Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

“Come on… come on…!” Glitter muttered to herself as she feverishly went back and forth, darting her horn and her magical influence to different parts of the symbol above in search of something, anything she could do to help save the alicorn and three fillies.

Time was not on her side, not that it was before. Cadence was about to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the three fillies. She couldn’t let that happen.

Sweat formed on her brow, and the glow around her horn jittered and sparked under the stress. Still, she pushed through her nerves and the insurmountable difficulty of her task to keep going in the hopes that she found some break in the armor of Dusk’s spell.

Magical runes and energies crossed and fed into one another, like tiny threads in a massive web. And if she pulled on the wrong one, she might as well be executing the four ponies on the board herself. It was all so overwhelming.

Suddenly, Glitter’s ears pricked at the sound of faint yells and shouts drifting down from the main area. She couldn’t quite make out what was being said or by whom, but it didn’t bode well.

“GLITTER, HURRY!”

Twilight’s voice broke free of the clamor, coming in clear enough that she must have shouted at the top of her lungs. She sounded distraught and desperate, and now Glitter had a rough idea of what the commotion was about.

A nervous whine escaped her as she desperately kept prying and digging through the inner workings of the spell. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to go faster. Try harder. She had to save them. She had to. But how?

She nearly felt the wave of sorrow and despair overtaking her and paralyzing her form. There wasn't any way she had found so far of breaking the spell.

But maybe she didn’t have to.

The unicorn’s wild eyes clarified as she ran across something. It seemed to be a flow of energy within the spell, used to fuel whatever the primary portion of the symbol was meant to accomplish.

It also didn’t have nearly as many safeguards as everything else did. There was only so much even Dusk could do with a spell while still holding its shape and function.

She couldn’t break the spell entirely, but maybe she could weaken whatever it was meant to do? Doubt nagged at the back of her mind, but it didn’t matter. She was out of time.

Racing to channel the magic through her horn and into the symbol, she broke off as many of the connections as she could find to that particular strand of energy. She could only hope that it was enough.

Then, however, the center of the symbol glowed red, as it had done every single time a piece was destroyed in the game Twilight and the others were playing upstairs. Glitter felt her heart sink.

And then, a shrill scream filled the air, accompanied by a faint whoosh of energy. The sound quickly died, ushering in a deafening silence.

“Oh no…” Glitter’s pupils shrank. She let her horn dim and turned to the stairs behind her before bolting toward them.

Climbing back up in a panic-fueled rush, the unicorn emerged back into the cavernous space of the main room. She turned toward the oversized chessboard, only to stop dead in her tracks at what she found.

Everypony in the room was stiff as a board and pale as a sheet, and they were all staring at a singular spot with slack jaws and wide, teary eyes.

Toward the back of the board on the second to last row, a black bishop stood. And lying there beside it, was a motionless white unicorn filly.

Glitterball raced an already shaking hoof to her mouth, her eyes beginning to water as she took a step back, only to fall to her haunches. “Oh, sweet Celestia, no!”

Up on the board, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both looked like their world was shattering before their eyes. The young pegasus’ mouth trembled and her watering eyes flooded over.

“SWEETIE BELLE!” Scootaloo cried, starting to rush forward until she was suddenly stopped by a blue magical aura.

“Wait, Scootaloo!” Cadence said. She took a moment to take a few shaky breaths and wiped her eyes, letting her hoof linger as she briefly sobbed into it. “We’re… we’re still not done.”

Meanwhile, at the back of the board, Rarity was still stuck staring at the fallen filly. Her eyes had lost a bit of the light they once held, and she looked like a falling feather could make her collapse.

Twilight looked to her friend with soft, sorrowful eyes. She felt so many emotions churning inside of her. Sadness, sympathy, and maybe even regret and shame. If only she had done something different.

Shifting her watery gaze to the board, she looked to the path opened up by the same bishop that had struck the young unicorn down. It seemed as though in its response to Sweetie’s brave maneuver putting it in check, the invisible force making the moves for the black team had been forced to make a grave error.

“Apple Bloom…” Twilight fought to make her voice heard, but even then it sounded hollow and tremulous. “Move all the way to the back. We need to end this… for her.” Her eyes wavered as she looked back to Sweetie Belle’s tiny form.

Apple Bloom didn’t know the importance of the move she was about to make, but somehow she didn’t care. Still, she slowly shuffled forward, keeping her eyes on her destination. She tried her best not to, but she couldn’t help but look over to her unicorn friend as she neared that side of the board. Her heart only ached more as she did.

Soon enough, the yellow filly came to a stop at the very last tile on the board. She turned to see the enemy king, which seemed to have nowhere to go.

Twilight felt a smile trying to form as she triple-checked her work. “Checkmate…”

Suddenly, there was a pulse of translucent red light along the bottom of the board. All of the pieces, black and white, cracked abruptly and shattered into dust. Once the pieces were gone, the red light surged out toward the edges of the board and flashed out of existence. A few seconds later, a muffled click and some rumbling could be heard from the tunnel that led back out toward the door.

Scootaloo slowly uncovered her head and looked around. “Is… is it over?”

In response to this, Cadence walked forward and hesitated at the edge of her square. She stuck a hoof out and cringed briefly before planting it on solid marble and stepping into the next tile. Much to their relief, nothing happened.

“Thank Celestia for that…” Shining Armor muttered. However, his expression dropped once more as he and the others quickly shifted their attention back to their young friend.

Before anyone even started to move toward the back of the room, Rarity rushed up onto the board and quickly crossed the two tiles separating her and her sister. She slid to the floor and immediately put her hooves to her sibling’s side.

“Sweetie! Darling, please wake up!” She begged, gently shaking the filly. Her heart sank as Sweetie Belle simply settled limply.

The filly looked relatively unharmed. Her pink and purple mane was disheveled and sticking out of place in many places. She would have looked like she was peacefully sleeping if it wasn't for the trickle of blood pooling from her mouth.

“Is she…” Twilight failed to finish her timid question. In the blue torchlight, the filly looked deathly pale.

Seeing how Rarity wasn't emotionally prepared to even check for signs of life, Shining Armor stepped forward and knelt down in front of the white mare. He hesitated briefly before sticking a hoof to the filly’s neck. The immediate lack of a response only made his heavy heart plummet. Undeterred, he felt around and focused for a moment.

Then, he felt it. A tiny pulse against his hoof. He almost thought he imagined it until it happened again, and again. Still, as uplifting as the discovery should have been, it somehow didn’t make him feel much better.

“She’s alive… just barely.” Shining explained. “I’m not sure what happened to her… Maybe some internal damage? Either way, she won’t last long like this.” He looked to Rarity somberly.

Not many people would take the news of their little sister dying with composure, and Rarity was no different. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, and she looked like she was on the verge of breaking down crying.

“Is… is there anything we can do to help her?” Rarity asked, gently resting a hoof on Sweetie’s side. She would be holding the filly in her forelegs, but she didn’t want to risk hurting her further.

Twilight, Shining, and Cadence all looked between each other and the white mare, expressions ranging from heartbroken to crestfallen. Between the three of them, they knew enough first aid to get by, but they also knew that what the filly needed wasn't first aid. What the filly needed was otherworldly assistance.

Then, before anyone could even speak up, Glitterball’s eyes filled with sorrowful determination. “Here.” She said, reaching into a particularly large pouch on the side of her vest and pulling out what looked to be medical supplies. Moreover, it was more medical supplies than Twilight had seen in her own vest when she was taking inventory.

“You guys do whatever you can to keep her alive. I’m going to get help.” Glitter stated, setting the supplies down and starting off toward the door.

“Glitter, wait!” Twilight called out to the vested mare, causing her to stop. “You can’t just go out there alone. It’s too dangerous!”

Glitterball hesitated briefly. While she looked like she wanted to go anyway, she did seem to agree with the purple mare. “But… It’s the only way to save Sweetie Belle!” She insisted. “Look, the princesses are probably still downstairs somewhere, which means Blue Bolt is too. I know the way back to the courtyard from here. If I can get them to meet me there, I can bring them back so Blue can heal her.”

“Glitter,” Rarity spoke up, immediately gathering the others’ attention, “I don’t want you getting hurt trying to save Sweetie… and I don’t think Sweetie would want that either.” She looked down to her sister and fought to keep her composure.

“We still don’t know what’s out there. You could run into one of those fanged freaks… or worse.” Shining Armor chimed in.

Glitterball opened her mouth to say something but then trailed her eyes down. She knew the dangers, but she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing but watch a filly die.

“They’re right…” Cadence spoke up suddenly, taking a few steps toward Glitter. “That’s why I’ll go with her.”

“Princess…” Glitter stared at the alicorn in stunned surprise, unsure of what to say.

Shining Armor stood up and walked up to his wife, a concerned expression forming. “Cadence, you should stay here with them. I’ll go instead.”

Seeing the normally bold stallion’s eyes so fragile and full of worry made Cadence soften her expression. He must have been wondering if he would ever see her again ever since he learned she had been taken. With the close bond they shared, it must have torn him up inside as much as it did her.

“Shining… I have to do this.” Cadence said, placing a hoof to the side of his face gingerly. She looked over to Sweetie Belle and the white mare sitting nearby, and then to the two fillies huddled a few feet away. They looked so heartbroken for their unicorn friend, like a piece of their souls had been taken away.

Shining Armor exhaled softly. Somehow, he could tell how important this was to the alicorn. “Ok… But promise me that you’ll be back.”

Cadence’s lips curved into the slightest of warm smiles as she embraced the stallion. “Nothing in this world could keep me from you, my love.” She said, giving him a quick peck on the muzzle before breaking off and hurrying over to Glitterball’s side.

The pair gave each other a somber look as if to say ‘are you really sure you want to do this?’ The answer for both of them was a resounding yes. They then looked back to their friends and offered the briefest of nods before turning and galloping for the door.

Glitter lit her horn as they entered the tunnel, providing some light. However, it wasn't needed for long, as she could immediately see the hidden passage back out into the bedroom was open.

“Good… The door’s open.” She smiled with relief.

Cadence smiled a bit as well. “Believe me, it wouldn’t have been much of an issue if it wasn't.” She remarked. While she might have been the weakest out of the three alicorn rulers of Equestria, Glitter somehow didn’t doubt that.

They beat hoof out into the bedroom. For Cadence, it was somewhat jarring and strange to find somewhere with normal lighting for the first time in hours. Her eyes squinted briefly as she adjusted them to the brighter light.

“You said you know the way to the courtyard?” Cadence asked as they bounded out of the door and into the hallway, letting the unicorn lead the way.

Glitter nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully, the princesses have run across it.” She said. Then, after a few moments of silent thought, she lifted a hoof to her ear. “I’ll call them and see.”

Then, before the white mare could even start to focus on the alicorn sisters and pegasus stallion, another voice rang out from further down the hall behind them.

“HEY! Glitter! Princess Cadence!”

The both of them skidded to a halt. They looked at each other briefly before turning their heads. Much to their surprise, the voice belonged to exactly who it sounded like.

“Pinkie… Rainbow Dash…?!” Glitterball blinked in shock. Sure enough, the two mares were standing at the end of the hall, with their gray companion in tow, wearing a decidedly less enthused expression than her two colleagues.

An audible groan came from Cadence as she noticed the gray pegasus following the pair. “What is she doing here?” She muttered in annoyance and slight anger. The last she had seen of Raincloud, the pegasus had sold her and the kids out. In fact, it wasn't too far of a stretch to say that Sweetie Belle was currently dying because of her.

Then, Glitter’s eyes widened as she thought for a moment. “Answering our prayers, that’s what!” She said before rushing forward, leaving Cadence to stare ahead in confusion briefly, before the same thought occurred to her and all irritation at the gray mare was replaced with hope.

While Pinkie and Rainbow Dash seemed happy to see the pair, Raincloud stared at the pink alicorn with a bit of an uneasy expression.

“Thank goodness we found you. These vials are really hard to read.” Pinkie sighed as she looked down at her detector charm briefly before putting it away.

“Guys, you need to come with us! Hurry!” Glitter explained, gesturing wildly for the trio to join them.

Rainbow Dash’s cheery smile faded as she saw how urgent the two looked. “Woah, where’s the fire?”

“There’s no time. Sweetie Belle is hurt bad. We need you to save her.” Cadence said, looking to Raincloud.

“Me?” Raincloud shrank back a bit. The alicorn had a look to her eyes that silently communicated her displeasure with the pegasus, but the current situation was far too severe to waste time with petty squabbling.

“Oh my gosh… Sweetie Belle?!” Rainbow Dash widened her eyes.

“What are we waiting for?! Lead the way!” Pinkie said.

With that, the group rushed off. Raincloud decided that it was best to follow along. Her companions might drag her along behind them if she tried to slip away, especially Cadence.

Glitter and Cadence ran as fast as they could back to the bedroom. They led the trio through the darkly lit tunnel and out into the cavernous room where the others were still huddled together near the back.

“Oh gosh…” Pinkie gasped softly as she saw the others gathered around a motionless unicorn filly. From this distance, she looked dead.

Twilight and the others looked up, surprised to see Glitter and Cadence back so soon. They were even more surprised to see the three ponies trailing along behind them.

“Rainbow, Pinkie!” Twilight smiled eagerly as the two groups merged. She gave the pair a brief hug.

Rainbow Dash flashed a weak smile at the unicorn and the others before shifting her attention to Sweetie Belle, her features immediately falling as she did. “What happened to her?”

“Dusk trapped us in here with a spell. The four of us were about to die… but Sweetie saved us.” Cadence explained, her eyes softening at the sight of the unconscious filly. She adopted a more serious expression as she looked over to Raincloud. “You need to heal her before it’s too late… You can heal people, can’t you?”

“Uh… yeah,” Raincloud cringed as she saw the condition the young unicorn was in, “assuming she’s not too far gone already. But, I’ll need this collar off.” She looked over to Rainbow Dash, a hint of nervousness flashing in her eyes as she thought to the last time she tried using her powers. At least this was for someone else’s benefit.

“You have the remote with you, I assume?” Cadence asked, somewhat desperately.

Rainbow Dash was already fishing out the small device. “Yeah. Give me a sec.” She stated before finally coming across the remote. She pulled it out, gave the gray pegasus a hidden glare to keep her on her best behavior, and pushed the button.

Immediately, the collar around Raincloud’s neck clicked and whirred as the outer bands rotated, breaking the lines of symbols keeping her powers in check. She looked down to her hoof and allowed a faint aura of pulsating shadows to gather before exhaling softly and turning to Sweetie Belle and Rarity.

The white mare watched the pegasus nervously, unsure of whether to be comfortable with allowing shadow magic to be used on her sister. Who knew what kind of unforeseen side effects the filly could suffer?

“Will it hurt her at all…?” Rarity asked, reaching down and gently brushing her sister’s mane out of her eyes.

“Other than making her cold, no,” Raincloud said. She started to reach a hoof toward Sweetie’s form when Rarity grabbed her and gave her a stern look.

“Raincloud… I don’t trust you with any life, let alone my sister’s life. If it weren’t for the fact that we have no choice, I wouldn’t allow this. If you so much as think about doing anything untoward to her, you won’t have to worry about Dusk or any monster in this dreadful place.” She said in a very calm, yet very icy tone. “Do you understand?”

“Loud and clear…” Raincloud swallowed uncomfortably. The white mare could be surprisingly threatening when she wanted to be, not that the pegasus needed the threat. She might have hurt kids in the past, but now she was at least somewhat trying to turn over a new leaf. Besides, she did sort of get the filly into this mess to begin with, so she figured she owed her that much.

With all eyes in the room bearing down on her, Raincloud took a breath to steady herself before setting her hoof on Sweetie Belle’s side. She closed her eyes and focused, channeling her emotions into the familiar magical energies she had been taught to manipulate.

At the same time, Raincloud’s entire hoof was enveloped in a dark purple aura that shifted and flickered like fire. The aura almost seemed to be flowing toward the motionless unicorn and disappearing into her body.

Around a minute went by in silence before the aura faded from Raincloud’s hoof and she stepped back. Still, Sweetie Belle didn’t stir.

“Did it work…?” Scootaloo piped up from the watching group.

Rarity gently picked up her little sister and propped the young unicorn up on a foreleg. Sweetie was still limp, and she felt icy cold to the touch, though this was hopefully just from the shadowy energies used on her.

Feeling the white mare’s trembling eyes begging the obvious question, Raincloud frowned slightly. “I’ve done everything I can. If she doesn’t wake up now…” She trailed off, finding even herself unable to finish the statement with such heartbroken eyes staring at her.

“Sweetie…” Rarity jostled the filly in her grasp lightly, a fresh set of tears forming the longer her sister remained unresponsive. “Sweetie, please… Come back to us, darling.” She pleaded, her voice sounding fragile as cracked glass.

When her pleas fell on empty silence for one moment, and then the next, and the next, what little hope she was clinging onto abandoned her. She clenched her eyes shut and clutched the filly close, weeping and sobbing into Sweetie’s mane.

The others all watched Rarity embracing her sister with varying amounts of composure, though everyone was starting to lose their grip on their emotions to some degree. Even Raincloud was hanging her head somberly.

Shining Armor put a foreleg around Cadence, who was unable to look away. Pinkie Pie covered her muzzle with both hooves and fought to keep the tickle in her throat at bay as she stared ahead with teary eyes.

Rainbow Dash lowered her head and used a wing to embrace Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who were both crying and hugging each other. Even the cyan mare herself couldn’t hide the wetness around her eyes.

Glitterball was standing at the back of the group. She couldn’t bring herself to face Rarity, instead choosing to take a few steps away and fight the tide of emotion for a moment longer before covering her face with a foreleg and silently crying into it.

Twilight sniffled and wiped her eyes a few times before looking to her understandably heartbroken friend. Even though she felt like breaking down sobbing herself, she knew that Rarity needed her and the others, perhaps now more than ever before.

However, before the purple mare could even start the difficult process of trying to find something to say, she paused abruptly as she noticed something. She almost thought she imagined it at first, or just didn’t clear her vision of tears enough, but then it happened again.

Sweetie Belle’s hoof was moving ever so slightly.

“Look!” Twilight said, pointing out her discovery for all to see.

Rarity let out a tiny gasp, the air suspended in her lungs as she stared at the filly’s form. She didn’t think Twilight would be one to pull such a cruel joke, but somehow she didn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.

Sweetie Belle mumbled and tensed slightly as her eyes fitted under their lids and eventually fluttered open. She looked up with her unfocused and somewhat drowsy gaze and noticed the white mare above her.

“R...Rarity?” She muttered, starting to look around in confusion before she was abruptly pulled into a warm embrace, which was appreciated from how oddly cold she felt.

“Never do anything like that ever again, young lady!” Rarity half chided, half sobbed. “You scared your poor sister half to death!”

“Sorry…” Sweetie blinked, still not quite done remembering what had happened to warrant such an emotional reaction from the others. As she came back to full mental clarity, she looked around, paying particular attention to the lack of any pieces on the board and the fact that everyone was gathered around. “Did we win…?”

“We didn’t do anything, S.B. That was all you!” Scootaloo cheered excitedly, starting a cascade of other cheers now that the young unicorn was alive and well.

While everyone else was celebrating, Sweetie Belle herself seemed a bit perplexed as she examined herself. She wiggled her forelimbs and looked back to her tail, but nothing was out of place or hurting.

“How am I ok? Last thing I remember was that bright light, and then everything went all dark.” Sweetie said, her brows narrowed in confusion.

“Raincloud saved you.” Apple Bloom stated plainly, pointing to the gray pegasus nestled in with the crowd.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew in surprise. “Raincloud?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo added. “I guess she really is a better pony now.”

In response to this, Raincloud smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. “C’mon, kid… I’ve got a reputation to keep. Don’t go telling all your little friends I’m some kind of softy.”

“Trust me, this will be our little secret. If anyone asks, you’re still the same snippy hardflank you’ve always been.” Rainbow Dash stated.

“Hey… cut me some slack. I did just save the little marshmallow after all.” Raincloud protested lightly.

“Well,” Rarity said, keeping a hoof on her sister’s back as she stood up and flashed a grateful smile to the pegasus, “I don’t know about slack, but I can give you my thanks. It will take a lot to make up for the things you’ve done to us… but this is a big step in the right direction.”

“I second that,” Twilight said. “The road to redemption is long and difficult to travel, but if you persevere, you-”

An audible groan cut the unicorn off as Raincloud rolled her eyes hard enough to give herself whiplash.

“There it is. I was wondering when you were going to kill the moment with all that mushy friendship talk. Can we just go back to not wanting to talk to each other? I liked that better.”

Twilight blinked, unsure of how to react. She settled on a sigh of veiled annoyance. “And I was this close to liking you just a little.” She shook her head with a wry smile.

An unrestrained laugh came from the crowd as Rainbow Dash held her sides. Perhaps it was the near-death experience, but Scootaloo and her two friends soon joined in. Even Cadence stifled a smirk and a snort.

After a few moments spent for everyone to get themselves back under control, the group headed out of the darkened space and gradually shifted their attention to the rest of their mission. They had successfully rescued Cadence and the three fillies. Now, the only thing that remained for them was to defeat Dusk.

To that end, however, nobody was really sure what to do next.

“So… what’s the plan now?” Raincloud asked with a shrug.

Cadence looked to Twilight and Shining with a troubled frown. “You tried talking to Celestia earlier. I assume everyone came along, then?”

“Yes… unfortunately, we all got separated by this spell Dusk made.” Twilight huffed in annoyance as she shifted her eyes out of the doorway to the bedroom, where an expansive maze of corridors and rooms waited for them.

“It took a lot for us to even track you guys down.” Shining Armor said.

“Yeah, and we got lucky by finding a stairway up here,” Pinkie added.

Cadence lifted her expression slightly at this. “Well, I think I can help with that at least. I know where Dusk made the symbol that controls that spell.”

Twilight blinked. “You do?”

“Yes. He led us here and trapped us on that board after he made it, so I remember the path.” Cadence explained before letting her ears droop a bit. “Unfortunately, he also left all of his ‘children’ there to watch over the symbol.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Are you kidding? A few vampires are no problem for us at this point. We can dust those guys, break that spell and go find the others in no time!”

“Speaking of the others… how is everyone?” Glitterball piped up, looking at Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. “We haven’t been able to use the communication spell since we came in here.” She gestured behind the group toward the bookcase and the hidden tunnel.

Twilight and everyone else shifted their attention to the pair, anxious to hear if their friends were safe.

"I think everyone is ok." Pinkie assured. "Sparkplug called us a while ago saying they found Sunspot and Glimmer Shine and made it back upstairs. They also said that the princesses were busy with something, so I guess they met up too."

"Yeah, but that was a while ago. Maybe we should check on them?" Rainbow Dash suggested. They all knew that a lot could happen in a few minutes, especially when monsters like Dusk were involved.

Twilight exhaled softly and lifted a hoof to her ear, signaling for the others to be quiet for a moment as she focused on her mentor. “Princess, can you hear me? We’ve found Cadence and the girls, and we’d like to know what you want us to do next.”

No response came for a few moments. Twilight started to think she wasn't going to get an answer until eventually, the alicorn’s voice emanated in her head.

“Twilight, listen to me carefully," Celestia said, sounding out of breath and grave. "Get the girls somewhere safe… outside with the carriages if you can. Then you and the others need to come aid us. We're fighting Dusk."

"What?!" Twilight inched back and gasped softly. "Right now?! Y-you can't be serious!" She stammered, shaking her head as she stared into the distance. The unicorn expected some bloody final confrontation with the vampiric alicorn to happen tonight, but she dreaded the thought of it so much that actually having it happen was more than she was prepared for.

"I'm afraid I am very serious, Twilight. Head to the courtyard when you can, and then follow your detector. It should bring you to-"

Then, Celestia cut off abruptly as a pained yelp tore from her lungs.

Twilight’s face paled. "Princess?! Hello…?! Princess Celestia?!"

Shining Armor and the others frowned as they watched the purple mare growing more alarmed by the minute.

"What’s wrong?" Shining asked, unsure if he really wanted the answer.

"They're fighting Dusk…" Twilight said, dropping her hoof to the floor.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes.

The rest of the group quickly grew alarmed as well, especially the three fillies huddled together near Rarity.

"This can’t be happening!" Scootaloo said.

"Is… is Applejack with them?" Apple Bloom quaked.

Rarity tried her best to comfort the trio. "Calm down, girls. Everything will be fine… The others have Blue Bolt and the princesses with them."

"Besides, I'm sure Princess Celestia has a plan." Pinkie suggested with confidence, before shifting her eyes around hesitantly. "There is a plan, r-right?"

Twilight exhaled and took a moment to center her racing emotions before standing up tall. "Right now, the plan is to get the girls to safety so we can go help them."

"Wait," Cadence said. "Twilight, as much as I don’t like the idea of you fighting, I think you and the others should go help them while we take the girls." She suggested, glancing to Shining Armor and Glitterball.

“Are… are you sure?” Twilight asked, seemingly conflicted on what to do.

“I’m sure that we need to use the elements on Dusk as soon as possible if we want to get an edge over him.” Cadence insisted. Seeing the purple mare still wearing an uncertain expression, she sighed. “Look, we can take care of that spell, drop off the girls outside, and then come and help you.”

Rarity skewed a brow, “You want to drop off the girls after you fight the vampires? Doesn’t that seem dangerous?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take Raincloud with us just in case.” Cadence suggested, causing almost everyone to look at her in surprise.

“Wait, what?” Raincloud did a double-take.

“Umm… I’m not certain if that makes me feel better.” Rarity wrinkled her mouth, not wanting to outright say what was on her mind to a princess. “What if she tries to escape?”

Cadence shifted her gaze over to Raincloud and narrowed her eyes. “Oh, trust me. I don’t think she’d do that… Would you, Raincloud?”

The pale blue pegasus stiffened up. She glanced over to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, who were also giving her a hidden scowl. “Nope… the thought never even crossed my mind.” She stammered with a nervous smile plastered on.

“I don’t know…” Shining Armor chimed in, looking to his sister and the other three mares with a hint of concern in his eyes, “I don’t feel comfortable with letting you go off to fight alone.”

Twilight exhaled softly and lifted a corner of her mouth. “Shining… this is it. It’s all or nothing. I don’t like it any more than you do, but… we’re past the point of no return.”

“Besides that, we’re not going down without a fight.” Rainbow Dash said heartily.

Shining glanced between the four mares, and then to the three fillies, and then to his wife before finally settling his eyes back on Twilight. “You stay alive… ok?”

“You too,” Twilight replied before turning to her friends. “Come on, girls. The others need us.”

While the purple mare and Pinkie started toward the doorway, Rarity stayed behind for a moment to give Sweetie Belle one last hug. Rainbow Dash knelt down and gave Scootaloo a bittersweet smirk and a pat on the head before turning to Glitterball and handing her the remote to Raincloud’s collar.

“You guys take care of yourselves,” Rainbow said.

Glitterball smiled before her expression faded, though she tried to maintain it. “We’ll be there as soon as we can, so try to leave some for me.”

Rainbow Dash returned the unicorn’s smile. “You got it.” She said before turning and hurrying after Twilight and the others, who were now gathered in the hallway outside.

Twilight gave Shining, Cadence, Glitterball, and the three fillies a semi-confident nod before leading her small troop down the hallway to the left in a hurry.

Cadence and her group listened to the sounds of their friends’ hoofbeats getting softer and softer. For many of them, they wondered if they would see the four mares alive again. Scootaloo and her two friends, in particular, seemed sad to see them go.

Finally, the pink alicorn turned to her companions and her husband. “Come on, everyone. We have to hurry.” She gestured for them to follow before leading the way out into the corridors.

Glitterball followed behind the alicorn, with Raincloud reluctantly coming next. Shining ushered the three crusaders forward, keeping an eye on them and making sure no one was left behind.

Shining paused and turned toward the hallway his sister and the others disappeared down. They were already gone from sight, but somehow he had a hard time tearing his eyes away. After a moment or two, he stiffened his resolve and pressed onward, hoping that Twilight and her friends would be safe until he could reunite with them.