Ret awoke again feeling wet and miserable. Her throat felt dry, her head ached, and a foul smell hung in the air that she couldn't ignore. When she finally managed to open her eyes, she found her friend Sirius laying in the mud beside her. His robe was torn, one of his eyes had swollen shut, but the most concerning part were the manacles binding his legs and the silencing ring he had firmly secured to the base of his horn, a set, she now noticed, being identical to her own.

They had been captured, that much was obvious. But how? And when?

"She's awake, inform her eminence at once." A deep voice tore Ret away from her musings. The voice belonged not to a particularly large stallion, but certainly a well built one. A soldier.

"Yes, sir." A second unicorn gave a stiff salute before running off to fulfill the order. The one that remained exchanged a look with Ret, a look that said she better not try anything if she wanted to be left in peace. Not that she was going to, mind you. However, if an opportunity presented itself, she would be certain to take advantage of it.

"I'm sorry, Ret," came the voice of Sirius. He sounded about as dry and raspy as she felt, if not more so. This time, when she looked back at him, she noticed the distinct patches of sweat in his coat that only came from a particularly intense gallop. "I wasn't fast enough to outrun them."

Outrun them? Why were they running from anything? And why were they outside the city for that matter? She needed answers, and considering the last conversation they had, she had a strong feeling she wasn't going to like those answers. "Start talking," she said, a hint of steel in her voice.

Sirius flinched at her tone, a tone he'd heard her use more than once, especially when dealing with enemies. It was a clear sign of how pissed she was at the moment and how much more pissed she'd be once he started talking. Still, he knew better than to avoid answering a direct question from her. "It was the middle of the night," he said, preparing himself for the worst, "right after we talked. The army breached the gates too fast for anyone to organize a proper resistance. It's like I said, Elysium is just too powerful. We never stood a chance."

"And why didn't you wake me?" Ret was partially annoyed with herself that she had somehow managed to sleep through the whole ordeal, but she was absolutely furious that no one had roused her.

"I tried," he said, it coming out more like a whine, "really, I tried, but you wouldn't wake no matter what I did, and the enemy was closing in fast. So I did the only thing I could do, I picked you up, and I ran as fast as I could, through the city and out the secret entrance. We would've gotten away too, if a patrol hadn't spotted us."

"So let me see if I understand," Ret said, the steel remaining in her voice. "The city was under attack, and instead of trying to help where you could, you chose to take the city's leader and flee with your tail between your legs." She knew he was a coward, but she never would've imagined it to extend this far.

"I told you," Sirius said, his voice rising, "there was nothing we could do."

Ret drew back a hoof and struck him across the face before he could say anything more. The action startled the guard watching over them, who started to make a move to get between them, but a sharp glare from Ret was enough to make him back down. Even though she was his prisoner, and supposedly at his mercy, she still commanded an air of authority that couldn't be denied by others regardless of her current predicament. Turning her attention back to Sirius, now holding the side of his face and with a hurt look in his eyes, she continued. "You should have left me," she growled. "Left me and organized the resistance yourself. Did you even think to try? And if the city was lost like you said, you should've helped as many escape as possible, not just me. Did anyone manage to get away?"

"A few flyers, probably," said Sirius as he continued to hold the side of his face. "But I used an invisibility spell. No one saw us or the exit we used to escape."

Ret's hoof came down automatically on the uninjured cheek, striking it as well. Hot tears leaked from her eyes as she did so. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing. All her hard work, everything she had done for the city and its people, all of it undone in a single night, and because her "friend" had been too much of a coward to do what needed to be done.

The beratement of Sirius was interrupted by the sound of hooves giving a very measured, yet amused, clapping. Ret turn to the source of the noise to find a unicorn mare in her middling years clapping away like it was the best show she had ever seen. Her blue coat and wispy mane were well-kempt, her silver armor was perfectly polished, and the many medals and honors that decorated it gave her a good guess on who she now faced.

"Commander Nova Star, I presume," said Ret, "leader of the Elysian army." Ret greeted her "guest" as best she could, without showing a hint of fear. Unlike the guard, who had gone stiff as a board in the presence of his commanding officer. Prisoner or not, she would still hold her head high in the presence of her enemies.

Nova cracked a grin as she strode forward. "So even the famed Lady Rhodonite has heard of the great and powerful Nova," she said with an elaborate pose. "Of course, how could you not? Ponies the world over, even those Nova has yet to grace with her presence, tremble in awe at the tales of her accomplishments."

"More like shake in fear," Ret said in response, not one to let her be intimidated by the presence of another powerful unicorn. For Nova was powerful, Ret could just feel it in her bones, but she also wasn't about to give her the pleasure of seeing her shake in her boots. "I've heard more than a few stories regarding your exploits. The subjugation of the highlands, the freezing of the summerlands, and the pillaging of the diamond dogs' mines and their most sacred of vaults."

"Nova assures you it was all in the name of peace," said Nova, her countenance seeming to glow with the listing of each of her accomplishments. "They were all given their chance to submit peacefully, but every last one of them chose to make things difficult, much like you lot have."

"If the terms you gave them were anything like the ones you gave us," said Ret, stepping up to meet Nova face to face, "are you really that surprised that we would choose to strike back? How can you even look yourself in the mirror with all the lives you've personally destroyed?"

Nova, for her part, didn't even seem the slight bit cowed by the admonition. If anything, she seemed to glow in delight, whereas others would've felt ashamed. "Because, my dear Lady Rhodonite, it is our duty, neigh, our right, as unicorns to rule. Elysium is the only city capable of bringing true order to this mad world, not you, and not some mythological winged unicorn." Nova grit her teeth, showing an emotion other than delight since she first appeared. "The sheer idea that a unicorn and a pegasus would willingly bed together is nothing short of heresy. The only real use a pegasus has is to serve its master." She took a long breath, realizing she had broken face for a moment. "Those who have rebelled against their betters will be properly disciplined," she continued. "As for that thing," she spat the words, thoroughly expressing her disgust, "that abomination. Nova will not suffer such a child to live."

This time, it was Ret's turn to break face. She lunged at Nova with hooves raised, fully intending to plant them in her face, but she was stopped short as the chains tying her and Sirius together were pulled taut, and while Ret should've known better than to try using her magic while her horn was shackled, she did anyway. A feeling akin to needles pressing into her skull started at the base of her horn as any magic she attempted to employ had nowhere to go. Far from seeming phased by the sudden assault, Nova actually appeared to be delighted, leaving Ret to realize she had given the twisted unicorn exactly what she wanted. Ret had of course, known of the strange little filly, Alula, that had been born a few years prior, and while she hadn't been the only child to be born bearing traits from both of their parent's respective tribes, she was the only one who had survived for more than a day outside her mother's womb. A miracle, if such a thing could truly exist in this world. A sense of clarity flooded through Ret, an epiphany that was only realized now. "This is the real reason you attacked Pandemonium?!" She exclaimed, just as flabbergasted as she was enlightened. "Because of some half-baked prophecy?!"

But Nova had stopped listening, for another soldier was by her side and whispering in her ear. Ret couldn't hear what was said, but Nova's mood quickly went from being annoyed at the interruption to unbridled joy at whatever she was hearing. A savage grin appeared on Nova's face, the kind of face that no one sane would ever have, reserved instead for the deranged sort of mind that took delight in bringing misery to others. "Come with me," she said, her smile not once faltering. "Nova thinks there's something you should see."

A bad feeling rose in the pit of Ret's stomach as she spoke. She could now see why Sirius had been so afraid of this mare. It didn't excuse his actions, but at least she now understood them a bit better. Speaking of Sirius, her chains once again pulled tight as she made to follow the sadistic mare, and she looked back to see Sirius still laying in the mud like a dead horse. "Get up, Sirius," she said curtly, "wherever this leads, you will see it to its end."

Her words cut deep and had far more effect on the listless stallion than the prodding of their captors. Sirius sluggishly pulled himself back up, and even though the look in his eyes refused to show any additional sign of life, he followed quietly without causing any more trouble.

Ret had heard stories regarding the size and scope of the Elysian army, but hearing it and seeing it were two completely different things. She had never seen so many unicorns in any one place before, nor had she seen so many creatures geared up for war. Many of them looked her way as they passed by, all of them instantly snapping to a salute upon seeing the smug look of Commander Nova leading the procession. There was something about the look Ret saw in the eyes of all the soldiers, it was the same look she had seen in many of her own citizens, especially with those who didn't know her very well. Every last unicorn that looked their way, be it the lowest of soldiers or the most decorated of officers, all of them reeked of fear upon seeing their commander.

Something that Nova seemed to delight in, if the way she seemed to glow ever brighter during their procession was anything to go by. Whatever the reason, whether she enjoyed having power over others or just enjoyed being the center of attention, it was evident she knew how to leave a lasting impression on those around her. That much and more was clear as she led them to the edge of the army and to a small hill that overlooked the city down below.

Pandemonium was burning, not all of it, but the rising flames could be clearly seen against the night sky. It wasn't the first time the city had seen fire, nor the worst it had ever seen, but if it was strictly the result of an army laying waste while subjugating its people, there would be no one left to bring the blaze under control before it spread and consumed everything.

Ret hated watching her city burn, but did her best to keep her emotions in check. She could feel Nova's gaze on her back, watching, waiting, hoping to see her react in some way that would further feed her ego. That satisfaction would be denied her, Ret would not be the one to give it to her. Instead, she chose to once again focus her attention on Sirius. He had kept his head low since their began their march, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone who looked his way. However, if she was going to divert Nova's attention away from herself, she was going to have to drag her disappointment with Sirius through the mud a little more.

"Do you see that, Sirius," she said, doing her best not to pay any mind to their captors. "How much of this could you have stopped if you hadn't let cowardice rule your actions? How many fewer fires would we be seeing, and how many more would've escaped this torment?"

Sirius showed the first reaction he had since they had started their forced march. He stirred slightly, just enough to lift his gaze and behold the city as she had ordered him to. The way he reacted didn't quite mirror the way she felt, but she still saw a few paltry tears escape his eyes, that was until they widened in surprise as his lip began to quiver.

"You really should pay closer attention, yourself, instead of wasting energy tormenting your associate," said Nova, amusement clear in her voice. "You'll miss the best part of the show."

Ret visibly groaned. She was doing her best to deflect the sadistic mare's efforts, but it seemed she wouldn't be dissuaded so easily. So she begrudgingly refocused her attention back to the city, bracing herself for however else her captor planned to elicit a reaction from her. However, nothing prepared her for what she saw next.

Cages. Dozens of cages were being wheeled out of the city, and inside them were dozens, if not hundreds, of little colts and fillies. They had been stuffed in the cages indiscriminately, without any care as to which tribe they belonged to, or without any concern with how roughly they'd been treated in the process of rounding them all up. It broke Ret's heart to see them like this, all dirty and broken. She even spotted a few that were favoring one leg over the other. And the screams, the screams of children hopelessly fighting for their freedom felt like someone was twisting a knife in her gut. Again.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The smug voice of Nova returned as she moved to stand alongside her. Ret wasn't able to hide her misery at the sight of such atrocity, and Nova seemed to basking in every moment of it. "They'll all be properly returned to the herd. Sadly, the unicorns will need to be reeducated. As for the others? There's always more than enough work for earth ponies, and we can never have enough pegasi for sky chariots," her grin stretched from ear to ear, "after they've had their attitudes adjusted, that is."

Ret was seething. She grit her teeth harder and harder with every ill-begotten fate that was being spelled out for her beloved subjects. However, the final nail in the coffin was when the first of the screaming children spotted her. Like a wave, the cries of desperation were consumed by a deafening silence. Any remaining hope the children held onto was now replaced with despair. They huddled together as they all watched her, the rest of the world seeming to melt away as the only thing left for her to see were the children's tears.

Much like the ones that now streamed down Ret's face. Her sorrow matched her anger, and when she looked back at the increasingly smug grin that Nova now carried, she couldn't hold herself back any longer.

One of Ret's chained hooves swung for the grinning mare's face before even she realized she was moving. It struck true, sending the tyrant tumbling backward before she could anything to stop the sudden attack.

The surrounding soldiers were on her an instant later, pinning her to the ground before she could do anything more than she already had. She certainly would've done far worse, given the opportunity, but at least she had the satisfaction of seeing Nova pick herself up off the ground while clutching her left eye. Blood ran down her face from beneath her hoof, a sign of the damage that single strike must have down.

The look on the rest of Nova's face was mixed, bouncing back and forth between her agony and her delight at finally getting under Ret's skin. She was clearly in pain, but that pain wasn't enough to keep the vile unicorn down.

"Nova would have your head for that," she said through gritted teeth, "but she has orders to bring you in alive." She hobbled over on her other three legs. "Nova doesn't envy your position, and she can only imagine what the Grand Matriarch will do to you after you murdered her only daughter." The soldiers moved to drag Ret and Sirius away, but Nova waved them off. "No," she said. "Let them stay. We wouldn't have our guests missing the grand finale, now would we?"

Ret didn't like the way the mare said "grand finale", but she was more focused on the fact that she would be allowed to keep her own life, at least for a little while. It would be difficult for her to do anything in her current predicament, but not impossible. It was a long trip back to the Elysian capital, even if they were to travel by flying chariot. All she needed to do was exercise a little patience. Her time would come. With a little luck, she'd at least be able to rescue the little colts and fillies before anything irreversible was done to them.

Those thoughts were quickly pushed to the side as she watched what the soldiers were doing. They had busied themselves with clearing and flattening a large circle right there in the ground. It didn't take them all that long to do so, what with all of them calling on the right spells and moving like a well-oiled machine. Clearly this was something they had done before, but even so, Ret could see a hint of dread on several of their faces. Whatever it was they were about, apparently it wasn't something that they were keen on doing.

But they didn't stop, or even really slow down when it came to following Nova's orders. She stood eagerly on the side on the circle, a thick bandage now covering her injured eye, and as soon as the last of the ground has been cleared away, she began casting a spell of her own.

An arc of violet light raced from her horn and began attacking the ground with vigor. Everywhere her magic touched, intricate symbols and diagrams were carved into the now solid stone. It was enough that it caused Ret to momentarily catch her breath. Say what you will about any moral failing that Nova may have, but the mare knew her craft.

It only took about a minute for the pony to finish her work, the ground now covered by the most complicated spell array Ret had ever seen. What the purpose of such a spell was, she couldn't even begin to guess.

"Outsiders don't usually get the chance to see a sunrising in person," Nova began monologuing for anyone who would listen, "but this is slightly different. There's a moment during the whole ritual when the sun's power is at its strongest. Its light is so strong that, without the proper spells in place, it would lash out at every unicorn involved."

Nova stepped away from the completed circle, a twisted smile on her face as she turned back to look over the city. "Twenty-five years ago, such a thing happened, claiming the lives of every young pony involved. It took a long time to figure out what happened and how to keep it from happening again." She leaned in close to Ret, looking her dead in the face with her remaining good eye. The smile Nova now carried had long since evolved from twisted and now bordered on pure mania. "But it also led us to some unique applications."

A chill ran down Ret's spine, and her eyes shot back to the ritual diagram. Seven soldiers now occupied marked spaces around the edges of the circle, while an eighth one stood at its center. She had seen a fair display of magic in other unicorns before, but nothing even came close to comparing to what she was feeling now. All of them were pouring their magic into the diagram, and from there, the magic seemed to pool, even mix, amplifying itself in ways she didn't think was possible. Even with her shackled horn keeping her own magics at bay, she felt an intense tingling run through her body and into her very core. Just when she thought the amassing power would burst, it all suddenly funneled into the eight caster and shot towards the distant horizon.

Ret had never personally witnessed a sunrising, but the stories she'd heard from those who had hardly did it justice. When the magic connected with the sun as it rested below the edge of the world, a warm glow seemed to permeate the air. Even though it was still dark, and the moon was finishing the last of its descent, the air around them seemed to already take on that lifegiving glow, and when the sun did finally make its appearance, Ret could feel that warmth tunnel down into her very core.

However, that's when the event stopped being pleasant.

Just as fast as the power had filled the air, it now seemed to retreat in on itself, leaving the world to feel like nothing more than a cold chunk of stone. Ret looked to Nova, wondering what had just happened, but she quickly wished she hadn't. The manic gleam that now lit up Nova's face made everything else she had seen up until now feel like little more than a dying candle.

And then the sky fell.

The sun and the sky grew brighter than any time Ret could ever remembered it being in her entire life, and as bright as it felt, it was nothing compared to the pillar of fire that felt like it was singeing the tips of her ears. She hadn't even noticed when it started, but now a blazing inferno hung overhead, connecting both the sun and...

Pandemonium!!!

Panic flooded through every part of Ret's being as she snapped back to the city. Those fires she had been so worried about didn't even come close to what was happening now. She couldn't even see the city. The fire that consumed it raced towards the heavens, burning away everything in its path.

Plants and trees? Instantly incinerated.

Stone? The small bits that could be made out at the edges had already melted to slag.

And as for the clouds? Not even the thickest fluff at the edge of the sky was able to hold itself together from the pyre that erupted from where the city once was.

It was just... gone. Everything was gone. Even the shred of hope that someone, anyone, might have possibly survived the assault on the city died along with the city itself. Elysium's victory was absolute. No one would ever be able to stand up to such a power, not one that turned the very sun against its enemies. It just wasn't possible.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Said Nova, seeming ever more alive as the city burned. "You should feel honored that your city was deemed a worthy enough threat to be subjected to the grandest of magics. We've only ever spared it for silencing the greatest of our enemies. The griffon conflict, the pegasus rebellion, and now you. No creature will ever stand against the might that is Elysium, and Nova's might will be remembered until the end of time!"

Ret wasn't sure when she had stood back up, but she now collapsed back to the ground. This was wrong... It was all wrong... Despair tightened its hold on her heart. Despair for her city. Despair for the world. Despair for the children that were meant to represent the future. There was no future. Not like this. Not with overwhelming order that snuffed out any possibility of change.

Voices milled about, congratulations were exchanged, and new orders were given. She heard none of that. Something had to be done. Anything. It didn't matter what it was or what it cost her. The world could not be allowed to continue. Not with unforgiving order, not with nonexistent change, and not without chaos.

"My lord Discord," she began to pray, for she was convinced that nothing short of divinity could save this world now. "Hear me in my darkest hour. We ponies have ruined this world. Taken it as our plaything, and disturbed the natural order of life."

Magic began to well up inside her as she prayed, but with her horn shackled and nowhere for it to go, all it caused was for pain to wrack her body and feeling of thousands of needles piercing her spine. Ret cared for none of it. None of it compared to the icy dagger that had gouged out her heart.

"Wipe the slate clean," she continued. "Return us to the ash from whence we came and scatter our dust to the wind!"

A loud crack sounded over Ret's head, the shackle placed on her horn proving itself to be ineffective at holding back the surging torrent. However, it was also proving to be too much for her own body to handle as well. Cracks began to form beneath the ashen unicorn's coat, and light seeped out from the edges. Like a cauldron that had grown too hot to maintain its own shape for much longer.

"Ret! What are you...!" Sirius shouted from his place by her side, the stallion having the misfortune to be chained to the equivalent of a volcano in pony form. His voice was quickly drowned out as a fresh burst of power threw him back so hard that the chains snapped as if they were little more than thread.

Panicked cries of soldiers now surrounded her. Magic not her own began to push down on her, but compared to the force fighting to get out, they may as well have been trying to hold back the ocean with little more than a few twigs.

"Death to my enemies!" She roared. "Death to those who would sully the land and defy life itself!"

With the final words of her prayer completed, the shackle holding her back exploded. Shrapnel flew into the surrounding crowd, along with several pieces of Ret's very being, her body now appearing to be made more of glass or marble, as opposed to living flesh. Anyone unfortunate enough to be hit by the pieces fell in an instant, the broken shards filled with too much residual magic for anyone to safely handle.

As for Ret, her magic lanced out through the crowd of soldiers, killing anyone who had been too slow to protect themselves with a barrier and even many who had. She had become a force of nature, a power that could not be stopped. Any time she turned her eyes on a particularly thick knot of combatants, that group quickly turned into nothing more than a pile of ash, just as they had done to her precious city.

She only paused for a moment when she saw the helpless forms of her dead city's children huddled up in their cages. None of them deserved what they got when the only thing they were guilty of was being born. As much as she wanted to be there for them once this was all over, she could already feel her body falling apart with every passing second. The power her god had granted her was just too much for her body to handle. A quick spell and every last cage now lay empty, their occupants scattered to Discord only knows where. They deserved a chance at a future, and they weren't going to find it here.

She turned her attention back to the eradication of Elysium's forces. It didn't matter if they were advancing or retreating. None would escape her wrath. Even if she expired before finishing the last of them off, she'd make sure that these foul unicorns would never forget what it was like to be afraid.

"Ret!! You have to stop!!" The words of her childhood friend were almost missed amidst the carnage. The only reason she even noticed he was there was that he had somehow gotten close enough to grab on to one of her mottled legs. Tears streamed down his face, a desperate look painting his features, but still he managed to hold on.

Ret would've cried at the sight, if her body had still been capable of doing so, but all she could do was stare at the cowardly pony she had wanted to love with all her heart. How differently could things have gone had they been born in a different era? Well... There was no way to know now.

"Ret!!!" Sirius shouted again. "You have to stop! I don't want to see you die! Please... I... I love you!"

A crack formed in Ret's chest upon hearing those words, both physically and emotionally. It was too bad the circumstances were what they were. It was too bad he had betrayed her trust when she needed him most.

Her sudden burst of power was already starting to wane, but she used what remained to pull Sirius up to meet her eye. She used her magic to wrap itself around his neck and slowly began to squeeze the life from him. So much of what she valued was lost due to his action and inaction, and she couldn't let him just go unpunished. Sirius seemed to know and understand this as well, for while he struggled at first, he soon let himself go limp as if he was accepting his fate.

A coward through and through, Ret thought. It was just too much for her to take. "No," she said, her voice coming out like cracked gravel. "You are not allowed to die a coward's death. Not yet." She loved him. Despite everything that happened, she knew she still did, and that made what she did next all the harder.

"I curse you, Sirius," she said as the remnants of her power seeped from her body and into his. "I curse you, Sirius Neighsay. May you never find rest, nor comfort in this world. May you never find love, nor peace in death, not until the debt for your cowardice has been paid in full."

She wanted to say more, but that's when her body finally failed her, and she collapsed to the ground. Sirius huddled over her, shouting words she could no longer hear, that was until a fresh blast of magic sent him flying somewhere she could no longer see. All that was left in his place was a disgruntled Nova, a Nova who was no longer smiling. That's good, thought Ret, her thoughts failing, at least she was able to bring that cur some hell. Still... She wished she could've done more. Wished she could have removed such an evil pony from the world, but despite how hard she had tried, none of the attacks meant for her had come close to reaching her. As long as ponies like her still lived, the world would never be safe.

"Please... My lord..." She said her final prayer, the words existing nowhere but her own head. "I would give more, but I have nothing left. Nothing but my own soul. If that would somehow be enough, take it. Take it and fix this broken world."

Not once in her entire life had anyone ever once deigned to answer her prayers. Except for right now, as the final spark of Lady Rhodonite's life was extinguished, someone finally did. Someone from beyond the void.

It was only two words.

Two words that would change the very course of the rest of the world.

"Very well," they said.

Author's Note

It seems we're all caught up. Now what has Clover been up to all this time?

At the time of posting this chapter, I only have another six chapters after this, and they're only on their first draft. Hopefully, I won't be having to make people wait too long, but I've been having trouble staying motivated. I would very much like to hear from you all if you've been keeping up this whole time. Some solid feedback would help.