lay motionless on the ground, moaning in pain, devoid of energy or strength.

The beast approached the defeated Violet, drooling from its mouth, savoring the taste of her blood in its mouth. It grinned as it crept closer, eager to satisfy its eternally endless appetite. Until, it heard Chrysalis return from behind. Right as it spun around, it froze, feeling the blade of the magic dagger pierce its flesh from beneath its head. The beast groaned and howled, screaming in agony as it flailed and raged about, before it began coughing and hacking, disintegrating into dust before the ponies’ very eyes. They glanced over at each other, both bloody and beaten up.

Chrysalis collapsed to the ground, exhausted, as she watched the dusty remnants of the beast blow away into the wind. Violet groaned with her leg, which Chrysalis healed with a simple spell, fixing herself right after. Still, the pain lingered.

“That was the most insane thing...I’ve ever done.”

“Still think I’m an amateur?”

“No, now I think you’re suicidal.”

The ponies stood up, just as the familiar cold presence of the disembodied voice returned.

“I am most impressed with you, Starlight Glimmer. And your friend as well. You have successfully passed the second trial.”

Chrysalis was in no mood congratulation. She was drained of strength, and desperately needed the confirmation that this highly-demanding quest would all be over with soon.

“Your third trial is in the mountains, just north from here. On the tallest peak, there is a cave. There, we will meet for the last time. I bid you luck, Starlight Glimmer.”

With that, the voice disappeared once more.

The ponies turned to where the door they had entered was, and saw the door had returned, except it went in a new direction, as if the whole temple had swiveled around half a rotation. There was a dirt path that led straight out of the jungle, into a grassy field. The ponies were impressed by this magical teleportation, and exited the doorway to the triumphant freedom of the treeless refuge. After stepping into the grass, they turned to see the temple had completely disappeared, nothing but the edge of the jungle behind them.

Violet collapsed again, still exhausted, yet thankful they were free. Chrysalis remained standing, her face warped with a strange sense of conflict.

“I guess that’s it then? The end of our short-lived partnership?”

Chrysalis simply nodded, staring off into the distance, contemplating her next course of action.

“Headed north then? To reunite with your spooky ghost friend?”

Chrysalis snapped out of her thoughts and glanced down at Violet, whose sad eyes were gazing up at her, beckoning her to answer.

“That’s right. The mountains. But I can’t go yet.”

“Why’s that?”

“I…” Chrysalis began, then cut herself off. What she meant to say, was that Violet had to die, yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. After Sawtooth’s apparent betrayal, Chrysalis knew it would be foolish to leave another pony alive who knew of her plans. Yet, she found herself consciously opposed to doing so, almost as if she understood it was a wrong thing to do.

Violet suspected Chrysalis was planning to kill her, in fact she had suspected that since they first met. She found Chrysalis to be intriguing, as if the pony was desperate to prove herself to be evil. She wondered whether Chrysalis would try it, if the pony was capable of showing any sign of morality at all.

Despite knowing it was the safer course of action, Chrysalis never landed a killing blow. She found herself unwilling to, though she couldn’t explain why. All she knew was that she didn’t want to go through with killing Violet, and she didn’t want to think about it anymore. She just wanted to move on.

“Nothing...I’ll be off, to finish this all...Goodbye,” Chrysalis said, wondering why in Equestria she felt inclined to spare Violet.

“Good luck then, try not to get yourself killed, maniac,” Violet replied, smirking.

Chrysalis nodded and started trotting off, alone once more, heading into the wilderness.

Jackpot was chewing on some strange-tasting gum he had recently bought from a trader pony, as he took a seat on the ground, leaning against the wheel of their cart. Starlight was still unconscious inside the cart, draped in bedsheets and smothered with pillows and used furniture. Facing Jackpot was Dust Bunny, who had taken one of the chairs down to sit in, preferring not to sit on the filthy ground. She was chewing on some vegetables and gazing at the dim light of a lantern, all of which she had recently bought from pony merchants in the caravan.

The sun was already down, and the caravan had earlier decided to stop for the day, sleep beneath the stars in a large expanse of rough grassland. She shrunk deeper into the wooden chair she was in, and was using her coat as a blanket, trying to keep herself warm as the temperature dropped.

“I talked to this pony who was selling tea, and he said we’ll make it to the city by tomorrow, before midday,” said Jackpot. He wasn’t even sure if Dust was awake, as the lantern was barely functional.

“Does Vanhoover have customs officials?” Dust asked.

“Of course they do, and without a doubt, they’ve already been alerted that we’re coming,” Jackpot said.

Dust found this troubling, though it seemed as though Jackpot already had a solution.

“So what’s the plan?” Dust asked.

“I told my friend to meet us outside the city, in that letter we sent. There's a place we used to meet ponies for business. If he’s there, he’ll get us inside.”

“What if he’s not?”

Jackpot stared at her, unsure what exactly she was implying.

“He’ll be there. And if he ain’t there, it’s probably because we sent a pigeon to tell him.”

Dust raised her head from the chair, taking Jackpot’s crude tone as an unprovoked jab at Elodea.

“She tried, okay? Why can’t that be enough for you?”

“She also left us, didn’t she...Our lives are at stake, and she thinks now’s a good time to piss off and leave us to fend for ourselves.”

“She didn’t have a choice! They would have got her if she didn’t run away, I just...she’s always been the one to do stuff like that. Get me out of trouble. I really wanted to show her I could take care of myself. I missed her so much, you know? And I wanted her to be proud of me. But I guess nothing’s changed. And now she’s gone, and we’ll probably never see each other again.”

Jackpot saw how upset she was getting, and relaxed his aggressiveness.

“Sorry...you’re right. She helped us. As much as she could, I guess.”

Dust said nothing, though appreciated his effort.

“What if she’s in danger? Elodea, I mean...we can’t leave her after she helped us.”

“Sure we can.”

“How could you say that? We can’t just abandon her!”

“I don’t know if you recall, Dust, but we barely made it out of there alive,” Jackpot said, trying to make her be rational.

“But-”

“We’re not going back, alright? It’s too dangerous.”

“What, are you afraid?”

“No I’m not afraid. I don’t want Starlight or you to be in danger,” Jackpot said, slightly condescendingly .

“Please. Why’s that matter?” Dust stammered.

“Because I have to protect you!”

Dust burst into laughter, making Jackpot feel slightly embarrassed.

“Protect me? It’s you who needs protection, you’re the one who has no idea what he’s doing,” she said, spitefully.

“Oh, that’s rich. The darling princess thinks she knows what it’s like to struggle. You’d never survive in the world I used to live in. They’d tear you apart. You’re just a little girl who got everything she ever wanted in life.”

“You’re one to talk, you can’t keep a steady job for longer than a month! How many times have I had to loan you bits? I might as well be giving you a weekly allowance, you cheating drunk! You and me, we’re not the same! I don’t depend on you for anything! And where would you be without me? Starlight and I helped you out, when nopony else would! Maybe that’s all it was then, right? We were never your friends, we’re your checking accounts.”

“You’re right, you and I are definitely not the same. You know why I get routinely fucked by the universe? Because I deserve it. What comes around goes around, Dust. We each get what we deserve. And look at what I’ve got, absolutely nothing. I’ve got nothing to live for! And forgive me, that when you get pulled into this shitshow, and you could die left and right, I feel like I’ve got to protect you! How’s your goddamn degree gonna save you from an axe to the head, Dust? I’m not a hero, and I sure as hell didn’t ask to be on this Celestia-damned little adventure. I’m just doing what I can, to help some ponies who don’t deserve to end up a hapless bastard such as myself. Your junkie friend had the same mentality, I could see it. I don’t want you to fall down the same path I did.”

Dust calmed herself down, realizing she had poked a major nerve with Jackpot, who was now red in the face.

“I think you’re a hero. You got Starlight out of that city, remember that? I think that you do care about your friends, and families, and all kinds of stuff. You just don’t want to care.”

Jackpot snorted in amusement.

“Of course I care. Everypony cares about something. There’s no act. Not once have I tried to pretend I’m something I’m not. That’s all there is though, just an emptiness. Nopony’s ever given a damn about me. Not my damned father, not any friend I ever held onto, nopony. And what I take from that is, nopony should. That maybe it’s not them, but it’s me. Maybe I’m just not worth a damn. And if that’s the way it is, then so be it. But I’m still gonna do what I can. Numb the pain, exploit the joy. Meet ponies, lose ponies. We all end up in the same dirt in the end anyways.”

“I care about you!” Dust said, a burst of emotions running through her. She shut her mouth right after, embarrassed and afraid of what his reaction would be.

Jackpot glanced up from the ground at Dust, who couldn’t even make eye contact. He opened his mouth to speak, curious over how she really felt about him, until the screams of ponies farther on in the settled-down caravan sent him springing to his hooves.

“What was that?”

Dust got up too, picking up the chair and dumping it back in the cart. She picked up the lantern and backed up beside Jackpot, who was waiting for any developments.

Both ponies were struck by fear at the sound of hooves raging against the dirt over the nearby hill. The trader ponies in the caravan were now screaming in panic, gathering their things and trying to flee in any safe direction.

“Jackpot, what is that?” Dust asked, her voice trembling, as both of them noticed a horde of ponies racing over the nearby hill towards the caravan. The horde was crying out fear-inducing screams, as more and more poured over the hill.

“Looks like a bunch of raider degenerates. They’ll beat you near death and steal everything you own,” Jackpot said, trying to act like he wasn’t afraid.

“Should we run?!” Dust asked, as the horde drew closer.

“There’s only about twenty, I think...we can outrun them, they’ll be stuck on the slow ones first,” Jackpot said, “Here, get in the cart, I’ll pull!” Dust wasted no time climbing aboard, practically sitting on top of Starlight. Jackpot attached the harness to the cart, spat out some phlegm, and began sprinting forward, south, the way the caravan was headed originally.

“Does this happen all the time?!” Dust asked, as the cart bounced along behind Jackpot.

“Every now and then. We just got unlucky, is all,” he said between gasps for breaths, as he ran with all his strength. Ponies in the caravan who were just waking up or still disorganized remained on the ground, collecting their things in a hurry as the horde rapidly drew closer. Jackpot had to gallop over several ponies, boxes, and other junk that was strewn about on the ground, nearly tripping several times. The horde was approaching perpendicular to the path south Jackpot was heading, and they were in a single horizontal row, stretching over as much space as possible. Jackpot grunted as he continued running, having noticed that at the current rate, they wouldn’t make it out. He thought hard about what those raiders could do to Starlight and Dust, and he became invigorated, running even faster along the rough terrain.

The horde clashed with the caravan, raider ponies drawing sharp blades and heavy weapons, forcing the trader ponies to bend to their will. Some ponies managed to run off, but the raiders were faster, and they caught them in no time.

Once the raiders had rounded up everypony in sight, they took to investigating what goods lay waiting for them. However, some of the trader ponies had managed to escape the initial purge, though were still within viewing range.

“More!” yelled one of the raiders.

Ten of the raiders cried out their claims and set out to catch the remaining escapees, who had fled off into the wilderness.

One of those escapees was Jackpot, who, despite believing them to be at a safe distance, was still running for his life. It was Dust who first noticed they were being followed.

“Uh, Jackpot?! They’re gaining on us!”

“How many?!”

“Three! And they don’t look happy!”

Jackpot could barely see what lay ahead in the darkness, though thankfully the terrain they were traversing was relatively flat, reducing the chances of getting tripped up or falling into some unforeseen ditch.

“Get that crossbow out of that bag!”

Dust, without thinking, retrieved the weapon, until she realized what he intended for her to do with it.

“Jackpot, I can’t kill anypony!”

“It’s us or them!”

Dust swiveled around to face their pursuers, who were sprinting after them. Before she could even align the weapon with a target, a harpoon stuck itself into the back wooden plank of the cart. One of the raiders had thrown it, and, pulling it backwards and staking it into the ground, effectively caused the cart to flip over on its side. Dust was thrown out right into the ground, facefirst. Jackpot practically did a flip, landing on his side, hard. He groaned and undid the harness, crawling to where his crossbow had fallen on the ground.

He picked up, and just in time, when the first raider rounded the corner. He fired a bolt straight through the pony’s forehead, killing him. Jackpot gasped in a combination of pain and shock, and began reloading the weapon, however he never got the chance, when another raider jumped on top of him, wrestling the crossbow out of his hooves. Jackpot punched the pony in the face, as another jumped on his back, attempting to stab him with a knife. Jackpot grabbed the pony’s arms, desperately trying to prevent the blade from touching his neck. He tried to shake off the raider, slamming him into the turned over cart, forcing him to drop the knife. Jackpot caught it and stabbed the pony right in the gut. When he turned around, he felt the wooden butt of his crossbow slam into his face. He collapsed to the floor, barely still aware of his surroundings. The pony smirked and turned the crossbow around, intending on shooting Jackpot with his own weapon. Yet, right before he could pull the trigger, the weapon flew out of his hooves, hovering in the air, surrounded by a turquoise aura of magic.

“Back off,” said Starlight Glimmer, weakly, having woken up in light of the crash and the sounds of struggling. She appeared to be only half-alive, and yet the raider pony followed her command without hesitation, terrified. The raider was dark brown, with a messy head of hair. He was covered in filthy rags and holstered weapons, and had a scar along his nose. Despite his hardened demeanor, he seemed absolutely horror-stricken by Starlight.

“D-Don’t kill me, oh Celestia, please!”

Starlight was confused, and immediately suspected the pony was playing some sort of trick. Jackpot eventually came to his senses, and was delighted to see Starlight awake again. He joined her, as did Dust, who thought she had broken a bone from the fall.

“You ponies must be mad, working with that-that monster.”

Jackpot and Dust both glanced at Starlight, who, after having barely survived being blasted by an alicorn princess, was not in the mood for more unfounded accusations.

“What are you talking about?” Dust asked, wanting to know why exactly Starlight was so hated by Equestria.

“I’ve seen what you’ve done! In Irwind, and Hilltop! Just two weeks ago, I seen it!”

“Seen what?” Jackpot asked.

“Seen what?! That’s the Scourge of the South! She’s been off killing hundreds and hundreds of ponies for these past months here! You northern folk must not have heard about this all yet! Well good Celestia, get away from her while you can!”

Starlight stared at him, utterly shocked by this news.

“You’re saying that this pony, right here, has been committing mass murder for the past couple months?”

“Everypony knows it! I hear she’s even got Princess Luna after her! She’s destroyed entire cities!”

Starlight shook her head.

The raider was quaking in his boots, praying that he would be spared.

“Get out of here, and don’t come back,” Starlight said.

The raider nodded quickly and bolted off, wanting to be as far away from that pony as physically possible.

When the three ponies were alone, Starlight took a seat on a nearby rock, her heart heavy with pain.

“Starlight, this isn’t making sense. How could all that have been you?! You’ve been living in town all that time!” Dust said, shocked by the strange news.

Starlight had already come to a conclusion, a conclusion that made her red with anger.

“Because it wasn’t me. It’s Chrysalis, framing me, turning Equestria against me,” she said, though she couldn’t believe her own words. This was like a nightmare had become reality.

The other two took a few seconds to get a grasp on the situation.

“How does that change anything? Look, if Luna was willing to kill you earlier, you really think she’s going to buy what we have to tell her?” Jackpot said.

“But it’s the truth!” Dust exclaimed.

“No, Jackpot’s right…” said Starlight.

Dust’s eyes were wide with disbelief, shocked that Starlight was agreeing with him.

“Starlight, you can’t take the fall for whatever that changeling is doing!” she said.

“I haven’t got anypony in my corner, except you two. And they think you’re just as criminal as me.”

The ponies all stood in silence, all of them not at all pleased with their situation.

“Where are we?” Starlight asked, unable to remember anything from the past 24 hours.

“We’re heading to Vanhoover. Luna nearly killed you,” Jackpot replied.

“Oh…” Starlight said, realizing she was lucky to be alive.

“Alright...well when we get there, we’ve just got to lie low...let things calm down...I mean, eventually they'll find Chrysalis, and then they’ll know I’m innocent,” Starlight said, though she felt like her hopes would be in vain. Chrysalis had evaded capture for as long as Starlight was aware of her.

“And Elodea?”

“Got stuck behind,” Dust said.

Starlight shook her head regretfully. The more ponies on their side, the better.

“Is it safe to sleep here? I’m exhausted,” Dust said.

“Well, since they now think we’ve got a murderous supervillain over here, yeah, I don’t think they’ll come back for us,” Jackpot said.

The ponies lied down on the ground, shivering in the cold night air. Starlight had long been intent on relieving herself of hate, and yet, the fact that Chrysalis was still finding ways to make her life a living hell made that resolution difficult. All she really wanted was for things to be normal again.

Twilight’s mane as a mess.

She was covered in dirt and sweat, though so was everypony else, all of them weary from nearly two days of endless wandering through the jungle.

That afternoon, the ponies took a much-needed break in a small grove, wishing they had never entered this forsaken jungle at all.

“We’re heading back,” Savoy, the colt guide of the group, said suddenly. He was the only one still standing while the others all rested their legs, and his facial expression was enough to prove he had no intention of mucking about in this forest any longer. He hadn’t even wanted to take these ponies here in the first place.

“We can’t, not until we find Chrysalis,” said Twilight, firmly.

“That pony is probably dead! She could never have made it out of this jungle alive! And if we spend any more time here, we will end up the same! The jungle has taken care of her!”

Twilight shook her head.

“That’s not good enough. She could still be out there.”

“Twilight, I’m with him on this one. We would’ve found her by now, wouldn’t we?” Rarity said.

“We can’t give up!”

“Twilight, it’s over. You can’t keep dragging us on this chase. She’s dead, or gone, or maybe it’s like Spike said, and she is on the other side of Equestria,” said Rainbow, tired of this fruitless quest.

Twilight saw the desperate exhaustion on her friends’ faces, and, after a brief spout of deliberation, she relented, despite her better judgement.

“Fine,” was all she could say, disappointed with her friends’ refusal to persevere.

“Savoy, you can take us back?”

“Of course. Back to the town we came from. We can make it there by tonight,” he said, eager to get out of this ordeal.

The ponies began recollecting themselves, following Savoy back into the forest. Twilight was the last to leave, staring off into the jungle brush, wondering how close they could have been to finding her.

Chapter Ten: The Reunion

By the time the trio of ponies began taking off again into the wild expanse of grass and desert, Starlight’s wounds still hadn’t fully healed. She could still walk, albeit with difficulty, and would occasionally request a break. The other two were patient, neither of them particularly thrilled about having to sneak themselves into Vanhoover. Jackpot fully expected to run into trouble with the local garrison, no matter how careful they were. And Dust, she was beginning to develop a fear of large cities, in light of the group’s recent near-death experiences at Saddleopolis.

As they traveled, Starlight was lagging behind, her pained emotional state weighing her down more than her injuries. Now she finally understood why Luna, and all of Equestria apparently, had it out for her: Chrysalis. Even when she thought she was safe, far away from the endless mania and conflict that dominated her old life, Chrysalis was still hell-bent on breaking her spirit. She couldn’t quite comprehend her situation. That raider pony said Chrysalis had killed hundreds of ponies, burnt entire cities down! Starlight didn’t want to believe that it was all true, but given how Luna spared no hesitation in trying to kill her earlier, she figured it had to be. She wondered how in Equestria she could prove she was innocent. The only ponies that she could count on were her two companions and the townsponies back in the northern town. And she knew that wouldn’t be enough to clear her name.

Jackpot, who was leading the group, at last made it over a steep grassy ridge, his hooves aching from the long walk. The others soon joined him, taking in the immaculate sight below. Vanhoover, a city of high-rising skyscrapers, appeared to be colored a set of reds and oranges in the morning sunlight. It was at least twice the size of Saddleopolis, pony caravans entering and leaving the city to and fro in every direction.

“We made it,” said Dust, relieved. She took a seat on the ground, expecting another break.

“Now what?” Starlight asked, gripping her wounded shoulder.

“By the shore, there’s a way. Just...everypony be calm, no matter what, don’t draw attention to yourselves,” he said. Starlight could tell he was nervous. Though, it seemed he was dreading his own past returning to ruin him, more than the possibility of running into the authorities.

“Jackpot, you don’t have to go down there with us if you don’t want to…” Starlight said.

He shook his head, though his eyes told Starlight he agreed with her.

“I never thought I’d come back here...I’m only doing it for you two, you know.”

“We know. You want a medal?” Dust said sarcastically from the ground. Starlight turned her head to frown at her.

“It’s a miserable thing, caring about ponies. That city, I despise it. I barely got out of there.”

“We’re with you this time.”

“Yeah….” He glumly turned away from the city and began heading down the ridge, the other two following him down.

Jackpot led the group down a series of hills to where the grassy rock-laden fields stood over the sea, waves striking the cliffside in uneven intervals.

They walked along the edge of the cliff, descending down into the rock, into a tunnel path carved right into the rock. Starlight’s horn glowed brightly, lighting up the path as the ponies went along through the dark tunnel.

“It reeks in here,” Dust muttered.

“You don’t say? This is where they’d dump dead bodies, you know. Unlucky blokes.”

“Is it ever lucky to be dead?” Starlight said.

“In this city? Certainly it's preferable.”

They eventually made it to the end of the cliffside tunnel, facing down a solid wooden door that blocked all sunlight from outside.

“Glimmer, bring that light over here.”

Starlight took a step closer to him and bent down, so her horn was near the door. On the doorknob was a padlock, connected to a brace screwed into the rock. Jackpot flipped a few dials to produce a winning combination, the startling click of the lock signaling them they were successful.

Jackpot turned back and smiled at his triumph, before opening the door back to the outside.

The ponies stepped down across a few more dark-colored rocks and weaving paths before finding themselves on a grey sandy beach, the city docks less than a half mile away.

“There’s where we’ll meet my old mate, over there.”

“The cops don’t know about that little shortcut?” Dust asked, incredulously.

“If they did, we’d be in cuffs already,” Jackpot said, as they began heading for the docks.

Starlight was wearing Dust’s former disguise, a trench coat and a black hat, making sure to hide her horn, injuries, and mane, now that she was aware she was a nationally-recognizable mass-murdering criminal. Dust was surprised to see how easily they managed to slip right past a crowd of sailor ponies, as if their mysterious arrival was of no concern. She heard cheers and merriment in the distance, some kind of party taking place over by one of the boathouses. Jackpot led them past the causeway to a small wooden divot hidden behind some imported greenery. Then, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“And here I thought you was playing a joke on me.”

Jackpot smiled at the sight of a stallion with a yellow coat, slick jaw, and short dark blue hair. He was huffing on a cigar, stuck in a beard that resembled a small forest of thin hairs. He was laughing, standing up from his chair to embrace Jackpot.

“I was only gonna give you thirty more minutes, then I would’ve left, you’re slower than you used to be, delivery boy.”

“Don’t deliver shit no more, that’s why.”

“I don’t doubt it. Where’ve you been? North? Smile City?”

“Nowhere special. I’ve been in with some fisherponies, for a few months now.”

“That so? Getting seasick on a smelly old rowboat in the frozen north? You must be more miserable than you look.”

“It’s good actually, I get along there well enough.”

“I’m sure you do, Jackpot, old friend, I’m sure you do. I got your pigeon, obviously, since I’m here. Funny little thing. My friend wanted to keep ‘im, but he flew off.”

Jackpot glanced back at Dust, who was smirking, delighted to see the pigeon plan had worked.

“So tell me, Jackpot, how your new passion for...fishing made you into an enemy of the state?”

Jackpot nodded back to Starlight behind him. Counterfeit nodded with an open-mouthed smile, stepping around Jackpot to introduce himself.

“Ladies, I’m sure our friend has already gone on about me, I’m Counterfeit,” he said, grabbing both mares’ hooves for a kiss.

“I’m Starlight.”

“Dust Bunny.”

Counterfeit’s devilish smile grew as he got a good look at Starlight, pawing at her face. She wanted to back away, uncomfortable with how close he was to her.

“This little thing is the cause for all this trouble?”

“We just need to lay low, Counterfeit,” Jackpot said, stepping between them defensively on behalf of an embarrassed Starlight.

“Lay low, of course. I must remind you I don’t happen to run a hotel.”

“Whatever you have, we’ll take.”

“Of course you will. You leave everything we worked together for, and now you come back wanting to-”

“This isn’t about me, or you. This is about her,” Jackpot said, glancing back at a heartfelt Starlight. Dust bit her lip in jealousy.

“Jackpot, you haven’t changed at all, have you...Any hooker with a sob story and you’d announce plans to spend your lives together. This bird’s no different...what I’m gonna tell you, and, well, I think it's pretty good advice, considering your circumstances...is to leave her to me. She’ll be safe here, I promise. You, and your other friend there, you have no stake in this. Those ponies that are after her, are after her alone. She can stay with us as long as she’d like...Don’t let whatever...feelings you’ve developed cloud your head, Jackpot. I’m trying to do you a favor here.”

Jackpot sensed Counterfeit was trying to tell him something without saying it aloud, but couldn’t quite piece it together. All he knew was that he couldn’t part himself from Starlight, or Dust. Not yet.

“Wherever they go, I go. I thought you’d enjoy my company,” Jackpot said.

Counterfeit hesitated, and then nodded, a reluctant smile on his face.

“Right then...And you, Miss...Dust,” he said, nearly forgetting her name, “you’re tagging along too?”

Dust found herself hesitating, to her surprise. On one hoof, she was beginning to get tired of watching Starlight and Jackpot grow closer to each other, but on the other hoof, they were her friends.

“I’m staying,” she said, without hesitation.

Counterfeit nodded.

“Well, then let’s ship off. The boys have been rowdy about getting to see your face again, Jackpot…”

The ponies walked up the wooden staircase to exit the city docks, before heading into the large-scale chaos of Vanhoover.

Chrysalis rarely spent much of her time acknowledging any doubts she might have here and there. She understood that moral righteousness was tempting, but ultimately foolish. Time and time again, she had witnessed loyal supporters give in to the blissful allure of friendship and harmony. Chrysalis sought freedom, a world where power was available only for those who had earned it. Her entire colony had forfeited their freedom for a life of moral restriction and simplicity. A life without glory or greatness. Chrysalis found the idea rather dull, and knew she deserved far better. Thus, every time her neglected conscience cried out to her, she simply ignored it.

And yet, as Chrysalis stumbled along through the rocky cliffs and mountains northwards, she found herself in severe conflict, unsure of her past actions, and even more unsure over her uncertain future.

This power she had spent weeks in search of, the Queen’s Jewel, would be the single greatest advantage to her quest for world-domination yet, and only one trial remained before it would be hers forever. She concocted a future scenario, where she did indeed succeed in her great venture, finding the artifact and becoming the most powerful being in Equestria. First on her to-do-list would be to overthrow and imprison the princesses, the most dreadful nuisances that stood in her way. She had so many ideas for ways to torture them each, endlessly, without pity or mercy. But for now, that was all just a fantasy. Chrysalis saw the resurgence of her great army, the enslavement of Equestria, and an endless feast of love for her to feed on for centuries.

Though, the more Chrysalis thought about it, her ideal victory seemed more and more undesirable. She would be ruling, but over what? A population that would never truly accept her, and a rowdy bunch of disloyal changelings that couldn’t be trusted. Ponies everywhere would do all they could to fight back, and there would never be peace. Cycles of war and death until Equestria was nothing but battlefields and graveyards.

The alternative to this reality was to give up. But by now, how could she go through with that? She would be put to death without question, for all the crimes against ponykind she had committed. Regardless of if she ever renounced her evil ways and freed herself from the pain, her life would be over anyway. Chrysalis had brought herself up as an unstoppable, incorruptible force of evil, and at last her absolutist mentality was spelling out her downfall. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted that jewel anymore, that perhaps she had dug herself into a deep hole already, and that maybe she’d be better off to escape and hide herself away while she’s still alive and free.

Despite her hesitations, Chrysalis just couldn’t convince herself to break course. She had risked her life numerous times, and overcome so much in search of that artifact, and if she didn’t find it, she knew she would never forgive herself.

And so Chrysalis powered on through the rocky terrain as she plunged herself farther into the mountains, patiently waiting for her grand ascent to power.

It never seemed to cool down in this village, Twilight thought, fanning herself with one hoof while sweat dripped off her chin. She was sitting in a small one-room house the townsponies had provided for her, resting after days of traversing the jungle. Her group had successfully made it out of the Forbidden Forest, before the sun went down. In town, they reunited with the others, and took up the locals’ offer to stay the night. Savoy had left town as fast as possible, afraid of what the town would do to him when they discovered it was he who freed Chrysalis. While Twilight sulked about inside, considering their mission to be a failure, the others were outside, drinking and laughing with the townsfolk, rejoicing that their endless journey seemed to finally be over. Twilight, meanwhile, had a feeling that things still weren’t right. The consensus of the group was that Starlight/Chrysalis had either fled to the other side of Equestria, or had been killed in the forest. Although Twilight was quite confident it was Chrysalis they were after, she couldn’t help but shudder at the possibility that it was Starlight behind all of the death and destruction. She couldn’t bear to think that it was Starlight who could’ve died alone and afraid in that forest. And if it was Chrysalis as she believed, she knew that Chrysalis was resilient, and definitely wouldn't go down that easily.

“Twilight!”

Twilight practically fell out of her chair when Spike slammed the door to her room open.

“Twilight! You’ve got to come quick!” Spike said, distressed.

“What? What is it?” Twilight stammered, flustered.

Spike was so anxious he didn’t even answer her, leading her out of the room into the streets. There was a festival going on, though it seemed as though the party had died down for some reason. Most ponies were standing in a crowd, gathered around a smaller group of ponies. Spike pulled Twilight deep through the crowd, until she saw what he was talking about.

In the center of the crowd was Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and a few of Shining Armor’s soldiers, holding a pony down on the ground. She was screaming an assortment of curses and threats, though with four ponies pinning her down to the ground, she was helpless. Twilight narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the pony, though she didn’t recognize her. The pony had a bright pink coat, and magenta-colored wavy hair that was tied in the back with what looked like a small plant vine. She had sad eyes, and was absolutely filthy.

Twilight approached the group, still confused as to what this was about.

“What’s going on? Who is this?”

One of the soldiers, Ditty Bopper, who had a mossy green coat with coarse dark green hair, let go of the apprehended pony to approach Twilight.

“Princess, we found this pony trying to sneak into the local armory, while we were on patrol. We believe she came from the forest...She’s been extraordinarily hostile, she’s already sent four of the locals to the infirmary.”

Twilight nodded, and then knelt down beside the pony, who was flailing about and grunting on the ground, unsuccessfully.

“Hey, you.”

The pony gave up and sighed in defeat, before raising her eyes up to Twilight.

“What,” she said through gritted teeth, venomously.

“What’s your name?”

“If you want to have a civil conversation, why not let me go?” the pony spat. Twilight shook her head.

“Do you know who I am?”

The pony seemed unsure.

“That bruiser grunt of yours called you princess.”
Twilight spread her wings as evidence for the skeptical unicorn, to confirm she was indeed alicorn royalty.

“It just so happens I am. And you are being brought into an investigation of mine. And if you refuse, I’m afraid I’ll have to consider you an...obstacle.”

“What do you want?”

“First tell me your name.”

The pony sputtered, clearly not wanting to do so.

“Violet. Heirloom,” she said, furious.

Twilight checked her memory for any record of such a name, but couldn’t come up with anything.

“You came from the forest. Why?”

“I was just passing through.”

“You snuck into the armory?”

“Tried to. I didn’t know there were soldiers here.”

“For what?”

“To defend myself, duh.”

“From who?”

“Gee, maybe ponies like you, who arrest innocent ponies like me for no reason.”

“Just passing through that forest, huh? Why in Equestria would you go in there, willingly?”

“It was a mistake. We barely made it out.”

“Where’re you going?”

“Apparently prison, thanks for asking.”

“Wait,” Twilight said, realizing something, “What did you mean, we barely made it out?” Twilight asked. Her suspicions were confirmed, when Violet stayed awkwardly silent, unsure what to say.

“Who else was with you?”

“Nopony! I’m alone!”

“No you weren’t, you were with somepony, weren’t you?”

“No!” Violet yelled, desperately. She had felt lucky that Chrysalis had spared her, and really didn’t want to make an enemy out of her.

“Tell me right now, or you’ll never see daylight again!”

The pony began to feel overwhelmed, as the entire town stared down at her, angrily. Applejack, whose hoof was on Violet’s neck, pressed harder, trying to force the truth out of her.

“Ok! That pony, the Scourge of the South! I was with her! But I didn’t kill anypony! We were just helping each other get out of the forest!”

Twilight stood up, content with the interrogation. She turned to Backwoods, who was nearby, while the crowd murmured in shock at the news: Starlight Glimmer wasn’t dead.

“Is there a prison you can stow her in?” Twilight asked.

“Sure, we’ve got some space for her...can’t promise some nutjob won’t break her out like the last one, though,” Backwoods responded.

“Shining Armor, you can watch her?”

“Like a hawk,” Shining Armor said, grabbing Violet and dragging her out from the crowd, escorted by Backwoods and his entourage of soldiers. Violet gritted her teeth in anger, unable to do anything about her situation. Twilight smiled pridefully and glanced at her friends, who seemed impressed, but also a bit nervous. Having to fight either Starlight or Chrysalis wouldn’t be easy, and now that they nearly had her, they all had to begin preparing for that eventual confrontation.

Dust Bunny walked close beside Starlight, deathly afraid of them being spotted by the authorities as they crept through the back-alley streets of Vanhoover. Counterfeit was leading them, Jackpot walking alongside, the two catching up without really saying too much. Starlight’s eyes would often shoot up to the sky. The odds of escaping capture, with every soldier and cop, and Princess Luna searching for them, were certainly not in their favor. Starlight noticed Jackpot occasionally glance back to make sure they were alright. Her head was dizzy, the painful weight of discovering she was a national fugitive refusing to release her. Dust seemed to be faring even worse, believing their situation to be at last undeniably hopeless. She didn’t like being in a city. There were too many ponies, too many places to be cornered in. Still, for now, they were safe.

“‘Round this corner,” Counterfeit said, as they trotted through a filthy street in the dead-end district.

“That’ll take us back to the docks,” Jackpot said, confused.

“Right. That’s where my base of operations is. One of them, rather. A small house, by the sea. Figured it’d be alright to stay in for now. Always what we wanted, ey?”

“Yeah…” Jackpot said, missing his own seaside home back in town. He did find it slightly strange that they’d be settling in an isolated building, but went on to think nothing of it.

“I couldn’t have stayed in that basement me and you were livin’ in forever, you know. Times have been changing,” Counterfeit said, reminiscing about the good old days of their duoship.

“You can say that again.”

They stepped out of the street back onto the docks, the distinct salty smell of the sea returning. Counterfeit glanced back at Starlight and Dust, who seemed extremely nervous.

“Sorry about the inner-city detour, dames. Less time out in the open does us all a few favors, I think,” said Counterfeit. Starlight subtly nodded, understandingly. She wasn’t quite sure about Counterfeit yet, though then again she wasn't quite sure about Elodea at first either.

Counterfeit led them down a wooden catwalk that extended off of the main dock, waves throwing themselves upon the thick beams below. There was a large cement wall that made up the edge of solid land along the docks, large swerve tunnels stuck inside, that would end up below sea level depending on the tides. At the moment, they were above the water, seabirds festering inside. At the end of the catwalk was the aforementioned house, not too large or splendorous, in fact rather quaint. It was a cold day, and the wind made things that much worse. The ponies were eager to get inside, except for Counterfeit, who seemed less and less amicable the closer they got to the door.

When he reached for the handle, he hesitated, but only for a moment, opening it and turning back to the others.

“See that? No trouble. Your skins are safe here. Now come on, let’s get out of the cold, why don’t we?” he said, stepping out of the way to make room for the ponies to enter. Jackpot came first, then Starlight, then Dust.

Inside, the ponies found themselves in a small hallway, where ponies could wipe their hooves of dirt or sand. Counterfeit slowly led them around the corner to the main room of the house.

In that room, the trio were surprised to see there were at least twenty ponies, all standing around, seemingly with nothing to do. They were all quite miserable to look at, and their grim demeanors put both Dust and Starlight on high-alert. Counterfeit leaned along a nearby window sill, taking a quick glance outside. The room was practically empty, which Jackpot found strange. Just the three windows, a nearby shelf with a lamp, and dirt. The room was grey and brown, and it wasn’t much warmer than outside. It appeared as though this house was abandoned. Jackpot waited for Counterfeit to introduce them to these new ponies, though Counterfeit stayed silent, and neglected to even make eye contact. Jackpot glanced around at the ponies, who all seemed to be staring at him. He didn’t recognize any of them.

“Have you got a new crew? I don’t think I know any of these fellows.”

Counterfeit shook his head, staring out the window with his cigar back in his mouth.

“No, you don’t know them.”

Jackpot grinned, uncertain why Counterfeit had such a dreadful expression on his face, as if he had just condemned his soul to die. Jackpot chuckled a few times, glancing around the room at the forebodingly still ponies, wondering why they were all staring at him with rage-filled eyes. Dust and Starlight stuck together while Jackpot looked around from the center of the room.

“Well, it seems like they all know me,” Jackpot said, nervously laughing, turning back to Counterfeit.

“That’s because they do.”

Jackpot’s smile dropped, as he noticed Counterfeit’s eyes drawn to something behind him. He turned around, just as the prickly arrow of a stallion’s crossbow plunged itself deep into his front right leg. He gasped in shock as blood gushed out from his leg. He grunted in confused pain, and then fell back to the ground, as Dust started screaming. A stallion behind her grabbed her by the throat with one arm, pulling her away from Starlight, who frantically began preparing a spell, unable to fully grasp the situation. Before any spell could materialize, she felt a heavy metal object force itself over her horn. She yelped and kicked backwards at the stallion, who had successfully stuck a magic-blocking ring on her horn. The stallion lurched over in pain and collapsed to the ground, Starlight meanwhile trying to pry off the metal ring on her horn. It refused to come off however, and Starlight was caught unaware when two more stallions tackled her to the ground, pinning her to the floor while she screamed in rage and despair. One cheek was pressed on the filthy hardwood floor, her eyes forced to watch as a groaning Jackpot was picked up from the floor and propped against a nearby wall. He was seething in rage, unable to fight with the debilitating wound in his leg. He felt his strength deplete as blood continued to seep from his wound. He saw Dust, screaming and desperately trying to break away from her captor’s strong grip, to no avail.

Starlight, from the floor, refused to give up, desperately trying to cast a spell to rescue herself and her friends. Yet, the ring around her horn made that impossible. Her arms were pinned behind her back, and at that point at least four stallions were crowded over her to make sure she couldn’t escape.

“Get that bolt out. Tourniquet the leg,” said a voice from behind the crowd of ponies. Starlight stopped her resistance as soon as she heard the voice. She knew it felt familiar, but couldn’t quite remember.

Then she remembered, and was consumed with dread, realizing the grand extent of danger of their situation.

Stepping out from the crowd was a unicorn, colored bright red, with a darker red mane that spiked up at the top and fell back along her neck. Her eyes were still serpentine green, and she was still smirking the evilest smirk Starlight had ever seen. Starlight recalled this unicorn as the one who had nearly killed Jackpot earlier when they escaped town on Windward’s boat.

“Stop! Stop! Please!” Starlight yelled, as soon as she saw the unicorn, who completely ignored Starlight’s pleas. The unicorn stepped closer to Jackpot, who was guarded on either side by ponies. Another pony rushed out from the crowd, stepped beside Jackpot, and ripped out the arrow from his leg, without any hint of sympathy. Jackpot yelled in agony, red tendons flowering out from his wound as even more blood pulled out. The pony then took a belt and fastened it around his leg, effectively reducing the flow of blood. Jackpot let out a loud, tired groan of pain, before crashing back against the wall. He was breathing deep, furious breaths, as he glared up at the red unicorn. Then his eyes switched to Counterfeit, who had been huffing on his cigar this entire time in his chair by the window, having refused to bear witness to his friend’s plight.

“You son of a bitch…” Jackpot muttered.

Counterfeit stood up from his chair, stamping out the cigar and dragging his hooves over beside the red unicorn.

“They showed up before you. I didn’t have a choice,” he said, regretfully.

Jackpot stared at him in disbelief, consumed with pain-inspired rage and betrayal.

He grunted as he adjusted himself on the floor, licking his lips, before glancing up at the red unicorn, who seemed to be waiting for his attention. He squinted up at her, and then realized where he remembered her from.

“You...it’s you...what is it, pissed off you couldn’t do me in the first time?”

The red unicorn didn’t even bat an eye while Jackpot tried his best to keep his spirits.

“Go on then, do it...get it over with.”

The red unicorn’s sinister smile returned, as if it was the happiest day of her life.

“Oh no...you don’t get to rush it.”

The red unicorn extended an arm to grasp a large metal club one of the ponies was handing over to her. She gripped it, firmly, excited for a rare chance to go old school.

“Wait! Please! Don’t!” Starlight screamed, breaking into sobs as Jackpot stared at the red unicorn intently. Jackpot winced at Starlight’s heartbreaking cries.

“Starlight, don’t look. Dust, you neither.”

Dust stared at him with wide eyes, unable to accept what was about to happen. She blinked rapidly, trying to wake herself up from what had to be a bad dream. Jackpot was staring right into the red unicorn’s eyes, unafraid.

Then he noticed Counterfeit begin to turn and walk away, and scowled in disgust. .

“Not you. You stay, watch. Do me that courtesy, at least,” Jackpot said, bitterly. Counterfeit didn’t even turn around, unable to face his old friend again. He pushed past the crowd of ponies out of the room, leaving Jackpot to face the red unicorn alone.

“Fine then,” Jackpot said to Counterfeit, though the red unicorn took it as a signal that he was ready.

The first swing knocked at least two teeth out, spraying blood all over the wall and floor. Part of his cheek bone was broken, and he found himself more or less unable to speak properly. Starlight screamed bloody murder as the red unicorn continuously brought down her club on Jackpot, bruising his face into pulp, breaking off flakes of bone and scraps of flesh that flew in every which way. She smashed her club into his back, legs, everywhere but his neck, which she figured would kill him. It was far too early for that.

While Jackpot was being relentlessly assaulted with the metal bat, Starlight’s wails and cries made even the most determined, deadset ponies in the crowd begin to second guess themselves. The red unicorn was undeterred, focusing only on giving this pony the most painfully slow end imaginable.

“Get off me!” Starlight yelled, desperately trying to fight off the ponies on top of her, hoping there was still time to save Jackpot. She managed to push off one, knocking him back with a hoof to the face. However, he was soon replaced by another, and another, and soon enough there were at least eight hovering around or on top of her. The pony she had punched in the face rose from the floor, scowling at her.

“Bitch!” he yelled, landing a kick right in her stomach. She landed another one, which the other ponies found unnecessary, pulling him back while Starlight reeled in pain.

“You’re dead! You’re fucking dead!” Starlight screamed at the red unicorn, who had stopped her battery of Jackpot’s broken body after one last slam to Jackpot’s head. She felt the glistening blood stains on her club, and stared down at Jackpot’s body with pride. He was unmoving, breathing slowly through rasped wheezes. He was covered in bruises, and his body was universally crying out in pain. He surely had taken some brain damage from the hits to the head, and Starlight wasn’t even sure if he could see or hear her.

“Let him go!” Starlight continued, fighting with every muscle against the ponies on top of her.

Counterfeit returned to the room, but stopped for a second when he saw Jackpot. He couldn’t believe how tarnished the pony’s body was, and he was immediately taken over by guilt.

“We all gotta get out of here, now. This place isn’t sound proof, and with that bitch’s screaming, it wouldn’t matter if they were. Somepony’s bound to have called the cops already,” Counterfeit said.

“I’m not finished,” the red unicorn said, her eyes fixated on Jackpot.

Counterfeit stepped closer to her, forcing her to face him.

“You’re done.” he said, firmly.

The red unicorn paused, and then hesitantly agreed, stepping back away from Jackpot, giving Starlight a full view at the carnage.

“J-Jackpot, get up…” she said, short of breath. She searched for any possible signs of life. He had to be alive. He was breathing, though barely.

“Jackpot, fucking get up.”

Jackpot was unresponsive, his eyes swollen shut, his face a collage of red and purple.

Some of the ponies began clearing out of the house, most already sick of the sight.

“Please stop!” Starlight yelled, crying her eyes out.

Nopony paid her any listening, as Jackpot remained motionless on the floor.

The red unicorn began raising the club once more, for a finishing blow.

“Please don’t do this!” Starlight begged, her eyes wide with desperation as the red unicorn ignored her.

“Jackpot! Please! Get up!” she yelled, as if she was angry at him.

The red unicorn swung the club down one last time, hard, carving a hole into Jackpot’s head, smashing his skull in.

“No!” Starlight screamed, her voice raspy from screaming so much, hope fading from her soul the very moment she heard the crunch of the club on Jackpot’s head.

Starlight broke down into sobs, while the red unicorn tossed the club to the ground, smirking at Jackpot’s unrecognizable corpse. Counterfeit said nothing, biting his lip in frustration as he ushered the remaining ponies out of the house.

Dust had been crying the whole time, though hadn’t screamed at all, fearing she would provoke the ponies to make her next in line after Jackpot. Her mind was in a flurry. One of her only friends, one of her closest friends, the pony that she had considered spending the rest of her life with, had perished right before her eyes, in one of the cruelest ways imaginable. Her heart was heavy with pain, and her face was a sea of tears. But in that moment, despite the pain she was in, she knew she had to focus on the only practical goal left: escape.

She saw the club that had been used to bash Jackpot’s brains in, lying on the ground not too far from her hooves. She knew what she had to do. Rage swelled inside her, as she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Jackpot’s battered body. If she had just a few moments left with him, she would’ve told him that he was one of her truest friends, that she might be in love with him, and so many things, that she would now never get to say. She needed to avenge him, at the very least, while she was still breathing.

“You’re fucking dead,” Starlight said between sobs, hopelessly.

“Somepony shut that bitch up, and let’s get out of here,” said the red unicorn, acknowledging Starlight for the very first time. The red unicorn quickly left the room, while the remaining ponies began shuffling to drag Dust and Starlight out with them.

As soon as the red unicorn had left, Dust sprung into action, kicking the stallion that had a hold on her, hard in the gut. He fell to the ground, while Dust dove for the club. She actually reached it, to her surprise, and began swinging like mad, knocking a few ponies square in the face.

Dust’s uncoordinated, passionate attacks were enough to draw more than half of the ponies guarding Starlight to leave and help take her down. Starlight, seeing an opportunity, managed to fight off the remaining ponies holding her down, jumping to her hooves, and attempting to head over to Dust to help her. But, without her magic, she could only do so much.

“Starlight! Run!”

Starlight stayed where she was, unwilling to leave Dust behind. She refused to peer down to the floor and look at Jackpot’s body, preferring to keep that image out of her mind.

“Starlight! Go! Hurry!”

Starlight felt like breaking down, but eventually gave in and ran out the door, leaving Dust to fend off the remaining ponies for as long as she could. Starlight knew they couldn’t fight them all off, so if at least one of them could get away, there might be hope. Starlight hated to be the one to leave the other behind, but knew there wasn’t enough time to consider other options.

Dust continued swinging violently back and forth while Starlight escaped the building. She hated violence, yet saw no other choice if she wanted to save her only remaining friend’s life. She grunted with each swing, desperate to buy Starlight time.

Starlight ran out the door of the building, just as a parade of ponies rushed right for her from the end of the dock, having realized what the commotion was all about. Starlight, thinking on her hooves, jumped straight off of the catwalk into the sea. She fell beneath the waves, into the murky blue below. When she surfaced, she wasted no time in swimming towards the docks, or more specifically, towards one of the sewer tunnels, which she decided would make a good escape route. She climbed into the sewer tunnel, as the ponies’ arrows shot down at her from below, one of them piercing her leg just as she pulled it up from the ocean waters. She groaned in pain, but powered through, climbing deeper into the tunnel, to safety.

When she finally believed she had escaped them, she collapsed to the ground of the sewer and gave out a loud sigh of anguish, her mind foggy with sorrow. She had never felt such a great sense of loss before, and never in such a grotesque, violent manner. It made her sick, both the memory of what had happened, and the thought that she would never see the pony that had helped restore her happiness ever again. He was gone, reduced to a bloody mess on the floor. She instinctively blamed herself, remembering when she had given into her friends’ pleas to let them come with her on this journey in the first place. She wished she had been tougher on them. Now one was dead, and if she didn’t act soon, the other would be too.

She cradled herself in the tight sewer tunnel that was hidden beneath the city, tears endlessly flowing down her cheeks. Her heart was hollow, devoid of life or joy. She felt empty, and cold, and unsure about her future. All she could feel in those moments was pain, an undefeatable, unsurmountable sort of pain, that beat her around relentlessly. Death had always seemed so far off to her, unimaginable for her or anypony she knew. But right then, it surrounded her. Hope, now more than ever, seemed like a fairy tale.

Chapter Eleven: The Troubled Trio

Days in Vanhoover were long, dark, and miserable. At least, that was the case for one stallion, crammed in a cubicle office that was so small he thoroughly believed it was intentionally done so just to annoy him.

Lance Crestfall was a sergeant in the Vanhoover garrison, leading a measly six-pony detachment in a larger company of disgruntled soldiers. Most had expected to be fighting on the front lines of some imagined grand conflict, not patrolling the smoggy streets of Vanhoover. Crestfall had long gotten past that sense of discontentment, especially during such chaotic times. According to word from some recent transfers, entire platoons of soldiers had been wiped out by the Scourge of the South. Nothing left of them except ash and smoke. It was grim to think about, that had he been sent south instead of north, he may as well be among them. All that he hoped was that the Scourge remain of the South, and not the North.

He had a white coat, unkempt blue-silver hair, and five o’clock shadow. He operated more like a police investigator than as a grunt wandering through the trenches in some foreign land. In Vanhoover, one of the largest and commercially important cities in Equestria, crime never seemed to die down. The underworld of Equestria festered in places like this, murky, cold, and dark.

Crestfall was currently down on his luck, having separated from a long-time partner due to a hot-headed dispute. When he wasn't sulking in loneliness, he was working late hours at the station, or, as he saw it, wasting his life away on work that more often than not amounted to nothing.

In his dimly-lit cubicle, at around 8 p.m, Crestfall was re-examining a recent case he had taken up. Some contraband taken last week at the city customs had raised some new suspicions about a criminal drug trafficking and gambling network that was thought to be extinct. He was studying the case file on one pony in particular, who had long been thought to be dead.

Counterfeit.

They had never met in real life, but Crestfall considered this murderous sociopath to be his arch-nemesis. He knew his history inside and out. Counterfeit was from Manehattan, and came to Vanhoover with a friend some years ago. They got involved in some shady business, and eventually were more than just involved, they were running the show. About a year ago Crestfall had conducted a raid on one of Counterfeit’s base of operations, and in the ensuing skirmish, he had believed he had finally, at last, killed Counterfeit. Though, recent evidence of the organization’s resurgence seemed to contradict this.

Worst of all, it seemed as though Counterfeit’s fake death had given him a chance for a fresh start, to rebuild his organization without as much notice from the authorities. Crestfall had been stuck for weeks now. All he could do was track any suspicious activity he saw, that usually amounted to nothing. This pony was more than just elusive, he was practically non-existent.

‘Maybe he is dead,’ Crestfall thought, though knew that would make things too easy.

“Sergeant.”

Crestfall spun around in his chair from his notes to see Gallant Stride, a middle-aged, gruff pony with a thick white mustache and heavy bags under his old grey eyes. He had a faded blue coat, and wore scars all over his body from decades of service. To Crestfall, he was the top commanding officer in the garrison.

“The disturbances on the dock today. You hear about this?”

“I did. The unit we sent came back with nothing.”

“Think again,” Gallant said, extending his hoof holding a file of documents. Crestfall took it and opened it, and raised an eyebrow after reading its content.

“So what? Blood stains on the floorboards, signs of a struggle. Doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I know that house they’re talking about. It was a trading post, back in the day. You’d know, Captain, you must’ve been around back then,” Crestfall said, unintentionally angering Gallant.

“Watch it.”

“What I mean is, it’s been abandoned for...well at least five years, maybe more. The place is a mess. And the blood? Could be a lot of things...old stains from years past...maybe some kids are pulling a prank…”

“I don’t want to miss any sort of opportunity to catch that cockroach you’re after. This could be our lead to finding him…”

“It sounds like a waste of time.”

“I’m glad you think so. Because you’re the one I’m sending to take a closer look.”

“What, now?”

“Tomorrow. You’ve been waiting for something to do other than sit in that chair all day, right?”

Crestfall conceded to that, reluctantly nodding.

“Alright, I’ll see what I can find.”

“That’s what I want to hear. Now get out of here, you haven’t taken a break all day, you’re making me look bad.”

They both chuckled, as Gallant trotted off, leaving Crestfall in his chair, alone again. The light of his desk lamp illuminated one side of his face, the other cast in the darkness that crept out of his window. He watched the bright colorful lights of the city glare out of the dark city, and wondered if tomorrow would be the day he finally found the pony he could never catch.

Starlight Glimmer slowly lifted her eyelids open after having fallen asleep for several hours. She was still sore from her injuries, both those sustained from Princess Luna and the bruises she received from those ponies earlier that day. She kept expecting to see Dust or Jackpot beside her, but she was alone. The silence around her seemed to be screaming at her, mocking her. She found herself paranoid, and extremely nervous when without her friends near her. Maybe it was because she lacked confidence in her own decision-making, or maybe because she needed constant emotional support. Whatever it was, she could barely calm herself down, sitting in a small river in the sewer tunnel.

She cried softly to herself as the pain of that morning’s events returned to the forefront of her mind. She had promised her friends she would see them through this, alive and unharmed, and she had failed. It felt pointless now, to even bother keep fighting for herself, when she couldn’t even protect the ponies she cared about. She simply sat in the foul-smelling sewer, hopeless.

After an hour of silent contemplation, Starlight had decided that no good could further be accomplished sitting there in the sewer. She felt terrible, both physically and emotionally.

Bringing herself to her hooves, her legs quaked with fear. Whatever road lay ahead for her, she would likely have to walk it alone. Finding Dust would be near-impossible, and even if she knew where to look, she wouldn’t be able to get far. The metal ring those ponies had stuck on her horn was still there, meaning she couldn’t use her magic at all. And, on top of everything, she was still wanted by the authorities. Nopony in this city would help her if they knew who she was. Despite how terrified she was of returning to the fray, there was even less incentive to stay in the sewer, where she had nothing to distract herself from the pain and grief of Jackpot’s death, and Dust’s capture. She walked deeper into the sewer, hoping she could find an exit that led back up to civilization.

Starlight dragged her hooves on the sewer floor, not at all eager to leave the strange safety of the odorous undercity. She had mostly dried off since her plunge into the blue waters below the docks earlier. It was difficult for her to walk forward, as if her grief was physically tugging at her, trying to draw her back into a miserable heap of self-deprecation. She sighed, trying to relieve herself of her guilt. She recalled what Jackpot had told her, to accept herself and focus on moving forward. Still, she wasn’t ready to move on from him so suddenly. It wasn’t fair, and there was nothing Starlight could do about it. No matter what move she made, she knew it would just end in more ponies getting hurt. She considered the unthinkable, of taking her life before she could hurt anypony else. But she knew Jackpot wouldn’t have wanted that, and truthfully neither did she.

At last, she found it. A ladder attached to the wall of the sewer, that led up to a hatch in the ceiling. She tried one more time to pull the metal ring off from her horn, but found it was practically welded on tight. She shook her head, hopeless, as she began climbing her way up.

Pushing the sewer hatch off from the hole, Starlight poked her head up slowly from the sewer. She was in an alleyway, unpopulated, to Starlight’s relief. The less ponies that saw her, the better.

She wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Without her magic, she wouldn’t pose much of a threat to that red unicorn, of whom she despised with a passion. What angered Starlight more than the pony killing the stallion she loved, was the joy the pony seemed to take in it. She longed for their reunion, where she could show her just which pony she was messing with.

She climbed out of the sewer, brushing off as much filth from her body as she could. She stumbled against a wall, still in pain from her injuries. She began walking down a poorly-lit street, trying not to attract too much attention to herself. She saw an unclaimed raggedy blanket on the floor near a building, and, without much hesitation, picked it up, draping it over her head and shoulders to conceal her identity. The blanket reeked of the city, though Starlight was too desperate to care. Starlight’s only plan was to stay alive. The only way to find those ponies who took Dust, would be if they came to her.

After about fifteen minutes of wandering through the city, Starlight was beginning to get tired, and wondered which desolate alley she’d have to spend the night in.

Continuing down the street, the sound of ponies arguing caught her attention. She saw several police ponies, hassling a mare, who was yelling at them about something. Then Starlight’s eyes widened with surprise, when she realized who exactly the mare was.

Starlight knew she had to act, and quickly. She saw the police ponies’ carriage, parked near the curb on a street, that happened to be at a downhill incline. She smiled as an idea came to her. She rushed over to the carriage, and subtly kicked out the wheel blockers. Starlight managed to get away just as the carriage began to fall down the road. The cops took a few seconds to notice, and then flew into a flurry, chasing after the carriage, screaming for ponies to make way. Starlight smiled at her work and slowly approached the mare, who was confused by what just happened.

“Elodea?”

Elodea spun around to see Starlight, who looked half-alive.

“St-Starlight? Wait, was that you?”

“Yeah, it was. We need to get out of here,” Starlight said, quickly.

Elodea stared at her, a bit nervous over how worse-for-wear Starlight appeared.

“Uh...sure thing...Where’s Dust? Why isn’t she with you?’

Starlight wasn’t sure what to say, so tried to ignore the topic.

“I’ll tell you, but we need to get out of the-”

“No...What did you do to her? I-I knew you weren’t as nice as you seemed! You really are that murdering psychopath everypony told me you are, aren’t you?” Elodea said, backing away from Starlight, horrified.

“No! Elodea, I didn’t do anything to her...she’s...they took her.”

“Who’s they?”

“I’m not sure...The same ponies who attacked us back in town...they came back, they surprised us…”

Elodea noticed the ring around Starlight’s horn, and relaxed. It also gave more ground to Starlight’s story, enough for Elodea to mildly trust her again.

“Alright, here...there’s a hotel I’m staying at here, we’ll go there…”

“Ok.”

“Wait...they took Dust...you got out...what about Jackpot?”

“He…” Starlight struggled to finish the sentence, as emotions swelled in her once more. Elodea began to pick up on just why Starlight seemed so distressed.

“Oh...I’m sorry, Starlight…” Elodea said, a bit stunned by the revelation that Jackpot was dead. Elodea embraced Starlight, who desperately needed the warmth of another pony.

“We should go…” Starlight said, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Right...Yeah…” Elodea said, letting go of Starlight. “Follow me.”

Starlight walked close beside Elodea down the lamp-lit streets of Vanhoover, wary of any wayward stares. The entire world seemed to be against her, and Starlight was finally realizing just how daunting that really was.

Elodea led Starlight to a hotel, which was nothing too flashy. Once inside their room, Elodea shut the door, making sure they weren’t being followed. Starlight was standing with her head hung low, her heart hollow and her mind cloudy.

“Here, I can get that thing off your horn,” Elodea said, approaching Starlight.

“Really?”

“Sure, those things are common. It’ll hurt a little bit, not too much. Sit down.”

Elodea led Starlight to a table facing the wall. Starlight bit her lip nervously, hoping her horn wouldn’t sustain any damage.

“How’d you get here?” Starlight asked.

“Same as anypony. I walked,” Elodea replied, rifling through her bag for some tools.

“Dust said you got trapped behind?”

“Nearly...I got away from the cops after you all left...I was kinda glad not to have to deal with you guys anymore, to be honest. But...I knew you’d need help...so I came here.”

“Why were those cops yelling at you?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. They just wanted to pick a fight with me,” Elodea said, scoffing. “Scumbags. They’ll come up with anything to fuck me over.”

Elodea pulled out some dangerous looking metal tools, and brought them over to the table.

“Um...Are you sure this is safe?” Starlight stuttered, nervously.

“I never said it was safe.”

Starlight didn’t find that very comforting.

“These things can only be opened with a specific key...which we don’t have, so I’ll have to go a little old school.”

Elodea picked up one sharp-looking instrument and began digging it beneath the metal ring, bending it upwards. Starlight groaned in pain. It felt as though her horn was being ripped right off.

“Hold still.”

Elodea then took a small metal hammer, and began whacking at the sharp instrument several times, until a distinct cracking noise made Starlight jump, believing it to be her horn breaking in two.

“There. See? You’re fine.”

Elodea broke off the cracked-open metal ring, showing it to a frazzled Starlight. Starlight felt the pressure in her head dissipate, her magic slowly returning. She tried casting a spell, and then screamed in pain, falling to the ground and holding onto her horn, writhing in agony.

“Oh yeah...Don’t try using your magic for a few hours...It needs some time to heal and get back to normal…”

“You couldn’t have told me that before?” Starlight muttered, angry.

“Sorry,” Elodea said, smiling, helping Starlight to her hooves.

“Well, I gotta get clean…”

“I won’t stop you...I’ll be right out here.”

Starlight nodded. She still wasn’t sure whether Elodea was truly on her side or not, but at this point, she would work with anypony she could.

Starlight spent most of the time in the shower crying, the paper-thin walls of the hotel room providing easy access for Elodea’s ears. Elodea winced at the heartbreaking whimpers leaking from the bathroom. She wasn’t typically one to be emotional, though something about Starlight’s plight softened her.

When Starlight finally came out, she fell into a chair, exhausted. She glanced out the window, down to the colorful lights that decorated storefront windows and streetside attractions.

“Look uh, Starlight...I’m sorry about your friend, Jackpot, I really am…”

Starlight shook her head, her eyes still red from crying.

“They didn’t even know him. I think...I think they just did it to get to me,” Starlight said.

“Who are these ponies?”

“I don’t know...They’re not royal or anything…”

Elodea frowned, trying to put together as much information as they could. What she was really after, was Dust’s whereabouts.

“Any names?”

Starlight scoffed.

“Just one...Jackpot’s friend. Counterfeit. He led us right to them, and then he walked off.”

“Ok….must be some Vanhoover guy, because I’ve never heard of him.”

“He is,” Starlight said, bitterly.

“Ok, so then these ponies must be local, right?”

“I think he was just working with them…”

“Do you know how to get to...where it happened?”

“Yeah, by the docks...But we can’t go back there.”

“Why the hell not?”

“I...I can’t.”

Elodea loosened her interrogative stance, as she noticed Starlight begin to get emotional again. Elodea sighed, not one who was too experienced with emotional therapy.

“Look, I know that he...meant a lot to you...I’ve lost ponies too, you know...But he’s gone. He’s gone, and he isn’t coming back.”

Starlight burst into tears, but Elodea pressed on, saying what she thought had to be said.

“But Dust is still alive, right? We can’t save Jackpot...but we can save her. What we can’t do, is just sit here crying about what happened…”

Starlight hated to agree with Elodea, but recognized the value in her words.

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes once more.

“You’re right...we’ve got to save Dust.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll check out that place, and I’ll be with you, and everything will be fine. We’re going to find her, and it’s going to end up alright.”

Starlight nodded, weakly. She was still unsure she could move on from Jackpot’s untimely demise, but knew she had a responsibility to do what she could, and save Dust before it was too late.

Twilight Sparkle was filling her bag with the new supplies the local ponies had given her and her group, mostly water. The pony they had captured, Violet, had answer all of their questions after just a few threats of torture last night, and now they knew everything they needed to find Chrysalis. They’d be heading into the mountains in the north, which were like huge grey canines biting up from the ground. There were no plants anywhere to be found, and only at the top peaks would there be any heaps of snow. That was Twilight and company’s destination, where Twilight intended to rid the world of its greatest pest once and for all.

Twilight walked outside of her small hut to join the other ponies, who had all been gearing up to leave as well. The local townsponies had gathered around them, to see them all off.

“Thank you for all the help,” said Cadance to the crowd, who gave some rowdy cheers in response.

Twilight, who wanted to preserve her energy for the upcoming confrontation, sat inside the mighty carriage they had been traveling with, sitting across from Cadance. Violet was forced to help pull the carriage, and was not to be given any breaks for the entire duration of their trek up into the mountains. They had outfitted her with cuffs around her ankles and her neck, that were all chained to the carriage, preventing her from running off. As one could imagine, she was less than pleased with this arrangement.

The group set out once more, hopefully for the last time in their so-far fruitless pursuit of Chrysalis.

Inside, Twilight was noticeably antsy, unable to sit still in the carriage. She was constantly readjusting herself, and her eyes were often stuck looking out the window for any possible signs of Chrysalis.

“Uh...Twilight…” Cadance said, concerned.

“Yes?”

“I know you really want to find her, but...you’ve got to remember, Celestia and Luna want her alive.”

Twilight glared at Cadance, insulted by the insinuation that she was out of control.

“I’m well-aware of that. We’ll be taking her alive, unless other, more extreme measures end up being...unavoidable.”
Cadance didn’t like that answer, as Twilight obviously wanted any excuse she could to land a fatal blow on Chrysalis.

“Twilight, what if you’re wrong about her? If that really is Starlight...and you try and...well, kill her,” Cadance said, struggling to discuss the possibility, “You could be accidentally killing your friend...Isn’t that why the Princesses wanted her alive? To be interrogated?”

Twilight had to admit that was a cautionary possibility, but was still firm in her belief that it was Chrysalis and nopony else.

“It’s like I said...only if it’s unavoidable.”

Cadance sighed, hoping Twilight could keep her vengeful bloodlust under control.

Starlight barely slept all night, unable to quell her regret over the past and her fears of the future. She had accepted the harsh reality that Elodea had laid on her, that she had to focus on what she could still control, though matter how hard it was to ignore the pain of Jackpot’s loss.

Elodea stumbled out of bed, heading to the downstairs lobby for some complimentary breakfast. She brought bagels back for Starlight, who wanted to avoid being in public as much as possible. The two ponies ate together in their room, spilling crumbs on the ground. Starlight wolfed down her meal, having eaten very little these past few days.

Elodea had finally become fed up with her life in Saddleopolis that she convinced herself to follow Dust to Vanhoover. She couldn't leave Dust to fend for herself again, especially under such dire circumstances. Dust may have been the only true friend Elodea had, and to lose her would be like losing a part of herself.

“So this,” Elodea began, pausing to chew, “this Counterfeit guy....what’s he look like?”

“Earth pony. Yellow….Uh...he had black hair. Maybe dark blue.”

“Can he fight?”

“I don’t know…”

Elodea seemed unimpressed with the pony’s resume.

“Ok...so we find this guy, we shake him around, right, give him the old one-two, get him to tell us where those ponies took Dust, rescue her, and get the hell out of this city…”

Starlight liked the sound of that plan, but, considering her recent bad luck, knew reality would never work as well as she would hope.

When both had finished eating, Elodea stood at her hooves, eager to save Dust as fast as possible.

“Oh, and on the off chance we run into trouble...Cops, or hooligans, or whatever...I can only do so much...Your magic’s working, right?”

Starlight began levitating a nearby alarm clock, albeit while struggling. She dropped it, and began panting in exhaustion.

Elodea stared at Starlight, clearly worried.

“Ok well...we’ll be fine. We’ll be fine! We’ll be fine…” she muttered to herself, heading out the door.

In the streets, Starlight led Elodea to where she believed the docks were located. Elodea did her best to shield Starlight from any possible recognition from pony passerbys. Starlight froze up as they drew closer to the docks. Elodea noticed this and began taking the lead, pulling Starlight down onto the wooden pier, which was filled with ponies crowding about, soon to head off on a large fishing voyage.

“Starlight, which house?”

Starlight raised a shaky hoof to the end of the pier, where the memory-triggering catwalk that extended into the sea grabbed Starlight by the throat and shook her about mercilessly.

Elodea continued pulling Starlight along. Every step closer they took, Starlight became more and more resistant. Elodea was determined, though. To her, Starlight was only necessary in keeping around so she could have an easier time finding Dust. The two still didn’t fully trust each other at all.

When they made it to the catwalk, Elodea checked for any police ponies, but thankfully it seemed to be clear.

“Alright...Are you ready?” Elodea asked, letting go of Starlight’s still-shaking hoof.

“Yeah,” Starlight said, though she clearly wasn’t.

Elodea hesitantly began walking forward, Starlight nervously trailing behind.

The two ponies crept along the wooden catwalk until they made it to the house, the boards creaking beneath them.

Elodea snuck towards the door, and then froze, hearing voices.

“Starlight!” Elodea whispered as loudly as she could. Starlight joined her, and heard the voices too, her eyes widening in surprise.

“We’ve got to get a closer look…” Elodea said, excitedly leading Starlight towards one of the windows. Together, they lifted their head and peeked inside. Starlight immediately came crashing back down. Elodea saw two ponies, one who matched Starlight’s description of Counterfeit to a tee.

“Is that him?” Elodea whispered.

Starlight nodded, her hoof wrapped around her mouth to prevent her from making any noise.

“Who’s the other one?”

Starlight peeked back up, avoiding having to look at Counterfeit’s smug grin as he engaged the other in conversation.

“I don’t know…”

Elodea was amazed at their luck. She hadn’t expected to find the pony this quickly. He worked out the whole plan in her head, eagerly. She turned around, and then her face fell, noticing Starlight had disappeared.

“Oh no...”

Counterfeit was biting down on his cigar, laughing at some old jokes of his compatriot, a short, curmudgeon banker pony named Goldwash. He hadn’t wanted to come back to this house, where his oldest friend, really his only true friend, was murdered in cold blood, yet, as had been the case for most of his life, business came first. Those ponies, who had intercepted some pigeon-sent letter from Saddleopolis, had caught him on a bad day. He had just learned that his lead division in Baltimare had dissolved due to higher police pressure and a decrease in supply. So when those ponies offered him tens of thousands of bits to get them a visit with Jackpot and his highly-sought after unicorn friend, from a business perspective it was a no-brainer. Yet, betraying a friend was never an easy thing to do. He wanted to tell him to run, to warn him of what would happen, but he knew that would ruin the plan, and likely get him killed. These ponies he was dealing with were killers, they made that clear yesterday.

Counterfeit just wanted to forget the entire thing. He had already been paid, and it seemed as though his return to power was finally underway. Yet, there was a grand burden on his heart; the guilt of his betrayal had consumed him, to the point it was all he could think about, in every waking second of the day. He had come here against his will, in fact, as he would rather not relive the painful experience he went through yesterday. But Goldwash, a close advisor of his, thought it would be wise to ensure there was no evidence left for the police to find and possibly link back to his revival. The longer he had to operate without the watchful eye of the cops, the better.

“Seaponies. Have you thought about that? What if they ship in seaponies from down south. They’ll find the body in the sea.”

“They wouldn’t go through the trouble of all that, lazy blokes,” Counterfeit scoffed, pulling the cigar out of his mouth.

“We shoulda dissolved that body, not thrown into the sea for some fishes to munch on.”

“What the fuck do you think I got, tubs of fucking acid lying around? I did what I could with the resources I had, under the circumstances.”

“Threw ‘im in the sea. Brilliant. They’ll never look there,” Goldwash said, sarcastically.

“They don’t even know there’s been any sort of murder, of anypony. Nopony’s gonna report a missing pony-he don’t live here, he’s got no family, and soon he won’t have no friends neither. The only thing they’ve got to work with is that fucking stain on the floor, because apparently we can’t scrub blood off of hardwood.”

“We tried everything. It won’t come out.”

“Did you try the bleach and ammonia I told you about? I heard that gets anything out.”

“You stupid asshole, that’s poisonous.”

Counterfeit stared at him, shocked.

“Well shit...”

Both ponies jumped when the door flew open. They turned around, steadily, Goldwash slowly creeping back to the wall where he left Jackpot’s crossbow, having taken ownership of it following its previous owner’s death.

The wall in front of the door prevented either pony from seeing who it was, though they had a feeling they weren’t friendly.

“You behind the wall! Come out right now!” Counterfeit commanded.

Starlight, whose face was radiant with rage, slowly stepped out from the wall, her horn glowing a blinding blue.

“Oh...shit…” Counterfeit said, immediately flying into a panic, as if he was staring at death itself.

While Starlight was fixated on Counterfeit, who was paralyzed with fear, Goldwash managed to grab the crossbow, raising it to get a shot at Starlight. Before he could, he took a rock directly to the head, knocking him to the floor, unconscious. Elodea climbed in through the window she had just thrown a rock through, after opening it. She had her bag slewn around her back, her hoof raised, ready to pick up another random weapon to attack with. Counterfeit was unarmed and surrounded, Starlight barely able to hold off from killing him right out. Her horn glowed a bit brighter, causing Counterfeit to begin backing away slowly, his eyes darting back and forth between the two ponies, fearfully.

“Now, ladies...I know what you’re thinking, ‘let’s just kill old Counterfeit’...but I’m unarmed, see...I don’t pose no threat. You don’t gotta kill me,” he said, laughing nervously, “You think I wanted to kill Jackpot? He was my friend, my best friend! I begged them not to do it, I did! But they wouldn’t listen. You don’t want me, you want those ponies, don’t you?”

“My friend, is she alive?” Starlight barked.

“The black haired one in the dress? Oh sure, she’s alive! Alive, and unharmed!” Counterfeit said, quickly.

“Where did they take her?” Starlight said, narrowing her eyes, unsure if Counterfeit was telling them the truth.

“Where? Celestia, I don’t know, they hadn’t spoke to me since they left yesterday, I-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Starlight caught him by surprise, a ring of electrified magical energy compressing around his neck, raising him into the air, choking him so hard his neck nearly cracked.

“If you have nothing to tell me, then I have nothing to keep you alive for,” Starlight said, coldly. The sight of the blood stain on the floor where Jackpot had once laid made her even angrier. She had to actively resist the urge to snap the pony’s neck right then and there.

Elodea was a bit frightened by Starlight’s display of power, but went along with it.

“Don’t!” he sputtered, struggling to breath.

“Where. Is she?”
Counterfeit continued flailing about in the air, unable to grab ahold of anything to support himself or fight back with. He was beginning to run out of options.

“They’ll k-kill me!” he choked, his face turning as red as a ripe tomato.

“I’ll kill you a lot sooner, trust me,” Starlight said, tightening her grasp.

“F-Forty-Fifth Street! Th-they’re in one of the business complexes!” he spat. Starlight dropped him to the floor. He landed with a loud thud, and immediately began gasping for breath.

“Forty Fifth?”

“Yes! For Celestia’s sake!” he said from the ground.

Starlight glanced at Elodea, who seemed content with their work. Starlight, however, wasn’t too eager to leave. She stared down at Counterfeit, who almost garnered her sympathy, if not pity, as he raised his hooves up helplessly, completely out of breath, a hot red line imprinted around his neck from the strangling. He was practically whimpering, trying to drag himself away from Starlight, whose fiery gaze sent shivers down his spine. It was as if she was the very personification of the guilt and regret over his actions, who had come to bring him to justice.

Starlight’s horn again glowed brightly, and she was all but a second away from blasting a hole straight through Counterfeit’s face. But, she held off, sighing and backing away, tears again welting up in the corners of her eyes. No matter how much she wanted to kill him, she knew it wasn’t right, and it would only bring her more pain and guilt. She saw Elodea had already exited the house, and she followed, running off before she could change her mind. Counterfeit was left on the floor, his mind fuzzy and disoriented. He wondered why exactly she had let him go, and almost would have preferred he’d been killed, to be freed of his guilt. Consumed by guilt, death seemed vastly preferable to living.

When Starlight exited the house, Elodea immediately slammed the door shut and began bolting it to the exterior wall, locking it up tight. Starlight saw she had already done the same to the window, using a stray piece of plywood lying on the pier floor.

“What are you doing?!”

Elodea finished bolting the door shut, and raised her hoof, holding onto a lit lighter.

“I had a vial of gunpowder...And it just so happens that this house is made of wood.”

“You’re gonna burn it down?!”

Elodea had already dropped the lighter onto her trail of gunpowder that led around the house, setting a small fragment of its rear ablaze. Starlight was mortified, having just gone out of her way to spare Counterfeit, believing it to be morally correct.

“Starlight, if we let them live, they’ll tell those other ponies we’re coming. Didn’t you hear him? He just wants to save his own skin. You’ve already lost one friend. We can’t give them an opportunity to take some more.”

Starlight wished there was another way, but it was far too late already, half the building having already gone up in flames. Strangely, Starlight heard no pounding from Counterfeit trying to escape, and hoped that if he was dead, it hadn’t been too painful.

“Starlight, come on, we gotta go!”

Elodea grabbed Starlight’s hoof and began leading her away from the building. Starlight considered going back to save Counterfeit, but decided not to. A crowd was beginning to draw, ponies screaming about the fire. The duo barely managed to mesh in with the crowd and disappear from the scene, as the house began to collapse under the flames. The fire was beginning to spread down the catwalk, though, as far as Elodea and Starlight were concerned, they were finished there. Starlight wasn’t sure it was right to leave Counterfeit to burn to death, but would rather not stir up conflict with her only current ally. They went back into the city, towards their hotel, to begin planning for their rescue of Dust.

Early in the morning, Lance Crestfall left his downtown apartment, taking a drag of a cigarette as his breakfast. He skipped going to the station for more paperwork-related affairs-today was special after all, he was going to get to do some field work. A change of pace though it was, Crestfall wasn’t too enthusiastic about his assignment. It seemed like a big waste of time, checking out the old abandoned house on the docks that was the site of a recent possible incident. Inspection came back with nothing, and since that wasn't good enough, they needed to send in the big guns. At least, that’s what he told himself, for the sake of self-gratification.

There was a large-crew fishing voyage set to take off that morning, and a crowd had begun to gather to see them off. It was easy then, to slip past the public eye and stroll down the catwalk to the house in question. He hadn’t been to the docks in what felt like years. It was a bit grimier than he had hoped, though considering the grizzly fisherponies who worked there, that wasn't much of a surprise. The abandoned house had to be the worst-looking structure in the entire area. It was barely held together, and stuck out as being built decades earlier compared to the other, more recent buildings.

Crestfall approached the door to the building, soundtracked by the dull chatter and occasional cheers of the crowd back at the docks. He attempted to open the door, and found it was unlocked. He smiled, preferring when things were easy. He carelessly walked inside, not expecting to find anything too out of the ordinary.

Inside, he rounded a corner into the main, single room of the first floor. There was a table, a window, some old battered furniture, little of which could amount to anything evidence-related. He noticed the blood stain on the floor, which had caused quite a stir back at the station. He bent down to get a closer look. Troubling, he could determine that it was fresh, contradicting his assumption that it was an old stain or some kids’ prank. But besides that, there was little to take note of. He saw there was a ladder that led to an upstairs attic-like floor, and decided it couldn’t hurt to take a look.

Upstairs, he found even less. Just boxes of old fishing equipment, some more dusty furniture, nothing out of the ordinary for a dismal abandoned fishing shack. Then he froze in his tracks, when he heard the door below him open. He slowly dropped to the floor, and backed away from the edge of the ladder hole. He was no longer alone. He heard two voices, having a conversation. He couldn’t quite tell what they were saying, as they were still half-outside.

When the two ponies strolled inside to the main room, Crestfall could actually understand them.

“No, no. Hoofburn was in Love In The Afternoon.”

“That so?”

“Telling ya.”

“Hey, shut up for a second...Do you hear that?”

Crestfall held his breath and stood as still as possible. He waited on the two ponies below him, who were standing in the center of the first-floor room, as they paused to listen for any noise.

“The place is empty, chief. Don’t waste all our time crying wolf.”

“I didn’t want to come here at all. Pigs were crawling over it yesterday, no doubt they’ll be back today.”

Crestfall decided to risk everything and extend his head to the edge of the ladder hole, to try and get a glimpse of just who had joined him for a stay in this rusty old house. He could only see them for a split second before he fell back. He could barely contain his excitement. One of those ponies, he didn’t recognize, but the other, he was sure of, even if he had only seen his face for half a second. That was enough. Standing right below him, oblivious to his presence, was Counterfeit, huffing at a cigar and impatiently inspecting the building.

“The cops don’t have much to work with it seems,” said the other pony.

“No they don’t. So let’s keep it that way, did you clean your hooves off?” Counterfeit inquired.

“You saw me do it, asshole.”

Crestfall held off on taking any action as the two ponies below him continued chatting. He wanted as much information as he could get before he’d blow his hiding spot. He only caught a few bits of information. There’d been a murder, and the body was thrown into the sea nearby. Which meant, it wouldn’t take them too long to find that body. After a few more minutes of frivolous conversation, Crestfall decided now would be the time to strike, but just as he was about to, he heard the door swing open again. Counterfeit and the other pony seemed just as taken aback as he was.

“You behind the wall! Come out right now!” he heard Counterfeit yell.

He heard the hoofsteps of the newest visitor to the house as they rounded the corner. Whoever it was, they appeared to be impressive enough to incite fear into Counterfeit. Crestfall then jumped, at the sound of a rock being thrown through the window. He peeked down again and saw Counterfeit’s companion on the ground, a bloody gash on his head, knocked out. He caught a glimpse of a pony climbing in through the window. She had a bright pink coat and red hair tied in a ponytail. He brought his head back, deciding to let whatever confrontation was happening play out, hoping to get some more information.

“Now, ladies...I know what you’re thinking…” Counterfeit said.

Crestfall wondered what the relationship between these ponies was, though soon got a mild understanding of what had happened during their conversation. The pony who had been murdered, who he heard Counterfeit name Jackpot, was a friend of these ponies, and apparently there was another pony who had been kidnapped, still being held by the ponies responsible for Jackpot’s death. One thing was certain, it seemed like Counterfeit definitely wasn’t the mastermind behind all of this, rather just a pawn. Still, this dangerous group that pressured him into helping them remained a mystery. And, before he could learn anymore, the two ponies had left the room. He had heard Counterfeit being choked, and had almost stepped in when it looked like they were going to kill him, but his rasped breaths told Crestfall he was still alive. Once the door was shut, the ponies were gone, and Counterfeit seemed to be barely alive, Crestfall decided now would be a good time to intervene.

He began climbing down the ladder, and about halfway down, he started smelling smoke. He realized a corner of the house was on fire, and started panicking, muttering some curses under his breath.

‘Those ponies are gonna burn us alive!’ he thought.

He jumped down from the ladder, and, just as he turned around, he extended a hoof and screamed, watching Counterfeit stab himself in the chest with his own knife. Crestfall rushed to the pony’s side, grieving a pony who would have been a fountain of testimony for the police. He hated this pony with all his being, and had always wanted to be the one to take his life. He wasted no time while Counterfeit was still alive, coughing up blood, but alive.

Counterfeit, having realized he was trapped in a house set to burn down, had decided to admit defeat, owning up to the guilt of Jackpot’s death, righting his wrongs by taking his own life.

While he was still alive and bleeding out, Counterfeit faintly made out Crestfall, though struggled to understand where he had come from. He recognized the pony, a cop, who had murdered his body-double a few months ago in a shootout.

‘Bastard,’ Counterfeit thought.

“Hey, asshole! Look at me! You’re done for! It’s over! But listen, you still got time to tell me one thing, can you do that?”

Counterfeit glared at him, and Crestfall wasn’t sure if he understood, but continued, knowing Counterfeit only had moments left alive. The house was now beginning to fall apart, ridden with flames from top to bottom. Crestfall was wary of falling debris from the building as the roof started to give. The air was hot like a furnace, as the flames grew hotter and larger.

“The ponies you worked with, who took those ponies’ friend-who are they?!”

Counterfeit’s eyes darted back and forth at the ceiling as bits of wood came tumbling to the floor. He opened his mouth, blood leaking out of his chest.

“Ruby….Ruby Heart….” he murmured, his voice a slur of words. Crestfall understood him loud and clear, and, as Counterfeit breathed his last breath, Crestfall set him down, shocked by the revelation of a name he hadn’t heard for years.

But at the moment, there wasn’t much time to contemplate the significance of that name. If he didn’t find a way out of here fast, he would surely be following Counterfeit on the road to the afterlife very shortly.

He jumped to his hooves, taking the only bit of evidence of the scene worth taking, the crossbow that Counterfeit’s companion had carried in with him.
Crestfall rushed for the door, but found it was bolted tight. He spat at the ground, frustrated, and decided to use his blunt physicality, throwing himself into the weak wooden wall of the house a total of four times, before he finally made it through, landing on the splintery plywood he had pushed out. He escaped the house with only seconds to spare before the entire house collapsed, falling into the sea. Crestfall watched the ponies from the dock frantically arrive to beat down the remaining fires on the catwalk. He watched as the house crashed into the ocean and slowly dissolved into an innumerable amount of bits of wood, some of which were still burning as they floated atop the Vanhoover waters. He turned his head around, and, in the very far distance, past the docks, down one of the city streets, he was able to make out the pony who had climbed in through the window, and beside her who must’ve been the other pony. Still catching his breath, he jumped to his hooves and began running down the catwalk after them, furiously desperate to get to the bottom of this.

Back in their hotel room, Elodea and Starlight barely spoke to each other, as they independently began preparing to rescue Dust. Elodea was sharpening every weapon she had stashed in her bag, sucking on a lollipop as she went. Starlight, meanwhile, was studying one of the city maps she had picked up from the front lobby of the hotel, curiously searching for the location Counterfeit had told them about.

Forty-Fifth Street.

She stared at the map long enough until the image was burned into her brain. The business complexes on that street were all connected, so it wouldn’t take long to find wherever they were hiding Dust. Starlight’s only fear was that Dust wouldn’t be alive when they got there.

She glanced up at Elodea, whose eyes were fixated on the metal sheen of a knife in her hooves, delicately cleaning it. Starlight felt uneasy about letting Counterfeit die. She wanted to say something to Elodea about it, but figured it would be better to focus on the task at hoof.

Both ponies jumped to their hooves when their door slammed over, and in stepped a stallion pegasus, with a white coat, silver-blue unkempt hair and five-o'clock shadow. He was covered in ash and bits of wood, and seemed extremely irritated. Starlight centered herself in the middle of the room, cautiously, her and the stallion glaring at each other. Elodea stepped up beside Starlight, ready for a fight. Starlight couldn’t tell who he was with or what he wanted, all that she knew was that he probably wasn’t a friend. He had a spear drawn in one hoof, and he was completely out of breath. Starlight held off from attacking, first wanting to know what this was about. Elodea, however, wasn’t interested in anything he had to say, lunging at him with the knife she had just sharpened.

In one fell move, he drew back his spear and swatted her in the face with the wooden butt, knocking her to the floor and causing her to drop the knife. He spun the spear around and brought the blade right up to her neck, forcing her to stay lying flat on the ground. She grunted, bitterly realizing she was stuck.

“Let her go. Right now,” Starlight commanded, her horn beginning to glow a bit brighter.

The stallion kept the blade where it was, and didn’t look away from Elodea, fearing she would try and make a move the second he stopped staring at her.

“I mean it!”

“I followed you from the docks...You’re both under arrest.”

Elodea scoffed, and then burst into laughter, glancing up at Starlight.

“Idiot, you messed with the wrong ponies.”

Confused, the stallion turned his head to get a better look at Starlight, and, just as he thought, Elodea reached for her knife. The stallion whacked her in the face, hard, causing her to drop the knife again. She yelled in pain. The stallion walked around her so that he could face Starlight while still holding the blade against Elodea’s neck. He glanced up at Starlight, and for a few more seconds he still wasn’t sure where he had seen her before. Then it dawned on him.

“H-Holy shit….You’re-” he began, his confidence crashing in an instant.

“Starlight, nice to meet you too,” Starlight said.

The stallion couldn’t quite comprehend that he was facing down the Scourge of the South, the pony who had leveled cities and killed hundreds.

“Then you’re definitely under arrest,” he said, in disbelief.

“You know who I am?” Starlight asked.

“Of course, you’re the Scourge of the-”

“Right. Now listen to me, uh...”

“Crestfall. Lance.”

“Lance….If you want to arrest me, we can talk about that, but I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t want you to hurt my friend either...so why don’t you just let her go….”

“Starlight, Just pop this asshole already!” Elodea yelled from the floor.

Crestfall quickly turned from Elodea to Starlight, worried she was going to do just that.

“I’m not going to hurt you, just….everyone calm down…”

After much deliberation, Crestfall lifted his spear from Elodea’s throat. She again tried to reach the knife, but luckily Crestfall kicked it away just in time.

“Stand over there with your friend,” he said.

Elodea scampered to her hooves, sneered at Crestfall, and retreated back to where Starlight was standing.

“I’ll turn myself in,” Starlight said, firmly.

“What?” Crestfall said, believing this to be either a dream or a trick.

“What?!” Elodea yelled.

“I said, I’ll turn myself in...if you can help us.”

“Help you with what?” Crestfall asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah, help us with what?” Elodea stammered, shocked by whatever Starlight was doing.

“Our friend...is in a lot of danger, with some bad ponies….They’re keeping her somewhere on Forty-Fifth Street...but we don’t know what we’re up against, and we don’t know the layout of this city at all. If we get chased, we’ll get lost, and cornered, and it’s all over.”

“Starlight, we don’t need him, you can just blow everything sky high!” Elodea said.

“We can’t risk hurting any innocent ponies,” Starlight said, defiantly.

Crestfall was beginning to wonder whether this was really the mass-murdering super-criminal he had heard about.

“Well how the hell is this joker going to help us? And just what the hell makes you think you can barge in here like-”

“You’re a cop, right?”

“Yeah. How’d you tell?”

“Because the ponies after us aren’t much for conversations. You know how to get to Forty-Fifth Street?”

“Forty-Fifth Street, sure. Mostly warehouses, factories. Miserable place.”

“Starlight, I’m serious. We can’t just trust this random guy who broke into our room and tried to kill me!” Elodea said.

“Last I remember you came at me,” Crestfall said, scowling.

“Why’d you follow us?” Starlight asked, trying to size him up before employing him for their rescue mission.

“I told you, I followed you from the docks. Counterfeit, the pony you jumped, I’ve been on his case for months. I was upstairs the whole time you were strangling the shit out of him.”

“He’s dead?”

“Killed himself. He told me one thing, before he went, about those ponies who killed your friend...Ruby Heart.”
Starlight and Elodea glanced at each other, neither recognizing the name.

“And do tell, what the fuck is a Ruby Heart?” Elodea asked.

“It’s a pony, is what it is. Don’t know her face, just the name. During my investigation of our dearly departed friend Counterfeit, years ago, I remember I encountered some evidence that suggested he was cooperating with a larger criminal organization. That name came up a few times.”

Starlight recalled that red unicorn, who had so mercilessly killed Jackpot, her sinister smile, her heartless indifference to Starlight’s cries. Now she finally had a name for the face. Ruby Heart.
“So, Miss Starlight Glimmer, may I ask what exactly you’re doing involving yourself with high-profile criminals?”

“They came after us, I have no idea what they want with me. But they have my friend.”

“And say we get your friend, you’re turning yourself in? For all the evil, despicable, horrendous acts of murder and malice that beset your name?” he asked, struggling to see why such a monster would give herself up for one pony.

“So you’re helping us?” Starlight asked.

“I’d be a fool not to. Bringing you in would make me famous now, wouldn’t it…”

Starlight sighed, tired of pretending she was a murderous lunatic, knowing fairly well that she was not.

“I’m not what you think I am, okay? I’m being set up.”

“Not my business to clear that up...And I don’t buy that, even with this ‘I care about my friends’ act...You just burned down a house with two ponies inside, you know.”

Starlight glanced at Elodea, neither of them saying anything.

“So that’s it? We work together?”

“I’m only doing this for Dust.” Elodea said, resentful of Starlight trusting this strange intruder.

“That’s good enough of a reason.”

Crestfall finally relaxed his spear, smiling at how well things had turned out for him. The trio of ponies stood together, reluctant allies for the time being.

“I’m trusting you to help us, got it? Otherwise no deal,” Starlight warned, noticing how excited Crestfall was.

“Oh, Starlight Glimmer, I wouldn’t pass up this deal for the world.”

It had been weeks since Chrysalis had first set out for that ancient treasure, the Queen’s Jewel, of which she occasionally doubted the very existence of.

But now she was at the end of her great travels, climbing the last steps to the highest peak of the mountain range. The air was tight and freezing cold. Her breath became more and more strained the farther up she went.

When she was practically at the very top, she saw nothing of significance, and initially she thought that the quest truly was all for nothing, that there was nothing to be found at this final destination.

Then, she felt a familiar cold breeze, and felt the air and space around her widen and constrict. It was dizzying, and when she got a hold of her senses, she turned to see a magnificent doorway, carved into the thick rock of the mountain, strange symbols adorning the sides.

Chrysalis smiled triumphantly, waltzing right through the doorway into the darkness ahead.

After taking a few careful steps forward through the impenetrable darkness, the room she was in came alive, torches stuffed on the walls of a vast, circular stone expanse. On the other end was another exit, leading into another path of unnavigable darkness. In the center, was a small pillar, and on that pillar, was, what Chrysalis could only assume, the great treasure that she had devoted so much time and effort in finding. The Queen’s Jewel.

It was a spectacular green, a bit smaller than her hoof, and resembled a wide-bottomed pyramid on the lower half and a trapezoidal prism on the top. Light reflected through every facet in brilliant shows of spectacle, that softened even the cold heart of Chrysalis.

Chrysalis stared at it in awe, and approached it, fixated by its beauty and splendor. She extended one hoof, slowly, and, just as her flesh was about to touch it, her hoof shot back, in response to some sort of electric-like shock. Chrysalis grunted in pain and looked around for the source of the shock. She tried again to grab the jewel, but once more found herself receiving another painful shock.

“What is this?!”

“Starlight.”

Chrysalis cowered to the floor as soon as the thunderous bodiless voice called out to her. It was the disembodied spirit once more, though this time it sounded more displeased than in its prior encounters.

“The artifact is not yours yet, Starlight.”

“Why not?! I’ve completed all your trials!”

“You have but one more before the artifact is yours...A test of character.”

Chrysalis sighed, exhausted with these relentless tests.

“Go on then, let me face it. I can defeat any trial you give me!”

“This trial is not by my doing...It seems fate has brought you your own trial to face.”

Chrysalis wasn’t sure what that meant, remaining in her steadfast defensive posture. Until, she heard the stamping of hooves ring out from back in the corridor leading to the room.

Chrysalis turned her head slowly, as Twilight Sparkle exited out of the darkness, her mouth agape and her face red with anger at the sight of Chrysalis in her Starlight disguise. Chrysalis’s eye twitched in frustration, which worsened, when an entire entourage of ponies filed out of the darkness behind Twilight, nervously shuffling around the room, trying to encircle Chrysalis. Chrysalis saw not just Twilight’s friends, but Cadance, Shining Armor, and a host of soldiers, all prepared for a fight.

“Very funny. This is an apparition,” Chrysalis said nervously to the voice, though she couldn’t shake the feeling this was all too real, that she really was surrounded by her greatest enemies.

“It’s no joke, sugarcube,” Applejack said, pressing off of the rock wall, ready to pounce.

Twilight was struggling to keep her composure. The conflict over who she was really facing made her anxious. All she truly wanted was for things to be made right again, for her and all her friends to live in peace and harmony. Killing Chrysalis, therefore, made sense to her, to bring about that peace for good. Yet, Twilight knew it was wrong to seek out death, no matter how alluring it seemed. For the sake of her own moral strength, she held off from giving into the aggressive emotions brewing inside her, staring down Chrysalis from just a few yards away. Chrysalis was completely surrounded, and her confidence was beginning to waver.

“How could you have found me?” Chrysalis asked.

Twilight said nothing, she merely glanced over at the darkness behind her, where out stepped Violet, looking especially guilty. Chrysalis said nothing, as if she had already expected this to happen.

‘I should have killed you when I had the chance,’ was what Chrysalis was thinking, and Violet understood it loud and clear.

“Chrysalis. Enough games. You’ve got nowhere to run. You’re coming with us,” Twilight said, firmly.

Chrysalis laughed, eager for her chance to deceive Twilight further and cause her more mental unrest, hoping her charade would distract them all

“Chrysalis? Twilight, Chrysalis is dead. Long dead. I know, because I killed her. She was the first pony on my list after I left you for good...I couldn’t realize how much you were holding me back, really…”

The others were all beginning to fear that maybe it really was Starlight, and they loosened their offensive posture. Even though Starlight was said to be a mass-murdering supervillain, the Starlight they all remembered was nothing of the sort, and none of them quite had the gall to attack her. They still thought of her as their friend, whether that was still true or not.

“And once that artifact is mine, I’ll be unstoppable.” Chrysalis said, her head held high, as if she had already won.

“I’m tired of your lies, Chrysalis. You’ve become far too predictable too, you know," Twilight said, smugly.

Chrysalis's face scrunched with bitterness. She stood her ground, ocassionally moving her head to check on the ponies standing around her. Cadance was to her rear, and Shining Armor to her right. Those two and Twilight Sparkle would be her main obstacles, the rest she believed could be disposed of easily.

"But it’s over now. Give up,” Twilight said, forbodingly.

“Go on then, do it. Kill me. That way I can’t hurt anypony else, right? Here’s your chance,” Chrysalis said, smirking while Twilight fumed in anger, hesitating on what to do. She was 99% sure she was talking to Chrysalis, but still, if she did accidentally kill Starlight, she could never forgive herself.

“Starlight, she’s an alicorn, just-” Violet tried to say, before Chrysalis cut her off.

“You be quiet. I will not forget your treachery, do you understand?” Chrysalis said, enraged at the audacity of this pony, who she spared from death-something she had never done for anypony-to speak to her now as if she was an ally.

“You’re not going to win against them, just give up!” Violet yelled, trying to do Chrysalis a favor.

Chrysalis, surprisingly, ended up unable to contain her anger, firing a blast of magic right towards Violet. Twilight tackled her out of the way, and, in response to Chrysalis’ attack, the other ponies began their approach towards Chrysalis. The soldiers had their spears drawn, Cadance's horn was glowing brightly, and the others were all ready to use their bare hooves. Chrysalis was unimpressed, flinging them all back against the wall with a tremendous 360 degree blast of magic, with the exception of Cadance, who managed to stand her ground.

Twilight grunted as she tried to lift herself up from the ground, having sustained a major injury from pushing Violet out of the way of the blast. Her flesh was burned right off on one side of her body. It stung like hell, as a result of the filthy rocks and dust she landed in. She saw the others sprawled out on the ground, all either unconscious or disoriented from the unexpected power of Chrysalis’ blast. Clearly, the changeling wasn’t holding back. Fluttershy was close beside her on the ground, blood spilling out of her mouth. Twilight reached over and was relieved to find her alive.

Chrysalis was going for the jewel, until she noticed Cadance was still standing behind her. She turned, and fired a ferocious blast of swirling green energy towards the princess, who blocked with a spell of her own. The two were engaged in a duel, their magical beams battling each other for dominance, bursting into a show of fireworks and miniature explosions halfway between them. Chrysalis noticed Cadance begin to waver, and pushed harder, using all the energy she had to win the upper hand. Eventually, the force of her powerful magic became too much for Cadance to handle. The princess' horn gave out, and Chrysalis' magic hit her like an ocean wave, knocking her back to the ground, hard. She was covered in bloody bruises and dirt, and she felt her mind begin to daze.

While the other ponies were still recovering, Chrysalis went for the jewel, though the invisible field still prevented her from reaching it. Every time a pony tried to stand up, she blasted them again, non-fatally. She wanted to conserve her magic, for her next spell, meant to help her force her way through the shock field protecting the jewel.

“Stop her!” Twilight yelled, struggling to regain her strength. Rainbow Dash had recovered the fastest, rushing right towards Chrysalis, trying to shove her away from the jewel. Chrysalis deflected Rainbow to the side, straight into a nearby stalagmite, headfirst. Chrysalis cackled and resumed her attempt at forcing her hoof through the barrier.

Chrysalis grunted in pain as she began pressing her hoof through, concentrating all of her magical energy into clearing a path for her hoof to slip through and grab the jewel. It was near-impossible, though she miraculously found success, pushing the jewel out from the column onto the floor. She dove for it, just as Twilight finally recuperated, standing up at her hooves. Chrysalis held the jewel in her hooves and was surprised by how heavy it was.

Chrysalis was already aware that she wouldn't be able to use the power of the artifact quite yet. If she tried, it would likely be an overwhelming amount of power, especially since her magic was beginning to become depleted from so many grandiose attacks. She stood up and ran towards the second exit, opposite the way she came through, though she was unsure where it led. Applejack had recovered as well, and had cut off Chrysalis before she could make it to the exit. Applejack stood her ground in front of Chrysalis, who seemed to struggle to cast a spell. Applejack realized she was weak, and charged at her, tackling Chrysalis into a nearby column. Chrysalis grunted and kicked Applejack off of her. Applejack this time tried kicking back at Chrysalis, though Chrysalis was faster, avoiding the kick, grabbing Applejack's legs, and swinging her into a wall. While Applejack tumbled to the floor, Chrysalis again headed for the exit, but this time was blocked by Shining Armor, who aught her in a large bubble of magic, raising her up into the air. Chrysalis writhed as the magical bubble zapped her with electric shocks, that made her lose control of her spasming body. Eventually, through the deep-focus on her anger, Chrysalis found enough willpower to cast one more spell, breaking the bubble apart. Chrysalis fell at least five feet down to the ground, landing with a heavy thud. She groaned aas she lifted herself up on shaky legs. Shining Armor fired another spell at her, Chrysalis having to roll sideways on the floor to avoid them. One of the soldiers had ran at her with a spear, yelling as he went to compensate his fear. Chrysalis grabbed the soldier's spear, and whacked him in the head with it. Shining Armor was gritting his teeth, eagerly waiting for another opening to blast Chrysalis, for as long as she was fighting with the soldier, he couldn't get a clear shot. Chrysalis grabbed the soldier's barely conscious body and threw him at Shining Armor, knocking both to the floor. Chrysalis was panting, exhausted and weakened from the fight. Again, she took off to the second exit.

Twilight shook her head back and forth, and rose to her hooves, watching Chrysalis as escaping down the exit. Twilight began breathing heavily, her horn glowing like a cannon ready to blow. She let out all of the anger and pain that had dominated her for months now, firing a mighty blast in Chrysalis’ direction. Chrysalis, however, had dove out of the way right before the blast hit her.

Twilight's blast flew into the opposite wall of the cave, crashing into the foundation of the rock. The whole room began to creak and shake, as cracks developed along the walls and ceilings. Twilight was horrified, realizing that the rock would soon collapse, with all of her friends inside.

Before Chrysalis disappeared, she left Twilight with a devious, victorious smirk. Twilight’s heart sunk in defeat. She knew that if she tried to go after Chrysalis, she wouldn't have time to save everypony else from the impending destruction of the collapsing cave.

“Everypony! Out!” Twilight yelled, picking up anypony who was unconscious with her magic and fleeing back the way they came. The other ponies, who had by now all realized what was happening, followed Twilight out back the way they came. Twilight gave one last look back, and saw that Chrysalis was gone. Cadance was the last to escape the cave, barely making it out without being crushed as the rock cracked into pieces and fell upon each itself.

Twilight crashed to her knees, sullen and at an all-time loss. She had failed, and now Chrysalis had the jewel.

Spirits were low, as the ponies laid on the rocky terrace outside of the now-collapsed cave. Cadance rose to her hooves first, realizing just how much emotional pain Twilight was going through. Twilight had tears flowing down her cheeks, and she wasn’t sure why. She had been sure it was Chrysalis, but the possibility that it really was Starlight, one of her best friends in the entire world, her only pupil, shattered her heart into pieces.

“That’s not Starlight,” said Cadance, breaking the silence. Twilight slowly turned her head away from the ground to Cadance.

“I know that changeling when I see one...You were right, Twilight. I didn’t want to believe it, but you’re right. Chrysalis has returned.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she should be celebrating that, but she found it vastly more pleasurable than believing it was Starlight.

“And if that’s Chrysalis...then the real Starlight is still out there…”

“It’s over now...She has the jewel...She’ll be unstoppable...Just like she said,” said Twilight, hopelessly.

The other ponies all seemed just as bent-out-of-sorts, dreading the possibility that Chrysalis would come to be the most powerful being in Equestria.

“No...It’s not over yet. She’s weak, she’s gotta be...You saw her, she was using all her strength to get that jewel, and fight us off...She couldn’t have gotten far. We’ll find her…”

Twilight seemed disinterested, as if it was already all over.

“But this time...We’ll handle it. You’re not well, Twilight. You haven’t been well this entire trip, and if you stay with us, chasing Chrysalis around Equestria, you’ll just get worse.”

“She’s right,” said Rarity, from a few yards away on the ground. The other ponies all murmured in agreement.

“You’re right….I nearly got you all killed….I lost control...You and Shining Armor can handle it?”

“We’ll get her, Twilight, don’t worry,” Cadance said, supportively.

“If Starlight’s out there somewhere, she’s probably missing you. You should find her, Twilight. Leave Chrysalis to me.”

Twilight smiled and rose to her hooves, bloody and beaten.

“You have to stop her,” said Twilight.

Cadance nodded, solemnly. She had wanted to put an end to that dreadful bug for years now. And now, it finally seemed as though she’d have her chance.

Chapter Twelve: Prison Break

After so many losses, heartaches and struggles, any kind of victory would be a treasure, let alone one of such magnitude. Chrysalis had the Queen’s Jewel stuffed in her satchel, its unexpected heaviness making it difficult for her to balance herself. She tried her best not to focus too much on her excitement while her enemies were still nearby.

Chrysalis was bruised, covered in dirt and dust, and yet, had never felt better in months. She wasn’t quite able to fully comprehend how major this success was, that she now had the means to dominate Equestria with ease. At last, she phased out of her Starlight Glimmer disguise, sighing in relief, her body aching from having to hide her true form for weeks now. She was safe, or at least she thought so, as she leaned up against a rock down one of the steep paths descending from the top of the high mountain peaks. She was still high up, but was confident she had outran Twilight and her pitiful band of ponies. She was out of breath, both from the exhilaration of her victory and the exhaustion of having run down the mountain.

She sauntered down the rocks, nearly slipping a few times on the steep ridge. The sores and bruises she sustained from the battle were beginning to take their tolls, her muscles aching and her head heavy. Luck seemed to be in her favor though, when she came across a small cave leading inside the mountain face. She smirked and staggered inside, collapsing to the ground, weary from scaling down the mountain.

Unable to resist the temptation, she retrieved the jewel from her satchel, examining it in her hooves. She marvelled at it, as it almost seemed to glow brighter than when she had first seen it. Every delicate detail was flawless, it seemed to be so perfectly designed that it could not be of this world at all. Chrysalis found herself unable to tear her eyes away for a while, until she became aware of the effect it had on her. She stuck it back in her satchel, and sighed, content with her triumph. She rested her eyes and drifted off, seeking to regain her strength, dreaming of the ruin she would bring to Equestria.

in the dingy hotel room they were staying at, Lance Crestfall, the newest addition to Starlight’s effort to rescue Dust Bunny, volunteered to sleep in the chair that night, while the two mares each took a bed. Starlight had expected him to leave and return to them in the morning, though he happened to trust them so little, that he refused to even let them out of his sight. He barely slept all night, one hoof on the grip of his spear, waiting for one of them to try and escape or attack him. Yet, while he was worrying about an imminent betrayal, the other two slept relatively soundly, neither of them believing the knight would kill them in their sleep or something along those lines. He seemed quite eager to take Starlight in alive, after all.

In the morning, the trio reconvened, checking the map again and loosely putting together a plan.

“There’s some scaffolding between these two buildings last time I checked, right here,” Crestfall said, pointing at the map, “That’s where the main warehouse is...Probably where they’re keeping your friend.”

“So are we just going to break in? They’ll have look-outs all over the place, won’t they?” Elodea asked.

Crestfall shrugged, glancing up at Starlight, who also had no idea.

“Probably. It’s safe to assume,” Starlight said.

“We’ll be discreet. What I’m worried about is navigating through the building.”

“That’s what you’re worried about? Not the ponies we’re going to have to fight?” Elodea asked.

“Why would I be concerned about that? We’ve got a mass-murderer clearing the way for us,” Crestfall said.

“That Ruby Heart, she’s powerful,” Starlight said, recalling Jackpot’s near death-experience at the docks. She quickly thought of other things, to avoid thinking about Jackpot.

“So what? You’re telling me you can’t handle her? You could sure handle all the innocent ponies you slaughtered, couldn’t y-”

“I’m not the one who did all that! Celestia’s sake, would you give it up?! I just want to get my friend out of there, and that’s it!” Starlight yelled, annoyed with Crestfall’s constant jabs.

“Alright, whatever. There’s a backdoor entrance somewhere near that factory, we can get up to the scaffolding, cross, maybe have to climb through some vents, and we’re in.”

Elodea shook her head.

“That’s your plan? ‘Maybe climb through some vents?’ You watch too many movies,” she said, wondering just how she ended up working with these two of all ponies.

“You got anything better then, smart-ass?”

“Are all three of us going to go straight for Dust?” Elodea asked.

“Once we’re inside, and once we’ve found where she is, one of us will probably have to stand watch. We have to try not to trigger any alarms until after we’ve got Dust. Once we have her, they have nothing on us,” Starlight said.

“And then?” Crestfall asked.

“What do you mean?” Starlight asked.

“Well they’re not just going to let us walk out with her.”

“Sure they will, Starlight will fry ‘em otherwise, right, Starlight?” Elodea asked.

“Hopefully not,” Starlight said.

Elodea frowned, hoping Starlight’s moral restrictions wouldn’t threaten the success of their mission.

“Now, once we’re out of the building, and clear on our way, I’ll take you three to the station...your friend can stay if she needs protection, while you two will be put under arrest.”

Elodea burst into laughter, though Crestfall was dead serious.

“Think again, pretty boy. The agreement was for her, not me.”

“Thanks for the support, Elodea,” Starlight muttered.

“You’re an accomplice,” Crestfall said.

“Well so are you, aren’t you?” Elodea shot back.

Crestfall shook his head, wagging his hoof at her, laughing.

“I don’t think so,” he said, condescendingly.

“You know what? Starlight? I don’t think we need this guy talking to us like-” Elodea began.

“Guys! Stop! Come on...How about we all just ignore whatever we think about each other...and focus on doing this one thing, and then we can settle everything.”

The other two reluctantly agreed, and together the ponies resumed working out their plan.

Twilight Sparkle had given Cadance one last embrace to help with her mental state, before boarding the carriage once more. All of her friends would be heading out of the mountains with her, hoping to revive Twilight of her misery. Two of the soldiers also left to help pull the carriage, and another two were too injured to do much good, leaving Cadance and Shining Armor with just two other soldier ponies, and also the captive Violet.

Cadance watched the carriage disappear around the treacherously steep cliffs and behind rocky ridges, leaving her to lead what remained of the company.

“Let’s go, she couldn’t have gotten far,” Cadance said. She was wearing a few scratches and bruises all over her body, from her near-fatal encounter with Chrysalis.

During their confrontation, Cadance had noticed a faint hint of familiarity, that made it undeniably clear just who she was dealing with. Queen Chrysalis was powerful indeed, and clever enough to deceive the entirety of Equestria, but still, she was not unstoppable. Though, if what Twilight had said about the jewel that Chrysalis now had a hold of was true, then she very well might be.

Shining Armor had taken the minimal amount of supplies they needed from the carriage before it had left, and distributed an equal share of the load to each pony, with the exception of Cadance. He dumped one bag on each of the soldiers’ backs, one on his own, and two on poor Violet, whose knees immediately gave out as soon as the weight of the second bag fell on her. She collapsed to the floor, still weary from all of the physical pain these ponies had been putting her through all day.

“Get up,” Shining Armor said, pitilessly.

“You treat all your prisoners like this?” she spat, struggling to stand up.

“Like you deserve any better. Selling out your own kind, helping her,” he muttered, disgusted.

“I didn’t-”

“I don’t want to hear it, just get moving,” he said, rushing her along to join the others. She grumbled to herself, bitter and exhausted. With an alicorn nearby, escape seemed impossible.

The ponies maintained a steady silence as they persevered through the narrow paths that slithered down and around the mountains. Cadance, who was in the front of the pack, was constantly scoping the surrounding area for any clues that would signify if Chrysalis had passed through.

Cadance considered Chrysalis to be the complete antithesis to everything she stood for. While Cadance was devoted to love, Chrysalis devoured love. Her heart was twisted with evil, and Cadance saw no redemption for her in any sense of the word. She had never known Starlight Glimmer well, and therefore didn’t struggle as much to accept it was Starlight behind all of the death and destruction that had defiled Equestria. But now that she knew it was Chrysalis for sure, everything began to make sure. Who else but Chrysalis would play with a pony’s emotions the way she did with Twilight? As Cadance saw it, Chrysalis had proved time and time again that she is not only perhaps Equestria’s greatest enemy, but entirely contradictory to the ideals that Cadance herself lived by. It felt personal as well, for all of the heartache Chrysalis caused Cadance, the pain of which still lingered in her mind even then.

At last, in a small, leafless forest growing around the path, Cadance noticed something peculiar on the path, and went to take a closer look.

“Look at this,” she said to the others. All four began to approach her, until she raised a hoof.

“You, stay and watch her,” Cadance commanded to one of the soldiers, Foxtrot. Disgruntled, he hung back from getting to see whatever the new development was. Shining Armor and the other soldier, Hardball, continued up and stood alongside Cadance, all of them peering down at the dirt. A light rain had begun a few moments before, and soon the dirt would turn to mud. But before that could happen, they could all make out what appeared to be several hoofprints, heading down the same path they were travelling on. Cadance saw where the tracks originated from, somewhere off the path, above the ridge and jutting rocks.

“Could it be her?” Hardball asked.

“Who else could it be…” Cadance muttered.

“Well, then she can’t be far…” Shining Armor added.

“The dirt ends just ahead, so do the prints,” Hardball said, after taking a look up ahead. The path would soon be replaced by hard stone, the hoofprints cutting off at the edge of the dirt portion of the path.

“She probably stuck to the path….and if we’re lucky, she probably stopped to rest. She was injured, last time I saw her,” Cadance said.

“She had to be, we were putting her through the ringer,” Shining Armor said, cockily.

“So what, we’re just going to rush her? That didn’t work out last time,” said Hardball.

“How else are we going to do it? She’s wounded, and there’s four of us, ignoring her,” Shining Armor said, nodding back at Violet, “We can handle Chrysalis.”

“We’ve got to have a better plan, because we definitely couldn’t handle her last time,” Hardball said.

“Frankly, I think we should cut our losses and head back,” Foxtrot said from a few yards back. Violet was resting her legs on the ground, listening in.

“She’s got that thing now, right? How the hell are we gonna deal with that?” he continued, referring to the jewel.

“She won’t be able to use it yet, she couldn't possibly contain its power by herself. That’s what Twilight told me,” Cadance said.

Foxtrot shook his head, still wary over going through with this.

“Once we have her, we’ll get that jewel away from her, and bring her back to Canterlot, and we’ll be done with this,” Cadance said, determined to see that plan through.

She began walking off, Shining Armor shrugging to the others as he followed after her.

Foxtrot dragged Violet up to her hooves and forced her along. Her head was hung low and her eyes were droopy. She was tired, for one thing, but aside from that, she was ridden with guilt. She wasn’t usually one for loyalty or kindness, but outright betraying Starlight like that made her doubt herself. And, considering the way the alleged ‘good guys’ were treating her, she wasn’t sure whether either side really had any kind of moral superiority to the other.

While Cadance was climbing over rocks in the mountains, Twilight Sparkle was in her carriage, trying to force herself to fall asleep, so that she could escape her dreadful thoughts. Fluttershy and Rarity were inside with her, both exhausted from the tumultuous journey and sour with their defeat at Chrysalis’ hooves. Twilight feared she had made the wrong choice in leaving Chrysalis to Cadance, that Equestria was doomed if she didn’t go back and help.

“I should’ve stayed,” Twilight said out loud, regretfully.

Able to read the pain on Twilight’s face, the other two ponies shared a look of concern before giving their reply.

“You were right to go, Twilight,” said Fluttershy.

“Absolutely,” Rarity added, emphatically.

Twilight seemed unconvinced.

“I let you all down...she got away…”

“Twilight, don’t worry about that. Cadance’s got it. Just wait until we find Starlight, you’ll feel better,” said Fluttershy, trying her best to comfort Twilight.

Twilight sighed, trying to be optimistic, but struggling to see any sort of happy ending. Not as long as Chrysalis was out there with the most powerful object in Equestria.

“I hope you’re right,” Twilight said, glad she still had her friends to keep her from losing her mind.

In downtown Vanhoover, Crestfall, Elodea, and Starlight were approaching the dreaded Forty-Fifth Street. The other two tried their best to shield Starlight as they went. All it would take was one pony to spot her, and their plan would be thrown out the window.

Crestfall had his spear hidden in a large duffel bag, which contained some other supplies they thought they might need. Elodea couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. They were putting a little too much trust in Crestfall for her taste, though since Starlight had taken the lead of their little trio, she decided to cautiously go along with it.

“Could you walk any slower?” Elodea snapped at Crestfall ahead of her.

“I’m trying to be inconspicuous,” Crestfall said, sighing in annoyance.

“Quit it, you two. That’s the street, right?” Starlight said.

“Forty-Fifth, that’s it,” Crestfall confirmed.

Starlight quickly understood what Crestfall had meant when he called the street in question a ‘miserable’ place. Thick, grey and black buildings, standing over roads littered with potholes filled with grey water and stray garbage. The place smelled more like a city than anywhere Starlight had ever been.

“This way,” Crestfall muttered, leading the trio around a corner down into an alley. Elodea was visibly on edge, constantly checking her shoulder to see if they were being followed or watched.

Inside the dark alley, the ponies gathered beneath a wallbound lamp, Crestfall going over the map once more with them.

“Up there, see? Scaffolding. Still there,” he said, trying to prove himself as reliable to the others, particularly Elodea, who clearly still distrusted him.

“How do we get up?” Starlight asked.

“Well I can get up,” Crestfall said, spreading his wings, “You two can take the fire escape ladder. That, or I can carry you,” he offered, with a fake polite grin.

“I’ll take the fire escape, thanks,” Elodea said, disgusted with the idea. Starlight had already begun climbing up the ladder.

“Suit yourself,” Crestfall said, before taking off up towards the scaffolding, which connected the two buildings together at about the two-story mark.

Starlight and Elodea climbed up the ladder, both making it up to the scaffolding bridge after a few minutes. Crestfall was at the other end of the scaffolding, having already found an air vent in the wall large enough for a pony to fit through.

“Now what?” asked Elodea, from the other end of the bridge.

“Come over here, is what. That’s our entrance,” he said, pointing at the vent.

Elodea sighed, realizing she might be a little scared of heights.

“Go on, Elodea,” Starlight said, beginning to get tired of hanging onto the ladder.

Elodea took a deep breath and began crawling across the flimsy wood sitting atop the metals bars of the scaffolding. Her breath drew short, and she began to perspire, avoiding the undesirable temptation to look down.

“There you go, come on,” Crestfall said, exaggeratedly pitifully.

“Shut up!” Elodea barked, hurrying up across the bridge to where Crestfall was. Starlight was next, and took a substantially less amount of time to cross.

“See, not so hard.” Starlight said.

“Whatever,” Elodea muttered.

Crestfall, who had already pried open the vent with his spear, motioned for one of them to go first.

“Ladies first.”

Starlight rolled her eyes and took the lead, climbing inside the tight-fitting air vent. After a bit of struggling, she made it all the way through, dragging herself forward until she had to round a corner.

Elodea followed, and then Crestfall, both also struggling to get themselves through. Crestfall dragged in his duffel bag behind him.

“Starlight, where do we go?!” Elodea said, grunting in discomfort as she writhed inside the tight vent.

“I only see one way…” Starlight said, beginning to push herself forward, deeper through the vent tunnel.

Crestfall made a mistake when he thought Elodea would start moving forward, and ended up getting a hoof directly to the face.

“Ow!”

“Oh, sorry…” Elodea said, though she clearly hardly meant it, and might have even done it intentionally.

The trio slithered through the vent, none of them entirely sure where they were going.

“Now Lance, say we come across this Ruby Heart pony…” Starlight began.

“It’s possible.”

“She’s a highly sought-after target too, right?” Starlight asked.

“Don’t think you can trade her for you, Starlight Glimmer.”

“No, no, we made a deal, I’ll stick to that deal. But say we come across her...you’re going to have to arrest her, right?”

Crestfall paused, not having thought of that. Having found Starlight was enough of a responsibility already.

“She sounds like more of a match for you than me,” he said, grunting as he pushed himself along through the vent.

“Well... if Dust never has to worry about her again, I’d be a lot happier,” Starlight said.

Crestfall was more concerned about Starlight than anypony else, but couldn’t deny that capturing Ruby Heart would make for a worthy reward too.

“Wait! Stop…” Starlight muttered, having come across a vent in the floor of the shaft that led down into a room below. She pressed her eyes close against it, trying to get a good look at what lay beneath.

“What is it?” Crestfall asked from behind.

“A room...should we get out?” Starlight asked.

“Why now?” Elodea asked.

“Hold on a minute, in case you’ve forgotten-” Crestfall began, before he heard Starlight remove the vent covering with her magic.

“Oh sure, just ignore what I have to say,” Crestfall said, bitterly.

“That’s what I’ve been doing,” Starlight said, smiling, while she gently placed the vent covering down on the floor of the tunnel.

“Starlight, are you sure?” Elodea asked.

“I don’t want to get caught in this tunnel, it’s too tight. We’re defenseless. The sooner we’re out the better.”

Elodea realized she was right, and waited for Starlight to finish climbing out of the vent.

The room below was filled with random cleaning equipment, seemingly a sort of storage closet. Starlight landed on the tile floor, hard, and immediately went on the defensive, checking every corner of the room for threats. Thankfully, it seemed deserted.

“It’s clear!” Starlight whispered, as loudly as she could, up to the others.

The drop from the vent to the ground below was about four yards, and came across as quite intimidating from up above.

“Just jump, Elodea, I’ll catch you!” Starlight said.

Elodea continued hesitating, until she noticed Crestfall impatient, judgemental stare. She scowled and practically threw herself down the vent, Starlight receiving her in a pillow of magic, dropping her lightly on the floor below.

“Thanks,” Elodea said.

“Lance, come on down,” Starlight said, turning her back to the vent and approaching the door. She lightly felt the doorknob, and found it was unlocked. She turned around to tell the others the good news, just as Crestfall came crashing down to the floor. He must’ve slipped after jumping out the vent, landing practically right on his face. He fell over on his stomach, his mouth ajar and his eyes shut.

“What the hell?!” Starlight said, rushing over to his motionless body.

“You’ve got to be joking…” Elodea said, staring down at Crestfall.

“Is he dead?!” Starlight asked, shocked.

“No, he’s not dead,” Elodea said, after bending down to check his pulse, “He’s out cold.”

Elodea stared at him, dismayed, before slapping him across the face a few times.

“Hey! Idiot! Wake up!”

Despite Elodea’s vicious slaps, Crestfall was completely unresponsive. She sighed and stood up, while Starlight was stuck in disbelief.

“He tripped and fell, the moron,” Elodea said, trying not to laugh.

“He’s a pegasus!”

“A stupid, clumsy pegasus, apparently.”

“What do we do?” Starlight asked, disappointed with the plan already starting to fall apart.

“We don’t have time to just sit here waiting for him to wake up…” Elodea said.

“Well...let’s at least try and hide him...Damn it!” Starlight muttered, fed up with things constantly going wrong.

Starlight and Elodea dragged Crestfall’s unconscious body to the corner of the room, dumping some nearby boxes of equipment on top of him. They backed away, content with their hiding job.

“Great time to take a rest break, asshole, as soon as we get here,” she said to the unconscious Crestfall. She turned back to Starlight, who was struggling to come up with an emergency contingency plan now that they were down one pony. Elodea meanwhile, was eager to take advantage of their time alone together without Crestfall vigilantly hovering around them.

“Don’t tell me you’re really turning yourself in, Starlight,” Elodea said.

“...I don’t care what happens to me. All I want is for my friends to be safe.”

Elodea said nothing, strangely admiring Starlight’s dedication to Dust.

Starlight began creeping towards the door, wondering what she would find on the other side.

“Here on out, we need to be extra careful,”

“If only you could’ve told that to sleeping beauty over there, before he went lights out,” Elodea said.

Starlight grabbed a hold of the doorknob and twisted it, careful to make as little sound as possible as she pushed it open.

She glanced out the door, and saw it led to some sort of hallway, a dreary shade of grey, lit by dull fluorescent. Better yet, the place appeared to be empty.

“We’re good?” Elodea whispered.

“So far.”

Starlight snuck out the door, Elodea trailing close behind. They darted across to the wall opposite of the door, Starlight’s horn at the ready.

“This way,” Starlight said, though she had no idea where she was going. This place couldn’t be that big, so it would only be a matter of time before they found Dust.

Starlight kept sneaking along the wall, until they made it to a corner.

Starlight popped her head slowly out from around the corner, and then quickly came back, after hearing approaching voices.

“Stand back,” Starlight muttered. Elodea slowly pulled out her knife, preparing herself for a confrontation.

Starlight and Elodea remained at the ready as the voices grew louder, until they were about to round the corner.

There were three ponies in total, two of which immediately caught a blast each to the face from Starlight. Both fell to the floor in a heap, unconscious, Elodea dragging both bodies back to the storage closet they came from, while Starlight held the remaining pony at hornpoint. It was a mare, dark brown in color, wearing a lab jacket. She seemed absolutely terrified of the enraged unicorn standing in front of her.

“You know who I am?” Starlight asked.

The mare said nothing, nervously backing up one hoof at a time.

“Oh no, don’t go anywhere. Take another step, you’re dead,” Starlight threatened, though she had no real intention of killing her.

“You know me, right?” Starlight asked a second time.

“Y-yes,” the mare responded, struggling to make eye contact, as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

“Then you know why I’m here?”

The mare said nothing, too afraid to speak.

“My friend, she’s here!?”

“I-I…” the mare began, though seemed to have little to say.

Elodea had returned, having broken out into a sweat after carrying the other two ponies’ bodies all the way back to the closet, and hiding them not too far from Crestfall, who she had seen was still uselessly unconscious.

“What’s wrong? She won’t talk?”

Starlight said nothing, trying to maintain her hard exterior to frighten the mare into complying. Elodea, however, was in no mood to wait around for security to pounce on them. She marched right up to the pony and tackled her to the floor, her knife dangerously close to the mare’s neck.

“Wait!” the mare screeched.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Starlight checked to make sure nopony was nearby to hear all of this, while Elodea gritted her teeth, teasing the mare with the knife at her neck.

“Where’s my friend? You’ve got five seconds. We don’t care what happens to you,” Elodea said, her voice so cold that the mare could tell she meant it.

The mare hesitated, eyes wide with terror. Elodea, however, was unflinching. Starlight considered intervening, not exactly approving of Elodea’s harsh approach, but withheld herself. Time was of the essence, after all. The mare glanced at Starlight, believing her to be the more morally available one of the two. Her eyes were begging for help, and though Starlight was having a tough time letting this go on, she couldn’t forget what these ponies had done to Jackpot.

“Three...two…”

“Stop! She’s-she’s down that hall, to the right...then on the second door on the left!” the mare said, careful not to be too loud. However, Elodea didn’t remove the knife, instead, she raised the knife up, intending to bring it down right through the mare’s head. But before she could, Starlight blasted the knife out of Elodea’s hooves and then blasted the mare unconscious. Elodea stood up, shocked by Starlight’s intervention.

“Why did you do that?!” she asked, angrily.

“We’re not killing anypony unless we have to, remember?” Starlight said.

“These ponies killed your friend, and they-they kidnapped Dust!”

“You can’t just go around murdering them! Then we’re no better than them!” Starlight said, angrily. Elodea sighed, fearing Starlight's avoidance of the extreme would ruin their chances of success.

“Whatever she told us was probably a trap, you know. You really want to get caught in a trap?”

“Well, of course we’re going to walk into a trap.”

“And you’re not concerned about that?”

“What have I got to lose?” Starlight asked, smirking.

Starlight rounded the corner, Elodea following her, not even bothering to hide the mare’s body the same way they had with the others.

They followed the pony’s instructions, heading down the hall, then to the right. They saw the door in question, insignificant among a row of near-identical doors in the dimly-lit empty hallway.

“Uh, you first…” Elodea said, nervously.

“Stay close to me, and don’t try killing anypony, unless you absolutely have to.”
Elodea nodded, still nervous about what they would find behind that door.
Starlight took one last deep breath, before slamming open the door.

“Oh, you’ve finally showed up.”

Starlight and Elodea were standing side by side, horn glowing and knife pointed outwards, both expecting immediate retaliation. Neither were expecting a crowd as large as what awaited them inside. At least thirty ponies, all grizzly and sour-looking, were glaring at them as soon as they entered. They were packed along the sides of the room, and directly in front of them, in the opposite corner of the room, was none other than Dust Bunny, blindfolded, tied down to a chair, and covered in bruises.

“Dust!” Elodea yelled, relieved to see her alive.

Dust lifted her head, shocked and confused.

“El?! Is that you?”

“Yes!”

“Dust...Are you okay?” Starlight asked, nervously eyeing down the crowd of ruffians while she had their conversation.

“Starlight! Oh, thank Celestia, Starlight, you’ve got to get me out of h-”

“Enough,” said the voice who had initially welcomed them. Starlight had been so distracted by getting to see Dust alive again, that she had forgotten that familiar, loathsome voice.

Out from the crowd, right behind a confused Dust Bunny, stepped out the red unicorn, her delightfully malicious eyes dashing back and forth between Starlight and Elodea.

“Let my friend go. Now.” Starlight said, firmly. Dust gulped, nervous over how she would get out of this. She couldn’t see anything with the blindfold on, lost in a sea of darkness and voices.

“Starlight Glimmer...I’ve been waiting for you to come here, I knew it would be just a matter of time. It really is just you that I care about, Starlight...your little maid friend here is more or less...insurance.” the red unicorn said, sending shivers down Dust’s spine at how expendable the unicorn made her sound.

“This could have been so simple, so painless...if you just came quietly...but instead you had to get smart, and try and run, and look at how things have turned out for you...all the pain, and suffering, and death you’ve caused...Starlight Glimmer, you can’t run this time. I’m afraid you’ve reached a dead end.”

“Alright, bigshot, I think we’ve both had enough of you, and your dumb little rehearsed speech. Hand her over, right now,” Elodea said, trying to put on a brave face in front of intimidating odds.

“Gladly. It’s like I said. I hardly care about her, or you, Miss Elodea,” the red unicorn said, leaving Elodea confused over how the pony knew her name.

“All we’ve wanted, all this time, is you, Starlight. We want you to join us, you see.”

Starlight scoffed at the very suggestion.

“I don’t know who you are, or who you think you are! You’re a pack of murdering thugs! I want nothing to do with you! Just give me my friend back!”

“This must be about your other, deceased friend, isn’t it...pity he couldn’t have lived but...we had to show you we’re serious...serious like when I tell you that right now, I am giving you an ultimatum...your friend’s life, for your willing surrender. I don’t want to fight you, Starlight. Not because I’m afraid I’ll lose, but because it would be such a waste of time. So I’m making it easy for you. You’re a reasonable pony, Starlight, and I know you came here just to save your friend. You give yourself up to me, right here, right now...and I let her go, and Miss Elodea there too. Both free to do as they please.”

Elodea knew they couldn’t do that, but under the circumstances, there seemed to be few choices. As much as she’d hate to see Starlight apprehended by these psychopaths, she’d prefer that a thousand times to leaving Dust here instead. They couldn’t possibly fight all these ponies, after all.

Starlight held off from panicking under the pressure, considering her options.

“How am I supposed to trust that you’ll hold to your word?”

“Am I not trustworthy enough?”

“No, not really. Not at all,” Starlight said, dully.

“I promise you they’ll both be allowed to leave here, unharmed. As long as you surrender, completely.”
Elodea said nothing, deciding this was Starlight’s decision and hers alone.

“Starlight, don’t do it…” Dust said, knowing she’d feel guilty if Starlight went through with it. “I’m not worth it, Starlight.”

Starlight sighed, seeing no other option. She could risk fighting the pony, but given how outnumbered they were, it would likely only lead to another of her friends dying unnecessarily.

“Fine,” Starlight said, bitterly.

Elodea seemed just as shocked by the decision as Dust was.

“Starlight...Are you s-” Elodea was going to ask, though the red unicorn cut her off.

“Fantastic….Come on over here then,” the red unicorn said.

Starlight hesitantly approached the red unicorn, and was immediately caught off guard by several of the ponies in the crowd, who stepped out and grabbed a hold of her.

Starlight needed little more to warn her that the red unicorn was playing her for a fool, that the deal was a complete farce and that Dust would likely be killed regardless of what she did. Starlight, eyes flashing with rage, produced a large ring of magical energy, that knocked everypony in the room down to the floor. She rushed for Dust, who was squirming in her chair, confused over what was happening. The red unicorn, however, was quick in her recovery, jumping up to her hooves and blasting Starlight right in the chest before she could make it to the chair-bound Dust, sending her flying back into a wall.

One of the ponies went for Elodea, who stuck a knife up into his neck as she stood up. She stood her ground near the door, slashing at any of the ponies that attempted to get near her. Dust was within her sights, and nothing was going to stop her from getting to her.

Starlight shook her head to shake off the dust and debris that had fallen atop her after her collision with the wall. That unicorn was certainly more powerful than she had expected. Starlight fired back at her, manifesting her burning desire for revenge into her spell. The red unicorn tried to dodge it, but was hit nonetheless, spinning her in the air and sending her crashing into the floor. When she rose back to her hooves, she had blood dripping from her mouth, and a few burn marks along one side of her body. While the red unicorn struggled to get back on her hooves, several of the other ponies came at Starlight, and each one fell within a matter of moments.

“Starlight, Starlight, enough…” the red unicorn said, after Starlight had finished off another pony. She had managed to avoid killing anypony, to her relief. But now, she found herself staring down the red unicorn, who had a ring of magical aura around Dust’s neck. Dust wasn’t completely sure what was happening, due to her being blindfolded, but knew she was in trouble.

“St-Starlight?”

“Hold on, Dust,” Starlight said, her voice wavering.

“Now we’ve had our fun, Starlight. But I’m not playing games anymore. On your knees, now. Or she dies.”

Starlight hesitated, as one would naturally do in such a situation. She looked over at Elodea, who was still standing, though had taken several hard hits all over her body. She was out of breath too, from having to fight off seemingly endless waves of ponies.

Starlight sighed bitterly, knowing if she made any other move than what the red unicorn had asked of her, she’d have to bear the weight of another friend’s death.

Out of options, she fell to her knees.

Elodea felt her heart sink the moment Starlight crashed to the floor. Without the Starlight's magic, her chances of escaping this place were small.

They ponies that were still alive and able surrounded Starlight, sticking a new metal ring around her horn, locking her in tight chains, and dragging her towards the red unicorn, after being smacked around a few times for resisting.

“You’re mine now, Starlight Glimmer.”

Starlight grimaced, finding herself once again unable to use her magic, and completely at the mercy of the pony who was beginning to top even Queen Chrysalis as her most despised enemy. Elodea was still hopeful that the red unicorn would honor the original agreement, waiting for Dust to be released, and yet, none of the ponies showed any signs of going through with that.

“Hey, you said-”

Before Elodea could finish her sentence, she found herself hovering in the air in a large cloud of red magic, unable to move any of her limbs. Starlight turned her head and saw what the red unicorn was doing, and was shocked.

“I surrendered! Now let them go!”

“Unfortunately, I think I might have to hold onto them for a little while...make sure you don’t try any tricks,” the red unicorn said, grinning.

“You broke the deal!”

“I changed the deal. Which I might not have done, had you not tried to fight back. And you, Starlight, are in no position to argue with me...Take her away,” the red unicorn commanded.

Starlight resorted to flailing kicks and relentless struggling as the ponies dragged her out of the room. Elodea, still hovering in the air, was terrified, as without Starlight, she was completely helpless against the red unicorn.

“And these two, take them to a cell down below…” the unicorn ordered, dropping Elodea to the ground, and walking out the door, carefree and victorious. Before Elodea could recuperate from the hard fall, she was surrounded by ponies, picking her up and beating her down into submission.

“Let go of me! You worthless beasts! Let go!” Elodea yelled, occasionally managing to fend them off for a few moments, but she was far too outnumbered to stop them for long. Eventually they had a hold of her, draping her in chains, kicking her in the gut until she stopped fighting back.

While the ponies began picking her up and dragging her out, she saw one of them pick up her knife from the floor, examine it, and stick it in his satchel. Elodea couldn’t believe what was happening, as she was dragged across the filthy floor, beaten to a pulp.

Chrysalis woke up from her nap, which had lasted a few hours, after picking up the distant sound of voices. At first she thought it was just her imagination, though the longer she listened, the more real it became.

They had found her.

Springing to her hooves, she made sure she still had the jewel, and then threw the satchel back to the cave floor.

She phased back into her Starlight Glimmer disguise, and decided to wait behind the wall of the cave. She was too injured and tired to try and outrun them. She’d have to fight them, and the best way to do that would be to get the jump on them. Her eyes narrowed with anger. Not when she was so close to victory, would she let it be snubbed by these pests.

Cadance wasn’t sure what it was, but she could sense something was off. The others were confused, every time she stopped and started looking around for Chrysalis hiding behind some rocks or something. It began to get tedious, to the point when an argument was about the spill.

“We’ve been going all day, Princess,” said Foxtrot.

“Suck it up,” muttered Hardball, who had been forced to listen to his partner’s whining for the entirety of the trip.

Cadance stopped once more, though this time she was certain they were in danger. Shining Armor, who was right behind her, noticed her distressed demeanor.

“What is it?” he asked, slightly skeptical of its significance but going along with it anyway.

“She’s close…”

The soldiers glanced at each other, both reaching for their weapons tucked in their bags.

“How close?”

Right after Shining Armor asked, a pink unicorn jumped out from ahead on the trail, her face twisted with anger. Cadance, who had been constantly expecting an attack for the past thirty minutes, was well-prepared, grabbing Shining Armor and pulling him out of the way, just as a fiery blast of magic sprang from Chrysalis’ horn. It zoomed past where Cadance had been standing, heading instead for the two soldiers, who were barely able to comprehend what was happening. Hardball, and Violet behind him, had successfully managed to dodge the blast, throwing themselves to the gravelly ground nearby. Foxtrot however, wasn’t as quick-witted, receiving the blast head on, burnt to a crisp in an instant. He remained standing in place for a few moments, before toppling off of the cliff. Hardball looked up in horror and reached for his spear once more, while Cadance and Shining Armor stood in front of him.

“You certainly just can’t get enough of me, can yo-” Chrysalis began, when Cadance interrupted her with an aggressive blast of magic of her own. Chrysalis blocked it, though was clearly weaker than she was earlier that day. Shining Armor joined the effort, doubling the pressure put up against Chrysalis.

Chrysalis’ rage gave her strength, though it could only last so long, as she felt herself lose traction against her enemies. Their combined energy was just too much for her to handle, especially in her weakened state.

Cadance saw this, and, realizing this was their chance, tripled her effort, putting absolutely everything she had into taking this despicable long-time enemy of hers down. Behind this chaotic battle of magic, Hardball and Violet stood, watching in awe, unsure who would come out on top.

The answer was given, when Chrysalis finally lost her strength, taking the full heat of Cadance and Shining Armor’s blasts, knocking her back into a nearby wall of rock. The impact was so strong that she left a dent, half-alive as she fell to the ground, face-first.

“Hardball, find the jewel,” Shining Armor ordered, while he and Cadance caught their breath.

“Magic restrictor?” Cadance demanded, wasting no time to celebrate their victory.

Shining Armor reached in his satchel and handed her a shiny golden ring. Cadance rushed over to Chrysalis, and picked her up by the head. As she did, Chrysalis’ changeling disguise flickered on and off, until it finally disappeared, revealing the changeling queen that was hiding beneath. Cadance stuck the ring on Chrysalis’ horn, and backed away, shocked by their success. She seemed to be completely unconscious, for now.

Hardball returned from around the corner where Chrysalis had come, and revealed a tattered satchel, in which he showed the miraculous green jewel inside. Cadence received it with caution, mesmerized by its beauty just as Chrysalis had been.

“This will be locked in the deepest vault in Canterlot we can find…” she said, in awe of the jewel’s beauty. Shining Armor took it from her and dumped the jewel in his own bag. Hardball had already begun chaining up Chrysalis, nervous about her suddenly awakening and murdering him just as she had to poor Foxtrot.

“Where’s Foxtrot?” Shining Armor asked, realizing they were one pony short.

“He took a tumble down the cliff,” Violet said, irreverently.

Shining Armor glared at her before hanging his head in grief.

Violet was slightly shocked by the revelation that the pony she knew as Starlight Glimmer really wasn’t Starlight Glimmer, rather a changeling. Without a doubt, this changes her state of mind regarding her previous betrayal.

Cadance smiled to herself, as Shining Armor and Hardball helped each other carry Chrysalis over to the others. They had the jewel, and for now, Equestria was safe from its greatest menace of late, Queen Chrysalis.

When Starlight awoke after having been knocked unconscious for an unknown period of time, she found herself strapped down to a chair, her horn still locked up. She struggled against the chains around her ankles and the leather straps around her chest. In front of her was the red unicorn, sitting in a chair facing her. Her face was half hidden by shadow, but what she could see, she hated. This pony, Starlight had figured, was really the one responsible for all of this. Driving her from her home, forcing her to risk her own life, her friends’ lives...and of course, murdering Jackpot.

“Starlight, it’s come as a shock to me that we’ve never been formally introduced.”

Starlight said nothing, protesting as much as she could.

“I’m Ruby Heart...and I already know you, very well...Months ago, it became my job to find you, in fact. This required my utmost dedication, to learn everything I could about you. Who your friends were, your past incidents, what movies you like...everything from the crucial to the very benign. Essentially, you became my obsession. Not by my own choice. My employer-that is, a pony who you have somewhat of a minor history with-made you into the ultimate target. Whoever could find you, and bring you back in alive, would gain fortune and favor of an untold quantity in our organization. That weasel Counterfeit was more or less a stepping stone to getting close to you. You’re powerful, so I hear. Truthfully, your resume doesn’t quite impress me, but it’s not me you need to impress.”

“I’m not going to do anything for you, or your employer, or anypony, until my friends are released. You gave me your word.”

“What do you think my priorities are, Starlight Glimmer? To live an honorable and just life? Oh, how little is there to gain from that? I should ask you directly, since you got one of your friends killed already. Keep up that attitude, Starlight, let’s see how many friends I have to kill before you understand.”

Starlight sighed, extremely unhappy with her current predicament.

“I admire you, Starlight, despite how exaggerated your reputation is. You just...don’t give up...I respect a pony who doesn’t give up. My own philosophy is one where the strongest survive, and to do so, one must never give up. Perhaps that’s what makes you so valuable to so many ponies...Your strength is an asset. That’s what you are, an asset. And hopefully, you will learn to cooperate with us, because the longer you resist, the worse your life will become.”

Starlight shook her head, vehemently against ever consciously siding with these ponies.

“You murdered a pony who meant everything to me...You beat him, like a dog in the street...like you didn’t even care that it was a living, breathing, thinking thing you were killing. Like he was an object that you had to destroy, just to make me more vulnerable...You’re sick, for what you did. It’s unforgivable. You think you’ve got me here at your mercy? You’re wrong. This isn’t going to last. I’m going to get out of here eventually. It may take months, or years...but I’ll make you a promise, a real promise, that unlike you, I will abideto...you’re going to pay for what you did. You can kill Dust and Elodea, I still won’t give in. I don’t know much about you, but I do know that you’re a liar. Any promise you make me, you won’t keep. So I won’t agree to it. What happens after you kill them? You’ll torture me? Go ahead and try. You don’t deserve my help. Plain and simple. What you all deserve, is to rot in jail for the rest of your lives. And if that’s too good for you, six feet under the ground would suit you even better.”

For the first time, Ruby Heart’s sinister, carefree demeanor had dropped. She seemed perturbed, dissatisfied with Starlight’s unbreakable defiance. She rose from her seat, shrugging.

“‘What happens after you kill them’...” Ruby Heart said, quietly, but loud enough for Starlight to hear.

“Why don’t we find out?”

Elodea was dragged through the maze-like hallways by her hooves, six ponies all helping to pull her along as she fought the whole time.

“Rats! Let go of me!”

They took her down a staircase into the first story of the complex, not bothering to spare her from the pain of her head slamming against each stair as they went down. By the time they reached the bottom, she thought she might’ve received brain damage. She stopped protesting, her mind too boggy to put a sentence together.

They dragged her down yet another long, dimly lit hallway, until they stopped in front of a door. Elodea slowly tilted her head to see one of them jangle some keys inside the door to unlock it, swinging it open, for the other ponies to toss her inside. She landed hard on the ground, sliding a few inches forward. She lifted her head, radiating anger, as they slammed the door close.

She was in some sort of prison cell, where there was absolutely no source of light. She couldn’t even make out how large the room was, nor could she seen her own hoof in front of her face.

“Who-Who’s there?”

Elodea hadn’t realized she wasn’t alone, and jumped in fright, until she realized whose voice it was.

“Dust! It’s me!”

“El?! You’re alright?”

They found each other in the dark and embraced, tightly, providing each other with warmth in such a cold dark place.

“Where’s Starlight? Is she with you?”

“We got separated…”

“Is there a way out of here?”

“The door’s locked, and I can’t make anything else out…Dust, are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

“They…” she paused to sniffle, “They roughed me up a bit, but nothing too bad...I’m ok, really...You came back?”

“Of course I came back, kid, I couldn’t leave you, could I? Now we got to find a way out of here, ok?”

“Ok…” Dust said, nervously feeling her way around the prison cell. Her dress was covered in grey dust from crawling around the filthy floor of the prison, which was rough and freezing cold.

Elodea vaguely remembered which direction the door to the cell was, crawling her way towards it.

She paused as she got closer to the door, when she heard the distinct sound of ponies grunting and crashing into things.

“Dust, get over here..”

Dust crawled over towards where Elodea was, and heard the same strange noises.

Both of them jumped back, when the doorknob began violently shaking.

“Dust, stay behind me,”

The doorknob continued to shake, until a distinct “click” noise could be heard.

The door to the prison cell creaked open, revealing Crestfall, half of his face covered in blood. It took Elodea a second to recognize him, her eyes struggling to adjust to the light after being immersed in complete darkness.

“Never thought I’d be glad to see your face,” she said.

“The feeling is mutual.”

He reached down to help her up, and then Dust, who was noticeably nervous with this bloody stranger.

“You must be the friend,” he said.

Dust glanced at Elodea, unsure what to think of this unfamiliar pegasus covered in other ponies' blood.

“He’s on our side...I think,” Elodea said.

“I woke up in a storage closet with two other random ponies, I figured I must’ve been incapacitated in the heat of battle,” he said, half-jokingly. He really had no memory of how he ended up there.

“I’ll let you keep thinking that, for getting us out of there,” Elodea said, smirking.

“I found you two, but I don’t know where Starlight is.”

“They’ve got her…”

“Oh, great then. Nice going. So what’s left of our deal?”

“Let’s worry about that once we're long gone from here, why don’t we?” Elodea suggested.

“What deal? Who is this guy?” Dust asked, not in the loop. She was still a little dazed and weary from the harsh treatment she had endured for the past day and a half.

“What, you want to leave her behind?” Crestfall asked.

“We can’t fight them all…” Elodea said.

Crestfall glanced down at the six ponies he had managed to take care of, strewn on the ground around them.

“We can’t?”

“That unicorn’s a different story...we’ve got to go while we can,” Elodea said.

“El, we can’t leave Starlight,” Dust said, distraught.

“There isn't time! We have to get out of here!”

“There he is!” cried out a pony from down the hall, leading a group of at least ten ponies.

“For once, you might be right, let’s scram,” Crestfall said, grabbing Elodea by the hoof and running down the hall. Dust was extremely opposed to leaving Starlight behind, though there clearly wasn’t much time to argue. Before they started running off, Elodea found the pony who had robbed her of her knife, stole it back for herself, and spat at the pony’s corpse, gleeful to have her prized weapon back in her possession.

The trio ran through the halls like mad, while the ponies behind them were in hot pursuit.

“There’s an exit over there, keep going!” Crestfall yelled, knocking over every trash can and table they passed, trying to slow down their pursuers.

Elodea reached the aforementioned door first, though found it to be locked. Dust, who had her head turned behind her to see how close the ponies behind them were, unintentionally ran straight into Elodea into the door, forcing it wide open.

Elodea and Dust stumbled out into an alleyway, Crestfall right behind them, slamming the door close behind them and trying to block it with a nearby dumpster. He smiled wide at his success, and ran off, while the ponies struggled to push the door open.

He caught up with the other two, who had already begun running off back into the city to safety. Elodea wondered if Starlight would’ve left her behind if she was the one who got caught, and for a second, she regretted her actions. But she had Dust back, which was all that she really wanted. Though, despite her hesitations about Starlight, she felt the sting of remorse at the thought that they left her to die.

Chapter Thirteen: Hidden Enemy

Descending down a steep rocky ridge were Cadance and Shining Armor, walking together, both filled with a profound sense of triumph and relief at their recent victory over Queen Chrysalis. Both of them had long dreamt of this moment, defeating that wicked changeling for good.

“I hope Twilight finds her friend…” Cadance said, regretting having played into the deterioration of Twilight’s emotional state with her belief that Starlight was truly the dreaded Scourge of the South. Shining Armor, however, had more faith that his sister would recover on her own.

“She was just going through a phase, it’s happened before. She gets so worked up over things, you know? She lets stuff get the better of her.”

“Well, now she’ll have one less thing to worry about,” Cadance said, smirking as she checked her shoulder back at Hardball and Violet behind them, dragging the bound Chrysalis, who was still unconscious.

“She’s going to pay for everything she’s done,” Shining Armor said, recalling all of the ponies who lost their lives to her, and all of the unthinkable damage she had done to Equestria.

Cadance nodded, unable to describe the grief she felt for ponies across Equestria who suffered at Chrysalis’ hooves.

While the Princess and Prince walked together up ahead on the gravelly trail, Hardball and Violet were bearing the burden of carrying Chrysalis, dragging her across the ground using two ropes.

Violet shot a quick glance at Hardball, who was focusing solely on keeping pace with Cadance and Shining Armor. She bit her lip anxiously, waiting for the right moment to make her move. During the skirmish with Chrysalis, Violet had attempted to loosen the metal magic restrictor locked around her horn, however she found no success. It was locked on tight, and, to make things worse, it gave her a raging headache. Still, she knew she had to escape somehow. More desperate measures would have to be taken.

At one point on the trail, she finally decided it was time.

“Princess!”

Cadance stopped and turned around, startled and confused. Violet had rarely spoken for the entire trip, and Cadance had forgotten what the unicorn’s voice sounded like.

“Yes?”

“I’ve done...everything you’ve asked of me...I carried your carriage, I carried your supplies, and now I’ve carried your changeling...Please, can you take this damned thing off my horn!? I can’t take it anymore!” Violet said, doing her best to act pathetic and harmless.

Cadance wasn’t buying it.

“I do that, and you’re just going to free Chrysalis there, and attack us.”

“I didn’t know she was a-a changeling! How could I? You all didn’t even know until today! Please! I won’t try anything! It hurts so bad!”

Cadance sighed, glancing at Shining Armor, who seemed more open to Violet’s pleas.

“I’m not doing that,” Cadance said to him.

“Oh, come on. What’s she gonna do?” Shining Armor said, smiling, “We’ve got Chrysalis, it’s over.”

Cadance said nothing, turning away and beginning to walk.

“If you want to free her, then you’re the one to keep an eye on her,” Cadance said, though she had a feeling she’d regret it.

Shining Armor glanced back at Violet, who seemed absolutely desperate for release. Hardball seemed slightly nervous about Shining Armor going through with it, but before he could voice his concerns, Shining Armor had already cast the spell, breaking off the metal ring around Violet’s horn. Shining Armor stayed watching her with his horn aimed right for her head for nearly a minute, though Violet made no move to attack.

“Thank you,” she said, politely, as she continued pulling Chrysalis’ body.

Shining Armor hesitantly turned his back to her, which was what Violet was waiting for, blasting him right in the back of the head. He fell to the ground unconscious in a heap, completely unaware of what was happening. Cadance turned around just to catch a blast to the face. She crashed to the gravelly ground, knocked out cold.

Hardball had been expecting this betrayal, wasting no time in grabbing Violet by the horn and slamming her head onto a nearby jaggedy rock. She screamed in pain, as he repeatedly threw her head against the rock, each time with the intention of killing her right then and there. As far as he knew, she had just killed the princess, which was enough of an incentive to try and murder the traitorous unicorn. After three face-first meetings with the rock, Violet finally had enough, her horn burning hot to loosen Hardball’s grip. He yelled and brought his hoof back, releasing her. She stumbled backwards, unable to see straight. Her mind was in a whirl, and she believed she might have a concussion. Eventually she regained her senses, just as Hardball came charging for her again. She zapped him straight in the chest, throwing him to the ground, out cold just like the others.

Violet gasped in agony as she felt around her face, which was covered in bloody scratches and bruises. She leaned against a rock, her face burning from the dirt mixed in with her wounds. There was a large gash around her eye, blood flowing down over her eyelid, partially blinding her. She groaned as she stumbled back over to the rope to get a hold of Chrysalis.

“You barely got out of that alive.”

Violet jumped, first believing Cadance had woken up, until she realized it was Chrysalis who had made the rude comment.

“How long have you been awake?” Violet asked. Chrysalis was still on the ground, bound in chains, helpless, but wide awake.

“Ten minutes now. You’re less intelligent than I first thought, I’m actually disappointed,” Chrysalis said, smugly.

“I’m not the one in chains.”

“No, but you will be when they wake up. What’s your plan, exactly? To run away? You can’t outrun an alicorn.”

“They would’ve thrown me in prison if I went with them...But just because they’re no friends of mine, doesn’t mean you're any better. You lied to me...And now, it looks like I’ll be the one to take you in. I’ll get paid more bits for your ransom than I could’ve ever dreamed of, and then I’ll be long gone.”

Chrysalis laughed at Violet’s plan, making the bludgeoned unicorn seethe with embarrassment and anger.

“Your only chance of survival against Cadance is with me.” Chrysalis said.
“I think I’ll take my chances, thanks,” Violet replied, grabbing both of the ropes tied to Chrysalis’ chains.

Violet spat out a bloody lob of spit near Hardball’s head, as she continued dragging Chrysalis down the trail, alone, moving as quickly as she could before the other ponies could wake up.

After escaping the warehouse on Forty-Fifth Street, Lance Crestfall, Elodea, and Dust Bunny kept on running for their lives into the urban jungle of Vanhoover, dashing over downed trash cans and shoving past crowds of pedestrians.

Tears fell off Dust's face as she ran, consumed with guilt over leaving Starlight behind. It felt cruel, that she was essentially substituted out of the devilish grip of her captors in exchange for Starlight. Dust had been terrified the entire time she was being held in that cold, dark facility, but not once had she desired for Starlight to take her place. Handling Jackpot’s untimely demise was difficult already. Dust knew she just wasn’t suited for these kinds of things, unaccustomed to life-threatening perils, strange foreign lands, and heartlessly cruel ponies with an inexplicable thirst for blood. What she did understand, was her commitment to her friends, and thus far she hadn’t exactly excelled in that department, with one dead and another in the clutches of a pack of murderers.

The trio eventually halted their sprint beside an alley, in a more populated area of the city compared to the dreary Forty-Fifth Street. Hopefully, here they could find some sort of safety.

Crestfall had a horrendous gash along with back right leg, seeping blood that stained his white coat. He fell against the wall of an alley, slamming his hoof down on the floor in anger.

“I had her! I had her…” he muttered, despairingly.

While Crestfall sulked in his failure, Elodea went over to Dust, who was still pale, seemingly shell-shocked by her recent experiences.

“Dust? Dust, hey, are you ok?” Elodea asked, letting out a soft side she rarely let anypony see.

Dust didn’t even make eye contact as she too took a seat on the floor of the alley, sighing in anguish.

“We have to go back,” she said, her voice quaking with fear.

Elodea hesitated, unsure how damaged her friend’s mental state was. Dust had stray strands of her black hair dangling above her eyes, and was wearing an assortment of red bruises all across her body.

“Dust, we’re not going back,” Elodea said, delicately. Now that Dust was safe, she saw no point in risking their lives anymore.

Dust frantically lifted her head, as if she was about to burst into tears. Crestfall, meanwhile, had already given up. He had Starlight Glimmer right in front of him, and now he’d lost his one chance at reclaiming everything he lost, honor, respect, happiness. What was supposed to be his redemptive big break, had ended up yet another waste of time.

“I hate to say it, but you’re right...they’ll be expecting us this time,” Crestfall muttered, wiping blood from his leg with a rag from his duffel bag.

“They were expecting us last time,” Elodea pointed out.

“No, what I mean is, those ponies, they’ll be shipping out of there. Their cover is blown, they can’t stay there. They’ll disappear again into the map, this time without any trace to follow.”

“I’m sorry, just who the hell is this?” Dust stammered, annoyed with this stranger’s insensitive cynicism.

“He’s just a pig who Starlight thought she could strike a deal with,” Elodea said, her back turned to Crestfall.

“That deal still stands,” Crestfall said, matter-of-factly.

“Like hell it does. Your deal was for Starlight. Now she’s gone. We have no business together anymore. So why don’t you just fuck off, and leave us alone?”

Crestfall lowered his head to the ground and smiled, before rising to his hooves.

“I’d been waiting for some luck to finally come my way for years now. And look, it came, in the form of a highly wanted mass-murdering supervillain. Starlight Glimmer was right within my grasp. Now they’ve taken her somewhere, and maybe it is over. But I’ve got nothing to lose, don’t I? See, I don’t care if they’re taking her across the sea, or to the other end of Equestria...I’m taking her in. And you two are helping me do it, or I’ll consider you both just as guilty as her.”

“Wait…” said Dust, standing up to face down Crestfall, “You don’t really believe all those stories about Starlight, do you?”

Crestfall stared at her, deducing Starlight must have indoctrinated some foolish acolytes to give her a cover of innocence.

“I’ve seen the photographs...I’ve heard all the testimonies. There’s no doubt in my mind, no hope that a pony couldn’t do such things to innocent ponies, children even.”

“It isn’t true....None of it, I’m telling you the truth,” Dust said, firmly.

Crestfall shook his head, unconvinced.

“Well, Miss…”

“Dust Bunny.”

“Dust Bunny, my interests are in preserving the peace. Now, if your friend is so innocent, she is welcomed to prove it to the court...But the longer she tries to evade me...the less innocence she can claim. We had an arrangement, and I intend to stick by that arrangement. We got you out of there, now I need what I was owed.”

“That was the deal? Me for Starlight?” Dust said, shocked.

“Starlight was the one who came up with it,” Elodea said, remembering how she too thought it was a bad deal.

Dust took a few seconds to refocus, slightly deterred by Starlight’s bothersome arrangement with the arrogant knight she had just recently been acquainted with.

“Fine! Fine, Starlight is yours, but you’ve got to help find her first! She’s in danger!”

Crestfall noticed the fear in her eyes, and relaxed his aggressive, interrogative stare.

“What did they tell you?” he asked, suspicious of what those ponies wanted with Starlight in the first place.

Dust sputtered, unsure where to begin.

“There was a group of them...six or so, that had a hold of me. They brought me into that place, and into this room, and-and they all...nevermind... But the one pony, the unicorn?”

Crestfall nodded, eager to find out more.

“The unicorn, she...she just watched it all happen...She let it all happen. And when it was over, she...she came to me, and she talked to me.”

“What did she say?” Elodea asked, becoming increasingly more angry the longer Dust went on.

“She-she was trying to scare me. She said she was a part of an organization, and they were going to use Starlight for something terrible! I think a lot of ponies are going to get hurt,” Dust sputtered, clearly frightened and traumatized by the unsaid details.

“S-so you’ve got to help her! If you don’t, ponies’ lives could be at stake!” Dust yelled, tears jumping out from her eyes, which were red from crying so much.

Crestfall exhaled, turning away to think about what to do next.

“What’s it matter? It’s like you said, soldier boy, they’ll be out of the city by the time we find them. If we find them,” Elodea said, trying to find a hole in the plan to prevent them from rejoining the fray. She had what she wanted, after all-her friend was back, relatively unharmed.

“There are files on that pony, the unicorn, Ruby Heart...I can find them, back at the station…” Crestfall said.

“So you’re with us?” Dust asked.

“For now,” he said, picking up his duffel bag with one hoof and strapping it around his back.

“Where the hell are you going?” Elodea asked.

“To the station. I’m gonna find out everything I can on Ruby Heart, see how large of an operation this is going to be, and just how dangerous those ponies are…”

He turned to both of them, still highly doubtful of their moral quality, given their association with Starlight. Though he couldn’t deny, neither they nor Starlight seemed as bad as he had first assumed them to be.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t go anywhere,” he said to both of them, though he was specifically talking to Elodea, as he trusted her the least.

“Alright,” Dust replied, sitting back down on the filthy ground of the alley. Elodea seemed unwilling to comply, though Dust’s worry-filled shaking made her more agreeable.

“Fine,” she spat.

Crestfall gave them a subtle gesture with his hoof to say goodbye, before walking out of the alley into the city crowd.

Elodea sat down beside Dust, who was staring into space, consumed with dread.

“Dust, look, I know you think Starlight is your friend and all, but...we’ve got to get you home...Dust, whatever’s going on, with Starlight and those ponies, you shouldn't be a part of it...and neither should I. I came back for you, Dust. And now you’re safe, I think we should go.”

Dust struggled to come up with a response, her brain running wild with emotions.

“Starlight was going to give herself up...for me. Who would’ve come for me if she hadn’t? Nopony. A murderer, criminal, all those things they call her, would never do that. She’s a good pony, El. We’ve got to help her…”

“Dust, I know your heart is in the right place, but I’m serious, when I say that this stuff, this life, you’re not cut out for it, Dust. You’re just going to get hurt, and nothing good will come out of it. That guy? Crestfall? He’ll double cross us the second he gets. You shouldn’t be here, Dust!”

“Maybe not,” Dust said, tears forming in her eyes once again, “But I’ve just got to...”

Elodea sighed, Dust clearly resolved in her loyalty to Starlight.

“Those ponies...they didn’t-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Elodea turned her head to Dust, who refused to look at her while tears fell down her face. Elodea began to understand the full extent of the situation, and decided maybe sticking around a little longer was the right call after all.

“Alright, fuck it, here’s what going to happen,” Elodea said, suddenly invigorated, “We’re going to find Starlight, and we’re going to give those ponies what they deserve, huh? How’s that?”

Dust was comforted by her friend’s change in heart, though even that wasn’t enough to quell the pain. Her two closest friends, who had stood by her during this entire adventure, were gone, and now it was mostly up to her.

When Crestfall finally arrived at the Vanhoover police station, he was met by a shocked young mare in royal guard armor sitting at the front desk. She had chocolate brown mane hidden behind her helmet and a lighter brown coat, and was chewing a stick of gum before the battle damaged Crestfall came sauntering in through the station doors. Aside from the bruises and cuts decorating his body, his stubble was more pronounced than normal, and there were dark creases under his eyes from having stayed up all the previous night. His hair however, though still unkempt, had kept its typical shape. The mare behind the front desk wasn’t sure what to make of Crestfall, as he limped inside, grunting every time he had to put pressure on his injured leg.

“Crestfall? Oh, you’re in for it today.”

Crestfall shot her a confused look as he approached the desk.

“What is it?”

“What is it? You were gone all day yesterday! And that shack you were investigating? It sank into the sea! We all thought you were dead!”

Crestfall nodded, having forgotten all about that, as he took a look around the lobby to see if anything had changed while he was gone. It had only been a day, but it felt like a month-long mission. For some reason, he expected to return home as a war hero. He had been in a ditch for nearly a year now, first when he had his heart broken and then when his reputation deteriorated. One too many accidents, and far too many mistakes had cost him not only a valuable, career-defining promotion, but also most of the respect that he once had in the station. Finding Starlight Glimmer was the turn of the tide, or at least he thought, before she slipped through his hooves.

He leaned up against the front desk and shot the mare a smirk.

“You didn’t miss me too much then, did you, Spice?”

“Not in the least,” she responded, smiling back, “You better get up there, Commander’s already come close to tearing the roof off.”

“Fantastic. Can’t wait.”

Crestfall left the lobby, and headed up the steps to the drab main offices of the analytics department.

“Where the hell have you been!?”

It took just two seconds for Gallant Stride to catch Crestfall and give him severe reprimand for not checking back in last night.

“Trust me, you don’t want to hear about it,” Crestfall said, unsure how to avoid mentioning he had come across Equestria’s top criminal.

It took at least ten minutes to explain what he could to the fuming Gallant Stride, whose lumbering, hulkish build stood firmly, bulging with rage.

“Counterfeit led me to something bigger, Commander.”

“Well I hope it’s something fucking huge, since it meant killing an extremely valuable target!!”

Crestfall led Gallant through a doorway into a large room, filled with towering shelves of cabinets.

“He gave me a name, one I recognized, and an address too. I checked the place out, naturally.”

“Without telling any of us?!”

“It was an urgent matter, I promise. I got held up, ok? Give me a break. It’ll pay off when this is all said and done, believe me. Now at this address I went to, I found a whole operation. At least a hundred ponies throughout the place. Probably more at different locations.”

“Let me guess, you got caught?”

“Of course not, I never get caught. Why would you say that?”

Gallant rolled his eyes, while Crestfall found the particular file box he was looking for. After shuffling through the dividing rows, he picked out one file in particular, and raised it for a skeptical Gallant to see.

“This pony, Ruby Heart?” Crestfall said, pointing at the file, which bore a picture of an angry red unicorn, “I saw her, in the flesh. She’s alive. And, more importantly, she’s active. Out and about. Undoubtedly stirring up trouble.”

Gallant stared at him blankly, as if everything Crestfall had said amounted to nothing. Crestfall’s excited grin faded as he noticed Gallant’s unimpressed expression.

“Sir...this pony...look, assassin, terrorist, enemy of the state,” he said, reading from the file, “This is huge, sir! Look at this!’ he said, eagerly shoving the file towards Gallant’s face. Gallant pushed the file away, sighing.

“I’m disappointed, Sergeant, really...We lost our biggest target, and all you’ve got to show me is...this,” he said, loosely motioning at the file in Crestfall’s hooves.

Crestfall couldn’t quite understand why Gallant wasn’t as thrilled about this new lead as he was.

“But, sir, this pony-”

“That pony isn’t real, Sergeant. That file you’ve got there, is a fake...made for analysis training…”

Crestfall shook his head in disbelief, checking the file once more.

“These are real reports, sir! Real signatures!”

“For a fake pony, who doesn’t exist. I can see that these have gotten mixed up with the real ones. I’ll see to it that your file there is shredded, as soon as possible. And Lance, for Luna’s sake, get your head out of the clouds. You’ve made a fool of yourself, once again.”

Crestfall’s mouth was hanging open in shock. He heard Counterfeit say the name, and he saw her, with his own eyes. It just couldn’t be fake.

Whether or not Gallant believed him, Crestfall believed himself. All that he needed was the file, more so than his commander’s permission. So all that was certain was that he absolutely couldn’t let it be destroyed.

Gallant led him out of the room back into the main office area, where several soldier ponies were milling about, most still surprised to see Crestfall alive, given he was the wash-up soldier who was thought to have gotten himself killed.

Crestfall made an attempt to head to his desk, until Gallant stopped him, grabbing him by the wrist.

“Why don’t we shred it now? Get it over with, and move on.”

Crestfall noticed something in Gallant’s eyes, something that reeked of ulterior motives. Crestfall hesitantly nodded, beginning to doubt Gallant’s intentions.

Gallant brought Crestfall right up to the office shredder, in clear view of everypony in the office.

“Go on, boy. I don’t want to be cross with you twice in one day,” he said, resuming his jovial demeanor. However, after several seconds of Crestfall not budging, Gallant eventually dropped his smile and began reaching for the file himself.

“Oh, Spice! For Luna’s sake, don’t go spilling that coffee on the new carpet!” Crestfall yelled, his eyes shifting from the shredder to across the room, behind Gallant, to see Spice walking in the door with a tray of coffee cups, accidentally spilling some onto the floor.

Except, there was no Spice, and there was no coffee, which Gallant quickly found out when he too turned around to see what was happening.

Gallant was confused, as Spice was nowhere to be found, and then it hit him that it was a trick. He turned around, but Crestfall was already gone, having escaped through the nearby secondary exit down the stairs.

Gallant knew he wasn’t nimble enough at all to chase down Crestfall, resorting instead to furious growling and turning bright red in the face. He picked up the shredder and tossed it across the room in his furious fit of rage. Everypony in the office froze, unsure what the fuss was about.

“Somepony! Send a message to lock every exit! We’re on lockdown!”

The ponies immediately flew into a flurry, running around the office to arm themselves and prepare for whatever danger was threatening the station. The lights turned off, replaced by a flashing red light from the ceiling, which drowned a furious Gallant Stride below.

Down the stairs, Crestfall had made it to the lobby, just as Spice, still at the front desk, received the message to lock the front doors.

“Spice! Delay that!” Crestfall yelled, hearing the beeping noise of the newly delivered message.

“What’s going on?”

“I was never here!” he bellowed, running as fast as he can on his injured leg.

Crestfall smiled as he ran straight for the doors, believing escape to be just a few steps away. That belief dissipated completely when he slammed face first into the doors, which had already been locked at Spice’s press of a button.

Crestfall recovered quickly, staggering to his hooves and turning to a concerned Spice.

“Lance?”

“Spice, open the doors,” he said, weakly.

“There’s an order,” Spice began, confused as to what was happening.

“Spice, for Celestia’s sake, open the doors.”

“Is that message for you?” she said, with the tone of a parent learning of a child’s bad grades. “What did you do this time?”

“Spice! Just do it, for me!”

Crestfall heard ponies galloping down the staircase nearby, and fear soon had a hold of him. His eyes locked back on Spice, who was in conflict over what to do. He was panting, heavily now, both due to just running down the stairs and the fear of being caught.

“Spice…” he whispered, desperately.

Spice eventually gave in, sighing and pressing a button to open the doors. Crestfall smiled, waved her off, and dashed off to freedom.

Spice had managed to lock the doors again just as the soldier made it downstairs.

“Where is he?!”

“He went around to the armory!” Spice yelled, pretending to be scared to death.

The soldiers collectively groaned and ran around Spice’s desk through another doorway, unknowingly pursuing a pony who wasn’t there.

Up above, Gallant bitterly strutted towards one soldier’s desk. He had already figured Crestfall had escaped.

“Bright Eyes.”

“Yes sir!” replied a young, inexperienced earth pony working at a cubicle.

“I want you to send a message to every operative in this city...Lance Crestfall is now excommunicado...Should anypony come across him, anywhere, he is to be executed on sight.”

“Executed? Are you...are you sure, sir?” Bright Eyes asked.

“And also, any possessions he is carrying are to be brought back directly to me. Nopony is to examine them before they reach me.”

“Yes, sir,” Bright Eyes said, nervously jotting down every part of the message he’d have to deliver.

Gallant stared out the window to the city street below. This city was large, but to Gallant, it would only be a matter of time before Crestfall was found. He had finally pushed his luck too far.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for me to tell you how little value you each have to me.”

Ruby Heart, a bright red unicorn with a mane the color of blood, and serpentine eyes, was standing before a crowd of her own subordinates, all of them having just relocated to a second base of operations, as their previous place had been exposed.

They were in a small room fronted by a family-owned laundromat, a room often loaned out to desperate crooks in need of a place to hide temporarily or conduct shady business.

There were three ponies standing slightly ahead of the crowd, each of their heads hung low, trying not to anger Ruby even more.

“You all had one job. One simple job. Starlight Glimmer was the hard part, and you couldn’t even handle her noname moron friends, now they’ve all escaped...I just don’t see how I can trust any of you anymore after this...Certainly not with anything important.”

“There was an extra pony, ma’am, one more than the inspection team reported there would be. He was a soldier, I think.”

“So what? Are you trying to blame inspection? What am I to make of you? Unable to think for yourselves. Slow to action. Precisely the opposite of what I am looking for. You insult me, with your stupidity.”
“Ma’am, if we could just-” began one of the ponies, before he was quickly silenced by a magical burst of fire and flame, searing a hole right through the pony’s neck. Ruby’s horn had been burning so hot that a few wisps of smoke drifted off of it into the air. Her face was redder than normal in her enraged state. She glanced at the other two, who wisely stayed silent.

“If one of them is a soldier, then we’ve risked involving the military. Far too early for that. We have Starlight, that’s all that really matters. Those other ponies won’t be able to do much to stop us,” she said, smirking. Then she noticed some sort of commotion from the back of the crowd.

“Ma’am! There’s a-a….He’s here to see you!” yelled a young pony pushing out from the crowd, out of breath. Ruby took a breath, anxiously. She nodded at the two ponies standing before her to remove the body of their deceased third companion. They dragged the corpse out into another room, while the crowd began to make way for a new visitor.

“Ruby.”

“Sir,” Ruby replied, instantly after the pony finished talking. He was a tall stallion, dark grey in color with a hard jaw, an unshaven face and sunken eyes.

“Where is she?” he asked, glancing around the room for the reason he was paying a visit. Ruby was standing straight and at attention, as were each and every one of her subordinates in the crowd behind them.

“Glimmer’s in the truck outside, sedated.”

“How long have you had her in your possession?” he asked, coldly, as if Starlight was a common household object.

“Just this morning, sir...I didn’t expect you to come so soon.”

“It’s no small feat, what you’ve done...I wanted to come and...congratulate you, my star student…”

“Thank you, sir,” Ruby said, though she did not smile.

“You had other hostages? Or so I’ve heard?”

“We…” Ruby hesitated, not sure it would be a good decision to reveal the other ponies escaped.

“It was a ruse. They’re all dead.”

The stallion shrugged, seemingly indifferent. Still, Ruby tried to win him over with the positives.

“Starlight Glimmer is ours now, alive, held under every restraint we have... She’s all we need,” she said.

The stallion nodded, satisfied.

“How much does she know?”

“Almost nothing, sir. I thought to wait until everypony was gathered before letting her know of our plans.”

The stallion nodded again, thoroughly content.

“Very good, Ruby. See to it that you’re all in Ponyville in two days time, at the least…” the stallion said, turning to leave the room. The crowd scampered out of the way to make a path for him.

“Ponyville, sir? That’s where the council’s decided?” Ruby questioned.

“Is that an issue?”

“It’s just...That’s where Twilight Sparkle is, isn’t it?” she asked, nervously.

“Not at the moment...She’s been gone on some adventure in the south for weeks now, no sign of returning quite yet, last I’ve heard.”

“Are you sure it’s worth it to risk that, sir? I’d rather not be in such close proximity to the enemy.”

“Then you’re very welcome to leave, but first you are to deliver that unicorn, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

The stallion turned and stomped out of the room, leaving Ruby more than slightly concerned about testing the likes of Twilight Sparkle.

Mostly thanks to Spice’s diversion and not at all to his speed at running, Lance Crestfall was able to escape the company of soldiers chasing him, darting between carriages and dodging passerbys as he made his way through the city.

He returned to the alley where he had left Dust and Elodea, completely out of breath, and then sighed in bitter shock, to find neither of them there waiting for him.

‘They left!’

He crashed to the filthy ground of the alley, facing the sky up above, focusing on breathing. He was still struggling to accept the possibility that Gallant Stride, a longtime friend and mentor, was working with the enemy.

Whether or not that was true, Crestfall knew he was a target of the military nonetheless. He had always wondered what it would be like to be the prey instead of the predator.

He lay on the ground, exhausted and hopeless, now without any allies at all. He still had the file, which would undoubtedly be his saving grace should he be caught. Then again, Gallant would likely do everything he could to paint Lance as the villain, and given how respected the old stallion was, he knew his friends in the station would disappear fast.

“Not a very nice place for a nap, soldier boy.”

Crestfall opened one eye and then sat up, smiling in relief. Elodea and Dust were standing right in front of them, Elodea holding a coffee and Dust a hot chocolate with whipped cream.

“Sorry we were gone, I got hungry,” Dust said, apologetically.

“You look terrible,” Elodea said, smirking.

Crestfall said nothing, lying back down in a heap. The other two ponies sat down on opposite walls of the alley, Crestfall lying on the ground between them.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Dust asked, hopeful for a lead to finding Starlight.

Crestfall handed her the file, which she read through and through. She had decided to commit herself fully to saving Starlight and avenging not only her dearly missed friend Jackpot’s death, but also the cruel treatment those ponies put her through during her imprisonment.

“Sounds about right,” Dust said, disgusted as she caught a glimpse of Ruby Heart’s photo.

“Some of that matches some of the stuff you said...the organization...it’s real,” Crestfall said, mostly to prove it to himself that he was in the right. If Starlight really was innocent, then he was beginning to empathize with her on the grounds of being framed as criminals.

“What now?” Elodea asked.

“We’ve got to get out of this city, is what...Take everything we have directly to Canterlot...They’ll listen,” Crestfall said, hoping the ponies there would be more understanding.

“I thought you wanted the glory all for yourself?” Elodea asked.

Crestfall turned his head to Elodea, unprepared to answer the question.

“This is...this is getting to be too much for me...I was kidding myself...I’m a has-been alright, and now...it looks like I’m just as criminal as you two.”

“What are you talking about?” Dust asked.

“The cops will be after us. Or me, really. Those ponies are probably leaving right now, if they haven’t left already...We might still be able to catch them, if we hurry.”

Elodea and Dust shared a look of confusion, wondering what Crestfall did in the past couple hours to make him into a fugitive.

“What are you doing this for, if not yourself?” Elodea asked, but then regretted it, realizing it made it too obvious that she cared. Crestfall, whose face was worn with the pain of betrayal and the fatigue of running around the city for most of the day, was put off by the question.

“I’ve got nothing left...it was never about the fame, or the glory. I...I just wanted something to my name. I wanted my life back.”

Elodea didn’t quite fully understand, though found it respectable nonetheless.

The ponies all stood up and began gathering their things. Crestfall saw Elodea joining him and Dust, and was confused.

“I thought you weren’t interested? Too dangerous for her?” he said, motioning to a disgruntled Dust. Elodea stared at him, sinking into his sharp, demanding eyes.
“Maybe I just want something to my name too.”

Crestfall smiled, laughing as he led the group out of the alley back into the streets.

Chapter Fourteen: 4:40 To Canterlot

There seemed to be less reason to feel motivated when the hardest obstacle had already been dealt with. Or so was the case for Ruby Heart, who was glaring down into the large wooden box her minions had just dumped Starlight Glimmer’s limp body. The pink unicorn had been pumped with so many sedative drugs, a few of the ponies thought they might’ve killed her already. She was bound in thick metal chains, had a small rubber bar lodged between her teeth to keep her quiet, and, most importantly, had a hard metal ring tightened around her horn, rendering her magic useless. Ruby was still riding the thrill of victory, on what had perhaps been her greatest triumph in recent memory.

Still, she was not fully satisfied. The possible threat of the military learning of their plans so early made her especially eager to get their prized asset out of the city as fast as possible.

She was inside a large carriage parked on a Vanhoover street, housing several of her subordinates, who were armed to the teeth in case Starlight should escape. Ruby nodded to one of them to bolt Starlight’s box closed. The pony fastened a series of elaborate locks, the sound of aggressive clicking machinery signaling that Starlight wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The box was so well-secured, that Ruby had practically no fear that Starlight would manage to break out. But nothing was ever certain, especially with ponies as unpredictable as that recalcitrant unicorn.

“Pike.”

One of the subordinates, an earth pony with a light grey coat and grey, wispy hair, stepped forward, unsure what Ruby wanted him for.

“You know the orders already. The prisoner is to be taken to Ponyville, alive. I’m having you be the one to escort her there. I would come myself, if I didn’t have to make sure our presence here isn’t too compromised. You’ll be boarding the Vanhoover Express to Canterlot, travel the rest of the way to Ponyville. It’ll take less time than carriage. Load the prisoner in as luggage, and keep two guards posted near it. Oh, and for your own sake, do not let her out of there, for any reason, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Pike responded, slightly overwhelmed by the daunting task.

“Good. Your train leaves in an hour. And Pike, if there’s any incidents, I trust you’ll be able to handle it.”

“Certainly,” Pike responded, though he clearly wasn’t confident in his answer.

Ruby gave one last look at Starlight’s box, which was now shut tight, and hoped her victory would not be undermined. She turned and left the carriage, while Pike nervously checked to make sure the box was still locked tight.

Violet Heirloom had broken into a sweat, dragging Chrysalis all the way down until they exited the mountains.

Chrysalis grunted, her head hitting a rock as Violet let go of the rope once they had reached the grass plains that lay extended past the rocky cliffs of the mountains.

“You can’t stop now, Cadance will be here soon.”

“Would you be quiet? I need a break…” Violet said, sitting down on a rock, panting in exhaustion.

Chrysalis was covered in grey dirt from being dragged across several miles of terrain. She spat out some sort of plant weed that had ended up in her mouth, and grimaced in dismay. She was being treated like a sack of meat, to be exchanged and carried around. She was too close to victory to be stopped now. She hadn’t expected Cadance to find her so quickly, but now that the princess was briefly taken care of, all she had to do was escape these chains, kill that lowlife unicorn, and get out of here.

Chrysalis noticed a shimmering light, peeking out from Violet’s bag. Her eyes widened in shock, when she deduced what it was inside.

“The jewel! You’ve taken it!”

Violet, who had been resting her eyes, turned her head at a mildly impressed Chrysalis.

“There was an opportunity, I took it. That thing’s got to be worth a fortune, whatever it is...And if that princess catches me, it may come in handy to fight back.”

“Don’t be a fool...Its power is too great for any one pony to control. I wouldn’t dare, and you definitely shouldn’t.”

“You know, I’m not a lightweight, Starlight, or, sorry, Chrysalis.”
“You would never have agreed to help me if you knew if I was,” Chrysalis said, defensively.

“You don’t know what I’d do. Now you just sit tight, and keep your bothering to a minimum.”

Chrysalis sat up, struggling due to the limited flexibility in her chains.

“Listen to me, we can still work together...once I can control that jewel, I’ll be the most powerful being in Equestria...And I could get you anything you want…” Chrysalis said, luringly.

Violet laughed at Chrysalis’ attempt.

“You’d kill me in a heartbeat, so...no thanks.”

Violet jumped to her hooves and picked up the rope connected to Chrysalis’ chains, beginning to drag her once again.

Chrysalis grumbled to herself. Violet would be more difficult to persuade than she anticipated. But with a little luck, a chance would come around.

When Twilight Sparkle arrived back in her dearly-missed Ponyville, it almost felt like a different place. Ponies seemed to be distant from one another, cautious to even take a step outside. It seemed that the threat of Chrysalis’ violent rampages had finally shaken up the town, and, to Twilight’s regret, she had little to console them with. The last time she had seen Chrysalis, after all, she was escaping with the most powerful weapon in Equestria.

Not exactly comforting news.

Twilight stepped out of the carriage, and joined the rest of her friends, who were all feeling the same concern over the condition of the town.

“Guess the cheer left with us,” Rainbow said.

“If only we had any to bring back,” Rarity added, beginning to feel guilty over their failure to stop Chrysalis and her goal of world-domination.

“Oh, Twilight, you’re back…”

Twilight turned around to see Mayor Mare, alone, having walked all the way down from Town Hall to welcome them back.

“Hi Mayor...is everything alright here?”

“Oh I suppose...Everypony’s been feeling a little out of sorts. Word of all those tragedies down south finally hit us, got everybody a bit shook up. Especially with you gone. But now we know why...your former pupil, they say is the one behind it all. What was her name again?”

“Starlight,” Twilight said, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to begin arguing over whether Chrysalis or Starlight was the Scourge of the South.

“I’ve heard about Luna’s run-in with her, did you encounter her at all?”

Twilight was about to answer her question, until she picked up on the first part.

“Luna? Luna’s seen her?”

“Oh my, yes, it’s all anypony’s been talking about. Saddleopolis, she found Starlight there, but she got away. Headed towards Vanhoover, I believe.”

“Vanhoover?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard at least.”

Twilight nodded, as she began to feel hopeful again. If she could just reunite and make amends with Starlight, she would feel a thousand times better.

“Thank you, Mayor…”

“Certainly.”

Twilight walked off with her friends towards her castle, muttering to herself, thinking about every possible way to go about locating Starlight.

Her friends, however, weren’t as enthusiastic about jumping into yet another wild goose chase.

“Twilight, perhaps we should consult Princess Celestia first, before we start running around again,” Rarity suggested.

“There isn’t time…” Twilight argued. She noticed her friends’ resistance to her eagerness for action, and stopped walking to turn and face them.

“I know I’m asking a lot of you...But I need your help. Starlight needs us, and we have to be there for her…”

After brief deliberation, the others all came around, deciding they had an obligation. They couldn’t deny they missed Starlight, despite whatever reservations they had about her in the first months they had to warm up to her. She had made an effort to improve herself, and they found that to be respectable. She was their friend now, and friends had a duty to help friends.

After an entire day of dragging Chrysalis’ body through the wilderness, Violet’s strength was giving out. And, on top of that, her anxiety was constantly growing, the threat of Cadance arriving for revenge looming over her shoulder constantly.

Eventually, Violet found civilization, if civilization you could call it. It was a small town, sitting in what had to be the middle of nowhere. The moon shone down on Violet as she trotted into town, nopony outside to notice her.

‘Where is everypony?’ she wondered, hoping she hadn’t come across a ghost town.

She was relieved to hear the muffled sound of ponies chatting and clanging drinks on tables, emanating from what had to be the local pub, right in the middle of town.

She glanced down at Chrysalis, who was covered in dust, dirt, and small scratches from the rough terrain.

“I’m gonna leave you over here,” Violet said, dragging Chrysalis to a nearby tree and tying the rope-leash to its trunk.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Violet quipped, laughing to herself as she left Chrysalis on the ground under the moonlit shade of the tree.

Once Violet was gone, Chrysalis began bending and buckling with all her strength. She had hoped Violet would leave her satchel containing the Queen’s Jewel behind, though the unicorn happened to be smarter than that.

Eventually Chrysalis gave up, tired and absolutely helpless. She thought about calling for help, but who would willingly help a changeling?

Chrysalis, bizarrely, felt a sting of guiltiness and self-pity, at the thought that not only would nopony in Equestria willingly come to her aid, but that she had absolutely no friends to speak of. Of course, she didn’t find it necessary to have friends, and in fact, she detested the very concept, preferring to trust herself and only herself. Yet, it was a lonely life, and in times of great hardship, such as right now, it wasn’t serving her any benefits.

Violet walked inside the pub, which was packed with ponies. The entire town had to be stuffed inside there, by Violet’s reckoning. It was a warm, jolly old place, ponies singing, dancing, and, of course, drinking.

“Who’s this little old lass?” yelled one pony, standing near a frazzled Violet. Truthfully, she didn’t have enough energy to participate in all of the merriment, and found it slightly excessive. The pony put his arm around her neck, laughing, bringing her over through the crowd.

“Hey, Mr. Mayor, look at this, some newcomer,” the pony said, slurring his words, “She’s right mad to be-to be walking around in the dark...it’s too cold in here, are you cold, miss?”

Violet shook her head, annoyed with the loud pony, whose breath reeked of cider.

“Oh, alright then,” the pony said, getting distracted by somepony else in the crowd.

Violet turned back to the table she was brought to, where, at the end, was a short, mustachioed stallion, with a grey-blue coat and a grey-white mane. He, and the other six ponies seated around the table with him, had all stopped their game of poker and set their drinks down to get a good look at this new pony.

“You’ve got a name, stranger?”

“I’m Violet, nice to meet you,” Violet said, extending her hoof across the table. The mayor shook it, hesitantly, not sure what this pony wanted. He seemed not to feel threatened by her, turning back to his cards, the other ponies doing the same.

“I was wondering if there was a place I could stay, for the night.”

“Talk to Mr. Bell Button, he’ll be the one to get you situated.”

“Oh, thanks,” Violet said, turning to walk away.

“Staying long?” the mayor asked, his voice layered with suspicion.

“I’m...I’m just passing through.”

“From where? Couldn’t be from north, you’d have been met by the gatepony...couldn’t be south, because there ain’t nothing that way but mountains, badlands, and bandits...and it sure as hell couldn’t have been west, because… then you’d have passed through Hayfort, and there ain’t much left of Hayfort, is there, Buckleberry?”

“Burned down to the ground,” one of the ponies at the table, who must’ve been Buckleberry, added.

“Bloody Scourge and her warpath. We were nearly next, then she fucked off to San Palomino or somewhere, or so I hear. Which means you came from the east….Baltimare. Now, Miss Violet, it just so happens that I’ve been expecting some ponies from Baltimare...Ponies I do not intend on treating with much genialty...I expected more than just one pony, but I do find it suspicious. Suspicious that this strange unicorn pops out of the blue in the middle of the night, from an undisclosed location, looking like you just ran ten miles across the country.”

“I came from the south. Not Baltimare.”

“Did you? So what are you then? A thief? Vagabond? Ill-fated drifter?”

“I want to get to Dodge City. I’m just spending the night here, and I don’t want any trouble,” Violet said.

“Mr. Mayor!” cried out a voice from the entrance of the pub.

The crowd got quiet, as a group of ponies rushed in from outside, carrying something with them.

“She was tied up outside like this, Mr. Mayor. W-What do we do?”

The group of ponies, all young rascals who were messing around while the rest of the town was in the pub drinking, had come across Chrysalis, tied in chains and leashed to a tree. Baffled, they grabbed a hold of her and brought her all the way inside the pub.

The mayor glared at Chrysalis, recognizing her as a changeling. He turned back to Violet, who the other ponies were also beginning to be suspicious of.

“Might you have anything to do with that, Miss Violet?” the mayor asked.

“That’s my cargo,” Violet said.

“Cargo, eh? A changeling, I see. You’re a trafficker then?”

“I came across her. I’m taking her into Dodge City, for whatever bounty I can get for her.”

“And what’s so special about one lousy changeling?” the mayor stammered, trying to weed out the truth from Violet, who was cautious to reveal Chrysalis was truly the dreaded Scourge of the South. The townsponies would undoubtedly execute her on the spot, but Violet needed her alive if she was to be paid a ransom.

“Worth as much as any changeling. Worry about your own problems,” Violet said. The mayor took her response the wrong way, rising from his chair, angrily.

“So...a strange unicorn waltzes into my town in the middle of the night, carrying a changeling held down in...royal chains?”

Violet froze, not having expected the mayor to have recognized the specific kind of chain Chrysalis was tied down in.

“Miss Violet, I’m afraid you’ve lost my trust.”

Before Violet could react, she was shoved to the floor, her satchel being stolen from her and searched. Violet tried to grab it back, but was quickly kicked down by the surrounding crowd.

“Stop!” she yelled, angrily.

The rowdy crowd got quiet, when they saw what one pony had pulled from the satchel. A deep green jewel, that bended and transformed the light around it into a fantastic aura, drawing in everypony in the room around its majesty. The mayor was perhaps the most fixated on it.

“A prisoner...and a treasure...a treasure so divine it must’ve been stolen from a secret vault in some secret castle...a liar, and a thief too, it seems.”

“I didn’t steal it! That’s mine!”

“Yours!” the mayor laughed, heartily, reaching over and grabbing the jewel for himself.

“Here’s what I say...I say, that this treasure, that so generously arrived on our humble doorstep, is a gift, for us...all of us, to enjoy. We will never know hardships again, with the wealth this treasure will bring us!”

The crowd cheered in excitement, the mayor holding the magnificent, seductive jewel in the air for all to see.

“Throw the thief and her changeling into a jail...we’ll be rid of them soon enough,” the mayor said, laughing in delight as his eyes stayed fixed on the jewel.

Violet began casting a spell, having grown tired of these ponies’ posing a threat to her plan.

But, before she could complete it, she took a hard blow to the back of the head, by one of the ponies in the crowd with an empty bottle of cider.

The crowd cheered again as Violet and Chrysalis were dragged off, a tremendous fortune left to the town to enjoy.

Attempting to rouse oneself to become a leader, in the midst of major emotional trauma, turned out to be a greater struggle than Dust Bunny had anticipated. She hadn’t really gotten a true chance to grieve Jackpot’s death, nor cope with her own physical abuse suffered at the hands of the ponies who were currently carrying a captive Starlight. Her brain was running at a faster speed than normal, strictly because there were twice as many problems to figure out. Once again, it seemed that everypony in the world was out to get her, except this time she didn’t have Starlight as a form of protection. If Luna came and surprised them again like she did before, Dust saw no way they’d be able to escape.

Dust had only ever seen violence in the forms of childhood scuffles or sports injuries, and even then it gave her a fright. Elodea was always the one to fight Dust’s battles for her when they were kids, as Dust would much rather prefer an unachievable peaceful resolution. Now that she was older and a bit more in tune with the world around her, she knew that peace wasn’t always an available option. Yet, she had no idea just how extreme some ponies were in their disregard for others’ well-being. Having to helplessly watch one of your closest friends be slowly beaten to death, perhaps not surprisingly, puts a clearer perspective on the limits of evil the world can reach. And not only that, but all the things that those same ponies did to her during her imprisonment, the specifics of which Dust had neglected to share with either of her two companions for the sake of keeping the front of dignity, had left a black mark on her heart, a horrible feeling of shame and disgust that she couldn’t quite orchestrate into words. She wasn’t quite sure what to think about anything anymore. The longer she stayed alive on this adventure, the worse and worse the world seemed to be. Her new allies weren’t much for optimists either. Crestfall rarely spoke of anything except what the current plan was, and Elodea usually only had insults or criticisms to dish out. Dust therefore saw that it was up to her to inspire hope in each of them, not unlike the role she considered Starlight to have played before. She had only known the unicorn for a few months, but the two had become fast friends. Dust hadn’t possessed a long list of friends in her life to begin with, so the ones that she did have, were considerably special. The world was crooked, but what was certain, was that those ponies responsible for all of this pain and suffering had to be stopped.

She didn’t ask to be in the position she was in, and would give anything to be out of it. It wasn’t that she was too unconfident to be a leader, but under the circumstances, she wasn’t sure if she could handle it. She didn’t typically look down on herself, definitely not like Starlight always did. She was independent, after all, which meant relying on and believing in herself for everything. That was how she got through school, and how she intended to get through life. But when it came to her social life, being so independent and focused on being a hard worker did her no real favors. The times that she tried to branch out, and make friends, mostly ended up as failures. Each step she took on this adventure was the farthest she had ever been from home, and each step felt like a journey of a lifetime, into a strange new world. The dangers of that world were what frightened her.

Lance Crestfall wasn’t as aware of Dust’s emotional problems at the moment, he was much more focused on the task at hand. This city, which he had never particularly cared for, was now out to get him, much in the same light that Equestria had been after Starlight. He had long wanted to prove himself to this city; to his past marefriend who still lived in the city, to his fellow soldiers, to the commander, but now that the city had finally turned against him, he realized how unfulfilled he still would have been, even with their approval. What he truly needed, was to trust himself, to believe in himself. All those other ponies’ opinions of him, as a disgrace, as washed up, and most recently, as a traitor to the state, amounted to nothing in the end, if he wasn't happy with himself. Living to satisfy the approval of others, who constantly put him down anyways, just wasn’t sustainable.

For some reason, spending time with Dust and Elodea had helped him find his mojo once again. He saw two ponies that had no previous opinion of him, that seemed to be slowly coming around to him the more he got to prove himself. In essence, he had a clean slate, a trial run, before he could regain his honor and show the world that everypony was wrong about him.

“Right up here, there’s the station,” said Crestfall, pointing up ahead on the street the trio was walking on.

“We’ll take that train straight to Canterlot,” Crestfall said, confidently, as if nothing would interfere, “And then we’ll go right up to Princess Celestia, explain what the hell is going on, and enjoy some peace for once.”

“Isn’t Canterlot near Ponyville?” Dust asked, realizing something.

“Uh, sure. Why do you ask?” Crestfall asked.

“Princess Twilight lives in Ponyville, doesn’t she?”

“Does she? Hell if I know. Why’d we want her anyway? I’d rather go right up to Celestia herself.”

“Princess Twilight’s a friend of Starlight’s, I think…” Dust said, forgetting whether Starlight was truly friends with the princess any longer.

“She could help us,” Dust added. Crestfall nodded, liking the idea of a princess backing up their side of the story.

The trio rounded a corner and approached the busy Vanhoover station platforms, packed with crowds of ponies waiting in lines and shambling along with their luggage.

“I’ve never been on a train before,” Dust confessed, adding to the list of new experiences she’d accrued on this journey.

“It’s nothing special,” Elodea said, carelessly.

“I remember the first time I rode a train. Fillydelphia to Manehattan. Fantastic. Heading over rivers, past fields of grass, through mountains,’ Crestfall said, reminiscing.

“I think I’d like to get out of cities for a while,” Dust said.

“Canterlot’s a lot better than here, trust me. That’s where I was knighted, you know. It’s clean. Very clean.”

Crestfall caught sight of the ticket booth, and raised a hoof for the other two to wait.

“I’ll go pay for the tickets, you two stay here,” he said, leaving to go join a line of impatient ponies with places to be.

Elodea leaned against a nearby brick pillar, which stretched up high to hold up a large pavilion that covered the station platform. Dust marvelled at a nearby stationary train, the most technologically advanced thing she may have ever laid eyes on.

“What happens when this is all over?” Elodea asked.

Dust turned back to her friend, confused as to what set that question off.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean...Are you just going to go back to town? Go back to your old job? Your old life?”

Dust hesitated. She hadn’t really thought about what came after this.

“I don’t know...I liked my old life...Maybe not my job...but I liked my friends, and my parents, and...well I guess it won’t be the same anymore...Starlight probably won’t come back, and Jackpot, he’s...you know. I don’t know, El...What about you?”

Elodea smiled, having already thought over the question in her head.

“I want a new start. Somewhere else, somewhere better. I want to be free, and far away…”

Dust recalled Starlight and Jackpot often saying the same thing, and wondered how much of this could have been avoided if they each made different decisions.

Waiting for Dust’s response that never came, Elodea’s smile faded. Nothing in her old life was worth going back to, but then again, her future wasn’t necessarily any better. Not unless she made it so. She knew she had to change, but she wasn’t sure how.

Then something caught Dust’s eye, or rather, somepony. Across the platform, partially hidden by ponies walking by, was an earth pony, grey in color with lighter head of hair. He was leading a group of about five similarly rough-looking stallions, all crowding around a single piece of luggage: a large, wooden box, that resembled a coffin more than any kind of suitcase. The box was being loaded into a compartment of the train, stowed away in a dense city of boxes and cases.

Dust recognized the pony instantly. He was one of the rotten ones, who had dragged her down one of those dark hallways, giggling as he held her down for his cronies to take turns on her, him only getting his chance when the meanest, largest ones were finished. He had a hooked nose, and one eye that was practically bulging out of its socket. She knew him right away, and then it dawned on her what was in that pony-sized crate he was carrying.

“Dust?” Elodea asked, having noticed Dust turn pale, her gaze fixed on something in the distance.

“Dust, what’s wrong?” Dust asked, nervously. It seemed as if Dust’s mind had left her, an empty husk of fear and anguish.

Dust couldn’t stop staring at the pony, her mind consumed with anger, and a desire for revenge. Until, Elodea grabbed a hold of her and spun her around. Dust screamed, startling Elodea, who let go instantly.

“Dust! What’s wrong?!”

“I...They’re here!”

“What? Who’s here?” Elodea asked.

“Those ponies…” Dust said, panicking. She wanted revenge, badly, but faced with her foes in the flesh, she couldn’t quite handle the pressure.

“Those ponies?”

Dust nodded, holding back tears.

“They’re on our train?”

“I think so.”

Crestfall returned just as Dust was wiping her eyes of the tears. Not well enough though, as Crestfall immediately saw what was happening.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re here.”

Crestfall stood aloof for a few moments before he realized what she meant. A wide, excited smile soon grew on his face.

“This is our chance. Starlight’s here?”

“I think so. They’ve got her in the luggage compartment…” Dust said.

“Are you alright?” Crestfall asked, sympathetically, noticing how shaken up Dust was.

“Ok, soldier boy, what’s the plan then?” Elodea asked, trying to distract him from Dust’s emotional breakdown.

“Well, that depends. Is the unicorn there? Ruby Heart?”

Elodea glanced at Dust, who shook her head.

“I didn’t see her.”

“We’ll take that as a no,” Crestfall concluded.

“W-wait! You have to promise that if we rescue her, you’ll still go with us to Canterlot, and let us talk to Princess Celestia, or Twilight, or somepony…”

Crestfall didn’t answer right away, worrying Dust, though he eventually gave in and nodded his head. It was hard to refuse Dust.

“That’s alright with me.”

“Thank you,” Dust said.

Crestfall raised the tickets and handed one to each of the mares.

“Come on, before they leave without us.”

The trio walked towards the train door, where a line was filing through.

“Now, Dust, you point these ponies out for us...Then we’ll deal with them.”

“Will that involve causing a scene?” Elodea asked, skeptical of Crestfall’s skill with crafting a plan.

“If Dust recognized them, then they’ll recognize us...We’ve got to get the jump on them. Force them to take us to Starlight, and get her loose,” Crestfall said.

“Alright...Just don’t knock yourself out this time,” Elodea said, half-jokingly. Crestfall smiled back, as they made it to the ticket collector pony. Crestfall handed the pony their tickets, slowly, peeking inside the train to try and get a sense of the layout.

They boarded the train, Crestfall motioning for Dust to locate the ponies. From the entrance door, there was another train car directly to their left. Dust looked in both the car they were in and the one next door, and saw four of the ponies they were after, crowded around seats next to the door that led to the luggage compartment.

Dust nodded in the direction of the ponies, and Crestfall quickly led them the opposite way, sitting them all down in a booth near the door, the wall of the car hiding them from the ponies in the left train car. Both Dust and Elodea were confused, but went along with it, as they were beginning to hold up the line.

“Why are we over here, if they’re over there,” Elodea hissed, as she sat down next to Dust, both of them facing a confident Crestfall.

“I told you, we’ve got to surprise them. We’ll hide over here, and wait for the right moment.”

“Why not now?”

“Wait for the train to start...we don’t want too big of an audience.”

Dust avoided taking another look back at the ponies, who she was facing away from. The knowledge that Starlight was on this very train was exciting, and Dust hoped they would all end up alive and together again.

“They didn’t check your bag for weapons?” Elodea asked Crestfall, skeptically.

“Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t...There wasn’t any patrol out today, probably because they’re out there in the city, searching for us.”
“Just what exactly did you do to get the entire police against you?” Dust asked, incredulously.

“I got that file. That’s our evidence for Princess Celestia. Now see, we’ve got two problems to sort out once we get there...Ruby Heart and her band of murdering douchebags, and your dear friend Starlight, who still stands accused of every heinous crime in the book.”

“Fine. She’s innocent, and I can prove it.”

“How’s that?” Crestfall asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Everypony says she’s been off murdering and burning down cities for the past couple months? That’s bull. She’s been living in my old town all that time. I know, because that’s how we met.”

Crestfall raised an eyebrow.

“You think one pony’s testimony is gonna save your friend? There’s hundreds...hell, maybe thousands of ponies in Equestria who could take one look at her and say, “Yes, that’s the pony that killed my family and destroyed my livelihood.”

“Hey, can we talk about this another time? The train’s leaving...We’ve got to get ready,” Elodea said.

Dust glanced out the window, just as the sound of a pumping engine and the turning of wheels signaled the train was beginning to take off. She watched the world outside begin to move on by. She was having the time of her life, though the other two found it completely benign.

“Dust, take this,” Crestfall said, nudging her with something under the table.

Dust backed up in her seat and glanced down beneath the table to see what he was handing her, a crossbow, burnt at the edges, rough for wear.

“That...that’s Jackpot’s…” Dust said, remorsefully.

“I got it from that shack you burned down, Counterfeit’s mate had a hold of it.”

“I...I can’t use this...I don’t even know how.”

“It don’t take much, just squeeze the trigger, load the bolt. Repeat.”

Dust reluctantly held onto the weapon, if only to have a piece of Jackpot’s memory with her.

At a certain point, all three ponies had a mutual feeling: it was time.

But, just as Crestfall began to stand up, he froze in his tracks, as he heard the door at the other end of the train car swing open. He sat back down, and the other two did the same, deciding to wait for a more opportune moment.

Crestfall sighed, annoyed, and then noticed Dust and Elodea’s eyes widened in fear.

“What?” he asked, nervously, turning his head to see what had them spooked.

“Don’t turn around,” Dust said, nervously.

Crestfall shut his mouth and avoided turning, wondering who it could be that had thrown them into such a fuss.

“Soldiers. Three of them,” Elodea whispered.

Crestfall sighed. Of course there had to be a complication.

“Are they coming this way?” he asked, pretending to be reading a two-day old newspaper he had taken from the seat next to him.

“They’re standing around, talking. They’re...I think they’re going through everypony, asking questions,” Elodea said, watching the group of soldiers interrogate a small family at the other end of the train car.

“They’ll get here eventually,” Dust said, “What do we do?”

“We can make it to the next car, and try locking the door.” Crestfall said.

“Won’t we need a key?”

“I’ll get the door locked. You two focus on those ponies, got it?” Elodea said. She was beginning to feel the nervousness too.

The ponies each prepared themselves, before they all stood up at once, slowly. Elodea and Crestfall were both carrying their bags, holding off from revealing their weapons yet.

Across the train car, one of the soldiers, a mossy green pegasus with crew cut and an eager young face, Slick Sleeve, noticed the trio rise from their seat, and, after a closer look, his brain went on high alert.

“Hey!”

The other two soldiers both raised their heads in alarm, and then noticed Lance Crestfall attempting to sneak out through the train car door, hidden between Dust and Elodea. Spice, the light brown earth pony with chocolate brown hair hidden beneath her helmet, was one of the soldiers, and the other, Pink Mist, a young, hot-headed new recruit, pink pegasus with golden blonde hair that wove around her shoulder.

“Crestfall!” Slick yelled, though Crestfall ignored him.

The soldiers all flew into a sprint towards the door, Elodea slamming it closed just in time. She broke off the handle with a hammer from her bag, and began screwing in a makeshift brace using some scrap metal.

Crestfall ignored the soldiers’ pounding on the door, as he and Dust stood tall in the train car walkway. The ordinary ponies sitting in the train, including a few small children, stayed in their seats, confused and afraid.

At the other end, the four ponies all slowly rose to their hooves. The one with the grey hair and light, wispy hair, Pike, recognized all three of the ponies as none other than the escaped prisoners.

“Well well, here I was thinking you had enough already,” he said, laughing. His three companions chuckled along, revealing an assortment of weapons. One little filly in one of the train car seats screamed in fright at the sight of the frightfully large metal weapons in each of the ponies’ hooves.

While Elodea struggled to lock the door as the soldiers tried to force their way inside, Crestfall took out his spear from the duffel bag, letting the ponies at the end of the train car get a good look at it.

“Now...we don’t want to be stirring up some sort of problem in front of all these lovely ponies, do we?” Crestfall asked rhetorically, “So listen to me...Those soldiers, outside, currently trying to get in here? Well see, unluckily for both of us, they’re getting in here eventually. And when they find out who you work for, and who you’ve got hidden away in that room behind you, there ain’t nopony who’s gonna get you out of it...Your unicorn’s not here anymore. So why don’t you just make it easy on yourselves, and get out of the fucking away?”

Dust noticed Crestfall’s energy increase, undoubtedly preparing for a fight, and hoped this confrontation wouldn’t escalate too far.

The four ponies stared him down for a few moments, before Pike burst into laughter, the others following suit.

“Is that right? Pal, it ain’t us them soldiers there are after. No, that would be you, wouldn’t it. As far as we, or they, or anypony here should be concerned, you’re just some lunatic pony on the run from the cops. So go ahead. Spill some blood. That’ll do you some good.”

Just as Pike finished, Elodea shrieked and fell backwards, the soldiers forcing their way through the door. Pike grinned in delight as the soldiers stood their ground against Crestfall, who kept his spear towards the thugs. Elodea stumbled to her hooves with Dust’s help, as she raised a knife towards the soldiers. Crestfall nudged Elodea for them to switch places. He turned to face the soldiers, who were glaring at him with an unbridled fury. He was nervous, but felt a bit more relieved, when he saw that he knew all three of them, decently enough that he may be able to convince them to let him off the hook.

“Spice, Slick, Pink…” Crestfall said, politely.

“Crestfall, it’s over. Drop it. You’re coming with us,” Spice commanded, firmly.

Crestfall heard Dust’s nervous, quick breaths, and he felt even more on edge. Not only were they surrounded on both sides by ponies who wanted them dead, but there was the additional obstacle of fighting them off without harming any of the innocent pony onlookers sitting in the booths on either side. The pony spectators were all silent, most hoping that whatever was happening would end without any need for violence.

“Now, guys, I know you’ve got your orders, but-” Crestfall began.

“But nothing! Drop it! Now!” Pink yelled, unyieldingly.

“Look, I’m in a very unpleasant situation right now, and the least you could do for me, is just listen. Ok? Is that enough?”

Spice, who was standing in the middle of the trio of soldiers, hesitantly loosened her hostile stance.

“The orders are to execute you, do you know that?” Spice said.

“Go figure,” Crestfall said, in disbelief that if he was to die, it would be his own friends, his own partners killing him. “Spice, you’d never do that...” he said, laughing, hoping she wouldn’t.

“I don’t want to, but the orders are-”

“And Slick...how many missions have we gone on together, huh? What’s all that worth?”

“Don’t try and-”

“And Pink! Pink, who took you under his wing, for the love of Luna!”

Pink hesitated too, having been in conflict to begin with.

“Do you really think I’d betray you all, for whatever story Stride’s cooked up?! He wants me dead alright, because I’ve got something he wants…”

Spice’s confidence in going through with Crestfall’s arrest was already weak, but now she was extremely doubtful of his guiltiness, given how strange she had already found Gallant Stride’s unforgiving request.

“Those ponies, behind me? They’re the ones you should be after...Slick, don’t give me that look, just listen to me...They’ve got a pony in that luggage room back there! Alright? Go see for yourself!”

The ponies in their seats all looked over at Pike and his measly trio of unhygienic, brutish ponies, and decided maybe Crestfall was right about them.

“Crestfall, I don’t want to hurt you...But you’ve got to come with us...You can clear everything up at the station,” Spice said.

Crestfall sighed, seeing he had barely gotten through to them.

“No...I don’t think I can do that.”

“Crestfall, you can’t be serious,” Spice said, realizing he was preparing to fight all three of them.

Crestfall gripped his spear and continued holding it towards them. The soldiers were fuming, buried in conflict over whether to go through with fighting him.

Elodea felt Crestfall tighten up behind her, and brought herself into an attack position as well. She glanced at Dust, whose hooves were shaking with Jackpot’s crossbow. Elodea gently grabbed her by the wrist to comfort her.

“El, I don’t know how to-” Dust began, panicked.

“You’ll know what to do,” Elodea said, and indeed, Dust felt like she might.

This was what she needed.

Crestfall and Elodea weren’t liking their odds. Whether they were fighting the soldiers or the thugs, it wouldn’t be an easy fight. Dust was only concerned with one thing, and that was revenge.

Pink Mist attacked first, which Crestfall had expected, blocking her swinging blade right as the other two soldiers lunged towards him.

Elodea nodded to Dust and began approaching Pike and his sore gang of thugs, who weren’t expecting much from the pink earth pony.

It wasn’t Elodea who landed the first blow, however, neither was it Pike. It was Dust, firing a single arrow bolt straight through one of the thugs’ legs. Pike watched his companion collapse to the ground, shouting in pain, while the pony bystanders screamed in horror.

Elodea was a bit shocked to see Dust take such initiative, but there was no time for celebration. She ran straight for Pike, but was tackled by another pony before she could reach him. She slashed her knife across his stomach, throwing him off of her, just as the club of another pony came down towards her head. She threw herself out of the way, and again had to dodge another swing of the club.

While Elodea was avoiding having her skull crushed open, Dust was reloading the crossbow as quickly as she could, while Pike began walking towards her. He grabbed the crossbow and smacked her across the head with it, knocking her to the floor. Elodea saw this, still struggling with the club-wielding pony.

“Dust!” she cried, mustering up some adrenaline to trip the pony, steal his club, and whack him over the head with it. She ran for Dust, but was thwarted again, by the last pony of the four, wrapping his arm around her neck and choking her. Uncontrollably, she dropped the club, now unarmed as she desperately tried to fight back against the pony’s strong grip.

Dust reached for her aching head and drew back some blood, frightening her. She crawled backwards away from Pike, who was smiling as he did what she couldn’t and reloaded the crossbow.

“It’s a shame...Captain wants you all dead...But I’d much rather have liked to keep you,” he said, his lips curling into a wicked smile.

“Oh well. Guess I can always keep the body around. For fun,” he said, snickering, already concocting the scenario in his head. Surely, Ruby Heart would let him keep Dust as a trophy once he made it to Ponyville, once his mission was a success. He would much rather have Dust alive to himself, but Ruby's will came first, and Ruby wanted her, and the other two pests, dead as dirt.

Dust was breathing heavily, completely helpless on the floor as he raised the crossbow towards her.

She fully expected to be killed right at that moment, until a knife found itself in Pike’s shoulder. He dropped the crossbow, yelling in shock. It belonged to Crestfall, who had managed to throw it just in time to save Dust.

Crestfall had his own problems to deal with though, as three highly-trained soldiers repeatedly tried to kill him. Grunting with every block of the blade, he put all his concentration into avoiding being cut by any of his opponent’s rage-fueled strikes. Spice and Pink were attempting to stick him with a spear, while Slick meant to cut him open with a sword. Crestfall wondered if one day they may all laugh about this, that was, if he survived. He was constantly blocking and pushing away the soldiers’ attacks, avoiding making any offensive moves himself. Though, given he was outnumbered, and had already sustained some injuries from the warehouse escape, he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d last.

Pink eventually did make her mark, slashing across Crestfall’s leg with her spear. At last, Crestfall had become fed up, whacking Pink in the face with the butt of his spear, and hammering Spice over the head. While the other two recovered, it was up to Slick to hold Crestfall off, though the disgraced knight wasn’t playing around any longer. He managed to cut into Slick’s hoof, causing him to drop his sword. Crestfall took flight, and kicked Slick into the door at the other end.

Crestfall smiled, triumphant, and tried to turn around to help the others, until Pink and Spice came at him again, distracting him once more.

The pony bystanders would much rather have preferred to have exited this train car, if not for the soldiers having locked the door behind them in an attempt to prevent Crestfall from escaping. Instead, they were forced to watch the ponies try to kill each other, constantly fearing for their own safety as ponies and weapons were thrown around the room. . .

Picking up Jackpot’s crossbow, Dust walked up to Pike, who was leaning against the wall of the train car, Crestfall’s knife still lodged deep in his chest. He was bleeding out, and would undoubtedly meet with his demise soon enough. She hesitantly raised the crossbow towards his head, wondering whether all the pain in her heart would disappear if she could rid the world of this one pony. He seemed pathetic, though, in a puddle of his own blood, and Dust pitied him, despite the horrible things he had done to her. She lowered the crossbow, sighing, deciding she wasn’t a killer, and that it wasn’t right to go through with murder, even for the lowest scum of the world.

“Whore.”
She stared into Pike’s eyes, disgusted with him. She said nothing, and then noticed that Elodea was losing the fight with the brawny pony whose arm was around her neck. Dust knew she had to do something, fast

As Dust ran off to help Elodea, Pike began laughing, which turned into coughing, as he had to accept that his end was drawing near. Even though he was facing a painful end, he was comforted knowing that he wouldn’t have to face Ruby Heart’s retribution.

“Hey!” Dust yelled, at the pony who was currently strangling Elodea. He looked up from Elodea’s bright-red, air-deprived face, and received a quick blow to the head from Dust, who had picked up the club Elodea had dropped. He fell to the floor, unconscious, dropping Elodea, who gasped for air.

“Dust...you saved me…” Elodea said, panting like it was her first breath.

Dust helped Elodea to her hooves, and the two looked back on Crestfall, who had endured several injuries during his fight with the three ponies.

“I’ll help him, you get Starlight,” Elodea said, taking one last deep breath before she could consider herself ready to fight once more. Dust nodded, stepping over some of the downed ponies and reaching for the handle.

Elodea scurried off to Crestfall’s aid, taking on Pink, while Spice switched between enemies to fight. Crestfall was already tired, and was beginning to consider going all out and ending this already, killing all three of the soldiers and getting out of here. But, that wouldn’t be right, and these were his friends, too. Once Starlight was freed, he hoped, things would calm down and make more sense.

Dust opened the door at the end of the train car, and jumped back in surprise, finding a large separation between her car and the one next door, the luggage compartment where Starlight was supposed to be stored. There was a small step that extended out of the train car, and another on the opposite door on the luggage car. She could try and jump, but was terrified of falling.

Her friend’s life was on the line though, which called for extreme measures. Taking a few deep breaths, she backed up and ran straight for the opposite step. She made it, and in fact she overcalculated the length of the jump, smashing right through the luggage car door. The door was unlocked, causing her to tumble directly through it, landed in a pile of suitcases.

She pulled herself out, relieved that she ended up unharmed.

“Well well, look who it is…”

Dust froze at the sound of a deep voice, coming from just a few feet in front of her. It was another of Pike’s thugs, smiling down at her with glee, holding a large spiked club to her throat. She raised her hooves up to surrender, unsure what else to do. The stallion was now joined by another, this one lankier, with large eyes.

“Don’t move, bitch, or I’ll cut your throat open.”

Dust gulped, silent with her hooves raised at chin-level, as the other pony laughed.

“Come to save your little friend, eh? Or did you mean to join her?” the deep-voiced stallion said, laughing.

Dust’s eyes wandered towards the luggage car door, where she could see into the train car she was previously in. Crestfall and Elodea were still putting up a desperate fight against the soldiers, and by now all five of them were becoming fatigued. Both stallions noticed Dust’s change in attention, and turned to see what she was looking at. Seeing her opportunity, she grabbed the club by the shaft and forced it around into the lanky stallion’s leg. He hollered and fell to the floor, crying in pain. The deep-voiced stallion let go, confused as to what had happened, while Dust went to attack him, throwing every suitcase she could lift at him. He was distracted long enough for Dust to run off in search of Starlight, though the compartment was too dark to see much, especially once she had run off from the light of the doorway.

Dust felt around every piece of luggage for something that resembled the coffin-like box she saw earlier, but found nothing.

“Very clever.”

The stallion had her by the neck in no time, hoisting her up in the air, effectively hanging her with his hoof. She grabbed his arm to try and loosen his grip, but he was too strong. He carried her back towards the door, and then threw her to the ground, hard, knocking the wind out of her.

While she struggled to breathe, she gasped in shock at the sight of the lanky pony dead, presumably murdered by the deep-voiced stallion for no apparent reason, the spiked club stuck in his head.

She tried to pick herself up, checking for where the other pony was. She saw him outside the car, fiddling with the coupling link connecting the two train cars. Realizing the others would be stranded, she made one last attempt to stop him, jumping up and charging towards him.

He was waiting for her, however, jumping out of the way just as she dove for the center coupling, which he had just detached. He climbed back into the luggage car, while Dust tried holding onto both car latches as they began to drift apart. The stallion smiled at her as she desperately held on.

“Bon voyage,” he called out, as the car finally came to a slow halt, the luggage compartment and the rest of the train continuing off into the wilderness.

The rest of the train, Dust at the very front, was now stranded in the middle of a large grassy plain, far from any sign of civilization. Dust was greatly impressed by the view, but knew there wasn’t time to go sightseeing. She climbed back into the now-stationary train car, where Elodea and Crestfall were waiting. Elodea had her hoof on Pink’s neck, Slick was keeled over, unconscious in the corner of the car, and Spice was buried in a headlock, courtesy of Crestfall.

“They got away?”

Dust nodded, defeatedly.

Crestfall cursed their luck, throwing Spice to the floor. He wasn’t really choking her, merely holding her still, yet she was still gasping for air, exhausted after a long and wearisome fight.

Crestfall noticed the fearful eyes of the innocent pony train riders, who hoped they all weren’t next on these crazy ponies’ list of targets.

“Everypony, I...sincerely apologize for all this...Canterlot isn’t too far...We’ll all walk there, me and my...associates here,” Crestfall said, kicking Spice in the hip, “Will escort you all.”

Elodea walked up to Dust, who was visibly distressed over having lost Starlight.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’ll find her, I promise...We got pretty close this time, didn’t we?”

Dust sighed, wondering whether that was their last chance, that they had blown it for good.

The ponies began to exit the train car, as did the herds of ponies in the eight other train cars linked behind them, all confused. Crestfall motioned to some of them to help carry the defeated soldiers outside, into the grass.

Spice and Pink were still awake, groaning in discomfort, having taken a severe beating at Crestfall and Elodea’s hooves.

Dust, Elodea, and Crestfall sat down on the grass outside near the soldiers, while the pony travelers stood around, discussing their situation.

“Way to go. You’ve doomed Equestria,” Elodea said, sarcastically, in Spice’s face. Spice glanced at Crestfall, confused.

“Ok...You win...Now tell me what this is all about.”

“It’s highly confidential,” Crestfall said.

“Highly confidential,” Elodea repeated.

“As in, it’s only between the three of us here,” Crestfall continued.

“That’s right, the three of us,” Elodea said.

“So if I’m to tell you...you have to promise to not stab me in the back on the way to Canterlot…”

Slick had woken up from his ache-filled daze, having heard the few last bits of conversation.

“I think you gave me a concussion…”

“Good, it’s what you deserve, you traitorous, filthy animal,” Crestfall said.

Spice rolled her eyes.

“All these ponies here...they’re going to need us to protect them on the way to Canterlot...I want to trust you to help us do that, but I need your word…” Crestfall said.

“Word on what? That we’ll join your little troop of criminals?” Pink spat, disgusted with Crestfall’s proposition.
“I am not a criminal,” Dust said, defensively.

The soldiers all turned to Elodea, who seemed completely indifferent to what they thought of her.

“Oh, no, I am.”

“She is. But I am not.” Dust reiterated.

“Forget all that! Think about all these innocent ponies! Only together, can we save them from whatever dangers lie ahead!” Crestfall exclaimed.

The soldiers, collectively, to their annoyance, saw no other option.

“Fine. We’ll get along until we get to Canterlot. But once we get there, oh boy, you’re in for it,” Slick said.

“Crestfall! What is this all about?” Spice asked again, feeling entitled to an answer.

“You can’t tell anypony else about this…”

“Ok,” Spice replied.

“Alright, see, that...you totally don’t mean that. You’re doing that thing, with your face. When you lie.”

“No I’m not.”

“You just did it again….Alright, whatever, by now I’m done for anyway…”

“Wait, let me say it. You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Dust interjected.

“Does he ever?” Elodea said, smiling.

“Those ponies on the train, the ones we meant to catch...They ponynapped a friend of mine, Starlight Glimmer.”

“Starlight?” Spice yelled.

“Glimmer?” Slick added, equally shocked.

“Ok, look, I know you probably think she’s terrible, but I’m promising you, she’s not...She’s being set up, she isn’t the one responsible for all those horrible things...Those ponies on the train still have her, they took her off.”

“Ok...that doesn’t explain why the Commander wants you dead in a ditch,” Spice said, nodding towards Crestfall.

“Because I’ve got this,” Crestfall said, retrieving the file on Ruby Heart he escaped with from the police station. He showed each of the soldiers the file, each one confused.

“What’s so special about that? Ruby Heart? Never heard of her,” Slick said, unimpressed.

“You might not’ve, but Stride sure has. He wanted me to destroy it, and I elected not to. He’s in cahoots with her, I think. He’s got to be, because boy does he want me dead, and this file here back in his pocket...So, are you with me now?”

“I don’t know…” Pink muttered, the other two similarly skeptical.

“We were heading to Canterlot, before we got sidetracked, to tell all this to Princess Celestia....”

The soldiers all glanced at each other.

“When we get to Canterlot, we’ll sort this all out,” Spice said, bringing a smile to Crestfall’s face. He left the soldiers alone to find Elodea and Dust standing together nearby, comforting each other over their recent loss.

“You guys ok?”

“Are your friends helping us?”

“Maybe...Dust, you alright?”

“I’m ok...Thanks for saving me back there,” Dust said, remembering she had almost been killed today.

“Don’t mention it...I’m glad you’re both ok…”

“How far’s Canterlot from here?” Elodea said, ignoring his concern, though she did appreciate it.

“Not sure...All we have to do is follow the train tracks. Shouldn’t take us more than a day, if all goes well.”

Elodea nodded, and then noticed Dust hanging her head in misery once again.

“Dust...We did everything we could...We’ll find her eventually.”

“Especially when we have Canterlot backing us up,” Crestfall added.

“Right...Everything will be alright, Dust, I promise,” Elodea said, consolingly.

Dust smiled, hoping that promise would come true.

Chapter Fifteen: Royalty

As Twilight Sparkle’s eyes opened after a long nap in her bedroom, and the familiar sights of Ponyville greeted her from outside her window, she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. When she had left Canterlot in search of Chrysalis, she intended on returning home like the hero she had once been thought of as, ponies everywhere cheering her name, celebrating the end of Chrysalis’ reign of terror. Of course, that was just a fantasy.

Outside the uninvitingly cold walls of Twilight’s castle, Ponyville was cast in a grey misery. Most ponies refused to even leave their homes. What was the point? Any day now, Chrysalis could come and kill them all. It was only a matter of time.

Somehow, word had spread around town that Twilight had failed to catch Chrysalis, and that the dreaded changeling queen was currently on the loose somewhere in Equestria, in possession of a weapon of mass destruction.

While the town stood still, waiting for Chrysalis’ wrathful arrival, Twilight was in her castle, staring out the window at nothing in particular. She was in turmoil, doubting whether she had ever really been the hero these ponies once thought she was, that maybe she had just gotten lucky all those times.

But what did she have to be angry about anyway?

She had friends, good friends at that, lived a pampered life in a castle with all sorts of luxuries and conveniences, and had the respect of everypony who knew her name. She was idolized all across the nation, as being flawless, a heroic protector of the realm, a hero. So what could possibly be the issue?

Twilight wasn’t desperate to be seen as a hero. She resented the attention, in fact, and only really cared about ensuring everypony’s happiness and safety. Of course, the way that everypony else showed their appreciation for her was typically in the form of wealth and splendor, which Twilight was forced to accept. Twilight had never been crazy about owning a castle, she much rather preferred the simple house she once had, prior to its unfortunate destruction. She wasn’t much of a fan of the ridiculous ornateness of Celestia and Luna’s Canterlot palace, despite how much it excited her when she was younger. Being a princess was supposed to mean more than owning a fancy castle and living a life of luxury. So many ponies had been killed during Chrysalis’ rampage, and yet Celestia and Luna only decided to officially intervene once the death toll passed five hundred. Twilight knew she wasn’t any better, for letting her melancholy over Starlight’s loss distract her from the lingering threat of Chrysalis. How much was her title, or her reputation, or any of that worth, if she couldn’t even stop one pesky changeling?

Her descent into madness may have begun with losing Starlight, but it went far deeper than that. All of her responsibilities that she had accumulated after all this time, had overwhelmed her to the point of questioning whether she was worthy of them in the first place. If she wasn’t capable, why was she a princess at all? It didn’t make sense to her. Why should any one pony be idolized to the extent she had been? She was just as capable of making mistakes as any other pony, so what made her different?

What was for sure, was that Equestria was in complete disarray. And whether or not Twilight thought she deserved her responsibilities, she still had to stick to them. She was still a princess, and though the situation was grim, hope was not lost.

She still had a job to do.

Twilight rounded up her friends, including Spike, to return to Canterlot, to learn of any updates on Chrysalis and Starlight’s situations. All of the ponies were looking cleaner than they had yesterday, finally getting a chance to bathe after weeks of roughing it in the wild.

“Princess Cadance has probably got her in chains by now,” Applejack said, jovially. They all hoped that was true, though considering how evasive that changeling was, it was unlikely.

“They might already be in Canterlot waiting for us,” added Fluttershy, slightly nervous about the possibility of seeing Chrysalis again, even if she was imprisoned. Chrysalis carried something with her, something that stunk of death, and everything that made ponies wince in discomfort.

“Good. I’d like to say a few things to her,” Rainbow said, gritting her teeth, recalling their earlier failed attempt at capturing her.

“Don’t count on it, if Cadance and Shining Armor have Chrysalis, they’ll still take a while to make it all the way down here…” Twilight said, trying to calm the rowdy Rainbow Dash, who was darting around the air, excited to confront Chrysalis.

The ponies arrived at Canterlot, which was a bit more lively than Ponyville, but not by much. Twilight and her friends were a regular sight in Canterlot, so their arrival wasn’t treated with much fanfare, compared to the no-name towns they had stopped at along their recent travels.

“I need to speak with Celestia,” Twilight said, to a startled royal guard sitting behind a desk near the entrance inside the palace. The guard’s disinterested eyes told her no before he even opened his mouth.

“She can’t see anypony right now,” he said, blandly.

“Why not?” Twilight demanded.

“She’s having a very important meeting with some ambassadors from Yakyakistan, she won’t be available for another few hours, I’m sorry to say,” the guard replied, pretending to be apologetic for the sake of cordiality.

Twilight sighed, annoyed, and glanced back at her friends, who all collectively motioned for her to continue pressing the guard.

“Fine. Do you know if Princess Cadance and my brother have arrived back here yet?”

“No, they haven’t. Were they supposed to? I don’t have them down for an appointment…” the guard responded, confused.

Twilight shook her head, slightly worried that something had gone wrong.

I shouldn’t have left them to fight her alone.

“What about Luna? Is she gone too?”

“Afraid so...In Vanhoover,” the guard answered, seemingly almost enjoying giving Twilight bad news.

“Vanhoover?”

“After that pony, Glimmer. Princess Luna had a run-in with her in Saddleopolis, pursued her to Vanhoover.”

“Right.”

“You can’t take a train there, though, not to Vanhoover. Incident on the railway yesterday, that’s what they’ve said.”

“An incident?”

“Yeah, an accident. About fifty ponies got stranded in the middle of nowhere. They just sent out a company of troops to escort them a couple hours ago.”

Twilight couldn’t see how the two events, Starlight being in Vanhoover and this Vanhoover train accident, weren’t related.

“Well, then...Thank you, no need to tell Celestia I was here.”

The guard tilted his head, confused, while Twilight turned and led her friends away.

“Um, Twilight, where are we going?” Fluttershy asked.

“You all stay here, I’m going to see what happened to that train...Starlight’s got to have something to do with it,” Twilight replied.

The others all shared a look of concern.

“Are you sure we can’t come too?!” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah, I can keep up,” Rainbow said, boastfully.

“Just stay here, I’ll be back in no time,” Twilight said. She had to do this herself.

Violet awoke suddenly, doused with a bucket of ice-cold water. She frantically gasped for air, disoriented and now freezing cold.

“What the hell!?” she yelled, furious, finding her arms chained together and raised up in the air, her legs locked tight as well. Across from her was Chrysalis in a similar predicament. They were in a jail cell, a large, unhappy dark red stallion standing near them. He tossed the empty bucket of water to the side, and made way for another pony to enter.

“I’ve got to say, this is a strange one.”

It was the mayor, Violet recalled, the one who had stolen the priceless Queen’s Jewel, the one responsible for their current incarceration. To Chrysalis, he was more or less a stranger. A blue stallion with grey-white hair and a prominent white mustache. His eyes were deep and calculating, and his face was stern with disapproval.

He walked past the buff stallion, stopping right in front of the two prisoners.

“I’m in bewilderment....there I was, enjoying a night of relaxation, resting, when I’m introduced to you. A pony of strange looks and of stranger origin. A pony who cannot tell me exactly where she has come and exactly to where she is going. And I say to myself, now this is odd. What would drive a pony to such...ambiguity.”

His eyes dropped downwards, as he revealed the spectacular green gemstone from his satchel, pawing at it with his hoof. The artifact had taken a hold of him, of his mind, just as it had done to Chrysalis. Both felt as if it was destined to be theirs.

“Hence, my bewilderment...But I understand now,” he whispered, staring into his own reflection in the jewel.

“You’ll do well to release us,” Violet stammered, unafraid of the mayor.

“Naturally, you’d be inclined to feel that way. I’d do well to do as I want, and what I want right now...I already have,” he said, a smile curling along his lips as he tightened his grasp on the jewel. He snapped out of his temporary delirium and stuffed the jewel back in his satchel.

“Of all fates that I thought to beset me, most I thought to be ill. But this is perhaps the blessing and reward I’ve so deserved, at last. I quite like your plan, that will now never come to fruition, as in, you turning that changeling over for a bounty? If she’s in royal chains, she must be worth something...extraordinary. And as for you, my dear, I do apologize, but...you’ve simply worn your welcome.”

The mayor nodded to the other stallion, who raised up a large axe that had been leaning against a wall, and approached Violet, who was shaking uncontrollably in fear. She wasn’t one to typically give into the pressure of a life-or-death situation, but as of now, escape seemed impossible.

“Wait! Don’t! That jewel, I-I can get you more!”

The mayor raised a hoof, fascinated by the proposition.

“There’s more than one?”

“Way more.”

“How do you know this?”

“I saw them.”

“And you did not take them?”

“I only had time to get one, I was going to sell the changeling first and then return for the others!”

The mayor stared at her, while Violet prayed he bought her story.

“Where did you find them?”

Violet laughed, shaking her head.

“You’ll have to keep me alive if you want to find them. I can take you to them.”

The mayor smiled, seeing value in the pony once again.

“Very well. We’ll-”

“Sir!”

The mayor sighed, annoyed with being cut off, turning to see a young pony rush in down the prison hallway, catching his breath as he stopped outside the bars of Violet and Chrysalis’ prison cell.

“Sir! They’re here!”

The mayor’s eye twitched, as he was clearly unprepared for this meeting. Chrysalis wondered what this was all about, and more importantly, how soon would she be able to escape.

“Flare, come with me, lock the cell,” the mayor ordered, exiting the cell while Flare, the buff red stallion, followed him, turning to lock up the prison bar door.

Once they were gone, Violet couldn’t avoid Chrysalis’ humorously judgmental glare.

“Save it. I fucked up, I know,” Violet muttered.

“All I have to do is tell them you’re lying about those other jewels, and you’re dead.”
Violet gulped, realizing she had dug herself in a rather deep hole.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because if I’m going to get out of here, I’m going to need your help,” Chrysalis said.

Violet hesitantly nodded, seeing no other option.

“Fine.”

Chrysalis smiled. She always came out on top. Soon the jewel would be hers again, and nothing could stop her from ruling Equestria with an iron fist.

“You can see out that window, right? What’s going on out there?” Violet asked.

Chrysalis realized she did indeed have a decent view out of the prison cell window, which led into the street outside. Chrysalis raised her head a little more to get a closer look. She saw a group of ponies, standing on the sandy road outside. It hit her like a brick, when she recognized one of the ponies outside, who was having some sort of conversation with the mayor and his cronies. The pony was a mare, a unicorn with a long, pale red face and narrow eyes.

“I know that pony,” Chrysalis said to herself, before slumping back down to the floor of the prison cell.

“What’s happening out there?”

“Your new friend is chatting with a pony. She’s got some other ponies with her.”

“You know one of them?”

“One...Cellestrous, that’s her name. We’ve worked together once or twice.”

“I guess she isn’t friendly then.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes.

“I don’t believe she’ll be helping us.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s not one for loyalty. And neither am I, so remember this, once we’re free, you’re to head in the opposite direction I’m heading in, and I never want to see you again.”

“Fine with me,” Violet spat back. She noticed Chrysalis’ excitement begin to fade, and wondered what exactly that pony outside had to do with this changeling.

Outside, the mayor was focusing everything he had into keeping his composure with the pony standing before him, the tall unicorn with narrow eyes, escorted by about eight equally-intimidating ponies. The mayor himself had about six ponies with him, seemingly ready for a confrontation.

“Shall we go inside?” the mayor asked, gesturing to a nearby building, the tavern he had met Violet in just last night.

Cellestrous nodded, following the mayor across the street inside.

Cellestrous and the mayor both sat down, across from one another, while everypony else remained standing, eyeing each other down from opposite sides of the room.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” the mayor said, pouring both of them a glass of cider, which she politely accepted, though did not drink.

“In fact, I think everypony here has been almost counting down the days for your arrival...I hope you had a safe trip.”

Cellestrous said nothing, and the mayor began to sweat, hoping this meeting wouldn’t be too unpleasant.

“I’ve come to repeat my offer to you,” she said, coldly, as if he should’ve already known.

He smiled and shook his head.

“I’ve told you, twice now already, I can’t,” he answered, cautiously.

“It’s different this time...An associate of mine has apprehended a pony of great value. Starlight Glimmer. With her among our ranks, Canterlot will fall.”

“It doesn’t matter who you have...You can’t take on four alicorns, you just can’t.”

“Cadance is lost somewhere in the wilderness, Luna is in Vanhoover...don’t you see this is our optimal time to strike? The crown is weak...Distracted by their arrogance, blind to what is happening in Equestria. A new power is rising, and you would be wise to become a part of it, before it’s too late…” Cellestrous said, the mayor taking her words as a threat.

The mayor said nothing, sipping at his glass, avoiding eye contact. Cellestrous sighed, having expected him to back down from joining the cause, just as he had the past times she had asked for his help.

“There’s more. A changeling, in this area. In fact, one Princess Cadance is pursuing...She is in the area, my spies have told me. She is the one you refer to as the ‘Scourge of the South’. Fooled most of Equestria, but I’ve seen right through it. Have you seen her?”

The mayor swallowed the last drops of his cider quickly, trying not to react too much to this revelation. Of course, if he was to tell her that he had Chrysalis locked up in his prison as they spoke, she would take her from him, without any compensation. He would be far better off to get the bounty, though that would mean lying to Cellestrous’ face.

“Changeling? Here? No, I think I’d remember that.”

“Any newcomers? Strangers?”

“Not recently...What do you want with her anyway?”

“Queen Chrysalis...I know what it is she’s after. A weapon of indescribable magnitude. One that would bring us great fortune in our war against the crown. A guaranteed victory. She is carrying this weapon, and she must be found.”

The mayor’s lips were quivering now, as he realized just how important the jewel he had become obsessed with was.

“So I’ll ask again...Are you sure you haven’t seen her?” Cellestrous asked, staring deep into the mayor’s eyes. He struggled to come up with a response, though Cellestrous didn’t bother to wait for one, when her horn began to glow.

A large flash of light filled the room, and nopony was sure what had happened, until their sight returned, and they saw the mayor collapse backward in his chair to the floor, a bloody hole from Cellestrous’ magical attack sending up clouds of smoke into the air.

The mayor’s guards began to panic, raising their weapons, while Cellestrous’ escorts flung themselves at them, beginning an all-out brawl.

While the ponies fought, Cellestrous stood up, poured out the glass of cider onto the floor, and bent down beside the mayor’s smoking corpse.

“Never a good liar,” she said, reaching into his satchel to retrieve the glimmering green Queen’s Jewel.

She smiled in awe at it, realizing that with the combined power of the jewel and the newly-captured Starlight Glimmer, Equestria would soon fall.

Cellestrous rose back up, just as her escorts finished off the mayor’s guards.

“Burn down this disgusting pigsty, we’re finished here.”

“And the rest of the ponies?”

“See to it they go with the town. Just another fatality of the Scourge of the South’s rampage, is what the rest of Equestria will say. Go on.”

Cellestrous’ escorts filed out of the tavern, lighting torches, not even hesitating to destroy the entire town and the ponies that dwelled in it.

In the prison cell, both Violet and Chrysalis noticed the sound of ponies struggling, deriving from the tavern outside.

“Looks like things have escalated,” Violet said.

“Good. They’re distracted. Now we’ve gotta get out of here…” Chrysalis said.

“What’s your plan?”

“Be quiet, I’m thinking.”

Violet sighed, guessing Chrysalis didn’t have a plan.

I’ve always got to be the hero.

Violet saw the bucket that Flare had thrown the water out of, still lying on the ground nearby. Swinging over with what mobility she had, after six tries she managed to stick her hooves under the thin metal handle of the bucket.

She raised it as high as she could, and then lowered it, thinking of a way to get it to her arms up above.

“What are you-” Chrysalis began, watching as Violet kicked upwards, flinging the bucket up into the air, and, just as Violet intended, on top of Violet’s bound hooves.

“Fantastic. Got anything helpful?” Chrysalis asked, unimpressed.

Violet ignored her, grabbing a hold of the thin metal handle and trying to twist it off with her hooves. After a few minutes, she succeeded.

“I’ve got it!”

“Whatever you’re doing, hurry it up…” Chrysalis said, warily, as she noticed Cellestrous’ escorts exit the tavern, seemingly eager to cause some chaos.

Violet took the loose end of the metal wire handle and began jangling it inside the keyhole to her cuffs. It was small enough to fit inside, and hopefully small enough to pry something loose.

“There!”

Her victorious celebration was cut brief, when she fell forwards on her face, her arms unexpectedly free. She picked herself up and used the wire again to pick the lock loose on her ankle cuffs. Now free, she went straight for the door to the cage, picking the lock and exiting.

“Wait!” Chrysalis yelled, angrily, believing Violet to be leaving her behind.

Violet went for the keys on the rack and undid the ring around her horn, now able to use her magic again. She went back to Chrysalis and undid all of the locks, both of them now free.

“Come on!” Violet said, pulling Chrysalis to her hooves and running for the exit.

Once out of the prison, Violet and Chrysalis were shocked to find the town in flames, ponies screaming and running for their lives.

“What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know...Come on, we’ve got to find that jewel,” Chrysalis said, phasing into a pony disguise to avoid being recognized.

The duo fled across the street to the tavern, trying their best to be inconspicuous as Cellestrous’ escorts ran amuck through the town, burning down every building in sight, killing every pony they came across.

“This is excessive, even for me,” Violet muttered, listening to the screams of a young foal be cut short by the blade of an axe.

Inside the tavern, they found a field of corpses, stabbed and thrown across overturn tables and broken glass. One of the corpses just so happened to be the mayor, his mouth hanging open, his white hair stained red with blood. There was a black hole that went straight through his forehead.

Chrysalis knelt beside the body and ruffled through his satchel, yet did not find the jewel anywhere.

“It’s gone…” she said, shocked.

“What do you mean, it’s gone?”

“She must have taken it,” Chrysalis said, her face growing increasingly angry. That jewel was rightfully hers, she had earned it after all.

“What now?” Violet asked.

Chrysalis stood up and walked right out the door, the city red with fire. Through the flames, Chrysalis saw nine ponies, strutting out of the city, content with what they had done. One pony stood out to Chrysalis, Cellestrous, her old associate, now enemy. That jewel was hers, and nopony was going to stop her from getting it.

“I’m following her. You and I have no more business together.”

“I want that jewel as much as you do,” Violet said, “You’re going to need my help if you want to get it back. Then we’ll figure something out.”

Chrysalis sighed. This pony just wouldn’t quit.

“Fine. But the jewel is mine.”

“Like I said, we’ll figure something out,” Violet said. Whatever compensation she could get from Chrysalis, whether that was the jewel or just a payment, would be satisfactory enough.

Chrysalis watched at Cellestrous and her goons disappeared into the horizon, carrying the item that was so integral to Chrysalis’ plans being fulfilled.

In the middle of nowhere, around fifty-odd ponies were trudging along through grasslands and across rivers, following the nearby train tracks all the way to Canterlot.

At the very front of the group was Lance Crestfall, who had assumed the unofficial position of leader, which none of the ponies objected to. None of them had any real idea what why they had been put in this situation, but nopony was brave enough to question Crestfall, especially while his mood was sour.

He would occasionally yell out some words of encouragement at the weary crowd of ponies following him from behind, though most of it went right over their heads. There were a few elderly ponies who had trouble with all the walking, and some foals who kept running off. Crestfall had taken it upon himself to give the old folks an occasional ride in the air to relieve them of the burden, and he would always be the one to go chase down the foals.

Elodea would be watching him as he constantly checked in with everypony in the disgruntled crowd and made sure they all kept moving. She wondered why he was even bothering. Perhaps it was just her unrelenting cynicism talking, but she fully expected Canterlot to be their final destination. She hadn’t spoken her mind too much about the current plan, mostly because she didn’t want to crush Crestfall’s vigor. Even Dust was beginning to lose hope that they would ever know peace again. Elodea figured that as soon as they’d made it to Canterlot, these ponies, who Crestfall was helping as much as he could, would turn on him in a heartbeat. He’d be tried and convicted for treason, and probably executed, considering all the blame that could be placed on him. And as for her and Dust, Elodea planned on them taking off as soon as they got to the city. She had given into Dust’s desire to save Starlight once already, but now it was officially over. Dust’s safety was her top priority.

In her experience, Elodea saw no value in doing anything on behalf of others if it didn’t mean helping herself. The world was everypony for themself, that was the only thing Elodea believed. The only other pony who she’d risk anything for was Dust, and now that they were together, Elodea wasn’t as stressed as she had been a few days ago.

She thought it to be strange then, when Elodea realized she was fixated on Crestfall, and the bizarre decisions he kept making. They could’ve just ditched all these ponies at the train car, and told them to wait for help, but instead, he wanted to be with them, to protect them from the dangers of the wilderness. Dust had no opinion, since she wasn’t much of a fighter anyway and thus had little to risk. And Elodea simply let it happen, deciding that it was Crestfall’s own life he was risking, by trusting these ponies not to double cross them as soon as they got to Canterlot. Friendship, and amiability in general, weren’t concepts that Elodea was particularly familiar with, and she was beginning to wonder what she was missing out on. What would drive a pony to risk his own safety for the benefit of others, who he had no connection to?

Crestfall clearly understood something about ponies that Elodea didn’t, and it made her itch for an answer. She had long despised cops, as a result of working on the opposite side of the law for a large portion of her life, but now that she had actually gotten to know one, she questioned whether her old mentality of distrust and selfishness held any truth to it at all.

She was drawn to him, it seemed, because he possessed something she wanted, that being hope for a better life. He was just as miserable as she was these days, if not worse off, yet he insisted that he would pull himself out of it. For Elodea, that just seemed too unrealistic. There was a voice inside her, telling her that any endeavor to help others for the sake of helping others was a waste of time, meaningless, and a good way to get herself killed. But she wasn’t happy with herself, and she wanted to change for the better. Be a pony that others could count on, and love, and care about. Being entirely independent and self-sufficient for so long was good in that she never had to worry about being betrayed, but it also made her heart empty with loneliness. She had nopony in her life except Dust, who she clung onto, because nopony had shown her any real affection besides her, not even her own parents.

While Elodea remained perplexed over Crestfall doing his best to protect the group, Crestfall was in the air, flying high above the clouds, scanning the area for any potential dangers. He wasn’t sure whether he would be able to preserve his innocence, but if he was going to be screwed over and arrested, he might as well do the best job he could to protect these ponies, while he was still free, and still had a chance to prove to himself that he could be redeemed.

Then something caught his attention, over the edge of the hills towards the north. At first, he believed what he was seeing was just something in his eye, until he saw it grow larger, and larger, and then the realization hit him. There was a new group of ponies, a lot of them, rushing towards the group at full speed. He had a grave feeling that these ponies weren’t their rescue party, and that they definitely weren’t friendly. He waited to get a better look at them, only to confirm his fears. They seemed to be raider ponies, undoubtedly having come to take advantage of the helpless ponies and murder, rape, and steal as much as they could.

Lance came crashing down to the ground, startling the ponies that he almost knocked over.

“Spice!” he bellowed, sweating, anxious as he could begin to hear the thundering of running hooves in the distance.

Spice excused herself through the crowd, adjusting her oversized helmet as she approached Crestfall.

“What?” she asked, cluelessly.

“I need you to lead everypony across that river there, keep heading east.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Just do it. Everypony! Follow this pony right here!” Crestfall yelled, as Spice hesitantly began leading the group of confused ponies towards a large river bank. She gave Crestfall one last look of concern, until she disappeared ahead of the crowd of ponies, who were shuffling on down towards the river. Crestfall had avoided having to mention they were under attack by a horde of wild murderous thieves, to prevent everypony from panicking.

Dust and Elodea both stayed where they were, wondering what the problem was. As the crowd cleared, Dust could get a better view of the hills in the distance, and then noticed what it was that had grabbed Crestfall’s attention. Raiders, just like the ones that had attacked her and Jackpot before, except now about twice as many. They were coming towards the group, at full speed, screaming and waving their weapons in the air, to frighten their prey. Slick Sleeve and Pink Mist, the other two soldiers, both still roughed up from their recent quarrel with Crestfall and Elodea, were also staying back, mouths hanging open in fear as the small army of raider ponies continued in hot pursuit.

“You two, go on with the others,” Crestfall said, commandingly, to Dust and Elodea.

“No way,” Dust said, firmly, standing her ground.

Crestfall sighed and marched right up to Dust, trying to scare her into doing what he said.

“Go. Right now.”

“Not a chance,” said Elodea sticking her head between them.

“You think you three idiots will do much good against them? You’re gonna need all the help you can get,” Elodea said, smirking. Crestfall laughed, wishing they’d have done what he’d asked, but deciding it wasn’t worth it to argue.

“Lance, what can we do?” Pink asked, overwhelmed by the imposing size of the approaching horde of ponies. The raiders’ rush towards the remaining five ponies were like chariots of thunder, tearing apart the earth as they stampede their way forward, increasing their speed and ferocity as they went. Their numbers were uncountable, their sanity questionable, and even Crestfall, who rarely admitted to the possibility of failure, saw struggling to avoid accepting that he probably wouldn’t get out of this alive.

“We can buy the others some time, is what we can do. Dust, you’ve still got that crossbow?” Crestfall asked.

Dust held the weapon up with shaky hooves, beginning to regret electing to stay and fight as the pack of raiders kept on growing in size.

“We could try leading them in a different direction,” Slick suggested.

“That won’t work, they’ll go after the others first...we’ve got to stay here and hold them off,” Crestfall said, determined. If he was going to die, he’d much rather do it in a final stand than by being executed by his own country.

“Well how the hell do you figure we do that?!” Pink yelled, distraught as the raiders were but a few hundred yards away.

Crestfall’s answer was to raise his spear up towards the enemy, Pink doing the same, nervously.

“These ponies will tear you to shreds if it means stealing every bit you have on you,” Crestfall muttered.

“Oh good, I should be fine then, I’m broke,” Elodea said, drawing her knife.

The horde of raiders was practically on top of them, when they came to a sudden halt, right before they would have run right into Crestfall and Pink’s waiting spears.

Crestfall and his defensive line of four ponies stayed as they were, confused as to why the raiders had stopped. They were outnumbered fifty to one, a crowd of ravenous, heavy-breathing, enraged ponies with slashed faces, sharp weapons, and twisted forms began to encircle them. The one raider pony at the front, a large, bearded stallion with a creased face and two differently colored eyes, took one step forward, staring right into Crestfall’s narrowed eyes.

“You’re royal,” the raider said, in disbelief, poking at Crestfall’s army spear with his own heavy club, which he used to bash ponies’ brains in.

“What a lucky find, aye, boys? Not just one royal, three,” he said, his laughter being echoed all the way back through the horde, even to those who hadn’t heard what he had said.

“My my, what’s with that sultry look on your face, boy? If you be offering yourselves up in the middle of this here valley, you’d had best come prepared with more than just five ponies…” he said again, laughing some more, “and you three will make for nice pickings in our lot...Can’t say I remember the last time any of us have been with a royal mare,” he said, a wicked smile stretching along his face, Pink cringing in fear and disgust, taking a few steps closer to Crestfall. If it came to it, she was planning on taking her own life before any of those monsters could grab a hold of her.

“Wait a minute…” said one raider pony from deeper in the crowd, who began pushing his way to the front, “I know that pony,” he said, pointing right at Dust.

The leader glanced at the other raider, confused.

“Do you now?”

“Aye, she was the one, the one I told you about...The one with the Scourge of the South! That’s her!” the raider yelled, Dust too remembering this raider as the one Starlight had spared.

Crestfall shot a quick glance at Dust, wondering at what point she had interacted with these scumbags before.

“We gotta get out of here, she’s around here, she’s got to be! It’s a set up!” the pony yelled, frantically.

While the horde began to devolve into panicked murmuring and nervous shuffling, the leader remained unimpressed.

“Is that so? Well I don’t see anything. Do you see anything? No, didn’t think so. All I see are five ponies. Five ponies, who ought to be counting their seconds.”

The raiders resumed their excited grumbling, and Dust began her nervous panicking again. For a brief moment there, she thought some sort of miracle was going to save them.

“So, if it’s alright with you all, I think I’ll have that one first,” the leader said, pointing at Crestfall, raising his club to go in for a strike.

“Stop!”

Right before the leader’s club could come down towards Crestfall’s head, nearly every raider in the first three rows of the horde fell back to the ground, as did all five of the defending ponies, all thrown back by the force of a tremendous magical blast of energy.

The leader raised a hoof to block the blinding light, emanating from some unforeseen object that had descended down from the sky between the two groups of ponies. He blinked a few times and made out that it was a pony, staring him down with fiery eyes and a sparkling horn.

“All of you, get out of here, and you’re never to bother anypony again, got it?!” the pony yelled.

The raider recognized her, gasping in terror-filled shock, slowly picking himself up, careful not to aggravate her any further.

“W-we didn’t mean to-”

“Go! Get out of here!” the pony yelled again, her voice booming, sending the raiders into a state of inescapable fear.

The leader quickly turned around and began scurrying off in the other direction, the entire horde of raider ponies eagerly following him, attempting to get as far away as possible from that pony.

Twilight Sparkle turned around at the remaining five, all lying on the grass, staring up at the alicorn, shocked by her unexpected arrival. Dust’s mouth had hit the floor, speechless. This was the pony Starlight had told her about, the benevolent princess of friendship, who had just saved her life.

“Princess Twilight,” Crestfall said, kneeling before her, Slick and Pink quickly doing the same. They were so wrapped up over Twilight rescuing them, that they had forgotten to pay her reverence.

Twilight clearly had her mind elsewhere, her eyes frantically darting back and forth between the ponies before her. Dust held off from saying anything, wondering if she was even allowed to talk freely in the presence of royalty. She wanted to say ‘thank you,’ for the rescue, but decided to wait for the princess to speak first. Elodea kept her mouth shut, also at a loss for words. She was thankful to be alive, but was beginning to fear what exactly Twilight wanted with them, considering the last alicorn princess tried to kill them.

Twilight, however, hadn’t come for conversation. In fact, she was after the same thing that the Dust, Elodea, and Crestfall were after, though none of them knew it yet.

“Where’s Starlight?”

Chapter Seventeen: Chaos At Ponyville

Pacing in circles in the practically empty throne room of her Canterlot palace, Princess Luna was unable to sit still, due to a raging headache and an intense sense of conflict. Celestia was sitting on the throne, trying to ignore her sister’s panicked pacing and enjoy a rarely experienced moment of peace.

The news had reached them just a minute ago, a royal guard scurrying through the heavy throne room gates to reveal that Twilight Sparkle and her friends had fled the city, defying a direct order from Celestia.

“Sister, do calm down,” Celestia said, calmly, having become weary with Luna’s incessant worrying.

“How am I to be calm? And why aren’t you taking this seriously?!” Luna stammered.

“I am taking this seriously. But throwing a tantrum won’t solve anypony’s problems,” Celestia retorted to her distressed sister.

“What will it look like if we let her carry on with this story of a plot against us? She’ll rile ponies up, all across Equestria! She’s so driven to believe those ponies’ story, she’s risking a state of widespread unrest and panic!”

“She’s already gone, sister. Let her do as she please, she can’t possibly make Equestria more restless than it already is, what with cities being burned and mountains of corpses being stacked all over the south. That is my priority, not whatever Twilight is so afraid of,” Celestia said.

“Surely you agree, Twilight isn’t a fool, she must believe what she’s doing is for the best. We must consider the possibility that the threat she is so afraid of is real!”

Celestia sighed, disappointed her sister had begun to sympathize with Twilight’s newest endeavor to supposedly prevent the doom of Equestria.

“No, Twilight is not a fool. Not by any stretch of the word. But she is unwell. She’s been unwell, for months now, since her pupil ran off...I don’t know whether it’s Chrysalis or Starlight behind all of this chaos, all I want is the truth. And if it is Starlight, Twilight could never come to terms with it. Of course she sided with those ponies, she’s desperate! She couldn’t possibly admit that it was her pupil responsible for so much death and pain! I sincerely hope Starlight Glimmer has not betrayed us, but I am fully prepared to deal with that situation should it become the reality. And don’t forget Twilight abandoned Cadance on their mission to hunt down the perpetrator, and now Cadance is missing as well, possibly dead!”

“Don’t you find it slightly odd? How could all of these ponies be lying, or exaggerating, or misconstruing this story? I find it all very suspicious, is all, and if Twilight is in danger, we ought to do what we can to help her,” Luna said, slightly intimidated by her sister’s brief spout of anger.

“I will not entertain this notion that a collective of ponies has been brewing in the shadows for years, waiting to undermine us. It’s preposterous. And besides, no such fighting force stuck in the underground could pose a real threat to Equestria. They would need weaponry of unimaginable magnitude to even stand a chance against our military. And these ponies, why should we be inclined to believe a single word they say? What good is the word of the traitor and his little friends? They got caught for helping Starlight, what did you expect them to do? Admit their guilt? Of course they’d come up with a story, to distract us, to scare us into doing what they say, to go easy on them.. Are we to devote resources to preparing for an imaginary war, while Starlight or Chrysalis is out ravaging Equestria? We already have a real threat to deal with, let’s not fret over baseless ones.”

“There’s something wrong about this all, sister...When I found her, Starlight I mean, back in Saddleopolis, she didn’t seem unhinged at all. She was laughing and talking with those friends of hers...I thought it was strange at first, but I ignored it and kept pursuing her. She was frightened of me, and confused. I tried to kill her...And now we still intend to do so, with or without Twilight’s consent...And that soldier is being executed...there’s going to be so much death. It’s upsetting. Not to mention, how could it be she was stirring up trouble in two places at once? That kind of magic, at such tremendous distances, it’s unprecedented, even for a unicorn as capable as Starlight...What if we’re wrong?”

Celestia turned her head away from her troubled sister, her eyes fixing on the shaded light crawling through the stained glass windows that decorated the walls. She had her own misgivings about executing ponies, as it was an extremely rare practice in Equestria. The last execution hadn’t been for at least two hundred years, probably more, though neither sister could quite recall. Yet, if Starlight was truly the monster everypony thought she was, who better to reignite the practice?

Before Celestia could come back with an answer to Luna’s concerns, the throne room doors opened, and in walked Gallant Stride, his thick white mustache bobbing up and down every step. Earlier that day, he had heard about Crestfall’s attempt to head for Canterlot, and so went there himself a bit earlier, to warn the princesses of the threat soon to walk through their doors.

“Your highnesses,” Stride said, giving a half-sincere bow of respect.

“Yes, Commander?” Celestia said, politely, trying to mask her annoyance.

“We’ve gone through an extensive interrogation process with the traitor and his companion about this ludicrous rebellion story, and I can’t say I’ve found anything concrete.”

“You were the sole supervisor of these interrogations? Where was the warden?” Celestia asked, confused.

“I didn’t conduct the interrogations, no. I was the acting chief administrator of the evidence review process, your highnesses, it’s why I’m here now, to report to you.”

“And what? Their stories don’t match?” Celestia asked.

“Not only that, but they’ve both been referencing ponies that don’t exist. There’s absolutely no record of who they’re talking about. It is my belief that they’ve concocted this entire story, as a ploy to receive a lighter sentence, and paint themselves as some sort of heroes.”

Celestia shot a smug look of content towards Luna, who still seemed skeptical.

“You’re saying there’s no evidence of any threat?”

“Not based on anything they said, and regardless, I think it’s obvious to all of us that this is just a trick to gain sympathy...They’re afraid. And the traitor most of all, the filthy rat,” Stride spat.

“And what of the pony you said he was working with?” Luna asked.

“Counterfeit, you mean...Yes, it’s clear that Crestfall was working with him...I’m afraid that all evidence suggests Crestfall murdered Counterfeit, burned him alive, in fact, before the body was lost to the sea. I’m not sure, but I believe Crestfall intended to take over their operation. His betrayal hurts me terribly, as you can imagine, but I cannot make an exception, even for old friends,” Stride said, putting on an act of grave regret.

“And when is he due to be executed?” Celestia asked.

“Tomorrow, your highness. The other pony, the girl, she’s been released, but has been barred from leaving the city until given your permission,” Stride replied

“Very well. That’ll be all,” Celestia said, nodding for Stride to leave them. He gave another formal bow before exiting, smirking to himself as he strutted out of the room.

Everypony in Ponyville was greatly relieved when Twilight Sparkle and her friends returned home. The threat of an imminent attack by Queen Chrysalis was still looming large, but thankfully Twilight’s presence was enough to calm most ponies down. Or at least they were calm, until Twilight gathered everypony together in the town square to give them some difficult-to-hear news.

“Ponyville is in danger, everypony,” Twilight said, feeding into the town’s anxiety, “There are some bad ponies out there, who want to see our town destroyed, and its ponies bending to their will...We can’t let that happen. But Princess Celestia won’t be helping us, neither will the military! It’s all up to us, just us, to defend ourselves. Our friends, and family, and homes, and livelihoods are all at stake! I know it’s scary, I do...But we’ve all got to be strong, and work together. We’ll come through this, I know we will, and I’ll be with all of you the whole time...But I need your help, I can’t do it alone. So will you help me?!” she cried.

The crowd replied with a hesitant cheer, most ponies extremely nervous and confused over what exactly they were defending against.

Twilight sighed, realizing that her beloved town and all these ponies’ lives, were mostly in her care to defend now. It was a daunting burden, made worse by the mystery of the threat she was facing. Only Dust Bunny, who was standing off to the side of Twilight, right next to Fluttershy, had actually met these dreadful ponies in the flesh. To everypony else, they were just an army of unknown size and unknown intentions.

Twilight assigned every able-bodied pony to begin constructing some defensive battlements, a project that would likely take several days. Twilight wasn’t sure whether the enemy would even attack Ponyville, but figured it was better to be well prepared just in case they were the first target. With being in such close proximity to Canterlot, Ponyville was a strategic choice for an occupation.

Dust Bunny had never been in a village like Ponyville before. It wasn’t anything at all like the smoggy concrete jungle of Saddleopolis, nor the magnificent splendor of Canterlot. If anything, it reminded her most of her own town, with its simple houses and friendly ponies. She had been too preoccupied with staying alive to focus on her homesickness during this whole adventure, but here, in a place so familiar but so foreign, she felt a great longing to return to her parents, to sit on a rug beside a warm fireplace with some hot cocoa while it snowed outside. But as much as she wanted that, she was also excited, thrilled even, to get to see so much of the world in such a short time. She wanted to see more and more, the only issue was that lately her life was constantly in danger. She vowed to make an effort to travel more in the future, hopefully under less strenuous circumstances.

Twilight watched as everypony in town shambled about to prepare the town for battle. They had distributed weapons to each pony who was able to fight, though few knew how to use them. They had established safehouses and rendezvous points as well, to get the elderly and children out of danger as quickly as possible. Twilight was constantly watching the horizon in the distance, expecting an army of ponies to begin creeping over those far-off hills any second now. But the land remained at peace, as if there was no danger coming at all. It made everypony in town uneasy, for things to feel so normal despite that not being the case at all.

All any of them could do was prepare themselves, and wait for the enemy to arrive.

Leaning against the dusty rock wall of his Canterlot dungeon prison cell, Lance Crestfall was beginning to wonder what was taking them so long to drag him out and chop his head off already.

He had been interrogated a few hours ago, though he found the guards to be insufferably disinterested in anything he had to say. It didn’t really matter anyway, as he knew Gallant Stride would ignore or twist his words to suit whatever lie he’s got the princesses sold on. He recalled the day he had encountered his longtime enemy Counterfeit, the same day he met Starlight Glimmer and Elodea for the first time. All he had wanted then was some fame and glory, and most of all, some respect. But after time spent on the run, he had decided he didn’t need all of those things, that what he really needed was his own sense of redemption, and the knowledge that he helped do something undeniably good for once. But his shifting intentions on this adventure were now all irrelevant, because they had all driven him to the same result: rotting in a prison cell, tossed aside by the very ponies he had once called friends.

“I figured I’d pay you one last visit.”

Crestfall hadn’t heard the hoofsteps of the pony trudging down the staircase to the dungeon below, so when the pony spoke, he was caught by surprise. It was Gallant Stride, his musty, prideful grin mocking Crestfall from above. Crestfall squinted his eyes past the bright lights hanging from the ceiling, and realized who it was. He wasn’t sure what to make of Stride’s visit, though he knew talking to the pony responsible for his death sentence likely wouldn’t result in any kind of positive resolution.

“I take it you’re a little upset, I suppose you ought to be,” Stride said.

“What’d you tell them?” Crestfall asked.

Stride smiled, scratching his chin as he recalled the memory.

“I told them what is now the official truth. That you’ve been working with Counterfeit from the start, and that you killed him to gain full control of his organization.”

Crestfall laughed in disbelief, mildly impressed with Stride’s creativity with framing him. Stride laughed with him, getting a kick out of his own deception.

“You could win a fiction award with that one…”

“I’m glad you could be such a good sport about it, Lance, really. I didn’t want there to be any hard feeling between us before you...well, you know,” Stride said, tilting his head and gritting his teeth at the awkward situation.

“Hard feelings? You’re pinning all of this bullshit on me and you think all we’ve got is hard feelings? Listen to me, you son of a bitch, I had to take shit from you for ten years, and now it turns out you’re some dickless angler working with some murdering psychopaths? The joke’s on me, it’s got to be. You know what, I don’t care anymore. Have it your way, go on and kill me, I really just don’t care. But you know, you’re not as clever as you think you are. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got the princesses fooled, I ain’t. And soon enough everypony else will realize you’re a snake, and then they’ll say, ‘hey, maybe we should have listened to Crestfall.’”

“Lance...You’ve got such a limited view of the world. It’s all coming to a head, my boy. There’s ponies like me all over Equestria, working all sorts of jobs, all waiting for the moment when this administration is done away with, and we can all set our sights on a better future. A future where the strong do not submit to the weak! A future of greatness! I wanted you to be a part of it, Lance, I did! But you just couldn’t keep your nose from where it didn’t belong! You’ve risked years of planning, and I just can’t forgive that. The princesses are too arrogant to think beyond their narrow minds. And apparently so are you. Now you’ll be the first to die, in a long line of ponies to come. Out with the old, and in with the new.”

Crestfall shook his head and sighed, unable to contain his burning desire to try and strangle Stride through the bars of his prison. He would do it too, if it wouldn’t fully incriminate him as a violent maniac.

“Fine, carry on with your master plan then. You’ve already screwed me over, Commander, I’m not going anywhere. But you could at least do me the minimal courtesy of fucking off. I can’t think of anypony who would want their last few hours alive to be spent talking to you of all ponies.”

Stride scoffed, but conceded, stomping off up the stairs, leaving Crestfall satisfied with his small victory, until he reminded himself of his dire predicament.

He was going to die tomorrow.

Chrysalis had resumed her pony disguise, resting on a grassy hill overlooking Ponyville from less than a quarter mile away. Violet was nearby, leaning against a tree, both of them just beginning to wake up after having both collapsed in exhaustion. They had narrowly evaded Cellestrous’ pursuing guards, finding safety outside of Ponyville. Both were far too tired to come up with a good plan for what to do next, preferring to just enjoy the quiet ambience of nature bustling around them.

“Have you got a real plan this time?” Violet asked, calmly, “One that doesn’t include knocking me out and stuffing me in a bush?”

“I was protecting you,” Chrysalis said, slightly embarrassed to admit that she didn’t want to see her companion get hurt. If anypony was going to kill that unicorn, Chrysalis wanted it to be her.

“You’re lucky I found you in time,” Violet said.

“Thanks for that...Those ponies are a lot more dangerous now that they’ve activated the jewel,” Chrysalis said.

Violet sat up suddenly, shocked.

“What?! What do you mean, they activated it? You said it had to be channeled!”

“I did, and they happened to have a device to do it. It seems they were planning on using that jewel for a while now...And we helped them do it,” Chrysalis said, regretfully. She wanted to be the one to bring Equestria’s doom, not the treacherous pest Cellestrous.

“So we’re sticking around then?” Violet asked.

“Of course. We’ve got to find that jewel, and take it back.”

Violet hesitated, her mind wandering to thoughts of Equestria’s inevitable destruction due to that jewel’s power.

“Chrysalis...I know there’s no point in me saying anything, but I really don’t think it’s worth it to try and use that jewel to enslave Equestria,” Violet said.

“We’ve been over this,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes at Violet’s attempt at being a moral guide.

“Look, I’m not a hero, and I’m not any kind of saint either, or even a good pony really, but even I can’t say I’m alright with what you plan to do.”

“All those ponies are only good for one thing...serving me, however I see fit.”

“You don’t even care about anything, or anypony, even a little bit? You’d be ruining ponies’ lives...Innocent ponies, not the ones who have wronged you.”

Chrysalis hesitated, briefly contemplating what inherent value a pony’s life had. She was passionately resistant to even humoring a redemptive transition, however. She sighed, trying to forget she even considered it.

“We’ll stick around...Worry about what I’ll do with the artifact later, for now let’s worry about getting it out of that wretched pony’shooves.”

Violet couldn’t disagree with that list of priorities, leaning back down against the tree, resuming her relaxation. Cellestrous and her armies would reveal themselves in Ponyville eventually, and when they did, Chrysalis and Violet would take their chance in the chaos to retrieve the jewel.

While Violet dozed off again, Chrysalis sat on her thoughts. Her reunion with Starlight had reminded her of the hatred she had felt for ponies, and yet, she also pitied them, for being so persistent in their love and optimism. She was perpetually angry, at the world in general. She was born a cursed life, and now that she was alone without a hive to defend her, she was a single soul fighting against an impossible opposition. There was so much anger, and hate, and need for vengeance brewing inside her, that it was all she could ever think about. But this pony, Violet, had shown her a different side of ponies to Chrysalis. Perhaps it was that Violet hadn’t despised Chrysalis, even after revealing her true self. Violet was possibly the first pony to not just tolerate Chrysalis, but also to go out of her way to protect Chrysalis. They had saved each other’s lives now on numerous occasions, and it made Chrysalis feel a rarely felt sensation, as if the anger in her heart didn’t matter as much, because she had a pony who looked out for her. The world hadn’t completely turned its back on her, and so she realized that the whole world didn’t deserve her wrathful revenge. The innocent ponies, who lived quiet lives and minded their own business, did they really deserve to die? It was uncomfortable for Chrysalis to think about, given how many innocents she had already slain in her warpath. She had felt so empty all her life, but now, even though she was so close to world domination, she found she wanted it the least.

As the sun descended out of sight, as did Crestfall’s hope for a miraculous escape from his newly determined fate. Of all the ways to die, this had to be the most insulting. He gazed out the barred window of his cell at the city, which was packed with an exuberant nightlife, as if they were all unaware a pony was going to be executed tomorrow.

“Nice going, idiot.”

Crestfall spun around, and saw Elodea standing right outside. Or at least, it appeared to be her, but without her typical careless stride. She seemed far more sullen than he was used to.

“You look worse than me,” Crestfall muttered, turning back to the window, trying to make his last sights something else other than the cold dreariness of his prison.

“I told you something bad was going to happen,” Elodea said, miserably.

“What, do you want me to apologize? Why are you even still here? Your friend’s with the princess now, she’s safe.”

“I...I didn’t want you to be alone, before…” Elodea said, trailing off, afraid to even confront the finality of Crestfall’s upcoming appointment with death.

“Well, it’s alright, you can go. Get out of here, before they throw you in one of these cells too,” Crestfall said, exhausted.

“So that’s it then? You’ve just given up? You made it all the way here, and-and risked your life, and now you’re done? That’s it?” Elodea yelled, frustrated with his hopelessness. She had been admiring his ridiculous sense of perseverance all this time, so much that it hurt her to see him finally stop trying.

“Yeah. What did you think was going to happen? We’d all make it out safe and sound? And what do you care? Our little partnership is done with, if you couldn’t tell already. This is the end of the road, and frankly I don’t see what you have to complain about.”

“I don’t want you to die, alright? Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

Before Crestfall could fire back another sarcastic comment, he noticed how emotional Elodea was becoming, more open about her feelings than he had ever seen her before.

“Elodea, I’m done for...Now I’m telling you to get out while you can, forget about me.”

“I’m going to find a way to get you out of here, I promise...It’s not over yet,” Elodea said, determined.

Crestfall smiled, admiring her effort, though he saw no rationality nor potential in it. Elodea sat down on the ground outside his cell, Crestfall sitting on the bench on the back wall of the cell, facing her.

“I had to sneak down here, you know,” Elodea said, “I just wanted to see you, make sure you’re alright.”

“Stride came earlier, told me what I already knew, he’s in with those bastards that’ve got Starlight.”

“Well there, we can use that, can’t we?” Elodea asked. Crestfall shook his head.

“Stride’s respected. A seasoned military stallion. And if you couldn’t tell, the princesses don’t trust either one of us at all…”

“We’ve got Princess Twilight’s on our side, though, what about that?”

“Doesn’t matter, we can’t persuade Celestia, or Luna, and besides, there’s not enough time for that,” Crestfall said.

They were silent for a moment, neither one knowing how to solve their problem.

“I’d thought I’d given up a long time ago...I used to have everything I wanted. The girl I was in love with since high school, a well-paying job, friends, respect, I was happy as any go-lucky son of a bitch in Equestria. Then I started slipping, I got too angry, or too distracted, or I was drinking too much. I thought I could get away with it. There was an opening one day, for old Cinnamon Stick’s post, he was retiring. The promotion of a lifetime. That was my future, my gateway into high command. I could’ve been a lieutenant, and everypony thought they’d pick me, but...it went to somepony else. Fleetwood, I remember him, and you know what? He deserved it. More than me, I was reckless, and unfocused, and thought I was already set for life. It crushed me. That was my last chance, I thought, so I got even worse. Then she left me, and I had nopony to come home and tell me I wasn’t a useless fuck. I needed that, desperately, but I didn’t have it anymore. Commander started giving me cold cases to look at, just to waste my time so I didn’t screw up any important work. I’d given up...And then I found Starlight and you…And since then, I haven’t felt that sting as much. I feel at ease, like nothing can hurt me. If I’m going to die, I’m glad it’s now. I think I’m ready for it.”

“Well I’m not ready for it, and it’s not going to happen,” Elodea said.

Crestfall smiled and quietly laughed to himself, touched by her insistence on preventing what he saw as inevitable.

“You never talk about yourself, do you know that?” Crestfall said, catching Elodea off guard.

“What?”

“You know...I feel like there’s a lot I don’t know about you.”

“I don’t like to talk about me,”
“Well, consider it my last request then. Talk about you.”
Elodea laughed, amused, and decided it wouldn’t kill her to open up for him, since he was set to die tomorrow.

“Um...ok, I don’t know where to start...My parents, they were rich. Really rich. They moved to the town I grew up in, because it was quiet and far away. But I never liked being the rich kid, that’s what everypony would call me at school. So I started acting out and stuff, going out my way to cause trouble. I wanted a different reputation, a bad reputation. It made my parents mad, and I liked that. They were just so...distant with me. Like I was a pet they were showing off to their stuck-up friends. I hated it. Dust was my best friend, and she was even more out of control than me. Like, I had to take the blame for stuff she did...Dust went to college, and I could’ve too, but I didn’t want that. So I ran away, to Saddleopolis, and tried to start my own life. But I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was, and I ran out of food and money pretty quick. I was living in a fucking alley for a little bit, eating food I stole from the downtown market. Then I got in with some ponies, lowdown rats with very little to live for. I thought they were cool, and I was so desperate, I started working for them, packaging crack and delivering it across the city. That’s how I survived, and it sucked. It really sucked. I got out eventually, and I started working a few jobs that never lasted more than a month before the manager would get sick of me or my drug problem...Then one day Dust came looking for me, and I remembered how better my life used to be. But I couldn’t admit that I had thrown my life away, because I was selfish and stupid. I don’t know why I’m even here, honestly, it feels like mostly a waste. But I want to be something more. Something to be proud of.”

Elodea sighed, realizing she had gone on a tangent, and quickly shut her mouth. Crestfall was smiling, however, despite how embarrassed Elodea was to have revealed what she considered to be a rather shameful history.

“I’m glad I met you when I did,” he said.

Elodea’s worries subsided, and smiled grew on her face too.

“I am too.”

Crestfall stood up slowly and approached the prison bars, taking a seat right next to Elodea. They were divided by the prison bars, though neither particularly cared, as they took a moment to enjoy being so close to each other. Crestfall acted first, leaning in towards her against the bars. Elodea did the same, but right before they could touch lips, they both jumped to their hooves, when the sound of the dungeon door swinging open shook them alert.

Elodea darted into the shadows out of sight, while Crestfall stayed where he was, hoping whoever had just entered hadn’t seen Elodea.

There were three ponies, all royal guards, marching down the stairs of the dungeon, carrying their weapons with them.

Spice, Pink Mist, and Slick Sleeve filed in around Crestfall’s cell, staring at him with slightly guilty expressions.

“Sergeant, we uh...we want to apologize,” Pink started.

Crestfall had been expecting them to bring him out to be executed, so the way this conversation was going was a definitive upgrade. Elodea stayed hidden, unsure whether these ponies were really on their side yet.

“We’ve been talking, and we think you might be right about the Commander...He’s been acting...weird,” Spice said.

They waited for Crestfall to respond, though he remained stone-cold silent.

“And we all think you and your friends might be onto something about those ponies...We want to help. As in, break you out of here,” Spice continued.

Crestfall snickered, lowering his head in a fit of disbelief-ridden laughter.

“Yeah, Spice, I could’ve used that change of heart earlier today.”

“I’m sorry! We’re sorry, we should’ve listened to you...But it’s not too late, we want to help,” Spice said.

Crestfall sighed and nodded to Elodea in the shadows to step out. She did, startling Pink, who was the closest.

“Well then, since you’re officially treasonous rats the same as me, let’s discuss a plan.”

“None of us can get access to the keys, Lance, we’re going to have to wait until they open it,” Slick said.

Crestfall stared at them blankly.

“What do you mean? Tomorrow? As they’re dragging me to be executed?!”

“It’s the only way,” Spice confirmed.

Crestfall shook his head, already doubtful.

“And you said I was bad at plans?” he asked Elodea, who rolled her eyes.

“Got any of your own then?” Spice stammered.

Crestfall thought about it, and then shamefully shook his head once more.

“Right. Look, I know it’s going to be tight, but we don't have any other options. I tried stating my case to the princesses just an hour ago, and Stride wouldn’t even let me talk to them!”

Crestfall sighed and smiled, hoping their effort would pay off.

“Thanks for coming through...albeit last minute.”

“Keep complaining, that will save your life faster,” Slick said, sarcastically.

Twilight was becoming anxious. The town was definitely more fortified than before, but it was still extremely vulnerable to an attack. Not knowing what they were up against made things even worse. The townsponies were struggling to stay spirited, what with their utter annihilation seemingly unavoidable.

Twilight was standing in the balcony of her castle, overlooking the town as it succumbed to the darkness of night. She subtly turned her head, after hearing the clacking of hooves along the floor behind her.

“Twilight,” said Applejack, walking through the doorway and onto the balcony, “I sent Rainbow to be in charge of the ponies at the gate,” she said.

“Good, thank you, Applejack. Are Pinkie and Fluttershy at the rendezvous points?”

“I think so...Twilight, are you sure all this is absolutely necessary? Everypony’s getting pretty spooked...Apple Bloom won’t stop crying, she keeps going on about how everypony’s gonna die, all that.”

“My gut is telling me it’s real. And if nothing ever comes, then we’ll have nothing to be afraid of. But we’ve got to be prepared,” Twilight said, firmly. She had finally had enough of her constant hesitating and indecisiveness. She had to take action, especially if nopony else was willing to.

“Right, I just don’t-'' Applejack began, before both ponies ducked to the floor at the sight of a massive explosion, a fiery burst of heat and death, crying a terrifying roar into the night. Twilight and Applejack both jumped back up, shocked and confused as to what had happened. In the center of town, a building had been torn apart, now roasting in a flaming hell.

“Oh no…” Twilight muttered, realizing the town was already under attack.

“We’ve gotta get down there! Hurry!” Twilight yelled.

Twilight practically shoved Applejack along, the two ponies dashing down the castle staircase to the front entrance.

Running outside and into town, they heard the wails of ponies caught in the blast, crawling through the streets and begging for help.

Applejack and Twilight shared a look of horror, rushing over to help the injured ponies that they could find. Other townsponies had already done the same.

“Applejack, take some ponies and bring the injured to the rendezvous, tell Pinkie and Fluttershy to leave for Canterlot, now!”
Applejack frantically nodded and ran to recruit some ponies to help her, while Twilight desperately searched for the source of the explosion, but saw nothing. Just debris and small flames that refused to give out.

“Twilight!” cried Rainbow Dash, zooming through the air down to the ground, right beside Twilight. Rarity too, had just ran out from another street, accompanied by a group of ponies.

“What are you all doing here?! Get back to your posts! They’re here!” Twilight bellowed.

“Twilight, there’s nopony out there,” Rainbow said, just as confused as everypony else.

“What?!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Twilight, I think it came from inside, not outside,” Rarity said, just having formed an undesirable conclusion.

“That doesn’t make any sense, how could they have-” Twilight was cut off, by the sound of another explosion, this one coming from nearby. The crowd of ponies, Twilight at its front, shielded their faces from the oncoming debris and gliding specks of ash and fire. Down the street, through the smoke, one pony in the crowd, Lyra Heartstrings, was able to make out the silhouette of a pony, approaching the crowd slowly.

“Look!” yelled Lyra, pointing at the approaching pony.

Twilight jumped to the front of the crowd, who began fumbling with their weapons, unsure whether the pony was a friend or foe.

Twilight froze in her tracks, as did most of the ponies in the crowd, when they recognized the approaching pony as a former fellow resident of their very town.

“St-Starlight?” Twilight stuttered, praying that Starlight wasn’t really the monster everypony thought her to be.

Starlight's mouth was slightly ajar, her head tilted to the side, and her movements slow and misdirected, as if she was under some sort of trance. Noticeably, her eyes were glowing a bright green, and her face was completely blank. Dust Bunny wanted to call out to her, but something didn’t feel right. She hoped those ponies hadn’t done anything too terrible to Starlight, hopefully not as terrible as what they did to her.

“What’s wrong with her?” Rainbow whispered to Twilight, nervous about Starlight’s unresponsiveness.

“Is that Chrysalis?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide with horror.

“Starlight! It’s me!” Twilight said, taking a step forward, hoping that Starlight would come back to her. After so much time, Twilight had dreamed of this reunion, and yet, it didn’t feel real. As if it really wasn’t Starlight she was talking to.

Starlight, of course, stayed silent, though her horn did begin to glow, though this time bright green, the same as her eyes.

“Everypony, get down!” Twilight yelled.

The crowd understood quickly, leaping out of the way as Starlight’s magic blast shot right towards them, missing its targets.

Right as Twilight returned to her hooves, she heard the thunderous stomping of an army of ponies, rounding a corner of the street towards Twilight and the townsponies.

“How did they get inside?” Rarity asked, confused and frightened by the size of the army approaching them.

The new group of ponies walked down the street, and stopped right behind Starlight, who was still devoid of any signs of life.

Twilight tilted her head back to Dust Bunny, who was also in the crowd.

“That’s them?”

Dust nervously nodded, recognizing a few faces. She felt a familiar touch of anger boil deep inside her, a need for revenge.

One pony stepped out from the crowd, a tall pale red unicorn with narrow eyes and a pointed chin.

“Twilight Sparkle, we meet again.”

Twilight subtly cocked her head back, having absolutely no recollection of this pony.

“Oh, how charming. You don’t remember me? I suppose it was a rather eventful day, wasn’t it? In Chrysalis’ lair, all those months ago? Yes, I was there…”

“What do you want?!” Twilight yelled.

Cellestrous’ wicked smile grew.

“Twilight, darling, what I want, I already have,” Cellestrous said, turning back to the crowd. Ruby Heart stepped out, presenting Cellestrous with a large black scepter, at its tip a magnificent, sparkling green jewel fixed on. Twilight’s eyes widened, realizing what exactly she had in her possession.

“The Queen’s Jewel is mine...It wasn’t that hard to find it all really, as long as you know where to look...You know full well the capabilities of this jewel, as much as I do…”

Twilight gulped, their chances at victory having just dropped significantly.

“It was with this jewel that I now control your dear friend here...Her mind is gone, permanently...replaced only by the compulsion to obey my commands...You will see a similar end soon enough, Princess.”

Twilight exhaled through her nose and gritted her teeth, furious. The townsponies behind her began to prepare for a fight that they all doubted they could win.

“Rarity, start evacuating everypony out of here. Rainbow, stay with me,” Twilight muttered.

“What? Twilight, you can’t possibly-” Rarity began.

“Go, quick, there isn’t time to argue...Get everypony to safety, we’ll distract them,” Twilight said. Rarity hesitantly agreed with the plan, rounding everypony up and beginning to lead them out of the city. Before Dust joined the group to leave, she made eye contact with the Ruby Heart, of whom she loathed with a passion. They stared each other down for a few moments, Ruby Heart grinning, as thus far she had come out on top. Dust scowled in disgust and caught up with the group, hoping that Twilight would be able to bring Starlight back, intact and back to normal.

As they began their escape, Cellestrous decided she was done with their little conversation.

“Bring the princess to me! Kill the others!” she yelled, the army of ponies crying out in adrenaline-fueled excitement. They began rushing towards Twilight, and Rainbow, who all stood their ground.

Right before they made contact, Twilight sprayed the entire initial line of ponies with magic, freezing them in blocks of purple crystal, completely immobilizing them. This effectively formed a new defensive wall between the trio and the rest of the attackers, who were struggling to get around it.

“Come on, let’s go!” Twilight yelled, running off with Rainbow and Applejack, taking advantage of their window. Cellestrous raised her eyebrows, impressed with Twilight. The attackers began to spread across the town, smashing in windows and terrorizing everypony they came across.

On the other side of town, there was mass hysteria, ponies running for their lives, lost in a fiery hellscape, as Cellestrous’ vandals ran rampant through the streets, looting, beating, raping, and killing as they went. But on one street, two ponies were walking down as if there was nothing to be afraid of. Chrysalis and Violet, impressed with the level of damage already done to the town, were carefully making their way deeper inside, hoping to get a chance at reclaiming the jewel.

A duo of vandals rushed towards them, but were immediately done away with, Chrysalis frying one to ash, and Violet twisting the neck of the other.

Violet pulled Chrysalis behind some cover, confusing Chrysalis.

“What?”

“Look,” Violet said, pointing at Cellestrous, who was trotting down the same street, holding the sceptered jewel in her hooves, zapping every Ponyville resident that she encountered.

“Do we rush her?” Violet asked, seeing their opportunity approaching them at walking speed.

“She has the jewel, we won’t be able to defeat her.”

“How about you distract her, and I’ll get the jewel,” Violet suggested.

“How about we switch roles?” Chrysalis proposed, suspicious of Violet trying to steal the jewel for herself.

“She’ll talk to you. She’ll just kill me.”

Chrysalis sighed, deciding she was right.

She took a step out from their cover, blocking Cellestrous on her path of destruction. Ponyville was suffering, and Cellestrous seemed to be thriving off of it. But, her state of ecstasy was made brief, when she saw Chrysalis pop out into the street.

“Chrysalis, I thought you’d have been smart and run away by now,” Cellestrous said, smugly.

“I couldn’t have missed this. Not for the world.” Chrysalis said.

Cellestrous’ cocky smile subsided, as she realized Chrysalis was playing some sort of trick on her.

While she was caught in her showdown with Chrysalis, Violet leaped out from her hiding spot and blasted Cellestrous right in the face. The blast was meant to kill her, though, to Violet’s shock, her attack had absolutely no effect.

Cellestrous turned to Chrysalis, as if to ask if this pony was a friend of hers. Chrysalis fired a blast of her own, which was definitely aimed to kill, but still, Cellestrous was unharmed.

Cellestrous broke into a spout of smug laughter, unable to decide which aspect of Chrysalis’ plan was most humorous.

“Chrysalis, how you ever came to be feared is still a mystery to me…”

Her horn began to glow, and Chrysalis realized that as long as Cellestrous had the jewel’s power, she was unstoppable.

Before they were both incinerated by Cellestrous’ magical rampage, Chrysalis took flight, buzzing through the air to pick up Violet in her arms. Cellestrous tried to shoot them both down as they flew off into the night sky, though the sky was too dark to see well, and she missed every attempt.

Chrysalis flew across town, and dumped Violet down to the ground, landing right beside her.

Violet was out of breath, not from physical exertion, but rather fear, briefly believing she was actually about to die.

“That was too close,” Violet said.

“I warned you,” Chrysalis said, annoyed she had nearly risked her life.

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Violet said.

Chrysalis nodded, as she resumed her pony disguise and began searching for an exit, but then stopped, when she heard the sound of ponies screaming nearby. She turned around, and saw two vandals beating down a young pegasus, who was helpless as they laid down hit after hit.

“Chrysalis! Let’s go!” Violet repeated, unsure what had caught Chrysalis’ attention.

Chrysalis wasn’t sure what compelled her to begin marching towards the scene, but she found herself unable to stop herself. She zapped the first vandal with a blast to the head, burning a hole through his head. She turned to the other, who dropped his weapon in fear. Chrysalis was unforgiving though, slicing the pony in half. The victim pony was shuddering on the ground, covered with bruises and sitting in a puddle of blood. Chrysalis sighed, wondering whether it was pity, hate, or perhaps moral obligation that drove her to intervene. She trotted back to Violet, who seemed to appreciate Chrysalis’ unusually kind act. The duo made their way to escape, defeated, but not for good.

Running through the chaotic swirl of chaos and fear, Twilight and Rainbow were shocked to see numerous other buildings on fire, ponies panicking and running for their lives in every which way, as vandals chased them about, causing as much destruction as physically possible.

“Hey!”

Twilight and Rainbow turned to see Applejack run up to them, having finished her previous task. The three were silent, struggling to get a grasp on the reality that their beloved home was being ravaged.

“We have to make sure everypony is out and safe!” Twilight yelled.

“How does she have the jewel?!” Rainbow asked, still stuck on that issue.

“We’ll worry about that later!” Twilight said, rushing to help a young colt trapped underneath a collapsed storefront sign.

Applejack jogged down the street, checking to make sure every house was empty and nopony was in trouble. She was still shaken up over the suddenness of this attack, and was especially stunned when she saw a pony being beaten down by about four of the vandals near a coffee shop. She ran over and kicked two of them square in the jaw, tackling another to the ground. She punched the stallion until his face was pulp, and would’ve finished the job for good if the other pony hadn’t gone in and pulled her off. She swung around and decked him, knocking him back through the glass window of the coffee shop. Applejack helped the assaulted pony to her feet. She was crying, clearly having been taken advantage of prior to being kicked to near-death. Applejack led her back down the street, to safety, while Rainbow and Twilight continued fending off the wild vandals and reducing ponies in trouble.

After rescuing an old stallion from nearly being crushed by some falling debris, Twilight stopped where she was, making out the distinct sound of a young girl crying out for help. Twilight rushed towards the source of the crying, across the street into a trashed one-floor office building.

Twilight’s eyes darted back and forth in the office, biting her lip anxiously as she tried to pinpoint the origin of the sound. She walked towards the back, and found the crying girl, hiding underneath a desk propped against a wall.

“Hey! Hey, it’s ok! Come on! We’ve got to get you out of here!”

To Twilight’s dismay, the filly refused, shaking her head violently back and forth.

“Please! I’m here to help you, but you’ve got to come out!” Twilight said, unable to reach the filly from the edge of the table.

The filly shook her head again, bursting into tears, raising a shaky hoof to point at something behind Twilight.

Twilight turned around, just as Starlight Glimmer’s blast reached her. Twilight cast a circular defensive spell, barely in time to prevent being obliterated.

Twilight backed into the table, slightly injured from the force of the impact from Starlight’s blast.

“Starlight….Starlight, please….It’s me, Starlight, It’s Twilight…” Twilight said, panting, outstretching a hoff to the emotionless Starlight. Twilight waited for a response, though figured it was pointless, Starlight now reduced to a husk, a shell meant to carry out the will of whoever controlled her. Or so Twilight thought, until Starlight’s face twitched, her eyes narrowing and her whole body slightly contorting.

“Twi...light,” Starlight amanged to say, clearly struggling to put the words together.

“Starlight?! Starlight, can you hear me?” Twilight asked.

“Can’t...con-trol….go...can’t….hold it….long…” Starlight sputtered, her whole face twisted in pain, as if every word required an agonizingly tremendous amount of effort to say. Twilight paused, hoping she’d be able to free Starlight of the control of the jewel, but knew that there wasn’t time. The jewel’s power greatly surpassed hers, though even if it didn’t, Twilight had no desire to try and test that.

Taking advantage of Starlight’s momentary reclamation of control, Twilight bent back down underneath the table, to retrieve the little filly.

“Okay! Come on! Please! It’s safe now!”

Finally, the filly rushed out from underneath the table, Twilight grabbing a hold of her and running towards the exit, just as Starlight lost control again.

Right as Twilight and the filly ran out of the office, the entire storefront burst apart in an inferno of magical fire. Twilight and the filly were thrown across the street, but were caught by Rainbow Dash just before they landed on the hard ground.

“Time to go, I take it?” Rainbow asked, smirking.

“Is everypony safe?”

“Everypony’s accounted for, we were waiting on you,” Rainbow said, setting Twilight and the filly down on the ground.

They all watched the burning office building, as Starlight stepped through the flames, protected by a magical bubble.

Starlight fired another blast towards them, this time being met by Twilight, who groaned in intense pain, barely able to handle the impressive force of Starlight’s blast, the jewel’s influence clearly enhancing her power.

Rainbow flew into the air while Twilight dueled with Starlight, and, right before Twilight was about to lose the battle, Rainbow came crashing down on top of Starlight, slamming her into the ground, shattering a few bones on impact. Rainbow landed and backed away, hoping that would be enough to keep Starlight down temporarily. She found herself to be wrong, when Starlight stood back up as if she wasn’t in any pain, aiming her horn at Rainbow.

Not wasting any time, Twilight concentrated all of her magic into teleporting Rainbow, herself, and the little girl away from this street. In a flash of light, they were gone, Starlight firing a pointless blast towards where Rainbow just was.

Twilight, Rainbow, and the little filly reappeared at the edge of town, in the back of a large group of ponies slowly making their way out of the town.

“Everypony! Retreat!” Twilight yelled, rushing the little filly into the crowd, hoping her parents were still alive to receive her.

“Twilight, we can’t leave the town for those ponies to destroy!” said Rainbow, eager to put up more of a fight.

“We don’t have the numbers to fight them all...And that jewel is too powerful, we’re lucky to have gotten out alive...We’ll take everypony back to Canterlot, Celestia will have to listen to us now, and take this seriously.”

“That’s our home, Twilight! We can’t abandon it!” Rainbow argued, other ponies in the crowd feeling similarly.

“I wouldn’t have us leave if we didn’t have to, but we don’t have a choice! Ponies’ lives matter more to me,” Twilight said, as the crowd of ponies marched out into the grassy lowlands beyond, the bright flickering flames that had engulfed at least six buildings in Ponyville casting shadows over them as they went.

Chapter Eighteen: Date With Death

“You’ve got thirty minutes.”

Checking her watch one last time, Elodea finished up packing her briefcase, wiping the nervous sweat from her face with a tissue she found in one of her jacket pockets. In the suitcase were three rows of identical shiny grey canisters, tightly sealed with a knob-like nozzle at the top, each fixed with a tiny metal release pin, not unlike a grenade.

The previous night, Elodea had managed to get in touch with an old weapons dealing friend of hers who happened to live in Canterlot, and, more importantly, had just the stuff she was looking for.

The others weren’t exactly sure what the canisters were for yet, though Elodea had been determined on bringing them, promising they’d come in handy.

Elodea and her newest allies, the defectors Spice, Slick Sleeve, and Pink Mist, were preparing for their grand breakout attempt of a mutual friend, Lance Crestfall, who was set to be executed that very afternoon. They were standing next to a military carriage which Slick had acquired, believing it to be their eventual means of escape. It was parked in the middle of a lonely Canterlot street, the only movement being a gentle wind shuddering past them every now and then.

“I can make it back in time,” said Pink Mist, displeased with the role she had been given in the plan. She had been complaining all night and all morning, and by now Elodea was absolutely sick of her.

“Now you’ve probably only got twenty-eight minutes, would you just go already?” Elodea said, turning around from the trunk of the carriage to scold the blonde-haired pegasus.

“I’m going to screw it up, make one of them do it!” Pink demanded.

Spice and Slick, who were leaning against a downed road block a few feet away, pretended not to have heard her.

“Somepony has to keep that jackass busy, now stop wasting time, and go!”

Pink bit her lip and gave a long, exaggerated sigh, before accepting her role and taking flight, bringing the group down to three.

“Come on, it’s time to start,” Elodea said, taking a final, passionate drag of her cigarette before tossing it to the floor and stomping on it. The two soldiers gathered what belongings they needed, and Elodea her suitcase, and altogether they began setting off down the quiet Canterlot street.

Half a mile away, in the high-up exalted gardens of Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were seated beside each other, in a lushly decorated large pavilion. In front of the pavilion was a large open stone platform, containing only a small bench carved of stone with a curved indentation in the center, though it wasn’t meant for anypony to sit on. Sitting idly in front of the bench was a wicker basket, large enough to fit an entire watermelon.

In the pavilion, the princesses were surrounded by an ensemble of guards, administrators, and government officials from near and far, all drawing in to witness what was expected to be a historic event. Each princess had their own custom-made marble throne, placed in the center of the regal pavilion, which was protected by an extravagantly large fabric cover.

The courtyard surrounding the pavilion was rife with beautiful greenery, and was currently being occupied by a sizeable crowd of pony civilians, gradually growing in number every moment. For most of the ponies in the crowd of spectators, death was an avoided topic, something that was rarely discussed. Nopony was completely confident that it was ever morally correct to be celebrating. It just wasn’t in ponies’ nature to cheer on death, even for deserving individuals. But for the past few months, when Equestria had suffered heavy blow after heavy blow during Queen Chrysalis’ endless rampage, ponies in Equestria were becoming more and more dissatisfied. They needed to see some payback, possibly even some bloodshed, to see the world be made right again after so much terror. And, unfortunately for the alleged traitor Lance Crestfall, his reputation as a sick-minded, treasonous fiend was becoming popular with the people. He had become their scapegoat for all of their misery, and now they would get to have their revenge.

Despite the crowd’s restless anticipation, Princess Luna was feeling anything but excited about the upcoming agenda of the day. Something about this entire affair felt undeniably wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. Regardless of who it was or how horrible the pony’s actions were, executions were always a miserable thing. Ponies from all over the city would gather, believing it to be some sort of festive occasion. But when it was all over, and the pony’s life had been taken, there was never any celebration. Just a bleak, quiet wave of solemn uncertainty, as if everypony was thinking ‘What if it had been me?’

Luna remembered those days, hundreds of years ago, when executions were all too common. She wanted to believe Equestria had progressed beyond such barbarism, but it seemed old habits truly did die hard.

“Are you alright, sister? You look as though you’re about to be sick,” said Celestia, consolingly, to Luna, who was already pale in the face.

“...I can’t stop thinking that we’re making a mistake,” Luna said, passively, terrified of her own suggestion. The killing of a guilty pony was already a heavy weight to bear. But an innocent one? She wasn’t sure she could ever forgive herself for such an atrocity.

“You must relax...It’ll all be over in a moment,” Celestia said, coaxingly.

“I’m worried about Twilight the same. We should not have let her go, she could be in danger,” Luna said, struggling to calm her nerves.

Celestia sighed, concluding her dear sister was giving into her emotional instability.

“Twilight is very much capable of handling herself,” Celestia said.

Luna sunk into her throne, distraught at the possibility of them having made a mistake about going through with this execution.

“Your highnesses!”

Celestia and Luna simultaneously turned their heads to the right, where a pony was shoving his way through the organized lines of guards and officials. He was Gallant Stride, fitted with his spectacular golden armor. The broad-shouldered stallion marched up to the princesses on their throne, cheerful as ever.

“Commander, is everything alright?” Celestia asked, while Luna bitterly looked away, not in the mood for menial conversation.

“Quite alright, your highnesses, I’ve just come to inform you that we’re due to bring the accused out in a matter of minutes,” Stride replied, cockily raising his eyebrows as he spoke, already riding the thrill of victory.

Luna scowled to herself, unimpressed with Stride’s consistently pompous attitude.

“Very well. And have you heard anything about Twilight? Or Cadance?” Celestia asked, glancing at Luna, trying to prove to her sister that she did truly care about them.

“We sent out the scouts, just as you asked. But they came back with nothing. We’ve concluded that Princess Twilight likely fled off into the hills somewhere, we can’t be sure. Perhaps she went searching for Princess Cadance?” Stride suggested. As per usual, he was lying through his teeth. The scouts had never been sent out at all, nor did Stride make any effort to locate Twilight. It was his understanding that the Princess of Friendship had already been defeated during the raid on Ponyville, of which Celestia and Luna still had no knowledge of. Stride had wanted to be a part of that raid himself, but Cellestrous insisted he stay in Canterlot to keep things going smoothly.

Right after Stride had finished, Luna slowly raised her head up from her chair, finding his story extremely suspicious and uncharacteristic for Twilight. Even Celestia found his report to be mildly odd, though she withheld her confuddlement.

“Double your efforts then, I can’t have both of them lost,” Celestia ordered, hoping Luna wasn’t right about Twilight being in danger.

“We’re very limited on available patrols...I’m afraid another search will have to be put on hold for a few days,” Stride said.

If Luna was suspicious of Stride before, now she was quite close to outright accusing him of deception right then and there. How could a top-ranking officer of Equestria be so resistant in protecting the safety of two of its princesses? Luna expected Celestia to question him further, yet the sun princess seemed minimally concerned.

“Very well, carry on when you can,” Celestia said, dismissively. She hated to have to deal with bad news.

Luna watched as Stride turned and strutted away, subtly shaking her head in disapproval. If Stride was indeed deceiving them, then his entire story about Crestfall’s treasonous behavior was probably all a lie, which meant they were sentencing an innocent pony to death. Luna’s heart began to race, as she struggled with what to do. If she was going to try and intervene, she would have to do it soon, but as long as Celestia’s will was superseding, she wouldn’t be able to do more than excuse herself from having to watch.

Queen Chrysalis and Violet Heirloom had escaped Ponyville before it was completely seized by Cellestrous, after another failed attempt to steal back the Queen’s Jewel. They were sitting together by a stream in the middle of a field of grass, the shadow of Canterlot looming overhead.

“That’s where we’re headed,” Chrysalis said, pointing at the city built into the mountain face.

“That sounds like a bad idea,” said Violet, washing the dirt off of a burn on her arm with water from the stream.

“That’s where Cellestrous is headed,” Chrysalis pointed out.

“Yeah, so we’d be fighting her and Celestia...You don’t have to be a betting pony to know that’s suicide.”

“What about the city? We could save it from destruction, and its ponies too,” Chrysalis said, trying to win Violet over.

“You don’t fool me. Like you care about random ponies.”

“If it’s our last chance to get that jewel, and it’s a chance we have to take,” Chrysalis said.

Violet raised her head from the stream to Chrysalis, who was standing higher up on the hill.

“We can’t defeat her while she has that jewel, you said it yourself,” Violet said.

“This time we’ll be smarter,” Chrysalis argued. Violet rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. I guess it’s worth a shot…” Violet said.

Chrysalis smiled, already picturing a future with her on the throne in Canterlot, with her changeling kingdom restored and every pony in Equestria submitting to her will. Glorious.

She stared at the cloud-hidden city of Canterlot in the distance. It appeared so small from so far away, that Chrysalis felt as though she could just crush it with one hoof. Victory was so close, she felt as if she had already won.

Crestfall had been moved from the royal dungeon to the less grandiose, harder-to-escape Canterlot Federal Detention Center. The cell he was being kept in was four solid walls of thick steel, his only source of light being a single dim light bulb stuck in the ceiling. It was frightfully cold on top of everything else, just to make his last few moments alive as painful as possible. He was sitting on the floor, as there was no chair or bench, counting the seconds as they slipped on by, wondering what he could’ve done differently to have avoided this entire situation. But the more he pondered on it, the more convinced he became that he made the right decisions, that he was in the right to stand up to Stride, and to stick with Starlight and Elodea and Dust Bunny, and that even if he was going to die because of it all, he had still done the right thing.

Outside that very building, were three ponies, two of which were hidden beneath suits of gold-plated royal guard armor. Elodea, standing beside them with her briefcase of shiny-grey canisters, was wearing a pair of sunglasses, doing the bare minimum to avoid being recognized in public. She was supposed to have stayed in the royal palace after all, and was still technically under arrest, but none of that mattered to her now, if it ever did at all.

“Only use these if you’re out of all other options, got it? And don’t breathe any of it in,” Elodea said, handing over the briefcase to Spice, who accepted it with a shaky hoof. Neither Spice nor Slick knew exactly what she meant or what those canisters did, but whatever they could use to help, they’d take.

“If we get caught, we’re dead,” Spice said out loud to herself, trying to overcome her nerves and embrace the adrenaline boiling up inside her. She rarely did field work at all, let alone things that involved risking her own life. She had spent her entire career as a soldier sitting behind a desk all day, which made this a drastic change of pace.

“Then don’t get caught. It’s as simple as that,” Elodea said, smirking.

“Now go on, you don’t have much time. I’ll be on the other side with the carriage, just like we said,” Elodea finished.

“Right,” Slick muttered, trying to remember the lines he spent all of last night rehearsing.

“We’ve got to free him in the next ten minutes, and get out of there in fifteen. We’re a second late, and the entire army will have us surrounded,” Spice said, her voice trembling.

“Don’t worry about that, worry about not triggering the alarms, now go on! Get in there!”

Spice took one last deep breath and started walking forward towards the intimidating dark grey detention center, stiff and imposing. Slick followed close behind, both of their faces obscured by their golden helmets. If Crestfall was to be saved, they had less than fifteen minutes to do it. Time was definitely not on their side.

Back up in the gardens, where the execution was to take place, Gallant Stride was walking around the battlements that surrounded the courtyard, past the rows of soldiers standing tall, who were keeping a watchful eye on the crowd for any possible threats to the princesses.

The wind rustled his white short-cut hair, as he stomped through the stone walkway towards the exit of the courtyard. He wanted to be the one to bring Crestfall to the chopping block himself, perhaps to satisfy some sort of personal vendetta against the rebellious sergeant.

“Commander! Sir!”

Stride came to a shrieking halt right before he ran into Pink Mist, who had just descended down from the sky, landing right in front of the disgruntled commander.

“What? What is it?” Stride choked, flustered by Pink’s explosive entrance. She was out of breath, as if she had just flown halfway across the city.

She wasted some time as she caught her breath, politely raising a hoof to tell him to wait. He glanced over her, still hoping he could make it to the detention center in time to join Crestfall’s escort. Besides the sensation of glory over Crestfall’s defeat, Stride was also suspicious of any possible rescue attempts, and wanted to be there himself to make sure his plan went accordingly.

“Sir, Lieutenant Sparkshower has already sent an envoy to retrieve the prisoner, she sent me to tell you that your supervision is no longer necessary,” Pink said.

Stride glared at her, unsure whether Pink was telling him the truth.

“This order was given in the fifteen minutes I was gone?” Stride asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“They’re already on their way, should I go back and tell the Lieutenant you refused to comply?” Pink said, her voice cracking towards the end, as she was slightly nervous to be so assertive with a superior officer. She was only trying to keep Stride away from Crestfall, though it seemed Stride was beginning to become aware that Pink’s intentions weren’t as logistical as she claimed.

Stride took a moment to think things over, sighing and accepting that it would be unwise to interrupt the process.

“Then I suppose I should take my seat. Won’t you come join me, Corporal?” Stride asked, catching Pink off guard. The commander’s piercing gaze was able to break apart her facade of confidence with one look. She considered escaping while she could before he started accusing her of treason the same as he did with Crestfall.

Stride motioned with his head for her to follow him with a half smile. He wasn’t quite sure whether Pink was being honest with him, thinking it better to keep her close by in case she really was in league with Crestfall.

Pink hesitantly followed Stride back the way he had just come through the castle battlements, trotting around the edge of the courtyard until they arrived back at the pavilion. Entering into the seating area for the high ranking officers, Pink was unable to ignore the collection of judgemental, beady eyes staring down at her, confused what a grunt was doing in the officers’ area.

Stride took a seat at the end of the rows of chairs, right in the center of the pavilion, behind and slightly to the right of Princess Celestia, who, along with her sister, were up front for the crowd to see. Stride did this intentionally, hoping that if Pink was revealed to be working with Crestfall, she wouldn’t be able to make it far, surrounded by royal ponies and two princesses.

He called her over with his hoof, pointing at the spot on the floor next to his chair. She stood there, awkwardly, taking deep breaths every few seconds. She didn’t want to be the one whose job it was to distract Stride, precisely for this reason. He was already onto her, it seemed, and now she had nowhere to run. What she was sure of, was that she had to commit to what she started, and stall him as long as possible.

They watched the crowd of ponies in the courtyard increase in size, Pink constantly checking to make sure Crestfall hadn't arrived yet. If the others failed to save him, she realized she would have to watch Crestfall be executed from just a few feet away.

Ponyville was officially under new management.

Cellestrous was sitting atop a toppled wooden wagon, drinking a delicious glass of wine, enjoying her victory over the ravaged town.

“Ma’am, we’ve got them all,” said Ruby Heart, approaching Cellestrous with a group of raiders following her from behind. But also among them were six ponies, bound in heavy chains and muzzled with leather straps.

“Ah, our dear prisoners,” Cellestrous said, smiling as she jumped off of the wagon. Ruby Heart walked behind each prisoner after they were lined up before Cellestrous, knocking them down to their knees. Lyra Heartstrings was first, and then Nurse Redheart, Mr. Davenport the store clerk, Junebug, Cheerilee, and Octavia Melody, all terrified of what Cellestrous was planning on doing to them.

“How tragic...Left behind?” Cellestrous asked, mockingly, reaching over with her hoof to grab her scepter. The prisoners cowered in fear, aware of the power that the Queen’s Jewel had, as evidenced by the destruction caused in their town.

“Oh, don’t be so upset, darlings...You should feel honored. You’re going to fill the first ranks in my grand army of mindless slaves. Just like your friend Starlight over there!” Cellestrous said, glancing over at the mind-controlled Starlight Glimmer, who was standing nearby, expressionless.

“Once I bring Canterlot to its knees, I will have legions of slaves, to carry out my will across Equestria!”

The small group of raiders, including Ruby Heart, all gave an enthusiastic cheer, as Cellestrous raised the scepter into the air, the green jewel at its tip beginning to glow like a warm hearth. She paused before going through with her mind-control spell, enjoying listening to the cries and moans of her prisoners as they fought to be released, to no avail.

“So...who’s first?”

Stepping through the front doors of the detention center, Spice and Slick first came across a basic security clearance station, occupied by a lone royal guard who seemed to want to be anywhere other than where he was.

“Reason for the visit?” the inspector asked, quickly examining their badges and clearance cards.

“We’re additional security, for the execution. Orders from the Fifth’s Lieutenant,” Slick answered, having memorized that answer last night.

“‘K. Go on in,” the inspector said, hitting a button that buzzed open the door to the main lobby of the facility. The inspector leaned back in his chair and resumed reading the Canterlot Gazette, oblivious to their deceitful plan.

“That was easy,” Slick muttered under his breath, as they continued into the lobby.

“That wasn’t the hard part,” Spice replied, already terrified of being caught.

They stopped in the middle of the lobby, which was a large grey room, filled with soldiers and officers caught up in conversation. The scale of the event had reeled in ponies from all over Equestria, now able to reunite with old friends in the service.

“Third hallway, into the east wing,” Spice said, remembering the directions from having gone over the map last night. They had no idea which cell Crestfall was being kept in. All they could do was assume he was being kept in maximum security, and head there first.

Spice led the way, while Slick trailed behind, making sure they hadn’t been noticed.

They slipped into the cold, dreary hallway, passing the occasional guard or janitor. As of now, they had yet to draw any attention to themselves.

“This way,” Spice said, leading Slick around a corner. They were keeping a quick pace, wary of the running clock.

The end of the hallway was close off, sealed tight with an impressive metal door that could only be opened with the right number combination and a magical seal, of which only a select few ponies were capable of unlocking.

Luckily, Spice and Slick were already aware of this extensive security block, and had a plan to get around it.

While Slick stood by and watched to make sure nopony was coming, Spice fiddled with the doorknob to a locked storage closet at the back edge of the hallway. Spice was using a small metal lock picker that Elodea had given her, though was clearly having a difficult time making use of it.

“Do it like she taught you,” Slick said, beginning to fear how much longer they’d have before somepony strolled by.

“Got it! Come on,” Spice said, triumphantly, after hearing the satisfying ‘click’ of the lock.

They quickly scampered inside and shut the door behind them. Inside the closet, they were surrounded by mostly cleaning supplies, nothing of great value.

“What kind of place is this, they even lock the janitor’s closet?” Slick said, annoyed with the extra precaution.

“Shut up Slick, and get up there, we’re barely gonna make it,” Spice said, motioning with her head up to the air vent up above. Elodea came up with the idea, recalling how she, Crestfall, and Starlight had infiltrated Ruby Heart’s warehouse back in Vanhoover.

“Hold your horses,” Slick muttered, spreading his wings and jumping up into the air. The ceiling wasn’t very high, so it didn’t take much time at all for him to reach the vent, prying it loose with a small screwdriver, also courtesy of Elodea. Once Slick had the vent cover loose, he tossed it down to Spice, who caught it and placed it gently down beside some random cleaning equipment, inconspicuously.

“Here,” Spice said, about to throw Elodea’s briefcase up to him.

“We’re not taking that,” Slick spat.

“She said we might need it, just take it,” Spice said, giving him no choice as she threw it up into the air.

He bitterly caught a hold of the case and shoved it inside the vent, before he went down to pick up Spice, holding her by her front legs.

“Be careful, that hurts,” Spice whined, as Slick desperately struggled to lift Spice’s weight into the air.

He managed to bring her up close enough to the vent for her to climb inside, Slick quickly following suit. He collapsed in the vent, his front legs exhausted.

“What do you see?”

“Nothing. Give me the light,” Spice said.

Slick grumbled to himself, reached into his satchel, and retrieved the flashlight, throwing it up at Spice. She missed it, however, the flashlight tumbling on through the air vent ahead, lighting the way. Then both of them froze, when they watched the flashlight fall dangerously close to some sort of small red magical beam, stretching from one side of the vent to the other.

“Shit! What is that?! Did it hit it?” Slick asked, frantically.

“No, no it didn’t cross, thank Celestia...That was close… Watch out for that, make sure you crawl over it...There may be more, I’ll let you know.”

“Luna help us,” Slick muttered, as they began their long crawl through the filthy air tunnels.

Celestia took a cautious glance at the nearest clock, attached to a castle wall on the other side of the courtyard.

“It’s almost time, sister. We should begin,” Celestia said to Luna, who didn’t budge at all in her seat.

“Sister, I need you to be alongside me when I address everypony…”

Luna wanted to fly off, far away from here, to wash her hooves of this entire mess. But she was still a princess, and she still had duties to fulfill.

She stood up from her chair a few seconds after Celestia did, and together they walked out from the pavilion to the stone platform.

“Citizens of Equestria!” Celestia bellowed, silencing the rowdy crowd in a matter of seconds. Before she could continue, Celestia noticed Luna’s distasteful, pouting expression, causing her to trip up her focus.

“It is with great regret that we’re gathered here today...To face the truth that one of our own has been working to bring about the doom of our great nation. I know many of you are scared and confused about all of these rumors that have seized hope of so many. It is true, that there is a pony out there wreaking havoc, destroying cities and taking the lives of hundreds...The identity of this pony is still unclear, but what is clear, is that this cannot continue! It is impossible for any of us to make sense of what could drive a pony to such horrible extremes...But that pony is not why we’re here...No, the pony in question now has been convicted of treason, murder, treachery, kidnapping, theft, the assault of several royal guards, and endagering the lives of nearly a hundred innocent ponies,” Celestia said, pausing to let the crowd release their wails of frustration and disgust. “And worse, this pony was caught assisting the suspect likely responsible for all of this mayhem! It is time at last we see retribution for the devastation we have suffered, we cannot cower any longer. Today is the first step to a world free of those who seek to oppress, and kill, and destroy…”

While Celestia carried on with her speech, back in the pavilion Gallant Stride was feeling invincible. He had successfully fooled them all, and now he got a front row seat to the reward of his deception. Despite his confidence in his plan’s success, he had a sinking feeling as if somepony was already trying to undermine him. Pink Mist, who was still standing right beside him, hadn’t moved an inch or made any effort to make a run for it since he brought her here, weakening his suspicions of her. Even though Crestfall only had a few minutes left alive, Stride couldn’t shake the fear that something would interrupt and ruin everything. But as long as Celestia was still on his side, he had nothing to worry about.

Twilight Sparkle was doing her best to ignore her raging headache, putting every ounce of effort she could muster into leading the Ponyville refugees to safety. They had made a great distance already, and weren’t too far from the road to Canterlot. Every step they took, the more hope everypony began to feel. They may have lost their town, but they did still have their lives, which were enough to be thankful for.

“Twilight!” said Rainbow, darting through the air beside the purple alicorn.

“Rainbow?” Twilight replied, hoping there wasn’t anything wrong.

“Twilight, uh...We’re missing some ponies.”

“What?!” Twilight exclaimed, shocked.

“You said everypony was here!” Twilight said.

“They were with us, I think they got separated from the group,”

“Who?”

“Lyra Heartstrings, the schoolteacher, Octavia, a few others…” Rainbow said, “I want to be the one to go back for them,” Rainbow said, feeling personally guilty for losing track of them.

“Rainbow, I can’t let you do that. It’s too dangerous,” Twilight said, firmly.

“But Twilight, we can’t just leave them,” Rainbow said, distressed.

“We need to get everypony here to safety...We’ll get everypony back, trust me. But we have to be patient, and be better prepared, ok?”

“Ok…” said Rainbow, though she still wasn’t completely on board with Twilight’s decision.

Twilight hadn’t even had time to reflect on her strange reunion with Starlight, as she was so distracted by the burden of bringing all these ponies to safety.

All she could do was promise herself that everything would turn out alright. If she didn’t believe in a happy ending, then there would never be one.

Somehow, Crestfall could sense that his time was about to run out. He rose to his hooves, preferring not to be dragged out on the floor. He could kill a pony for a cigarette.

Staring into the reflective metal of his prison cell door, he expected it to open wide to reveal a host of soldiers, but instead, he was caught by surprise when a loud clanging sound began ringing through the cell.

He slammed his hooves over his ears and spun around, to find some sort of metal air vent cover resting on the floor. He slowly tilted his head upward, and then smiled from ear to ear.

“What in the hell took you so long?”

Spice climbed out of the vent first, victorious, having finally located Crestfall’s prison cell after three failed attempts.

Crestfall stood below her and caught her as she fell less than a foot’s distance. He set her down, and was doubly surprised to see Slick follow out after her.

“Both of you?” Crestfall said, in disbelief, “I didn’t think you cared that much,” Crestfall said, relieved to be rescued.

“I don’t know if you were aware of this though, but now we’re all trapped in here,” Crestfall said, as if the other two were complete idiots.

“Would you be quiet? Here, you’ve got to put this on,” Slick said, taking off his golden helmet, and removing the pieces of armor from his body and legs.

“What?”

“It’s the plan. Not my plan. I wanted to blend in with the escort, but apparently your girlfriend found that too predictable,” Spice seethed.

“She’s not my-ow!” Crestfall yelled, after Slick whacked him over the head with a golden shin plate

“I said put it on, damn you!”

“They won’t be able to recognize you, it’s...Wait, do you hear that?” Spice said, nervously turning to hear the fumbling of keys in the cell door.

“Shit! Lance! Hide!” Spice said, rushing over to the right side of the doorway, Crestfall following her, dragging the rest of Slick’s armor with him. Slick, now appearing as just an ordinary pony, quickly slumped down to the ground, trying to get into character. He noticed the air vent cover was still out on the ground, but figured there wasn’t time to move it, as the cell door was already opening.

“Alright, traitor, time to...What the hell?” said the guard pony who had just stepped inside. He was young, and seemingly inexperienced, much to Slick’s relief.

“Fuck, that’s bright,” Slick said, shielding his eyes from the light bursting in from the doorway. Spice and Crestfall were hidden, crouched in the shadow of the door, on the other side of which was the baffled soldier.

“Who the hell are you?” the guard asked.

“Who am I? Why the fuck do you care, asshole, get the fuck out of here, leave me alone,” Slick said, waving the soldier off.

“This is Cell A187! Lance Crestfall is supposed to be in here!” the soldier said, “There’s an escort waiting just down the hall!”

“Lance Crestfall? No, no, he ain’t down here, buddy, cuz if he was, I’d have done him in myself already. The pony’s a true menace to society...Check your numbers again, dickless, and let me enjoy some peace,” Slick said, turning his back on the soldier and shutting his eyes.

“This has got to be some kind of...wait…” the soldier said, noticing the stray air vent cover on the floor.

Slick opened his eyes to the sound metal against skull. He jumped to his hooves to see Spice and Crestfall standing over the soldier, who had just been whacked in the head by Crestfall’s hard metal helmet.

“Nice one,” Slick said triumphantly. Their victory was short lived, Slick frantically raising a hoof in the air.

“Wait!”

The soldier, as they were about to discover, ended up having the last laugh. Right as Crestfall was knocking him over the head with Slick’s helmet, the soldier extended a hoof towards the emergency lever, right on the wall in the cell doorway. As the soldier collapsed to the floor, his hoof went down with him, pulling the lever down.

Immediately, the alarm began to sound off, startling the trio into action.

“Put that helmet on, we’ve gotta get out of here,” said Spice, stepping over the soldier’s unconscious body. Crestfall came last, after shoving his head inside the helmet, effectively disguising himself in plain sight.

The trio walked out of the still-open cell door and down the small hallway into the main hallway, which was cast in a terrifying dark red light, ponies running around like mad, unsure where to report to and what was happening.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the trio rushed down the hallway, Crestfall and Spice both placing one hoof on Slick, who was still pretending to be the prisoner.

“Hold it you two!” yelled somepony ahead of them. Crestfall recognized the pony instantly, Lieutenant Bronze Beam, a stern, no-nonsense leader, who was never fond of Crestfall’s independent-operator style. There was a small squadron of soldiers following Bronze in a tight line, all of them confused as to what the alarm was about.

“Where’s this prisoner being transferred to? And what’s his ITN?” Beam demanded, halting the trio in their place.

“I can answer that, my ITN is four-six-five kiss my ass,” Slick said, hoping to distract the lieutenant with some disrespect. Bronze was already frustrated with what he believed to be a fake alarm, but now he was furious.

“Corporal?”

“Sir! The transfer orders are from the Fifth’s Lieutenant!” Spice barked.

“You understand we are on lockdown right now? There will be no prisoner transfer! Nopony is leaving this building! Do you understand?” Bronze demanded, having to yell over the blaring noise of the hallway alarm.

“From the Fifth you said?” said one of the ponies in the squadron of soldiers behind Lieutenant Bronze. The pony stepped out of line, narrowing his eyes directly at Spice. Crestfall kept his head down, hoping none of them would recognize him through the slits in his helmet.

“I’m from the Fifth, and I don’t know about any order about a prisoner transfer,” the pony said, doubtful that Spice was telling the truth. Lieutenant Bronze’s eyes darted between the soldier and Spice, unsure what to think.

“The orders came from just a little bit ago. Commander Stride suggested it, you can bring it up with him or your Lieutenant, if you’d like,” Spice said.

The soldier slowly backed away, still skeptical of Spice, who maintained her act despite the fear bubbling about inside her. Bronze however, was still unconvinced.

“What’s in that case, Corporal?” Bronze asked.

Everypony glanced down at the briefcase resting on the floor next to Spice’s hoof.

“Nothing of interest, sir,” Spice said, aware that those suspicious canisters, which were more than likely illegal, would definitely raise red flags.

“Oh, it interests me. Open it. Now,” Bronze commanded.

“Sir, you really want me to open this briefcase?” Spice repeated, glancing at Slick, who understood what was about to happen.

“I’m going to have to insist,” Bronze said, coldly.

The entire hallway seemed to be frozen, the trio facing down about twenty soldiers in total, all waiting for Spice to open that briefcase.

Spice opened it facing her, and, with one quick motion, managed to lift the pins of three of the canisters, tossing them at the floor and spinning around to make a break for it. Slick did the same, as did Crestfall, who had no idea what she had just done. Though, neither did she. Bronze backed away, confused as a mysterious red gas began to rapidly escape the three canisters, expanding into the air, filling the hallway up completely.

“That’s poison!” yelled Bronze, tasting the acidic gas on his tongue, “Somepony get those...oh...Celestia,” he muttered, as he collapsed to the ground.

“Get the Lieutenant out of here! Lock down all exits! Don’t let them escape!” yelled the lone sergeant of the group, who had his hoof wrapped around his nose and mouth. However, ponies were more concerned with escaping the poison gas more than they were with chasing down Crestfall, however. One canister was able to fill about three hallways, three could very well flood the entire facility. The gas wasn’t strong enough to be deadly, though it was extremely pungent and could easily cause a pony to fall unconscious in seconds.

“We’ve got to hurry!” Spice yelled, trying to outrun the cloud of red gas chasing them. She was leading them back to the lobby, hoping they’d be able to escape there. As they ran through the building, Spice was releasing more canisters, trying to cover their escape at all costs.

“This is insane,” Crestfall muttered to himself, “What the hell is that stuff?!” Crestfall said, coughing out some of the sulfur-smelling gas.

“No idea! Ask your girlfriend, she’s the one who gave it to me,” Spice replied, running out breath the faster they went.

“For the last time, we’re not-” right before Crestfall could finish, they ran into an entire squadron of soldiers coming towards them from the opposite direction.

“Is that them?” asked one, unable to see through the foggy red air.

The trio took advantage of the soldiers’ hesitation, dashing out a double doorway into the main lobby, reaching temporary safety.

“Sir, we might have an issue.”

Those were the very last words Stride wanted to hear.

Pink Mist took a step back to make way for this messenger pony who had just arrived at the pavilion floor. Celestia was still giving her speech, so he had to speak quietly.

“What issue?” Stride said, his face a cold, ghastly color.

“The alarm’s been set off at the prison...ponies are panicking,” the messenger said, “The Lieutenant said you might want to go see for yourself,” he went on.

Stride made some expression that Pink couldn’t quite describe, a sort of deep perturbance rustling inside his mind. He slowly rose from his seat, retaining his calm and collected demeanor so not to disturb his fellow guests, and turned to Pink.

“Come with me,” he said, his words sharp and painful to hear.

She meekly followed behind him as he trotted off away from the pavilion, irreverently ignoring Celestia’s speech. He always had to do everything himself.

Spice, Crestfall, and Slick casually walked through the lobby, which had yet to be infested with the malicious red gas. Ponies were anxiously waiting around, unsure whether they were in danger or not.

They marched back up to the inspector pony, who was now standing at attention, alert and ready.

“Nopony leaves,” he said, before Spice could even argue anything.

“This prisoner escaped, we got a hold of him, but he needs to be taken to a safer location…”

The inspector pony was nearly convinced, though the policy still stood.

“Nopony leaves,” he said a second time, hoping they would just give up and leave him alone.

Spice angrily approached the inspector pony, who seemed a bit threatened by her vigor.

“If that pony isn’t taken to a secure containment facility, he could get away and help that traitor filth manage an escape attempt. Is that what you want?” Spice asked, glaring at him.

Against his better judgement, the inspector hit a button to unlock the doors.

Their exit to freedom was just steps away.

Spice went first, casually walking outside as if she hadn’t just staged an arguable terrorist attack on government property.

“Where’s Elodea?” Crestfall asked, following Spice outside, taking a good deep breath of the outside air.

“She was supposed to meet us out back, we’ve got to go around to get to her,” Spice said, jogging down the steps to the sidewalk below, the other two quickly catching up.

“I can’t believe we made it,” Crestfall said, unable to process how relieved he was.

“We’re not out yet, sarge,” Slick said.

“I’ve never heard you talk like that to an officer, Slick, you oughta clean your mouth out with some soap,”

“Your neck was on the line, I figured I’d make an effort,” Slick said.

They ran down a nearby alleyway to reach the other side of the detention center building. Spice came to an abrupt halt, however, Crestfall and Slick nearly running into her.

“What?”

“Get back!” Spice said, grabbing the other two and throwing them back against the wall.

“Could you be less gentle?” Crestfall said, rubbing the back of his head in pain.

“The carriage is done for,” Spice said, regretfully, after taking another look at the street around the corner.

“What?” Crestfall asked, unsure what she meant.

“See for yourself,” she said, stepping out of the way. Slick and Crestfall peeked over, and saw what she meant.

The carriage that Elodea had been with was toppled, two of its wheels blown off, practically non-distinct from a pile of burning rubble.

“Get back! There could be ponies nearby!” Spice said, reeling them both back out of sight.

“That was our ride out of here?” Crestfall asked.

“Was,” Slick emphasized.

“She’s alive,” Spice said, bluntly.

“What? Who?” Crestfall stammered, worried Elodea was dead or not far from it.

“Elodea, I think she’s alive,” Spice said again.

Crestfall took another look, and saw Elodea lying on the ground near the carriage crash, covered in burns and bruises, seemingly half-dead.

“We’ve got to help her,” Crestfall said.

“We can’t risk it, It’s probably a trap,” Spice said, hoping Crestfall wouldn’t ruin the plan after its miraculous success.

“No,” Crestfall muttered, standing up from his crouched position.

“Wait, Lance!” Spice called out, unable to stop Crestfall as he ran out from the alley.

Slick sighed and followed after him, Spice reluctantly doing the same.

They hung back, making sure they weren’t about to be attacked, while Crestfall ran up to Elodea, kneeling down beside her. Her eyes were closed, and at first he believed she was dead, though after listening to her heartbeat, he was relieved to find that wasn’t the case.

“Elodea,” he muttered, shaking her around a bit, as gently as he could.

“Wake up!” he said, holding her limp head with his hoof. He was near tears, unwilling to let her go after finally realizing how he felt towards her.

Her eyes blinked open slowly as she came to and got a bearing of her surroundings.

“Soldier boy?” she asked, through wispy breaths.

“What the hell happened to you?”

She coughed to the side, her sinuses clustered with smoke from the fire that had engulfed the carriage.

“They were following me...It’s a trap...Crestfall, it’s a trap,” she said, before falling back unconscious.

He raised his head just in time to see around fifty soldiers begin to surround them, revealing themselves from their hiding places.

“Spice? Gas?!” Crestfall yelled, desperately.

“We’re out,” Spice said, having left the empty briefcase back in the alley.

Crestfall cursed under his breath, as he and the others were completely encompassed by a full battalion of soldiers.

“Crestfall, my dear boy…” said a low, gruff voice from the back of the crowd of soldiers. It was Gallant Stride, tugging a terrified Pink Mist alongside him. He threw her into the street to join the others, having already deduced she was helping them. Slick helped her up, the group now all together again, though under rather unfortunate circumstances.

“It was a nice try, really,” Stride said, with a delightfully malicious grin.

Crestfall, still kneeling over Elodea’s unconscious body, was fuming with rage, glaring at Stride with an unquenchable fury.

“Pout all you want, Sergeant. I do believe that was your last hope,” he said, victoriously.

“Arrest them, bring them all back to the gardens...It seems we’ll have more than one execution to be performed today,” he said, laughing all the way.

Crestfall, Spice, Slick, Pink, and Elodea, who was still unconscious, were all subdued without a fight. None of them saw any point, what with them being surrounded 10 to one. They were each put in chains, and brought back to the gardens, where Celestia was still giving her speech.

“Hold them here, I’ll let the Princess know what happened. Lieutenant, you come with me, validate the timeline of events,” Stride instructed, walking off with one of the officers.

Elodea was propped against the ledge of the battlement wall when she woke up again, shocked to find the cold sensation of metal cuffs fastened around her hooves. She couldn’t find the words to express her disbelief and disappointment, realizing they had all been defeated. She was glad Dust wasn’t here to see this.

“Hey,” said Crestfall, who was waiting in line right next to Elodea. There was a row of guards on either side of the prisoners, lined up along the edge of the battlements, waiting for the cue from Celestia to bring them down to the platform. Stride was still making his way down to the pavilion, so Crestfall figured he had better say what he wanted to say quickly.

“Hey,” Elodea replied, forlorn over their hopeless situation. She had tried hard, and was even confident in their success, but still failed. For once in her life, she had been committed to doing something good for another pony, and now she was going to pay for it with her life. But she didn’t feel bitter, or even afraid. It was the effort that counted, after all. She knew that if she had left Canterlot as she planned, she would probably end up the same miserable junkie she had wasted so many years of her life as. She had found meaning, but at the worst cost imaginable.

“Tough luck, huh,” Crestfall said.

“Yeah.” Elodea said, watching Celestia finish up her long-winded speech.

“So uh...Do you want to-” Crestfall began.

Elodea was way ahead of him, putting her arms around the back of his head and pressing her lips against his, savoring her last moments on this good green earth.

They both felt like they were alone in the world, like nothing could spoil the moment, despite the knowledge of what was waiting for them in a few minutes.

Crestfall held her in his arms after she gently pulled away, the two of them slowly rocking back and forth, trying to ignore the fear of what came after death and focus on the happiness they had found in each other.

When Celestia finally finished her speech, Gallant Stride was waiting at the ready behind her, eager to reveal that four other ponies had been added to the list. He meant to approach her, until the thundering sound of the city horn sounded off, its deep ringing shaking the entire city. Celestia turned to Luna, confused as to what had happened. Even Gallant Stride, who normally had a hoof in everything, was utterly perplexed.

“Your highnesses!” called out a young pony pushing his way through the crowd up to the front. Celestia peered down at him, her mouth slightly ajar in confusion.

“They’re back! Princess Twilight! Ponyville’s been attacked! They’ve come here!” he exclaimed. Celestia reeled back in surprise, and, without much delay, took flight, Luna doing the same, eager to find out what exactly happened.

Stride was left standing on the platform, realizing that Twilight had indeed escaped the raid on Ponyville. He turned and stormed off, temporarily thwarted.

“Keep the prisoners in the royal dungeon, I need to go,” Stride commanded to one of his subordinates. He was too close to victory, he wouldn’t that pesky Princess of Friendship stop his plans so soon.

Celestia and Luna found Twilight in the city square, surrounded by Canterlot ponies, fretting over the princess’ wretched battle-worn condition. Celestia was absolutely dumbfounded by what she was witnessing, an endless streaming of Ponyville refugees flooding into the city.

The two princesses landed next to the city fountain, right in front of Twilight, who was exhausted after a long day of traveling.

“Twilight! Are you alright?! What’s happened?” Celestia asked, fearful of whatever caused such disarray.

“We weren’t ready for them...They took Ponyville,” Twilight said, her voice quivering, as if she was about to cry. She blamed herself, though knew there was little she could’ve done without risking the complete destruction of her beloved town. She tended to cause mayhem when she let her aggressive emotions dominate her.

“What? Who?” Celestia sputtered.

“Those ponies that Dust Bunny here was telling you about,” Twilight said, nodding at Dust Bunny, who was near the front of the crowd, trying to keep a low profile, “It’s real, Princess, there’s an army of ponies trying to take over Equestria...They’re real…” Twilight said.

“We need to get some ponies to a hospital,” said Rainbow Dash, who was hovering in the air nearby.

“Twilight, how can this-” Celestia began, though Twilight had no tolerance for Celestia’s hesitations.

“Princess, those ponies will come here next, we need to prepare the city for a siege...They have a weapon of great power,” Twilight said.

“What weapon?” Luna asked.

“The Queen’s Jewel,” Twilight answered.

“The Queen’s Jewel? Impossible, it was sealed away long ago, nopony could be able to find it,” Celestia said, defiantly.

“No, they have it, and they used it….” Twilight said, still aching over the loss of Ponyville.

Celestia sighed, acknowledging that it was her reluctance to believe Twilight that may have helped bring about this terrible situation.

“Then I owe you an apology, Twilight....Take your wounded to the hospital, We’ll begin preparing the city.”

“Thank you, Celestia,” Twilight said, breaking into tears, relieved to not have to be fighting with her own mentor anymore. They embraced, Celestia still a little frazzled by the suddenness of this news. Gallant Stride arrived at the scene, escorted by his entourage of soldiers. Dust Bunny recognized him, and remembered that Crestfall’s life was currently in danger.

“Wait! Princess!” Dust Bunny cried, nervously approaching Celestia.

“Yes?” Celesita asked, regaining her clarity of mind.

“My friends! You’re not really going to kill them, are you?” Dust asked, worried what the answer will be.

Celestia sighed, realizing she had been too quick to judgment earlier, and that perhaps a little time to think things over was the best course of action.

“They’ll remain in custody until everything can be sorted out. There seem to be more pressing matters…”

“But Princess-” began Gallant Stride, though it was clear that Celestia had already made up her mind.

“Must you be so eager to spill blood, Commander?” Luna asked, still highly suspicious of Stride’s true intentions.

“Commander, call for aid to the city. It appears we are going to be facing an attack very soon,” Celestia said, Gallant turning red with frustration.

“Princess, you can’t possibly believe that-”

“Now, Commander. Do it now,” Celestia ordered, becoming fed up with Stride’s constant attempts at counter-persuasion.

He snarled at Twilight and Dust Bunny, turning and shoving his way back through the crowd of ponies.

“Thank you for listening to me, Celestia,” Twilight said, graciously.

“I should’ve believed you from the start, Twilight...I promise you, we’ll get all these ponies back home, safe and sound.”

Twilight smiled and nodded, as a lone tear fell down her cheek. All she wanted was for everything to be made right again. Repairing her relationship with Celestia was a start, but Starlight was still out there. It had to mean something, that Starlight made an effort to buy Twilight a chance to escape back at Ponyville. It had to mean that Starlight still cared about her. That hope was enough to drive Twilight back to action, to do everything in her power to prepare the ponies of Canterlot for a siege, to get her old life back.

Chapter Nineteen: Enemy At The Gates

The sky was a swirl of twisted, feathery grey clouds, that wrestled with one another for dominance. The air was warm and wet, and the wind cast calm and gentle breezes. Ruby Heart was leaning against the wall of a Ponyville home, gazing off at the glamorous capital city of Canterlot in the distance. The wind blew ripples into puddles of wet, watery mud, and every now and then she could feel a stray drop of rain.

“Ma’am!”

Ruby Heart swiveled around to see one of her subordinates running towards her, seemingly with something important to say.

“There’s somepony here to see you,” the pony said, stepping to the side to reveal a burly blue stallion with a white mustache.

“Stride,” Ruby said, coldly, not happy at all to see him, “You’re supposed to be up there, distracting everypony.”

Stride scoffed, finding it adorable that Ruby could even attempt to spin the blame on him.

“I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t let Princess Twilight and every single townspony walk right up into Canterlot...It’s over, Celestia knows we’re planning the attack. We can’t go through with it now, they’ll be too well defended.”

“It’s too late to wait any longer. Haven’t we waited long enough? We have the jewel, and Starlight Glimmer, and now we even have the means to brainwash all those pathetic ponies into serving our every desire. We should attack as soon as possible, before the city can get its reinforcements,” Ruby said. Stride sighed and shook his head, reluctantly agreeing that she was right.

“Now get back to that city, stall their defenses for as long as you can. It’s time to mobilize.”

Stride nodded bitterly and left Ruby alone, making his way to head all the way back to Canterlot. Ruby felt a pain in her stomach, and a strange sweat on the edges of her forehead. She was nervous. Sure, they had the ultimate weapon in Equestria, but still, defeating three princesses was no small feat. She had conviction, however, that their time had come at last. The city wouldn’t be ready for them. She turned back to take a look at her troops, now containing the mind-controlled Ponyville residents who had the misfortune of being captured. The troops were organized, walking in sync to their marching exercises. Starlight Glimmer was at their helm, lifelessly making the motions back and forth. Ruby Heart couldn’t help but smile to herself. After so much preparation and planning, at last her dream would come true. The end of Celestia and Luna’s reign of arrogance and futility, and the birth of a new nation, one built on the precedent that only the strong should survive.

Twilight Sparkle had been out of breath for an hour. She had committed herself to preparing the city as best as she could for the upcoming assault, aware of the power their enemy possessed. She had assigned each of her friends to round up ponies and guide them to the safe zone at the palace, where they could be better protected more so than being stuck out in the open.

While she was flying along the ramparts and checking in with the soldiers at their posts, her eyes would often be drawn to Ponyville down below, reminding her that this was her last chance to prevent the complete devastation of Equestria. She wasn’t sure what their enemy wanted or what they were after, all she knew was they were dangerous.

“Twilight!” called out a stallion’s nasal voice from down below on one of the battlement walkways. Twilight recognized the pony instantly, excitedly flying down to greet him.

“Sunburst, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked, confused why the bookworm wizard would choose to visit now of all times.

“Oh, well see I heard about what happened, all of it, from Celestia. We were all so worried about Cadance, and Shining Armor, I mean, I had to watch after Flurry Heart, she’s being kept safe, but I just had to come down and help!” Sunburst sputtered, flustered by the tumultuousness of recent events.

“Help?” Twilight asked, not having assumed Sunburst would be too eager to join in the fighting.

“Right! Help in any way I can!” Sunburst confirmed, eager to contribute to the rescue of Equestria.

Twilight pondered on what task she could give him, until she remembered the obvious.

“Sunburst, do you know what the Queen’s Jewel is?”

“The Queen’s Jewel?” Sunburst said, laughing at the very notion that he wouldn’t know about it, “It’s only one of the most dangerous artifacts ever detailed in Kanthaka’s Book of Facts and Artifacts. Capable of wiping out cities from the face of the earth, genociding ponies by the thousands, raising forests, parting the seas, controlling minds, practically anything the user wants. It’s just a myth though, thankfully.”

“It’s not a myth. It’s real. And the ponies who are coming here, to cause chaos and destruction, they have it.”

Sunburst wasn’t sure if she was serious or not.

“Sunburst, I’ve seen it! They used it on Starlight, she’s under some kind of trance…” Twilight said, recalling the unfortunate current state of her former pupil.

Sunburst stared at her with a puzzled face, shocked to learn that not only was Starlight back in his life again, but she was also in danger.

“A trance? Are you sure?” Sunburst asked.

“I need you to find out a way to reverse the effects of the jewel, otherwise I’m not sure how we’ll be able to get her back.”

Sunburst hesitated, finding all of this news quite overwhelming. He nodded his head, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

“Alright, I’ll be in the library,”

“Good, tell me when you’ve found something. We have to get her back. She’s still in there, Sunburst, I know it…” Twilight said, though the uncertainty was palpable in her voice. Sunburst nodded again, determined to see the task through. He broke into a light jog down the steps of the battlements, leaving Twilight on the wall to stare down at the small world below. She hoped with all her heart that Starlight wasn’t yet past the brink, that by some miracle the world could be made right again. But standing there praying for success would certainly not bring her any, and she knew it. She spread her wings and took flight once more, continuing her unending race to prepare the city for battle.

Dust Bunny had been offered a place in one the safe zone with the rest of the Canterlot populous, though she decided to decline. What she was predominantly concerned with was finding Elodea and Crestfall, whose lives were currently being held in jeopardy. Of course, she was prohibited from seeing them, the guards all highly suspicious of another breakout attempt.

Left astray in the streets of Canterlot, which were filled with crowds of ponies rushing to the safe zone and lines of soldiers marching to their posts, Dust Bunny was a wanderer, unsure what to do without the benefit of her friends being around to help and guide her.

She considered getting out while she could, to run back home to safety while she was still alive. But she couldn’t abandon Crestfall and Elodea to death, nor Starlight as a prisoner of that dreadful Ruby Heart.

She clutched Jackpot’s wooden crossbow, which she was still in possession of, and held it close to her, hoping to find some sort of peace of mind with the memories of what she used to have. She watched as the crowd of Canterlot ponies shambled through the streets past her, terrified of the mysterious threat soon to arrive.

But Dust Bunny didn’t follow them, instead she stayed where she was, waiting. She couldn’t leave, run and hide, and under no circumstances give up, even if she was alone and relatively helpless. She made a promise to Starlight back home, that she would stick by her, even through the worst of situations. And it couldn’t get much worse than this, she thought, but that didn’t matter. She had unfinished business that needed to be settled. If she ran away, she knew she would never be able to move on from the regret of leaving the others to die. It was all up to her now, whether she liked it or not.

Queen Chrysalis and Violet Heirloom were crouched behind a bush on a ridge, listening to the periodical stomping of hooves. Below, Cellestrous’ armies, led by Ruby Heart, were trudging through a small valley, stepping through fields of green grass, darkened under the forebodingly grim stormy sky above.

“There’s more than I thought,” Violet said, peeking out from the bush a second time to make sure what she was seeing was real.

“They must’ve had more ponies come in from around Equestria...Ponyville was just a meeting point,” Chrysalis said, realizing it would now be even harder to steal the jewel back with so many ponies to get through.

Chrysalis had been going through a sort of on-and-off phase of hesitation regarding her intense desire to steal the Queen’s Jewel back for herself, and subsequently go on to conquer Equestria. Violet was well aware of this, but hadn’t gone out of her way to start a heated argument over it, since they had to be careful not to be noticed by the traveling army below.

“You know, Chrysalis,” Violet whispered, deciding to make one last attempt at tugging at Chrysalis’ deeply-buried conscience.

“We save that city from these ponies...It may improve your public image,” Violet suggested. Chrysalis scoffed at the very idea.

“Those ponies loathe me. Don’t you know what I’ve done to them?” Chrysalis asked, as if she didn’t even believe she deserved any sort of redemption.

Violet stayed quiet, leaving Chrysalis to marinate in her own internal conflict. She was struggling to see what good has ever really come out of her evil ways. Her own kingdom had betrayed her because they were starved and unhappy, and absolutely nopony had much sympathy for her. Should she claim that jewel for herself, what would come from it? Just more war and death and destruction. Chrysalis couldn’t remember the last time she was truly happy. Most of her life consisted of suffering and aggressive retribution for that suffering. An endless cycle of pain received and pain dealt out. She felt no ounce of love in her heart, as she was only ever capable of consuming others’. A miserable life, that she was predestined to experience without any chance of breaking free. She could never change, and she knew it. She was too far gone already.

Chrysalis sighed, disappointed with the reality that the world presented her with.

“Come on, we should start making our way to the city...You know how to get to that secret back entrance you were talking about?”

“Hopefully it’s still there, yeah,” Violet replied.

The duo crawled away from the edge of the ridge, out of sight from Cellestrous’ armies. Once they were far enough, they both stood up, wiping off the dirt, and shook out their stiff bodies. Between them and Canterlot was a vast expanse of fields and grassy hills. If they were to beat Cellestrous’ army, who was taking the faster main road there, they’d have to hurry.

Below the ridge, in the far back of the organized parade of troops, Cellestrous was marching tall, preparing herself for the fight of a lifetime. Every step she took was one step closer to seeing herself sitting on the Canterlot throne, one step closer to victory.

“Aluminon, I’m going to have you take your detattachment around, and attack by the north...We’ll force them into the center of the city and crush them there,” Cellestrous commanded to Aluminon, a tall stallion, dark grey in color with a hard jaw, an unshaven face and sunken eyes. He was acting as Cellestrous’ number two, Ruby Heart being his own personal protégé.

“Very well,” he replied, “Should I take Ruby with me?”

“No, I want her with me in the initial assault...You’re well equipped already, now go on, there’s no time to waste,” Cellestrous said.

Aluminon passively accepted the order, breaking off from the main army, calling over several groups of soldiers to follow him in a different direction.

Starlight Glimmer was at the front, close to Ruby Heart, walking ahead of the line of mind-controlled Ponyville slave soldiers. Ruby Heart was already feeling triumphant, as she paraded the defeated Starlight around like a trophy she had won. Still, staging an attack on Canterlot was an intimidating feat to pull off nonetheless. But she had to stay focused and determined, after all she had once thought capturing Starlight Glimmer was an impossible task too. But now, it seemed victory against Celestia was almost certain.

Canterlot was quieter than usual, its typically bustling streets now empty, its ponies all having deserted the city for the royal palace, where they could enjoy the protection of Princess Luna herself. Twilight was still tremendously stressed over the impending attack, but was relieved to know that everypony was reasonably safe, as safe as they could be.

Inside the foyer of the royal palace, Princess Luna was impatient pacing in circles, worried over the potential danger of this new threat to Equestria. Behind her was a crowd of hundreds, filling up the entire foyer from front to back. There were only four royal guards stationed alongside Luna, as every other soldier was being committed to guarding some other part of the city and defending against the raiders. Not that Luna really thought she needed the help, but having somepony to talk to never hurt. Also in the crowd were Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, Trixie, and nearly everypony from Ponyville.

“Sergeant, keep the door bolted shut unless I say otherwise,” Luna instructed. She was nervous, and hoped that the other ponies hadn’t yet noticed. She was a princess after all, and she wasn’t supposed to ever be nervous. But still, the ambiguity of the approaching invaders made her uneasy for whatever reason.

On a Canterlot avenue, Twilight was patrolling around, making sure there weren’t any stray ponies who missed the memo that the city was under attack.

“Twilight!” said Rainbow Dash, flying down right beside where Twilight was walking. Twilight was a bit frazzled by Rainbow’s unexpected entrance.

“Twilight, everypony’s with Luna. They’re safe, until those rotten ponies start pouring in through the gate,” Rainbow said.

“You should get inside with the others too, Rainbow, it isn’t safe,” Twilight warned.

“You think I’m gonna miss this? Please!” Rainbow said, energetically flying in circles.

“Um, Twilight,” said Sunburst, startling Twilight, who wasn’t even aware that the spectacled unicorn had silently crept up on their conversation.

“Sunburst! You shouldn’t be out here, get back to the-” Twilight began, before Sunburst interrupted her.

“I know, I know, I just had to tell you...I did as much research on that Queen’s Jewel as I could...It’s so old not many books care to talk about it. But I found one, and there’s a technicality we may be able to take advantage of….the book said that whoever’s in possession of the jewel, controls its power. If we can get the jewel for ourselves, we can possibly reverse the spell put on Starlight,” Sunburst posited.

“Why not just destroy the stupid thing already?” Rainbow suggested.

“We can’t just destroy a priceless ancient artifact!” Sunburst yelled, shocked by the very proposition.

“But if we did….wouldn’t Starlight be freed? The jewel wouldn’t have any power anymore,” Twilight said.

“I suppose that’s a possible route...What matters the most is getting control of it for ourselves,” Sunburst said.

“Right,” Twilight affirmed.

“You know, this whole thing could’ve been avoided if we had just-” began Rainbow, before the blaring sound of the city alarm caught all of them by surprise.

“Uh-oh...” Twilight said, caught off guard. She thought they would at least have a few more hours of waiting.

“Twilight, I think we should get down to the gate,” Rainbow said.

“Sunburst, head back to the palace,” Twilight instructed, before taking flight and following Rainbow Dash through the air down the winding city streets.

Sunburst was already pale with fright, scurrying in the opposite direction, hoping he’d be able to make it back to safety in time before he was captured or killed.

Twilight and Rainbow rushed through the streets all the way down to the city’s front gates. Both ponies froze mid-air when they arrived, their jaws both hanging open. There was practically anypony there at the gate, just a measly defense unit consisting of only around twenty soldiers. Twilight flew into them, her heart racing.

“Where’s everypony else?! The alarm’s gone off, we’ll be under attack any moment!” Twilight yelled.

“The Commander left! Then everypony else ran off!” said one, relieved that Twilight had arrived to help them. The other soldiers who had left had seen little point in fighting an army of raiders without a commanding officer’s guidance, fleeing to a different defense post to avoid the slaughter.

“Commander? Which Commander?” Twilight stammered, her suspicions about a certain somepony being triggered.

“Commander Stride, he was in charge of the welcome garrison. None of us know where he's gone off to,” said another of the soldiers, clearly bitter about being stuck defending the front gate of all places.

Twilight had been suspicious of Stride since she first met the pony, but this incident was strong enough evidence to thoroughly convince her that he wasn’t really on their side.

“Rainbow, go around, find as many ponies as you can, send them here, or else we’re in big trouble,” Twilight said.

Rainbow didn’t even waste the time to respond, blasting off into the air to find them some more help.

Twilight made her way to the front of the group of soldiers, eyeing down the tall city gates, which were locked tight with heavy metal bars and magic-sealed bolts.

She could hear the unmistakable sound of stomping hooves grow louder and louder from the other side of the gate, heading towards them, fast.

“Everypony get ready...It’s just us for now,” Twilight said, trying to be brave for the sake of inspiring the terrified soldiers. Even with an alicorn on their side, they were fighting extraordinary odds.

Standing firmly at the head of the pack, Twilight’s horn was glowing a preemptive purple, her eyes narrowing as she could hear the herd of enemy soldiers march right up to the gate. They were wild, yelling and shouting a variety of unintelligible jeers and taunts.

There was brief pause, and a wave of silence slowly washed itself over the army of enemy soldiers. Twilight wasn’t sure what was happening. Her objective was clear, defend the city and its ponies at all costs.

Then, in a flash of light and fire, both doors to the city forcefully came crashing open, swinging across to the sides. As the smoke descended down on Twilight and the soldiers, she was frozen for a moment, shocked at how easily they had broken through.

Through the smoke, as Twilight wiped her eyes with her hoof, she saw a bright green light, glowing through the carnage of what used to be considered an impenetrable gate.

It was Cellestrous, unimpressed with the pitifully small group of royal guards waiting for them. Without a word, she turned and walked back the way she came, into the smoke. The royal guards all shared a naively celebratory look of excitement, though Twilight knew it wouldn’t be over this soon, not by any miracle.

Not a second after Cellestrous disappeared back into the smoke, the army of raiders came running out, charging at full speed towards Twilight, hollering and waving their weapons in the air.

Twilight paid no mind to the immense size of the army running towards her, as she prepared to cast her first spell. Even if she was the last pony standing in this city, she was not going to let these ponies get away with all that they’ve done. This had to end, here and today.

Crestfall and Elodea had found themselves lucky enough to be sharing a prison cell together, while Spice, Slick Sleeve, and Pink Mist sulked in misery in the cell right next door. They were trapped in the royal dungeon, which Crestfall found to be mildly preferable to the bleak, lifeless detention center he had been freed from earlier that day. There were no guards in the prison block, as every soldier was busy out preparing the city for the attack. The royal dungeon was high up in the palace, about six stories, severely limiting the possibilities for escape for any non-pegasi.

Crestfall was staring out the cell window at the city below, taking some time to enjoy the gentle breeze, the kind that often preceded a terrible storm.

Elodea and Crestfall had mutually agreed to withhold from engaging in any romantic shenanigans while they were incarcerated, preferring to wait until this whole mess had been sorted out.

“If they’re so desperate for ponies to fight, why don’t they free us?” Pink asked, annoyed with being stuck in a jail cell during the only actual battle she would ever have gotten to be a part of.

“Because Stride’s in command, and, if none of you were aware, I don’t think he’s particularly fond of us,” Crestfall said, dismissively, turning away from the window.

“Why’s he in command anyways, where’s the princess’ brother? Shining Armor?” Pink asked.

“Gone somewhere, probably at home in his crystal palace…” Slick answered.

Before Pink could ask another question, all of them collectively jumped at the sound of some sort of large explosion, coming from somewhere else in the city. Crestfall quickly turned back around to face the window, scouring the city for signs of what happened.

“What was that?” Elodea asked, slowly rising to her hooves.

“One of the wall’s been shot,” Crestfall answered.

“Shot? With what?”

“A cannon or something else...I think the city’s under attack,” Crestfall said.

“It’s those ponies? The ones from the train?” Spice asked.

“Most definitely,” Crestfall replied bitterly. These ponies, Stride among them were the real enemies, yet here he was serving out a prison sentence he didn’t deserve.

He jumped down from the prison cell bench, walking back to the barred door. He inspected it for any vulnerabilities, for the seventh time, and still found nothing.

“We should be out there!” he yelled, angrily.

“I hope Dust is okay,” said Elodea, realizing she wasn’t entirely sure whether Dust was even alive. Her recent exploits with Crestfall had apparently distracted her.

“If we could just...wait, do you hear that?” asked Spice.

The other four all paused to try and hear whatever Spice had heard, though all of them only came back with silence.

“No,” Crestfall replied, bitter and tired.

“Wait, just listen, I swear I heard it,” Spice repeated.

Again, they all got quiet, and after a few moments the others all began to hear the same noise too. A high pitched sound from outside, seemingly getting closer.

“Hold on…” Crestfall muttered, nervously walking back up to the window.

As soon as he got a small glimpse, he quickly turned back and jumped out of the way, tackling Elodea to the edge of the cell.

“What are you-” Elodea began, slightly hurt by the powerful shove, though she quickly realized why, when an explosion burst through the outside-facing wall of their prison cell.

The blast was ferocious, tearing the wall apart, nearly searing Crestfall and Elodea to a crisp medium well, though luckily they were both far away to not receive anything worse than some slight burn irritation.

When the blast settled, Crestfall pushed himself off of Elodea, landing on his back, gasping for breath. They were both glad to be alive, just a few seconds away from being completely cooked.

“Thanks,” Elodea muttered. They were leaning against the prison bars, holding hooves, taking deep breaths and watching the small flames left from the blast wither down in the wind.

“Are you guys ok?! What the hell was that?!” Spice yelled from the other jail cell.

“Fine. Thanks for the heads up, you’ve got good ears,” Crestfall said, coughing as the smoke cleared.

“That wasn’t a cannon,” Slick said, gravely.

“No, that was something magic…” Crestfall said, standing up slowly and walking towards the edge of the large hole in the wall.

“The city’s being pelted with ‘em,” Crestfall said, watching as more fireballs of magical energy were thrown from beyond the walls inside the city, destroying everything in their past.

“Some weapons these ponies got, huh,” Elodea said, slightly impressed, kicking some rubble from the wall explosion off the edge down below.

Crestfall realized that he and Elodea could now escape, though unfortunately not with Spice and others, who were still trapped in the other cell, as the hole didn’t extend far enough.

Elodea joined Crestfall at the edge, shocked by the amount of damage already done to the city. The sky was raining fire.

“You guys should go, we’ll be fine,” Spice said.

“Don’t die,” Pink said, worried.

“Great advice, Pink, I’ll remember that,” Crestfall said back.

He turned to Elodea, who was a little nervous herself to join a fight of such great proportion. She was more accustomed to knife fights in an alley, not capital city sieges.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” she replied, grabbing a hold of his hooves as he spread his wings.

Carrying Elodea in his arms, Crestfall took flight into the desolation of Canterlot, gritting his teeth as the air began to blacken with smoke.

“Hold on tight,” Crestfall said, dodging the streaks of magical fire that ran across the sky. Elodea, who wasn’t at all used to flying so high in the air, held on as tight as she could, trying to avoid looking down, trusting Crestfall not to make a mistake and get them both killed.

Crestfall flew as fast as he could to avoid being struck by any of the magical projectiles. He eventually reached the nearby western wall, making an intentionally gentle landing to try and impress Elodea. He set her down and gave a great sigh of relief, glad to be alive and free once again.

“Hey, you’re that traitor!” yelled one of the soldiers at the wall battlements, rallying some of the other stray guards to close in around them.

“Hey, fellas, let’s be smart right now, ok? I’m on your side,” Crestfall said, though he knew he wasn’t getting through to them. There were now six soldiers in front of them and five behind, each drawing their weapons, deciding to go ahead and perform the execution without the ceremony.

“What the hell are you guys even doing here? The battle’s down there!” Elodea yelled, pointing at the other side of the city where the front gate was.

“We’re posted here,” answered one of the soldiers.

“Bullshit. What are there, ten of you? What station has more than five ponies at it?” Crestfall retorted.

The soldiers struggled to come up with an answer, confirming what Crestfall had suspected.

“Right. Most of you just ran over here, to get away from the battle, to avoid having to fight, is that it? Am I in the ballpark here?”

“Would you like to go down there and get yourself killed then, traitor? It’s suicide. They’ve got a superweapon, you know, that’s what everypony’s been saying,” one of the soldiers said, defiantly.

“Soldiers of the crown fleeing from their posts? Forsaking every oath you’ve ever sworn? If we don’t go down there right now, and help everypony else, then this city will be overrun, and you’ll be killed for sure then. And if you do manage to escape the city, it’ll be too late anyway. They’ll find you eventually, and kill you. So for the love of Celestia, you’ve all got to grow a pair, and take a stand! Not later, there won’t be a later!” Crestfall yelled.

The soldiers paused and glanced at each other. His rousing speech was meant more as a distraction so he and Elodea could escape should the soldiers try and kill them. Instead, one of them tossed him a spear, which he caught with confused hooves. The soldiers seemed to either be truly invigorated by him, or just amused by his passionate war spirits. Either way, he was glad to see that killing him wasn’t at the top of their to-do-list.

“Lead the way.”

Twilight Sparkle had been mowing down wave after wave of ponies, though they never seemed to stop. She hadn’t killed anypony, resorting to weak stun attacks that wore away after only about thirty minutes. The royal guards, meanwhile, were struggling even more, taking care of the raiders that made it past Twilight. Though even those small numbers proved too much for them. The raiders just kept coming and coming, some slipping past the line completely and making their way into the city. Four of the royal guards had already been killed, and Twilight was really beginning to wonder what was taking Rainbow Dash so long with those reinforcements.

Twilight blasted pony after pony, undeterred in her defense, until at last one of the raiders landed a sickening blow to her temple with a beefy metal club.

Twilight collapsed to the ground in an instant, her head rocking back and forth, as she quickly tried to recover. Another raider was already on top of her with a knife, but right before he could plant it in her neck, he was swatted to the side by another pony’s spear.

As her rescuer helped the princess to her hooves, Twilight expected to be thanking one of the royal guards alongside her, but instead found a familiar face. It was Lance Crestfall, who she had briefly met, and had also inadvertently gotten arrested by bringing him to the palace.

“Thanks,” Twilight said.

“Don’t mention it, Princess,” Crestfall said. He meant to add something else, but was distracted by another raider lunging at him.

Crestfall, Elodea, and their newly recruited band of cowardly soldiers had arrived at the front gates, joining Twilight’s heroic efforts to prevent a mass invasion of the city.

Twilight was feeling more confident now than ever, now that they had more ponies to fight back with, though her mood quickly darkened when she made out one pony with a recognizable face approaching her from the smoke.

It was Starlight Glimmer, her eyes still an unsettling glowing green color, her head slightly tilted to the side.

“Starlight…” Twilight said, hesitantly, unsure whether Starlight was even able to recognize her.

Starlight’s glowing horn was enough to tell Twilight that her former pupil was indeed not on her side. She quickly jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding Starlight’s magical beam of death.

Twilight backed away slowly, as Starlight fired a series of rapid attacks at her. Twilight assumed that Starlight had been sent specifically for her, to distract her from the main battle. She was stuck on the defensive, blocking each of Starlight’s attacks as they came down without ceasing. She didn’t want to hurt Starlight, though the need to get back to the battle was beginning tugging at her. Without Twilight’s magic, the royal guards would have a vastly harder time defending the gate.

To Twilight’s despair, Starlight did manage to get a lucky shot, tagging Twilight in the leg, sending her plummeting to the ground in pain. Twilight weakly raised her head as Starlight moved in for the kill. But, before Twilight could get too familiar with Starlight’s deadly capabilities, Rainbow Dash came soaring through the air, landing a devastating kick to Starlight’s chest, sending her flying across the ground.

“Rainbow!” Twilight said, relieved to see her friend alive, and even more relieved to be alive herself.

“Sorry I was late...I had to get some help,” Rainbow said, nodding towards at least three platoons of soldiers rushing out from one of the city streets to join the battle, which was now an all-out brawl. Ponies were using every weapon they could get their hooves on to try and incapacitate or kill the other. Crestfall had assumed Twilight’s position in the front, with Elodea close behind, brandishing a knife she had found on a raider’s dead body.

“In a line! Shields in front, spears behind!” Crestfall called out, sifting back behind the first line as the soldiers reorganized themselves.

The raiders’ strategy was more or less to completely disrupt the guards’ structure, as they fared worse in individual combat than they did as a unified fighting force.

Rainbow helped Twilight up, dusting herself off, grunting as she wiped some blood from the injury on her leg she took from Starlight.

Starlight was back up already, despite the nasty bruise on the side of her body, courtesy of Rainbow.

Rainbow and Twilight both caught sight of Starlight back on her hooves, though Rainbow had expected her kick to leave some decent lasting damage.

“You think she’s gonna be mad at me?” Rainbow asked, nervously.

“No...No, I think she’s just after me,” Twilight replied.

“Oh awesome! I mean uh, well good luck with that,” Rainbow said, smiling.

“I’ll try and lead her away from here, so she doesn’t hurt anypony else,” Twilight said, as Starlight slowly made her way towards them.

“Suit yourself,” Rainbow said, darting off to go join the proper fight.

Twilight slowly began backing up away from the battle, cautiously. Starlight reignited her horn and started firing another barrage of relentless attacks. Twilight blocked them all and turned to run, hoping to spare everypony else from the unstable danger of Starlight.

Rainbow excitedly ran into the center of the fight, kicking and punching every raider in sight. She was on a rampage, fueled by a furious sense of adrenaline. Until, her mind broke apart, at the sight of a pony of whom she recognized, walking towards her with a glowing horn.

“Lyra?” Rainbow asked, confused what the pony was doing in the middle of this chaos. Lyra Heartstrings' answer was to send a magical blast directly towards Rainbow’s face, which Rainbow narrowly avoided, dropping to the ground. Lyra had never been familiar with offensive-type magic, certainly not anywhere near Starlight’s level. But the jewel’s influence was strong enough to still pose a considerable threat to anypony who got in her way.

“Hey!” Rainbow yelled, outraged at being attacked by a pony she could consider a friend.

Rainbow put two and two together and realized that Lyra was in a similar predicament as Starlight, and that possibly other ponies they were fighting might be too.

She ran straight for Lyra, catching the mind-controlled pony off guard, and slammed her head into a nearby pillar. Lyra fell to her knees, dazed and confused, and fell to the ground in a heap, now unconscious.

“Sorry about that,” Rainbow muttered, scanning the crowd for anymore brainwashed ponies she would have to spare from an accidental death. She feared the soldiers would mistake them as raiders and try and kill them, heightening the stakes of the conflict. She rushed back into the fray, hoping to protect as many innocent ponies as she could from a tragic accidental injury, or even worse, death.

Cellestrous had returned to the front gate after letting her subordinates have some fun. Ruby Heart was close beside her, slicing open royal guards as they pushed their way through the defenses. The raiders were beginning to overwhelm the royal defenders, sifting into the city streets, running amuck to stir up as much destruction as possible.

Cellestrous took a long, sinister gaze at the city. It was practically already hers, she thought, all that was left was to clean it up a bit.

Holding the scepter with the Queen’s Jewel in one hoof, Cellestrous went about her way through the city, zapping any royal guard or stray Canterlot pony she saw. She had a deliciously evil grin on her face, getting a sick thrill from the smell of fresh pony corpses.

Far away from the front gate, up through a small passage below ground, were Chrysalis and Violet, popping their heads out of a trap door that was disguised as a part of the floor in one of the eastern battlements.

“That was some shortcut...I’m filthy,” Chrysalis complained, climbing out of the trap door hole.

“We made it through, didn’t we…” Violet said, grunting as she came out second, tumbling to the ground, exhausted from the long trek through the tight tunnel.

Violet waited for an expected sarcastic response from Chrysalis, though it never came. Confused, Violet lifted her head and turned to see what Chrysalis had become fixated on.

Canterlot was not at all how Violet nor Chrysalis remembered it. Instead of flawless white stone buildings and bustling streets, the city was darkened in smoke and fog, the streets were filled with Cellestrous’ raiders and royal guards running back and forth, chaotically trying to either fight another pony or join up with larger groups for protection. Nopony could see much through the thick smoke, though the occasional light of magical hellfire up above helped illuminate the formerly grandiose capital of Equestria.

Chrysalis and Violet were both at a loss for words.

As they watched the chaos unfold, the scattered drops of rain they had been experiencing all afternoon escalated to a light, misty rainfall, gently beating down on the fires that had ravaged the city. They both just stood there in silence, unsure how much responsibility they had for all of this destruction.

Back at the front gate, Crestfall hadn’t budged more than an inch at the front of the group of royal guards, who were beginning to spread out more and more as the raiders continuously poured in through the front gates. Crestfall was aware that Twilight was distracted with Starlight, but still, he couldn’t help but feel slighted by her absence.

This morning the city was very ready to kill him, but now he was the first in line to defend it. It seemed like a cruel joke, though Crestfall didn’t find it very humorous.

He was blocking, slashing, and stabbing his way through every raider that dared approach him, Elodea not more than a few yards away, doing the same with the knife she had acquired.

Crestfall was covered in blood, that wasn’t his for the most part. He was panting heavily, exhausted from the non-stop fighting and the thrill of being in the heat of the battle.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Crestall stopped where he was after finishing off another raider with a spear to the chest, turning around slowly to see Gallant Stride, standing mightily in his royal guard armor, minus the helmet. They were facing each other down, surrounded by the crowd of ponies scrambling to kill each other. Crestfall was repulsed by Stride’s very presence, the stallion who betrayed him, framed him, and nearly got away with killing not only him, but also Elodea and his friends. The stallion he had once respected above all others in the military was now the very pony he wanted dead the most.

“It’s a bad time for a confession, I suppose,” Stride said, chuckling. Crestfall was staring at him with murder-craving eyes, as he held onto his spear tightly.

“Crestfall, my boy, it shocks me that you’ve made it this far, you were always so careless...Come now, you don’t really think that this little act of valor is going to save your hide? It’s over, Crestfall...Even if we lose today, Princess Celestia will be just as merciless to you as she was when I was whispering into her ear...You’ve got no future here, not with them, and not with us...So why don’t you just run...Take your mare, and get out of here, there’s nothing left to fight for. They were going to kill you, remember?” Stride said, trying his best to be persuasive.

Crestfall noticed that Stride also had blood splattered across his chest. He couldn’t help but assume that Stride had killed some royal guards during the battle, his own ponies, the ponies he was supposed to protect and lead.

“You could be content. You have the chance to escape all this, and be free...Take it, for your own good,” Stride said.

Crestfall didn’t respond right away, though he was barely convinced by Stride’s suggestion.

“As long as you’re alive, I’m not content,” Crestfall said, doubling down on his resolve to have his vengeance.

Stride sighed, deciding he wouldn’t mind killing Crestfall himself, to finally be rid of the nuisance that nearly ruined all of his plans.

“You’ve never once impressed me, Crestfall...I don’t think today will be any different,” Stride said, smugly. He was brandishing a longsword, which Crestfall knew had been given to him as a present from Celestia upon his promotion to high command. They only gave those swords to officers, the truest, most loyal, brave ponies in Equestria. Some joke that was.

Crestfall, unable to contain his rage anymore, took a tremendous leap towards Stride with his spear raised, seeking to finish Stride’s scheming once and for all.

Twilight had put some good distance between her and Starlight, aided by the speed enhancement that came with a pair of wings. Catching her breath, she limped into an empty building to find some cover.

The building was a restaurant, though it had been recently trashed by a party of raiders. Twilight bent down and took a seat behind a flipped-over table, sighing in exhaustion after having to fight for her life non-stop.

She examined the wound on her leg Starlight had given her, a smoking black mark, festering with red-hot magic. Twilight had been dreaded the possibility of having to fight Starlight for months now, ever since her pupil first disappeared. Everypony had been telling her Starlight was a monster, but she never once gave into that belief. It was a cruel twist of fate, therefore, that despite Starlight indeed being innocent of the villainous resume she had been bestowed in the wake of Chrysalis’ rampage, Twilight still found herself having to face down her own friend, in what would inevitably escalate to a life-or-death conflict if she wasn’t careful.

Spraying her wound with a minor healing spell, Twilight leaped back to her hooves, eager to get back out there and prevent as much damage to the city as possible.

She ducked back down almost immediately, when she saw a furious ray of green magic zap across the street outside the front window of the restaurant in the street. There was a group of guards, no more than five, backing away slowly from something coming towards them, from the same direction as the blast. Twilight got back up and approached the front of the restaurant, when she saw another blast of green magic, this one cutting right through all five of the soldiers, gruesomely dividing each of them into two distinct halves. Twilight, appalled, ran out the front door of the restaurant into the street, and caught sight of the pony responsible for the murders. Cellestrous, still wielding her scepter, was waiting several yards away. The Queen’s Jewel’s magic was dimming down after just being used, while Cellestrous left a smug smirk as the soldiers’ only eulogy.

“What do we have here? A princess? In the worst of places to be, I’m afraid,” Cellestrous said, already confident that Twilight wouldn’t pose a threat to her.

Thunder cracked from above, and the rain began falling even harder, forming small rivers at the edges of the street.

“Your reign of terror is coming to an end today...Give up, and we might be merciful,” Twilight said, trying to overcome her trembling voice and her embarrassing limp. Against the power of the jewel, Twilight figured it would take all of her strength to be able to even stand a chance. But if Starlight was to ever be freed, she had to get it somehow.

“Your city is lost, Princess. My army’s already broken through...and there’s even more will be coming from the west soon enough...Do you think we’re stupid? It’s quite obvious that you’ve hid all your ponies in the palace somewhere...it won’t take long to find them…”

Twilight, predictably, found this news quite unsettling. She had to get that jewel from Cellestrous, otherwise all those ponies’ lives would be at stake.

“Poor Princess Twilight...Her home’s taken from her, she’s ignored, she’s stuck doing all the work defending this city...It’s not fair, Twilight, isn’t it? You can’t possibly believe that now of all times Equestria doesn’t need a change...How many ponies have been killed already? Before you or Celestia or anypony did anything about it? This is inevitable, Twilight. But you’re different. You’re not like Celestia...You have a place in the next world, the world that I will build. There’s no point in dying here, Twilight...Not when you’re all alone.”

Twilight stood her ground on the other side of the street, facing down Cellestrous with wide, fearful eyes. She was watching her world collapse around her, and if she didn’t do something about it, there would be no coming back. But that was it, there really was nothing she could do. No matter how hard she was to try, her magic just wasn’t strong enough to contest the power of the Jewel.

“She’s not alone.”

Up above, a beam of sunlight managed to burst its way through the swirling dark storm clouds, guiding the path for Princess Celestia, descending from the heavens, a radiant aura of magic crackling around her horn.

Cellestrous took a few steps back out of instinct. Even with the world’s most powerful superweapon in her hoof, going toe-to-toe with Celestia would make even the bravest of ponies nervous

Around the corner of the street, Dust Bunny was stumbling alongside the face of a dumpster, cautiously trying to avoid encountering any ponies that may want to try and kill her.

She hadn’t encountered anypony directly since the raiders had successfully broken through into the city, ravaging block by block. They looted, burned, and smashed everything they could find, though none of them found any of the cities’ ponies to be taken captive. They kept to senseless destruction, waiting for orders before moving deeper towards the palace.

As soon as Dust stepped past the corner edge of a street, she practically fell backwards, desperately trying to avoid being spotted. She saw Celestia and Twilight Sparkle standing together, facing off against Cellestrous farther down on the street. Dust was far too afraid to try and intervene, choosing instead to stay hidden and watch.

Twilight glanced up at Celestia, her beloved mentor and parental figure, and immediately regained her confidence in what she was fighting for. Their horns simultaneously began glowing, as did Cellestrous’ scepter, and an all-out duel seemed imminent, until a fourth pony’s stream of magic came screaming out from even farther down the alley. Twilight narrowly blocked it, though the impact of the blast was strong enough to push her back a few inches.

Starlight Glimmer had finally located Twilight after being outran. Despite being so emotionless, she was clearly very determined to finish off Twilight.

“Twilight, is that-”

“She can’t control herself...Princess Celestia, we have to get that jewel,” Twilight said.

Celestia looked from a distressed Twilight to the green jewel in Cellestrous’ scepter, and began to understand.

“Twilight, don’t tell me that’s-”

“Queen’s Jewel. It is,” Twilight said, slightly condescendingly, as she had warned Celestia of the jewel being involved before.

For the first time in an unknowable amount of time, Celestia felt a tinge of fear that she didn’t think she was capable of. She stared down Cellestrous, who seemed more confident in her chances of success now that she had Starlight’s help.

Dust Bunny, taking advantage of the distraction of Starlight’s arrival, darted across to the other side of the street, slipping inside one of the buildings and taking cover once more, still unseen. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, perhaps she just wanted a closer look. Or maybe, she wanted to help, to be the hero for once. She peeked out from the base of the storefront window, careful to avoid being spotted.

Now a two-against-two, Starlight attacked first, lifting herself up into the air with her magic and charging towards Twilight. Twilight wasn’t expecting such an upfront attack, falling victim to being tackled by Starlight through the air, all the way across the street, straight through a brick wall of a cutlery store, on the side of the street opposite to where Dust Bunny was hiding.

Twilight and Starlight crashed to the floor through two wooden tables decorated with a variety of on-sale forks and knives, landing on the floor in a painful thud. Twilight threw Starlight into the ceiling with her magic, leaving a sizable crater up above. Starlight caught herself mid-air before she could fall back down, hovering in front of a discombobulated Twilight.

Starlight began firing blast after blast, Twilight blocking each and every one.

Despite Starlight’s insistence on killing Twilight, the Princess of Friendship never made any effort to try and seriously hurt Starlight, resorting strictly to defensive blows.

While Starlight and Twilight were battling inside the store, back out on the street, Celestia was still preparing herself for her confrontation.

“I’ve always wanted to meet you, Princess...Just like this...I can see it in your eyes, you know you’re already beaten,” Cellestrous said, her words slithering out of her mouth.

Celestia, in a flash of anger, concentrated her magic into one explosive blast of white light, roasting every piece of dust floating in the air, cascading down the street like a title wave of fire. Celestia watched as her spell completely consumed Cellestrous, her foe disappearing behind the blinding light.

To Celestia, as well as Dust Bunny’s shock, as the spell dissipated and the smoke cleared, Cellestrous was still standing, completely unharmed. There was an aura of green magic coating her from head to hoof, protecting her from any and all exterior threats. Cellestrous gave a hearty laugh, finding the esteemed sun princess’s attempt at a finishing blow to be absolutely unimpressive.

“My turn,” Cellestrous said. The scepter began to glow once more, and Celestia braced for an attack.

But she wasn’t ready at all, when the wave of green fire ran right towards her, exploding on impact, draining Celestia of all her strength in an instant.

Cellestrous laughed again, wickedly, as she strutted towards the slumped-over body of Celestia, who was not halfway between unconscious and dead.

Dust Bunny was mortified at the sight of Celestia’s defeat, cowering back down behind the window sill of the store she was hiding in, hugging Jackpot’s crossbow, as it was the only thing she had to look to for comfort.

Cellestrous stared down at Celestia, realizing how close she was to actually being able to rule Equestria. For some reason it had always just seemed so unimaginable. But now, she was watching the defeated Equestria from above, ready to step on it and claim it for herself.

Dust Bunny was paralyzed with fear and disbelief, having just witnessed the most powerful protector of Equestria be taken down with one single blow. She at last managed to start moving again, crawling farther down the floor inside the building, until she reached a second front door. She carefully stuck her hoof through the crack in the door and peeked outside, seeing if there was any place to hide. And, lo and behold, she spotted a toppled-over wooden wagon, practically right in front of where Cellestrous was standing.

Cautious as to not make any noise, Dust crept out from the door and crawled up to the wagon, crouching behind it, praying for somepony to come and save her and her friends. But there was nopony else, just her.

Dust heard some more commotion down the street, and saw Twilight being thrown out of the building she and Starlight had crashed into. Twilight tumbled across the white stone ground, her muscles exhausted and her mind fuzzy. Her refusal to take any offensive measures had proven disastrous for her. Starlight landed a total of three blows to Twilight, beating the alicorn down into submission.

Starlight walked out of the store, following after the weakened Twilight.

Cellestrous’ smile grew even wider at the sight of Twilight defeated.

“Bring her to me,” Cellestrous commanded.

Starlight obediently moved to drag Twilight across the ground back down the street to the waiting Cellestrous. She dumped Twilight right beside the unconscious Celestia. Tears swelled in Twilight’s eyes, and hope began to wither. Without Celestia, she wasn’t sure she could handle Cellestrous herself. She was already in a weakened state and not able to do much.

“Well Twilight, it was an admirable effort. I’m not sure what to do with our beloved Princess Celestia here...Should I just...Kill her? Right now?” Cellestrous said, the scepter beginning to glow again.

“No! No, don’t…” Twilight said, weakly trying to pick herself up from the floor. Cellestrous raised Twilight to her knees with a hoof, smiling.

“Maybe, maybe not...But you, Twilight, I don’t wish to kill...I think you’d do nicely serving me the same as your little friend here,” Cellestrous said, poking Starlight with the scepter.

Twilight was too weak to resist, especially once Cellestrous had a hold on her with the magic of the scepter. Cellestrous raised the jewel down towards Twilight’s eyes, and almost immediately, Twilight found herself unable to look away. She saw a comfortable place through the reflection of the jewel, a place free of cares and worries, free of fear and of desires. Just thoughtless servitude. The jewel’s magic was persuasive, as Twilight was unable to look away, while Cellestrous prepared to cast another brainwashing spell.

Dust Bunny was watching this all happen from the edge of the street, still hiding behind the toppled wagon. She wanted to call for help, but that would likely mean her death. And besides, nopony was around, and nopony else would be able to get here in time.

Dust hated to face the fact that she was the only one who could save Twilight, before she ended up a mindless slave the same as Starlight. She was no alicorn, or even a unicorn for that matter, so there wasn’t much at all she could do. But she could still do something.

Taking a deep breath and saying a few prayers in her head, she scoured the ground and picked up the first thing she could find: a rock.

Dust forsook her cover and sprung up, surprising Cellestrous, who had been focusing on casting her mind control spell.

Before Cellestrous could react and zap Dust with a fatal green blast, Dust took the rock and chucked it straight towards the scepter, and, miraculously, made her target.

Not only did she manage to hit the scepter, she hit the jewel itself head on, knocking it off of the scepter, sending the two pieces flying out of Cellestrous’ hooves onto the ground beyond her.

“You insolent brat!” Cellestrous screamed, enraged at this unprecedented interruption in her glorious moment of triumph.

Twilight felt herself be pulled out of the trance, shaking her head back and forth in confusion. Realizing she was free and Cellestrous was without the jewel, Twilight wasted no time in turning to an absent-minded Starlight and blasting her into the wall of a nearby building. Now that she knew Celestia had been defeated, she couldn’t risk playing it safe with Starlight anymore, no matter how much it hurt.

Powering through her injuries, Twilight took flight, zooming into the air to put some distance between her and Cellestrous, who was desperately rushing across the street to retrieve the separated scepter and jewel. Before Cellestrous could reach the jewel, however, Twilight put all the strength she had into one spell, specifically intended to destroy the jewel into a thousand tiny pieces. Her rage-filled blast simply rebounded off of the jewel, however, and Twilight unexpectedly caught the full impact of the powerful attack right to the face. The blast sent Twilight tumbling through the air, landing on the ground in a smoking heap, out of commission for the time being.

Cellestrous cackled in glee at the sight of Twilight bringing about her own downfall, and picked up the jewel with one hoof, squeezing it tightly, and inspecting it for damage. It seemed to be free of dents or cracks, to Cellestrous’ relief.

Dust Bunny was still standing behind the wagon, her face pale with fear.

She did try though, which was enough to make her believe she wouldn’t be dying in vain. To be brave, she had to accept that bad things were going to happen. This was her chance, and she had already taken it. Now she had to remain strong, and face the consequences. Cellestrous, now holding the jewel in her hoof, approached her ever so slowly, tauntingly.

Cellestrous used her ordinary magic to grab a hold of the earth pony, lifting her into the air, holding her tightly so that she couldn’t break free.

“Tell me, little girl, how would you like to die?”

Dust, now with tears in her eyes, squirmed within the grip of Cellestrous’ magical bindings. Cellestrous’s face was contorted around her sinister smile, as she took in the thrill of victory.

Inside the foyer of the royal palace, Princess Luna was nervously peeking through the glamorous front windows, watching as the once-pristine city of Canterlot was ravaged and torched. The rain was pouring down hard now.

None of the raiders had made it to the palace yet, fortunately for the few hundred ponies inside. Morale was critically low, everypony having to sit tight and do nothing while their city was invaded.

Through the window, Luna saw two ponies running through the rain, up the walkway towards the front gates. Naturally, she assumed them to be the enemy, rushing to the front door to defend everypony else. The crowd began to mutter in uncertainty, becoming aware that somepony was coming towards them.

“Princess,” said one of the few guards left with Luna in the palace, after taking a look of his own out the window to see what Luna had seen.

“I know. Make sure the doors are bolted shut,” Luna ordered, though the soldier neglected to follow through with that.
“I said,” Luna began.

“Princess, they’re two of ours. I think...I think they have injured,” the soldiers replied.
“It could be a trick, they could be wearing our armor,” Luna said.
“No, that’s Trailblazer! They’re ours,” said the other soldier at the door, taking a look for himself.

A knock on the door barely resonated through the dense rain. Luna hesitated, though the soldiers had already unlocked the door.

“Open up!” yelled one of the soldiers outside, sopping wet and undoubtedly exhausted from making the long journey all the way up to the palace level.

The palace doors swung open to reveal two soldiers, carrying a stretcher with another royal guard laying on top of it.

The soldiers shut the doors behind them as they shambled through inside.

“Make way!” one of the guards yelled to the crowd, who quickly shuffled to make space for them to set the pony down.
“Princess! We need a medic!”

Luna turned to one of the guards, who nodded, understanding he was to go find a doctor somewhere in the crowd.

“Why have you come here?” Luna asked, while the soldiers set the wounded pony down on the ground.

“There wasn’t anywhere to drop him, so we came here,” answered one of the guards.

“What’s the status of the front line?”

“Which one?” the soldier replied.

“The ponies at the gate!”

The soldiers glanced at each other, unsure how to answer.

“Dead, mostly. Maybe three or four still stuck in the crowd fighting to the death...It’s madness, the ranks were all broken. They were separating us from each other, picking us off,” Trailblazer answered, before pointing down at the wounded pony, “Ask him, he was at the gate, I think.”

Luna took a moment to grieve the fallen, before slowly approaching the wounded pony and bending down beside him.

“Princess Twilight, and my sister, are they alright?” Luna asked.

The wounded pony was wide awake, how could he not be, with a large, painful hole in his stomach leaking blood at a constant rate. His face was pale from blood loss. Outside, a trail of his blood was being washed away in the rain. He took a moment to muster up some strength to answer Luna, who was deeply concerned for Celestia and Twilight’s safety. She regretted not listening to Twilight earlier, and now she was witnessing the results firsthoof.

“Princess Twilight...got separated...chased by the unicorn.”

Luna wondered if ‘the unicorn’ meant Starlight, but decided not to bother asking.

“She was alive-” the pony began, pausing to cough, “-last time any of us saw her...I don’t know about Princess Celestia...Everypony’s fallen back, there’s too many...The line’s been broken,” the pony explained, struggling to speak the words while having to tolerate the pain of his injury. He grunted and fell back in the stretcher, barely clinging onto staying alive.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity, nearby in the crowd, all shared a sense of relief, happy to know Twilight wasn’t in any danger. Luna stood up from the injured pony’s stretcher, realizing that she would very likely end up the last defense against these invaders. She quickly became sullen, over the unthinkable possibility that Twilight and Celestia were in danger, or worst of all, already dead. She wanted to go find them, to make sure they were alright, but she couldn’t leave all these ponies alone undefended. She could only hope that the others had survived, and that the battle would soon turn in their favor.

Twilight and Celestia, meanwhile, despite Luna’s hopes, were indeed in critical danger.

Ruby Heart had arrived on the scene by accident, having been wandering through the city, searching for any surviving royal guards she had yet to destroy.

She found Twilight Sparkle keeled over on the ground in a smoking heap, and, if she hadn’t felt her pulse, she would’ve thought her to be dead. Ruby spotted Cellestrous farther down on the street. She dragged Twilight’s body down towards Cellestrous, while Starlight Glimmer crawled her way out of the wreckage of the destroyed building Twilight had sent her crashing into.

They met each other in the middle of the street, encircling the defeated, unconscious Celestia.

“You’ve done it,” Ruby Heart said in amazement.

“Of course I’ve done it,” Cellestrous said, as if there was ever any doubt. She dragged the still-bound Dust Bunny over and threw her to the ground, right next to Twilight. Ruby Heart did a double take when she saw Dust again, not having expected she’d have been able to stay alive so long.

“You think you’re clever, trying to get in my way, do you?” Cellestrous said, kicking Dust Bunny back down to the ground after she tried to stand up.

“The jewel cannot be destroyed! Not even Twilight Sparkle’s magic could overcome its power!” Cellestrous said, gloatingly, her eyes darting madly, like she could see things in the air that weren’t there. Ruby Heart was beginning to feel ever so slightly concerned with how unstable Cellestrous was becoming. She had been in close contact with that jewel for so long, it undoubtedly must’ve begun to corrupt her mind. Twilight finally awoke after being unconscious for a short while. Her body ached, and she wasn’t exactly sure what had happened prior to blacking out. She was on the ground again, surrounded by Starlight, Ruby Heart, and Cellestrous, the latter of whom was still in possession of the jewel. Her breath drew short as fear seized her completely. As long as Cellestrous had the jewel, she was unstoppable. Dust Bunny and Twilight shared a look of regret and sympathy for the other, both now at the mercy of Cellestrous. Twilight glanced up at Starlight, who still paid her no attention. Twilight hoped Starlight was still in there somewhere, still able to be brought back, that hope wasn’t lost. Though with Cellestrous in her deranged, power hungry state, Twilight’s options were currently slim.

“I defeated Princess Celestia! I am now the ruler of Equestria! Who are you to even think to try and stop me?! A pitiful earth pony! Laughable!”

Dust gritted her teeth in anger at Cellestrous’ verbal humiliation, though she was in no position to do much about it.

“There’s no need to be cruel, dear,” said the voice of a new arrival, echoing from down the street behind Cellestrous.

Cellestrous turned around and flashed a hideous scowl at Chrysalis, and Violet too, the duo having finally located the pony they had come for. Chrysalis’ eyes became fixed on the jewel in Cellestrous' hoof. Everytime she came close to it, she felt that familiar sense of intense longing, an unquenchable desire for its unrivaled power.

“Chrysalis?!” Twilight yelled, shocked by Chrysalis’ involvement in this plot.

“Oh if it isn’t Princess Twilight Sparkle,” said Chrysalis, cockily, “Funny seeing you here.”

“Chrysalis…” Cellestrous began, tired of Chrysalis’ constant attempts at undermining her.

“Yes, Twilight, I suppose you’re due a confession….It won’t matter in a few moments when the jewel is mine...Yes, it was me. It was me the whole time. Me, who murdered all those ponies and turned cities to ash,” Chrysalis said, phasing into her Starlight Glimmer disguise in and out, intentionally trying to provoke Twilight for no other reason than personal spite.

“You...You…” Twilight said, unable to process how furious she was. Of course, she had believed it was Chrysalis masquerading as Starlight since the beginning, but the sheer, unapologetic evil Chrysalis was flaunting made Twilight sick to her stomach. So much death and pain, and all it seemed like to Chrysalis was a big joke.

“Chrysalis, I find it very rude of you to be interrupting me….yet again,” Cellestrous said, glancing at Ruby Heart, who stepped out to the side, preparing for a fight.

“Here is my final offer...You’re going to give me the jewel, right now, and I’ll forget all about your pathetic little insurrection,” Chrysalis said. Violet, who was standing right beside the Changeling queen, was keeping her eye on Ruby Heart, wary of being caught by a surprise attack.

“Little insurrection? Look at where you are!” Cellestrous said, throwing her hooves into the air. The rain had lightened up slightly, though the smoke from the many fires set in the city only added to the dark clouds circling up above.

“We never needed you, Chrysalis. And we still don’t. So why don’t you just do what you do best, and run away.”
Chrysalis’ reply was a fiery blast of magic, heading straight for Cellestrous’ head. Cellestrous jumped out of the way just in time, though she did sustain some mild scalding on her left side. The rest of the blast would’ve hit the kneeling Twilight and Dust, though luckily both managed to drop to the ground in time to avoid being hit. Ruby Heart fired at Violet, who deflected the blast back at Cellestrous. Cellestrous again was able to leap out of the way, before setting her sights on an attack of her own.

Cellestrous raised the jewel in her hooves, and concentrated her mind on its power, drawing from the lustrous gemstone to manifest a spell of her own.

However, as the jewel began to glow brighter in her hooves, Cellestrous began to feel a strange sensation, a terrible burning pain on her face and hooves.

Both Chrysalis and Twilight realized what was happening, silently watching as Cellestrous began screaming in agony. She was unable to put down the jewel, even after it glowed brighter and burned hotter. Its magic was radiating into her body, tearing her apart. Her skin was practically melting from her bones, and still, she was staring deep into the mesmerizing green glow of the jewel. She was soon reduced to a charred corpse, collapsing to the ground, dropping the jewel.

There was a brief moment where nopony was quite sure what to do. Chrysalis glanced at Violet, who then recalled that Chrysalis had warned her once before that nopony could handle the jewel’s power without a device to channel its magic. Violet wasn’t sure what that meant, until now, realizing how gruesomely dangerous that jewel really was.

Ruby Heart was stunned, as now it was up to her, her responsibility to wield the jewel and lead their armies to victory. She hadn’t expected Cellestrous to go out so soon, and least of all by her own careless mistake. She bent down and picked up Cellestrous’ scepter, which was close to where she was standing, and became resolved, accepting herself as the replacement for Cellestrous as leader of their army.

Dust Bunny wasn’t sure whether to be thankful that Cellestrous was dead, or feel guilty for indirectly killing a pony. She couldn’t lie to herself that Cellestrous probably had it coming, but still it felt strange, to be the cause for the end of another living being.

Twilight nervously turned her head at Starlight, who was still in her robotic brainwashed state. Twilight had initially had hoped that with her controller dead, Starlight would be free, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Rather, it seemed, she was a dog without a master, stuck in her trance-like state with nopony to answer to. Twilight remembered what Sunburst told her, that perhaps with the jewel they can undo the effects of the mind spell.

Practically all at once, Chrysalis, Violet, Twilight and Dust Bunny, and Ruby Heart all started dashing for the jewel, while Starlight stayed stationary.

Ruby Heart was closest to it, zapping Chrysalis in the chest and grabbing a hold of the jewel with one hoof. In one swift motion, she forced the jewel back into place in the scepter, feeling the power run all the way through her arm. Twilight and Violet were both heading straight for her, though Ruby Heart was prepared.

“Starlight! Kill Twilight Sparkle!” Ruby yelled, as the jewel began to glow once again, its power now kept under control in the scepter.

Starlight sprang to life again, turning and firing a blast of magic towards Twilight, who flew out of the way.

Twilight sighed, now stuck having to fight with Starlight yet again.

Twilight dodged Starlight’s relentless attacks. She was progressively becoming more unhinged with offensive strikes on her former pupil, worried that they would lose their window to reclaim the jewel.

While Starlight and Twilight’s fight gradually carried them away from the others, Dust Bunny ran back to the toppled-over wagon to take cover from Ruby Heart’s barrage of magical attacks, fueled by the mystical green magic of the jewel.

Violet had been pushed back by Ruby Heart as well, reuniting with Chrysalis, who had just received a bloody nose from her near fatal blast from Ruby Heart. They were hiding behind a parked carriage, both taking their time to recover.

Chrysalis eventually had enough of their small break, attempting to jump out from their hiding place to restart the battle. But before she could, Violet grabbed a hold of her and held her back.

“What are you doing?” Chrysalis spat.

“Just wait...We have to wait until she’s vulnerable,” Violet cautioned.

Chrysalis hesitantly agreed, crouching back down behind the carriage.

Ruby Heart was firing at Dust’s wagon repeatedly, feeding into her deep-seeded bloodlust. Dust was helpless from behind the wagon, with the exception of one item. Jackpot’s crossbow was still leaning against the wagon wheel, right where Dust left it She picked it up, cautiously, still uncomfortable using a weapon of any kind. But as Ruby Heart slowly chipped away the bits of wood acting as her cover, she knew her time was limited.

Pulling back the lever to load the crossbow, Dust jumped up and fired a single shot, and immediately came back down, uncertain whether she hit Ruby.

Ruby’s sudden fit of laughter told her that she hadn’t.

Dust took a deep breath, forcing herself to remember Jackpot’s death, to remember that it was Ruby Heart directly behind it.

She jumped up a second time and fired a second shot, which was again a miss.

Ruby continued her gradual approach, taunting with Dust as she struggled to reload.

“Poor little pony...Your friends aren’t here to save you this time, are they…” Ruby said, grinning. Chrysalis sprung out from behind her carriage cover, but retreated just as quickly, after Ruby Heart fired a shot in her direction, without even turning her head.

Dust tried to make herself even angrier, confronting the humiliation and torment she was forced to endure at that warehouse in Vanhoover, where Ruby Heart let it all happen. Scars that would never heal, because Ruby Heart tried her very hardest to ruin her life.

Dust came up a third time, and fired yet another shot, and this time she was sure it was going to hit its target. But Ruby was faster than Dust thought, blocking the crossbow bolt with her jewel-enhanced magic.

Dust realized she was down to just two arrows, and she couldn’t afford to miss another shot.

Ruby Heart was practically on top of Dust, until Violet managed to surprise her, jumping out from the carriage and firing a fiery magenta magical ray at Ruby.

The blast was so powerful that it required Ruby’s full attention, turning to Violet to block the blast. Dust, realizing she had an opportunity, jumped up a fourth time and shot the crossbow once more. But this time, she didn’t crouch back down. She had never felt more alive, than when she watched the arrow she shot plunge itself deep into Ruby’s back left thigh, forcing itself all the way through one side and out the other, twisting itself through bone and muscle. Ruby hollered in pain and fell to the floor, accidentally letting go of the scepter.

Violet ran towards the scepter as it tumbled to the ground, and grabbed a hold of it with her magic, levitating it in the air. After so long, she had finally stolen the jewel back for herself.

Chrysalis followed her, stopping a few yards behind. She noticed something in Violet’s eyes, a change of heart perhaps, or just the classic selfishness. Somehow, they both knew what was going to happen. Maybe they even knew since they first met each other. Alliances of their sort never truly lasted forever, after all.

“You know how it is...” Violet said, smirking.

Chrysalis tilted her head, as if to beckon Violet to reconsider. But the unicorn already had a plan in mind, dashing off in the opposite direction. Chrysalis fired six shots at the pony before she started to give chase, though every single shot was deflected by the magical green shield that Violet had cast to protect her.

Chrysalis ran off in pursuit of Violet, who was fleeing off into the city, having won the jewel.

Dust Bunny, despite knowing that the jewel probably wasn’t safe in that changeling or her friend’s hooves, didn’t see anything she could really do about it. Twilight had been carried somewhere else during her battle with Starlight, leaving just Dust Bunny, the wounded Ruby Heart, the charred Cellestrous, and the unconscious Celestia in the showdown alley.

Dust Bunny stepped out from behind the wagon, slowly walking out into the open street. Ruby Heart was lying in the street, groaning and whimpering in agony. Ruby saw Dust approach her, and almost seemed impressed, though Dust hardly cared what she thought.

“Well...Look at that, you got me…”

Dust kept her hardened stare, disgusted with this pony, who was the principal cause of all the misery she had experienced in the past few weeks. Ruby’s careless attitude slowly disappeared, as she realized that Dust might actually be serious about finishing her off. She hadn’t thought the earth pony maid had it in her.

“Come on now, Dust Bunny, there’s no point in it right? It’s over! I’m done for anyway!” Ruby said, apologetically and seemingly terrified of death. Dust, despite how much she hated this pony, couldn’t help but pity her. Behind that awful exterior was just a pony, the same as herself, who had fears and desires and all those other things. She wasn’t some monster from another world, she was just like anypony else. Anypony else, should they be raised to think the way Ruby does, and act the way she does. Dust came to the realization that perhaps it wasn’t her place to judge Ruby, despite how much of a personal vendetta she had against the pony.

Ruby saw Dust begin to give into her pleas, and took advantage of it as soon as possible. But, the second Dust saw Ruby’s horn begin to glow, she fired her very last arrow straight through the unicorn’s head, sending her falling flat on the white stone street, a pool of blood puddling beneath her. Dust lowered the weapon, staring deep into the now-lifeless eyes of the pony who had single-handedly brought about this entire disaster. Dust didn’t feel sorry, not in the slightest. But she couldn’t help but wonder whether she could’ve been able to turn Ruby Heart around, whether there was even any merit in making an effort. But it was over now, finally. Ruby Heart was dead, and for Dust, she finally felt as though she could move on with her life. She glanced down at Jackpot’s crossbow, and felt rectified, believing it to be some sort of cosmic justice, that Jackpot ended up getting the last laugh in the end after all.

At the front gates of Canterlot, nearly every soldier who had originally been assigned to its defense had either fled to somewhere else in the city or been killed.

Lance Crestfall, who had become the unofficial leader of the front gate defenders, had become distracted by the pressing threat of his bitterly belligerent commander, Gallant Stride, wielding a majestic sword against Crestfall’s army standard spear.

The royal guards’ ranks had been completely broken, and now the raiders had completely invaded the city, pillaging as they pleased and making their way through every street, borough, and plaza.

To make things worse, Crestfall had lost track of Elodea during the chaos, his only constant factor in the battle being Gallant Stride trying to kill him. Their fight was constantly being interrupted by wild raiders, who Crestfall would have to defeat before resuming his confrontation with Stride.

They're battle carried them into the central city plaza, which was littered in pony corpses, both royal and raider.

Crestfall backed up towards the fountain, catching his breath and holding his spear outwards defensively.

Stride too had to catch his breath, not used to such rigorous physical exertion since his days as a grunt. He glanced up at the sky, and caught sight of the sun peeking out from behind the grey clouds. The rain had died down, and the thin rays of sunlight reflected off of stray puddles of water. The smoke from the city ascended high above, red embers falling down alongside light droplets of rain.

“The city’s lost, Lance...Why even bother?” Stride said.

Crestfall wiped his face of blood, sweat, and rain water, gasping for breath as he held onto his spear as if his life depended on it.

“Forget the city...Forget the crown. Forget the ponies...I’m here for you,” Crestfall said, coldly. Stride chuckled to himself, amused by Crestfall’s relentless persistence.

“Then by all means sergeant, come and get me,” Stride said, with open arms.

Crestfall readied his spear as he and Stride began walking in a circle, keeping the same distance around them the whole time. There were spats of fire covering the plaza ground, surrounding the great fountain, which had miraculously stayed undamaged. The fountain water was black from the smoke, and the small fires seemed to burn forever.

Crestfall leaped towards Stride, launching his spear right towards the commander’s throat. Stride waved his sword to the side and forced the spear to the floor, taking his other hoof and smacking Crestfall across the face. While Crestfall staggered back, Stride let out a hearty laugh.

Crestfall let his anger control him, swinging the spear back around, getting it caught in the crossguard of Stride’s raised sword. Spinning the sword around, Stride brought the blade down right towards Crestfall’s head. He blocked it with the shaft of his spear, using both arms to try and push the sword off of him.

Crestfall managed to overpower Stride, forcing the sword to the side and bringing the spear back around to stab him through the gut. But before he could, Stride’s other hoof had located a knife in his waist-held sheath, drawing it without Crestfall realizing.

Crestfall believed he had already won, as he brought the tip of the spear towards Stride’s stomach. Stride was faster though, bringing the knife back and thrusting it forward into Crestfall’s side. Crestfall, focused solely on killing Stride, was so consumed by his adrenaline that he didn’t even notice the knife, sticking the spear straight through Stride’s stomach, the blade poking out the other end. Stride lurched over and started to drool blood, staring into Crestfall’s eyes as he felt himself grow weaker. He tried to spit out some cheeky last words, but they only came out as a foul gurgling.

Stride collapsed to the ground, dropping his sword and wheezing for breath as he choked on his own blood.

Crestfall dropped his spear, finally having won his long-toiled victory over Stride.

“Impressed yet?” he muttered, spitting onto Stride’s dead corpse, now just another name in a large catalog of dead ponies.

Crestfall suddenly felt his head go dizzy, and then he felt the searing pain in his side. Prior to his death, Stride had managed to stick the knife deep inside Crestfall’s side. Crestfall glanced back at the corpse, outraged that he didn’t win unscathed, but there was really nothing more he could do to the pony, since he was already dead.
“Lance!”

Crestfall felt his vision go black, sauntering backwards, falling to the ground
not too far from Stride.

It was Elodea who had called out to him, having lost track of him during the chaos of the battle, finally having located him.

“Shit!” she said under her breath, at first believing Crestfall to have been killed. Running up beside him, she gave a sigh in relief to find he was still breathing.

She briefly checked to make sure he was unconscious, before grabbing the hilt of the knife in his side and yanking it out.

“Ow!” Crestfall yelled, angrily grabbing Elodea by the throat out of instinct.

“Stop! It’s me!” Elodea yelled.

He blinked a few times as his mind readjusted, and he let go instantly.

“The bastard stuck me with a-”

“I know...You’re not dying, I don’t think,” Elodea said, though truthfully she had no idea.

She dragged him to the edge of the fountain, which was still running with water. She propped him up against the edge, and sat down beside him, exhausted. They sat together in silence, listening to the sound of the fountain water flowing, trying to ignore the grotesque number of corpses surrounding them.

“You look terrible,” Crestfall said, his voice wispy and grainier than normal. Elodea was caked in dirt and blood, all soaked through into her coat and mane from the rain water.

“You should check a mirror,” she said, equally disgusted by Crestfall’s lackluster post-battle appearance.

“I think this counts as our first date,” Crestfall said, smiling.

Elodea snickered, until Crestfall broke out into a coughing fit, sending Elodea back to her grave demeanor.

“You should go...Get Dust, and get out of this city...There’s too many of them,” Crestfall said, desolately.

“I’m not leaving you,” Elodea said, firmly, “I’m staying here, with you, and don’t you dare pass out on me again.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, giving a sarcastic salute.

Elodea turned away from him, scouring the streets ahead for any approaching enemies. She was lucky that they were both alive, she wasn’t going to even attempt to risk losing the happiness she had finally found. All her life she had only ever thought she could count on herself, but now, she had never felt more eager to put her life on the line for somepony else.

Through the increasingly-heavy rain, high above the ravaged city of Canterlot, was Twilight Sparkle, desperately trying to fly steady through the increasingly heavy rainfall. She wasn’t nearly as acrobatic or nimble as Rainbow when it came to flying, meaning she had to focus twice as hard. Behind her, was Starlight Glimmer, levitating herself in an aura of blue magic, following in hot pursuit.

With Ruby Heart’s death, Starlight was left with only one remaining command to carry out, that being the last thing Ruby instructed her: kill Twilight.

Twilight, naturally, was beginning to worry about leaving Dust Bunny alone with Ruby and Chrysalis and Violet, though was too preoccupied with Starlight to do much.

Twilight at last made it to cover out of the open air, landing on a covered terrace extending off of one of the palace towers.

Starlight landed on the same terrace, immediately moving to continue her persistent effort to exterminate Twilight for good.

“Starlight! Starlight, I know you can hear me,” Twilight said, with an outstretched hoof. She wasn’t sure reasoning with her would prove effective, but it was worth a try.

Starlight didn’t stop walking towards her, though Twilight did notice her eye twitch, and hoped that it meant Starlight was still inside there somewhere.

“Starlight, it’s me, it’s your friend...You’ve got to fight it, Starlight! I can’t break you free!” Twilight said, almost desperately, hoping she wouldn’t have to resort to real violence in the name of self-preservation. Despite her passionate pleas, Starlight didn’t stop, as if there was no sign of the pony Twilight once knew.

“I miss you, Starlight! And I miss our friendship...I took you for granted, I should’ve let you be more open with me about what you were feeling...But I love you, Starlight, and I’m sorry...I was wrong, but I want a chance to be friends again! Things weren’t the same when you were gone...I can’t be happy without my friends, Starlight, I need you…” Twilight said, choking up on her tears.

Starlight’s eye twitched again, and for a second there was some sign of conflict visible on the unicorn’s face, but only for a second.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Starlight,” Twilight said, still unsure whether she could live with herself if she damaged or accidentally killed Starlight, even if it was in self defense.

Twilight backed down, her horn dimming, while Starlight continued her slow approach.

Twilight was breathing deeply, staring intently into Starlight’s eyes, hoping that by some miracle, Starlight would come through for her.

Starlight came to an abrupt halt, her glowing green eyes flickering in a whirlpool of agonizingly intense magical short-circuiting. Starlight was gritting her teeth, desperately focusing all of her strength into resisting the compulsion to go ahead and burn a hole straight through Twilight’s forehead.

Starlight had never been as driven to do anything as she was to try and stop herself from killing Twilight in that moment, her body convulsing in uncomfortable and strange ways, her mind fragmenting as she sacrificed every ounce of strength she had in her to try and regain control of her body.

Twilight watched on, unsure what was happening to Starlight, and if she should take this opportunity and leave. She felt compelled to stay though, finally seeing her chance to reunite with her lost friend.

Twilight suddenly felt herself become dizzy again. She had already sustained numerous injuries to the body and to her head that were beginning to catch up to her, and now she was starting to wane on consciousness, some parts of her skin burned or torn open. There was a large bloody gash on her forehead where that raider had struck her with a club, it was a miracle she didn’t have a concussion. Her attention shifted back to Starlight, who was now groaning in agony, grabbing her head and shaking it back and forth. Her horn was beginning to glow, and Twilight realized that she was going to have to make a choice: stop Starlight and risk killing her, or risk her own death.

Before she could even make the choice, she saw Starlight suddenly take a tremendous gasp for breath, her eyes suddenly flushing away the glowing green magic, her body no longer convulsing. Starlight was panting heavily, and then realized she had done it. She had freed herself from the jewel’s power, miraculously. She glanced up at Twilight, whose eyes were shut tight, still waiting for Starlight to land a finishing blow.

“Twilight!” Starlight said, smiling.

Twilight opened her eyes, and at first wasn’t sure whether Starlight was really back. She knew for sure though, when Starlight ran up to her and hugged her tightly, Twilight embracing her back, the two finally reunited.

“Starlight, you’re ok!” Twilight said, joyously, unwilling to let go of Starlight.

They held each other tightly for a few moments, both silently acknowledging how much they missed the other.

“Starlight, I….Starlight?” Twilight said, after realizing Starlight had become limp in her arms.

She backed away, and realized Starlight had fallen unconscious, likely from the physical strain of overpowering the spell she was bound to. Twilight sighed. She was glad to have Starlight back, but in such a terrible situation, she couldn’t find much motivation to celebrate.

Twilight laid Starlight down gently on the floor, and turned around to witness the storm over Canterlot, fire, smoke, storm clouds, and a downpour of rain leaving the city in near-desolation.

Violet Heirloom had made it to the other side of the city, though Chrysalis wasn’t far behind. As far as they could tell, the raiders’ luck in the battle had gone south, struggling to stay organized after Cellestrous and Ruby’s defeat and the loss of the jewel. Violet and Chrysalis would kill any raider they came across, further decreasing their numbers.

After a grueling several hours, nearly all of the raiders had fled the city, having lost all organization, motivation, and leadership during the battle. At least a hundred ponies collectively from both sides had been killed, and countless more wounded.

Violet finally made it to the western wall, where she planned to make her escape. The Queen’s Jewel, now under control in the scepter, was stuck in her satchel, and she was absolutely ready to get the hell out of there.

“Not yet,” said Chrysalis, finally reaching the edge of the street opposite to the wall, where Violet was about to teleport herself around.

Violet turned around, the two former allies finally having given into their respective selfish desires.

“How many ponies have died for this dumb thing already? You really want to add yourself to the list?” Violet said.

Chrysalis snickered, “Don’t be foolish. Give it to me. Now.”

Neither was incredibly enthusiastic about trying to kill the other, but when it came down to who was going to walk off with the jewel, all ties of fellowship were broken.

Chrysalis attacked first, Violet meeting her fiery beam of green magic with one of her own, meeting in the center. Chrysalis was impressed with Violet, able to hold her own against Chrysalis more than she had expected. Chrysalis respected Violet to a degree, for abstaining from using the Queen’s Jewel to her advantage, making the fight drastically more even-matched. Though the truth was, Violet just wasn’t entirely sure how to activate the jewel’s power.

Right as Chrysalis was about to increase her effort, they were both distracted by the sound of a booming explosion, tearing apart a portion of the wall not too far from where Violet was planning to escape from.

Chrysalis and Violet came to an unspoken truce to see what this was about. Chunks of stone and clouds of dust fell to the ground as the rubble cleared, and in came another segment of Cellestrous’ army, led by the dark-grey earth pony Aluminon.

The army, rowdy and excited to get in on the ravaging of Canterlot, came to a stop behind Aluminon, who immediately recognized the Queen of the Changelings.

“Chrysalis. What a surprise,” Aluminon said, amused by her undying persistence.

“Your boss is dead, Aluminon, your armies are being cut down as we speak. You’ve lost,” Chrysalis replied.

Aluminon’s army’s high morale was shattered by Chrysalis’ few words. Even Aluminon, who rarely showed any indication of being anything more than cold-blooded, found this news troubling.

“Ruby will have the jewel,” he said, as if he was trying to comfort himself.

“She’s dead too,” Violet said, though she wasn’t actually completely sure, “And I’ve got the jewel,” she said, revealing from her satchel the green gemstone in Cellestrous’ scepter.

Aluminon’s army all instinctively began backing away, with the exception of Aluminon himself. He was deeply at a loss for Ruby Heart, who was his own apprentice, yet knew there was no point in wasting time to grieve on it now.

“Stay as you were,” he commanded his troops, staring down Violet with menacing eyes.

“Don’t you know when to quit?” Chrysalis asked.

“Get the jewel!” he yelled, though his army didn’t budge. He turned to face them, disappointed with their cowardice.

“Now!” he yelled, leading the charge towards Chrysalis and Violet, who were both considering reigniting their temporary alliance.

Chrysalis waited for Violet to begin firing off spells using the scepter, though it never happened.

“What are you waiting for?!” Chrysalis yelled at Violet, who had yet to activate the jewel.

“Give it to me!” Chrysalis yelled.

Unwilling to wait around to be killed, as Violet kept struggling to figure out how to use the jewel, Chrysalis wrestled it out of her hooves. Focusing her mind on the jewel’s power, Chrysalis was able to control it in a matter of moments.

She aimed the scepter at Aluminon directly, blasting a ray of green energy right at his face.

The hardened stallion broke down in an instant, and began crying out in pain as his face was burned to the bone, leaving nothing but wet, burnt flesh and torn-apart facial muscles.

Chrysalis waited for the rest of Aluminon’s troops to witness what she had done to their leader. And, just as she had expected, nearly all of them were reasonably convinced that perhaps this invasion effort was no longer worth the risk of certain death. About two thirds of them slowly began turning back and running out of the city the way they came. The remaining soldiers followed suit as soon as they saw the jewel begin the glow once more.

Soon enough Chrysalis and Violet were alone again, though this time Chrysalis had all the power, gripping the scepter tightly, unwilling to part with it ever again. She turned to Violet, who was already backing away slowly.

“Go ahead, do it,” Violet said, “I’m no different than anypony else you’ve slaughtered...No different than him,” she said, nodding at Aluminon’s horribly maimed body.

Chrysalis held the scepter in her hooves, feeling that addictive glow resonate inside her heart. The jewel was telling her to go on and kill Violet right then and there. She had tried to betray her, after all, so why shouldn’t she.

But, strangely, Chrysalis decided not to, lowering the scepter.

“Let’s get out of here,” Chrysalis said.

Violet slowly relaxed herself, and nodded, deciding their alliance could go on just a bit longer.

Chapter Twenty: Beginning To See The Light

The dull chatter of voices and boats splashing in water held her in a cradle of comfort, a subconscious paradise where troubles were nonexistent. She could see it all, the falling snow and the restless dark blue waters of the town she once called home, flowing out and gently slipping through the creases of her mind. She was at ease, delirious almost, consumed by a wave of great relief, though for what reason she couldn’t quite explain. She saw far away images and obscured faces, who she could only passively recognize. She was at peace in her dreams, caressed by a cool river of light, drifting along through an ocean of star-studded heavenly space, and carefree memories.

Starlight Glimmer was in the Canterlot palace, buried beneath the covers of a white-sheeted bed, inside a private chamber commonly occupied by visiting aristocrats. In her dreams, the sounds of crashing ocean waves and bustling streets began to grow louder, until a new memory entered her mind. The screams of ponies running for their lives, running from her.

Eventually the tormenting noise grew so loud that it pulled her awake, suddenly. Her dreams had felt so real, the transition to the conscious world was practically seamless.

Sitting up in her bed, Starlight wasn’t quite sure where she was. There was a pounding ache in her head, and she couldn’t at all recall what had happened to her during the past few days. She stretched out her stiff limbs, but didn’t move, deciding she’d be better off to stay as she was in the bed, which was admittedly comfortable.

She was alone in the room, a cozy, rustic, polished wooden bedchamber with gold trimmed furniture and an impressive miniature library in one corner. Warm afternoon sunlight shone through the window to her right, revealing stray particles of dust floating through the air.

Starlight didn’t feel any different since before she had fallen unconscious, but was somehow aware that something had changed. She concentrated on trying to remember what had happened, and slowly, the memories that were screaming at her in her dreams came trickling back.

She recalled being captured, and brought to Ponyville, and meeting who must’ve been Ruby Heart’s boss. She remembered the Queen’s Jewel, which she had read about long ago, its luminous green perfection unmistakable at sight. It was unfathomably beautiful, Starlight remembered, just as magnificent as those books had described. The jewel had spoken to her, beckoning her to release her pain and anxiety, to give up everything that held her back. She had been helpless to its influence, and soon enough she was nothing but a puppet to be controlled.

She remembered Twilight Sparkle, getting to meet her again, though under quite unfortunate circumstances. Starlight had dwelled on their eventual reunion for months, and hoped for an amicable reconciliation, only to end up trying to kill her. But she had done it, she had broken free, Starlight thought, feeling the sensation of touch and a clear mind free of the jewel’s magical corruption. It took all the strength she had though, which explained why she had blacked out. Looking around the room, she took a deep breath, coming to the conclusion that Ruby Heart and her army of savage insurrectionists must have failed in their attempt at a rebellion. If they hadn’t, she would probably be dead by now, not comfortably left alone in a regal bedchamber.

The more Starlight remembered, the more panicked she became, hoping that her friends were all safe, and, equally as important, that she still wasn’t a national fugitive. Though, being caught working alongside those monstrous insurgents certainly wouldn’t do her any favors, she thought.

But she wasn’t restrained or anything, she could easily just get up and walk away, or teleport to another location and escape before she was arrested.

Still, she stayed where she was. She was just too tired to go on yet another chase, or escape attempt, or rescue. She relaxed deep into the soft pillows, wrapped around her own inner machinations.

There was a small fire crackling in the fireplace in the wall to her right, and yet, despite previously having a slight phobia of fire, Starlight felt nothing, her eyes sinking into the deep red glow of the dancing flames.

After spending so much time in a desperate struggle to protect her friends and avoid being arrested for crimes she didn’t commit, Starlight wasn’t sure how significant her efforts ended up being at all. For all she knew, Dust Bunny and Elodea and Crestfall were all dead, Twilight and her friends still thought of her as a monster, and everypony everywhere would forever associate her with acts of destruction and terror. She wasn’t sure how much of all this was truly her fault, uncertain which choices really accomplished what she meant them to. When she had first left her old life behind, she saw it as more of a self-imposed punishment, seeing no reason why sticking around would’ve made anypony’s lives better. She would always just be the ‘other’ to Twilight and her friends, a project to be paraded and shown as proof that friendship can extend itself to even the worst ponies. If that was what her life was meant to be, then it was rather unfulfilling, not to mention mildly degrading. Starting over and beginning a new life, therefore, just seemed practical. As far as she could tell, she just wasn’t really needed, not by Twilight, not by anypony. She was purely incidental.

But now she had come full circle, her new path having led her right back to her old path. If there was truly any sort of divine organization in the universe, it seemed as though it was trying to tell her something. She was meant to be here, and even if she wasn’t needed, she was wanted.

The door to the room slowly creaked open, startling Starlight, who was still half-expecting to be arrested for something any moment now.

“You’re awake?” asked Twilight Sparkle, cautiously poking her head out through the door.

“Twilight?” Starlight said, surprised.

Twilight smiled and stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind her. She was alone, carrying a tray of tea cups in a purple aura of magic.

“How’re you feeling?” Twilight asked, sauntering over to the bed-bound Starlight. Starlight saw that the princess had sustained numerous injuries from the battle, and desperately hoped she wasn’t responsible for any of them.

“I’m alright...What’s going on? What happened?” Starlight asked, rubbing her tired eyes. Her memory was still foggy, slowly piecing itself back together in the wake of the jewel’s corruption.

Twilight took a seat in a wicker chair not too far from the bed, facing Starlight, who was in need of answers.

“You fainted, I took you back here so you could rest,” Twilight replied. She set the small tray of tea down on a nearby nightstand, magically lifting one of the cups into the air and offering it to Starlight, who politely shook her head, still a bit frazzled by the strange recent turn of events.

Twilight took a sip of her tea before she continued. She was exhausted too, after having spent the past few hours as damage control for the battle ravaged city.

“You’ve been out since yesterday,” Twilight said.

“Is everypony alright? Is the city safe?” Starlight asked.

“Those ponies are gone, once they lost the jewel they started running...There’s some damage to the city, nothing that can’t be rebuilt. We lost some royal guards, but it’s over now…”

Starlight sighed in relief and fell back down on her bed, her mind able to resettle, now knowing there was no immediate threat to face.

Twilight noticed the scars on Starlight’s body, including the distinct one along her eye. After so long apart, Twilight feared that they would have both grown into different ponies, distinct from the image of the other that they had each latched onto since their separation. Twilight wondered if she herself had changed at all, and more importantly, whether Starlight was the same pony she knew before.

“I missed you,” Starlight said, catching Twilight off guard. Twilight stifled a nervous laugh, struggling to formulate her emotions into words.

Starlight was staring into space straight towards the door, Twilight sitting to her left, as if they were in a therapy session.

“Every night I was gone, I was always thinking. About you...and Spike, and Trixie...Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow, everypony...I kept asking myself, what would they think of me now?” Starlight’s eyes fell downwards, unsure whether she wanted to know the answer. “I wanted to move on so bad, because I thought...I thought nopony wanted me here...I always just make things worse by being around, don’t I…” Starlight said, dejectedly, as if it was inarguable, “And now everypony thinks I’m a murderer..I don’t know what to do, I don’t know where I belong.”

“I want you here,” Twilight said, pleadingly.

“You have to say that, you’re the Princess of Friendship,” Starlight said, rationalizing her own self-deprecation.

Twilight laughed, though Starlight meant it to be more serious.

“What did Chrysalis do to you?” Twilight asked, hesitantly, curious as to what exactly sparked Starlight’s emotional breakdown.

“Chrysalis…” Starlight scoffed, “It was never about Chrysalis. She said all these stupid things to try and get me down, and I just had to sit there and take it. What really got to me was the isolation. And I had been feeling that for months, since the day I first came to Ponyville with you. The way ponies would look at me, I was out of place. I wanted to learn from you, and be better, but nothing I did ever seemed good enough. I thought, it’s me. I’m the problem. I had to get out,” Starlight said, wiping a single tear from her eye.

Twilight kept her composure, though was slightly unsettled by the pain emanating through Starlight’s words. The unicorn’s face was wound-up with hopelessness, a somber disgust with herself that appeared completely untreatable.

“And now I’m back, back where I started, and I'm probably going to be executed. Maybe that’s for the better.”

Twilight shook her head, unwilling to even humor Starlight’s hopelessness.

“You know, Starlight, when I decided to take you on as my pupil, it wasn’t because I pitied you. It wasn’t because I thought you were a monster who needed to be redeemed. It was because I saw something in you, something that made you different. You were always one of the first ponies I’d go to when I needed help, or when I needed somepony to depend on, or just somepony to talk to. I’m not going to let you tell yourself that you aren’t worth anything. You’re a good pony, Starlight, and I shouldn’t have to tell you that. Those friends of yours that you made? They were risking their lives for you, just because they cared about you…”

“Are they alright?” Starlight asked suddenly, realizing she wasn’t sure whether any of them were even alive.

“They’ve all been released, since apparently that Gallant Stride wasn’t who we thought he was...They’re safe, Starlight, don’t worry,” Twilight said.

Starlight was again relieved, turning over in the bed so that she was directly facing Twilight.

“I don’t want to think that I’m not worth anything. I just can’t help it...I want to be happy, but...there’s something wrong with me,” Starlight said.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Starlight, you just let your anxiety get the better of you. Look at me,” Twilight said, waiting until Starlight made eye contact again, “You’ve been through so much, just to protect the ponies you cared about, and you didn’t give up. I care about you, Starlight, a lot, and I want you to be happy. You’ve overcome so much already, you just need to stop doubting yourself. I believe in you, but you have to believe in you too.” Twilight said.

Starlight couldn’t stop a smile from forming on her lips, thankful that Twilight hadn’t yet given up on her.

“Thanks, Twilight...I’m sorry about leaving...You have no idea how much your friendship means to me,” Starlight said.

Twilight smiled back, glad to see Starlight begin to lighten up.

“I’m sorry too, I should have communicated with you better, I had no idea what you were going through,” Twilight said.

“I was always just...holding myself back. I don’t know what it was. I never wanted to let anypony in after I lost Sunburst, and then I just...only had myself to blame for every screw-up I made. Now it’s just how I think. I just assume I’ve done something wrong. It was so hard to ignore all that humiliation, and come here with you as your pupil. I was afraid that I was going to mess up again...I wanted to change,” Starlight said.

“You have changed. You’ve come so far already, Starlight, and I’m proud of you. You’ve always got a level head when I don’t,” Twilight said, pausing for both of them to share a slight giggle at certain memories of Twilight’s famous freakouts, “And you’re a great friend, and I can’t tell you how glad I am to have you back…” Twilight said, pondering on how the loss of Starlight initiated her own slump of demotivation and crippling hopelessness.

“I know what it's like to be scared of changes. I never imagined for a second that I’d be where I am now when I was little. It’s scary, and so are all the responsibilities, and still having to make time for friends...When you left, I blamed it all on me. I thought I let you down, that I had failed you. When they told me that you were down south going on a murderous rampage, I couldn’t believe them. Everypony kept telling me to just accept it, but I couldn’t…Maybe I was just scared that I’d feel responsible for all that death and horribleness, I don’t know...All I was focused on, was doing whatever I could to get you back, and stop all that craziness. And then I find out you’ve been on an adventure of your own, and...I can’t tell you how happy I was. I thought I lost you, for good, that I’d never get a chance to get you back.”

“You’re a great teacher, Twilight, and I owe you my life,” Starlight said, firmly.

Twilight sat back in her chair, a warm smile resting on her face. At last they were reunited, without any problematic complications to interfere with a much-needed resolution.

“But Twilight...Everypony’s still going to hate me, they think I’m some monster,” Starlight said, her spirits collapsing again. As long as her name remained scourged by Chrysalis’ sinister acts of villainy, Starlight knew her chances at keeping friends in Equestria would be slim.

Though Starlight was mortified over the possibility of Chrysalis having completely ruined her life, Twilight was unwavering, seemingly aware of something that Starlight was not.

“Come on, I’ve got something to show you,” Twilight said, rising from her chair excitedly. Starlight wiped the tears from her eyes and watched Twilight eagerly make her way towards the door.

Twilight stopped right as she was reaching for the doorknob, realizing Starlight hadn’t budged from the bed.

“Well? Come on!” Twilight said, her twinkling smile persuading a baffled Starlight into climbing out of bed and catching up.

Inside her mind, Starlight saw few potential futures that didn’t involve her being a nationally-recognized, widely despised social outcast, labeled responsible for some of the greatest tragedies to befall Equestria in recent memory. Given how grim her future was looking, she was completely befuddled by how eager and worriless Twilight seemed to be, as they exited the bedchamber into the grand white-stone hallway outside, walking right onto a spotless red carpet with gold lining.

Starlight nervously poked her head out into the hallway, hoping there weren’t any ponies nearby who would try to arrest her. The hallway was empty though, Twilight standing in the center, waving at Starlight to keep up. She was snickering to herself, finding it slightly amusing how afraid Starlight was, given what she had in store for her.

Starlight nervously followed Twilight through the hallways of the palace, sticking close beside her for protection. Still, Twilight showed no sign of fear of some impending attack on Starlight’s life. Whatever Twilight had waiting for her, it must’ve been spectacular.

Still struggling to get a grasp on her bearings, Starlight kept up behind Twilight, who was excitedly trotting down the long, elegant hallways of the Canterlot palace. She wasn’t sure where they were going, or even if she was fully out of the doghouse yet.

After a short walk, Twilight came to a stop in front of a pair of immaculate white stone gates, two royal guards standing on either side. Starlight stood nervously behind Twilight, hopeful that the guards weren’t about to arrest her. Instead of drawing their weapons at her, the guards merely smiled, throwing off Starlight from her cautiously defensive stance.

“Your name’s been cleared, Starlight,” Twilight explained, “Everypony knows what Chrysalis has done.”

“Really?! So-” Starlight started, wondering if she was really free from the high-profile accusations that had been levied against her for months now.

“I talked to Celestia and Luna, and we all set the record straight to everypony...You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Twilight said.

Starlight was close to tears, her life no longer in immediate danger for the first time in what felt like ages. She gave Twilight an unexpected hug, which Twilight accepted, laughing joyously at her friend’s intense relief.

“Oh, thank you, Twilight,” Starlight said.

“There’s more,” Twilight said, as Starlight pulled herself away.

“We also told everypony about everything that you did….and…” Twilight began, as she nodded at the guards to begin opening the doors.

Twilight stepped out of the way to let Starlight enter first, as the doors were pulled open to reveal the palace ballroom, decorated with hundreds of white clothed tables and candles, filled with hundreds of ponies, who were all caught in their own small conversations. The ballroom was huge, lit up with graceful chandeliers and tall windows. A bountiful amount of food was set on each table, thrown as a proper Canterlot banquet. She saw Princess Celestia, and Luna, and Cadance and Shining Armor, who had returned to Canterlot that morning, both equally confused as to what exactly happened while they were gone.

Starlight wasn’t sure what to make of it, until the ponies began to notice who had just walked inside. Starlight instinctively prepared herself to be subjected to an onslaught of jeers and cruelty, which made it even more of a shock when the crowd before her all rose to their hooves and burst into a triumphant applause.

Starlight was speechless, recognizing several of her old friends in the crowd, who were all beaming in her direction, clapping their hooves and vigorously cheering on her behalf.

“I...I don’t understand,” Starlight said, glancing at Twilight to explain to her what had happened.

“It’s like I said. You’re wanted,” Twilight said, smiling and putting her arm around a dumbfounded Starlight.

As the crowd settled down and returned to their celebration, Twilight led Starlight from the entrance down the steps to the main ballroom floor where the tables were, immediately being met by Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity, all speaking at the same time.

“Starlight, darling! Are you alright?” Rarity asked, hopeful that Starlight was back to normal and still not hellbent on some destructive warpath.

“I’m alright, thanks,” Starlight said, still a bit overwhelmed.

“It’s so good to see you!” Pinkie Pie yelled, “What a party! The party’s for you! Do you like it?! You have to like it! It’s got to be the best party I’ve ever thrown!”

“Thanks, Pinkie, it’s good to see you too,” Starlight replied, eagerly accepting a hug from the bouncing pink earth pony.

“Sorry about kicking you,” said Rainbow, slightly embarrassed. Starlight laughed, having forgotten what exactly caused that deep pain in her ribs.

“It’s good to have you back,” said Fluttershy, nervously.

“Thanks, I missed you too!” Starlight said.

“You’ve got to be starving, when’s the last time you ate?” Applejack asked, motioning for the group to sit down at their table where the food was.

Before Starlight could go anywhere with the others, another hoof caught her from behind by the shoulder. Starlight was spun around to see Trixie, a wide smile painted on her face.

“Trixie!” Starlight said, embracing her friend tightly.

“Starlight! I thought you were dead!” Trixie said.

“Starlight?” asked another pony, Sunburst, walking past the tables to approach Starlight, who was struggling to receive so many ponies all at once. But the more ponies she saw, the more warmth she felt return to her heart.

“Sunburst! How are you?” Starlight asked, embracing her oldest friend.

“Better, now that you’re back. I’ve been worried sick all this time, you know,” Sunburst said, scratching the back of his head.

“Starlight Glimmer?”

Before Starlight could advance any real conversations with Sunburst or Trixie, another voice came booming from behind her. Starlight turned to see Princess Celestia making her way through the crowd. The alicorn had completely healed herself of all ailments sustained from the prior day’s battle, standing out as an untainted goddess in the wake of such hellish destruction.

“Princess…” Starlight said, hesitantly, backing up towards Twilight for protection.

“Oh, Starlight, you don’t have to be afraid, I understand everything now...You’re not in any trouble,” Celestia said, realizing the unicorn was probably expecting to be executed on the spot. Despite the festive aura of the room, Starlight couldn’t shake her internal fears of suddenly being arrested or put to death.

“It’s very good to see you, Starlight, we’re all very proud of you,” said Celestia.

“Please, Princess, you shouldn’t be...I shouldn’t have run away,” Starlight said, trying to humble herself.

“You did what you thought was right...And now you’ve returned back here...You made a sacrifice for your friend, you went to great lengths to save their lives, and you were able to overcome the power of the Queen’s Jewel...You’ve proven not only your great understanding of friendship, but also bravery, and determination.”

“I...Er, thank you, Princess,” Starlight said, resisting the urge to deny herself any ounce of respect.

“To such an extent...that I do believe you should be expecting a certain promotion to come around sooner than later,” Celestia said teasingly, gifting Twilight with a playful wink. Celestia gave Starlight a parting nod, before leaving Starlight alone with her friends, trotting over to check on some other ponies.

“Uh...Twilight? What did she mean by that?” Starlight asked, nervously.

Twilight was holding a glass of cider with her magic, coyly glancing up and down from Starlight to her drink.

“Let’s just say when I talked to Celestia and Luna, I put in the good word for you,” Twilight said, taking a sip of her glass.

“Twilight, you don’t mean…” Starlight said, her voice quivering.

“It’s bound to happen, Starlight. You’re princess material.”

Starlight’s mouth was hanging open, unable to comprehend the momentous revelation Twilight had just laid down on her. Everypony else was still nearby, equally shocked and excited by this news.

“No way!” Rainbow exclaimed, “I knew it, didn’t I tell you, Fluttershy? I told you.”

“Well done, Starlight” said Rarity, prideful of the fact that now two of her friends would be royalty.

“Twilight, I-I can’t be a princess, I can barely handle any authority at all!” Starlight said, terrified.

“Yes, you can. You’d make a great princess, Starlight...Normally it’d be a surprise, but since things are still a little crazy, I figured we’d let you know now,” Twilight said, immensely proud of how far her student had come.

“I...I don’t need that, I already have everything I’ve ever wanted. Great friends,” Starlight said, getting a rise out of the ponies gathered around her, touched by her sentiment.

“But you deserve it, Starlight. You did something nopony has ever done before...Something not even the greatest heroes of moons past have ever done...Everypony thought it was impossible to overcome the power of the Queen’s Jewel. But you did it,” Twilight said, “Your dedication to your friends, your insistence to persevere...You’ve earned it.”

“Yeah, and what about that time you saved Equestria from Queen Chrysalis? Remember that? Totally epic job,” Rainbow added.

Starlight was still extremely reluctant, but decided there wasn’t much point in protesting.

“Give it time, you’ll come around,” Twilight said, nudging Starlight with a caring hoof. Starlight smiled, glad that she still had Twilight to lean on. Being promoted to a princess was a tremendous responsibility, one that Starlight wasn’t sure she was ready for, nor exactly desiring. What she had been in pursuit of her whole life wasn’t fame or power, it was happiness. And in that moment, surrounded by her friends, who truly did care about her, she had finally found it.

Queen Chrysalis and Violet Heirloom, having resumed their fluctuating alliance, had escaped Canterlot during the withering chaos of the battle, slipping away through the wreckage back into the wild.

They had been running non-stop, trying to put as much distance between Canterlot and themselves as possible.

At last, they came to a stop, in a large field of grass, storm clouds still brewing up above them. The grass shuddered against the cool wind in soft patterns. They had reached safety, though safety was typically temporary.

Chrysalis collapsed to the grass beneath her, gasping for breath, setting the Queen’s Jewel down beside her. It was still locked inside the scepter, glowing a furious green.

Violet stopped close behind, also taking a seat on the ground, exhausted. They were both filthy from the earlier carnage, and were weary after traveling such huge distances these past weeks.

Chrysalis glared at the jewel, which was gleaming with energy and green desire. Through the endless glass-like prisms of the jewel, Chrysalis found herself unable to look away. She saw a face that resembled death, the underside of his head painted in a fiery orange. He wore a somber smile, nothing close to resembling anything peaceful. It was a pained smile, a disappointed effort that made Chrysalis uneasy.

She turned away in anger, breaking free of the jewel’s trance-inducing glow.

Chrysalis turned over to see Violet sitting nearby, staring off at Canterlot in the distance, hidden behind the clouds.

Chrysalis reached over and grabbed the jewel gently, holding it in her lap.

“It all seems so pointless from here,” Violet said, dryly. “All those ponies dying...and nothing really came out of it,” Violet said.

“Something did,” Chrysalis, raising the jewel up into the air. It was hers at last, after so many trials and so much tribulation. Her elaborate plan had finally been exacted.

Violet shrugged, still struggling to find the sense in it.

“So what are you going to do? Raise an army, try and overthrow Celestia...It’ll end up just the same as that,” Violet said, pointing at the smoking Canterlot in the distance, “And then the jewel will end up in somepony else’s hooves, and they’ll try the same thing, and so on, and so on…”

Chrysalis’s eyes shifted up from the jewel to Violet, and then back down to the jewel.

“No, I’m not doing that,” she said, firmly.

“You’re not?” Violet said, surprised to see Chrysalis finally have a change of heart.

Chrysalis’ face was warped with conflict, the responsibility of the power in her hooves beginning to sink in. She looked up at Canterlot in the distance, and she remembered all those corpses, and all that destruction. And, just like Violet had said, it had all amounted to nothing. Chrysalis wasn’t sure what she was feeling, perhaps it was pity, or, dare she say it, sympathy, but the thought of bringing about another onslaught of death and agony to innocent ponies in the same light as Cellestrous’ failed attempt made her absolutely sick to her stomach.

“I was never good,” Chrysalis said, as if she had a point to prove, “And I’ll never be good. But perhaps...perhaps I’ve done enough already…” Chrysalis said, coming to her own conclusion as she spoke.

“I’m not good either...but there’s always a chance for redemption,” Violet said, coaxingly.

Chrysalis wondered at the very notion of redemption, which seemed so far-fetched for her it might as well be played as a joke. But regardless of whether she would ever see the light, the world was in no way ready for that. And certainly, she wasn’t.

“The world’s gotten very strange, hasn’t it?” Chrysalis asked, smiling as she glared down at the jewel.

“It sure has,” Violet said, turning back to watch the dark clouds above Canterlot wrestle and walk across the sky.

She then jumped to her hooves in surprise, when she saw Chrysalis wielding the scepter, the jewel glowing an enraged green.

“Chrysalis...What are you-”

“I’ve always been my own worst enemy...I was never meant to be free,” Chrysalis said, as the jewel glowed brighter in the scepter.

“Chrysalis!” Violet yelled, believing Chrysalis to be seconds away from killing her at point blank range.

But the jewel just kept glowing brighter, and no attack came, and Violet was beginning to wonder what was taking so long. She didn’t bother putting up a defense, since the jewel’s power was too great to stand a chance against anyway.

Chrysalis stood straight with the scepter in one hoof, her horn glowing and her face warped with frustrated determination.

Then a loud cracking noise made Violet jump, and she realized what Chrysalis was doing.

Focusing her magic from the jewel into the jewel itself, Chrysalis was effectively rupturing it from the inside, bursting it apart at the edges with its uncontestable power.

Violet shielded her eyes, when a few more cracks in the jewel led to an all out fiery green explosion, the jewel being broken into at least a hundred shards, sprinkling through the air into the grass. At the tip of the scepter was a smoking black broken hinge, and Chrysalis herself was worn out from the intensity of the experience.

She threw the scepter at the ground in disgust, and wiped her arm of the searing hot green embers that had soared out from the now-destroyed core of the jewel.

Violet lowered her arm and saw that the jewel had been thoroughly destroyed, her mouth hanging open in shock.

“You...You destroyed it?!” Violet exclaimed.

Chrysalis scoffed, as if there was any other route worth taking.

“The only way to destroy the jewel was with the jewel...now it won’t cause anypony any trouble...Or more importantly, me any trouble.”

“But...I could’ve-”

“It wasn’t meant to be found, not by you, or me, or Cellestrous, or Twilight Sparkle...some power is just too much for anypony to handle.”

Violet supposed she was correct, though couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the loss of one of Equestria’s most valuable treasures.

“Then I guess that’s it then? The end of our partnership?” Violet asked, unsure whether at the end of things, she could be able to consider Chrysalis a friend.

“All too brief,” Chrysalis said, smiling.

They stood where they were in silence, struggling with how to say goodbye.

“Maybe we’ll cross paths again someday,” Violet suggested.

“Maybe,” said Chrysalis, though she doubted it.

Violet nodded, her eyes wandering across the landscape beyond.

“I think you did the right thing,” Violet said.

Chrysalis had thought so too, but didn’t say it, deciding it wasn’t her place to claim credit for moral righteousness.

“Good luck,” she said, giving a small, longing wave to Violet, who waved her off back.

As Chrysalis walked off into the distance, Violet watched from the top of that grassy hill. It would likely be the last time she ever saw the changeling. And from that hill, Violet wondered to herself, whether it was possible that one day Chrysalis would ever truly come around. The world didn’t want her now, and it probably never would. But nothing would ever be gained from making no effort. Once Chrysalis had disappeared over the hills into the west, Violet too turned around and began trotting off in the other direction, ready for a new, hopefully less life-threatening adventure.

Days of traveling westward took Chrysalis into the mountains, cold and bleak rocky ridges that hung overhead like a grim entrance to hell. Here she would find only emptiness and lonesomeness, but luckily that was precisely what she was in pursuit of.

She took refuge in a long-abandoned cave along one of the cold grey cliffs, high up in the air. She climbed inside and curled up on the hard, unforgivingly numbing rocky ground, ignoring the howling wind outside and the tremendous sense of emptiness in her heart. She was miserable, and alone.

Through the jewel she had seen every future she could have ever conceived, and in every one she was just as destitute and dissatisfied as she was already. She had known it since the start, but now it was certain that she was predestined to fail, and predestined to be discontent. Her life had been wasted by hatred, and at last, she could see herself clearly for what she was. But only from the damp, unsettlingly freezing cave high up in the mountains could she come to this understanding, and to that point, she saw no reason to leave. Her reign of terror was over now, and certainly it should never have started. Now the only pony left to torment was herself, her conscience finally having been discovered, but to her own misery.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were walking together down a spiraling stone staircase, down from the illustrious palace banquet. They had slipped away before the festivities had died down, seeking to attend some unresolved problems left over from yesterday’s chaotic mess.

While Twilight had been busy stuck in her fight with Starlight, Rainbow had committed herself to a rather important task: rounding up all of the ponies who were under a similar brainwashing spell. She had found a total of six ponies, incapacitating them each and dragging them to be locked up in an empty Canterlot store, to prevent them from running off or stirring up anymore havoc.

“This isn’t good,” said Twilight, worried that those poor ponies would be stuck in tormenting psychological bondage for the rest of their days. The power of the jewel was thought to be unbreakable, with the significant exception of Starlight forcing herself free.

“Don’t you have a book or something that explains how to deal with this?” Rainbow asked, hopeful. She felt partially responsible for those ponies, as it had been her job to make sure nopony was left behind during Ponyville’s evacuation.

“No, there’s no knowable way to counter the spell, I don’t know how we’re going to-” Twilight said, before cutting herself off, as the duo approached the Canterlot store where Rainbow had stowed the ponies. They both came to a sudden halt, thrown for a loop.

All of the brainwashed ponies had been freed from the locked building, sitting outside among the wreckage left over from the siege. There were some royal guards nearby as well, though to Twilight’s distress, they seemed completely carefree.

“Hey! What’s going on?! Those ponies are dangerous!” Twilight yelled at one of the guards, who was taken aback by her forcefulness.

“Princess, sorry, uh, we came here to guard them like you asked, but they seemed alright, so we let them out...”

“Alright?” Twilight stammered, struggling to see how that was possible.

“Twilight?” said Rainbow, who was standing beside Lyra Heartstrings, who seemed absolutely confused as to where she was and what was happening.

“Um, Princess Twilight? What’s going on?” Lyra asked.

Twilight was dangerously close to casting a spell to petrify Lyra, until she noticed the lack of green luster in the unicorn’s eyes. She lowered her guard, and noticed the other five brainwashed ponies had all also been freed somehow.

“But...How?” Twilight asked, glancing at Rainbow, who also had no answer.

“Sorry about throwing you into a wall,” Rainbow muttered to Lyra, apologetically.

“You threw me into a wall?” Lyra asked, having no recollection of said occurrence.

Twilight turned away from the others to concentrate. The last pony to have possession of the jewel, according to Dust Bunny at least, was Queen Chrysalis and her accomplice, Violet, who Twilight wished she had been more careful with upon their initial meeting.

Twilight couldn’t help but consider the unlikely possibility that Chrysalis had done some kind of act of goodwill. Whoever held the jewel controlled its power, after all, and would absolutely be able to break the brainwashing spell on those innocent Ponyville ponies. But such an act was far from typical considering Chrysalis’ nature. As much as Twilight couldn’t understand it, she had a strange feeling that Chrysalis had indeed done something good for once in her life, whether that be freeing all these ponies or destroying the jewel entirely. She decided she’d prefer not to know exactly, and more so that she never had to cross paths with Chrysalis ever again.

Elodea hadn’t left Lance Crestfall’s side once since she first found him critically wounded by the city’s central plaza after a messy final showdown against his traitorous commander, Gallant Stride. She was with him when a patrol passed through and dumped in on a stretcher, with him when he was hauled back to the palace to be treated, and with him through the entirety of his minor medical operation to repair the injury.

It was only after he had been summoned to the palace throne room when she was forced to leave him, waiting impatiently outside the heavy throne room doors.

Crestfall, still spent from his tiresome experiences in battle and the pain of his newest injury, sauntered inside the throne room through the magnificent front doors, slightly wary of returning to the same room where he was previously betrayed and arrested.

Along either side of the long carpet that stretched from the doorway to the Princesses’ thrones at the other end were rows of royal guards, standing at full attention. Crestfall was in disbelief at the treatment he was being given, considering these ponies were making quite a strong effort to kill him just yesterday.

He saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sitting on their thrones at the end of the room, and, instinctively by his training, he knelt down to show them their due respect.

“Lance Crestfall. Come here, please,” said Luna, her voice thundering through the hall.

Crestfall begrudgingly rose back up to his hooves. If anything, this was degrading, to obediently remain in the service of those who were but seconds away from sentencing him to die, unjustly. Yet he complied, if only to make this all go a bit quicker.

He slowly made his way down the carpet path towards the princesses, the guards lined up on either side of him as he went, holding their spears up in the air, formally.

Crestfall arrived before the princesses, who were seated above on their sparkling thrones.

“Lance Crestfall...On behalf of the ponies of Equestria, I greatly owe you an apology,” Luna said.

Crestfall stared at her, his face worn from the exhaustion of the past weeks. He saw Celestia and Luna, who were flawless in appearance, as looking down on him, as a rugged peasant, and it fostered in him great resentment, though he tried his best to hide it. He was still loyal to the princesses, though he certainly wasn’t happy to be.

“We were presented with false evidence...And in the tumultuousness of recent events, we might have acted...rashly,” Celestia said, continuing after Luna.

Crestfall glanced between the two princesses, unsure what they really wanted from him.

“Your friends have attested to your valor in battle, and dedication to what you thought was right,” Luna said, “It is my honor, then, to present you with a long overdue promotion, to Captain,” she said, triumphantly.

The guards behind him broke into an excited applause, startling Crestfall, who wasn’t expecting any kind of attempted reconciliation from ponies as prideful as Celestia and Luna.

“Your service to Equestria has not gone unnoticed, we do hope you’ll accept,” Celestia said, noticing Crestfall’s slight hesitation.

Crestfall lowered his head, biting his lip in frustration. He wasn’t prepared for this turn of events, though it didn't change his mind from the conclusion he had already been set on. With the new fulfillment and happiness he had found in Elodea, and a small but significant disillusionment with the military, Crestfall had decided that his once desperate pursuit of fame, recognition, stature, and wealth would never amount to anything of true value. He had discovered happiness through much simpler means, through a pony who he had found to bring out the best in him. Medals and a higher rank would never be equally sufficient, especially coming from the ponies whose sting of betrayal still flowed through his veins.

“I’m very gracious for the opportunity, your highnesses...But I’d like to decline,”

The applause behind him came to an awkward end, as Luna and Celestia shared a look of confusion.

“Promotions of this sort have rarely been more deserved than in your case, Captain, it would do us all a great honor to see you receive your dues,” Luna said. She had already been reluctant to go through with the execution when Crestfall was thought to be guilty, now that he was proven innocent, there was an even greater burden on her heart. Balancing her political obligations and responsibilities with her moral compass was always difficult, but when it came down to playing with ponies’ lives, Luna wasn’t sure how she let herself be so careless. She had to admit she was mildly intimidated by Celestia’s influence, but still, she felt regret over not voicing her hesitations as much as she should have.

“I appreciate the offer, really, but….I’d actually like to request discharge, actually.”

Luna was hoping he wouldn’t say that.

“We made a mistake. A grave mistake, surely. Please let us do what we can to rectify it,” Luna said.

“By all means, rectify it, and discharge me. I have no hatred towards you, your highnesses. You still have my loyalty. But there’s no place for me here anymore.”

Crestfall wasn’t sure he felt much respect for the princesses anymore, though his training told him otherwise. The ponies he had devoted his life to had all completely betrayed him, as he saw it, so there was little point in him sticking by them any longer.

Luna sighed, supposing he was correct to some degree. They had turned their backs on him, after all, it was a bit of a stretch to ask for his forgiveness in exchange for a slightly higher pay grade.

“Very well then. I do hope you’ll one day return to the service, we need ponies like you,” Luna said.

Crestfall couldn’t help but crack his smile, as he loosened his respectful demeanor.

“You sure didn’t yesterday,” he said, giving them a parting bow, and then turning to head back the way he came.

Passing through the rows of soldiers a second time, he saw they too felt a bit ashamed for their own participation in the attempted execution. Crestfall felt barely any regret as he trotted out from the throne room doors, finding himself outside in the carpeted white hallway once again, Elodea nearby.

“What happened?” she asked, joining him as they walked down the hall. She was unsure whether he had still gone through with his decision to quit, as he had confided in her.

“Let’s get a move-on, shall we?” Crestfall said, grabbing his duffel bag of belongings that he had left outside with one hoof, and holding Elodea’s hoof with the other.

Elodea smiled, delighted that there was now little holding them back from pursuing a new life together.

As they strolled through the tremendous halls of the palace, Crestfall wondered briefly if he might ever miss the grandeur and excitement of serving his nation, though, as he had already been convinced, the majority of that grandeur was an illusion. Behind that facade of royalty and flawlessness were ponies just as capable of making mistakes and being deceived as anypony else. It was just a shame that he was the one to get thrown under the bus, he thought.

“Crestfall!”

Crestfall stopped in his tracks at the sound of a pony calling out his name from behind. He turned to see Spice, Pink Mist, and Slick Sleeve, all running up to him, shocked by the news they had just heard.

“Is it true?” Spice stammered, hoping the contrary.

“Is what true?” Crestfall asked.

“You’re trying to get out?” Slick asked.

“That’s right,” Crestfall said. The other three soldiers, who had all also been freed and pardoned of all alleged crimes, collectively produced a groan of disappointment.

“You can’t!” Pink said, distressed.

“You know they’re making me a sergeant? A real sergeant?!” Spice said, excitedly, “Don’t you want to be there with me?” she asked, hopeful he would change his mind for her sake.

“I think I’ve had enough of that, is all. You three’ll do nicely though, thanks for all the help,” Crestfall said.

“It was good while it lasted,” Slick said.

“Yep,” Elodea replied.

“Where’re you gonna go?” Spice asked.

Crestfall glanced at Elodea, as neither were quite sure.

“I don’t know...Somewhere warm, and friendly. I never could stand cold Vanhoover nights,” Crestfall said.

“Good luck, Crestfall, wherever you’re going,” Spice said, wrapping her arms around him for a parting embrace.

Slick gave him a formal handshake, though Crestfall could see the pegasus was definitely affected by his decision to leave.

Pink was last, giving him a tight hug, trying to avoid crying.

“You’ll be fine, kiddo,” Crestfall said, as Pink struggled to pull herself away from him.

Crestfall smiled at the trio of soldiers. Should he never return, it would bring him no pain to know that those three would be his lasting legacy.

With a final nod of appreciation, Crestfall picked up his things once again and walked off down the hall with Elodea right beside him, walking away from the life he had devoted so many years of his life to.

At the end of one palace hall, Crestfall and Elodea found themselves at the seat of a balcony, perched high above the grassy wonderland that lay beneath, with flowing rivers and brightly colored flowers.

The sun was beginning to set, dark clouds overhead making way for rays of orange light to claw their way through the sky. Elodea approached the white stone railing, appreciating the view, while Crestfall stayed back, digging into his duffel bag to retrieve something.

“The cops raided that warehouse in Vanhoover, the one we tried to break into...they found some stuff those bastards left behind,” Crestfall said, pulling out what he had been looking for. “These belong to you?”

Elodea pulled herself away from the stunning view to see Crestfall, bent on one knee, revealing a moss-green colored record player with both hooves, holding it up for her to see. Elodea, shocked and touched by the memories of her very own record player, approached the device in disbelief.

“That’s….that’s mine,”

“Had a feeling,” Crestfall said, smiling from ear to ear.

He handed it over to her, as she inspected it to make sure the same old dents and scratches were where they were supposed to be.

“When I had nothing, I had this...I thought I lost it for good,” Elodea said,

“Well...How about we go get some stuff to play on it?” Crestfall offered.

Elodea turned to him, still frazzled by the surprise of her old beloved possession finding its way back to her.

She grabbed a hold of him and planted another kiss right on his lips, blood rushing to her head with thoughts of getting to start a new life with somepony, perhaps even a family. Crestfall held her tightly, together swaying against the breeze, neither certain where they’d be taken next. But wherever that was, they’d surely be together.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash returned to the banquet to find most ponies had left already. Even Starlight, the guest of honor, had been carried off by Trixie and Sunburst to somewhere else in the palace, to continue celebrating her return.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy had stuck around, unsure where Twilight and Rainbow had run off to.

“Where’ve you been?” Applejack asked, as Twilight and Rainbow snuck back inside through one of the side doors to the ballroom. The tables were still strewn about, plates with scraps of food littered across them, a classic afterparty mess.

“Just tidying up something,” Twilight said. Those brainwashed ponies were her very last obstacle to deal with, so now she had little to worry about.

“We’re going to head back to Ponyville tomorrow, Twilight, is that alright?” Rarity asked, worried about how much destruction of their beloved town they’d have to repair.

“I’ll be right behind you, I’ve still got some things to work out with Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied.

“You should rest too, Twilight, you haven’t slowed down at all,” Applejack suggested.

Twilight sighed and nodded, though there was still too much work to be done to take it easy quite yet. Above all else, she was thankful she still had her friends to keep her sane.

“Hey, um...Look, I know I let myself fall into a sort of funk...I’m sorry about that. I was so distant from all of you, it was terrible. I lost sight of myself, and I should’ve been able to let go when I needed to...But it’s all going to be alright, now that Starlight’s back,” Twilight said.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Twilight, we know you were upset, you had every right to be,” Rainbow said, saddened to see Twilight be so hard on herself.

“I’m just glad I’ve got you all,” Twilight said, receiving an appreciative smile from each of her friends.

“And we’re glad to have you as a friend, Twilight,” Fluttershy said.

“Twilight?”

Before Twilight could go on about her deep admiration for her friends’ undying support, Princess Celestia’s voice called out to her from behind.

Twilight spun around, to see not just Celestia, but Luna as well, approaching her. The ballroom was now completely empty, save for those eight ponies.

“We’ll see you later, Twilight,” said Applejack, slowly backing away with the others, assuming Celestia and Luna wanted to talk to Twilight in private.

Twilight had assumed the same thing, though couldn’t help but feel stressed by the loss of her friends to depend on.

As soon as the other five had left out the door, Celestia took a deep sigh, exhausted and anxious after a terribly bizarre week.

“Twilight, I wanted to apologize to you, again,” Celestia said.

“Princess, it’s all over now, we’ve won!” Twilight exclaimed, seeing no reason to peddle anymore conflict between each other any longer.

Celestia was in a rarely experienced state of self-doubt, having made a series of wrong calls that nearly resulted in the death of an innocent pony and the utter destruction of Equestria. Luna was faring barely any better.

“You’ve proven yourself yet again, Twilight, as being capable of leading Equestria in its darkest days,” Celestia said.

“Princess...Everything that I know, I’ve learned from you! My only goal is to help others in whatever way I can,” Twilight said.

Celestia smiled down at her former student, now posing a considerable challenge to Celestia’s own competency as ruler. Celestia felt no jealousy or anything like that, only pride. What mattered to her was Equestria being in safe hooves, after all.

“Take care of your friends, Twilight. I’m not sure Equestria would be the same without you,” Celestia said.

Twilight smiled humbly as the princesses each gave her a bow of due respect, before turning to leave the ballroom. As much as Twilight cared deeply for Celestia and Luna, her reservations about their occasionally questionable pompous attitudes were difficult to quell. But she held off from giving herself the sole credit for saving Equestria from an attempted rebellion. Ponies, as she saw it, could come together to solve any problem, if they only learned to work together. And should her responsibility be to facilitate that, then so be it. As long as she was able to preserve justice and peace in her beloved land, then she was content. Being a leader meant forgoing her fears for the benefit of clear mindedness, to make the right decisions and act with integrity and fairness. As much as that was a struggle for Twilight, who was especially prone to fits of anxiety, it was her calling. The title of ‘princess’ didn’t make her infallible, and it had nothing to do with being idolized. To be a princess meant being devoted to a single cause, to be the hero that ponies everywhere needed.

Sitting atop a high-seated balcony extending out of a palace spire, Dust Bunny had spent the past hour watching the sun descend below the horizon, lowering itself through feathery grey clouds, its orange light glittering over the darkened fields of grass in the distance, which were freshly watered from the recent rain.

To be young was to be eager, to chase jobs and positions and titles that appeared alluring on the surface level. Dust has been entitled, or such was her own opinion, as the slightly snobbish know-it-all kid growing up, constantly looking down on her parents for being out of touch with her grand aspirations to be wealthy, respected and beloved. Typical opinions for a rebellious teenager to have, but Dust took a particularly long time growing out of that mindset. Not until she herself was stuck in a poor-paying job with slow hope of growth in life did she realize that not every dream could be met exactly as she’d envisioned.

In the months she had spent on this adventure, from Windward’s salty boat with rotten produce to Elodea’s dingy apartment, from her exhilarating first train ride to the glimmering city of Canterlot, Dust had felt as though she had finally grown up, finally experienced the things she had to experience to gain a proper perspective on the world around her. She had grown up in a bubble, used to the same old snowy wooden walkways and restless blue seas, and nothing else.

The world had never felt larger, now that she had seen so much of it in a short while, and she was well ready to see some more. She remembered watching sunsets back in her hometown, nearly everyday since she was little, all the way up to when she was an adult. But at that moment, on the top balcony of that Canterlot palace spire, the sunset was like something brand new. A distant challenge, a mysterious entity calling out to her to explore what lay beyond that horizon.

“Hey.”

Dust Bunny spun around suddenly at the sound of a familiar voice.

Starlight Glimmer was standing in the doorway behind her, which led into the spire stairway that descended below.

The two ponies shared a brief moment of silence, staring at the other, unsure what to say after having gone through so much on behalf of the other.

Starlight broke into an effervescent grin, as she let out some tears of happiness, as did Dust Bunny, running up to each other, meeting in the middle in a warm embrace.

“Sorry I’m a little late,” Starlight said, a tight smile unable to leave her face.

Dust laughed and backed away, sighing and leaning back on the railing of the balcony. The wind was cool against her back, a subtle breeze even for so high up in the air.

Starlight sat down on the floor of the balcony, leaning against the wall of the spire, smiling to herself as she recalled all of the pleasant memories she had with Dust Bunny and Jackpot back when she lived in that old seaside town.

“You regret it?” Starlight asked, her smile slowly dropping.

“What?” Dust asked, confused by the question.

Starlight remembered that boat ride, how peaceful the world seemed to be in the middle of that quiet moonlit ocean. She wanted that moment back, before everything went to madness, and yet, she couldn’t deny she was finally feeling truly at peace for the first time in perhaps her entire life. Jackpot’s tragic death was still harrowing, and yet, she finally felt able to move on, to keep his spirit alive inside her heart. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what could have been.

“I never wanted you to come with me...Or Jackpot...I wanted to get you both to safety, and away from me...Maybe Jackpot wouldn’t have died, maybe you would’ve been safe, and free from all this...Do you regret coming with me?”

Dust had been wondering the same thing as of late. She had never felt such satisfaction as when she stuck that arrow through Ruby Heart’s head. It was ponies like her, Ruby Heart, who fueled all of this insanity and evil that cost Jackpot his life and Dust her innocence. To put the blame on anypony but those ponies was ludicrous, as Dust thought.

“No, of course I don’t. Of course I wish Jackpot was here...But we can’t change that now...I’ve still got you, and you’ve still got me. We’re alive. Who knows where I’ll go next? What I’ll see, what I’ll do? No matter what, we’ll always be friends,” Dust said, matter-of-factly.

Starlight smiled and nodded, relieved that Dust had survived this whole ordeal, and seemed to have come out of it more optimistic than before.

“There you are,” said somepony trotting up the steps of the spire out into the balcony. It was Elodea, quickly followed by Lance Crestfall, both worn from battle damage.

“El!” Dust said, excitedly running up to hug Elodea, who received her with open arms. Elodea’s greatest fear was losing Dust Bunny, though, by somewhat miraculous means, they had both made it out in one piece. For once, Elodea didn’t have to save her skin.

“You stuck around, huh?” Starlight asked Crestfall, standing up to greet him. The last time she had seen the stallion, he was unconscious in the storage closet of that warehouse.

“Nearly died for you, you know,” Crestfall said, smiling.

“So you’re not trying to arrest me anymore?” Starlight asked, jokingly.

“Couldn’t if I wanted to, I’m out of the service,” Crestfall said.

“Well...Then I guess we can be friends now,” Starlight posited.

“Looks like we are, Glimmer,” Crestfall said, grinning.

Starlight sat back down, and, alongside the other three, all took a longing stare at the dusk horizon, the sky painted with streaks of orange and yellow., beneath lingering dark rain clouds.

“What do you think about a trip? Us, I mean?” Elodea suggested.

“That sounds fun, where?” Dust asked.

“I’d like a beach, a beach sounds nice,” Crestfall said.

While the other three debated on their preference for a vacation destination, Starlight stayed focused on the sun. On that horizon was a new future, one where she could finally see her happiness manifested. With the friends she cared so deeply for, and her own sense of renewed purpose, she was at last satisfied with herself. The hatred and contempt for her own failures and personality had now subsided. It all seemed so benign. There was little to complain about now, and even less to blame on herself. She was free, free from all of the doubts and insecurities that had weighed her back from reaching the doors to effective progress. Those doors were now wide open, and, with her friends by her side, she was finally ready to step right through them.

Author's Note

Crazy big thanks to everyone who's supported this story for the past couple months!! Especially to those that left comments, a lot of them really kept me invigorated in putting more effort into the story when I was having difficulties in my personal life. I'm fairly confident in saying this one was a vast improvement over the prior one, still some problems that I can learn from. But it's been fun to write, and I hope you had a good time with it! Thanks!!

Chapter One: A New Beginning

The distant chatter of voices and splashing of boats in water seeped their way into her dreams, until they grew loud enough to pull her awake.

She opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her limbs out so far that her blanket nearly fell off the bed. She had slept well that night, despite how stiff her cheap mattress was. There was a scar that creased along her right eye, and she had a limp in one of her legs. Not everything always healed.

Starlight Glimmer climbed out of bed, fixing her hair and cleaning herself up in a matter of minutes. She made some tea, wrapped herself in a blanket, and sat down at her dining room table, to finish up a book she had started two days ago. There was only one chair at the table, as she rarely invited anypony over. Nowadays, she found lonesomeness to be more comfortable.

Her house, which consisted of a kitchen, a living room, one bedroom, and the aforementioned dining room, was all on the second story of a tiny apartment complex.

The town she lived in was mostly built atop the sea, on wooden ramparts and fixtures that rose above the icy waters. Instead of streets, ponies traveled by boats in small riverways that snaked through the town. The town was situated in the far northeast, and was buried in snow for nearly every day of the year.

Starlight didn’t mind the cold, except that it required her to start fires every now and then to keep warm. She had a phobia of fire.

Starlight had fled to this town after deserting her old life, where she was the pupil to the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. It had been nearly five months since she had disappeared off the face of the world. Despite having so much time to cope and move on, Starlight still doubted her decision near daily.

Should I go back?
Still, the longer she remained on her own, the more comfortable she felt in her new life. It was a quiet life at that, far more dull than her former role as the number-two to one of the most powerful beings in Equestria.

Starlight finished her tea and the newspaper she was reading, and scurried down the stairs. A blast of cold air hit her as soon as she opened the door. She took a deep breath. The brisk morning wind that brushed against the sea, and the distant sound of waves crashing into each other relaxed her ever-stressed mind.

After narrowly slipping on an icy stair, Starlight reached ground level, entering the bustling streets below. On either side of the riverways were wooden walkways that were constantly crowded. Ponies here would save up all they could just to buy a boat, as it made transportation vastly more efficient. Starlight didn’t own a boat herself, but didn’t mind walking at all. She liked being just another face in the crowd.

When she had first shown up to this town, she was immediately disliked by the townsponies. Most locals were dull colored earth-ponies, with a few pegasi and untalented unicorns mixed in with them. So whenever a newcomer unicorn came, especially one as bright and noticeable as Starlight, they were bound to get some negative attention.

That bad reputation wore away after a while, as Starlight had no intention of standing out in the slightest. She made friends as naturally as she could, and most ponies who knew her would give her a smile every time she passed by.

“Hey there, Starlight!” said one bearded earth pony, cramped behind a vendor’s booth. She smiled in response. She didn’t like talking unless she had to. She hated the sound of her voice.

She had considered changing her name to make her ‘transition’ all that more serious, but decided it was best to keep it. She didn’t want to forget who she used to be, rather change herself into something better.

Starlight trotted through town, until she finally arrived at her destination, right at the centerpoint of town, where all of the riverways converged on each other. At three stories, it was the largest building in town. She opened the door to the building and closed her eyes, taking in the soft warmth of a nearby fire.

This was the town library, where Starlight worked for menial pay. She hardly cared about how many bits she made. She wanted this job not for the money, rather for the one thing she missed most about her old life, aside from the friendships she once thought she had: the books.

“Hello Starlight, dear, how are you today?” said a pale old mare, with rounded glasses that were practically falling off her nose.

“I’m good, Mrs. Honey, how are you?” Starlight responded, softly.

“Why I’m just dandy. Starlight, there’s been a new box of donations, it’s in the office, can you go sort those? I’ll be here.”

“Right away,” she said, impulsively. She liked to be given commands. She wanted every chance she could get to prove herself.

Starlight entered the office area of the library, which was built like a giant cylinder. In the center was a spiral staircase, cascading from top to bottom. The ceiling was all skylight, white light shining down all the way to the bottom level. Bookshelves lined the entire circumference of every floor. Starlight considered it a gift to be able to work here, even seeing it as confirmation that she made the right choice to leave the past behind.

Starlight reached down into the cardboard box of books, picking them up one by one with her hooves, examining them, and then putting them into categorized piles. She had resolved never to use her magic in public, to better avoid gaining any attention. She would only ever use her magic when she’d be practicing it, every day in her room at night. She’d check out books discreetly and study old spells and new spells alike, forever trying to perfect the craft.

Starlight had gained a lot of respect for herself at the library, as nearly every pony in town would end up meeting her at least once. Foals checking out books for a school project, or old ponies searching for a childhood book with sentimental value. Starlight loved to make other ponies happy, in fact it was all that really kept her going.

By late afternoon, Starlight took her leave. Normally she’d stay late into the night, but tonight was special. Tonight she was heading to the Captain’s Daughter, a local pub near the center of town. The tavern glowed a soft orange from the inside, chandelier candle flames dancing to the pianist’s jumping tunes. Here was the soul of the town, where ponies could forget about their troubles and enjoy the merriment of each other’s company.

Starlight stumbled inside the tavern on her subtle limp, her eyes darting around the room, searching. The place was packed, typical for a Friday night.

“Starlight! Over here!”

A mare’s voice caught her attention, reeling her around a corner to a circular table surrounded by three stools, two of which were filled. On the right, back turned to the bar, was the one who called out for her, a light grey-colored earth pony with wavy jet black hair and green eyes. She had a white apron on, and her hooves were covered in soot. She was a maid at a rich pony’s house at the high-end part of town, by the name of Dust Bunny.

Next to her was a stallion, also an earth pony, with curly orange-brown hair, ever-present stubble, and a faded blue coat. Anything but a role model, he gambled, drank, and cheated his way through life, refusing to ever settle down in any one line of work. At the moment, he was working for a fishing company. Both ponies had a mug of cider in their hooves.

“Hey! Sorry I’m a little late,” Starlight said, sitting down in between them. These two ponies were the closest things she had to real friends in this town. She had met them both by chance, and would act the most like her old self when around them.

“That’s no problem! Here, we already bought you a drink,” said Dust, moving a strand of hair from her eye.

“Wow, you guys, thanks!” Starlight said, picking up the drink with both hooves. Her eyes drifted over to Jackpot, who had been glaring at her since she arrived. Starlight laughed while drinking, nearly choking. She put the cup down, giggling while trying to swallow the rest down.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked Dust. Dust smirked and eyed the stallion, who leaned back and tilted his head, waiting for Starlight to catch on.

“He,” Dust began, and then struggled to continue, already laughing, “He told me he’s refusing to talk to you until you pay him back.”

“Pay him back?! Starlight exclaimed. “For what? I don’t owe you anything!”

Jackpot remained silent, shaking his head, also trying not to laugh.

“He said you’d know what it’s about,” Dust said.

“Wrong. I don’t know anything. And he’s probably just lying. Probably down a few bits at Geronimo’s. Am I right?”

Jackpot burst into laughter.

“Correct. Am I that transparent?”

“Like a pane of glass,” Starlight said, smirking.

Starlight rolled her eyes and reached into her wallet from her bag, tossing a few bits to Jackpot, who collected them with glee.

“Next time just ask me,” Starlight said, still laughing, “You know, for a con artist, I can read you like a book.”

“Then I better be a bestseller. Also, I’m still ten bits short,” he responded, smiling.

“I just gave you fifteen! How much did you lose?”

“Let’s just say it wasn’t my best night...Blackeye Ace was there, that slimy son of a-”

“Ace was there? Then I don’t blame you. I hear he’s the best in all of the West Coast,” said Dust.

“That’s funny. You know I’m sitting right here?”

“Okay, tough guy,” Dust said, finishing her cider.

Before they could get into an argument, Starlight interjected.

“Dust, how’s the job?”

Dust stared at her, deciding whether or not she wanted to go on a rant.

“How’s my job? It sucks, Starlight. That’s what I tell you every time you ask.”

“Sorry, I just always hope it’s gotten better,” Starlight said, regretting she’d asked.

“Mr. Magnate wants me to stay over next weekend. Two whole days! Watching those demon foals of his!”

“Why didn’t you say no?” Jackpot asked, pointing at her with his half-empty mug.

“Say no!? Gee, why didn’t I think of that? He doesn’t care about me, if I say no they’ll shrink my pay and hire some other idiot. I’m basically their slave!”

Starlight stared at her friend blankly. It wasn’t that she didn’t sympathize, just that, considering how bad she had it once, Dust’s plight seemed completely benign.

“I dunno, I always say I’m going to quit, don’t I? But I probably won’t...I just hope one of these days they start treating me with a little more...y'know...respect.”

“OK Dangerfield, consider a more respectable line of work, maybe," Jackpot laughed.

“I’m taking care of that whole house, which is like six times the size of my own, mind you, plus I’ve got to look after the foals! And you’re one to talk! You can’t keep a job for longer than two weeks!” Dust retorted.

Jackpot opened his mouth to retort, until Starlight again interjected.

“If you need help around the house, Dust, I can come over. So can Jackpot, right?”

“Whoa, don’t you rope me into your charitable ventures.”

The two mares stared at him, unimpressed. He raised his eyebrow and took a drink.

“Right. Whatever you need, I’ll be there,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Thank you guys, that’d be nice,” Dust said, wearily.

While the conversation shifted to less serious things, Starlight’s attention was caught by something else. Sitting behind a table at the far side of the bar was a stallion, dark grey with beady eyes. He was staring right at her, seemingly intentionally. She glanced around, uncomfortable with being stared at, as anypony would be. The stallion smiled at her softly. His eyes changed position, directing her to her right, where she saw another stallion, just as shady-looking, also staring at her. She turned her head back to her friends, who hadn’t noticed any of this. She tried to act like it was nothing, but couldn’t shake the feeling she was in danger.

A few hours later, her watchers still hadn’t left. Starlight was sweating now, trying her hardest not to panic.

“Well guys, it’s been nice, but I think I gotta hit it, it’s been a long week,” said Jackpot.

“Same,” said Dust.

“Wait, uh…” Starlight began, unsure how to ask this, “Can I...stay with one of you guys tonight?”

The other two glanced at each other, confused. Jackpot burst into laughter.

“What, like a middle school sleepover?”

Starlight hesitated.

“Sure, I guess...I just…”

Jackpot and Dust began to get the message that something was up. Jackpot glanced around, though nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Neither pony knew anything about Starlight’s old life, only that she would avoid talking about it at all costs. Jackpot hesitantly answered her.

“Sure, Starlight, you can stay at my place," he said, "I’ve gotta clean it up a little though.”

“I’ll come too. Is that okay?” Dust said, adding to Starlight’s comfort.

Jackpot laughed.

“Sure. I’d never complain about too many beautiful mares spending the night.”

“Shut up, creep,” muttered Dust, laughing.

They exited the bar together, Starlight turning back one last time. Both of the stallions had vanished. She tried her best to believe it was nothing. But she had a sinking feeling that her past was finally catching up to her.

Twilight opened one eye to see what time it was.

10:46.

She was supposed to be meeting with the mayor right then, but instead found herself laying on her bed, wrapped in her blankets, unwilling to move just one muscle. She shut her eyes tighter and buried her face deeper into her soft, silk lavender-blanketed mattress. Her peace only lasted for a few seconds.

“Twilight!!”

The door to her bedroom swung open, and in walked Spike, who was furious, though Twilight was anything but aware.

“Twilight, you need to get up. It’s almost noon! The mayor’s waiting for you!”

Twilight grumbled something unintelligible and nustled herself further into her blankets, literally hiding herself from her responsibilities.

“Fine then. I’m going into town. You need anything?”

Twilight gave no reply, leaving Spike in a heap of frustration.

“Well, I’m off. Don’t work too hard while I’m gone,” Spike spat sarcastically.

Twilight hadn’t been listening to anything Spike had been saying. His mere presence, as with anypony, only reminded her of the pony that she lost, or from her perspective, abandoned. Despite having so much time to move on, it never happened. Twilight had lost her student, her legacy, and her friend.

The search for Starlight went cold months ago, though occasionally rumors of a pink unicorn stirring up mayhem in the west caught her attention. The only place where she felt any peace was right there, in her bed, isolated from the world and its bountiful array of problems.

Spike made his way through town, hovering through the crowd of ponies in the street. He was getting tired of having to put up with Twilight’s attitude, though he knew there was little he could do alone.

He approached a local restaurant, where, in its outdoor seating area, he found Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all sitting and chatting.

“Hey guys.”

“Spike! Where’s Twilight? We’re inexcusably late, you know,” said Rarity.

“Twilight’s not coming, so...I guess the meeting’s off.”

“Wait, we can just...not go to these dumb things? That was an option?” Rainbow said, resentfully.

“Twilight’s not doing well, guys. She hasn’t gone anywhere in weeks! She barely even talks to me nowadays!”

“Come on now, Spike, have you really tried to talk to her?” Applejack asked, skeptically.

“Yes, Applejack, I have!” Spike retorted, defensively, “There’s something not right with her...I think she needs help.”

“Go on,” said Rarity.

“She barely eats, she lies in bed all day, and she avoids having to see anypony at all costs!”

“Does Celestia know about this?” Fluttershy asked.

“I sent her a message a week or two ago, and I got no answer. I don’t know what’s wrong with her…”

“Could it possibly be losing her one and only pupil?” Rainbow said.

“We can’t do anything about that now...and neither can she. We have to help her get past this!” Spike exclaimed.

The other ponies seemed to agree.

“She just hasn’t been the same,” said Pinkie, exaggeratedly dejected.

“Right. I thought maybe she could work it out on her own...But I think we need to intervene. It’s time we...hold on…”

Feeling woozy, Spike spontaneously belched a burst of fire, producing a parchment scroll tied with a red ribbon.

“Oh, great timing,” said Rainbow.

“What does it say, Spike?” Applejack asked.

“It says...it...Celestia...she wants Twilight...and all of you, to come to Canterlot, immediately!”

“Oh, fantastic! Let me go grab my things,” said Rarity, trotting off.

Applejack approached Spike while the others accepted the summoning and left to prepare.

“Spike, you be careful with Twilight, she ain’t okay...”

“I know...I will…”

“Hey, can I get some help with this?”

In the southwest of Equestria was a small, rather unremarkable village, built in a large plain of grass, under the endless blue sky. The village was sparsely populated, numbering only about two hundred. In this village were two foals, old enough to have chores to do around their parent’s stores, but young enough to not be very good at them. One, Buck, was balancing precariously on an old ladder, trying to repaint the front door frame of his parents’ hardware store. The other, Bolt Cutter, had just arrived, and, at his friend’s behest, came to his aid, holding the ladder steady from the ground. It was a quiet morning, the rustling of the wind in the grass and the creaking of old signs the only sounds to be heard.

That was, until they started hearing screaming, and a large crash.

“What was that?” asked Bolt from the ground, startled

“I don’t know, we’ll find out later. Can you just hold it steady?”

Bolt kept his hooves on the ladder, though his attention was on the source of the commotion, down the street and around the corner, where more screams began to draw.

“Uh...dude, I think we should-”

“Just hold the ladder! I’m almost done.”

The sounds of cut-off screams and crashing grew louder, enough to cause several ponies to exit their houses and see what all the fuss was about.

On the ladder, Buck paid no attention to whatever was happening. He and his father had gotten in an argument last night, the pain of which lingered in the young foal’s heart. Painting this stupid door frame, as he saw it, was a way of proving himself as worth something.

His mind was so fixated on that emotional obligation, that he barely noticed when the ladder shook slightly, and Bolt Cutter’s scream joined that of the others. Buck snapped out of his brooding and realized what was happening. There was a fire spreading across the town that consumed every building and pony it came across, raging with the anger of an army of stallions. Buck glanced down at the ground and saw the spot where his friend used to be, now a charred corpse, blackened like coal, flesh and muscle ripped right off the bone. He was dead, as dead as anything possibly could be.

Buck didn’t even scream, he was so in shock. Jumping down from the ladder, he spun around slowly, disoriented, taking in the heat of the growing flames and the sounds of screaming ponies. He saw three ponies run from around a street corner, terrified of whatever was behind them. Instinctively, the foal jumped behind an alleyway dumpster, peeking out from around the edge.

He saw all three ponies go down, burned alive in an instantaneous flash of light. Then he saw who did it, a unicorn, pink coat, purple hair with a teal streak. He backed up slightly, afraid he’d be spotted by whoever this pony was, who was wreaking havoc like no other pony he’d ever seen. He saw the unicorn step down on the throat of one pony who had managed to survive, pressing down so hard that the pony succumbed to the asphyxiation, dying slowly, and undoubtedly painfully.

The unicorn’s head shot up towards the foal’s dumpster, and smiled. The foal backed up behind it completely, pale as a ghost.

Did she see me?

He suddenly felt himself go lighter than air, and realized he was now ten feet above the ground, slowly being pulled out into the open. He fought as hard as he could against the magical restraints that were levitating him, but found himself rendered absolutely helpless. It was the unicorn who had a hold on him, pulling him closer towards her in the middle of the blazing inferno that was once his home. Soon they were at eye level, the foal shaking under the hot, sinister stare of the unicorn, who wore a devilish smirk, proud with her work.

“Don’t be afraid, little boy, I’m not going to hurt you…”

Buck, naturally, didn’t believe her. She pulled him a bit closer.

“I need you to answer me...truthfully, okay?”

The foal didn’t answer, which annoyed the unicorn.

“I said, okay?” she said again, jostling the foal in the air like a rag doll.

The foal nodded, shaking with fear.

“Good. Now, and remember, tell me the truth. Do you know where Canterlot is?”

The foal hesitated, nodding slowly.

“You do? Fantastic. Which way is it?”

After a brief moment of hesitation to make sure he was correct, the foal slowly motioned with his head to his back right. The unicorn’s unsettling smile grew even wider, and even more unsettling.

“That’s correct! Good job! Now...here’s what I want you to do...I want you to...run over there, to Canterlot...that way...and I want you to remember everything you’ve seen here today...you tell them that it was Starlight Glimmer who did it, and you tell them what I look like, got it? Tell them I’m waiting for them.”

The foal nodded again, on the verge of tears. She dropped him to the ground, the foal immediately getting up and scurrying away, trying to get as far from the wreckage of his town. The unicorn smiled, taking a good whiff of the musty smell of smoke and fresh pony corpses. Still smirking, she licked her lips, and then muttered under her breath,

“Wait til they get a load of me.”

Author's Note

Short intro chapter, thanks for reading!

Chapter Sixteen: Warm Welcome

Fueled by a burning need for revenge, Queen Chrysalis stormed through dusty paths and gentle fields of green, the intense darkness in her heart dulling the bright colors of the world as she passed by. The Queen’s Jewel, the tool for which Chrysalis was to use for her evil plot for world domination, had been stolen from her, first by her untrustworthy traveling companion, Violet, then by the corrupt mayor, and was now in the possession of another unicorn, Cellestrous, who Chrysalis happened to know, by the coincidence of them both being in the business of trying to overthrow Celestia from her gold-plated throne.

A few yards behind Chrysalis, Violet was struggling to keep up. Having been forced to carry Twilight Sparkle’s carriage all the way up into the mountains, and then drag Chrysalis all the way down, she was reaching the maximum amount of physical exertion her body could take.

“Can you slow down a little?” Violet asked, between her exasperated panting. Chrysalis sighed and slowed down her quick strides, letting Violet catch up.

Chrysalis hoped to reach Cellestrous while she was still on the road, ambush her, and reclaim the jewel. Though, Chrysalis knew that Cellestrous was powerful and may pose a threat, especially with the help of her guards, who had completely ravaged the town they had come from. Chrysalis agreed to let Violet tag along with her, believing that together they would be able to defeat Cellestrous and her envoy with ease. Naturally, she didn’t doubt that she could put them all on herself, but it was better to be safe than sorry. And in addition to the practicality of having an ally, Chrysalis had found herself developing a new, strange feeling when in Violet’s company, as if she actually liked having somepony around.

Chrysalis wasn’t quite sure what to make of Violet. There was a perseverance in her, that Chrysalis also saw in herself, and to that degree she respected the pony. But still, all ponies were the same. Weak. Emotional. All the things that Chrysalis despised. To Chrysalis, friendship was a trick, a scheme meant to keep everypony happy and situated in the world that Celestia controlled. Chrysalis would make them see the world for all the evil it truly possessed, whether they wanted to be a part of it or not.

“So uh...this whole ruling Equestria thing,” Violet began, catching Chrysalis off guard, “Let’s say you get that jewel….then what? You’re just going to march up to Canterlot and demand a surrender?” Violet asked. She was skeptical of Chrysalis’ intention, which she found to be rather childish in its grandeur.

“What does it matter to you?” Chrysalis spat back, seeing no value in the conversation.

“Well I just think it’s a bit silly, is all.”

“Oh, is that what you think?” Chrysalis said, annoyed with ponies underestimating her.

“Yeah. I feel like you’re going about this all the wrong way, really. Even if you did manage to get that jewel, imprison Celestia and all those other princesses, and defeat every army Equestria could raise up, it wouldn’t matter, because nopony will ever willingly submit to you. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but you don’t exactly have a good public image.”

“It won’t matter whether they want me or not. They will bend to my will, or I will destroy them.”

“Maybe, but there’ll be rebellion after rebellion. You’ll never be able to take a break, you’ll be fighting non stop. And by yourself too, since nopony will fight for you. You’ll become miserable, and eventually you’ll start giving into ponies’ demands, and once you start doing that, things begin to restabilize, power will shift back into ponies’ hooves, and you’ve lost what control you once had.”

“But I’ll still be at the top. And what do you know of anything? I once had an army of changelings, loyal to me above all else, until that insufferable Starlight Glimmer turned them against me...Once I remind them that power is greater than love, they’ll come crawling back….And all those ponies who ever dared defy me, Celestia, Cadance, Twilight Sparkle, and especially Starlight, I will make them suffer without end. And Equestria will know there is only one true ruler in this land, me.”
“Alright, you do that then,” Violet said, rolling her eyes.

Despite her conviction, Chrysalis was beginning to wonder whether it was worth it to rule Equestria as a tyrant, if her once-loyal changeling hive would really come back to her, and whether she even stood a chance fighting off the entire fighting force of Equestria. However, her brief spout of uncertainty didn’t last long. She had spent so much time as an outcast from society, shunned, ridiculed, and humiliated. She would show them all, when she would force every pony who ever defied her to their knees.

What was supposed to be an ordinary train ride had turned into a life-threatening journey, or so it was for the crowd of pony passengers, who were returning to the train tracks after being led away by Spice. They were all exhausted from the endless walking, overwhelmed by hunger and thirst, and worst of all, consumed with dread of another disastrous near-death experience. But the likeness of Princess Twilight Sparkle, however, managed to ease their desperate, fearful hearts.

She was immaculate, standing in front of the five ponies who had stayed behind to hold off the thunderous army of raiders, who had all fled the scene as soon as Twilight arrived. The crowd encircled her, relieved to be rescued and excited to be in the presence of a princess. Spice, who had missed Crestfall’s attempt at a last stand, was still unaware of what all the excitement was about. She shoved past the crowd, and then her jaw dropped, falling to her knees alongside the other royal guards.

“You don’t have to kneel,” Twilight said softly, embarrassed, to the four guards. Crestfall, who was right in front of her, rose to his hooves, nervously, as the others all did the same. Dust Bunny and Elodea stood too, hoping that Twilight wasn’t going to try and kill them as Luna had.

“Where’s Starlight?” Twilight asked them, “And what happened here?”

“Um, Pr-Princess Twilight,” Dust began, struggling to speak, afraid of accidentally saying something to anger her. Before she could get anywhere, Crestfall quickly interrupted her, concerned she would mess up the story.

“Princess, we were just leading these ponies here to Canterlot, see, and-”

“You be quiet,” Twilight said, annoyed with him interrupting Dust. She turned back to Dust, who felt slightly vindicated by Twilight’s defense. Crestfall shut his mouth, regretful of having said anything.

“What’s your name?” Twilight asked her.

“I’m Dust Bunny, I’m a friend of Starlight’s. She’s not here. It’s a long story,” Dust explained.

Before Twilight could ask any more questions, the sound of a train’s horn came bellowing in the distance, and everypony turned their head to see a train fast approaching. The crowd broke into cheers, hugging each other and throwing their belongings in the air exuberantly.

“That’s the rescue party,” Twilight said, glad that she got here in time to save the ponies from certain doom.

“If you’re a friend of Starlight, then you’re a friend of mine...Come on, we’ll get on that train, and we’ll go to Celestia, and you can tell us everything,” Twilight said to Dust, who was relieved that not every princess was as close-minded as Luna.

The train, which was capable of moving in the reverse direction, was filled with a company of twenty soldiers, who were all surprised to find Twilight Sparkle among the stranded crowd of ponies. Everypony boarded the train, and some even took the time to thank Crestfall and the other guards for doing their best to protect them. Twilight found the whole situation very odd, and was very intrigued to learn the entire story. Starlight’s whereabouts and happenings for the past few months had all been a mystery to her, and now these ponies seemed to have all the answers she was craving.

After the train had begun driving backwards towards Canterlot, Lance, Elodea, and Dust all sat down together, while Twilight talked with some of the soldiers up front and made sure all of the passenger ponies were doing alright.

“That was lucky…” Lance said, relaxing in the booth, feeling as though things were finally going his way for a change.

“I don’t think she likes you,” Elodea said, smirking.

“That’s not true, she just hasn’t gotten to know me yet, is all…” Lance said, defensively.

“Did you hear what she said? We’re going to see Celestia...I can’t handle this anymore…” Dust said, succumbing to her anxiety.

“It’ll be fine, Dust, we’ll be there.”

“Sure, we’ll be there. If they haven’t got me strung up by the neck for treason and haven’t got you behind bars for whatever array of crimes you’ve committed,” Crestfall said, hoping that his grave forecast didn’t come true.

“Can’t they look past that? I’m a changed leaf now, aren’t I?”

“Let’s all hope they think so,” Crestfall said, leaning his head against the cushion of the booth and trying to get some rest.

When the train returned to the Canterlot station, there was a grand fanfare, ponies from all over the city coming to celebrate the safe arrival of its passengers, after a tumultuous journey. Dust exited after Lance and Elodea, and couldn’t quite believe her eyes as she realized where she was. Canterlot was just as glorious as everypony back home had told her, with glamorous white stone buildings, flashing colors, light and merriment all over. After so many bad experiences in cities, the spectacle of Canterlot was just what Dust needed.

Twilight was received by her friends, relieved to find her safe and unharmed.

“Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed, being the first to notice the princess step out the train door.

“Hey!” Twilight said, smiling, happier now than any of her friends had seen her in months.

“We’ve got to go see Celestia, right now…”

“Did you find Starlight?” Rainbow asked, searching for Starlight in the crowd of ponies.

“No, but we’re getting closer to finding her,” Twilight said, thankful to find the first ponies that could actually help her prove Starlight’s innocence.

Twilight located Crestfall, Elodea, and Dust, who was smiling ear to ear in amazement, seemingly in a daze.

“This is Dust, Elodea, and…”

“Lance,” he said, annoyed that Twilight had forgotten his name after asking them each during the train ride.

“Lance, sorry. They’re friends of Starlight. And this is Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy,” Twilight said, introducing them all to each other.

Escorted by the company of soldiers that had made up the rescue party, the group trotted through the winding streets of Canterlot, passing by cosmopolitan shops, exceptional features of culture and beauty, and ponies of all sorts. Dust was in awe the whole time, and Elodea found it to be charmingly adorable, while Twilight and her friends were a bit confused.

“She’s never been here before,” Elodea explained. Twilight understood, as still to this day Canterlot amazed her with its beauty.

The group finally arrived at the palace, Twilight leading the way up slippery marble staircases to the shiny grand gates to Celestia and Luna’s throne room.

“Um, Princess? I’m nervous…” Dust said, dreading the possibility of having to face Luna again, and worrying whether Celestia would be any more forgiving than her sister.

“Princess Celestia is very patient, and kind, and wonderful...You have nothing to worry about,” Twilight, said gently, as she magically opened the doors to the throne room.

“Seize them!”

Celestia’s voice was booming through the entire room, rattling the glass windows and shaking dust from the ceiling. She was sitting on her throne, while her sister Luna was standing nearby, an angry expression on her face, equal to that of Celestia’s.

“Shit,” Crestfall muttered, glancing at Elodea, who was equally shocked by the trap they had just walked into.

Twilight shook her back and forth in disbelief, backing up as a wall of soldiers approached her, spears raised up and pointed in their direction.

Dust felt like fainting, her worst fears being realized as the soldiers who had been escorting them quickly turned against them, with the exception of Slick, Pink, and Spice, who had no clue what was happening. Rainbow took flight and prepared for a fight, her loyalties lying with Twilight and her friends above all else.

They were surrounded by the tips of spears, trapped with their backs pressed against each other. Crestfall glanced at Elodea, nodding at each other, as they both drew their weapons out, deciding not to go down without a fight.

“Princess Celestia! Wait!” Twilight called out, desperately trying to avoid conflict, and confused as to what was going on.

“Twilight, step away from those ponies! They are dangerous criminals!” Celestia ordered. Luna's eyes narrowed and her horn began to glow, as she recognized Dust and Elodea, who she had encountered back at Saddleopolis when confronting Starlight.

“No, you don’t understand, these ponies aren’t-” Twilight began.

“Twilight, I’m not arguing with you. I’m telling you to step out of the way,” Celestia said, her powerful, commanding tone making Twilight back down a bit, afraid of aggravating the sun princess.

The surrounding guards took a step closer against the group, except for the ones in front of Twilight, who weren’t sure it was just to threaten a princess.

Crestfall gritted his teeth, his heart pounding with rage. Just when he thought they were in the clear, everything had to come falling apart.

“We already know everything, Twilight. Commander Stride here was kind enough to make the journey here from Vanhoover, just to warn us of a trick like this,” Celestia said.”

Crestfall froze at the mention of his former commander’s name, and lowered his guards to turn and see none other than Gallant Stride’s smug face waltzing it way around a corner, standing triumphantly right beside Luna.

“You son of a bitch,” Crestfall muttered. Stride laughed heartily, as Crestfall boiled with rage.

“I do apologize, Sergeant,” Stride said, smirking.

Crestfall had nothing to say to the old stallion, keeping his guard up, praying that at the very least, his death here would be quick.

“Private Spice. Sleeve, Mist. You three all drop your weapons and step over here, or I will assume you are accomplices,” Stride threatened.

Slick immediately dropped his sword and walked past through the crowd, wasting no time in abandoning Crestfall to fend for himself. Crestfall felt a new pain, one of betrayal, that bled on top of his already wounded heart. Pink dropped her spear, and left him as well, after some mild hesitation. Spice remained longer than Lance had expected, though she too eventually gave in to the pressure-filled glare of Stride, and dropped her spear.

Twilight remained standing in front of the trio, defensively, not wanting anypony to get hurt for any unnecessary reasons.

One of the soldiers reached for Elodea, who immediately slashed him across the arm. He hollered in pain, which incentivized the guards to all come crashing towards her. She managed to shove some away, though she was outnumbered. One of the guards landed a critical blow with a spear to her back left leg. She cried out in pain and dropped the knife, catching the attention of Crestfall, who was caught in a standoff with the other soldiers. He turned around in surprise at the sound of Elodea in pain, rushing over and punching the soldier who had stabbed her, right in the face. The guards stopped paying attention to Elodea, and all went to tackle Crestfall, who fought back with all his strength. He fully expected to be killed, but if he was to go down fighting, he would be content.

Elodea raised her head from the floor, grunting in pain as she held her wounded leg, and saw Crestfall taking a relentless beating from at least fifteen other soldiers, beating him to no end. She reached out a shaky hoof towards him, desperate to prevent his death.

“Enough!” Twilight yelled, after Crestfall’s rage-filled grunts had died down, replaced by a dull moan. Her friends had been exempted from the soldiers’ rush, as they weren’t the targets. Crestfall was half-unconscious, that or half-dead, lying in a bloody heap on the floor. Stride smiled in amusement from the opposite side of the room, unable to stop himself from laughing at Crestfall’s defeat. Dust stayed close beside Twilight, until she noticed Elodea on the floor, and quickly went over to help her.

“Princess! Please, you must listen to me! These ponies aren’t the ones responsible for everything you say they are!”

“I don’t know about those two, but I know about that knight, right there. Guards! Take him away!” Celestia yelled.

Without hesitation, the guards grabbed a hold of Crestfall by his hooves, dragging him out of the room. Elodea and Dust could only watch, as they were kept at spearpoint by the remaining guards.

Twilight was powerless to stop them as Crestfall was taken out of the throne room, still struggling and fighting back, despite all of the injuries he had sustained.

“Cowards! You sons of bitches! Let go of me!” he bellowed, as the guards dragged him out of the room.

“I know those two, they were in Saddleopolis, with Starlight Glimmer,” Luna said, viciously, “They’re working with her! Arrest them as well!”

“Just hear me out, please! They can tell you what happened to Starlight! Just listen!” Twilight said, prodding a terrified Dust to speak up. Dust glanced at Elodea, who gave her a look that begged her to be brave, for both of their sakes.

“I...I met Starlight a few months ago, back in the town I lived in,” Dust started.

“And where is that?” Luna inquired, skeptical of the validity of Dust’s story.

“North. Very far north. Starlight, she was just some random unicorn to me, but I had only ever met a few unicorns before, so I still thought she was kind of cool. She was quiet when I first got to know her, and she had this really bad scar on her eye, it healed a bit as time went on. She never wanted to talk about it, so I never asked. I met in a bar, I was with my other friend, Jackpot. He liked her, so we started to hang around each other. And that was it for like, six months. She worked at the library.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile, delighted to finally have confirmation that her pupil wasn’t a mass murdering psychopath. Celestia and Luna were listening, but didn’t really expect to find much value in whatever Dust had to say.

“Then one day she was all worked up about something, and she told me and Jackpot this crazy story, which involved you, Twilight...and that changeling too, Chrysalis, and she said she had to leave. Then these ponies showed up, and they attacked us, we barely got away. There was a red unicorn, she was their leader...We went to Saddleopolis, and found my friend here, Elodea,”

“Hi,” Elodea said, subtly waving her hoof.

“And then Luna showed up, and tried to kill her!” Dust said, briefly forgetting to control her anger towards Luna. She resumed her focus, while Luna wondered if she had been right to confront Starlight with such ferocity.

“Me and Jackpot took her to Vanhoover, but those ponies were waiting for us, that red unicorn was with them...and they...Jackpot didn’t make it. Starlight got away, I didn’t…”

“I found her,” Elodea said, taking over the narration, “and me and her start planning a rescue, then soldier boy, the one you just arrested, he decides to join up with us. He, and me, and Starlight went and tried to save Dust here, but Starlight got stuck behind. She was on that train ride, and we were trying to save her, but then those assholes had to intervene,” Elodea said, pointing at Spice, Slick, and Pink, “And now they got away. She’s gone, they’ve got her,” Elodea said.

“And you have no idea where they’re going?” Celestia asked.

“Here, Canterlot, I guess. That’s where the train was headed,” Dust replied.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Twilight said, having noticed Dust begin to get teary eyed at having to relive that experience. Dust smiled, appreciating Twilight’s sympathy.

“Those ponies that have Starlight, and that red unicorn, Ruby Heart,” Dust continued, “They’re dangerous. When I was with them, she talked to me, and she said that her and the group she’s with, they’re planning something terrible against Equestria...A lot of ponies are in danger! And now they’ve got Starlight, and they’re going to use her, and you’ve got to do something about it!”

Celestia and Luna shared a mutual look of doubt, before Celestia took a deep breath to respond.

“I do apologize for whatever circumstances claimed the life of your friend. But whatever you’re trying to claim, about these ponies planning some kind of plot...I have a very hard time believing that. What more could we-” Celestia began.

“Princess, I was on that train, there were some ponies that very well fit the story she was saying, I think-” Spice interjected, though soon regretted it.

“You be silent! I did not ask you to speak!” Celestia yelled, annoyed with being interrupted.

“What you are suggesting, is a large-scale uprising?” Luna asked Dust Bunny.

“Something of that sort, yes,” Dust said, worried it sounded too unbelievable.

“So you’re saying that there are ponies who have been planning a rebellion against the crown, who have been operating right under our very noses all this time?” Celestia asked, unimpressed.

“It’s not as ridiculous as you think, please! This is real! They killed my friend! They crushed his head open, and they made me watch! Then they took me, and-and they all took turns on me! I’m telling you the truth!” Dust cried, choking up as she realized the princesses didn’t seem too eager to believe her story at all, and that her and all of her friends were likely going to end up dead or imprisoned.

Twilight had to admit that she was only inclined to believe Dust because her story satisfied the narrative that Starlight was innocent, but after hearing some of the more gruesome details of her experience, she was well-convinced, and wondered why Celestia and Luna were so disposed to be doubtful.

“What you are describing is likely some local Vanhoover thugs, propping themselves as something larger than what they are, to scare you,” Gallant Stride proposed. Dust and Elodea both began to understand why Crestfall hated that pony so much. He was lying, though it seemed to only be obvious to them.

“What’s important for you to consider, Princess, is that this proves that it is Chrysalis we’re after, not Starlight, just I told you all before. Cadance can attest to that as well,” Twilight said, trying to distract Celestia before she became too unhinged.

“And where is Cadance? Why have you returned, but she has not?” Celestia asked.

“Cadance suggested that I return back to tell you that Starlight is innocent of the crimes we’ve labeled against her, and to find the truth of what happened to her. And I’ve done both. Cadance is still pursuing Chrysalis, in the mountains down south, near the Badlands.”

Celestia stayed quiet for a few moments, deep in thought.

“You encountered Chrysalis?”

“Yes.”

“In her true form?”

“Er-no...But she made it known who she was.”

Celestia shook her head, still discontent with the evidence put before her.

“Might it be possible that you’re rationalizing, Twilight? Unable to accept the reality?” Luna asked.

“This pony’s testament, and Cadance’s, and my own, should be enough to convince you!” Twilight stammered.

Celestia sighed, expecting better from Twilight.

“Those two, and you and your friends, Twilight, are not to leave this city or your side until this is all sorted out. And the knight will remain in custody, to be executed, for high treason,” Celestia said, her decision now final and absolute.

Elodea was horrified to hear this, and Twilight too was a bit flustered by the extremity of the sentence, though made no show of resistance.

“And what of these ponies? Equestria is in danger, as long as they continue to be active,” Twilight said, as she had become deeply concerned with the barbarically violent ponies Dust had described, who now also had possession of Starlight.

“Twilight, you know I care about you, deeply. But I do believe you have become weary, with your support for these conspiracy theories and unfounded accusations. If such a terrible threat has grown under our very noses, as you’ve said, we would know about it by now,” Celestia said.

Twilight sighed, seeing the futility in trying to reason with Celestia and Luna, when they were incapable of admitting any sort of fault in foresight.

“If that is all you have, then you are dismissed,” Celestia said, her words like venom in Twilight’s face. Twilight turned away, bitterly, her friends following suit, and Elodea and Dust hesitantly trailing close behind.

Twilight was fuming as she stormed down a hallway of the palace, her friends trotting behind her, equally baffled by Celestia and Luna’s refusal to give Dust’s story any ground.

“Twilight...What do we do?” Rarity asked, terrified over the revelation of a new threat to Equestria.

“They may be unwilling to do anything, but I won’t stand by and let this happen. We have to get back to Ponyville, and make sure we’re properly defended,” Twilight said.

“But Celestia said to stay,” Applejack reminded her.

Twilight stared at Applejack, unflinchingly, clearly not a fan of Celestia’s lackluster course of action.

“Right. Ponyville it is then,” Applejack said, hoping Celestia wouldn’t be angry with them for disobeying an order.

“You two come too,” Twilight said, to Dust and Elodea, who were now her only source of information regarding this mysterious organization.

“Um, Princess, I have to stay,” Elodea said.

“I know what Celestia said, but-”

“It’s not that, it’s Crestfall, they’re going to kill him! I...I have to stay…” Elodea said. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to save him from the executioner's axe, but she at least wanted to be with him when it happened.

Twilight had forgotten about that, what with the threat of an imminent attack at their gates distracting her.

“That won’t happen, don’t worry. You can stay. Dust Bunny?”

“I’ll come,” Dust said.

“Thanks for doing all that, I know that must’ve been hard,” Twilight said, moving in for an unexpected hug, which Dust gladly accepted. Twilight stepped back and took a good look at her friends, now Equestria’s last hope against this new terror.

Starlight Glimmer, after having been in a drug-fueled comatose state for the past few days, finally awoke, the world beginning as a blur. She wiped some drool from her mouth and tried to keep her eyes open, though the power of the drugs coursing through her veins made that difficult. Her hooves were bound in metal cuffs, and her horn was restrained with a dense, tight ring. She was in some sort of prison cell, dimly lit by a nearby lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. There were other cells on the other side of her, hidden in the darkness.

“Wakey wakey.”

Starlight jumped, realizing there was somepony looking in on her from outside the bars of her prison.

The pony flipped a switch, and another light came on, illuminating her face. The pony was Ruby Heart, smirking victoriously down at a defeated Starlight.

“Look how the mighty have fallen...You remember me, right?” Ruby Heart asked, smirking with glee, aware that Starlight’s mind was still frazzled.

“Yes,” Starlight muttered. Despite her fuzzy memory from the drugs, her burning hatred for this pony resonated regardless.

“Where am I?” Starlight asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Starlight...Soon you won’t have to worry about a thing ever again, in fact...Where are we? Far away from your friends, is all you need to know. The ponies I work for, see, they’re very interested in you. And I’m going to be rewarded, quite handsomely, for bringing you in. For all they said about you, I didn’t find you quite as impressive as I’d imagined,” Ruby said, though Starlight hardly cared what the red unicorn thought of her.

“Still, I respect you, Starlight, I do. And it pains me, to see a pony of your talents, locked in this dingy cell, helpless and hopeless.”

Starlight sighed, already having grown exhausted with listening to her enemy’s gloating.

“So I thought I’d give you a way out. I’ll still be rewarded, and you can spare yourself some more pain…” Ruby said, revealing a see-through bag of some large white pills. She tossed the bag to Starlight, who didn’t touch it, afraid of what it was.

“It’s no trick. They’ll do the job, and relatively painlessly. A pony of your caliber doesn’t deserve to die serving the bastards I work for...I encourage you to take this route instead, for your own sake.”

Starlight recoiled at the very thought of swallowing those pills and taking her own life. Not only did she find it repulsively dishonorable and cowardly, but she was far from finished yet, no matter how hopeless Ruby made her situation out to be.

“Or don’t. I don’t care, really. Just thought I’d leave you one last professional courtesy…”

Ruby sighed, deciding it was worth a try, before walking out of the prison block, shutting and locking the door. Starlight sighed and let her head fall back down to the floor. The thought of suicide seemed desirable every now and then, as it had when she had felt her worst. She had attempted it once, though Twilight had caught her and stopped her. In that moment, her self-deprecation and belief that she was loathed by everypony had become too much to bear. But now, in the most hopeless of situations, she saw how futile taking her own life would be. It would solve no problems, simply providing her with a quick, simple escape, to avoid all of the responsibilities she had, including to protect the ponies she cared about. Despite how horrible things were looking for her, hope was not lost.

After two days of travel, Chrysalis and Violet reached a city for the first time since they had left the crooked mayor’s town. Chrysalis recognized the town, a small collection of homes and stores, the standout feature being a large crystalline castle keeping watch towards the north. This was Ponyville, standing in dangerous proximity to Canterlot, looming above the nighttime clouds on the mountain face. Chrysalis cursed herself in her head, as she had wanted to catch Cellestrous before she made it to the cover of civilization. From the outskirts of town on a high-raised hill, the duo gazed down at the city, which was cast in darkness underneath the star-studded night sky.

“What do those ponies want with that jewel?” Violet asked.

“Probably the same thing I want. Only they’ll go about it all wrong. My hope is that our old alliance could be restored,” Chrysalis thought aloud.

“And where do I fit into that?” Violet asked.

“No where. They’ll kill you on sight. You let me handle this alone,” Chrysalis said, coldly.

“There’s no way in hell I’m passing up on a chance to get that-” Violet began, before Chrysalis zapped her unconscious with a simple spell, ending the argument instantly.

Chrysalis chuckled to herself at her good timing, and then went about hiding Violet’s body in some nearby shrubbery.

Now, the jewel was all hers for the taking.

Chrysalis assumed the form of a typical pony, and cautiously crept her way into the city. She wasn’t sure where Cellestrous was, or where she had stashed the jewel. Ponyville was small though, so it wouldn’t take long to find out where. Her only fear was that Twilight Sparkle or her pesky friends would be around, as this did happen to be their place of residence.

Chrysalis wandered through the streets, searching for anything out of the ordinary that may reveal Cellestrous’ presence. The city was asleep, and the streets were empty. Save for two ponies, walking down a lamplit commercial street. They were brutish looking stallions, with crooked jaws and sagging faces. Chrysalis hid behind a corner and observed them, as they made their way down a street, muttering a discreet conversation.

Once they rounded a corner and disappeared out of sight, Chrysalis snuck across the street, deciding those ponies had the potential to lead her to Cellestrous.

She watched as they stopped in front of a storefront, one of them knocking on the front door. After a few minutes, the door swung open, and, after checking their backs to make sure they weren’t being followed, the two stallions entered, and the streets were rendered silent again.

Chrysalis subtly trotted down the street towards the faded red-colored storefront. Strangely, the windows were boarded up, and the entire place seemed to be abandoned. Still, she had a feeling this was leading to something.

She snuck around an alley that sat beside the building, and stood atop some stacked boxes to peek into a high-seated window that led inside.

Inside, she was beside herself, recognizing several villainous fiends of whom she had worked with in the past, all gathered together, laughing and drinking with each other. Now she was certain this was where the jewel was. Still, taking on all of these ponies alone was a mighty feat, and she began to regret ditching Violet. She didn’t trust Violet enough to bet her life on it, however she also didn’t want to risk Violet’s own life.

Chrysalis backed away from the window before she could be spotted, and scanned the area for any other possible entrance points, other than the obviously unusable front door.

She found what she was looking for in the form of a backdoor, though after some quiet jostling, she found it to be locked. Focusing on keeping things to a minimum volume level, Chrysalis fired a concentrated blast of heated magic at the door handle, melting it and prying the door loose.

She slowly pushed it open, and was relieved to find the room she was entering seemingly empty.

The room was darker than the streets outside, save for a lone swinging lightbulb that was dangling from the ceiling.

Chrysalis stepped inside, horn at the ready for any kind of trap that Cellestrous or her goons had set for her.

The room seemed to be half a storage facility and half a prison, a series of rusty metal cages built on the left side. Chrysalis squinted into the darkness, where she believed to see the outline of the pony. She jumped back in surprise when she realized who it was.

Starlight Glimmer had nothing to say to this strange pony who had just broken in through the backdoor. She didn’t recognize her, and was frankly too tired to make any sort of dramatic resistance against her captors.

“Starlight Glimmer.”

Starlight sat up straight away, immediately recognizing the vile, heinous voice of a certain changeling queen, as the pony in front of her phased out of her disguise, to reveal her hideous, insect-like form.

“It can’t be…” Starlight whispered to herself. Just when she thought things couldn’t have gotten worse.

“You’re the one behind all of this?!” Starlight stammered, shocked.

“Oh no, I had no idea I would find you here...As of now these ponies are as much my enemies as they are yours, it seems...You look terrible.”

“I hate you, so, so much,” Starlight said, shaking her head back and forth in disbelief. Of all the horrible faces, it was hers.

Chrysalis smiled, giggling to herself from outside Starlight’s prison bars.

“Starlight, my dear, you’re certainly bolder than you were when I last saw you...Why are you here?”

“They captured me, they were practically hunting me down. They want me for something,” Starlight said, bitterly, “Why are you here?”

“These ponies are in a possession of a weapon of great power...Aside from you, that is...with it, they may be able to conquer Equestria.”

“Let me guess. You want it?”

“They stole it from me! It was mine to begin with.”

“You’re hopeless, Chrysalis. You’re never going to win.”

“Whoever has that jewel, Starlight, is who’s going to win.”

Right before Starlight could retort, they heard voices approaching from outside the door. Chrysalis turned back to Starlight, realizing that she was in danger of being caught.

“If you say anything, I’ll rip you apart limb from limb,” Chrysalis threatened, hiding behind some boxes in the darkness. Starlight gulped, deciding to pretend as if she hadn’t seen anything.

The door swung open, and in walked two earth ponies, drunk and barely aware of what they were doing. One went right up to Starlight’s cell, opened it, and grabbed a hold of her, while the other one continued telling a joke that the other didn’t understand.

Starlight made eye contact with Chrysalis from the darkness, wondering whether the changeling would ever learn that her selfish pursuits of power would forever be fruitless.

After the door had closed again and Starlight was gone, Chrysalis slowly trailed behind, careful to avoid making her presence known.

Exiting the makeshift prison block, Chrysalis crept through a hallway to get a look at the main area, which housed about fifty ponies, all seated in a crowded circle. Chrysalis could make out Starlight, being dragged into the open space in the middle of the crowd.

Starlight grunted as she was thrown to the ground, the crowd of ponies jeering and throwing things at her. The crowd then grew quiet, while Starlight writhed in her chains on the floor, as Cellestrous, an aging, pale red unicorn with narrow eyes and a pointed chin, raised a hoof.

“Ladies...Gentlecolts... I present to you, Starlight Glimmer.”
The crowd resumed their ferocious, hate-filled rampage, some chucking whatever they had in their hooves at her. She tried her best to protect her face from the incoming objects, a few glass cups shattering over her, embedding small flakes of sharp glass in her skin. Again, the crowd was silenced by Cellestrous’ hoof.

“What a wonderful gift that’s been brought to us by our dear Aluminon’s
protégé, Ruby Heart. Come up here, dear,” Cellestrous said, like a proud mother, as Ruby Heart trotted out from the crowd, who exploded into a ebullient spout of cheer and celebration. Ruby Heart smirked down at Starlight, who was still lying on the ground, focusing on her breathing.

“Congratulations, Ruby. We’re all very proud of you. Years of work has finally paid off, and now the future of Equestria belongs to us,” Cellestrous said, triumphantly, as she was met by thunderous applause.

“Too long have we been swept to the side, relegated to the shadows to dwell in ours own misery...Our time has come...No alicorn, or army, or brat unicorn,” Cellestrous said, grabbing Starlight by her mane and pulling her up into the air, forcefully, “can stop us!”

The crowd cheered again, while Starlight groaned in agony as Cellestrous held her up by her mane.

“Starlight Glimmer…who took down the changeling kingdom, and nearly brought about the ruin of all Equestria, is now one of us! Permanently!” Cellestrous yelled.

While the crowd continued cheering, Starlight was struck by fear, unsure what she meant by ‘one of us,’ and ‘permanently.’

It didn’t sound good.

“And all thanks to one very special individual, who has unfortunately fallen into ruin as of late...you all know of whom I speak of...Queen Chrysalis,”

The crowd groaned, half in mourning and half in ill-regard.

Chrysalis, who was still hiding from around the corner, rolled her eyes at the crowd’s conflicted opinion of her.

“Yes, Chrysalis has brought about our victory, in the form of one advantage, the ultimate advantage…” Cellestrous said, nodding to a pony in the crowd, who rushed over to present her with a spectacular green gemstone. Starlight figured Chrysalis hadn’t been lying about this weapon of mass destruction, which meant that Equestria was in even more danger than she had thought.

“The Queen’s Jewel….Searched for endlessly by Equestria’s greatest explorers...nopony had been able to find it, except for Chrysalis...And for this, we owe her that...But this is not Chrysalis’ hour, this is our hour! Bring me the staff!”

Another young pony scrambled out of the crowd to present Cellestrous with a large black rod with a fixture at the end, seemingly meant to contain something.

Chrysalis was distressed to see that Cellestrous was already in possession of a device that could contain the jewel’s power. She had hoped she would have some time before the jewel’s power could be unleashed, but it seemed she would have to improvise a little bit.

Cellestrous giddily pawed at the jewel before fixing it inside the staff, where it fit snugly. A blast of light radiated from the jewel, after which everypony’s eyes were drawn to it, even Starlight, who was terrified of what it would be used for.

“Well Starlight Glimmer, I’m afraid your luck has finally run out. Henceforth, you will be a tool, to facilitate the doom of the Equestria, the annihilation of the ponies you cared for, who you failed to protect, and the utter subjugation of every stallion, mare, and foal.”

Starlight stared up at the green jewel which wide, horrified eyes, as it began to glow brighter.

“Goodbye, Starlight Glimmer,” Cellestrous said, before her horn, and the jewel as well, both glowed bright green, a ray of energy jetting out from the rod straight into Starlight’s forehead.

Chrysalis was paying rigorous attention, eager to see how the jewel really functioned. Nopony had ever used the weapon since its creators had sealed it away after all.

Starlight buckled in her restraints as the green energy poured into her mind. Her eyes rolled back, and she began to groan in agony as every part of her body was consumed by the green magic.

Until, the jewel faded, and Starlight collapsed in a smoking heap.

Cellestrous wiped her forehead of some sweat and peered down at Starlight, unsure if the unicorn prisoner had survived, or if she had cast the spell correctly.

“Starlight?”

Starlight immediately sat up, her eyes now bright green, her mouth hanging open, her mind completely consumed by the jewel’s magic. Cellestrous zapped off the chains around Starlight’s hooves, and removed the metal ring around her horn.

“Stand.”

Starlight stood up, staring into the distance at nothing at all. There was no memory of anything other than the most recent commands given to her by Cellestrous, who had cast a spell to make Starlight completely and utterly helpless to whatever order was given to her by any of the ponies in the organization.

“Look at that. An unthinking, obedient, superpowered pony. The perfect weapon,” Cellestrous said, smiling at her new triumph. The crowd burst into roaring cheers, while Chrysalis stared on, impressed with the efficiency of the jewel. A spell like that would normally take days of preparation and a lot of time to pull off, but with the jewel, it only took a matter of moments.

“Soon we will have an army of these ponies, slaves to our will. Well will bring the end of Celestia’ reign!” Cellestrous yelled, trying to invigorate her subordinates, who were losing their minds over their excitement.

“Very cute.”

Cellestrous’ triumphant expression fell, at the sound of a smooth slithering, voice calling out to her over the crowd, which began to die down as Queen Chrysalis stepped out from the corner and made her way through the crowd. Most ponies had assumed Chrysalis was dead already. Chrysalis strutted to the center of the circle, to face down Cellestrous.

“It’s a pity you couldn’t invite me to your little gathering, I would’ve much liked to be the one to mute that repugnant little pig myself,” Chrysalis said, nodding towards Starlight, who made no response, her personality now completely erased She was still conscious of the world around her, but was unable to interact with it, locked within her own mind, viewing the world from a distance.

“But you’ve had your fun with it. I do believe I’m entitled to have it back now,” Chrysalis said.

Cellestrous was unsure what to make of this unexpected intrusion. The crowd began to break into a dulled chuckling, laughing at the very idea of trusting Chrysalis again.

“Chrysalis...When will you learn to knock...I’m afraid we’re not interested in forming an alliance with the likes of you.”

Chrysalis’ confident smirk dropped, and she began to realize she was surrounded by hostile ponies who wouldn’t mind seeing her dead.

“You’re reckless, and far too selfish to commit to the organization we’ve built here. Don’t you see how close we are? We have operatives across all branches of government, in every militia across Equestria, subverting the system, ready to usher in a new era of change. Our change, not yours.”

“That artifact belongs to me, not you. If you’re so confident in your little organization, then why not hand it over?”

Cellestrous laughed, cocking her head back.

“You’re relentless, Chrysalis...I pity the day you lost touch with the world around you, you would’ve made such a good member. Seize her,”

Chrysalis scowled, taking flight just as several of the ponies in the crowd made a move to either zap her with a beam of magic or tackle her to the floor. She buzzed through the air, back around the corner and down the hallway where she had come. Nearly everypony in the room followed her in hot pursuit.

Chrysalis flew back into the prison block and towards the exit door, until a pony zapped her in the wing from behind, causing her to stumble to the ground. Right before her pursuers could catch up and grab her, however, a blast of magic came blowing through the back door, frying at least eight of the pursuing ponies to a crisp. They collapsed the the floor in a desert of ash, Violet Heirloom pushing the back door open, which now had a large, scalding hot hole burned right through it. Before more ponies could enter the prison block, Violet slammed the door close and locked it with her magic. She bent down besides a wounded Chrysalis and helped her to her hooves.

“Look who needed me after all,” Violet muttered, as Violet helped Chrysalis out the door to make their escape.