Fire and Shadows

Chapters

Prologue: Divisions
Chapter 2: A Little Chaos Goes A Long Way
Chapter 3: Newspaper Makes Good Kindling
Chapter 4: Unexpected Allies
Chapter 5: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Chapter 6: Tensions Rising
Chapter 7: Visions of Traitors
Chapter 8: Rabia, Queen of Umbrum
Chapter 9: "Evil Setup?"
Chapter 10: Quite A Celebration
Chapter 11: Elements of Destruction
Chapter 12: A Cozy Celebration - Part 1
Chapter 13: A Cozy Celebration - Part 2
Chapter 14: Wrath of the Fire
Chapter 15: Battle Tactics
Chapter 17: Change of Plans...
Chapter 18: Family Feuds
Chapter 19: A Suffered Retreat
Chapter 20: Recovery - Part 1
Chapter 21: Recovery - Part 2
Chapter 22: Camaraderie - Part 1
Chapter 23: Camaraderie - Part 2
Chapter 24: Grand Royal Pain In The Flank
Chapter 25: Dread
Chapter 26: Best Wishes
Chapter 28: Visit to the Trenches - Part 2
Chapter 29: Secrets No More
Chapter 30: Under The Starry Night
Chapter 31: Prelude
Chapter 33: Aftermath - Part 2
Chapter 1: Fire Catches
Chapter 16: Liberandum
Chapter 27: Visit to the Trenches - Part 1
Chapter 32: Aftermath - Part 1

Prologue: Divisions

18th June, 2019 AG (After Grogar)

Princess Celestia's POV

The light of the newly risen sun shines through the stained glass windows, filling the Guardians of Sunlight's church with a mix of pink, green, blue and gold light. At least two hundred worshippers are crammed into the small building. At the solid gold altar stands a unicorn mare with a blue coat so pale it was almost white, as well as a light pink mane and shimmering green eyes. She wears a white and gold cape embellished with a picture of my cutie mark.

"Ponies of Equestria," she says with determination, "There is always darkness before the dawn, and there is a blanket of darkness and evil trying to spread throughout our land as I speak. However, this evil can be dealt with - banished or destroyed, as it has been in the past - and a new era of light can be ushered in, as long as we, the ever faithful worshippers of the Solar Goddess Celestia, can rise with the sun.

"The Guardians of Sunlight have been gaining more and more members over recent weeks, and there are now over a hundred of us. However, praying to the Solar Goddess and pledging to serve her is not enough on its own. We have all made vows to protect and serve the one true Goddess; now we must prove that those promises are genuine. The brightest star in the sky that brings life to this planet casts shadows, where we have taken refuge up to the present. But now is the time to repel the shadows and fill the whole world with light. We must show everypony who we are. Every single pony must act.

"Unicorns, we must raise the sun with her, fight the darkness ourselves! Pegasi, you must keep the skies clear so that her light can reach every corner of the world! Earth ponies, use her holy sunlight to grow a new, happier world! And all of us must fight those who claim that the darkness is here to help us, the ones who lie and claim that Nightmare Moon or the Umbrum or the vampires are needed. They are the foul children of dark magic and a lack of sense, and they wish to destroy us. Those who can be saved, save them. Show the rest no mercy. The Summer Sun Celebration fast approaches. Let us use this celebration to remind all ponies of the importance of the sun, and save ponies from the eternal night. Glory to the Sun!"

"Glory to the Sun!" everypony choruses, before the doors at the back of the church open and the ponies begin to leave.

Despite the sun's warm rays threatening to sneak past the blackout curtains, nopony is asleep in the Lunar Guard Barracks. Every single Night Guard is gathered in the mess hall, along with Princess Luna herself.

"Listen, everypony," she pleads. "My sister is a menace at times, but at the moment there is no reason to hurt her. Why are you all so desperate to?"

"Hurt her? Stars above, no," answers a pony from the back. "Just get her to see sense. A little protest isn't going to hurt her."

There are many nods of agreement.

Luna however, laughs grimly. "No, that won't hurt her. But it could hurt you. The more trouble you cause, the more likely she is to snap, and then there will be a reason to hurt her, but nopony to do so. I doubt any of you want to spend time in the deep pits of Tartarus."

"We have to do something, Princess," a stallion cries indignantly.

"No, you don't. Not for at least a week. Get the Summer Sun Celebration out of the way before you even think about doing anything. Equestria might be at war but most of its ponies are safe at the moment. Starting a civil war would change that."

"It's not a civil war if we're throwing our support behind your daughter as well."

"Are we?"

"Hey, she's as bad as Celestia!"

"Is not! She wants to get rid of Celestia."

"She's a Lunar Guard, just like us!"

"She'll bring the eternal night."

"Is that so bad?"

"Do you want every living creature to die?"

"Eternal night wouldn't do that."

"Sombra's a nuisance."

"Who cares about Sombra?"

"Anypony who doesn't like ponies who can look inside your mind and find your worst fears in a second."

"Coming from a Dreamwalker, that's pretty ironic."

Everypony's voices were lost in the arguments and indistinct chatter, until Luna shouted, "ENOUGH!" and the room fell silent once more.

"Regardless of your opinions I can't let any of you do anything over the next few days. You will do your guard duty and nothing else. If you choose to fight or protest whilst Equestria celebrates the Summer Sun Celebration you will be relieved of duty immediately and asked to look for a new job."

Everypony looked around the room at their peers. The Princess of the Moon had spoken, and though they didn't like what she had to say, they knew it was for the best.

"That concludes our meeting. You are free to go. I need a cup of coffee." She waltzed out of the room and into the kitchens.

Starlight Glimmer hums to herself as she trots over to Sugar Belle's for a breakfast muffin, only to stop outside Double Diamond's house. He is sitting on his doorstep with a small radio next to him, listening to the headlines.

"And now for our top story today: It has only just been announced that a week ago the 'Daughter of the Night' Moonlight Shade married King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. The news comes as Princess Celestia announces a crackdown on security at this year's Summer Sun Celebration in Los Pegasus."

"Dammit," Starlight mutters. "I would've thought that Celestia would keep her mouth shut about it. Great. Now she's going to send all of the Solar Guards here, and if she finds the Cutie Mark Vault we're screwed."

"Calm down, Starlight," Diamond tells her.

"Calm down?! They'll throw me in Tartarus if they find out what I did!"

"You're forgetting a few things. One, you've got us to help you, and we wouldn't let them do that. Two, you hid that place well, and almost nopony knows those caves in the mountains as you and I do."

"Three," Sugar Belle adds as she walks over, carrying a tray with a cup of tea and a breakfast muffin for Starlight, "Celestia is in Los Pegasus, so everything is going to be about protecting her. Why would the Solar Guards storm a little village in the middle of nowhere, even if you did take all of our cutie marks? Also, you know we've forgiven you, so stop worrying about it."

"So really there's nothing to worry about. Thanks, both of you," Starlight sighs.

"There's something else, though. Do you really think the Daughter of the Night would let them put you in Tartarus? She seemed really nice when she visited. Obviously, we didn't know it was her, but still, it made me think twice about everything they say about her."

"I don't know. She's not really spoken to me since she left."

"If she hates Celestia as much as you said, then she'll help you."

Starlight smiles. "I think you're right."

The images in the mirror fade until it shows only my reflection. I have made a mistake in telling the press about the Umbrum and the vampire. All it's done is spread panic and made my little ponies fearful of each other. I need to calm everypony's worries, talk to them, answer any questions. A press conference would be a good idea. Oh, and I need to thank Lulu for speaking to the Vampire Guards. Goodness knows what would have happened if they had been left to their own devices. The Summer Sun Celebration could have been turned into a massacre. I have always thought that they are too violent, too forceful. They don't make you feel secure, they make you feel like you're being watched. But never mind.

She implied that she supported their decisions, which makes me worry a little, but she doesn't want them to act out of violence, so my ponies are safe. She's doing what she always said she was doing: working for both sides. Except, by the sound of what the vampires were saying, there are three sides. My ponies, those who support Luna and those who can somehow support the tyrant Umbrum. If only I could fix these divisions between the ponies of Equestria.

I could, but I'd have to take risks which I'm not willing to take. "Keep calm," Starswirl said many years ago. "Do not let the pressure get to you. Let it lend you strength. And do not use your power foolishly." Lulu did, but I'll try my hardest not to. I am here for the sake of protecting my little ponies. I can't mess this up.

Of course, sometimes the radical option is the best one, and the vampire hasn't gone anywhere yet. Sometimes I have to deal with problems myself. I never like doing this, but considering what I have just seen in the mirror, it might be for the best.

I hold a necklace in my magic and drop it into a cardboard box with a letter taped to the side. I seal the box and send it with a burst of magical flame. Let's hope it reaches the right pony.

Author's Note

The Start of a New Chapter

And so begins the second chapter of Moonlight and Sombra's story! It might take a while to publish Chapter 1 but I'm getting there. The thing is, I've got so many ideas that I don't know exactly where to start. But I've found a date for the start of the story - the 18th of June, two days before the Summer Sun Celebration starts and about a week after the wedding of Moonlight and Sombra.

I wasn't originally going to have this prologue, but I felt like I needed to set things out properly. At some point I might go back and add a prologue to the prequel Sombra's Bat, but now is not the time. Too many things to do.

This second story is in part influenced by the music of Jyc Row, in particular the Infinite Eclipse playlist. These songs are what made me think that the ponies of Equestria should be involved in this story too. As Wishbone Willow said in the early chapters of Sombra's Bat, this is about more than whatever issues Moonlight and Celestia have with each other, although they are still the most important characters of the story. The home front is just as important as the front line at times.

It might take a week or two to get Chapter 1 written and published, so keep an eye out. I'll let you know when there's any updates.

~~Don't go looking for spoilers. You'll drive yourself insane.~~ :pinkiecrazy: :derpytongue2:

That's all for now, but I hope you like the story so far!
~ Angel

Chapter 2: A Little Chaos Goes A Long Way

Chrysalis smiles at me from the other sofa. "Celestia has style, I'll give her that," she laughs.

"Don't. Please, don't," I say.

"You have to confront the situation at some point, you know."

"I have, and I also have a plan to get revenge. I'll send Equestria into chaos and she'll never know-"

POP!

"Did somepony say chaos?" asks Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, one of the only known draconequusses in the world and the most annoying little piece of scum.

"Here we go again," I groan.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing much, only that Celestia tried to kill us this morning."

"Ooh! Tell me all the juicy gossip, why don't you?" He sits on the sofa next to Chrysalis, who folds her ears back, gives him a deadpan stare and tries to shuffle away from him.

"She sent us a cursed piece of jewellery. The strange thing is, I had a dream last night where I was fighting Celestia, and I dreamt that she was wearing it. Wishbone said it was probably due to genetics and my dark magic, but to be honest I'm too annoyed to even think about how that works."

"I can tell." He teleports across the room and sits next to me. "But there's no need to worry. You have a plan, right?"

I give him a false, sweet smile. "Actually, I do. Step one: restrict the use of your magic again. Unless, of course, you're willing to be quiet and listen to me for a moment?"

He crosses his arms, but doesn't say anything.

"Step two: write a newspaper article, submit it and see what happens."

"Any ideas? Any particular subject?"

I sigh in defeat, "No."

"Well, what good is that? You live in the Crystal Empire and have recently been crowned its queen, if the odd bits of news I keep hearing are correct. Write about that. Celestia's taken her jokes a step too far today, and you're furious. Write about that. You're in love with Sombra, the King of Shadows, somepony whom most ponies believe to be a tyrant, but apparently you know better than all of them and know who he really is. Write about that." He snaps his talons and I am showered in rose petals of every hue and shade imaginable, in the wide spectrum of colours that would fill the Crystal Empire if it wasn't for myself and Sombra. "You are the Daughter of the Night, the only child of Princess Luna, the Queen of the Stars. Write about that. Pour your heart out onto the pages." A sheet of paper appears, completely covered in doodles of love hearts and me and Sombra kissing. Oh my Celestia, Discord really knows how to push my buttons. Sombra, have mercy.

What is it? he asks through the use of a telepathy spell.

Discord's escaped, and I'm losing my mind.

I'm on my way.

"Discord," I say slowly. "I've already told you that I'm in a bad mood, and I've told you why. Are you asking me to send you to Tartarus, or are you just not smart enough to take the hint?"

"You tell me," he grins. "Tartarus sounds fun, actually. Lots of creatures to entertain there. A crowd that might actually like a little entertainment and give me a few thanks. Far better than what you've done so far."

My jaw drops due to a mixture of shock and fury. "Seriously? You want me to say thank you for driving me up the wall more than Celestia?!"

"Why, yes indeedy. I could have taken you straight to her. The teleportation ward wasn't that hard for me to pick through." A locksmith's toolkit appears next to him on the sofa. "I could have taken you straight to Canterlot Castle's throne room and made everything a lot easier for her. But I didn't."

"We had a deal," I growl.

"It's true, it's true, I'll give that to you. Oh, that rhymes. What fun! But I'll admit, I've spotted a few teensy little flaws in your plan."

Begrudgingly, I ask, "What?"

"Oh, nothing too much. I just couldn't help but realise that if for some reason the editors of the newspaper decide to send this to Princess Sunbutt rather than publish what you have written, things might not go the way you want them to. Your plan for sending Equestria into a state of glorious pure chaos will be derailed. Oh, and this is likely to happen whether your little story is published or not," he snaps his talons and a black top hat appears on his head. He speaks in a posh Canterlot accent for a moment. "But don't you think Princess Sunbutt might be a little annoyed by your attempt to spark civil unrest among her ponies, O Glorious Queen of the Stars?"

"Oh my Celestia, why in Equestria are you getting involved and telling me what I can and can't do?!"

"Discord," says Chrysalis, "leave her alone now. You have had your fun." Finally, somepony has some sense around here.

"Ooh, Bug Queen's telling me what to do. What else should I do? Kneel on the floor and pray to you, O Great Queen of Cheap Knockoff Ponies?"

She leans across the coffee table and raises a hoof in preparation to slap him across the face.

"Is that all? No magic rainbow lasers? Oh, wrong pony. I mistook you for Twilight Sparkle."

Chrysalis quite literally goes blue in the face. "You little son of a-"

Sombra walks into the room and says casually, "Good to see you again, Discord. Guards, could you please escort him back to his cell?"

"I don't think so," Discord answers, grinning. "I have a little pegasus mare to speak to."

"Then go. But before you do, let me warn you: one word about the Crystal Empire, and we'll be there in Ponyville to turn you to stone faster than you can say Celestia."

"Celestia Celestia Celestia Celestia Celestia Celstia Celstioh, you caught me out. Fine, then. I won't say a word." There's another loud POP and he finally disappears.

"Finally," I huff. "Just rub it in my face, then."

"He's unacceptable," Chrysalis agrees. "But unfortunately he speaks sense on occasion. He is right about the way that Celestia might act, and also, you can't just say that you're going to write a newspaper article and then stare at a blank piece of paper for hours on end not writing anything."

"I don't care about what Celestia thinks. I'm doing this whether she likes it or not. But where do I even start?" I hold my head in my hooves.

Sombra takes a seat next to me and tells me, "Start with yourself, the pony in the centre of all this. Reach out to the ponies you have met, the places you have visited. Most of all, and I think Chrysalis can agree with me here, think of your emotions. How you feel now, how you felt when certain things happened. You are writing a story about yourself, so make sure you own the stage."

"Start with myself, reach out to other ponies and places, own the stage." The memory of when Sombra and I took the Crystal Empire returns. How I stood on the dais, at the very centre of the Crystal Empire, and used that dark magic spell. How it spread through the streets of the Crystal Empire, touching every pony and every thing and changing it in some way. That wasn't for a good reason. That was for a selfish reason, for me, for Sombra. Now I've got to change that. Now I've got to try and show ponies that I'm not a monster, that I'm not evil, that I've changed and Sombra has too.

I dip my quill into the ink pot on the desk. Hello, everypony, I write. My name is Moonlight.

I spend about half an hour scribbling down whatever comes to mind and occasionally joining in with Chrysalis and Sombra's conversation. We talk about raising more support for a larger army, battle tactics, ways to get under Celestia's skin, places where spies could be sent to, and the best ways to earn support from the ponies of Equestria. Chrysalis is very interested in who that bat pony stallion who wrote to us might be, and a thought occurs to me.

"Could he be a changeling?" I ask.

She scrunches her muzzle. "If he is, he's not one of my children," she says shortly.

"Are you sure?"

"If he is one from my hive, his name will be Thorax, and he is Pharynx's twin brother. But he is an outcast. After our defeat at the hooves of Cadance and Shining Armour, he fled the hive and never returned. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found. When I did finally discover where he was hiding and sent Pharynx there, he made it clear he didn't want to be a part of the hive any longer."

"Luna probably did the same for me," I sigh. I stop writing for a moment and stare at the paper, not absorbing the words I've written. "I don't think I ever apologised properly to her."

"She's already forgiven you, Moonlight," Sombra tells me.

"Still, I never wanted to hurt ponies. But I've hurt her, and Wish, and the crystal ponies, and Thunder, and Discord, and plenty of others who I haven't even thought about until now. And the one pony I've hurt the most is Celestia, and now I'll never be able to say sorry to her."

"But she has hurt us just as much," he says, resting a hoof on my shoulder gently. "You are one of the Umbrum now. Your magic is fuelled by your feelings. So show everypony how you feel."

I write a couple more paragraphs, then show the final piece to him. He spends a few moments reading it and smiles when he's finished. "A lot of emotion. Everypony is going to either love this or hate this, but either way you'll steal the spotlight."

He gives the slips of paper to Chrysalis, and she gives me a nod as she reaches the end. Passing me another piece of paper and an envelope in her magic, she says, "Pick a newspaper and write something to the editor, just so they know to publish this."

"Should I be a bit snappy here? Maybe write in Old Ponish just to wind everypony up?"

She shakes her head. "No. It'll ruin what you've just written."

"Dear Editor," I say as I write, "I would like you to publish the article attached in your newspaper as soon as possible. I'm not interested in money, I just want my story to be told to your readers exactly as I've told it. Oh, and whatever happens, make sure Celestia doesn't hear about this until the article's published, and if she gets annoyed with you I'll take the blame. I want this to be a surprise. Yours, Queen Moonlight of the Crystal Empire."

"Perfect," Sombra laughs. He takes the pieces of paper in his magic, tucks them neatly in an envelope and seals it with a blob of wax. On the other side of the envelope, he writes, For the Addressee Only - Editor of the Equestrian Times. He casts a spell, and the letter is carried out of the room in a blast of magical flame. "The Equrestrian Times and Canterlot Chronicle are going to have an absolute field day with that. I wonder whether they'll appreciate the hundreds of new readers they are going to earn overnight."

"If we're lucky."

He wraps a foreleg around me. "We don't need luck. I can guarantee that the article will be published. It is written in the stars, my love."

"You didn't place a spell on that letter, did you?"

"And why would I do such a thing?"

"If you could control the mind of the editor of a newspaper all the way in Canterlot, you could do anything."

"Mind control spells don't work over long distances."

"What about Wishbone, when Celestia used that spell on her?"

"She was still in Canterlot Castle in the physical world. The dream realm is different."

"And Chryssie's hypnosis?"

"I don't even know how that works." He glances at Chrysalis.

"No, it can't be used on a pony hundreds of miles away," she confirms.

"I rest my case," he says.

"Right." I roll my eyes, but lean in closer to him. His hoof runs through my mane a few times, and my wings flutter a little by my sides. "Now, what do we do?"

"We prepare for whatever nonsense Celestia is about to send our way. She is going to fight, and we have to make sure that we can fight harder. The first step is to write to Starlight."

"What should we say?"

"I'm going to write to her, and tell her to cause havoc in whatever small way she can."

"Considering she can steal cutie marks, I think your definition and her definition of 'small' might be a bit different."

He grins menacingly. "No, when it comes to Celestia, I'm sure we are just the same."

Author's Note

Headcanon: Those cheap nasty knockoff pony toys you see in the stores from time to time are actually unreformed changelings who have tried but completely failed to blend in.

Applejack's face gives it away.

Chryssie's not even trying.

GAH! That's horrifying! I rest my case.
~ Angel

Chapter 3: Newspaper Makes Good Kindling

Princess Celestia’s POV

As I take a sip from a nice warm mug of tea and look out at the beautiful scenery of Los Pegasus, a Lunar Guard sprints into the room carrying a newspaper with his magic. “Princess, I wouldn’t interrupt your breakfast if it wasn’t important,” he says. His battle-scarred ears twitch a little and he bites his lower lip, his fangs covered by his bushy moustache.

“It’s fine, just show me what it is, Cobalt.”

He places the newspaper on the table, and I look at the front page, furrowing my brow as I read.

Equestrian Times

Monday 20th June 2019

“Daughter of the Night” explains her actions to Equestria

The newly crowned Queen of the Crystal Empire, the “Daughter of the Night” Moonlight Shade, has finally broken the awful silence surrounding her actions, both in the distant past and recent times. Over the weekend, she wrote to the Equestrian Times to say that she wanted us to tell her story “exactly as I’ve told it.” Turn to Page 6-7 for the article and Page 9 for the letter addressed to the editors.“I-” I’m lost for words.

“Princess?”

“Give me a moment.” I turn to Page 6 and heave a sigh.

At long last, the Queen has spoken!

After months of silence, Moonlight addresses all of Equestria - and the burning questions that have troubled us for months: on Celestia, Luna, Sombra - and life in the Crystal Empire under his rule

Hello, everypony. My name is Moonlight, although you all probably know me by different names. The Daughter of the Night is a common one. Lover of King Sombra. Then there’s the nastier names. Liar. Traitor. Vampire.

I won’t lie: I’m not perfect, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes. But I can explain if you’re willing to listen to my story.

I guess I should start with my closest living relatives: Celestia and Luna. There’s been a lot of rumours about me over the years, and it’s true that I am Luna’s daughter. The part about me being created using a dark magic ritual… Er, not so much. She fell in love with a Night Guard, who was later forced to leave because somepony wasn’t too happy about Luna having an heir to the throne. Yes, I’m talking about Celestia. She forced my father to leave and raise me with another mare, who I believed was my mother until very recently when I discovered the truth.

I can only imagine how painful it must have been for both of my parents and my stepmother. Painful enough that over the years Luna’s anger grew into something she couldn’t control, and caused her transformation into Nightmare Moon. Though I will admit, somepony else helped her with it: not me, but King Sombra.

His story is well-known to ponykind as well: how he fell into a pit of extreme anger and allowed dark magic to turn him into a monster. He had his reasons, though. I haven’t written them all here in case he’s not happy with it, but he lost his home and his closest friends in rapid succession through no fault of his own. Sometimes, so much happens all at once that a pony can only focus on one thing at a time, and at that time all he could focus on was his anger. Of course, he’s changed since then, but I’ll talk about that later.

When news of what he was doing to the Crystal Empire reached Canterlot, Luna went there to confront him. I don’t know the whole story, and I’ve already forgiven Sombra because I wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t happened, but they fought, and in the process Luna was affected by his dark magic, which later caused Nightmare Moon to appear. By pure chance I’d managed to get a job in the Lunar Guard and was stationed at Everfree Castle on the twenty first of June in the year 1018, the day that Celestia had to use the Elements of Harmony on Luna, her sister, and me, her niece.

Do I think Celestia was upset about it? Not really, because I was, and still am, a thorn in her flank. She’s lied to me and gone out of her way to try to hurt me on numerous occasions. She’s tried to ruin my life so many times I can’t say one nice thing about her. The most recent example of this was on Saturday, when Sombra and I were sent a parcel containing a cursed necklace that could have stopped our hearts if we touched it. And she says we’re ruthless.

Naturally, most of you who are reading this will be thinking something along the lines of, well, Celestia has good reasons not to like you as well. To be fair, she has a couple of good reasons. The first being that I’m Luna’s daughter, and she doesn’t have an heir to the throne herself, unless we’re including Princess Mi Amore Cadenza or Twilight Sparkle, neither of which are actually related to her. (Oh, Cadence, Twilight, if you’re reading this, I’m not mad at either of you or your friends and family. You’d probably make good rulers, actually, it’s just that you need a better mentor from my perspective.)

The second reason is probably because of the ponies I’ve surrounded myself with over the years: Nightmare Moon, Sombra and the likes. The thing is, I wouldn’t have spent any time with Nightmare Moon if I hadn’t been banished with her, and as for Sombra, he came looking for ponies to help him based on their past experiences with Celestia, and he found me.

You know, he and I formed a bond very early on, partially because of the similarities between our paths in life and also because I somehow had the ability to stand up to him. He scared me half to death, but I told him what I thought was and wasn't acceptable, and we came to a compromise. I would help him as long as he was nice to me and didn’t use dark magic on me. I would be his friend providing he made an effort to be mine.

And it worked. I kept to my word, and he kept to his. He told me about his past and I explained about mine. We both have a silly sense of humour, but can also be very serious when we need to be. We fell for each other far too quickly.

Of course, there was a lot more going on at the time. Nopony believed me and everypony wanted to get rid of him. Nopony wanted to give him a second chance, even though my mother was after the Nightmare Moon inciden My friends became enemies; the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony more of a threat than they had been when I was with Nightmare Moon; and the Crystal Heart - the main protection the Crystal Empire had against dark magic - was the deadliest weapon I’d ever seen or heard of.

This all led to the scene that condemned me as a traitor in the eyes of Celestia and her aides: me, hovering in the air, the Heart shattering in my hooves. The fight I had with the Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, Shining Armour. Me stood in the centre of the dais, below the main structure of the Crystal Castle, channeling dark magic into it and the streets of the Crystal Empire, all the time by Sombra’s side.

But few ponies remember the good things I did. I saved two lives that day: Sombra’s, and the life of the dragon Spike, the companion of Twilight Sparkle. Sombra would have had a painful demise if the Crystal Heart was used on him, and I caught Spike as he was falling from one of the towers of the castle. It’s not much, I know. I’ve hurt far more ponies than I’ve saved. But it’s something.

Some of the things we’ve done since taking the role of ruling the Crystal Empire include banning the mind control spell and the most serious dark magic spells except in extreme circumstances, so the laws are exactly the same here as they are in Equestria. We kickstarted the economy after a thousand years of nothing happening. We've also improved education - and no, the foals of the Crystal Empire aren't being taught to worship us. They're allowed their own opinions. Everypony should be allowed to make their own opinions.

Recently I've read some of the newspaper articles published about myself, Sombra and life in the country I now call home. Hats off to Aunt Celestia and those journalists for painting such a grim picture of life in the Crystal Empire. Sure, the Crystal Empire isn't a utopia, but neither is Equestria. Celestia kills any ponies or creatures she thinks are a threat to her, or else banishes them for thousands of years. When I was growing up, the rural communities had very few ways to access the facilities most ponies take advantage of from day to day, and not a thing has changed in the thousand years I spent on the moon.

Oh, and as I write this I can hear Queen Chrysalis laughing about the Royal Guards. Maybe sort out a few more anti-changeling measures? Or, even better, maybe talk to them and ask why they are so desperate, and then allow them to absorb the emotions they need to survive, but set down a few rules, for example that they have to stay in their true forms. That’s all Sombra and I did.

Sure, Sombra isn’t exactly a saint, but he’s a good pony all the same. He’s funny, kind, caring, hard-working, protective, somepony you can rely on all the time. If he wasn’t the King of the Crystal Empire, he’d just be an ordinary stallion, dark magic or no dark magic. I honestly don’t see how everypony can hate him enough not to give him a chance to prove himself.

I’m not perfect either, but did I ever say I was? And why do I have to be? I tried to save as many ponies as possible, by helping Sombra and then improving the lives of everypony in the Crystal Empire. Yet I’m still called a liar, a traitor, a vampire, a monster, and a villain. Maybe I’m looking at things from the wrong perspective, but when I see myself in the mirror I don’t see any of those things. I just see a mare trying to make the world a better place and getting on with her life as she should.

I don’t see myself as a queen either, not yet anyway. But the ponies of the Crystal Empire gave their blessings for us to tie the knot and rule the kingdom, so I’m sure I’ll get used to it. If Celestia became comfortable enough with the crown that she could rule for a thousand years without Luna, I’m sure I can handle ruling the Crystal Empire with Sombra.

So, that’s a little about myself and why I am the pony I am today. My hope is that this article helps ponies to see Sombra and I in a slightly different light to the picture that Celestia has painted. I’m probably going to write more of these, and explain a bit more about life in the Crystal Empire, but it depends on how busy I am over the coming weeks.

Regardless of what happens, though, I want to take a moment to salute the ponies who have already had their lives snatched from them, most notably the Royal Guards on both sides of the battlefield. I didn’t want a war. I didn’t want anypony to get killed. So now, I ask you, why have they died? Why has Celestia told those sent to the Crystal Empire to be so brutal, when I asked for my own Royal Guards not to use lethal force? Does it have to be this way?

Thank you for reading this, and I hope you are safe and well.
Yours sincerely,

Moonlight Amethyst Shade

Sparks fly from my horn as I try to control my emotions. “Excuse my bad language, but if anypony deserves to be called a vampire, it’s her. Oh my goodness, she makes it sound like I don’t even care about anypony. And on the day before the first Summer Sun Celebration since Luna’s return…”

“Princess, is - is it true, about the necklace?”

“Yes,” I sigh, “but only to end suffering for those ponies in the Crystal Empire. She doesn’t realise how much pain she’s causing for others.”

“Is there a chance she is under the mind control spell herself?”

“I hadn’t considered that, but you’re right. She could be. King Sombra was one of two ponies that Amoré wanted as heirs to her throne, so she probably taught him to write persuasively, which would explain everything written in this article. Then again, it sounds like her as I read it. It sounds exactly like what she would say. It's… disgusting. I’ve only tried to protect Equestria, protect her, and this is the way I’m rewarded.” I bow my head.

From the moment I read the first prophecy about her, I knew that I had to do something to protect ponies from the dark future predicted. I thought if I sent her somewhere that she wouldn’t be in a position of power, she wouldn’t be able to hurt anypony, but she still ended up where she is now.

I didn’t want a war. I didn’t want anypony to get killed. So now, I ask you, why have they died? Why has Celestia told those sent to the Crystal Empire to be so brutal, when I asked for my own Royal Guards not to use lethal force? Does it have to be this way?

I didn’t want a war either. I don’t believe that she really told her guards to be so kind, and I never told mine to be cruel. I left them to make what they felt were the right decisions, depending on the circumstances. Nothing is simple. Nothing is black and white. From where I am standing, however, she is most undoubtedly a liar, a traitor and a monster.

“How has everypony reacted?” I ask coolly.

“It’s divided a lot of ponies already. Some are firmly on your side, others are… wavering, and beginning to believe her. I’m going to try to do some damage control, Princess. Even if it’s just to make sure nothing happens tomorrow at the ceremony.”

“Thank you. Do all you can. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, Princess.” He bows and begins to walk towards the door, and I briefly wonder how much trust I can place in him before shaking my head. Just because he too is a vampire it doesn’t mean that he is going to betray me on the turn of a bit. I have more important worries, such as promoting harmony in Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

“Cobalt?”

He stops.

“Could you find Luna for me?”

“Yes, Princess.” He leaves properly this time, and I silently wonder how to tackle this new problem. I need to talk to the press and calm things down, but hit back harder and show the Umbrum and the vampire what is and isn't acceptable.

I've been trying not to do this, but I have no choice. Even the vampire recognises that Twilight is strong enough to rule, and she and her friends together are a formidable force. I've been trying not to send them there, but they alone control the Elements of Harmony, so they alone are the only ones who can fix this mess.

Sticks and stones can indeed break bones, but the right words cause just as much pain, little vampire.

Author's Note

That herring is redder than Rudolph's nose! And I thought you said it was supposed to be orange. :raritywink:

Chapter 4: Unexpected Allies

Moonlight's POV

Sombra and I are in the throne room, settling a dispute between two farmers over who owns a patch of land, when a guard runs into the room and asks us to drop and prepare for an attack on the Crystal Empire.

"What is it?" I say, trying to stay calm. No point in worrying unless I know what the problem is.

"Two ponies from Equestria heading towards the Crystal Empire, your majesty. They're about half an hour's walk from the outskirts of the city."

"Only two of them?"

"As far as we can tell."

"Do they look like guards, or maybe Shining Armour and Cadance?"

"They could be guards, but they're too far away to tell at the moment."

I exchange a look with Sombra. Should we be worried?

No.

What do we do?

We could go out there and meet them.

It could be an attack.

It doesn't sound like it, but if you say so.

I raise an eyebrow, confused. What is it with the short answers today?

I'm considering the possibilities of an attack; or either Blueblood , Luna or Starlight sending ponies here; or some ponies deciding to visit the Crystal Empire after reading that article you published; perhaps something else entirely, and what we're supposed to do in each scenario, plus I'm using the telepathy spell to talk to you. I happen to be a bit preoccupied.

Alright, alright, I'll stop bothering you.

He looks down at the guard and orders, "You and four other guards will go to meet them and escort them back here."

"By 'here', do you mean here or the dungeon?" The words slip out of my mouth far too quickly and I bite my lip as Sombra glowers at me.

“How dare you?” he says, though he’s not as annoyed as I thought he would be.

“Everypony in the room was thinking it,” I counter. “I was just the first one to speak.”

A smile slowly creeps onto his lips. “If you were anypony else, I really have no idea what I would do, but I can’t stay annoyed at you. This is why I fell for you: you have the guts to say the things that other ponies won’t.” He pauses and looks at the guard. “No, I am not quite that horrible. Bring them back here to the throne room. They might not be Solar Guards, and if they aren’t I would like to at least try to be nice to them.”

The guard salutes and leaves. Sombra looks at me. "Next time, try to hold your tongue. Where did that comment even come from, anyway?"

"I don't know, it just seemed like a funny thing to say. It wasn't until I said it that I realised."

"Oh my goodness, Moonlight. No wonder Celestia hates you if you go around saying things like that."

"It's not the first time I've said something like that to you," I giggle.

"I know, I know. Just… if you write any more newspaper articles, be careful with what you say."

"You read the one I wrote and said it was fine."

"I'm telling you for the future."

"Ok."

"Good. Now can we get back to the matter at hoof?"

"Oh." I suddenly remember the two farmers and look at them, expecting them to be annoyed by the delay. Instead, though, they're both smiling.

"It's fine, your majesty. Looking after everypony is your top priority," one of them, a blue-coated stallion, says. He glances at his neighbour, a green unicorn. "Although I'd also like to get my land back."

"If you can prove it was yours in the first place," the unicorn quips.

I glance at Sombra and can’t help but think, This could take a while.

An hour later, the court case is resolved in the earth pony’s favour, but the two farmers agree to stay on friendly terms. At the same time as the two ponies leave, the guard from earlier walks into the room and bows.

“No need to be so formal,” Sombra tells him. “Where are they?”

“Unfortunately, we had to take them to the Crystal Empire dungeon.”

“Did they put up a fight, then?”

“Yes. Nopony was severely injured, but they weren’t exactly pleased to see us.”

“Solar Guards?” I ask.

The guard shakes his head. “Pegasus and a bat pony, both stallions. No armour, but a lot of old injuries and scars. They wouldn’t say who they were, just said they wanted to speak to you two.”

“Ok then.” I leap off of the crystal throne and soar down to the throne room floor. “Now’s as good a time as any. And I’m sure, as leaders of the Crystal Empire, we are allowed to tell others how they can and can’t treat our guards.”

“Let’s see what trouble we have landed in, then.” Sombra jumps out of his seat, and the three of us trot down the many flights of stairs until we reach the main corridor in the dungeon. The guard leads us to the cell where the two stallions have been locked away.

“Oi, Miss Daughter of the Night! Here ter talk, are yeh?” Thunder the Solar Guard calls as we go past his cell. “Or maybe even let me go?”

“There’s a couple of new arrivals,” I answer.

“Oh? More Solar Guards?”

“We’re not sure. Would you or anypony else know anything?”

“Maybe Ah’ll tell yeh summat useful if he ain’t here starin’ inter mah soul.” Thunder glares at Sombra, who simply turns his nose up at the prisoner.

“You go on ahead,” I tell him. “I’ll stay here for a moment and find you later.”

He and the guard walk away, and I sit down in front of the iron bars. “So, Thunder,” I say casually, “what do you know?”

“If even one of them ponies is an, uh, bat pony,” he hesitates to stop himself from accidentally saying ‘vampire’, “they’re probably an ex-guard. Celestia don’t hate all the Lunar Guards, says there’s a hoofful she can trust. ‘Parrently there were a few of ‘em she used ter like, but most of ‘em left the guard years ago. All rumours, but maybe there’s a bitta truth in there.”

“Why am I not surprised that she has favourites?” I sigh. “But thank you. You know, I should really speak to Sombra about getting better living conditions for ponies like you.”

“Ah’m only on speakin’ terms ‘cause yeh wheedled too much outta me already an’ Celestia won’t like me no more, remember.”

“That doesn’t mean you should be down here when you’ve helped me. I only found out the truth about my mother because of you. I owe you for that.”

“Ah told Celestia plenty about yeh before yeh caught me,” he argues.

“Amnesty is a thing, you know.”

“Fine. Do what yeh will. Make me a citizen of the Crystal Empire an’ let me free if yeh must.” He pretends to look miffed, but he’s used a piece of stone to make marks on the back wall and keep count of how long he has been in the underground prison.

“I’ll keep in touch.”

“See yeh soon, then.”

I give him a silent nod, then get up and leave. I walk for a short while this way and that through the underground prison. Most of the cells are empty, but I pass a few that hold the Solar Guards that Blueblood dumped on us. They shout at me and call me a vampire, but I ignore them and hold my head high. I don’t have time to argue with them.

When I find Sombra and the guard, they are both standing in front of a cell, from which I can hear the low muttering of the two stallions. Judging by Sombra’s expression, he’s not had much luck with finding out why they turned up in the first place.

I reach the cell and look at the two ponies inside. The first is a green-coated pegasus with a sandy mane and tail and bright blue eyes. One wing flutters by his side whilst the other remains still. The second pony is a bat pony with an orange coat and a purple mane and tail, although both have hints of grey here and there. He is facing away from all of us, but there are small chunks missing from his ears here and there. His wings are tucked in by his sides. Both of their coats are dirty, and their manes and tails are slightly matted in places.

“Aha!” the pegasus says cheerfully, looking at his friend. “Here she is. The one we’ve been waiting for.”

The bat pony spreads his wings, and I can’t help but gasp: one is a normal purple bat wing, but the other - the one on the right - isn’t a real wing, but a fully-functioning metal replacement. Every bolt and every screw and every metal plate glints in the light of the flaming torches and the enchanted glowing crystals lining the walls. I’ve seen prosthetic wings before, and I’ve heard that some have been developed to move in the same way as an ordinary pegasus wing, but I’ve never seen one before, and most ponies probably don’t see them at all simply because they are so expensive.

He pulls himself onto his hooves and turns himself around. His right eye is covered by an eye patch that almost covers the scar running down that side of his face, but the left one is light blue. He has a grey moustache, and a few small scars on his face. The one blue eye drifts from the Crystal Guard to Sombra, and then when it lands on me it lights up and he smiles.

“Here she is,” he echoes his friend. He adds, chuckling, “Now, you wouldn’t mind it if we could go somewhere a bit more comfortable to talk? We’ve been travelling for quite a while, and although this isn’t too bad I wouldn’t mind having a proper chair to sit on.”

I raise an eyebrow at Sombra.

"If you can explain who you are, why you have tried to fight the Royal Guards I sent to guide you here, and why you are here in the first place, I will be… lenient on you both."

The pegasus tilts his head to one side. "Sure these are the right ponies and this isn't all just a hoax on Sunbutt's part? I thought you said they'd be more accepting of us."

"I said the crystal ponies would be more accepting. I never said a word about the King."

"You said the crystal ponies would be more accepting, and then the guards came and put us in here for no reason. And her?" He casts a quick glance in my direction and sighs.

"Mother knows her daughter best," he shrugs.

"Let them go," I say. "If they're here on Luna's word, they aren't going to hurt anypony, Sombra."

Sombra casts a spell and the bars of the cell sink into the ground. "Now can you answer our questions?"

"Name’s Moonlight Skywalker," the bat pony introduces himself, stepping out of the cramped holding cell. "This here is, both my best friend and most loyal trooper, Hanzal... We were both in the Equestrian Royal Guard, but defected about… What? Ten years ago? I honestly can’t remember, though I can say for certain we were way fed up with Celestia. Our… current group is in the north of Equestria, we've been trying to rebel against the darn Sunbutt for years."

"Of course, somepony here did a much better job at it," Hanzal laughs, looking at me again. It makes me feel slightly uncomfortable.

Skywalker approaches me carefully and says, "Ma’am… you have any idea what ponies are starting to call you?"

"Liar, traitor, vampire, or Umbrum?" I say to lighten the mood and break the ice.

"Nope." Hanzal shakes his head. "Daughter of the Night, Bringer of the Light."

"The Queen of the Stars, the one to unite," Skywalker finishes.

I stare at the floor and rub my left foreleg with my other front hoof.

"We're here because we heard that you had been accepted as the Crystal Empire's leaders and have plans to be kinder than Celestia was to any of us. The two of us have come all this way here because we are on your side… Your Majesty." He bows his head in respect, and Hanzal does the same.

I'm taken aback by this show of kindness from two complete strangers, but compose myself quickly. “Thank you,” I whisper.

"I'm disappointed," Sombra sighs. "All this love and adoration for my wife. At this rate she is bound to become another Celestia."

"You're just mad that most ponies don't talk about you like that," I giggle. "Don't worry, you've still got me to fawn over you."

"That's got nothing to do with it."

"Oh, really? Good thing we can read each other's minds, then."

"I-"

"Jealousy leads to the dark side," Skywalker jests, yet changes expression. “Trust me, I know how it is…”

We all walk upstairs, and I guide Skywalker and Hanzal to the lounge. When the two of them sit down, they relax. Clearly, neither of them have sat on a sofa in a while.

“So,” Sombra asks them, “what exactly brings you to the Crystal Empire?”

“Our group is in desperate need of protection and refuge; many are tired and really want to just take a break from… well, all this. Even more after Celestia declared us enemies of the state.” Skywalker replies.

“Why?” I say.

“She probably thinks we know too much about her. We tried staying out of trouble at first, but she wouldn’t listen to us.”

“That sounds familiar. She needs a better pair of ears.” I glance at Sombra. Can we help these ponies?

It depends on whether or not you think we can trust them. There is a chance that Celestia sent them as spies.

But they keep calling her Sunbutt.

Fair point. In that case, I honestly can’t see why not. I am willing to give them a chance to live normal lives away from Celestia, but at the same time I don’t expect to keep them here for free. They have to pull their weight and do something useful.

That’s ok with me.

“We have decided,” Sombra tells Hanzal and Skywalker, “that we will be able to support you and whoever else needs a place to stay. However, we expect that you give something in return for our hospitality.”

“None of us have come here looking for free meals and leisure time, sir,” Skywalker answers. “Another one of our reasons for coming to the Crystal Empire is to aid both you and your people. We have knowledge of how the Royal Guard works in recent times, what the darn Sunbutt is likely to do next, and the best strategies to combat her.”

“Oh?”

Hanzal takes over. “By the sounds of things, the Crystal Guard isn’t going to be enough on its own to keep Celestia out. Really, the Crystal Guards should stick to guarding the castle and the streets of the Crystal Empire, and there should be a proper army who fight when they have to.”

“And what is Celestia likely to do?”

“She’s trying to gather a proper army of her own, and over the last few weeks Lord Tirek has received some sort of training. Nopony knows what he’s been taught, but he is already capable of stealing any living creature’s magic.”

I bite my lip. “What about the Elements of Harmony?”

“Those six, ma’am?” Skywalker gives a grim laugh. “They’ll definitely be sent here. I don’t know when, but she isn’t going to cut corners. She wants to make sure that if she gets you, there’s no escaping.”

“Great.”

“But if we can come to an agreement, we’ll do our best to keep them out.”

“Deal,” I say. I reach across the coffee table and shake his hoof, then Hanzal’s. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire.”

Author's Note

Time to hand out some credit!

The two OC's who appeared here are not mine: Hanzal belongs to Bronycommander and Moonlight Skywalker was created by Bronie312

I'd like to add that Bronie312 helped a lot in the writing and editing process of this chapter. The idea generator got stuck for a while, but they got it going again, and now I have two new awesome characters to work with! :pinkiehappy:

I'm going to get back to writing. No promises because this chapter took much longer than I expected, but the next chapter should be done by next weekend. I'll keep you all updated in my blog!
~ Angel

Chapter 5: Two Sides of the Same Coin

A while later, I ask Sombra about the possibility of giving Thunder free rein in the Crystal Empire. He doesn’t give me a straight answer, though, which tells me that something’s a little off.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask him.

“Something doesn’t feel quite right. I can sense magic in the air, different to what we are used to. Something that should not be in the Crystal Empire.”

“It’s probably just our new guests,” I say offhandedly.

He shakes his head. “No, I could sense their magic earlier. This is different. We need to be cautious until we know what it is.”

“How do you even tell?”

“Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and channel your magic into the ground. It works in a similar way to echolocation, I think.”

I do as he says, and he’s right. I can sense his magic, as well as Skywalker’s, Hope’s and Wishbone’s; the regular magic of the Crystal Empire; and, beyond the spell that keeps out the storm clouds, something else. There’s almost a smell in the air as I focus on this new magic: the stench of something wrong.

“What could it be?”

“Anything from Celestia to a dragon heading here to eat our castle,” he jokes. “There is probably nothing to worry about. It might even be the rest of that group of ponies that our new guests mentioned. Relax, my queen.” He wraps a foreleg around me, and I lean into him.

“If you say so.”

I hear hoofsteps, and turn around to see Wish smiling at us. “There’s a new bat pony in town,” she says cheerfully.

“I know. Did you speak to him, then?”

“I did. He’s like you - he grew up in Hollow Shades.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” I hesitate. “Talking of bat ponies, does everypony in the Everfree Forest still hate me?” I briefly remember the first days and weeks after I returned from the moon, the staring and the whispers; then the day with the posters and the protests when everypony found out about Sombra.

“They’re mostly oblivious to everything that’s happened over the last few months. I was the last pony to give them any news, and that was about three weeks ago now. You know how it is, being cut off from everypony else. Apparently news about the Crystal Empire returning had been circulating for a couple of weeks before we found out,” she laughs.

“Oh, really?” Sombra asks her, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Surely you have some connection to the outside world?”

Wish shakes her head. “When Moonlight and Nightmare Moon returned, everypony in the Everfree Village thought Celestia had overslept.”

“You would think that Celestia would try to do something to keep these ponies up to date on what is happening in the world.”

“Sir, have you even met her?” Skywalker questions him. When I turn around to face him, I notice he is no longer wearing his eyepatch, and for a moment look at the long scar reaching from his eyebrow to his cheek, and the space where his right eye used to be. He walks out onto the balcony, Hanzal just behind him.

“Admittedly, I have only spoken to her on a few occasions.” He grins. “On all of those occasions, I took great delight in trying to upset her in whatever I could. Especially the first time I met her. She claims to be one of the greatest magic users of all time, but her skills in combat could use a lot of work.”

“Well, I used to be part of the Inner Circle, the highest ranked Royal Guards. Hanzal was on his way to joining, one of the best up-and-coming Solar Guards I’ve ever met.”

“Then, of course, we up-and-left,” Hanzal adds.

My ears prick up. “The Inner Circle? You wouldn’t happen to know an earth pony with a red coat and blue mane, and a cutie mark of a golden spear?”

“Oh, we know him alright.” A dark expression falls across Skywalker’s face. “What’s more, he can be considered the King of Arrogance, if you ask me.”

I bite back a laugh. “I thought so too, but if it helps any he’s stopped calling every bat pony he sees a vampire.”

“Heh. Yeah… I’m not buying that, Ma’am.”

“He’s in the dungeon at the moment, but he’s eligible for parole and maybe even citizenship in the Crystal Empire.”

Skywalker looks at me in disbelief for a moment, though seems to realize the truth in my words and glances at the ground.

“Parole? And citizenship?!” he grumbles. “I… He... We... Ugh. Dammit, Celestia.”

“He told me the truth about Luna being my mother.”

“Oh, did he?” says Hanzal. “I doubt he managed to know about that without overhearing stuff and messing around in other ponies’ business.”

The comment ever so slightly gets on my nerves, and my ears twitch a little. “I don’t care where he heard it, because he told me the truth, which is a lot more than Celestia’s ever done for me.”

“Still, it’s not right to let such an eavesdropping Solar Guard like him to just... walk around the Crystal Empire as if it were his bucking house.”

“Hanzal?” Wish asks before I can respond. She holds up a hoof to stop me and mouths, let me handle this. I nod, and she takes a few steps towards him.

“Yes?”

“Should I remind you that you were also a Solar Guard once, and that both Moonlight and King Sombra are the ones in charge here? Upsetting them might not be the best idea in the world. Besides, I trust Moonlight’s judgement. If she was able to recognise that King Sombra wasn’t the crazed dark-magic-wielding tyrant we all thought he was, then I think she’s pretty good at judging characters.”

“But-”

“And should I remind you we have the right to speak, lady?” Skywalker cuts, then looks at me. “Excuse us both for our attitude, Your Majesty, but please understand that we have had our own share of bad luck as well… and much of this involves… him.”

“Tch-” Wishbone stutters. “Are you really giving him that much credit for screwing with your life? From what Moonlight told me, they can’t even do anything to hurt anypony.”

He lets out an ironic laugh. “Most of them. Though you can also get a second side of the same coin... Every so often a well-trained Solar Guard who goes above and beyond the rest of them shows up and lands in the top ranks. If you end up on the wrong side of them…” He closes his eye. “It can end up bucking your life.”

Wish holds back a retort, a look of genuine concern settling over her face as she realises the meaning of his words. “What happened?”

He says nothing, but Sombra gives me a nod. He tries to use a simple telepathy spell to read Skywalker’s thoughts, but suddenly gasps in pain and lifts a hoof to his head. As this happens, I immediately glance at Skywalker, who looks at both of us before turning his head away.

“If you’re going to use mind magic on me,” he says quietly, “I might as well leave the Crystal Empire now.”

“What are you on about?” Hanzal questions his friend.

“We’re leaving.”

“You’re not saying we bucking wasted this trip, are you?”

“It seems so. I can deal with a lot of nonsense, but I have a right to my own thoughts. Or is everything they say about the two of you wrong?” He casts a scathing look in our direction.

“Go, then,” Sombra answers. “Leave. Go back to your life in the woods, or Celestia, even. We were trying to help.”

“Perhaps you were, but reading everyone’s mind at each opportunity doesn’t give a good impression, does it?”

Sombra tilts his head to the side. I can sense his thoughts, and he’s not happy. I can’t blame him, either. We can’t help these ponies if they don’t want to work with us. Everything here is done on our terms. Or rather, Sombra’s. I just give him the occasional nudge in the right direction.

“So, you think this is a bad impression?” he asks slowly, walking towards Skywalker and Hanzal. “This is me trying my hardest to be nice. However, if it is not enough for you, I can propose something slightly different.” He stops in front of Skywalker. “How about, let’s say, the mind control spell? Extended periods of time in the dungeons? Being forced to work in the Crystal Empire’s mines? Does that sound better than having your own house and a comfortable bed in a city with clean water and fresh food?”

Skywalker remains in silence for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, although his cold gaze remains. “Do you really think I’m making all this effort for me?”

“I am not trying to suggest that you are. However, I have been in your position before, and I know I prefer staying in the Crystal Empire to freezing caves in the mountains.”

He nods. “Gotta say, you got a point there, Your Majesty… But, I also want to know one thing.”

“Oh?”

“You have… any idea of how betrayal feels? When most, to not say all, those you believed in for so long… suddenly stab you in the back - metaphoric and literally?”

Sombra gives a curt nod. "Yes. My teacher, my best friend, and the closest thing I had to a family, all stolen from me in the space of a few months."

"And what if I were to use magic to access those memories without your permission?" He asks again.

I glance at Sombra, and bury a small amount of guilt. It was months ago now, but I still did that to him when really I shouldn't, just because I was trying to help.

"I know how it feels,” he says.

Skywalker stops looking at us and remains crestfallen. “Then you can understand why I’m being so defensive with the matter of equality and privacy.” He observes the two of us and says. “I promise, no secret of ours will be left unknown to you… but we need time.”

“That’s ok,” I tell him. “Take as long as you need.”

The ex-Lunar Guard shows a grateful smile and nods. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m relieved that my… my faith in you... wasn’t misplaced after all. Now, if you’ll excuse us, me and Hanzal need to get our people here.” Then, both he and his friend bow before walking away.

Once they are both inside, I ask Sombra, “What happened?”

“Do you mean, why was I in so much pain all of a sudden?”

I nod.

“There are certain… defences a pony can set up to stop others from reading their minds and entering their dreams, through the use of magic or potions. They are usually quite dangerous and are very uncommon. Not to mention that the majority of them are highly illegal and could get you a one-way ticket to Tartarus. He was able to sense that I was reading his mind, so he used his thoughts as a weapon, almost.” He rubs the side of his head. “It feels like I fell head-first into a crystal berry bush. No, worse than that.”

“Is it as bad as bashing your head on the floor in the castle?”

“Not far off, but I will survive, my love. It isn’t as bad as the headache Celestia has given us over the last few months.”

“I suppose. But did you find out anything important before he did that to you?”

“Thunder and another guard in the Inner Circle found out that Skywalker and a group of other ponies were leaving the Royal Guard, and gave them up to Celestia. They were given the task of tracking the group to capture them.”

“Who was the other pony?” Wish asks.

“He wouldn’t let me find out that much, but we can assume it was somepony close to him.”

I say to him, “And what are we going to do?”

“Speak to the pony behind it, of course.”

Author's Note

Everypony reading this must now go and follow both Bronie312 and Bronycommander for their services to this fictional universe. Seriously.

Bronie312, you're an awesome proofreader, editor and idea generator. I was suffering from crippling writer's block, and now we've got nearly a month's worth of chapters finished. And Bronycommander, you've given me a whole new perspective on the Slice of Life moments in this story. There's so much to build on that I don't know whether I can fit it all into 50 chapters. (Yes, this story's going to have 50 chapters too, if at all possible.) So give yourselves a pat on the back, you two. I can't thank you enough.

A round of applause for two of the best proofreaders on Fimfiction! :pinkiehappy: 👏👏👏

~ Angel

Chapter 6: Tensions Rising

The next day, after breakfast and much deliberation, Sombra and I go to talk to Thunder. As we approach the cell, he gets up and walks over to the bars, watching us carefully with golden eyes the same hue and shade as his cutie mark. “Afternoon.”

“Morning,” Sombra corrects him. “It’s half past eleven.”

“Close ‘nough. Bit ‘ard ter keep track of time in here. Now, have you made yer minds up, or am Ah supposed ter wait ‘ere fer another three months whilst yeh decide?”

I share a look with Sombra, and he nods for me to explain. I tell Thunder, “I’m happy to let you out, but Sombra wants to know a bit more about your work in the Solar Guard. Past missions, anything you overheard about Celestia’s future plans, things like that.”

“Right. So, yeh want me ter come outta here an’ answer a ton of questions for yeh? In front of ‘im an’ the rest of yer hooligan friends? An’ tell me, what do Ah get in return, Miss Daughter of the Night?” He looks at Sombra first, then me, then back at Sombra, a mixture of annoyance and mild curiosity written on his face.

“Your freedom, as we have already discussed,” Sombra answers for me. “Your own house, near to the Crystal Castle where the guards can keep an eye on you and where you can talk to myself or Moonlight whenever you need to. Perhaps a role in our own Royal Guard if you can prove your loyalty to us.”

“Right. An’ how do Ah do that, huh?”

“We’ve got a few ponies we’d like you to talk to.”

“An’ what if Ah turn round an’ say no?”

“You’ll still be allowed out, but you will be under... surveillance.”

He turns back to me, groaning. “Something tells me Ah don’t ‘ave much choice, do Ah?”

I tell him the truth. “I would be more lenient, but he insists.” Sorry, Sombra.

“Oh Celestia, darn it. Fine. Let me outta this place an’ Ah’ll do what yeh want.”

I cast the spell to make the bars to the cell retract into the ground, and he steps out, watching Sombra with caution. “Ah don’t so much mind yer wife, but Ah still ain’t trustin’ yeh.”

“If I am perfectly honest, I was expecting that. I will prove to you that I am not whatever Celestia told you I was, but I know it will be a while before that happens.”

“Good.”

We walk in silence through the halls of the castle, and slowly make our way to the lounge. Thunder seems glad to be out of the cell, and I don’t blame him. I guess at least when I was on the moon I had a bit of company and some space to roam about. Then again, he might actually find himself wanting to go back there in a few minutes when he realises who he is about to meet.

We reach the lounge, and I feel myself growing more anxious by the minute. Before Sombra opens the door, I take a deep breath, preparing for all the beasts of Tartarus to break loose.

The door opens.

I watch Thunder as a dark, murderous look descends upon his face. I peer into the room, and the dozen ponies in there stare back in shock and anger. A voice rises from among them, and I recognise it as Skywalker’s despite it being barely a whisper.

“Why,” he says slowly, “why am I not surprised?”

Thunder turns around and walks the other way. Cries of fury come from the lounge: they call him a coward for not facing his crimes; and Sombra and I are condemned as traitors once again. However, a voice - Skywalker’s - orders them to stop.

“No, Miss Daughter of the Night. Ah’m not going in there,” Thunder says.

I stand in his way, and scowl at him. I don’t really want to make him do this, but Sombra says it’s the only way to find out how trustworthy he is without using the mind control spell. “Yes, you are. I don’t know what happened between you and those ponies, but you are going to go in there and apologise for whatever you did.”

“They’ll kill me,” he mutters. “Surely yeh realise that?”

“Ooh, is there going to be an execution?” a small voice pipes up. Its owner trots around a corner, grinning madly. She might have a pale pink coat, sweet freckles and her blue mane in those ringlets, but oh Tartarus, Cozy looks like an absolute menace when she grins like that.

She continues, “Golly, I thought we were supposed to be nice to everypony now, just like those six sappy Elements of Harmony ponies would want. Smile, believe in the magic of friendship, hold each other’s hooves, that silly stuff right? Or do I finally get to see some action around here?”

“Oh my goodness, Cozy Glow,” I sigh.

“What?”

“Your attitude stinks.”

“And you don’t think all that ‘friendship is magic’ stuff is a waste of time?”

“I don’t like all that stuff, but we’re still going to be nice to everypony, and no, we’re not having anypony executed.”

“Awww. But I’ve been reading these comics I found in the library with this pony who’s a bit like Sombra but even more of a big bad meanie and it’s really cool!” She pulls one out from behind her back with her teeth.

I take said comic book in my magic and have a look on the front and back cover. The artwork depicts a blue unicorn stallion with a spear surrounded by wolves, plus a fair few splatters of blood everywhere. In small, neat print on the back, it reads, Suitable for audiences aged fifteen and over.

Sombra steps in for me. “Now, Cozy. We have an important meeting ahead of us, and we can’t have you messing around. Go read something more appropriate for ponies your age.”

“Nope. This is way more fun than sitting around reading.”

“Cozy,” I say in a warning tone.

“Please?”

Sombra tells her, “You can stay in the room as long as you don’t get in the way.”

“Fine by me,” she chirrups. “There might not be any death and gore, but watching you argue will do for now.”

My Celestia, that filly. It’s probably our fault in part for not spending much time with her, but Wishbone and Hope are always around. I don’t think they’d ever encourage her to act the way she’s acting right now. Oh well, there’s other things to worry about.

We trot into the room, and everypony falls silent. Thunder holds his head high, ignoring the dozen or so glares sent his way. We reach the coffee table, and stop, waiting for somepony to speak up. The visitors all turn to Skywalker for answers.

“You just couldn’t wait for us, Your Majesty?” he mutters. The question is directed at me.

I don't know how to respond, and there is silence for a few seconds. Thunder scrapes his hoof on the floor a few times.

Then, with a glance at Thunder, he speaks. “Don’t make me regret not punching you in the face.”

“Ah ain’t even done anythin’ yet!” he protests.

“What you did to us the last time we met was bad enough!”

“Yeh’re only sayin’ that ‘cause yeh gotta personal stake in this one.”

Skywalker slightly nods. “Perhaps.” He becomes quiet for a moment while looking at the ponies accompanying him. “But they have a problem with you as well.”

“Ah ain’t denyin’ that. But Ah want to get whatever nonsense there is between you an’ Ah outta the way first, Soldier.” He turns to Hanzal, who is sitting on the other sofa. “An’ you. Ah gotta deal with the two of yeh first, otherwise there’s too many of yeh.”

“Coward,” Hanzal shoots.

Thunder looks at me. “An’ this is why Ah can’t speak to these ponies. Yeh see?”

“This ain’t even a tenth of what you deserve, buckin’ asshole!" a unicorn mare spits at him.

"You came to our village and slaughtered our friends and families! Our foals!" another mare, this time a bat pony, shouts at him.

"Bucking demon.”

"Now whose bucking idea was it to bring him here?!"

"In case yeh didn't realise, Ah came here to bucking apologise!" he defends himself.

"Buck off."

"No, you buck off."

"We came here for refuge away from your lot! And you!" the unicorn shouts at me. "We trusted you and you're dancing with bucking demons like him!"

The argument turns into indistinct shouting and I don't know what to do. I turn to Sombra for advice, but I can’t even hear myself think over the other ponies, let alone him.

A tiny pink hoof slams down on the coffee table and Cozy yells, “Buck buck buck buck buck! Buck this, buck that, buck the other, buck you, buck the world, buck my life! Will the lot of you motherbuckers shut the buck up and actually bucking listen to one another for a whole bucking minute?!”

We all stare at her, stunned into silence. Then, Skywalker finally speaks up.

“Damn, filly. You sure are annoyed.”

"Thank you, sir, for acknowledging my presence. Yes, I’m annoyed, but I feel much better now you lot aren’t giving me a brain ache.” She rubs her right temple with one hoof to emphasise her point. “Now, are you all going to keep arguing or are you going to get past whatever happened way back when?"

"Little filly, it ain't tha' simple. But yeh got a point," Thunder agrees. He looks directly at Skywalker and they lock eyes. "Think of Astral Charm. She wouldn't want this."

Skywalker scrunches his muzzle in annoyance and remains quiet for a few seconds. Eventually, he replies, "No, she would want me to back down and give in to you because, according to her, The Princess is always right and we’re wrong."

“Tha’s not what Ah meant, and yeh know it.”

“Then what?” he says. “Pay attention to somepony who’s already dead?! Yeah, sure!”

“What Ah’m tryin’ ter say is, if she were here she wouldn’t want yeh to shoot down a soldier right as he’s tryin’ ter surrender. Ah might be a coward, Ah mighta just followed orders ‘cause that was mah job, but Ah’m sorry fer all the stuff Ah did. Ah’m apologisin’ fer her sake, ‘cause Ah know she’d want us ter try an’ fix things. Alright?”

“Good soldiers follow orders.” The bat pony mutters angrily. “How I hate that motto.” He sighs. “Are you still a soldier then? Are you still following those so-called orders? Or can we treat each other like ponies, Swift Lightning?”

“Celestia darn it, Skywalker. How’m Ah supposed ter know which side Ah’m on?! Ah was sent here on Celestia’s orders-”

“As per usual,” Hanzal frowns.

“An’ yer supposed queen ‘ere,” he glances at me, “caught me out and wheedled a ton of stuff outta me.”

“Because you were a coward,” Hanzal interjects again.

“An’ now Ah know Ah can’t exactly go back to Celestia ‘cause Ah’ll be in a bit of a jam when she finds out Ah spilled the beans, but just as Ah was gettin’ used ter the idea of bein’ ‘ere, you turn up. So which way am Ah supposed ter turn, Skywalker?”

“Just… give me a moment to think, Swift.”

“Fine.” Thunder, or rather Swift, turns around and walks over to the window overlooking the south part of the city. South. The direction of Equestria, of Canterlot. Of Celestia.

I look back at Skywalker, who stares at the ground, deeply thinking of a solution to all this madness. At least, I think that’s what he’s thinking about. I’m not going to risk reading his mind after seeing how he affected Sombra.

Eventually, he looks up at me and sighs. “Fine. I may never forgive you for everything, but I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

“Thank you.” Swift responds, still looking outside. “An’ the rest of yeh?” He smirks a little. “Yeh don’t have ter accept me just ‘cause yer Colonel does. Yeh don’t ‘ave ter follow orders.”

The group look at each other while a small argument arises among them, although not as heated as the previous one. Some aren’t convinced while others just seem to be tired of being at this for so long.

What will you do if they refuse to work together? Sombra asks.

Think of something so they don’t have to, but make sure they’re still able to help us. Keep them separated as much as possible.

And supervised when they are together?

Something like that, but I hope we don’t have to do that.

Suddenly, a silver bat pony filly who only looks about seven or eight years old jumps up out of her seat and trots over to Swift. I hadn’t even noticed her amongst all the adults, probably because she’s so tiny. She reminds me of myself a little, except my fur colour is a faded sea green, not pure slate grey, and her eyes are dark blue. She has no cutie mark as far as I can tell, but her oversized midnight blue wings are tucked in close to her sides and covering both of her flanks.

I notice Cozy Glow staring at the filly, but decide not to comment.

“It’s ok,” she says in a voice as sweet as honey. “It’ll get better.”

“Ah sure hope it does, little filly. Ah’ve been through the wars too.”

I turn back to the group of ponies gathered around the coffee table. A few of them nod silently at me, affirming that they want to at least work with Swift, if not forgive him for his past actions. Slowly, the others join in, until Hanzal is the only one left.

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice if I’m the only one who hasn’t made a decision. So I guess we’re all agreeing not to give Swift a piece of Tartarus, then.”

Skywalker walks towards him. “Don’t worry, buddy. If he ever tries to do something against us, count on me to kick his flank.”

They both share a healthy round of laughter for a few seconds until a small cough from Swift interrupts them. “We got an agreement then?”

“Seems so.”

He looks at me and Sombra. “So Ah’m now allowed ter live in the Crystal Empire?”

“You are now recognised as a citizen of the Crystal Empire, Swift Lightning,” Sombra answers. “As are the rest of you. Now, we just need to find somewhere for all of you to stay.”

“We don’t need much,” Skywalker says. “Just somewhere half-comfortable to sleep at night.”

“There’s the barracks for the Crystal Guards, for anypony thinking about joining,” I remember. “I think there’s a few spare rooms in there.”

“That will do, at least for me and Hanzal, though I ain’t sure of how many want to join as well,” the bat pony says in a calm voice, then turns to the group. “I get the feeling you’ll need time to think about it. And... no need to fear what I’ll feel if you refuse to join. For me, you’ve already done enough against Sunbutt.”

“An’... and what about me?” Swift hesitates.

“It’s your choice whether or not to join the Guard. Either way, I’ll tell you when you’ve done enough.”

“Deal, Skywalker.” He walks back towards the coffee table, and they reluctantly shake hooves. However, afterwards they both seem more at ease, and a silent sigh of relief travels through the room.

Finally, that is over with. Now we can get to sorting out some more serious issues.

Such as?

Building a few houses, doing all we can to fight Celestia, preparing for the inevitability of an invasion, all of the usual nonsense involved in ruling the Crystal Empire. But don’t you worry a single hair on your head, my queen. We are safe for the moment.

That’s all I need to hear.

“Now, who’s hungry?” Cozy changes the subject.

The group of ponies look at each other, then Skywalker answers on their behalf, “Well, now that you mention it… I kind of think we all are after so long eating military rations and some fruits and vegetables.” He looks at me and Sombra. “However, I’ll be the one cooking.”

“Really?” I ask, incredulous. “We have a whole castle full of staff.”

“A better reason to do it myself.” He jokes, yet there’s sincerity in his tone. “I can cook a few recipes my parents taught me when I was younger.”

“If you insist,” Sombra tells him. “But let me warn you: the kitchen staff will help you regardless. They are too stubborn for their own good. Believe me, I’ve tried to cook for myself, and they kept getting in the way.”

“Well…” Skywalker says. “If you say it like that, then I could let them help me get the ingredients I need and the cooking.”

I share a look with Sombra. By the sounds of things, we’ve gained an extra few guards and cooks.

That is never a bad thing, if you ask me.

Shimmer and the kitchen staff are going to lose it.

I know, but we can get lunch now and worry about dinner later.

I’m going to remember that one, I grin.

Princess Celestia’s POV

The little ponies in front of me look terrified, and it hurts a lot. I am about to send them into a dangerous situation and I hate both myself and the little vampire for it. This could have been avoided, but she is such a horrible creature that she has forced my hoof.

“My ponies, are you aware of the demands of your task?” I question the six Elements of Harmony and a hoofful of Solar Guards, trying but failing to keep the hint of anxiety out of my voice as I speak.

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight answers immediately. The others nod in agreement.

“Good. I will use magic to keep in touch with you, and I wish you all the best of luck.” I hold back a tear. I shouldn’t have to ask so much of Twilight, but I have to think of her as an Element Bearer first and foremost. I can’t let my emotions get to me.

Except they have already. I am sending her to deal with King Sombra and that absolute fiend who calls herself a queen. The fiend who wishes to destroy the peace that has lasted for over a thousand years, that I toiled endlessly to achieve. The creature who vaguely resembles a pony, who stole my sister from me, filled her with dark magic, and now wishes to bring an eternal darkness across Equestria and the rest of the world.

“If we aren’t back in a week, assume we have been captured, Princess,” a guard says quietly. “Although I doubt they will keep something like that to themselves. They’ll want to celebrate it, spread word by newspaper.”

“Don’t fret, I have made sure that the Equestrian Times won’t publish those lies again.” I think of the chaos that has erupted in the days following the newspaper article: riots at the Summer Sun Celebration, with dozens of ponies arrested after getting into fights; the savage attacks on Solar Guards; and my upcoming meeting with the Guardians of Sunlight. King Sombra and the despicable vampire are trying to turn my ponies into radicals. Unfortunately, I may have to do the same to a certain extent, purely for the sake of caring for my ponies and making sure they don’t fall to the same dark forces that have claimed King Sombra and the vampire.

I take a deep breath, and sigh. “No matter what happens, I want you to remember what you are fighting for: your home, your families, your freedom and Equestria as a whole. No matter what you see or hear, I want you to keep that in mind. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” they chorus.

“Good. Thank you, everypony.”

They turn around and begin to leave, but Twilight races back and hugs me. I hesitate slightly before returning the sweet gesture. As much as she is an Element Bearer, she is like a daughter to me.

"Be safe, my little pony," I whisper in her ear. She nods fearfully, then trots off and rejoins her friends. I watch the group leave the throne room, then two guards close the doors behind them and they’re gone.

Be safe, little unicorn, for I love you more than any other pony I have known in my life.

Author's Note

These chapters just get longer and longer...

Chapter 7: Visions of Traitors

Moonlight's POV

A snowstorm swirls around me, and there's no sign of Sombra. Oh Celestia, this is another nightmare, I bet. A few days of peace, and then it all starts to go wrong again.

I open a door out of the dream, but a wall of shadows blocks my path. I stifle a gasp as I'm sucked back into the nightmare and watch as a glowing green form resembling a mare circles me. I don't know who or what she is, but her appearance reminds me of Sombra's and my own Umbrum form.

"So, who are you, crazy demon from the back of my head that my unconscious mind managed to whip up?" I say casually.

A dark magic spell hits me and I feel extreme agony as black crystals climb up my legs and cover my wings. I try to use magic to get rid of them, but they won’t disappear no matter what I do. I'm hopelessly stuck, and something must be seriously wrong if I can’t use magic in my own dreams after being trained by some of the best Dreamwalkers in Equestria and the Crystal Empire. I’ve never seen this Umbrum before, either, so why am I dreaming about her?

"Thou shan't speak to Us like that, foolish mortal," the Umbrum says in a gravelly voice. I don't know why she's talking in Old Ponish or the so-called Royal We, though.

"Thou shalt free me, and I shall apologise to thee once I have thy name," I answer.

“Our name is Queen Rabia of the Umbrum. We ask thee, where is Radiant Hope?”

A brilliant white light shines somewhere to my right, and I hear the hoofsteps of a group of ponies. Four, five, six ponies in total. In my peripheral vision, I see six mares walking towards me, and I can tell just from their silhouettes who they are. The crown upon Twilight Sparkle's head gives it away, and I begin to panic.

"Who are these beasts?!" the Umbrum hisses.

Twilight growls, “There’s more of them. We’re going to need to use the Elements of Harmony to get rid of them all.”

I look in the direction of the Umbrum and see hundreds of others standing in battle lines behind her. Then there’s the sound of marching, and I look back in Twilight’s direction to see an army of Solar Guards approaching. A battle’s about to start, and I’m stuck in the middle of it, unable to move, unable to do anything.

“Sombra!” I yell into the abyss. My voice echoes for miles, but there is no reply.

I jolt awake, and find myself sitting at the dining table, several sets of eyes staring at me. I feel uneasy and nauseous. Something is very, very wrong.

“Moonlight?” Wish asks with concern. “Are you ok?”

It suddenly clicks in my head that there could only be one meaning for all of this. I scramble out of my seat and start telling everypony what needs to be done. “We need to secure the Crystal Empire, fortify the castle and reinforce all the protection spells. Sombra, how strong are the teleportation wards? Discord broke them, but could a unicorn or an alicorn do the same? Skywalker, Hanzal, Swift. If you tell the guards that I’ve asked them to protect the borders, they’ll listen to you. Cozy, I know you like messing about, but don’t get in the way. This is an emergency.”

“Moonlight,” Sombra says, and I stop.

“Moonlight, you fell asleep at the table, which is already quite unusual for you. Now you are yelling orders at all of us and talking about an emergency which none of us know anything about. I am the only one here able to read your mind, but even then the flow of information is so fast that I can’t understand a thing that you are going on about. Explain, my love.”

I glower at Hope, the realisation dawning on me that the innocent filly act is just that: an act to trick us into thinking we can trust her. “I’ll bet she knows half the story already.”

“What?” she asks.

“Tell everypony the truth.” I turn to Skywalker and the horde of ponies who turned up a few days ago. “And you. I’ll bet you all know everything that Hope doesn’t. What a shame both of your plans are going to fall apart.”

“Your Majesty, mind if I ask what in the gosh darn name of Tartarus you mean?” Skywalker questions, raising the eyebrow not covered by his eye patch.

“Fine, maybe I misjudged you. But if it’s not any of you, it could only be him, since he’s the only one here who really cares about Celestia.” I stare at Thunder - I mean, Swift Lightning.

“Ah ain’t seen that stare in yer eyes fer quite a while. Ah know it means trouble, but Ah don’t know what that trouble is. Ah swear on mah mother’s life.” He puts both front hooves in the air.

“Celestia dammit,” I mutter. “Fine, maybe nopony here has anything to do with the Celestia problem, but that’s only half of it. None of you would have met her. Sombra and I spend too much time together and I know he wouldn’t lie to me over something this serious. Cozy might do something like this, but she spends too much time in the castle. Wish wouldn’t lie to me about this either, but Hope? Little Radiant Hope? Naive like a child, but awfully intelligent. It seems Princess Amoré taught her to be a good liar as well.”

“Moonlight, that’s crossing a line,” Sombra tells me firmly.

“Really? Stepping up to defend your ex-girlfriend? She’s a spy and a traitor, Sombra.”

“And what is your evidence for that?”

I try to collect my thoughts. “I - I just had a - another vision. Like when I saw the cursed necklace in my dream before it arrived in the post. The necklace that almost stopped your heart.”

“And what did you see this time?”

“Two armies preparing to invade the Crystal Empire at once. Radiant Hope here has pretended to be nice for a few weeks, but now she’s gone and dropped us in it. And as well as her being a spy on behalf of an army of Umbrum and feeding them enough information so that they can invade, we’re also about to be attacked by a whole ton of Solar Guards and the Element Bearers who, I’ll remind you, have the power to kill both of us with a few words and stop any dark magic from bringing us back. I’ll say it again: secure the Crystal Empire, and fortify the castle.”

“Ohhhhhh,” Hope sighs. “I haven’t told them anything, but that might be the problem. They’re probably worried that I’ve gone missing or something.”

“Really?” I stare at her in disbelief. “You’re so stupid that you forgot to tell them that you were ok?”

“Oopsie,” she winces.

I facehoof. “I swear to Celestia, your parents should have named you Hopeless. Now, because of your utter stupidity, the Umbrum who mollycoddled you whilst Sombra wasn’t here is worried about her adopted little unicorn child and has sent an entire army to look for you. Well done!” I say sarcastically.

She gasps in pain as if I had slapped her, and tears well up in her eyes. “I- '' She breaks down in tears, and Swift of all ponies gets out of his seat and trots over to defend her. He says to me, “Ah think yeh’ve overdone it, miss.”

“Swift and I don’t see eye to eye on much, but I agree with him here,” Hanzal adds.

“Your Majesty…” Skywalker trails off.

“Golly, even I felt that,” Cozy remarks.

“That’s enough now,” Sombra tells me.

“Oh, I apologise for trying to look after our subjects, Sombra,” I say flatly, slamming a hoof down on the table. “Besides, why is nopony doing anything? We’re about to be invaded by two different armies at once, for Sunbutt’s sake!”

“Because you’re stressing out and you’re not treating us that nicely,” Wish replies. “Also, we don’t know exactly how these ‘visions’ work, but I’ve already recognised that the dreams aren’t exactly the same as what happens in real life. Last time, you had a dream about Celestia using the Elements of Harmony on Luna, and Celestia was wearing the necklace. She also used the necklace’s power on you. If the dream was exactly the same, she would’ve turned up wearing it. Instead, she disguised it as a wedding gift.”

“So you think the Elements of Harmony are going to turn up in a gift box?”

“That’s not what I meant. The Element Bearers will probably turn up, and we will probably have to speak to the Umbrum, but I don’t think we’ll have to deal with two armies at once.”

“And if I’m right?”

“We have an army and a lot of experienced magic users on our side, and we’ll be able to work through these problems together if that happens.. But can you please calm down? All Radiant Hope has to do is speak to the Umbrum, and then we only have one problem to deal with. And since she’s trying to help us out here, I think you should say sorry to her, alright?”

With great reluctance, I say, “Sorry, Hope.”

“It’s fine. You’re right, it was pretty stupid, but I was just enjoying being here with Sombra and Wishbone and Cozy Glow so much that I didn’t think about it.”

It hurts a little when she doesn’t say my name, but I bury my selfishness under the wave of other emotions washing over me.

“Could somepony please speak to Queen Chrysalis and inform her of the possibility of a diplomatic meeting with Queen Rabia of the Umbrum?” Sombra asks.

“I’ll go, Sombra,” Hope whispers.

“Ah’ll go too, if tha’s ok with everypony else.” Swift glances sideways at Skywalker and his friends.

“Just… Do what you must,” Skywalker responds.

Hope and Swift Lightning leave together, talking quietly to each other.

“Now, Your Majesty,” Skywalker continues. “I suggest we spread word of potential issues with the Elements of Harmony to the guards. I don’t know what your thoughts are, but… would it be best to have the guards focused on protecting the castle? The Element Bearers don’t seem like the type of ponies to attack civilians. If any Solar Guards turn up, I’m sure we will be able to deal with them.” Skywalker says.

His friends share a small laugh. I can only imagine how many fights they must have had with Solar Guards during their ten years of running from Celestia.

“That is an excellent idea,” Sombra answers. “If you could do that, please, it would give me a chance to talk to these three.” He glances from Wish to Cozy to me.

With a nod, Skywalker leaves his seat and walks away, accompanied by his group, towards the exit. When the door closes, I glance at Sombra. What is it?

“Moonlight, in future, please don’t do that,” he says after a pause.

“Do what?”

“As much as I care for you, Radiant Hope is my friend as well. If you could try to be nicer to her-”

“Hey, I apologised! And do you realise how much of a mess we could be in because of her?”

“I know, but she is still important to me.”

“Golly, those two are like a brother and a sister to me,” Cozy pipes up. “And I’m pretty sure both of them feel the same way, which means I’m allowed to stand up for them.”

Cozy’s words sink in slowly. “Fine, I’ll be nicer to her. And everypony else,” I add quickly at Wish’s look of disapproval. “But you don’t know what it’s like. All of a sudden I have these dreams that allow me to make a basic prediction of the future, and both of the times it’s happened it’s predicted a near-death experience. Nopony else here has this,” I sigh.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t help you,” Wish comforts me.

“I know.”

Sombra wordlessly trots over to me and I embrace him. We stand there like that for a few moments, not reading each other’s minds but knowing the other feels the same about the situation. We have to work together, and I have to talk to everypony about what’s going on in my head, since whatever’s wrong with me probably isn’t going to go away.

“My love, we are in this together,” Sombra whispers. “We shall keep no secrets, send no spies, bring no pain and tell no lies.”

“I know,” I repeat. I suddenly realise that this is about more than the strange prophetic dream, and about the idea of being a leader. “It’s just… We’ve now got a ton of extra ponies to look after. Sure, Chrysalis and Rutherford look after their respective kingdoms on their own pretty well, and I know Starlight would be in contact more often if she needed our help, but… With Thunder - no, Swift - always calling me the Daughter of the Night, Skywalker saying ‘Your Majesty,’ and all these ponies looking up to me and seeming so disappointed because I keep slipping up and I’m not the perfect queen they thought I was…” I walk back over to the table and hold my head in my hooves. “I don’t feel like the Queen of the Crystal Empire. I don’t feel like I should be in power at all.”

“Nonsense. You are the most amazing pony I could want to be the Crystal Empire’s queen.”

“But out of us two you’ve always been the better leader.”

“And why should that mean you are doing a terrible job?”

“I don’t know, I just feel like I haven’t been good enough for everypony, and you always seem like you have all the answers.”

“You have forgotten the way ponies used to think about me,” he says softly, stroking my mane. “You know as well as I do that they positively hated me. But you bridged the gap between the ponies of the Crystal Empire and I. You stood up to me on many occasions when you weren’t happy with the way I was doing something, and you made me change for the better. You have also stood up to Celestia, and although you are still fighting to prove to the ponies of Equestria that you are right, I can’t name many others who have done that successfully.” He lifts my chin up with his hoof and smiles down at me. “That, my love, is why I think you are the perfect pony to stand by my side as Queen of the Crystal Empire.”

I smile back. “Thanks. I love you too.”

“Gee, all the disgusting sappy romance stuff is back. I’m outta here!” Cozy cries, dashing out of the room. Cheeky little devil.

“Now, let’s not think about all of this any more. Hmm, what else should we talk about?”

“The list of things we should say to the Element Bearers to make them think we’ve lost it?” I ask hopefully.

Wish laughs, “I should have known.”

“If it makes you happy, my love, it is worth talking about. Should we try to be nice to them, or start insulting them from the beginning?”

“Try to be nice, and if that doesn’t work we can go back to being the tyrants they already think we are.”

“Agreed.”

We stand there in silence, and my thoughts wander to Starlight. She probably feels the same about leadership after the whole cutie mark issue. I should really speak to her again once all of this is over. Maybe it’s time for another trip outside the Crystal Empire.

Author's Note

What with the combination of my stupidity and a life crazier than those of most celebrities, I actually forgot to publish this on Sunday. :pinkiegasp: :twilightsheepish: :flutterrage: :facehoof: But it's here now. I'll try to keep you all posted on what's happening in the life of Angel Midnight, but for now I'm thinking about the idea of making a group for anything to do with the Shadows and Stars series once I've got my WiFi back. Tell me what you think, and next time I'm on Fimfiction I'll look at my notifications. :pinkiesmile:

~ Angel

Chapter 8: Rabia, Queen of Umbrum

The next day, I wake to the sound of the wind whistling past the window and the rain hammering down outside, as if the spell keeping out the storms of the Frozen North were nonexistent. Sombra is already up and probably eating breakfast, but I’m reluctant to join him. Today feels like the sort of day the Lunar Guards used to call a Rise at Midnight, where you feel like staying asleep for as long as possible without getting told off for not being on your shift on time. Although, considering I’m no longer nocturnal, it would probably be a Rise at Noon.

I look at the tiara on the bedside table for a few moments, wondering whether or not to put it on. Sombra keeps telling me that the more I wear it the more comfortable I’ll feel, but I don’t feel as though I should today. I don’t want to be the Queen of the Crystal Empire today. I just want to be me.

I trudge down the flights of stairs and the corridors, and eventually find myself in the dining room. Today, it’s just me, Sombra, Cozy, Wishbone and Hope. Good. I can be myself around these ponies. I don’t have to constantly try to impress them.

“And what, may I ask, is wrong with my little bat today?” Sombra inquires.

“The wind is too loud. It’s raining outside. I can’t hear the birds singing. It’s too early to be getting up.”

“Visitor ponies use bad magic near Crystal Town,” Wish says in the bat pony language we were both taught as foals. Rather than actual words, it’s more of a series of clicks and squeaks that other ponies usually have a lot of difficulty in decoding. When I first returned from my trip into outer space with Luna, I was surprised to hear how little it had changed compared to regular Ponish: most of the words are the same, although a few have faded into history and been replaced by other terms. As usual, she’s using terrible grammar on purpose, which makes it even harder for eavesdroppers to work out what anypony using the old language really means.

“Bad weather means bad mood?” I ask.

“Yes. Wind shouting little pony’s name.” She nods in Hope’s direction. “Rain means tears and sadness.”

“Oh. The visitor ponies are Umbrum, not Friendship Ponies. Thought you meant the ‘Magic of Friendship’ herd for a moment.”

“No Friendship Ponies yet. Princess Luna would say something.”

“Gee, you two, speak proper Ponish please,” Cozy groans.

Wish grins. “It still works then,” she says in Ponish.

“You mean, I still understand you but nopony else does.”

“Exactly.”

“Gee, we still have no idea what you’re going on about,” Cozy interrupts us again.

“Wish was just telling me that the bad weather is probably because of the Umbrum, and that there’s no sign of the Element Bearers yet.”

“Oh, so that’s what all the EEEEEE’s meant. Gee, you could’ve just said all of that in Ponish.”

“That defies the point of having a secret code.”

“Well, if you’re going to have a secret code, at least teach it to me. Please?” She pulls the cutest puppy eyes face I could ever imagine, and it tugs at my heartstrings a little.

Wish and I share a look. “Sorry, but we can’t. You still won’t understand everything because regular ponies can’t hear some of the higher frequencies.”

“Awwww.”

I grab a slice of toast, a butter knife and a pot of strawberry jam with my magic before dipping the knife into the jam and covering the toast with it. Jam on toast. Every bat pony’s idea of a perfect breakfast. After swallowing the first mouthful, I say to Sombra and Hope, “So when are we going to talk to the Umbrum about all of this?”

“After breakfast,” Sombra replies. “The leader of the Umbrum is Queen Rabia. Not a particularly nice pony if you ask me. However, Hope is on her nice side, so if she goes to talk to Rabia first things are more likely to work out in our favour.”

“Right. Then what?”

“We introduce ourselves, compliment her a lot, hope she likes us and try not to give her any reason to do what we did to Princess Amoré and Cadenza.”

“That sounds simple.”

“It is far easier said than done. Among the Umbrum, you and I would be considered tame. These ponies are brilliant at using dark magic, completely ruthless in battle, and once they say they’re going to do something, they do it.”

"And what about the Element Bearers?"

“Blueblood sent a letter.”

I groan to myself. Prince Blueblood and I have only met each other once, and although he promised to help us, he and I aren’t exactly best friends. Seriously, he tried to flirt with me and convince me to leave Sombra, which isn’t going to happen any time soon. “What is it?”

“The Elements of Harmony are being sent here on a ‘stealth mission’ to infiltrate the castle and kick us out. Of course, they haven’t yet realised that they have lost the Element of Surprise.”

“That’s a terrible joke.”

“Forgive me for trying.”

“I know, I know. You tried your best.”

“Have a cup of coffee. You’re tired.”

“Am I?”

“It is the only possible explanation for your grumpiness. Unfortunately, we haven’t got enough time to sit around doing nothing today. We need to-”

I say monotonously, “Speak to Rabia, sort out the new Crystal Army that Skywalker was talking about, prepare for the Element Bearers to arrive, talk to Chrysalis, wait for the new shipment of food from Yakyakistan and maybe then we can go on a honeymoon to Starlight’s village.”

“Honeymoon? That last one is news to me.”

“What? We have to do something to celebrate finally getting married, and I want to talk to Starlight again. Face-to-face, not in the dream world. The risk of being caught by Solar Guards makes it more interesting.”

“Fair enough. But let’s give it a few days, and give her a little bit of warning too.”

“Fine by me.”

“Ick, I’m staying,” Cozy grumbles. “No need for all that sappy hugging and kissing nonsense.”

“But then there’ll be nopony here to look after you,” says Hope.

I raise an eyebrow at her.

“Wish and I would like to meet Starlight too,” she insists. Or maybe she wants to spend more time with… Never mind. I need more coffee.

I fill a mug with a teaspoon of ground coffee and some boiling water before taking a sip. Completely unadulterated. The hot, bitter liquid wakes me up quickly. Better.

We finish our breakfast in silence, then Hope prepares to travel outside of the Crystal Empire and into the Frozen North. She says she has an idea of where they might be waiting for her, and that she’s going to send a signal when she finds them. If she finds them. She’s mad, I swear. How does she just forget to tell the ponies she’s lived with for a millennia that she’s alive? Fine, I didn’t tell Luna what had happened to me after I left, but that was because I didn’t want to, not because I forgot she existed!

Not that some of the nightmares I had afterwards would let me forget, but oh well. I have more important things to worry about right now.

Sombra, Wish, Cozy and I watch her leave from the balcony adjoining the throne room. She walks a little way, then teleports off to Celestia-knows-where to find out whether or not we’re going to be invaded today. If it turns out she’s been helping them all along, I’m going to be very, very annoyed. Something isn’t right, and I want to find out what it is.

“Gee, that stare could freeze Tartarus,” Cozy remarks. “Somepony needs more coffee.”

“It’s fine,” I tell her firmly. “I’m fine. Everything is fine, Cozy.” She doesn’t say anything else.

We wait for about ten minutes in silence before a shower of blue and purple sparks rockets into the sky and explodes like a firework. That would be the signal, then.

“Wishbone, could you stay here and make sure that nopony follows us?” Sombra asks her, eyeing Cozy with suspicion.

“That’s fine, as long as the two of you don’t get hurt. Are you taking any guards with you?”

“It is... dubious how helpful they would be if the worst situation were to arise.” Thank you for restoring my faith in the pony race, Sombra. You deserve a gold medal for that.

Manners, he tells me. What is wrong with you today?

How am I supposed to know?

He sighs, then his magic envelopes the two of us and we are teleported to Radiant Hope’s side. How he knew exactly where to go, I have no idea.

Before us stands a mare with a mint-coloured coat, a frizzy dark green mane and tail, blue eyes and translucent green wings, like those of a butterfly. I wouldn't think she was an Umbrum if I didn't know better.

"Queen Rabia, how good to see you," Sombra says, bowing. I follow suit. Rather than accepting us, she glares. I can feel her eyes staring into my soul. This must be how other ponies feel when Luna glares at them.

"So, these are the new leaders of the Crystal Empire," she hisses at Hope, who nods silently. "King Sombra, the unicorn turned Umbrum, the killer of Our captor, Amoré. The one who betrayed all ponies, yet did not visit Our home, the realm of the Umbrum, when given the opportunity. And the other..." she teleports straight behind me, "Moonlight Amethyst Shade, the newly crowned Queen. Also an Equestrian princess, the sweet little Daughter of the Night. Now known as the Queen of the Stars. Also carries the legacy of a traitor, but the past is less important and indeed unfortunate than the future."

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. She’s rude, able to read minds like an open book - how else would she know my middle name and my life story without me telling her?! - and clearly a very dislikable pony.

"And what does that have to do with anything, if I may ask, Queen Rabia?" Sombra inquires.

She teleports in front of him. “She is dangerous to ponies and Umbrum alike, neither a creature of light nor dark. We refuse to deal with her.”

“Excuse me?” I say, annoyed.

“Speak only when you are spoken to, child.”

Oh my Celestia. She just called me a child. Who on Equis does this mare think she is, for Sunbutt’s sake? I mutter, “I might be a child, but I’m known for misbehaving. Don’t think you can boss me about.”

“Do not make Us fight thee. Thou art one of Us. Thou hath been chosen by Grogar himself to fight for the darkness, not against it. It is his will for thee to fight on Our side.” So, she speaks Old Ponish, and in the Royal We.

“I always fight for my own side. If that’s a problem, then leave.”

“We cannot. We have a proposition to make first.”

“I’m not inter-”

“And what is this proposition?” Sombra asks, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“We have heard of a mysterious six ponies. They are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, one of the most dangerous weapons that ponykind has at its disposal against Umbrum. We are unwilling to let them use these Elements on Us. Thou art also at war with Equestria, and We are willing to help thee seek and destroy these Elements.

“However, if thou art unwilling to help Us in Our mission to find these Elements before they are used, We shall redirect Our forces upon the Empire of Crystals. Tell Us, what is thy choice?”

I take a few moments to process the complete nonsense pouring out of this mare’s mouth. “So, let me get this straight. You’re saying that we have to help you find the Elements of Harmony and destroy them, or you’re going to kick us out of the Crystal Empire? I don’t think so.” I take a few steps towards her. “Rabia, my guess is that the Umbrum have been in hiding for a number of years, and haven’t left this magical realm you were talking about in more than a thousand years. A lot has changed since then. Believe it or not, you can’t do that now. You could do it when Celestia was in charge of the Crystal Empire, but now Sombra and I are in charge, it’s unacceptable. Don’t think you can get away with threatening us like that.”

She slaps me in the face, and I recoil slightly. “Hither, child. It is also unacceptable for thee to treat thy elders in such a fashion. Shall We just allow Our brothers and sisters to take your kingdom as We speak? Shall We take everything thou lovest and crush thy spirit? We-” She stops speaking, and looks down at her front hooves. Sombra’s black crystals freeze her in place, surrounding all four of her legs and trapping her butterfly wings by her sides.

“That,” he whispers, “is for threatening me and my kingdom.” He storms up to her and hits her much harder than she hit me. A loud crack echoes through the frozen wasteland: probably the sound of her jaw breaking. “And that is for hurting my wife.”

She remains speechless for a few moments, glaring at him. I decide to do a little experiment, and act as though I am about to use dark magic on her. Her eyes widen and she stares at me in fear. Incredulous, she asks, “Who art thee?” Her voice shakes slightly as she speaks.

“I am Moonlight Amethyst Shade, daughter of Princess Luna of Equestria, wife of King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. I am the pony who dances with light and darkness, the pony who questions everything. The pony whom all other ponies hate for one reason or another, yet stands proudly on her own and dares to challenge those who think they’re in charge. Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria for nearly fifteen hundred years, shakes with fear at the mere thought of facing me in battle. And yet all I want is to live peacefully and to bring peace into the lives of others. I’m not here to fight, but I’m not afraid to defend myself either. Don’t make me.”

We lock eyes and I can see the mixture of fear and awe in hers. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling that she’s been an Umbrum for a very long time, and that her fear of me is instinctual. Maybe she’s even as old as Celestia and Luna.

“Thou art a skilled speech writer. However, more skills are needed to defend a kingdom. We art satisfied that young Radiant Hope is in fine hooves, and we shall speak again before the birth of the seventh month. Should thee need to speak before then, return to this place and Hope shall know what to do.” Rabia nods at her, before casting a spell that surrounds her in shadows. She flies off into the distance and disappears behind a mountain.

“Well, that was a waste of time,” I sigh.

“That’s Rabia,” Hope giggles. “She likes pretending she’s at the top of the tree, but she’s like a little filly really.” Which would explain why Hope is the way she is. But never mind.

Sombra takes the three of us back to the Crystal Empire, but I don’t go back into the castle with them. I decide to go on a short walk, just to the barracks to check in on everypony there. It gives me a chance to clear my head and think about something other than my terrible leadership skills and that Rabia mare and these sudden visions. Oh, and my regular nightmares. Just last night I was being chased by timberwolves in the Everfree Forest in the direction of the Everfree Castle. At least there weren’t any rainbow lasers, I guess.

As I reach the building, Skywalker leaves, an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

“Your Majesty?”

“Hey, how are you?” I say.

“You… might want to go back to the castle.”

Dread builds inside me. “What’s wrong?”

“The Elements of Harmony… they’re on their way.”

“How far away?”

He shifts uncomfortably on the spot. “One or two hours from arriving. Give or take, it depends on how fast they travel towards here.”

I sigh. “It just gets better and better, doesn’t it? All I want to do is sit down and relax for one moment.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling too well.” Skywalker responds with a sigh. Then, he looks back at me. “I suggest both you and Sombra enter the castle, leave the throne room for me and my guards... let's say we’ve got a… surprise ready for them.”

“Ok. Talk to you soon?”

He nods silently and returns inside the barracks. I fly back to the castle, tell Sombra the news, and find myself in the lounge sprawled out on a sofa. Sunbutt forbid anypony coming in here, because I need to sleep.

Author's Note

Guess who else needs to sleep? Yours truly. :rainbowlaugh: :ajsleepy:

Uploading this to make up for forgetting about last week's chapter. After this, it should go back to the normal schedule.

~ Angel

Chapter 9: "Evil Setup?"

I wake to the sound of the door creaking open, and Sombra walks into the room carrying something with his magic.

“Hello, my beautiful bat,” he says.

“Hey.”

“I came in here earlier to check on you. It seems you were tired after all.”

“Seems so.” I sit myself up, yawn and blink the last traces of sleep from my eyes. “A cup of coffee could still help.”

“In a moment. Let me just prepare something for later.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. He places the object he was carrying on the table, and I realise what it is when I see my reflection in the glass. The intricately carved gold frame with the fleur-de-lis pattern confirms my suspicions: it’s the old mirror. The one that shows glimpses of the past and present to anypony who asks the right question.

“What’s this for?”

He smirks and takes a seat next to me. “Skywalker wants to play a little mind game with the Elements of Harmony. He thinks it would be best if the two of us were not there, so that he and a couple of other guards can say what they need to say.”

I blink a few times, unsure what to say in response and slightly confused.

“They think that the Element Bearers could have their opinions… swayed a little, without the use of more extreme magic.”

“You mean, without the mind control spell?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a shame. I’d like to see Twilight Sparkle’s face when that spell is used on her.”

“Indeed.”

I look in the mirror and brush my mane with my hooves to make it look slightly more acceptable than the frizzy mess it was before. How does it always end up like that?! I’m sure most ponies don’t have this much trouble with their manes.

“So, how long until the Elements of Harmony get here?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Right… wait, what? Skywalker said they were over an hour away. How long was I asleep for?”

“Just short of two hours. I wanted to make sure you had enough beauty sleep.”

I lean into him and rub my head against his. He wraps a foreleg around me and I close my eyes. Sleep threatens to wash over me again, but I force myself to stay awake.

“Oh, I almost forgot about this.” His magic softly illuminates the room, and he places my tiara gently on my head. “You should wear it more often, my queen.”

“So, what now?” I say after a pause.

“Mirror, show us the Crystal Castle throne room right now.”

I watch the glass as our reflections fade and are replaced by a view of the throne room from above the huge double doors at the entrance. Only two ponies can be seen there, Skywalker and Hanzal. Both are sitting on the bottom of the stairs leading to the raised platform. The doors open, and a third pony walks into the room, quickly shutting the doors behind him.

“Swift? Are they on their way, then?” Hanzal asks.

The red earth pony nods. “Yup. They’re about ter infiltrate the castle.”

“You might want to leave, just in case Sparkle recognises you.”

“Ah’ll be off, then.” He sighs and trots back through the doors, looking dejected.

“Wait,” Skywalker orders.

He stops.

“I… want to thank you for helping us in this.”

“Ah… Uh… Yeh’re welcome.” He smiles before leaving the room and closing the doors.

I look back up at Sombra’s face. He simply looks at the mirror, although I’m unsure whether he’s concentrating on the reflection or the mirror itself. I don’t dare read his thoughts, in case he wants a little privacy. It’s likely that he’s thinking about Amoré. The mare I never met, the beautiful yet cold snowflake of the Crystal Empire. Really I don’t know enough about her to make assumptions on who she was, and I wish I knew exactly how much she did to shape the Crystal Empire and her successor.

A sigh makes me look back to the mirror and the two stallions, who sit next to each other while staring at the silent doors. Then, I see Hanzal turning his head towards Skywalker.

“Something on your mind?” He asks.

The bat pony nods in silence before saying. “A lot, actually.”

There is a moment silence whilst both of them look at each other with serious expressions on their faces. Although I’m able to recognise concern in Hanzal's eyes, Skywalker's face shows some emotion I can’t distinguish easily. Sadness, nostalgia? Perhaps concern as well? I honestly don’t know.

“Do you… remember when I threatened to go away from the Crystal Empire when Sombra used his mind magic on me?” Skywalker voices.

“Yes.”

The bat pony sighs as he looks down at the ground, thinking on that exact moment; the moment none of us knew where we stood or who we could trust. His face now shows an emotion I can recognise: sadness. Pure, emotional sadness.

“I’m sure you were confused as to why I acted like that… why, after so long attempting to reach a safe place, I suddenly wanted to leave as quickly as possible.”

Hanzal doesn’t respond. Instead, he looks at the doors once again, surely thinking of that tense moment as well.

“I did it for you.”

Suddenly, a look of confusion and surprise takes the seriousness away from Hanzal’s face as the pegasus turns towards his mentor. Yet, he remains quiet, anticipating what the older stallion might say next.

“I- ...I was worried about you all,” Skywalker admits. “The moment I sensed Sombra using his magic on me, I feared he would use it on you all. For a moment, I doubted whether what we’ve heard about him and Moonlight was nothing but a vile lie.”

Hanzal remains quiet. I look back at Sombra for a moment, and he grimaces. “I really shouldn’t have done that,” he mutters. I force myself to keep listening to the conversation the other two are having.

“But now?” Skywalker adds. “For the last couple of days I have been waking up and walking through the city, looking at the people… and what do I find? I find, not only ponies, but also changelings and yaks, all living happily as if they didn’t care that an ex-tyrant is ruling them.”

“Ex-tyrant?” His friend finally asks.

The bat pony nods at him. “Exactly.” He says. “Sure, he isn’t perfect and still has tons of mistakes to correct. But… he isn’t that evil pony anymore. He is… benevolent."

One last sigh comes from him, but this time he shows a smile. “And, boy, do I owe him an apology.”

They share a couple of chuckles before the sound of hoofsteps galloping through the corridors of the castle cuts their conversation short. The hoofsteps stop, and there is a moment of silence. Then, the doors are thrown open and all six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony - plus the baby dragon whose name I can never remember - sprint into the room, each of them wearing the Elements and ready to attack us. However, they skid to a halt as they realise that neither Sombra nor I are anywhere to be seen.

“But - where are they? This is the throne room!” Twilight cries. She notices Skywalker and Hanzal for the first time. Although I can’t see her face from where she is standing, I can hear the accusation in her voice as she demands, “Where are they?”

“Where’s who?” Hanzal asks innocently.

“Queen Moonlight and King Sombra, of course!”

He smirks. “Oh, them! Yeah… they’re not here, unfortunately.”

“Well, where did they go, then? We’re here to talk to them!”

Skywalker shrugs. “I dunno. Taking a walk, having breakfast, perhaps they’re even having a chat in the next room! We don’t know.”

“Yeh’re lying!” Applejack shouts at them. “Yeh know where they are, now just get the darn thing over with an’ tell us. We ain’t got all day.”

“Well, we do.” Hanzal replies.

“Eeyup!” Skywalker confirms. “However, if you’re looking for them… It might be difficult to find their majesties in such a huge castle. I mean, they could literally be anywhere!”

“Mirror, show me Twilight Sparkle’s face,” I whisper. The reflection changes, and oh my goodness, it’s hilarious. Her eyes bulge out of their sockets for a moment, then she gets annoyed and furrows her brow. Magenta sparks fly around her head.

“Well, come on. If we’ve gotta find ‘em the hard way, we’d better get looking,” Rainbow Dash says to her friends. “I can clear a cloudy sky in ten seconds flat, but it’s gonna take longer than that to find them.”

Then, a loud series of laughs escape from both stallions.

“Oh, boy! This is gonna be so fun to watch!” says Skywalker.

Hanzal nods in agreement as he speaks. “Imagine this: they walk through a room with its floor wet after being mopped, with a WARNING sign included, but they are so focused on finding them they just break their noses when they fall!”

There's another round laughter as their faces become red.

“My oh my, how rude!” Rarity gasps, flicking her expensively styled purple mane as if she were some Canterlot aristocrat unhappy with the taste of an expensive sponge cake. I could imagine Celestia doing the same. Seriously, how much cake can a pony eat?!

Twilight growls, “Stop it!” She stomps on the floor with both front hooves, and for a moment, her magic changes colour from magenta to deep purple, and a purple and green mist begins to form around her eyes and the Element in her oversized crown.

“There we go. She understands,” Sombra grins to himself.

Hanzal and Skywalker stop laughing immediately, and Twilight’s friends shy away from her for a moment. Then, a mutter comes from the former.

“I think King Sombra might have an apprentice.”

None of them can’t help but let out another round of laughter, whilst also tears of joy fall from their eyes. This causes Twilight to completely lose it. She casts a dark magic spell on Sombra’s throne, and in front of Hanzal and Skywalker, the hidden passage and the stairwell to the second tallest tower is revealed.

“Dammit,” Skywalker huffs, although I can tell he’s not serious. “You’re serious about searching this place top to bottom, aren’t you?”

“Top to bottom?” Hanzal asks. “Seriously? The staircase thing?”

“We need to stop messing around, don’t we?” He finally turns back to the Element Bearers. “So, are you going to get looking, or not?”

Twilight tries to teleport, and her reaction to Sombra’s defences is priceless as well. She yells, “Damn you, King Sombra!”

“Wouldn’t shout that too loudly if I were you,” Hanzal advises her. “He might make you regret it, find out what other nasty thoughts you have floating around in there.” He points at her head with his right wing.

The Element Bearers remain silent as the meaning of Hanzal’s words sink in. None of them have even had the mind control spell used on them as far as I’m aware, but they know what it does.

“Girls,” the little yellow pegasus with the pink mane whispers.

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow asks dubiously. So that’s her name. She never spoke loud enough for me to hear.

“Um, don’t you think King Sombra would be a bit more, um, strict towards his guards? I mean, um, they’re just sitting here. Why would he do that?”

“Good question.” Rainbow zooms across the room and hovers above the hole in the floor, giving Skywalker and Hanzal a deadpan stare. “What are they up to? Is this some sort of trap?”

“Trap?” Skywalker asks, showing indignation. “Ma’am, you insult me with such words!”

“Why would King Sombra want to set up a trap?” Hanzal adds.

Sombra chuckles by my side. “Next time I receive a tip about these mares coming to bother us, I think I will prepare something special for them.”

“What do you mean, this isn’t some crazy evil setup?”

“Evil setup?”

“Well, yeah.”

The pink one with the frizzy dark pink mane starts talking. “Yeah, those two are super duper evil! They took over the Crystal Empire, destroyed the Crystal Heart, made it look all sad and gloomy everywhere and used weird creepy dark magic on everypony. And then they started spreading these mean nasty lies about Princess Celestia and how she’s not doing a good enough job, even though I think she’s doing a super-duper job if we’re not including the Grand Galloping Gala, but some ponies started believing them and being super-duper mean to Princess Celestia and her Royal Guards, which is totally unacceptable because Twilight’s brother is the Captain of the Royal Guard and he’s awesome!” She stops to take a huge breath. Thank you, little pink pony, for telling me that a few ponies in Equestria have been giving the Solar Guards their due. “And then came the newspaper last week.”

“Ah, the newspaper… I actually appreciate that some truth was finally spoken after so many lies.” Skywalker responds before looking at them. “Speaking of which, I'd like to know the truth about whether you are just blindly following Celestia's instructions or if you have your own reasons for coming here. May I know how old you are?”

“Seriously?” Rainbow crosses her forelegs. “What sort of question is that?”

“I’m just trying to have a… civilized conversation with you, ladies.”

“Oh yeah?!” She yells. “Just like before?!”

“Fine, that was unprofessional, considering we’re supposed to be guards,” Hanzal sighs. “But it was pretty funny.”

Rainbow flies back to where the other girls are standing. “Fine. I suppose you’re being serious this time.”

“Absolutely, and I would like to humbly apologize for such poor behaviour of ours.” Skywalker replies sincerely. “Now, please, if you don’t mind telling us… how old are you?”

There is a prolonged silence, with the Element Bearers unwilling to trust those who had barely mocked them; both Sombra and I give each other with confused looks, as neither of us expected Skywalker to change his attitude so quickly. It's as if we had seen two different ponies talking, only through one single body and sharing the same voice.

As my eyes focus once again on the mirror, I can see a look of disappointment descending on Skywalker’s face. He sighs.

“Was a boring conversation anyway,” Hanzal says quietly. Then, “You best get going. You don’t really want King Sombra to find you here.”

“He has a point,” Sombra laughs.

“Before you go,” Says Skywalker. “Why exactly do you want so much to find him? ...And, before you say that it’s because he’s a tyrant, Sunbutt sent you here and all that same stuff, I want to know your reasons.”

The mention of the name 'Sunbutt' makes Twilight's eye twitch slightly.

“Um,” Rainbow says. “Um,” she adds. “You pretty much summed it up.”

“We’re here to defend Equestria and our families,” Applejack tells them.

“What, defend them from ponies like us? All we’re doing is protecting the Crystal Empire and its rulers from the likes of you walking in here. We’re not attacking your home, are we?” Hanzal says.

“Well, that doesn’t mean what you’re doing is right,” Twilight argues.

“Miss Sparkle, I understand very well that the past influences the present a great deal," Skywalker steps in the conversation. “But that doesn’t mean the present is the same as the past.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow asks. “How?”

The bat pony looks at her with a serious, yet calm look. “Every morning, for the past few days, I wake up and take a walk around the city. I see the beauty and feel its majestic atmosphere; here, I can feel calm just by taking a walk and seeing other ponies smile.”

“Oooh! Smiles! Yeah, I can understand that,” the pink earth pony pipes up. “Smiles make everypony happy.”

“Pinkie!” Twilight snaps at her. “You’re just falling into their trap! They want us to agree with them!”

“Ma’am…” Skywalker says. “I suggest you let your friend speak. I would actually like to hear each one's opinions; after all, if you were able to sneak into the castle, I’m sure you’ve seen how the citizens here live their lives.”

This takes all of the girls by surprise. Eventually, Applejack speaks up.

“Well… Ah didn’t exactly see any ponies with the mind control spell being used on ‘em. None of the glowing eyes an’ stuff. Everypony seemed happy enough, but that don’t mean things are all perfect either.”

Skywalker raises an eyebrow. “And when have I mentioned the aspect of perfection? No place in the world is perfect, no living being is perfect. Perfection… is just an illusion we all wish to accomplish in life, but that it will never be reached.”

“Yeh got a point.”

“I agree. None of us are perfect, but we’re still friends, aren’t we?” Rainbow asks the others.

“I don’t believe in total perfection, however, they have still spread nonsensical lies about Equestria’s rulers,” Rarity points out. Except she has no idea what ‘nonsensical lies’ are.

“Nonsensical lies?” He sighs. “Miss… if you only knew how much damage darn Sunbutt has done to, not only us, but the entirety of Equestria and far beyond… I assure you, your perspective would be... so different.”

“What did you just call Princess Celestia?!” Twilight bellows. “I ignored it the first time, but that’s unacceptable, it’s-”

“He called her Sunbutt,” Hanzal interjects.

“Well, he’s not exactly wrong. She does have a symbol of the sun on her butt,” Pinkie says.

Twilight sighs. “Girls, we’re leaving. King Sombra and Queen Moonlight aren’t here, and they’re probably not in this castle, so…”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Skywalker expresses. “I actually was willing to tell you everything about Sunbutt, but ok.”

The Element Bearers and the dragon trot back out of the room, but I notice both Skywalker and Hanzal smirking. Sombra too has trouble holding in his excitement.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Watch,” he tells me.

Just as Twilight is about to open the double doors, about twenty Crystal Guards burst into the room and surround them, spears pointing at the six mares and dragon. All seven of them freeze where they are standing, although Twilight dares to turn and look back at Skywalker and Hanzal.

“So, this was an evil setup!” she cries.

“What? We couldn’t just let you go after you stormed into the castle like that! Besides, I thought you wanted to speak to the King and Queen,” Hanzal smirks.

“But… I… ugh.” She mumbles. “And where are they?”

“No idea.” Skywalker replies. “All I told them was to go somewhere while we dealt with you.”

“But, if you are still desperate to speak to their majesties, I’m sure we could find the King and Queen, and ask them to go down to the dungeon,” Hanzal adds.

The realisation dawns on the six ponies and the dragon. Twilight looks positively furious. I really shouldn’t like the look on her face, but oh my goodness, it’s priceless. I burst out laughing at the scene in the mirror, and only wish that I were in the throne room right now to deliver a few insults.

“Please, take their Elements,” Skywalker orders. He tries to keep the emotion out of his voice, yet remains calm. He’s gone from being a regular stallion to the Colonel of the Crystal Army. “I wouldn’t like to have a huge hole in the side of the castle.”

The guards snatch Twilight’s crown first, then the other Elements. Rainbow Dash tries to fight the guard who steals her necklace, but a swift kick from another stops her from struggling.

“Please!” Skywalker slightly shouts. “They’re equal to us, I would like them to be treated as such. Not like they were a bunch of trash.”

This stops all of the mares in their tracks. Fluttershy opens her mouth to say something to him, but decides against it, trying to hide behind her wavy pink mane. Then the Element Bearers are frogmarched out of the room by the guards, leaving Skywalker and Hanzal to celebrate their success. Hanzal is incredibly pleased, as am I; however, Skywalker just seems relieved that the plan worked.

Finally, the Elements of Harmony - the most dangerous weapons Celestia had against the Umbrum, against myself and Sombra - are ours.

Chapter 10: Quite A Celebration

We invite Hanzal, Skywalker, Swift Lightning, Chrysalis, and Rabia to join us for dinner that evening. They all turn up, and as we walk into the dining room and take our seats around the table - with all the cutlery and a small feast in front of us - I can barely stop myself from smiling. Chrysalis shoots me a couple of inquisitive looks; however, she doesn’t have the power to read minds, so she still has no idea what is going on.

As well as the large meal, Sombra has also ordered some crystal berry wine. There is a full glass in front of each of us, even Cozy, as well as a second bottle for later. I look at each of the ponies sitting at the table. Wishbone is fussing over Cozy, much to the latter’s annoyance; Chrysalis and Rabia are talking amicably; Skywalker and Hanzal appear to be arguing, but the grins on their faces tell me that it is purely for the fun of it; Hope and Swift Lightning are chatting about Crystal-Equestrian history by the sounds of things; and best of all, Sombra is smiling at the sight of all of us enjoying ourselves.

He uses his magic to pick up a fork and gently knocks it against the side of his wine glass. Everycreature falls silent and turns to face him.

“Today,” he says, grinning, “we have achieved something great. Thanks to the hard work of Colonel Moonlight Skywalker, Commander Hanzal, and Lieutenant Swift Lightning, as well as our connections in Canterlot, we have been able to successfully obtain the Elements of Harmony and capture the Bearers.”

Everyone’s faces light up with delight. Rabia seems slightly stunned, just as Chrysalis is. Cozy Glow is ecstatic, and Wish is trying not to look pleased. Twilight was never very nice to her from what I heard, so it’s probably a huge relief to her.

“This means that Princess Celestia has now lost one of her main means of defense against us,” Sombra continues. “Furthermore, I have accepted Colonel Skywalker and Commander Hanzal’s requests to form a Crystal Army as well as a Royal Guard, so that we are even more prepared for future attacks from Equestria, or even to attack Canterlot ourselves.” He nods at the two of them. “On top of this, we have also improved our relations with other nations, as we are now joined by Queen Rabia of the Umbrum, which is an absolute honour.” He smiles at her, and she silently smiles back. “Together, we are bringing the Crystal Empire and its allies to new heights, and I doubt it will be long before the time comes when Celestia has to face both us and her actions.

“Now, let us drink to our successes and an optimistic future.”

We raise our glasses and enjoy the first bit of wine together. It’s more bitter than I thought it would be since the crystal berries I have grown to love are often very sweet, but still delicious.

“To you, my bat,” Sombra whispers. “Because this would all be impossible without you.”

“To us,” I reply.

“To your health, everyone.” Skywalker says.

Once again, we raise our glasses and drink together.

It is an enjoyable evening of talking about everything from plans for the Crystal Army to Cozy Glow’s birthday on the thirtieth of June. (This is news to me, but I’m sure we’ll end up throwing her a small party.) There’s also a lot of talk about Celestia. Her wrongdoings in the past, all her best ‘oops-I-shouldn’t-have-said-that’ moments, her probable reaction to finding out about today’s success, any retaliation we might face, all the names we need to call her, everything. Nearly everypony at the table has a tale to tell about her, and the others all listen intently.

Radiant Hope found that the School for Gifted Unicorns was not as good as she had been told. Hanzal and Skywalker have been on the Most Wanted list for many years now, and had plenty of fights with Royal Guards. Chrysalis tried to negotiate peace with Celestia in the past, but has long since given up.

“Yeh know, Ah never realised she was that bad,” Swift Lightning muses after hearing the tale of how Cozy Glow ended up in Tartarus because of her old diary. “Mind, none of this ever reached mah ears, an’ Ah didn’t go looking fer stuff like this either. The closest Ah heard was probably what Astral told me about you, Skywalker.”

“Astral, eh?” he inquires. “I can’t imagine she had, at least, one nice thing to say about me.”

“Yeh’d be surprised how much yer sister spoke about yeh, an’ how much she missed yeh when yeh left.”

“Better said,” the bat pony interjects, his expression becoming serious, “when she betrayed me by orders of Sunbutt.”

Silence falls and nopony dares to say a word for ten seconds. I know I’m supposed to stay quiet, to not get involved in other ponies’ business, but this issue isn’t going to go away.

“So Astral Charm is your sister?"

Skywalker nods. “...Yeah. We both enlisted into the Royal Guard, and ended up in the Inner Circle by our own efforts. We were close as foals, but... as time went by and we grew up, our opinions got in the way of each other.”

“Oh Tartarus,” I breathe. That explains his harsh reaction to Sombra trying to read his mind. I can only imagine how much that must have hurt after Wishbone attempted to convince me not to help Sombra.

“Damn filly believed everything Celestia told her, looked up to The Princess like a goddess… Heh. Can you believe that? A bucking goddess!”

“Yeh only know half the story-” Swift tries to say.

“I know enough, Swift. She might have missed me, but she… She…” He tries to think about a way to end his sentence but ends up giving up as a tear falls from his left eye.

“After Skywalker an’ the others defected,” Swift says on the former’s behalf, “The Princess decided that they knew too much. Guards in the Inner Circle are told a lotta government secrets an’ allowed into places like the restricted section of Canterlot Library which most ponies don’t even know exists, and she didn’t like the idea of those secrets getting out to the public. Me, Astral, and a few others… we were given the task of tracking ‘em down so they could be tried fer treason.”

“Most of them,” The bat pony corrects, then turns to me and Sombra. “My sister and Swift here were personally ordered to… execute me.”

Swift glances at his old enemy. “Yeh didn't have to say that, yeh know.”

“You of all ponies know I’m too honest to be alive, Swift.”

“True,” Swift sighs. “Skywalker and his lot were on the run fer a few years, then it all came to a head, what was it, two years ago?”

“Three.”

“That was when the battle in Hollow Shades took place. Probably nopony’ll ever know how many were lost.”

“Including her... Buckin’ Sunbutt played a c-cruel old game with us, making siblings fight to the death... You can already guess who won.”

“I-” I try to speak but my own voice begins to break. This is too much. We’re supposed to be celebrating one of the major victories of this fight against her. Not fighting each other. Not grieving losses.

Skywalker looks at me and notices my expression; in consequence, he sighs and leaves his seat. “I’ll… go check on the prisoners and guards.” His voice sounds broken, yet I can’t confirm that because of him turning his back to us. “Please, continue enjoying our… victory.” The last word is filled with sarcasm. For him, victory will only come when he has his revenge.

I can’t stay here. I can’t. The evening has been ruined, and I made a mistake by asking about Astral Charm. I need to cry, shout, scream, focus my anger on something because oh Tartarus, no living creature deserves to be put through that. I am disgusted by this revelation about the Sun Princess, and I am going to make sure she doesn’t get away with it.

Tartarus, she was right in that letter she sent with the cursed necklace.

This is very personal indeed.

I wipe the corners of my mouth with a napkin, get up out of my seat, and walk towards the doors. “I’ll go check on the Element Bearers with him. Just in case there’s any trouble.” I leave the room without a second thought.

Stay here, my love, Sombra almost begs me.

When innocent ponies and siblings are being forced to take each other’s lives? Tartarus, no. I’m going to deal with this problem right now, and there's nothing anypony can do to stop me. I walk out of the range of the telepathy spell. Without the enchanted armour, he has no idea what I’m thinking, and no idea what I’m about to do.

I race down to the dungeon after Skywalker, my legs unable to get me down the endless flights of stairs fast enough. Why are there so many stairs in this place?! Of course, Amoré could just teleport from one floor to another, but one, anypony who isn’t a unicorn or bat pony doesn’t have that luxury, and two, there’s a teleportation ward to stop ponies from just appearing in the castle and causing trouble.

I reach the main corridor in the dungeon and catch sight of him somewhere ahead of me. “Skywalker, wait!” I cry, but he doesn’t show any sign of having heard me at all. “Listen, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

He stops. “And when have I said it’s your fault?” He asks with a calm, yet broken tone.

“I know it’s not my fault, but I still shouldn’t have been so desperate to find out why you wouldn’t let Sombra read your mind.”

“...Look, i-it’s ok. Really, ma’am.”

“No… it’s not.” I reply with difficulty.

Then, I feel tears well up in my eyes and roll down my cheeks. I whisper, “Why, Celestia?”

“Why? All we did... was dig through classified and unofficial documents to find out what in Tartarus was going on…” He looks at me. “You have a-any idea of what we found? A bucking list of crimes carried out by damn Celestia herself, or even her subordinates… Each and every one of them… d-detailed to the finest.”

“What did she do?”

Silence.

“What in the name of Grogar did she do?! I want to know all of her crimes and make her pay for every single thing she’s done wrong!”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, his head lowers until his gaze remains fixed on the ground, letting the silence endure while having a lost look in the dark which wraps his past in a cold blanket of guilt, hatred, and resentment.

He pulls a face the moment a tear falls. “W-We… We just wanted to get away from all that bullshit. It was… too much to think about.”

“How much is she hiding?”

“If you only knew… Some of the records, they d-dated back to when she and Princess Luna were pretty much kids, when they were in their early twenties.”

“Early twenties. That must have been roundabout when Discord first appeared and Grogar returned, right?”

“Yes.”

I bite my lip. “Grogar was the one who turned regular ponies into bat ponies and Umbrum, which would explain where her hatred came from.”

“And the things she did to some of them…”

“Luna was always known to be a bit of a butcher on the battlefield, but Celestia hasn’t let anypony remember what she did... except in those records you found.”

“Bingo.”

I sink to my knees. “How can anypony be so cruel?! And to think the Element Bearers probably have no idea about all of this… It’s disgusting."

He lets an ironic laugh, filled with emptiness in his voice. “You tell me.”

“We have to do something.”

“If that’s the case, what do you propose?”

A plan begins to formulate in my head, and I give a cruel smile as I think of how much chaos this will cause in Canterlot. “We need to tell everypony. The Element Bearers, the nobles of Canterlot, everypony in Equestria and the Crystal Empire.”

“No.”

“If nopony knows, nopony’s going to help us. It’s worth a try, at least.”

“No. I- ... I agree about telling the Bearers, but not everyone. I have friends who are still in Equestria. Darn Sunbutt will know who’s behind it, she’ll find them… a-and she will punish them to punish me. I can’t let any more people suffer because of my mistakes.”

I sigh, “This is getting out of hoof. If that mare ruins any more lives, I am going to be the one who ruins hers.”

He stares at me with his left eye with an intensity I haven’t seen before. “Ma’am, I ask you to not take this too personally, but… If you were given the opportunity, would you kill her?”

“I-” It takes me a moment to think about this. “It depends. I probably wouldn’t, but it really depends on how much she’s hurt me and other ponies around me by that point.”

“And what about King Sombra?”

I grin. “He’d send her to the sun.”

Skywalker can’t help but chuckle at that. His look is still a sad one, but at least I’ve managed to improve his mood enough to, once again, see a smile form on his face.

“You really are impossible,” He jokes. “but still… I would like to make her see the mistakes and pain she’s done to us all and put her on trial as a consequence. Then, if she doesn’t want to accept justice… we might consider your ideas.”

“And how much consideration would you need to deliver such a harsh punishment?”

“...Honestly? Not that much.” He admits. “But still, we cannot give a bad example to Equestria and its citizens. I mean, if we do something like punishing Celestia herself without a trial, we would just give the entire population a reason to not trust us. We must be better than... Sunbutt.”

“Agreed. So, should we go check on the Element Bearers?”

He nods. “I… think so, yeah.”

“Ok, let’s go find them and convince them that we’ve all lost it,” I joke.

“Brilliant idea, Ma’am.”

We walk through the dungeon corridor in silence, but both of us are aware of the other’s thoughts and struggles we have been through. A particularly nasty thought occurs to me, however: if nopony can read Skywalker’s mind, the chances are that nopony can enter his dreams, and who knows what they must be like if he has all of this to think about? One day, though, I’ll convince him that he doesn’t need to use those spells to stop Dreamwalkers, because most of them just want to help other ponies, but something tells me that that day will only come when he knows Celestia can’t hurt anypony else.

Chapter 11: Elements of Destruction

We eventually reach the cells occupied by the Element Bearers. Each pony has been located in a different cell as a way to try to stop them from communicating. However, I hear their hushed whispers as we walk closer to them, whispers about escape plans and how ‘cruel’ the guards were to them earlier.

“You have food and water here, and the floor isn’t that uncomfortable. If you want better conditions, then you’ll have to build a prison somewhere above ground,” I tell them.

Silence falls, and each of the six mares walks gingerly to the very front of the cells and attempt to poke their heads through the bars to look at me and Skywalker. Each of them shows a certain amount of fear on their faces, but I don’t want to hurt them, not really.

I continue, “You probably think I’m here to mock you for falling into that trap earlier, but I have more important things to think about. I hear you said something about wanting to speak to myself and King Sombra. Unfortunately, the King isn’t here, but I’m fine with passing on any questions and messages to him later.”

“How about ‘let us go or Princess Celestia’s gonna bust us outta here and whoop your flanks’?!” Rainbow shouts.

“I’ll tell him you said that, yes. Now, what do you really want to say to me?”

“Why?” Twilight asks. “Why are you doing this? You have magic, you had friends and a normal life back in Equestria, you had everything you could have wanted!”

“I didn’t have a mother, or the love of my life, and I only had one friend. Now I have a lot more friends, and they’re friends who actually treat me like a pony.”

“Are you a pony, though?”

That question gets on my nerves. “I’m a pony just as much as you are, Twilight. I was born a pony, and I will be a pony for as long as I live.”

“But you’re not. You’re an Umbrum.”

“Ouch, speciest. Bad enough that you keep calling me a vampire.” I pretend to be annoyed at her. “So because I’m an Umbrum you can be horrible to me? And Celestia can be horrible to me?”

“Says the pony who destroyed the Crystal Heart,” Applejack mutters.

“Fine, I don’t have a perfectly clean track record,” I admit. “But I ended up on the moon purely by accident, I wasn’t trying to help Nightmare Moon until I got stuck there with her and we spent a whole millennium with nothing to do except think about revenge. And with Sombra, I’ve said it already, and I’ll say it again: he deserved a second chance and you weren’t going to give it to him.”

As I walk past Fluttershy’s cell, she quivers and retreats into the darkness. I stop in front of her, feeling a slight pang of guilt. “Hey. I’m still annoyed with all of you, but I’m not about to use dark magic on you.”

She tucks her head under a wing and says nothing.

“What if… you let me try this time?” Skywalker whispers.

I nod, and take a step back, allowing him to take control of the situation.

I look at how he approaches the cell; his pace is actually pretty calm, as he comes close to the cell bars, he sits in front of it, looking at the mare inside.

“Greetings,” He says. “Fluttershy, right?”

The mare doesn’t respond with any words, but with a slight nod.

“It’s okay,” He assures her. “I don’t bite. None of us do… Name’s Moonlight Skywalker, a pleasure.”

A sigh comes from the stallion as he notices the mare trying her best to ignore him, still hiding her head under her wing.

“I… understand how you feel right now,” he admits. “You’re scared of us, and you that we would harm you without any consideration; however, I assure you… we’re not like that.”

Silence.

“You might… see me as nothing, but someone who works for tyrants.” He says. “But it isn’t like that... I’m just a simple stallion making his own way into this world.”

That’s when I finally see the pegasus look at him, her sea-green eyes reflecting fear, though not as much as I expected from the shy one of the group. Perhaps Skywalker’s words are actually working and, honestly, I'm glad. She shows some interest in his speech, tucking her wing back by her side; nonetheless, she still doesn’t dare to approach him, which is kind of understandable.

With this, Skywalker looks down and lets out an ironic chuckle. “I actually consider you all lucky.” He admits with a tone that reminds me of weird nostalgia. “It sure sounds weird but… after having been in exile for an entire decade, having lost so many, and feeling broken on the inside, you should expect a lot of nonsense coming from me.”

“Exile?” Rarity says dubiously. “What could you have done to make Princess Celestia want to exile you?”

“Not much, actually,” I say on his behalf before he loses it. “Nothing illegal, really. Twilight, you’ll know more about this than I do, since your brother is the Captain of the Royal Guard. Am I right in saying that certain guards with important roles are given certain perks that the other guards don’t have?”

“Well, yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

“That would include being allowed in the restricted section of Canterlot’s library, then.”

Her eyes practically bulge out of their sockets. “There’s a restricted section?! And Princess Celestia never told me?”

“I’m not surprised,” Skywalker replies. “She hid a lot from everyone, even the Inner Circle of the Royal Guard.”

“I - you’re lying, there can’t be a restricted section! Princess Celestia would have told me! She tells me everything! She’s never lied to me about anything!”

“Well,” The stallion says again. “What if we test that theory?”

I turn towards him, confused, but as soon as I see him walking towards Applejack, I can immediately guess what he’s referring to.

As soon as he sits in front of the country mare, he explains his plan.

“Ask me anything, miss.” The ex-Lunar Guard looks at her. “Any question, it can be about classified information, personal things… anything.”

“Well, Ah… Uh…”

“Take your time,” He tells her. “I’m patient.”

“What’s yer favourite thing about Equestria?”

Skywalker looks surprised by this. “Oh wow,” He says. “I actually wasn’t expecting that kind of question… but okay. It would be… its landscapes, yeah. I can’t deny the beauty of Equestria’s environment.”

She stares at him for a few seconds, then nods. “Eeyup, he’s tellin’ the truth.”

“However,” The bat pony interjects. “I am fully aware that such a simple question might not be enough for you all to trust me… so, what if each one of you makes me answer a question and the lady over here confirms my honesty?”

“Oooh! I’ve got one!” the pink earth pony cries.

“Please, go ahead.”

“So, let’s say you were super-duper running low on money and as you were walking down the street you saw somepony’s huge bag of money on the floor, what would you do? Would you leave it there, or take it to the Royal Guards, or would you take it?”

“...You sure are too smart to even exist.” He says in a chuckle. “If I can trust the Royal Guards, then yeah, I would give it to them so they can return it to its owner.”

"If you could trust them,” I add.

“Exactly.” He responds. “If not, then I would be asking around if the bag belonged to anyone there.”

“And if yeh couldn’t find out who it belonged to?” Applejack wonders.

“Well… guess I never considered that option.” He admits once more. “But, I would continue, perhaps asking someone else to help me find the owner. I was raised by my parents to help as much as possible, after all… And I will never stop until I accomplish my goal.”

“Snap, you’re making me look terrible now,” I giggle. “I’ve always been a scavenger since I was a little foal, and if that purse is just in the middle of the street, it’s fair game for anypony who walks past. Well done, Skywalker.”

He nods, then turns back towards the six mares in the prison cells. “Now, who’s next?”

“What are your parents’ names?” Rainbow says.

Skywalker opens his mouth to speak, but no words leave. As soon as I notice that, I analyse his expression; I can confirm he’s willing to provide his parents' names, but it seems like something prevents him to just saying them.

“I… They… I... I actually don’t remember.”

I raise an eyebrow at this. He seems lost in thought as he tries to remember who they were. Nonetheless, it seems as if the names are just... gone.

“He’s still tellin’ the truth,'' Applejack confirms. “He’s not lying.”

“N-Next question.”

Fluttershy seems to have regained some of her courage, because she gingerly trots to the front of the cell and says, “Um, sir, what is the - the worst thing you’ve ever said or done?”

I can tell from his facial expressions that she’s hit a nerve. If a few minutes ago he was upset, now I can tell that he's distraught. The dark void of negativity has swallowed him and taken his usually cheerful attitude, as his words are cold, direct and extremely disheartening.

"K-killing my sister."

The six mares gasp. Despairingly, Fluttershy looks to the cell opposite her, where Applejack is imprisoned, and the latter answers, forlorn, “Eeyup. But summat tells me it wasn’t his fault, and he would’ve done almost anythin’ ter stop it.”

“I don’t need to hear anything else,” Rarity sighs. “I believe him, and I believe Applejack.”

“No,” Skywalker says. “I- I promised each one of you a question… and I ain’t leaving until I respond to all of them.” He glances in the direction of Twilight’s cell. “This includes the baby dragon too.”

It takes a few moments for the next pony to say something. The new speaker turns out to be Rainbow Dash. “So, I know I’ve already had a question, but I just thought of something and I, er, just got a bit curious.”

“That’s fine.”

“When I first saw you, er, lost one of your wings and you’ve got a replacement that looks pretty cool, but now… I can’t help but think… How did it happen? I’m sorry if it’s a harsh question.” she adds.

“Hey,” He says calmly. “It’s ok. A promise is a promise, and I won’t judge you. After all, I let you ask me literally anything...” He takes a long breath. “About six years ago, I think... lost my wing in an ambush set by the Royal Guard; one of managed to cut some parts of it off with a sword, and after escaping, my wing had to be replaced with a prosthetic."

“The Royal Guard? Hey, I thought they were supposed to be protecting ponies!”

"Our group had been on exile for quite a while... and being on the Most Wanted list didn't make things any easier."

This raises a question in my own head. “How did you afford such a good replacement, then?”

“Well, some pegasus friends helped cover the cost. Maybe one day I’ll be able to pay them back. If... they weren’t caught, that is.”

“Dang,” Rainbow sighs. “But it sounds like those friends of yours are pretty loyal if they’d help you like that despite you being an outlaw.”

“Nah, they weren’t loyal at all." He stops and glances at her. "They just… kind of agreed with what we fought for.”

Rarity speaks next. “I imagine being in such a high position in the Royal Guard means you got to meet some extraordinary ponies. What did you like the most about it before you left?”

“Well, extraordinary isn't the word I'd use... and I doubt you would believe me if I told you that there’s only one pony I could show respect among the nobility...” He looks at her with a serious expression. "Right?"

“I, well, I don’t know. Everything you’ve said so far seems to be true, so I think I could. However, I don’t know why she is still here.” She scowls at me.

“I’m the Queen of the Crystal Empire, and this dungeon happens to be part of the castle I now call home. I’m allowed to walk around my own home, aren’t I?”

“Tch-” She has to stop herself from saying something rude and goes back to acting like a lady.

“Besides, she’s a friend of mine,” Skywalker says, interrupting the small argument. “Now, let’s be a little more tolerant of each other, ok?”

Applejack tells everypony, “He’s right, yeh know. We can’t all go arguin’ amongst ourselves like some wild ponies out the Everfree Forest-”

I clear my throat.

“Oh, right. Sorry, uh, Yer Majesty.”

“Well,” The stallion expresses. “Now that the issue among you ladies is solved… let’s go with the next question.”

The only two left are Twilight and the dragon. The latter pokes his snout through the bars, seemingly unfazed by the situation. “So, who’s your best friend?”

“Remember that pegasus guard you met earlier?” He smiles. “That’s the pony. Stuck by my side through everything over the last eighteen years despite being a good fifteen years younger than me.”

“Now that is loyalty,” Rainbow says.

Skywalker lets out a small chuckle as he keeps smiling. “You can say that again, ma’am.”

The final pony to speak is Twilight, though she seems reluctant to say anything. Eventually, she asks him, “Why did you decide to come here and work for King Sombra and her?” She casts a scathing look in my direction. “Surely you know that they’re tyrants?”

“Hem hem,” I say, using a little dark magic. It’s mainly to frighten her, but I need to do something else too. “This is no different to the prisons in Equestria, believe it or not. Actually, most of our laws are similar to Equestria’s. Stop acting so ungrateful before I decide to give you a harsher punishment for coming here with the Elements of Harmony to try and assassinate me and my husband.”

“How did you know that?!”

“Do you mean, did I read your mind?” I ask. “I did a moment ago, but only to confirm what I already thought was happening.”

“Besides, having those Elements and saying you want to talk…” Skywalker trails off. “...doesn’t exactly help to hide your true intentions.”

She stares at us, then looks down at the floor in defeat. “Fine, Celestia sent us here and told us it was one of the only ways to save the ponies here. But we came here to save ponies.”

“Heh. Now that is a funny statement…” The bat stallion replies.

Sparkle looks at him with confusion.

“How will you save ponies from a land in which they already live pretty well, if you ask me, and their rulers - at least - don’t dare to be assholes?”

Twilight feels insulted by such a choice of words and attacks. "Now, hold on a moment! Celestia isn't an-!"

"My sister was sent to execute me!" The stallion cuts her off with a remarkably angry cry.

This takes everypony by surprise. Applejack remarks, “Now Ah knew yeh had yer reasons for being cruel to yer sister, but Ah had no idea it was something like that. And Princess Celestia actually told her to do that to you?”

He doesn’t respond, but a tear falling from his eye is more than enough to answer such a question.

“Ah see.” She cranes her neck to try and look at Twilight. “Ah think we’ve done enough interrogating ‘im now. If he were a liar, he wouldn’t ‘ave told us about his sister.”

“I’m with AJ here,” Rainbow says.

Twilight snorts. “That’s still no excuse for working for King Sombra. And he might not be lying, but he’s obviously exaggerating the truth. She was probably just sent to arrest him, and then he did that to his own sister. And we don’t know how many other ponies he could have done that to. For all we know, it might be the reason why he ended up on the Most Wanted list in the first place!”

I'm about to say something between a whisper and a sob prevents me from doing so; despite not knowing who it came from, we all turn to Skywalker.

"What?" The lavender unicorn asks.

"I d-didn't kill a-anyone before e-... exile..." He corrects; then, a glance at Twilight makes her look at me. I can't understand why she does that, but a thought makes me realise something... She is searching for other 'culprits'. Other reasons to hate us. Other reasons to show us no mercy.

In an instant, he cleans his tears and recovers his previous posture "We - Sunbutt thought stealing official documents that detailed her crimes would be more than enough excuse to make us walk through Tartarus itself."

His head turns at the others, then again at Twilight. He allows another tear to fall as his breathing begins to shake once more. This conversation has crushed him entirely. Suddenly, as if he’s sick of all the disgusting truths that the purple unicorn doesn’t want to believe, the bat pony proceeds to take off his eye patch.

"What are you-"

The unicorn's voice dies away as she looks at where Skywalker's eye used to be, perplexed at the long scar that crosses said place. She isn't the only one puzzled; everypony else looks shocked as well because of how horrifying said wound must have been. I hadn't realised before, but from something Hope told me a day or two ago about wounds and how to treat them, I know that such a large injury could only have been inflicted with a very sharp cold weapon.

I banish that thought as a sigh from the Colonel catches my attention. "I may exaggerate some things in life, ma'am... but, I assure you, this..." He points at his scar with a hoof. "This ain't one of them!"

His voice begins to sound angry and broken, more tears fall from the remaining eye as he continues talking. “S-She took advantage of me not knowing of her betrayal and stabbed me!”

Twilight opens her mouth but is cut by Skywalker.

“She betrayed me... m-my sister… t-took my eye!”

“I..." The mare looks at the ground for a moment, then a stern look replaces the sad expression that was there before. "I don’t believe you. It’s all so convenient. Everypony here has a tragic tale about how Celestia ruined their lives, but that’s not the Celestia I know, and I’ve been her personal student for twelve years.”

“And I’ve known her for over a thousand,” I snap at her. “I worked in the Lunar Guard too, and whilst I wasn’t anywhere near as high a rank as Skywalker, I spent enough time around her to find out what she’s really like when the sun goes down and nopony else is awake to see or hear her.” I storm right up to her cell. She might be taller than I am, but she’s on the other side of the bars, and I can sense her fear. I can hear her short gasps for air, and the thoughts racing through her mind. I can see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead, the terror in her eyes.

And I couldn’t care less.

Not stepping away from the bars of her cell, I continue, “He knows things about Celestia that he won’t tell anypony, and he’s gone as far as using illegal magic to stop Dreamwalkers seeing his dreams or the likes of myself and the King reading his mind. Not because he’s scared, but because he’s sparing other ponies the pain of knowing what he knows.

“There is so much even I don’t know about her. She was around when Discord first tried to take control of Equestria, and she and Luna were Equestria’s rulers when Grogar launched his second attack. She’s seen and done a lot, and it’s been lost to time. I shouldn’t be surprised, really, since she allowed both me and my mother - her sister - to vanish into legends. Believe what you want, keep praying to your goddess, but just remember that there’s a lot that you still don’t know about the world. Goodnight.” I turn around swiftly and walk back the way I came, Skywalker trailing behind me after him wishing them all goodnight.

Twilight has no idea, does she? And unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about it. Even Sombra, with his extensive knowledge of mind magic, couldn’t make her realise the truth. He could force her to say certain things under the mind control spell, he could probably make her relive certain events, he could even show her the truth in the mirror - but he can’t make her agree with us. She’s a lost cause, definitely.

The other Elements? Applejack knows we were telling the truth, and some of the others might keep an open mind. I have a feeling Rarity is just as bad as Twilight, and Fluttershy might be too shaken by the topics of the conversation to take anything on board, but I have high hopes for Rainbow Dash and the pink earth pony whose name I really need to learn. It’s bound to be something really obvious, but it just never stays in my mind. Oh well. At least they can’t run off and tell Celestia what a nasty old mare I am.

Author's Note

What do you do when you're self-isolating in your summer holiday, there's no WiFi and you're running out of mobile data for the month?

Open a Google Document and let your ideas go wild.

~ Angel

Chapter 12: A Cozy Celebration - Part 1

Author's Note

Have your weekly dose of crazy ponies and dark magic a day early. :)

Chapter 12: A Cozy Celebration - Part 1

I'm on my daily walk around the Crystal Empire the next day, minding my own business as usual, when I hear somepony whisper, "Psst! Queen Moonlight!"

I look around, but can't find the source of the sound, so I continue walking. Nothing else happens for a few minutes. Then I hear a succession of clicks and squeaks that roughly translates to, "Look up, I'm sitting on the roof."

I look at all of the rooftops and spot the little bat pony filly, the one who arrived with Skywalker's friends. She gives me a big toothy grin and flutters down towards me, then hovers in mid-air in front of me, her tiny purple wings flapping ten to the dozen.

"Hi there," she says. "My name's Lucky."

I smile. "Hello, Lucky. What can I do for you?"

"I, um, I wanted to talk about Cozy Glow."

My smile widens. I wonder what trouble she's got herself into this time. "Oh?"

"Well, um, she and I both go to the same school now, and me and a few other foals in the class got together and started wondering about her. She's not that good at making friends, and we don't really know why, but, um, we thought maybe a way of making her realise we want to be her friends would be to throw her a party? If we're allowed," she adds hastily.

She whistles and about ten other foals pop out of their hiding places behind hedges and gates leading to other gardens. All of a sudden, I'm surrounded by a dozen smiling faces, being asked if they could throw a surprise party for Cozy Glow.

I don't really know the first thing about throwing a foal's birthday party, since I think I only went to a party once or twice, but what I do know is that it can't be any worse than the Grand Galloping Gala. "I don't see why not," I muse. "Of course, I'll have to speak to King Sombra, but I don't think he'll say no to a little group of colts and fillies celebrating one of his best friend's birthdays."

"We'll have to start straight away!" a colt exclaims. He seems a few years younger than the rest of them. "We need to make invites for everypony. Maybe they could say: 'You're invited to Princess Cozy Glow's royal birthday party'."

Oh my Celestia, this is adorable. I might not know much about birthdays, but my inner child is far too excited to let me back out of a challenge like this. I might even be able to draw out Cozy Glow's inner foal and convince her that the world isn't always so grim. Poor filly. I haven't done enough for her really, so maybe this is a chance to make amends for all of that too.

"It's a lovely idea. Really. Cozy is going to love this. But the only problem now is that I have to try and keep it a secret from her."

They all giggle. "Don't worry, we won't tell her either." I recognise her by her light pink mane and red coat: her name is Ruby.

"Now all I have to do is speak to King Sombra, and I'm sure we'll be able to do something."

"Thank you!" they chorus. I say goodbye to them and feel a warm fuzzy feeling inside that I haven't had in a while.

Later, I find a moment to talk to Sombra about the idea the foals have, and ask if we could do something special for Cozy's one thousand and seventy second birthday.

"No," he tells me. "We have all six Bearers and their Elements, plus Rabia is now on our side and we have the beginnings of an army forming. We are in the perfect position to turn on the offensive and attack Canterlot. Now isn't the time for birthday parties."

"And what about our honeymoon? Will that still be happening?"

"It depends on the situation."

"Ouch," I say, annoyed. "I don't know what should make me more upset. The fact that we won't be able to go on a honeymoon together, or the fact that I made a deal with those foals, and now I have to be the villain again and tell them that it's not happening. I don't like disappointing others."

"I know, but we have priorities, Moonlight."

"Please?" I beg.

"My love, we have to think about looking after our kingdom and ourselves before we start throwing parties and going on holidays."

"Fine, I'll go tell the foals that there won't be a party. But I'm not taking the blame if they storm in here with a thousand-signature petition." I begin to trudge out of the room.

He sighs, "Moonlight, this is ridiculous, but it it makes you happy, then yes, we will hold a surprise party for Cozy Glow, and yes, we will go on a little trip together. Are you happy now, my little bat?"

"Yes. Thank you." I walk back over to him and rub my head against his. He wraps a foreleg around me and pulls me closer to him, stroking my make softly like he always does. Yet it doesn't feel right. I look up at him, and I can tell he's unhappy without reading his mind.

"What's wrong?"

"What is wrong, Moonlight? We are resting on our laurels when we should be fighting Celestia, working towards defeating her once and for all."

"We are. A little party and a few days in Starlight's village won't hurt. Whilst we're visiting Starlight we'll probably bring along a ton of ponies to protect the village just in case the Solar Guards decide to visit her."

"We still have a lot of work to do."

"But we need a break. I don't think you realise this, but Skywalker is absolutely broken inside. Swift and Hanzal probably don't feel that great either. New ponies and creatures have turned up and we need to think about them and their responsibilities too. We have to slow down a bit."

He lifts my chin up with a hoof and my eyes meet his. "I know, my love. I know."

I close my eyes and lean closer to him. We remain like that for a few minutes, sitting there silently and not needing to read each other's minds. We've achieved the impossible already, and Sombra's right, there is so much more we can and need to achieve, but we also need to enjoy the calm and the quiet more often.

"Gee, stop it. I can deal with romance, but it's the two of you. There's something about you both that makes me feel sick."

"Cozy," I grumble, "maybe leave the two of us alone to enjoy each other's company?"

"Nah, I like annoying you."

My Celestia, that filly. All the more reason to throw her this surprise party. Maybe if I do something completely unexpected like that, she'll treat me with a shred of decency.

Now all I have to do is try to plan it without her getting in the way.

At dinner, there's a knock on the front door and a guard sprints into the dining room. "Queen Moonlight, Your Majesty, there's a little filly who says she wants to speak to you," he informs me.

"Ok." I get up and tell the others, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

I trot through the castle corridors and am led by the guard into the lounge, where I find Ruby. She's sitting on the sofa carefully sipping a glass of apple juice. She looks up at me and smiles. "We've sorted out some of the invitations, Queen Moonlight. I was just wondering if King Sombra said we were allowed?"

"He said yes."

"Yay!" she squeals. Then, quieter, "Now what do we sort out next? Balloons? Streamers? Food? Games?"

"Hmm, some games to make the party more interesting."

"What about pin-the-tail-on-the-pony?"

Nostalgia attacks me from out of nowhere. How do I still remember playing this as a foal with my own friends?! It was centuries ago! "Brilliant idea," I tell her, although I have a feeling Lucky is most likely to win, since she has the advantage of echolocation.

"But where should we have the party?"

An idea hits me. "Maybe we could have a few of the party games in the throne room, and then we could go to the dining room. Have you gone in there before?"

"Once, and it's huge. Not everypony in the class wants to come to the party, so if it's just everypony who was there this morning and a few grown-ups it'll be perfect!"

A few alarm bells go off in my head. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why don't the other foals want to join in?"
She hesitates. "Some of them, mainly the fillies... They think Cozy's weird, and they don't like spending time with her. She is a little, but that doesn't mean she can't be friends with us. I think she's really cool, though. She's a pegasus so she can fly, and she's like a princess too."

My heart is melting faster than ever. Foals at this age are adorable. Something has to be done before I squee in front of them like the Element Bearers would.

"She is a princess, and with this party, hopefully we'll make her feel like one too."

Over the next few days, I spend increasing amounts of time around the foals, helping them prepare for the party. They've made the invites and a whole ton of decorations themselves. I've spoken to Shimmer the cook and she says she's going to bake a cake for the foals to enjoy. Lucky herself has introduced me to the wonderful food known as 'popcorn': tiny kernels of corn heated until they explode which can then be covered in a topping of your choice. A treat that wasn't discovered until after my banishment to the moon with Luna, and something I can't believe I've never tasted before because oh my goodness, it's absolutely delicious when you add toffee or sugar.

However, Cozy begins to suspect that something is going on when the foals keep coming into the castle to talk to me. She starts trailing around after me every minute of the day that she can, keeping an eye on where I'm going and who I'm talking to. That sneaky filly even tries to walk on the ceiling and use her wings to keep her up there in the hope that I won't notice her, but she soon gives up after falling a couple of times.

Eventually, on the third day of trying to avoid her, she corners me in the lounge and begins to interrogate me right away. "So, Moonlight, why are you speaking to every single foal in the neighborhood except me all of a sudden? Don't you have important grown-up stuff to be doing like planning invasions and bucking your-"

"Language!" I moan at her."Why are you spending your own precious time asking me stupid questions when you have better things to be doing? And why is it your business?"

"I'm on to you, just remember that." She struts off without another word. She's a nightmare, I swear. All of this effort to make a surprise party, and she's sticking her nose in my business. Then, when we do finally reveal the secret, she'll probably say something like, "Gee, is that all?" or some other cutting remark.

Two days before the party, we have almost everything ready. On the thirtieth of June, at four in the afternoon, the party will start. There will be all of the usual party games: pin-the-tail-on-the-pony, pass the parcel, musical statues and a pinata. (Another thing that I never had as a foal, but I already know that Cozy will love the idea of whacking a cardboard Celestia full of sweets with a baseball bat.) There will be enough junk food for all of the foals as well as the adults who I've asked to help me keep an eye on the little ones. The only thing I've had trouble with is trying to find out what sort of presents to get her.

She's never going to wear a little-girly dress, jewellery or make-up. She's already managed to 'acquire' a few ribbons and bows for her mane and tail, and I heard her saying that she's going to wear this huge bow covered in golden sequins in her mane on her birthday. The comic books she loves are from the Crystal Library and she's read most of them, so there's not much point in buying any of those for her. (Not to mention that she shouldn't be reading them in the first place. I had a leaf through one of them and some of the scenes in there made me feel slightly uneasy.) I can't see her playing with dolls either, though. I want to get her something that she'll cherish, something unique for her to remember me by in years to come. Yet I don't know enough about her to know what she really likes.

The foals hold a meeting and I turn up to express my worries about getting the perfect gift. The rest of them seem just as clueless as I am, until little Lucky pipes up, I might know something that you could get her."

"I'm all ears," I say immediately.

"Ok, everypony, don't laugh at this, but... What about a teddy bear or a plushie?"

I have to stuff my hoof in my mouth to stop myself from bursting into a fit of giggles. I compose myself and ask her, "A plushie?! You mean, one of those little stuffed horse dolls that are enchanted to say stuff to the pony holding it?"

"Uh-huh. It's not much, and I know it sounds silly, but I heard something about her having a teddy a long time ago that she really loved, and I thought, well, maybe she'd like a new one."

Suddenly, the memory comes flooding back to me of a time when there was an unexpected attack from a ton of Solar Guards, and whilst we were watching the battle she told me about her beloved teddy and how horrible her old family were. Lucky isn't mad; she's a genius. It's such an obvious, clichéd answer, but it's amazing at the same time.

"Oh my goodness. I don't think you realise, but that's the perfect gift for Cozy. Thanks, Lucky!"

"No problem." She beams with pride.

"Now all I have to do is find a really good teddy bear for her. Any ideas?"

Everypony turns towards a little blue unicorn filly, who simply says, "My mum does a lot of sewing, and she sells the things she makes sometimes."

Life is odd. Sometimes it will throw a million obstacles at you at once, and other times it makes everything as convenient as possible. This time, thankfully, it's the latter. A gift from the stars themselves.

I grin at the unicorn. "Lead the way. I've got a birthday present to buy for the craziest little filly I've ever met."

Chapter 13: A Cozy Celebration - Part 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 14: Wrath of the Fire

Princess Celestia’s POV

She took Twilight. The vampire took the filly I call my daughter. I love everypony in Equestria, but there are some who are closer to me than others. The closest thing I have to a daughter is gone. The thought of what they might do to her sickens me, and I can’t risk losing her. She is an Element Bearer too, and the loss of her, her friends and the Elements will mean that the vampire has an even greater chance of winning. But my little student…

That vampire has Tartarus to pay.

The only pony who has been able to lessen the pain is Aurora, High-Priestess of the Guardians of Sunlight. I had originally thought that the group had died out centuries ago, but I found out a few weeks ago that they were not just surviving but thriving, and that they care for Equestria just as I do.

I’m waiting outside the church. From the street, it looks quite unassuming, with the stained glass windows being the only sign that the building is significant. Inside, however, it is beautiful, and everything they have done is for me. I’m ever so grateful for what they have done to show their respect for me.

The front doors open, and I’m ushered into the entrance hall by two pegasus stallions. They take me into the church proper, and everypony in the large room turns to look at me. I’m not startled, though. I’ve done this enough times over the last fifteen hundred years or so to get used to it.

I walk down the aisle in the centre, towards Aurora. Her fur is pale blue, and her eyes are green, not purple, but in so many ways she reminds me of myself. Her mane is wavy and pastel pink, like mine at her age. She’s about the same height as I was at her age. Her white and gold cape looks like a wedding dress, except it has my cutie mark on the back. She’s more beautiful than I was at her age, definitely. And she’s so sweet and wonderful, and despite being the High-Priestess of this church that was founded over a thousand years ago by a group of admirers, she sees me as so much more than The Princess of Equestra, and so much more than the Alicorn of the Sun.

She told me the other night when I walked through Canterlot with her that no pony who has ever lived could fill her heart with such joy as what I bring her. She confessed that she had loved me for a long time, and only hoped that we could grow closer in time’s due course. She would hardly be the only individual to confess her love for me over my lifetime, but she is one of the few whom I have genuinely loved back.

She smiles as I reach the front of the hall and walk up the steps to the altar. “Princess Celestia, it is an honour to have you here,” she says with glee.

“And it is an honour to be here, High-Priestess Aurora,” I reply. I look down at each and every one of the faces in the hall, all of them waiting expectantly for me to say what I came here to tell them. My face falls slightly. “If only it were in times of peace, in times when I could spend longer here with all of you.

“What I am about to tell you is not allowed to reach the ears of the wider public. I am here to inform you of a terrible tragedy and ask of you all a huge task. For some of you, this may be a little hard to swallow, and you may find yourselves disappointed with me due to some of my actions, but-”

“Disappointed?” Aurora interrupts. “Princess, I’m sure you misunderstand us. Nopony is perfect, but if we were disappointed in you, we wouldn’t be gathered here today. And I am sure that all of us are willing to step up to the plate and do whatever you need us to do.” She closes her eyes and bows before me.

Seeing her there is such a welcome sight. She, at least, respects me, and the rest of the church are likely to do as she says. I am safe.

“Thank you, Aurora, I appreciate it,” I continue. “Unfortunately, the noble Bearers of the Elements of Harmony were recently taken into the custody of the Crystal Empire, and the Element Bearers have been arrested and imprisoned.” I pause to allow everypony to process this. “Furthermore, to the north of Equestria there is some unrest amongst the ponies. I care deeply for everypony, but I fear that the dark magic that has claimed the Crystal Empire may be spreading, and I need to stop it. But I can’t do this on my own.

“I need a group of strong-willed individuals to travel north with a group of my Solar Guards to the places where the unrest is at its worst. Your presence may help some ponies to feel more comfortable around the Solar Guards and improve negotiations with them. However, you also need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, which is a fight breaking out. I hate the idea of sending ponies into high-risk situations, but my hope is that you will be able to calm things down before they get to that stage.”

“Are there any volunteers?” Aurora inquires.

Around seventy ponies stand up, and Aurora herself raises her hoof.

“Remain standing if you are or have been a part of the Royal Guard or have had any combat training in the last five years,” I order.

A few ponies sit down, and I count the remaining faces. Fifty seven ponies, including Aurora. I do actually recognise some of them from the Royal Guard, but I have never met the majority of those who are here today. I find myself smiling, though. Fifty seven willing volunteers to pick from, and I only need a small group.

“I need fifteen of you to travel north to a small town. The pony in charge of the place has been in correspondence with the two ponies who think they rule the Crystal Empire. My advice is to negotiate before you get into a fight, but if they are too far gone to come around, don't be afraid to be forceful.”

“Hmm, I am happy to go there, as I’m lucky enough to have been given training by some of the current and veteran Royal Guards in here,” Aurora tells me. “There are at least twenty five Solar Guards here who have volunteered, Princess.”

“That is wonderful,” I say, smiling. “But I think a few of them might have put their names down already, actually.”

“There's two or three from the Inner Circle here, Princess. Have any of them volunteered?”

“There are quite a few ponies from the Inner Circle who will be joining the ponies you select, Aurora.”

“That knocks Sunny Flare and Comet Trail off the list, then. But wait... I know she isn’t in the Inner Circle any more, but what about Astral Charm?”

“Astral Charm?” I ask, surprised. “I thought she was… Never mind.” There are more important things to do than wonder how she and her family survive in the most impossible situations. “How long has she been here for?”

“A couple of years now. Of course, the church wasn’t as big then as it is now.”

“I didn’t see her amongst everypony else, but if she would like to help out I would be happy to have her back.”

Eventually, I am given a list of fifteen ponies who are able to travel to the villages which have been the most troublesome. My mind is at ease, for all of them have been trained by Solar Guards or had experience working in the Royal Guard in the past. What has surprised me the most, however, is the presence of a few bat ponies, including Astral Charm. I had assumed that all of them hated me, but the fact that a few of them still care so much that they would come to this church and put their names forward for this mission means a great deal to me. Perhaps not all of them should be called vampires. Perhaps I can win back a few of them.

As long as they aren't told the entire story of the unfortunate events surrounding Golden Sunset, I can still succeed.

Chapter 15: Battle Tactics

Starlight Glimmer’s POV

I wake to the sound of a huge BANG echoing through the landscape, followed by screaming and shouting. I begin to shout as well when I open the bedroom curtains. It's only about three in the morning, but the sky is filled with orange and gold. Ponies run around the village, unsure which way to go. Which is more deadly: the fire and smoke, or the army of Solar Guards who have caused all of this damage and are now marching towards my house?

I'm in trouble. Huge trouble. My track record with the Royal Guards isn't as clean as I'd like it to be and I'll be lucky to avoid Tartarus. But that isn’t my worst fear at the moment. The village is on fire, and I’ll be even luckier if everypony makes it out alive.

I sprint down the stairs and out of my house. I’m greeted by a group of armed Solar Guards snarling at me.

“Oh my Celestia, what’s happening?!” I demand.

“Starlight Glimmer, you are under arrest for the use of highly dangerous illegal magic and treason against the Princesses of Equestria,” a unicorn stallion tells me sternly. The others try to surround me and point their spears at me.

“You can arrest me once I’ve made sure that everypony in my village survives the night, thank you very much.” I teleport behind the guards and bolt away from them.

Double Diamond emerges from Sugar Belle’s house, with her and her family trailing behind. Her two foals are absolutely terrified, and Sugar Belle herself has a singed tail and burns on her hind legs. Diamond has wrapped his favourite blue scarf around his muzzle to stop himself from breathing in the fumes. He is as loyal and trustworthy as he has always been.

“What happened?” I say.

“The Solar Guards turned up to arrest you and a few others,” Diamond answers. “We didn’t let them, and they attacked us. We were fine until they started setting things on fire.”

“Magical fire?”

He nods. “It spreads a lot faster than normal fire.”

“Any casualties?”

“No deaths, but I haven’t been able to get to all of the houses.”

“Where are you taking everypony?”

“The Cutie Mark Cavern, where the Vault used to be.”

“Good.” I turn to Sugar Belle and her family. “All of you, get to the cave. Diamond and I will handle this.”

They nod and run off in the direction of the mountains. The Cutie Mark Vault isn’t too far away, so I hope that they can get there without the Solar Guards causing too much trouble.

Diamond and I get to work helping as many ponies as we can, and we use our magic to try and stop the spread of the flames. Party Favour and Night Glider rescue a whole ton of balloons and water cannons from his house and somehow use them to put out a few fires and make paths to safety. But all of their work is soon undone when I watch a unicorn fire a blast of magic at Double Diamond’s house. On impact it causes a large explosion. A large piece of rubble knocks Night Glider out of the sky, and I feel huge amounts of pain as the wave of heat and magic heads straight for me. I’m sent flying all the way back to my house and land on the ground with a hard thud.

I lay still, not just because of the pain but also to play dead: I can hear the voices of ponies and the sound of marching growing closer. It works, as two mares in armour walk straight past me. To my surprise, one of them is a bat pony wearing Lunar Guard armour. I’d assumed that all of the Night Guards were on Luna’s side, but maybe I’m wrong. I listen to them in the hope of picking up any useful information, whilst trying not to give myself up at the same time.

“To be honest, I feel a little bad about this,” one of them says, looking around at the remains of my village. She’s a unicorn with a blue-white coat, green eyes and a pink mane. Unfortunately, her armour hides her cutie mark so I have no way of identifying her in court. The same goes for the bat pony. Her own distinguishing features are her mane and tail. Both are black with a red and blue stripe down the centre.

“You get used to it,” she replies cooly. “I’ve had to do stuff like this before. Had to go after ponies who used to be my friends, my family.” She sighs. “Sometimes I miss them, but The Princess showed me how powerful they were and how dangerous they could become. I decided it was for the best.”

“Do you think anypony will find out about this?”

“This village is tiny, like a lot of the other railway villages. It’s not important. Nothing will happen if somepony finds out.”

“And the press?”

The bat pony waves a hoof. “The press? They wouldn’t be interested, and even if they were, The Princess would make sure they didn’t tell a ton of fibs. We’re doing this to stop traitors and to win a war against dark magic. We’re not being idiots for the sake of it.”

“I guess that’s true, Astral.”

“Hey!” the bat mare called Astral shouts suddenly. I crane my neck and look at what she’s worried about. Double Diamond is trying to sneak away from the village, but by the looks of things he won’t get far.

“Don’t go after him,” the unicorn says. “He’s got this far. Give him a chance to live.”

“A chance my own bucking brother didn’t give me, but I guess you have a point,” she replies. “Just this once, I’ll let him leave. If he survives, that’s good for him.”

The two mares walk off, and I crawl back inside my house, wincing with every step I take. It’s the only building still standing. I’m aware that there could be more guards, that they could have gone inside in the search of anything they could use against me in court, but I find nopony there. Thank Celestia for being ever so slightly merciful and giving me something to work with.

I rummage around for a piece of paper and something to write with. Eventually I find a pencil and a sheet of scrap paper with a half-completed shopping list on one side. Not ideal, but it’ll do for now. I pack those, as well as a couple of tins of food, into my saddlebags. At the last minute, I decide to grab yesterday’s newspaper, simply because of the article about the recent murder of the bat pony Golden Sunset. Then, I teleport to the edge of the village and run off away from the destruction, trying to ignore the numerous pain signals being sent to my brain.

Nopony comes after me, and after what feels like hours I make it to the cave where the Cutie Mark Vault used to be. When I get there, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond and Night Glider all hug me. I can’t help but notice the tears rolling down Night Glider’s cheeks, though, and my stomach lurches.

“Starlight, we thought you didn’t make it!” Diamond cries.

“No, I’m fine, but what about everypony else?”

There’s a moment of silence. Then, Sugar Belle speaks up. “Quite a few didn’t make it. Party Favour was one of them.” She sobs. “Cherry Bakewell and Strawberry Swirl are gone too. Both Licorice Bootlace and Cobblestone Pie are missing, but we’re preparing for the worst case scenario.”

“Oh Celestia,” I gasp.

“Is there anything we can do?” Night Glider says in between sobbing.

“I grabbed some paper and a pencil. I know who we need to speak to. If I can get a letter to them, they’ll send somepony here, and the Solar Guards won’t dare to stay here.”

“You’re not talking about-” Diamond tries to say.

“King Sombra and Queen Moonlight? Yes, I am. I feel like I’m grasping at straws, but it’s worth a try. If anypony can help us, they can.”

“What if they don’t come and help us, though?” Night Glider cries.

“Don’t worry, leave this to me.” I think for a moment about how to get their attention and show how urgent the situation is; then, I scribble down a quick message and send it with magic. All I can hope is that it gets there in time, before the Solar Guards find this cave.

Moonlight’s POV

I smile as I take a bite of a slice of toast and watch Cozy absolutely slaughtering Wish in a game of chess with that new set that Skywalker gave to her. Poor Wish lost both rooks and a bishop early on in the game, so she was always at a disadvantage. She’s trying hard, though. She managed to take Cozy’s queen and I thought she had a chance of winning at one point, but it looks like Cozy actually meant to sacrifice her queen to allow other pieces to target Wish’s king.

“Ugh!” Wish sighs. “You’re too good.”

“And don’t I know it?” Cozy answers cheekily, taking Wish’s last rook with a satisfied smirk. “Oh, and I should mention: you’re in check!”

“Watch it, Cozy. One of us might challenge you next,” Hope giggles.

“Ooh, another chance to win!”

Wish rolls her eyes, moves her king out of imminent danger and turns towards me. “So, what are you going to do today?”

“Queen Rabia’s going to visit us. There’s going to be a large appeal to find recruits for the Crystal Army. Speaking of which, has anypony seen-”

Swift Lightning walks into the room. “Skywalker and Hanzal ain’t joining us fer breakfast today. Said summat about wanting to get to work early. Ah told ‘em Ah’d rather have a slice of toast and a cuppa before Ah start walking around an’ asking ponies about this Crystal Army lark. Ah think they took it pretty well, didn’t yell at me or anything considering Ah ain’t working mah butt off from the moment the sun crawls over the horizon.”

“Yup, that’s an achievement,” I laugh. “Crystal berry jam?”

“Butter’ll do.” He sits down next to Cozy, smiling in amusement at Wishbone’s unfortunate situation. She’s being driven towards checkmate, but Cozy seems to be having a lot of fun taunting Wish in advance. That little devil really needs Luna to put her in her place.

I pass him the butter and he covers a slice of toast with it before pouring himself a glass of water. I look at Sombra, who is in deep discussion with Hope. I can’t hear much of what they’re saying, but I distinguish the word ‘queen’ and assume it’s something to do with chess. I’m waiting for somepony to realise we don’t have all day to sit around playing games. Otherwise I would’ve set up a game of poker by now.

“Hey, Mum! It’s checkmate, but Wish reckons she can still move. Could you take a look?” Cozy calls.

I get up, walk over to them and grin as my eyes scan the board. “Sorry, Wish, but it’s checkmate.”

Wish slaps me on the back of my head with her wing.

“Hey!” I cry.

“I can still go there.” She moves her king to another square.

“You forgot about the knight.”

“Snap.” The realisation dawns on her that she’s lost, and she slides a coin across the table. “There you are, you won fair and square, Cozy.”

“Good game. It was quite difficult. Hmm, I still think I should challenge Sunbutt for the rights to rule Equestria. Would make this whole fighting-a-war business a lot simpler and-”

Suddenly, Hanzal and Skywalker burst into the room, both covered in beads of sweat and Hanzal holding a scrap of paper with his good wing.

“Letter from Equestria,” Hanzal pants, almost skidding across the floor. “Mare called Starlight. Her village is in danger.” He places the letter in front of me and I scan the page.

Dear King Sombra and Queen Moonlight,

Hi, it’s Starlight Glimmer. I know I haven’t been in touch with you recently, but I really need your help. Last night, we were attacked. I’m sure you’ll know who did it if you read this. The whole village was burned down, and not everypony survived. I’m keeping everypony in the caverns right now, but I don’t know how long it’ll last, and we don’t have much food or water. If you can help us in any way, no matter how small, we’d appreciate it.

Hope to see you soon,
Starlight

“No,” I whisper. Sombra was right. If I’d just been sensible and not held that party for Cozy, we could have spent some time planning and preparing the Crystal Army for something like this. If I'd known that this was going to happen, I'd never have made that promise with the foals. Now I have to put things right again.

“Sombra?” I ask. “Do you think we could have that honeymoon a little early? Like, right now?” I turn to Skywalker and Hanzal. “And would it be rude to tell the new Crystal Army recruits that we need them to travel hundreds of miles into enemy territory today?”

“Moonlight, are you being serious?” Sombra says dubiously.

“You remember what the Town of Starlight looked like, right? Because it’s now a pile of smouldering ruins,” I say flatly.

Cozy gasps. “Gosh, who’d do something like that?!”

Skywalker remains still, apparently thinking deeply, whilst Hanzal shoots a glare in Swift’s direction. The latter gulps and tries to avoid eye contact.

“Ah got an idea yeh think it’s mah lot, the Solar Guards,” he mutters. “An’ Ah gotta say, yeh’re probably right. But yeh know as well as Ah do that it could be somepony else too.”

“What do you mean?” Hanzal wonders.

“Coulda been the Sun Worshippers.”

“All of the records we found before we left the Royal Guard are from centuries ago. They don’t exist any more, Swift.”

“Ah hate ter be the one to start this whole argument about Astral Charm again, but she and Ah were pretty close, and she told me a lotta stuff that she would never have told the two of yeh. She became a member not long before Hollow Shades.”

Skywalker bites his lip and grows tense, refusing to speak or look at any of us. Hanzal looks up at him, but finds himself being ignored.

“Gee, somepony tell us who or what we’re talking about here,” Cozy says, breaking the silence.

“The Cult of Sunlight,” Skywalker finally whispers. “They sometimes called themselves the Guardians of Sunlight, just to hide the fact that they’re a Celestia-darn cult. There’s no record of them anywhere in recent Equestrian history… But we already know the buckin’ Sunbutt is good at hiding secrets.”

“Of course she’d like ter hide the fact that there’s a whole ton of ponies who go to church to worship her, yeh dimwit. If all of Equestria knew it, she’d be kicked out the country in a week! But Astral found out an’ she wanted ter be a part of it, an’ Ah nearly got roped in too. Ah’d forgot about ‘em until now if Ah’m honest, but now Ah think of it they could be causing trouble.”

“Somepony is good at forgetting vital pieces of information that could save lives,” Hanzal shoots.

“Ah’m sorry, but Ah woulda told yeh if Ah remembered.”

“No you wouldn’t, because you’re too worried about what your dead marefriend would think.”

“Now how about we stop talking about Astral an’ try ter move on?”

“Agreed.” Skywalker replies. “Though I think you still owe me a lot for helping to turn my own bucking sister against me!”

“Ah can only apologise so many times, for Celestia’s sake!”

“Well, yeah. Though I’d appreciate something more than an apology.” He glares. “Perhaps pulling your own weight and not slacking when we’re working hard to convince the innocent Crystallians to go into battle against a bucking tyrant alicorn!”

“Ah still don’t think she’s a tyrant, yeh know. She was nice to me an’ mah friends-”

“Because you kept your mouth shut even though you knew she was being an idiot!” Hanzal answers back.

“But look where it got you, yeh-”

“QUIET!” I slam a hoof down on the table, sending a wave of dark magic through the room, powerful enough to silence everypony. I’m tired of listening to them. “Are we going to keep arguing about this, or are we going to try and save the ponies who are still with us?!”

The three of them look at each other, stuck in a deadly stalemate. Everypony else watches, expecting the fight to continue, but the moment of anger has surpassed and the reality of the situation is setting in. Finally, Hanzal mutters, “The Queen is right. We’ve got the lives of other ponies in our hooves right now, so we need to think about that first. We can sort out our differences afterwards.”

“Yes,” Skywalker says slowly. “Yes, we can sort out our... differences later, Swift.”

“Ah’m in deep trouble, Ah know. But if Ah’m honest, it ain’t lookin’ pretty either way. If Ah go back to Celestia now Ah’ve spilled a ton of secrets ter the King and Queen, Ah’m dead. But if Ah stay here, Ah’ve got you ter contend with, and Ah ain’t sure how far yeh’re willing ter go to make me pay fer what Ah did. Fine, Ah probably deserve a lot of it, but…” Swift trails off. “Ah don’t particularly fancy the idea of bein’ killed.”

Skywalker looks down at the ground. “You insult me, Swift. I would never go that far for revenge... not after Astral.” He looks at his Lieutenant. “And there’s a few in this room who know why.”

Another moment of silence fills the room. Sombra and I share a look and read each other’s minds, silently agreeing to find some way to help Skywalker move on from the past when we get the chance.

Sombra clears his throat, signalling for everypony to look at him.

“I need everypony to listen carefully, because there is a lot to do in an incredibly short space of time. Hope, I need you to contact Queen Rabia of the Umbrum and inform her of the circumstances at the Town of Starlight. Tell her that we will be travelling there to bring them basic emergency aid. If she offers any help, accept it. Afterwards, you and Wishbone will need to gather as much first aid equipment and food as you can find.”

“Lieutenant Swift Lightning, I would like you to speak to Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings about this situation. I trust that she will be willing to offer assistance, whether in the form of extra changeling soldiers or something else. Once again, whatever she offers us, accept it. Cozy Glow, it is up to you whether you join him or if you help Wishbone and Radiant Hope.”

“I’ll be more helpful if I stay here,” she answers immediately.

Sombra turns to Hanzal and I recognise the spell he uses as a telepathy spell. “Commander Hanzal and Colonel Skywalker.” He continues. “Both of you have been hard at work, I see. You have recruited a lot of ponies and also some Yaks and Changelings for the Crystal Army. It is too early to ask them to pack their bags and prepare to enter a war zone, so I would just speak to the guards for now. Tell them about the situation, and that we need at least twenty of them ready by one o’clock this afternoon at the latest. This is an emergency, so they should understand.”

Both of them nod in unison before the older stallion gestures to his partner as a signal to follow him; they trot away from us quickly, leaving the room in a matter of seconds.

“And you, my love,” Sombra says, looking at me. “I will be in contact with Starlight, but I will need somepony to brief the guards on the situation in the Town of Starlight whilst I find a safe location to teleport to. Before then, however, I am sure that you will be able to help the others gather supplies.”

“Ok.” Something feels wrong. There’s a dull ache in my temples, and I feel dizzy. But there are ponies who need me, and I can deal with a headache if there are ponies who I know are in a lot more pain than me right now.

“Moonlight, what is it?” he says.

“Just a headache. But I’m fine. If everypony else is ok, we should get to work.”

Everypony in the room nods, and we head in separate directions, all worried about each other and our friends in the Town of Starlight. The thoughts racing through my head worsen the headache, but I’m determined to see Starlight and do whatever I can for her village.

Chapter 17: Change of Plans...

“Gee, how far is it?!” Cozy whines for the umpteenth time. “I thought this was a shortcut!”

“It is,” I groan. “It’s just taking longer because we’ve got all of this stuff with us.” I’m carrying a ton of camping equipment.

“Golly, this is taking forever. Starlight, are we nearly there yet?”

“Almost, and I mean it this time,” she replies.

“Gee, thank goodness.”

We continue walking in silence for ten more minutes - well, we’re all silent except for Cozy, who continues telling us that this shouldn’t be taking so long - then the cavern we’ve been walking through for ages splits off in two directions, and Starlight takes us through the passage to the left.

The passage opens up into a large cave, well lit by magical crystals lining the walls. I wish that the light wasn’t so bright, though, because I can see all of the gruesome injuries each pony has. Cuts from large weapons, burns all over, one colt sitting near me with a wound on his foreleg so deep I can see the bone. There’s a lot of coughing and groaning and crying, and I can hear somepony throwing up somewhere, probably a side effect of inhaling a large amount of smoke.

The luckier ponies are desperately trying to help their loved ones, but don’t have the right knowledge or equipment to do much. I feel a lump rising in my own throat as I watch a mare and stallion quickly throw the remains of a bedsheet over the lifeless body of a small filly, covered from head to hooves in burns. She can’t have been any older than five before she… Before they did this to her and everypony else.

“Oh my Celestia,” I gasp.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she says, grimacing.

“They… They did this…”

Other ponies begin filing into the cave, and they all react with as much shock as I
did. Even though a few of us here have seen what they can do, nopony expected the Solar Guards to be this brutal to a peaceful village of unarmed ponies.

I walk down the path of sorts in the centre of the cave, trying not to look at the faces of the ponies who need so much more than I can give. Slowly, the villagers realise that they’re no longer alone, and raise their heads to look at us. There are whispers that raise in volume to excited, hopeful chatter, then one filly taps my hoof as I pass to attract my attention. I look down at her with curiosity.

“Are you… the Queen?” She wonders. “Moonlight Shade? From the Crystal Empire?”

I put down all of the bags I’m carrying and take off my helmet, smiling at her. “Yes, I am.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because nopony deserves to go through what you went through, and we want to help put things right again.”

Tears well up in her eyes. I sit down next to her, and she hugs me. Somewhere in the background, I hear a snap snap snap and recognise flashes from a camera. Cozy is very sneaky and happy to monopolise any situation, but if this helps to get the word out, then she can take as many pictures as she likes.

“Guards, we need to sort out everything that we’ve brought with us,” Skywalker orders. “All those capable of aiding the injured, do so. The others that remain, form a defensive perimeter. Don’t get caught and inform of any move the enemy does.”

I get up and help shift some of the lighter items that we can carry. We make two piles: one for the things everypony will need the most in the next twenty-four hours, and one for everything else.

Skywalker and a few others have some basic medical knowledge and try to triage the patients who need it the most. By the time we’ve finished all of that, Sombra is back with a second group of ponies, and this time Radiant Hope and Wishbone have arrived. Whilst all of the guards are busy running around working like clockwork to move all of the stuff, I decide to speak to some of the ponies with the most severe injuries.

I soon find out who was sick when we arrived: Double Diamond, a stallion with a white coat and mane and blue eyes who I remember talking to the last time I visited. He’s having trouble breathing and laying in an unsettling amount of blood too, and Wish goes over to him to assess him.

I walk over to him just as I hear Wish saying that he should be in a hospital. He’s got several deep wounds all over him, including a cut that barely missed his left eye.

“Am I - will I live?” he asks slowly, his voice incredibly hoarse.

“It’s not looking great,” Wish admits as she moves him away from the disgusting pool of blood and vomit and onto a pile of old blankets. “Even in the Crystal Empire’s hospitals there isn’t the technology needed to help ponies in this condition. My main concern is the bleeding, since there’s not much I can do for your lungs without using a lot of magic.”

“What are the chances of me getting through this?”

She starts dipping bandages in a medicine that I’ve seen her use before. It stops wounds from becoming infected and allows them to close quickly. “If you make it through today, you should be fine, but right now I’m not going to say anything.” She wraps a bandage around his head to cover the large cut near his eye.

“Tell me,” he demands.

Finally, she says, “About twenty percent.”

He shrugs. “Not terrible. I’ve known ponies with worse odds live to tell the tale after skiing accidents.”

“Feel free to prove me wrong, Diamond. It would make my day.” She finishes wrapping a bandage around a wound on his hind leg, and moves on to another patient.

“What happened?” I muster the courage to ask.

“Fought a few guards, survived a fire, nothing much,” he tries to brush off my concerns.

“I know, but…” I grab some paper, a quill and a pot of ink from my saddlebags. I take the lid off the ink pot and dip the quill into the blue liquid. “I want Equestria to know the whole story.”

He has a slight coughing fit. I start to panic but he manages to catch his breath. “I was the first pony who heard the guards marching towards the village,” he says. I begin scribbling away. “Starlight’s been worrying about what Celestia might do if she finds out about the Cutie Mark Vault for the last few weeks, so I’ve been staying up late and keeping the windows open. That’s how I heard them.

“I didn’t bother Starlight because I didn’t think I’d need to. Night Glider and a few others were awake, and we met the guards at the edge of the village. They said there were ponies in the village who’d been talking to you, so they’d come to arrest them. They read out a list of names. My name was one of them.”

“What happened then?”

“I tried to run off, but a few armed guards rounded us up. The others walked into the village, knocking on doors. But when everypony saw who it was they didn’t answer. The guards got fed up and I heard somepony say that if nopony would leave their houses they’d force everypony out. That’s when the fires started.”

“Oh Celestia.”

“Night Glider lost it and started fighting the guards who’d captured us. We all earned a few injuries - some idiot with a sword tried to take my eye out - but we managed to get away from them. My house wasn’t on fire, so I grabbed a few scarves so we could stop ourselves breathing in the smoke. I started going into houses to rescue ponies, and telling them to hide in these caves.” He pauses. “I didn’t save everypony though. There was one house that I went inside but I was too late to help. The second one was blown up.” He stops again. “They were good friends.”

“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry.” I stop writing and sigh to myself. How is it that Celestia can ‘love’ everypony in Equestria, but be so cruel at the same time?!

“Please, worry about the ponies you can still save.”

“That’s you as well, don’t forget. You’ve got a twenty percent chance. You’ll survive.”

“You think so?”

I grin. “I need you to. Nopony else will teach me how to ski. If I went to a resort anywhere in Equestria I’d either be kicked out or held there for questioning, and outside of the Crystal Empire the storms are too powerful. Knowing my luck I’d be buried under an avalanche.”

“Good point,” he laughs. He coughs again, but this time it isn’t as bad. I’m still worried about him, though. But wait, what am I doing?! For the past year I’ve been living with ponies who are all experienced in healing magic. I remember Cozy saying something about Grogar creating dark magic so he could use it to become immortal, and I’ve seen Sombra heal some nasty-looking cuts in the past, so if one of us could use the right spell…

“I wonder.” I smile at him. “You don’t mind the idea of me or King Sombra using dark magic on you, do you?”

“Um… Why do you ask?”

“Just thinking about different ways to help you out.” I glance in Sombra’s direction as he arrives with the third and final group of Crystal Guards joining us and wave at him. He trots over to us.

“Sombra, this is Double Diamond,” I say. “Do you happen to know some miracle spell that could help his lungs so he can breathe normally again?”

“I do, but there are a few problems. The first is that Starlight doesn’t want anypony using magic if they can help it. Second, it may look simple, but to cast a spell like that you have to have some knowledge of pony anatomy and how everything should work once the spell is complete. Finally, I am reluctant to use it because it is painful for the patient,” he explains.

He coughs, “Your Majesty, it can’t hurt as much as my lungs giving up on me.”

“And it can’t take that much magic for it to work,” I protest. “And you were taught by Amoré of all ponies when you were younger.”

“Fine, but allow me to remind both of you that I gave you fair warning.” He casts the spell, and for some reason his magic forces him to reveal his purple Umbrum form. Diamond’s eyes grow wide with the pain. He bites his lip in a futile effort to stop himself from yelling. Everypony looks at the three of us in surprise.

“Gah, son of a-”

“And this is how I am rewarded for helping you to breathe again.” Sombra frowns slightly as he finally stops using his magic and switches back to his pony form. “You owe your life to me, and all I receive in return for saving it is a rather unnecessary and rude comment? I wonder why I bother.”

I can barely keep a straight face.

“Sombra, if you’re trying to make yourself look like an idiot, it’s working,” I giggle.

He glares at me, but everypony else starts laughing as they realise that he was joking. He shakes his head. “And Celestia still thinks I am a danger to society.”

“You are a danger to society, Sombra. Just in a different way to what she thinks.”

“Be careful how you speak to me.”

“I don’t need to be, because I know I can get away with it.”

He sighs and rolls his eyes at me.

“Wow, I… Thank you, Your Majesty,” Diamond says to Sombra. His voice is no longer hoarse from the smoke, but sounds full of life.

“You’re welcome. I am glad to help at least one pony through this ordeal.”

I smile at Sombra, all of my doubts vanishing. He’s a kind, caring pony, and I know he loves me. Radiant Hope just doesn’t know where her boundaries are.

Starlight seems upset, so I walk through the makeshift path in the centre of the cave to where she’s standing at the entrance. “Hey, Starlight,” I greet her.

“No no no no no! Moonlight, they’re going to find us! All I did earlier was teleport a few times and they used it to find us! Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Double Diamond’s fine, but if we’re not careful then we’re all going to be caught!”

“Stop panicking, it’s fine. This time there’s a few ponies who can fight. Is this the only way in and out of this cave?”

“There’s two other exits, but only one or two ponies can get through at a time.”

“As long as we can get out we’ll be fine, Starlight.”

“No, we won’t. They’re strong, and fast, and more ponies have arrived since this morning. That spell King Sombra used was powerful, and they’ll be able to trace where it came from. They’ll arrive in less than an hour!”

“I assume there’s a problem, ladies?” Skywalker asks us as he approaches.

“Sort of,” I tell him. “Things are a little slow around here, but Celestia’s sent more of her friends to come and sort us out, so do you fancy going hunting for Solar Guards?”

“Depends,” He answers. “How many of them are there?”

“Probably close to a hundred,” Starlight admits. “And that was a few hours ago.”

“Hmm… how many are our forces formed by?” He turns at me.

“Um,” I say. “Thinking about it, there won’t be enough of us to defend this cave if any of us leave. I’m just worried that we’ll end up stuck in here with no way out.”

“I see…” he murmurs. “You mentioned another two exits, Ms. Starlight?”

She nods. “One goes straight out onto the mountainside, another is connected to a cavern. But only a few ponies can get through at a time. If this main exit is blocked…” She sighs, “You don’t know what you’re up against. They’re brutal.”

He chuckles ironically before a brief cough interrupts him. “Well, you’re talking to an expert here, Ma’am.”

Then, his sight is directed towards the main entrance and two elevated positions on either side of it. “If we position some guards in the main entrance to distract the principal enemy forces, I could get some of our troops up there and set up an ambush.” His head turns at us. “We might not win, but we’ll give enough time for everyone to evacuate.”

“And where do we go after that?” she questions him. “We can’t go back to the village, and all that they’ll keep doing is chasing us from one cave to the next. We won’t be able to run forever.”

“I suggest you go to the tunnel that leads to the mountainside,” The Colonel interrupts. “When you’re there, use a teleportation spell to get to the Empire. Both my second and third in command are ready for anything, they’ll guarantee your people’s safety.”

“There’s enough space for everypony there. We managed to look after a thousand changelings for half a week, so you’ll be fine.” I assure her. “Once the Solar Guards have left, we’ll be able to start rebuilding your village.”

“Wow,” she says. “Maybe I misjudged you.” She facehoofs. “I’m sorry. Even after everything I’ve said and done to try and get ponies to treat each other equally-”

“It’s fine, Ma’am,” Skywalker tells her, smiling warmly. “Ponykind’s nature makes us all commit mistakes; you aren’t the first one to judge a book by its cover.”

“I can imagine,” she laughs, then she looks around at the guards.

Skywalker gives a shrill whistle, and the guards closest to us look at him.

“If we could speak with Their Majesties and the rest of the volunteers, I’d appreciate it.”

All of the guards/soldiers - except for a few who are helping Wishbone and Hope treat some of the most severely injured - plus Sombra trot over to us, and we walk back to the tunnel. Starlight joins us, and I make sure we’re out of earshot of the rest of the already worried ponies before I begin speaking.

“We have to leave. Now.” I explain. “I know we just brought all of these resources here but the Solar Guards are on their way and there’s more arriving every other minute.”

“I see,” says Sombra. “And there is no way of staying on this mountainside? There is potential to not only rebuild the village but also create a fortified military base. It would ensure that the village remains protected and also give us an advantage against Celestia.”

“I must interrupt you right there, sir.” Skywalker interjects. “Our priority is the injured: some are in need of serious medical aid, which could only be given in the Empire. Besides, we don’t have enough forces to establish a provisional outpost, we’re currently low in number, supplies are limited, and as Her Majesty has already pointed out, there’ll be more Solar Guards on their way.” He sighs. “We can always come back, but we’ll need more troops and better strategies.”

Sombra nods. “I understand. So all of the guards will defend this cave whilst the rest of us take the injured back to the Crystal Empire?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Sombra looks at me. “Moonlight, once you are back in the Crystal Empire, I want you to stay there.”

“And miss all of the fun?” I ask, incredulous.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Skywalker replies. “Same goes for you, King Sombra. You both are far too important to be fighting a bunch of Solar Guards; you’ve already risked too much by coming here, so you better go with the others while we distract the enemy.”

I grin at Sombra and watch as his face falls. He was planning on staying behind and fighting as well. I guess there’s always that magic mirror, though.

“So, do we have an agreement, Your Majesties?”

I nod. “Yes. Now, let’s get everypony here back to the Crystal Empire whilst we’re all in one piece. It’s bad enough that not everypony made it through last night. The last thing we need is another group of ponies to lose their lives.”

Cozy hovers above my head, holding a magazine. “You haven’t seen this, have you?”

“First of all, where did you get it from?”

“Starlight dropped it earlier and there wasn’t anything helpful I could do at the time. Not to burst your bubble, but the Solar Guards are going haywire pretty much everywhere. Look.” She shows the front page to me.

Harmony Magazine

********************************

“DEVASTATING”: BAT PONY ALLEGED TO BE KILLED BY COLTFRIEND IS NAMED: GOLDEN SUNSET

A young mare with her life ahead of her, found in a horrifying state at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Golden Sunset’s family are claiming her coltfriend - who currently works in the Solar Guard - is to blame, but we will not know if this is true until the court hearing later this week. An inquiry is being carried out into when and how she died, and the evidence found will decide whether or not the unnamed Solar Guard will be convicted.

“Oh my goodness,” I cry.

My eyes widen as I look at the front page; on it, there is a picture of a sandy-coloured bat mare with a dark red mane. Even worse is the fact that she used to live in the Everfree Forest and I met her by the time I lived there. I didn’t get to know her well, but there had been some exchange of words between us and I also had a bit of fun playing cards with her, and she was only nineteen, for Celestia’s sake! She was still technically a teenager!

I tell the others, “We need to get moving now. But I have a feeling that there’s going to be a lot more ponies looking for our help at this rate.”

Chapter 18: Family Feuds

Princess Celestia’s POV

I sit down on a picnic bench in the Canterlot Castle gardens for a light lunch with a few friends. Aurora is busy in the north of Equestria, and I am anxious for her safety, but I have had the privilege of watching her in training and I’m confident in her abilities as a soldier. I even gave her the offer of joining the Solar Guard, and she was glad to accept it. Today, a few members of the different Houses of Canterlot are with me, just for a little get-together. We aren’t here to talk about politics, although I have an idea that there will be some discussion about the little vampire.

Prince Blueblood is here, along with my lovely niece Cadance and her husband Shining Armour. Across the picnic bench from me are Fancy Pants, Fleur de Lis and my secretary Raven Inkwell. All of them are important ponies in my government as well as good company.

Surprisingly, Lulu has also joined us. She usually isn’t one to stay around when I invite friends over, but I expect it has something to do with the vampire. I am going to be upset if she chooses to disrupt this little gathering, but I doubt I will be able to stop her. When she chooses to do something there is no persuading her otherwise.

“So,” I say happily as I take in my surroundings; the rose garden has always been one of my favourite gardens here at Canterlot Castle. “How are all of you?”

“I am quite well, Aunt Celestia,” Blueblood answers. He takes a bite of a cucumber and daisy sandwich. “Staying in the Dragon Lands over the last few weeks was nice, but there really is no place like home and nopony like family.”

“Indeed,” Lulu agrees, although I have a feeling that the meaning of her words is open to some interpretation. I ignore her and pick up a sandwich with my magic.

“I have had quite a busy week, I must admit,” Fancy says. “Then again, that is nothing new here in Canterlot, is it?”

Raven laughs, “There’s always something for us to deal with. Whether it is the - excuse my poor language - Vampire of the Frozen North, or something a little more mundane.”

There we go. Raven said it. But I’m not about to criticise her; I haven’t had a better secretary and personal assistant in all of my years as ruler of Equestria. If I were to sack her I would have great difficulty in finding a better pony for the role, and I would be losing a good friend at the same time. I pick up a cupcake and decide not to criticise her for it.

“I agree, Lady Inkwell. But on the positive side, we rarely have to deal with these issues that arise on our own.” Fancy smiles at each of us. One thing I will never stop loving about these ponies is that they are always there for me.

Shining is able to lead the Royal Guard quite efficiently, even if there have been a few slight hiccups in his journey, but those couldn’t be avoided. When he was unable to do anything, Twilight, the little star of the House of Sparkle, was there for him, as was my wonderful niece Cadance, who is growing into one amazing little princess. Now all I need is a kingdom for her to rule.

Fleur of the de Lis household and Fancy Pants are my main links to the ordinary ponies of Canterlot, and they are always there to help carry my burdens. Fleur is very well-connected and tends to hear a lot of snippets of useful information, making her an interesting choice for a member of the Equestrian Intelligence Service. Fancy, on the other hoof, is the pony who organises everything and speaks to the ponies who I need to help me. He runs my government for me. If I tell him to do something, he makes sure that it gets done. Yet at the same time he is incredibly polite and courteous.

Raven Inkwell. The Inkwells are a fairly new family among the Noble Houses of Canterlot, but they are unlikely to fall any time soon. Wealthy, powerful, and I’m close to Raven in particular. Her role in my government is sometimes a scribe during important meetings or in court, and sometimes that of an adviser. Really, all of these ponies around me are my advisers, but often Raven is the nearest pony with a good head on her shoulders to talk to when something goes wrong, and she’s ever so tolerant of me as well on the days when I am not so pleasant.

Blueblood… I never quite know what to think of him. Naturally, I am not a fan of him showing an interest in every other mare he spots in the street. What makes him an amazing pony is that, even if he is on the other side of Equis, he is happy to stop everything he is doing at the drop of a hat and travel to Canterlot to assist me in any way possible. He was already born of the House of Bluebell, but I took him in as one of my own as well because of his charm and his loyalty. He is the voice that can talk to those who won’t listen to me, and the only exception to that rule is the vampire. But she’s something else entirely.

Shining and Cadance giggle slightly, looking at each other with excitement lighting up their eyes. Shining says, “Do you want to tell them, honey, or should I?”

“Oh, Shiny, let me.”

All of us look at her and wait expectantly.

“Well, Shiny and I are pleased to announce that we-” She stops herself and giggles. “We’re going to be having our first foal in a few months’ time.”

“Congratulations!” I smile. My niece has done well for herself. I always thought that young Shining from the Noble House of Sparkle was a good match for her. A handsome unicorn stallion who rose quickly through the Solar Guard ranks from the moment he joined. Much better than that other stallion she once ran off with. To be honest, I’m more than a little glad it didn’t work out.

“Oh my gosh, c’est magnifique!” Fleur cries.

“Congratulations, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armour!” adds Fancy Pants.

The two of them blush slightly. They can barely tear their eyes from each other.

“You had better be careful,” jokes Blueblood. “Foals are often nothing but trouble. You’re likely to have a unicorn child, and you’ll have to make sure that everything is nailed to the floor. Of course, there is a small chance that the foal could be an alicorn, in which case the only advice I can give you is to save yourselves.”

"Really, Prince Blueblood, I doubt that would happen," Fleur giggles. "If Princess Celestia has never heard of an alicorn child being born, it is quite unlikely."

Cadance laughs, “Oh, Blueblood, foals are a joy to have in the family, no matter how much trouble they cause. The baby will be able to grow up all nice and safe here in Canterlot, with the love and care of their Great Aunts Celestia and Luna, and of course Uncle Blueblood,” she teases him.

“Oh, please, no. Me, babysitting? I doubt I would manage. My area of expertise is politics, not bedtime.” He picks up another sandwich.

“I think you’ll find that there isn’t a huge amount of difference between the two,” Raven titters. “Some foals can be quite a hoofful.”

“Well, there are some other in-laws who would be able to look after the foal if ever you needed them to,” says Lulu. “Of course, that would be after the current political situation is resolved.”

All of us fall silent and I struggle to swallow the mouthful of cake as quickly as possible just so that I don’t end up spitting it out in her face. Well done, Luna. You have brightened up all of our lives with your moonlight and your wise words. Run along and mess around with your night sky elsewhere and give some other poor soul a nightmare.

Shining snaps, “Excuse me, Princess Luna?”

“Princess Cadance has a cousin, does she not?”

“Yes, Aunt Luna, she is my cousin,” Cadance sighs. “But I wouldn’t trust her or her husband with my child, war or no war.”

“And why is that, Cadance?”

“My foal shouldn’t be exposed to dark magic from such a young age,” she says flatly, mirroring her husband’s expression of annoyance.

Luna heaves a sigh of her own and crosses her forelegs. “Cadance? Enlighten me. You grew up in quite a rural area of Equestria, did you not?”

“Yes, but what’s that got to do with-”

“Were there bat ponies there?” she inquires.

“Well, yes. Actually, there was some talk that one of my distant relatives there was a bat pony-”

“Well, then.” She grins with satisfaction for a moment before a cold look settles upon her face. “Cadance, Shining, I should warn you that the choice of who looks after your child might be taken away from you.” She shoots a glare in my direction, and I brace myself for the next onslaught of nonsense. “If my dear sister thinks that your foal is of the ‘wrong sort’ to be a future leader of Equestria you might find yourselves exiled. Or, if the two of you are too important to remove from the equation, she may just send the child away to live with her own kind.” She spits the last few words, and I know that she remembers what happened all of those years ago far too well.

Luna stands up and walks off without another word. She can’t help herself, can she? She has to throw a spanner in the works and ruin everything nice that I do. Now I have to clean up this mess and convince my lovely niece not to hate me. The last thing this country needs is for another feud to start in the Royal Family.

“Cadance, Shining, please ignore Luna. I wouldn’t do that.”

There is hurt in Cadance’s eyes. “But if you did it to her foal, then how do we know-”

“The stallion she fell in love with was a traitor who plotted to kill her, and he ran away with the child. She wanted to go and look for the foal, but I didn’t let her because I feared for her safety. I have told you before, Cadance, alicorns are not truly immortal - they become stronger and weaker over cycles of several years. At that point she was weak as she had been looking after a foal which had sapped her strength, and I feared that neither she nor the child would return.”

Not all of that is true, but the ponies I find myself surrounded by would not understand the truth. What is true is that alicorns do become stronger and weaker. Currently both myself and Luna are growing stronger, but my power is increasing at a much faster rate than hers.

“And why didn’t you send the Royal Guard to bring back the newborn heir to the Equestrian throne?” Cadance’s wings twitch a few times by her sides.

I have to think on my hooves to get around this one. “The newspapers knew that the foal was…” I search for the right word, “illegitimate. The ponies of Equestria were not so loving then as they are now, and they likely would have tried to harm her. If she grew up out of the way, I reasoned that no serious harm would come to her. Of course, nopony could have anticipated the events that followed.”

Well, actually, they did. Several ponies predicted that the vampire would become a creature of darkness. I was a fool not to send the Royal Guard to Hollow Shades. I should have just ordered for both father and daughter to be executed and been done with it. Instead, I allowed her to get involved with dark magic and look at what has happened. But I am not about to burden my friends and family with that knowledge. The blame is my own.

There are a few moments of silence, then Cadance nods with some reluctance. “You’re right. When ponies don’t understand something they can become upset or afraid. There would have been consequences. Either way, she’s been the cause of huge amounts of trouble.”

“And how do we bring an end to said trouble?” Blueblood wonders. “You’ve already tried plenty, Aunt Celestia. Everything from peaceful negotiations to some far more unpleasant means, and nothing has worked.”

“I have tried to be a little unpredictable in the methods I choose,” I say. “Yet she seems to know every move I make in advance.” I glance in the direction of the castle, thinking of my younger sister.

“Then go back to something you’ve done before. If you can go back to writing letters to her-”

“Something tells me that she will know whatever I choose to do next.”

There is another moment of silence. I take another cupcake.

“Princess? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Raven asks.

“Please, speak your thoughts, Raven. I am no mind reader.”

“I… It sounded like you were saying that you thought somepony within Canterlot Castle was communicating with the Crystal Empire’s rulers.”

I take a deep breath, then nod at her. “Yes, Raven. That is exactly what I am suggesting. Somepony inside Canterlot Castle is not as harmless as they seem and is communicating with that vampire. I have no shame in calling her that and I have no shame in denouncing who I believe to be speaking to her and the Umbrum she claims to be in love with.”

“Aunt Celestia, who could be doing such a thing?” Blueblood asks.

“It isn’t that hard to guess, Blueblood.” I can’t quite mask the edge in my voice. I already know what Lulu is up to, but I am always wary of Blueblood. He talks to so many ponies and when he returned from that little expedition to the Crystal Empire he was in quite a state. Anything could have happened to him, including those two placing some sort of spell on him. I would hardly be surprised.

“Princess Luna,” Fleur mutters. “I shall withhold my opinions for they should not be discussed somewhere so open as this.”

“If you want to say something, Fleur de Lis, please do so.” She might know something that could be useful. She might have her own ideas for what to do about my traitorous little sister.

“I should expect that you have confronted her about your suspicions, and if I were in your position I would do so again, Princess Celestia. If she is so desperate to help her daughter, then she can do so. Allow her to travel to the Crystal Empire, and prevent her from returning. Whilst these decisions are always difficult, I feel that in a situation like the one we find ourselves in, this choice is justified.”

I let Fleur’s words sink in. What she says makes sense to me. Send Luna to the Crystal Empire and denounce her as a traitor once she has left. Then I have sole control of Equestria and I can start bringing in the laws I need to introduce in order to stop her and her vampire daughter. I can do this. The downside of this is that obviously Luna will be working against me and that she’ll be back with the vampire again, but I think I can handle that if it means I have my power back.

The Crystal Empire will still be vastly outnumbered in terms of soldiers, and there will still be two alicorns to fight on my side, perhaps three if I can free Twilight and find that old spell that Starswirl never finished. If she can complete it, she will become an alicorn, just like that other old prophecy said. Once the Royal Guard is solely under my control, I can win. I can stop dark magic in its tracks once and for all.

It would be even better if I could get her in a prison cell, but I doubt certain members of the public would allow it. I need to wait a little for the vampires of Equestria to accept the fact that their Night Queen isn’t going to be able to protect them before I take any further action.

“You may be on to something there, Fleur,” I say slowly. “That might just work. But I think I will wait a little longer before I do anything like that. There are a few other matters I would like to deal with in advance. Now, let’s stop talking about politics for a while and enjoy this little gathering.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes. I’m no longer hungry so I have little to do to occupy myself. My thoughts drift to Twilight in that little cell in the Crystal Empire. How I would love to free her and see her again. Then I think of Aurora once more, busy trying to calm down the rebellion at that little town in Northern Equestria. That Starlight Glimmer deserves a place in Tartarus for stealing those cutie marks and then siding with the vampire and her idiot husband Sombra. What I wouldn’t give to stop those two in their tracks and show them what happens to those who use dark magic if they are not careful.

One day I will show them all and I will banish the last traces of dark magic from the world. One day I will be the sole ruler of Equestria again and I will bring in a new era of light, even more magnificent that the one that the vampire has brought to an end.

One day there won’t be any dark corners for monsters of her kind to hide in.

Chapter 19: A Suffered Retreat

Moonlight’s POV

Immediately, we all get to work. One of Skywalker’s friends guesses that we have roughly half an hour in which to get everypony out of the cave, so there isn’t a moment to lose. Consequently, most of the guards that accompanied us, including Skywalker himself, stay behind to defend the cave from any attack.

My job is transporting as many ponies as I can back to the castle. I don’t really trust myself to be able to teleport back and forth from the Crystal Empire to one specific spot in these mountains, and I’m slightly worried I’ll end up teleporting right into the middle of a group of Solar Guards. At the same time, though, I want to help these ponies in any way that I can. All I have to do is make sure that the unarmed mares, stallions and foals get to somewhere safe and stay in one piece.

Now that his lungs have been healed, Double Diamond seems to be the one running the rescue operation. Carrying foals through the incredibly narrow and partially flooded passage that leads out of the cave, shouting to make sure the ponies furthest from us are ok, just doing anything he can. If any other ponies were to use e Elements of Harmony, then he would be the Element of Loyalty, definitely.

I’m guiding the fourth group of ponies to a safe place to teleport when it happens. An arrow comes flying out of nowhere. I tell everypony to hide somewhere and the group of about ten ponies all run behind boulders. No more arrows appear, and I don’t see any other signs of Solar Guards, so I very carefully run from one little cluster of ponies to the next and manage to get everypony back to the Crystal Empire.

Hope and Wishbone are there when we arrive, and they have somehow gathered some of the new recruits from the Crystal Army to help out. The local school hall is being used as a place to keep ponies until something more permanent can be worked out, as well as the throne room. I tell Double Diamond to stay behind.

“And leave all of the others there?”

“I’ll be able to do this. Fifteen minutes is enough time to get the rest of them out of there. All you’ll be doing is risking your own life again, and after King Sombra used his magic to help you out-”

He nods. “Understood, um, Your Majesty.” Everypony’s started calling me that, and I’m not sure what to think.

By the time I get back to the cave, there’s only twelve minutes left before the time that Celestia’s guards are expected to arrive. I’m almost counting the seconds we have. I give up on running back and forth through the mountains and just take as many ponies as I can manage straight from the cave to the dais at the castle.

Eventually, it’s only the guards who are left and as I rush towards the cave one last time, the noises of swords clashing and multiples voices yelling and crying in pain reach my ears. I’m too late; the battle has begun.

Sombra would want me to stay out of the way, but something tells me that he hasn’t listened to what Skywalker said and he’s probably still in there. Which means that he could be in danger.

I sprint through the passage as quickly as I can, and find a bat pony mare wearing Crystal Guard armour rushing towards me. The two of us almost bump into each other.

“Your Majesty, the Colonel told you to leave-”

“Where’s Sombra?” I demand.

“He isn’t here,” she answers. “I think he’s back in the castle.”

“Right.” I look down the passage, my curiosity getting the better of me.

She grimaces and says, “Please, the Colonel said-”

I take the two of us back to the Crystal Castle, and I rush inside, asking everypony I meet if they’ve seen Sombra. I end up finding him in the lounge with Cozy Glow. Both are sitting close together on the sofa, staring at the odd mirror with the golden frame.

“Gee, that must’ve hurt,” Cozy mutters.

I sit down on the sofa on the other side of Sombra and realise that they’re watching the fight in the cave. Once again, I find myself wishing that those enchanted crystals weren’t so bright. My eyes focus on the mirror as best as possible and the horror hits me.

The clashing of swords keeps going on as the brutal fighting between both sides reaches its apex; several Crystal Guards attempting to maintain positions as a swarm of Solar Guards attack their most vulnerable points and try to break the line of shields and swords.

There’s bodies everywhere, mainly Solar Guards, but I can still see how some of our troops have lost their lives before I notice Skywalker. To my surprise, he isn’t maintaining himself on the rearguard; on the contrary, he’s actually leading the troops while yelling orders and making his own effort to keep the defence as stable as possible.

“Let’s not give them an inch!” he shouts. “They shall not pass!”

As he swings his sword to block an enemy’s spear, his left eye grows wide suddenly. For a moment I’m worried that he might be injured, but he continues fighting without any issues. I begin to wonder what could have shocked him, but decide not to say anything about it to Sombra. All I do is continue to watch the fight.

Suddenly, a magical blast sends some Crystal guards flying, Skywalker included, and they fall behind the defensive perimeter that they had put so much effort in maintaining.

While some are recovering and trying to stand up, a bat pony with a deep purple coat in Solar Guard armour knocks Skywalker and carries him on her hooves until sending him flying towards the wall. A crash is heard and a loud cry of pain escapes Skywalker’s mouth. I can’t be sure of what made him let out such a painful cry like that, but because of how he hit the rocks, I could say that his back was severely injured by the impact, making it impossible for him to compose himself.

That bat mare flies through the chaos and lands next to him, carrying a sword with her magic. I can actually recognize it as one of the mythical Lunar swords that were once used by those national heroes, still decorated by characteristic bat wings.

She grins at him and says, “So, did you miss me, brother?”

He spits some blood as an annoyed look appears on his face.

“Thought you were dead,” he admits, coughing.

“As did I,” she replies. “It's a shame you’re in this condition. I would have enjoyed fighting you personally. Just like the old days.”

A laugh and a little blood escape the Colonel’s lips. “You know, I’ll never forget the favour you keep owing me.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Oh, what would that be, brother?” I bite my lip and wait for the worst.

He smirks. “I believe the saying goes... an eye for an eye.”

With a quick move, he picks up his sword with his magic and attacks the mare. Her eyes widen and she has to dodge the blade quickly. Despite being in such a state, Skywalker is still able to defend himself and the mare has trouble keeping out of the long sword’s reach until a wrong move lets the weapon reach her left eye.

A loud, agonising cry comes from the mare as she covers her now bleeding eye with a hoof. I think for a moment she might try to attack him; however, they stay silent for a few seconds whilst the battle rages around them. Then, I hear the mare’s voice again.

“And do you, oh dear brother of mine, know what you owe me?” She asks in a calm, slightly playful voice.

“Your darn Sunbutt knows.”

As she takes the first step towards him, the Colonel’s sword raises surrounded in magic once again, though - on this occasion - her reflexes allow the mare to avoid another attack and she manages to kick the sword far away from both of them. Defenceless, Skywalker makes an effort to stand up and escape, but the pain on his back is too severe. I ask the mirror to change angle and the scene shown hits me hard.

His eyes reflect the terror inside of him as the guard approaches the Colonel at a calm pace, finally reaching him as his body trembles in one last attempt to escape from her hooves; nonetheless, all of this is in vain as the mare puts both hooves on his throat and giggles sadistically.

“A slow, painful death.”

From one moment to another, her hooves press hard on the only valve of oxygen that our friend has left; as she does, the sound of Skywalker’s voice being cut off begins to rise as his expression shows even more panic and fear towards who will soon be his cold-blooded killer. Tears fall from his remaining eye as mild begging from him seems to have no effect on his sister.

“I can’t watch this,” Sombra mutters. “Sorry, Cozy.” A small blast of magic knocks her away from him. His magic then surrounds the two of us, and I gasp as he teleports both of us to the scene. I thought that he’d stopped anypony from being able to teleport in or out of the castle, but that isn’t my main concern.

He doesn’t even use magic, he simply kicks the mare out of the way. Skywalker gasps for air a few times, trying to get as much oxygen back in his body as possible.

“D-D-Damn you, Your Majesties.” He coughs. “I t-t-told you to stay at the c-castle.”

“Did you really think I was going to let you die like that? I am not heartless, although this mare who calls herself your sister clearly is.” He strides over to her, his magic at the ready. “Astral Charm, is it?”

“Buck you,” she spits.

“How unpleasant. Well, if you have nothing else left to say-” Without warning, an arrow hits him from nowhere, lodging itself in one of the plates of his armour. He wrinkles his nose and pulls it out with his magic. Thankfully, he seems to be unharmed.

I turn my head towards the battle and I see as another mare in Solar armour, a unicorn with a snow-white coat and a pink mane, holding a bow and arrows. The next arrow is being aimed in my direction. She shoots and I duck. The arrow goes soaring over my head and hits the cave wall. I try to join Sombra again so I can see if he’s been injured, but the unicorn teleports in front of me and she’s so fast that I don’t even have time to react before the spell hits me.

I gasp in pain and fall to the ground. Oh Tartarus, it feels like I’m on fire. I writhe in agony and try to shuffle away from her. The unicorn looks down at me with a mocking smile.

“Look at yourself, Your Majesty,” she sneers. “You’re going through all of this for what exactly?”

“Because your lovely Sun Princess wouldn’t listen to me.”

“But does your so-called husband really listen to you?” She pauses and waits for my answer.

“He does more than your beloved Sunbutt!” Skywalker intervenes, laying on the ground, making her turn to him.

“Quiet, traitor.” She says as the arrow is shot towards the bat pony; to his disgrace, it gets him right on the throat and, while his eye widens, his voice gradually begins to sound filled with blood as he tries to get rid of it by spitting.

“Now that that is sorted, you and I can talk.” She looks around for a moment. “Good, your lover is busy trying to defend himself from my comrades. Both of us are very similar, you know, and you’re being used by King Sombra. I’m here to help you see the tru-”

I teleport behind her and grab a sword from a fallen Solar Guard. I’ve already heard this too many times. She said almost exactly the same thing in that vision of sorts earlier.

“Good one.” I swing the sword and I’m lucky enough to get her left hind leg. She screams in pain and lashes around. I knock her bow and arrows to the floor and smile down at her. I don’t particularly want to kill her, but I can’t just let her run off, so I concentrate on my dark magic and black crystals surround her, trapping her in a small corner of the cave.

“How dare you use dark magic on me, vampire?!”

I ignore her and survey my surroundings. The floor of the cave is littered with the fallen and their blood, but nopony is about to back down. Really, we need to get everypony out of here and back to the Crystal Empire, but I’m not sure which way to turn or what to do. I find Sombra as he finishes fighting a group of three Solar Guards at once by using the mind control spell on them.

“What now?” I ask him.

“Now, my love, you duck,” he instructs me. A wall of shadows appears and blocks a few arrows.

“And now? Really, we need to get everypony who’s still alive out of the cave.”

“Now, we go and show Astral Charm and her friend what the consequences are of trying to kill the Colonel of our army.” He teleports both of us back over to them.

Skywalker is still alive, barely. Astral is holding her knife in the air, ready to stab him in the heart. I’m shocked that two siblings could hate each other so much, but I never had brothers or sisters, and I don’t know the circumstances.

Sombra uses the mind control spell on her without batting an eyelid. She screams, then her eyes glow green. I can hear Sombra talking to her quietly, and I can only imagine what must be happening inside her head. “Yes, listen to me, Astral Charm. All of this pain, I can prevent it. Listen to me and everything will be fine.”

She shakes her head a few times and mutters to herself under her breath rapidly, then stops struggling and puts the knife down on the floor without a fuss. Skywalker mouths something but his voice is barely a whisper and he keeps coughing blood, so I’m having trouble understanding him. I walk over to him but I still can’t hear any of his speech. I decide to try to read his mind. A migraine is the last of my worries at the moment.

Can’t walk, can’t even bucking speak. This is wonderful. May the Ancestors damn you, As-

Skywalker, it’s me, Moonlight, I tell him. I know you don’t like mind magic, but I need to know what to do next.

For a moment, he hesitates, and I feel a sharp pain deep inside my head, but it passes quickly and he gives me his orders. ...Please, your Majesty, alert the troops. I don’t want to lose any more of them.

Understood.

Your Majesty?he asks.

I turn back to him. Yes?

How bad is it? My throat.

I bite my lip, drawing a little blood. It’s quite bad. I don’t know whether you’ll survive.

It’s ok, then.He looks at me.If I’m not worth the effort, let me die. My troops’ lives are more important.

I glare at him. No. I’m not leaving you here. Give me a minute.

I said if I’m not worth the effort-

But you are.

I look at Sombra and say, “Give the order to retreat.”

“Yes, my bat.” A beam of dark magic shoots into the sky and explodes in a shower of red sparks. He starts shouting orders at the rest of the Crystal Guards, but once again I hear Skywalker trying to talk to me with the telepathy spell.

My sister, I… she… He shakes his head. Not today. I… I just hope she survives.

I hear the galloping of hoofsteps approaching us. The last of our troops are running towards us, most of them injured as well. Once everypony is close enough, Sombra sends out a wave of dark magic that surrounds all of us and the Crystal Guards. I close my eyes, and when I open them again we’re all back in the Crystal Empire, on the dais.

“Medics!” Sombra shouts at two guards standing at the entrance to the castle. “We need medics for the wounded!”

They nod and rush inside the castle. Less than a minute later, they come back, Hope and Wishbone not far behind, carrying medical supplies on their backs. After them, some more guards - accompanied by a pair of medics - and Starlight appear from the castle with worried looks and, oh my goodness, they are right to be so. All of us are a mess, covered in blood and with arrows stuck in us and all manner of injuries. But we’re not in as much of a state as the ponies from Starlight’s Village. At least we didn’t have to deal with a fire as well.

Wishbone and Hope quickly find the guards who are in the worst condition and begin treating them. Wish is trying to tend to Skywalker’s wounds, but he’s protesting. Probably he wants us to help the others, but if Wish thinks he needs helping first, then he needs it.

“Stop,” I tell him. “All you’re doing is getting yourself in an even worse state. Let her help you.”

He grumbles something unintelligible and spits out another load of blood. The expression on his face speaks far louder than his words ever could.

“You can argue all you like, but everypony else here will live and you won’t. I thought you wanted-”

“F-Fine,” he whispers. Ma’am… You remind me... he coughs, of myself and my… sister. We all have… he smirks, stubbornness issues.

You don’t say. I stop reading his mind.

“Moonlight, could you teleport us to the Crystal Hospital?” Wish asks.

“Any particular part?”

“The ward on the first floor, near the operating theatres. Can you do that?”

I nod. “I can.”

Then, I gather as much magic as I need to carry out the correct spell. It takes a few seconds, but when I feel like being able to teleport us all, we disappear in a snap.

Author's Note

This chapter is grim. So is life. But all of us have the inner strength to overcome challenges. And if we work together, we're even stronger. Friendship is magic.

~ Angel

Chapter 20: Recovery - Part 1

Author's Note

Here you are, something more relaxed after that last chapter. A little break of sorts from the action.

~ Angel

Chapter 20: Recovery - Part 1

I knock on the door of the private hospital room. It’s been five days since everything that happened at Starlight’s village. I don’t know exactly what to expect when I go in there, but I want to see how he is. Apparently, up until this point, he hasn’t been accepting visitors - except for Hanzal and one or two others - although I don’t know why that would be.

“Who is it?” he says.

“Um, it’s Moonlight.”

“Your Majesty… Please, come in.”

I open the door and walk into the small room. The furniture is minimal; just a bedside table, an armchair and the hospital bed. Skywalker is laying down under the covers, with a cup in his hooves. He looks at me and smiles sadly.

“How is everyone else?” he asks.

“In pain, but recovering. Most of them didn’t have injuries like yours.”

“Dammit…” He curses under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” I sit down in the armchair next to him.

“Well, look at me…” He pauses to take a few deep, slow breaths before continuing. “I’m in a bit of a mess, got several of my comrades injured or even dead. And, now... turns out my bucking sister is alive.” He slaps his forehead with a hoof. “Oh Faust, help me.”

“Why does she hate you?”

“Heh,” the Colonel expresses, wearing an ironic smile. “It’s more of a… mutual hatred.”

“But… How did it all start?”

He glances at me before looking at the cup, thinking deeply as his eye remains fixed on the liquid inside of it. A serious, yet quite sad expression appears on his face.

“Wish I knew when it all began.” Skywalker admits. “Our ideologies, personalities, the training, our duties, her and Swift… everything seems to have affected our relationship as brother and sister.”

“You drifted apart?”

His face shows how difficult it is to explain. “Nah. It was more violent than that, but… still at a gradual pace, you know. Short heated discussions at first, then larger arguments; in the end, our... fight for survival.”

“I wouldn’t know what it’s like. I was an only child. But…” Something confuses me. “Back in the cave, just before Sombra got us all out of there and I was reading your mind, you were talking about your sister but then you stopped yourself. What were you going to say?”

The Colonel sighs. “We’re family, Your Majesty.” He says. “Even though we aren’t anywhere near as close as we used to be, I love her as my sister and she loves me as her brother; nonetheless... trust me when I say that we wish each other to be dead.”

“I…” I don’t know what to say. “What injuries did you end up with after-”

“It’s not about the injuries, Your Majesty,” the stallion interjects. “A fractured spine or a missing limb, a mortal wound of any kind… That doesn’t matter. It’s about what we did to each other’s lives. The psychological and emotional turmoil. The absolute disgust we feel for each other and ourselves, the hopelessness of the situation, the realisation that our fight ain’t gonna end until one of us is gone forever.”

I look at him, and wonder what must be going through his head right now. “Most ponies would look at you and think that you’re tough and cold and uncaring, but you’ve suffered so much…”

He chuckles. “Tell me of someone who didn’t.” He looks at me. “Hanzal, he lost his mother in a Royal Guard raid, years ago; Autumn Apple, my left hoof, had a cousin that was brutally murdered by a bear while hunting. Midnight Sapphire, her little sister was lost in the mountains while we hid from some Solar Guards, never to be seen again… I could keep going for hours and the list would never end.”

“Oh Tartarus.”

The stallion speaks again. “The reason may be different, but the suffering is the same. So, don't pretend to be astonished, Ma’am.”

“I had no idea.” My mind wanders to little Lucky, the youngest of the group. She had to live through all of that, and has done so for all of her life. That poor filly is probably traumatised, but she doesn’t let anypony see it. “You’ve gone through worse than anything I’ve had to deal with so far.”

He smiles as a cough escapes him. “Thousand years on the moon, a year living rough in the Everfree and then you met His Majesty and ended up being dragged into all of this.” He raises an eyebrow. “And you’re telling me I’ve gone through worse?”

A small laugh arises from him. An ironic one, again, considering the situation we’re all in right now. I look at him with a serious sight as he gets interrupted once again by a rather strong cough, which - now that I think of it - has become a constant lately.

As always, I decide to ignore it.

I shake my head. “I wasn’t dragged into anything, I started it. If I wasn’t here, Luna would never have become Nightmare Moon and Sombra would be dead. You wouldn’t have had to deal with Celestia because Luna would have made sure she ruled fairly.”

“Ma’am, none of this is your fault.”

“I might not have done anything wrong, but I still caused all of this.”

“Nah, you didn’t. This is barely a consequence,” he denies. “It was Sunbutt. All of this started long before you were born.”

I raise an eyebrow, and remember the story of how he ended up on the run from Celestia. He knows so much, and maybe now, he might say something about it. I wait to see if he is going to say anything.

“You want to know, don’t you?” he inquires. Smart colt, if you ask me.

“I want to be able to remind her of everything she did and make her pay.”

“Well, you may...” he answers, “on two conditions.”

“Alright.” I nod.

“Kind of a surprise the second one.” The bat pony explains. “Though I can tell the former is more of a favor.”

I think about it for a moment, but I guess curiosity always gets the best of me, since it does this time. As I nod, he looks back at the cup and takes a sip from it.

He sighs with satisfaction, his expression quite more relaxed and thoughtful than before, showing some peace in such a tormented soul; he glances at me again.

“I assume you remember our conversation in the castle’s dungeon?” His voice asks.

“Yes.”

“Great. Because, over these last few days... I’ve been thinking.” He pauses, then looks out the window for a moment, seemingly trying to find the right words to use.

He heaves a sigh. “Astral will tell Celestia about my… involvement in this conflict. The old scars will reopen soon and there won’t be any mercy from her towards me. My concern is how this will affect those back in Equestria.”

I remain silent, processing what he has told me and… it makes sense. He’s one of the ex-highest rank officers in the Royal Guard, the leader of our military, and the one who orchestrated the theft of documents detailing Sunbutt's crimes. If - no, when - Celestia discovers that he is here in the Crystal Empire, she will be furious. Probably over the last few years she assumed that he was one less loose end for her to tie up, but once Astral Charm tells her the truth…

That tyrant knows about his astounding ability to lead troops, planning and managing resources efficiently using strategies and tactics that not even Hanzal, his second in command, has managed to fully understand.

And there's no doubt in my mind that she will put him on the Most Wanted list again.

“You need us to rescue your friends?” I question him. He nods.

“Don’t bring them here, though.” Skywalker interjects. “Instead, help them hide somewhere else, a place that may be safer than here.”

"Where, though?"

His magic lights up the room, and a translucent picture of a map of Equestria appears above the hospital bed. I stand up and walk over to it so I can have a better look at it.

He points with a hoof to the Frozen North, specifically Yakyakistan.

I look up at him and he notices. “It’s the most remote place I can think of.” He admits. “Both here and Griffinstone are good places, but we’ve got no relationship with the Griffin nation. Besides, they’re at their worst state after their Golden Age with King Grover ‘the Magnificent’.”

I nod in understanding. Despite not knowing much of the history of the millennium I spent with Nightmare Moon, I’ve heard of how badly some countries had become after Equestria’s rise and peak.

Then, he sighs. “Now… about a few days ago. Let me explain.”

I look at the magical map again.

"Miss Starlight's village is around here on the map," he says, gesturing to the mountains and desert surrounding the place that she used to call home. "Do you have any idea of what went wrong that day?"

"I asked Sombra to use magic," I say, the realisation dawning on me that without me, the Solar Guards would never have found us. I don't think, and I get others into trouble because of it. Every one of our guards and the Solar Guards who died in that fight died because of me. Their families are broken, and will never be whole again. "But then our guards would never have been in danger if I hadn't insisted on going there… I'm so stupid." I bury my head in my hooves.

"No.” Despite his injuries, he sits on the edge of the bed and puts his hoof on my shoulder. “I was the stupid one by giving the order for our troops to stay and hold positions. As for what you said about His Majesty using magic, whilst you are technically correct, Ma'am… that isn't what I had in mind."

I look at him curiously.

"In these situations, preparation, timing and communication are crucial. The guards were focused on trying to help the wounded and hold positions, unaware that yet more Solar Guards were flooding the area. If I had been told this in the morning, I would have insisted that we went straight to the cave and brought everyone back to the Crystal Empire immediately.” He sighs. “However… I doubt that Miss Glimmer would have known about it at that time, as she mentioned nothing in the letter she sent."

"I think I know what you're trying to say," I tell him whilst I process everything, but it doesn't quite add up in my stupid, stupid brain. There are more pieces to the puzzle that I just don't have. "Nope, I've lost it."

"First of all, if we go back to Equestria at any point, Ma'am… I would advise both yourself and His Majesty to stay behind. All laughing and jokes aside, it's far too risky for either of you to get involved. Sunbutt knows that, which I suppose is why none of the alicorns have been involved in the fighting as of yet."

"Right…" I say.

"Second, if our army ever counterattacks, we’ll need somebody inside Equestria to help us out. Me, Hanzal and a few of our friends have a little joke that wherever there's trouble, you'll find Solar Guards." The corners of his mouth turn upwards. "Most of the time, it doesn’t apply to them being the cause of said trouble, of course. If someone in Ponyville were to burn down the houses of the Element Bearers - and not only those places, but also several industrial and military buildings - Solar Guards would be sent there to find out who was responsible and punish them."

I see what he's getting at. "So if there were lots of incidents across the country-"

"There would be lots of small pockets of Solar Guards scattered around Equestria," he confirms. "Vulnerable, with resources being spread so thinly that an army could walk through Equestria unchallenged. It’s risky because of the civilians being on the firing line, but I’ll make the impossible happen if it helps us avoid unnecessary deaths.

"Though I ain’t sure where exactly would be safest for our friends to stay, it would have to be a location that is… less likely to be targeted by either the Solar Guards or our own forces. My suggestion is that we make a long-term plan for what we hope to achieve and stick to it the best that we can."

"Agreed.” I say without thinking. I add quickly, “I'll have to speak to Sombra, of course."

“I know. It’s just… Food for thought?” He slowly nods to himself. “Yeah, that’s the expression.”

“So the first condition is that we organise a rescue mission for your friends and a safe place for them to stay. What was the other one?”

“It’s taken me a while to come to this conclusion out of a wish not to cause unnecessary harm to those around me, but I - I think it’s only right that others know the truth as well as you, Ma’am.” He takes a breath. “My second request is to… make a speech. At the very minimum, you, King Sombra, your advisers and the Crystal Army recruits should be told what was in those documents. At the best, the whole world.”

“Even the foals?” I wonder, confused.

“Hmm, maybe not…” he trails off. “Remember Lucky, the little filly? She read the documents herself. Everybody else was trying to hide the truth from her until she was ‘old enough to know’...” He sighs sadly. “Dammit, her curiosity got the best of her and went rummaging through the few things we’ve kept with us all these years, all whilst everybody else was asleep. I was going to tell her, but I would rather she’d have found out from one of us so we could safeguard her a little.”

“Oh my goodness.” I whisper in astonishment. “Did she say anything afterwards?”

“Not to me, for some reason,” he answers. “Perhaps she’s worried about being told off... poor thing.”

I lift a hoof to my mouth, speechless.

“I…” For a moment, he hesitates as his eyes wander through the room; the Colonel’s face shows a slight seriousness. “I should try to speak to her at some point about it, see how badly she’s been affected.” Then, he laughs softly, “She used to call me her Great Uncle Sky, you know.”

“She doesn’t ever stop being adorable, does she?” I ask, smiling at the comment.

A chuckle escapes his mouth. “Yeah. Though, don’t ever be direct with her, or make her cry,” he warns me, jokingly. “Hanzal’s always got an eye on her, she’s almost like his daughter.”

I shake my head. Skywalker has a huge extended family, and all of them are survivors. I’m not sure what to expect from Skywalker’s speech, but I feel a sense of relief. They won’t have to carry such a burden, and I’ll finally know where Sunbutt gets her reputation from. Something tells me it’ll be an interesting tale.

Chapter 21: Recovery - Part 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 22: Camaraderie - Part 1

Moonlight’s POV

I roll over on the sofa and groan to myself, rubbing my eyes. Sunbutt knows why, but I haven’t been sleeping properly for the past week or so, and the long nights are catching up on me. Probably it’s just down to stress and I need to learn to relax more when I have the opportunity rather than worrying about what Celestia might do to us next, but the last time I had sleep issues… Everypony knows how that turned out.

I’m panicking again.

I stretch my forelegs and yawn before pulling myself up into a sitting position. What do I need to do before dinner? There’s a few of the so-called “noble class” kicking up a fuss about the way Sombra and I are handling the “Celestia business” and we’ve been asked to speak to them personally because nopony else can get through to them. Oh, and I nearly forgot about my wonderful plan to fill Equestria’s newspapers with stories about Celestia.

Cozy is a brilliant photographer, actually. When I saw the photos that she had taken, I was blown away. She captured the horrors of the situation in vivid detail, and once I’ve done my bit and written about what happened at Starlight’s village, Celestia will have a lot to answer for.

Last night, I was reading through that magazine with the story about Golden Sunset. Harmony Magazine is firmly anti-Celestia and not afraid to show it. They dissect every new piece of legislation and every new law that she passes to show what its effects on ponies’ day-to-day lives could be, and there are quite a few intriguing new laws that she has introduced.

One of the latest ones prevents journalists from attending royal press conferences or even visiting libraries unless they are “Celestia approved,” and one part of being “Celestia approved” is proving that a journalist is not in contact with anypony from the Crystal Empire in any way, shape or form. The reporter who wrote the article said that none of the ponies working for Harmony Magazine had been “Celestia approved” to date when the article was written.

I was mentioned a couple of times in the newspaper, which made me laugh. My new nickname is Queenie, apparently, and most of the time it was in the context of, “If Queenie knew that this was happening right under her muzzle, she’d be furious.” However, there was one article that was written about me in particular that I can’t get out of my head.

WE’RE WAITING, QUEENIE. TELL US ABOUT YOUR AUNT CELESTIA...

An opinion piece by Silver Quill

Crystal Queen Moonlight, where are you? You promised you would tell us a story about your auntie, yet you have remained silent for weeks now.

Is it because of your auntie that you’ve been so quiet? She’s been stopping ponies everywhere from raising their voices about important issues. The Equestrian Times had to issue an apology for publishing your article, believe it or not, and they won’t “make the same mistakes in the future.” It’s a shame, really, because I used to read their newspaper daily just to see if you’d written anything else in there. Oh well, it’s their loss.

Is your beloved asking you not to say anything? It’s not that we fear King Sombra is controlling you, no - apparently you were just as feisty before you met him as you are now - but we are concerned for you. It’s more likely that he’s worried about retribution, but still, we never hear anything about what is happening in the Crystal Empire, and so our imaginations get the better of us.

Did you change your mind? That’s fine, but don’t leave us in the dark. We need to know how you are doing and what’s going on in the Crystal Empire. We need to hear your voice again. We need you on our side, Queenie.
Kindest regards,
Silver xxx

I honestly don’t know what to think of it all. How have they not been shut down by Celestia yet? I’m glad that they’re saying positive things about me and that they care, but does that stupid alicorn do anything other than plan parties and sit around eating cake all day with her cronies?!

“Muuuuuuum!” Cozy calls. “You’d better not be sleeping again.”

“I’m awake,” I reply.

She throws the door open and whizzes into the room on those tiny wings of hers. “Come on, come on, up up up! It’s all hooves on deck! Chaos is happening, so get your butt off that sofa and help out, Mum!”

“What is it?” I grumble.

“Gosh, nothing much, except a load of our Royal Guards who were out on patrol outside the Crystal Empire have come back in pretty bad shape. Apparently they encountered a few Solar Guards on the way.”

That wakes me up. “Oh Tartarus, you have got to be kidding me. Is this a dream?”

“Nope! The hospitals are completely going haywire, the Old Colonel Sky is absolutely insisting on leaving even though he’s not even supposed to be up walking yet according to Wishbone, and I thought he slept upside-down like an actual bat, which he can’t do if his back’s broken, which also raises the question of how you and Sombra are supposed to make - oh, never mind, it’s not worth thinking about. And there’s more, too. The nobles are causing trouble again, saying they’ll stop paying their taxes and start protesting if you don’t listen to them. And worst of all, it’s the supposed Grand Prince Genelith Burthelstune the Thirty-Eighth who wants to speak to you. You know the one - everypony loves him.”

“So, let me get this straight,” I say slowly. “There was an attack outside the Crystal Empire on our guards, and the nobles are more concerned about what exactly?”

“Something to do with you and Sombra not being fit to run the place. They think they could do a better job than us.”

“Well, they’re not my top priority. Where are these Solar Guards?”

“They’re gone, but the hospitals are absolutely at their maximum.”

“And what can I do to help?”

“Uh… Speak to Sombra. He's gone to the Old Colonel's hospital room. Oh, and since Sombra lifted the spell stopping anypony from teleporting in the castle, we can go straight there."

I try to picture the place in my head, and teleport both of us to the room. However, as I reopen my eyes, I see that the room is empty; confused, I turn to Cozy.

She notices this, which annoys her. “Gee, do I have to take the blame for everything that goes haywire around here?”

“You said they were here, Cozy, and they’re not. It would be just like you to send me on a wild goose chase around the entire city and-”

“Well, I only knew Sombra came here, nothing else.”

I stop for a moment and think. She does make a point; I mean, how would it have been possible for her to know that everypony was gone after knowing where they were at one particular point in time? Nopony could have, with the exception of Discord, maybe. Life just doesn’t stop when some of us are occupied, it keeps going at the same pace, and we just have to catch up.

About to talk, I notice a change of expression on Cozy’s face: a look of mild amusement mixed with wonderment. She seems to have an idea of what we could do.

“Alright, Old Sky is stubborn as heck, right?” she begins.

I glare at her. “Language, for Luna’s sake.”

“Yeah… Nah.” I swear, the little devil really gets on my nerves sometimes. “Anyway, it came to me that they’re probably somewhere nearby.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What makes you-?”

“Skywalker,” she interrupts. “We all know he’s never going to as he’s told and he’s gonna want to help as many ponies as possible, but he can’t exactly go anywhere that fast.”

I think about it, and yes, once again, it makes sense. As the Colonel himself told me: We all have stubbornness issues. But stubbornness can only help you so much when you’re recovering from a fractured spine, among other things.

I look at her and nod, sighing. “Alright, where do you suggest we go first, oh great little bright spark?”

She puts a hoof on her chin, deeply thinking for a few seconds. Of course, deducting where somepony may be is rather difficult, if not almost impossible, for the vast majority of ponies, and even more so if we add the small but crucial detail that it is Skywalker that we’re trying to find… fortunately, Cozy’s the exception.

A smirk is drawn on her face as she finally says, “Eureka.”

The following minutes, I proceed to follow Cozy Glow. She flies slightly above the ground as she goes along each hallway and intersection, her eyes scanning each area; with some deduction, I’m able to understand what’s happening in her mind for once. She searches for the injured. Since Skywalker has been known lately to stick to whom he calls his ‘comrades’, my little devil has reached the conclusion that the Colonel won’t stay far from those who need aid and support.

And she’s right. As soon as we reached the hospital’s waiting room, I take a moment to look around the place, allowing me to see a one-of-a-kind scene.

I can see Skywalker, wearing his casual clothes while sitting on a bench alongside an injured soldier, a unicorn, for what I can tell. They both are hugging each other as they whisper to their ears words that I’ll never hear; however, it is their expressions that surprise me.

Sadness and pain. Not only on the latter, but also on the former’s face that shows said emotions, all this while a half-smile appears on the unicorn.

I can’t help but feel confused about this. I mean, has he really given up a well-deserved rest in exchange for this? I’m not upset - actually, I’m happy to see him comforting a pony in need; nevertheless, it still puzzles me.

“A little strange, isn’t it?” I jump at the sudden voice behind me.

Before me, stands Sombra, looking behind me - at the scene I was previously witnessing.

“You scared me, Sombra,” I complain.

He looks at me sheepishly. “Sorry, Moony.”

I lean against him and sigh, relaxing a little. He runs a hoof through my tangled mane. I probably should have put some more effort into my appearance before I came here, but oh well.

“I am still processing all of this, you know,” he says.

“All of this?” I ask, confused.

“Did you happen to notice the group over there?” He nods at a small group of injured soldiers, both ponies and changelings, on the other side of the room - sitting, or even lying on stretchers; I can only guess they're some of those that still don’t have an assigned room because the hospital’s full capacity has been reached.

However, what draws my attention is a hat, a red military beret, that a changeling is holding in her hooves. My eyes widen as I recognise it, it’s Skywalker’s.

Instantly, I turn to him and the soldier, who are still hugging each other, and confirm that - indeed - the Colonel isn’t wearing his beret anymore. Surprised, I quickly turn to where the changeling is, only to notice that she’s no longer there. She’s been taken to a room, for sure.

“Skywalker has been… rather too kind and empathetic with them,” my husband continues. “Actually, with practically every creature that has stepped into this building. Walking around, stopping to talk to others, trying to spread a few smiles here and there.”

A doubt creeps into my mind. “Why didn’t you insist on him going back to bed?”

“Oh, I did,” he laughs. “I even briefly contemplated using mind control, and it is quite possibly the only time that Wishbone will ever encourage such a thing. But he said to me, and I quote: why lay on a bed when you could be yourself?”

“Did he really say that?”

“You bet he did,” another voice cuts across him.

I turn to the source of the sound and see Wishbone, who looks tired and stressed as she approaches us. There are huge bags under her golden eyes, which don’t shine with the same enthusiasm as usual, and her green mane is tied back in a messy bun with several strands sticking out at the sides. She’s wearing green hospital scrubs and two large saddlebags which I assume are full of medical equipment.

“You as well?” Sombra asks the mare. She nods.

“Yup, too stubborn for me.”

I say, “Is he-”

“Yes, he’s even more like you than I first thought,” she interrupts me.

“Gee, never thought an old stallion like him would be doing stuff like this.” Cozy admits. “Even less with his spine broken.”

“He never cared for stuff like that, Princess.” A male, familiar voice speaks next to us. It’s Hanzal, wearing his uniform as usual. He joins us and glances at me. “And you know that.”

For a moment, I remain puzzled before realising what he’s talking about. My previous conversation with Skywalker. What was it he said? It’s not about the injuries.

“He… told you?” This takes me by surprise.

“Yup, this morning when I came to visit. And the guards were brought here just as I was about to leave.”

I raise an eyebrow at this. “He’s been doing this… since this morning?” My voice sounds incredulous, which was probably also the case for the others when they found out.

No answer comes from him, except for a single nod before he trots over to Skywalker. The Colonel is trying to stand up, leaning with an orthopaedic cane, though he isn’t able to do it alone.

Seeing this, not only Hanzal, but also the unicorn soldier, the same that the bat pony had been talking to only moments before, help him stand up. When the pegasus assures the latter that he doesn’t need any extra assistance, the recruit sits once more and takes a rest.

The pair of friends walk slowly back to us, making sure Skywalker’s back isn’t damaged any more than it has been already; however, from one moment to another, the Colonel stops - which forces Hanzal to do the same. Then, about ten paces away from the rest of us, the former stops and stares at the ground.

“Hanzal?” Skywalker asks.

“Yes?” The pegasus, confused, turns to him looking for an answer, yet the only thing he gets from his friend is a sad expression on his face while forcing a half-smile.

Suddenly, the bat pony embraces his closest friend in a hug as his eye closes. This surprises both Hanzal and us, since none of us had imagined such a thing would happen. However, despite the sudden shock, Hanzal doesn’t take long to reciprocate the gesture - not caring one bit for the glances of some present in the room.

“Sky, what’s up? What is it?”

He sighs. “Right now, when looking at myself, at you and… at all the poor people affected by this conflict, I can see a truth that I’ve avoided for these last few days…it’s been difficult for me to realise how much, not only them, but also you have suffered because of this.” Skywalker sniffs before a cough catches him off guard. “And... I apologise for that. I- I’m sorry I made you feel worried about my health and mental state; I promise I’ll try better and even spend more time with you and the others, instead of only prioritising war as I’ve been doing until now.”

I can see a tear fall from his eye and roll his cheek. “You’re like my brother, Hanz. Please, don’t forget that.”

The scene hits me like a ton of bricks, and as I watch them I feel doubts creeping them. Something must have made him act like that, but what was it? I don’t know.

All I know is that Hanzal… is just as good a colt as his mentor.

“I won’t, Sky,” he whispers. “...I w-won’t.”

Chapter 23: Camaraderie - Part 2

The next day, I wake up earlier than usual so I can be on my way to the Royal Amoré Hospital: since yesterday, I’ve wanted to talk to some of those who were injured in the attack; however when encountering him, Hanzal eventually stops me in the street. I don’t know what could be wrong, but I can tell that he’s worried for some reason.

“Your Majesty, could I talk to you quickly?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say. “What’s wrong?”

We walk down the street together, heading towards the hospital. “I’m… I’m kinda worried about Sky,” he explains. “You can just tell when somepony isn’t happy, and I know something’s wrong. He’s been quiet recently. Too quiet.”

“Have you asked him what’s wrong?”

“Everypony has. Even Swift Lightning, which surprised him a bit, but you know what he’s like. Stubborn headstrong old git.” The corners of his mouth turn upwards.

“Maybe he’s just not sure how to explain everything.” I think back to when I first met Sombra, when I had to hide the fact that I was helping him. “Anything could be going on in his head.”

“Which is why I’m worried. Nopony can read his mind and if he doesn’t say anything, I can’t help him. He’s usually the one giving me advice and asking me what’s up, basically caring for me, not the other way around. That makes things harder too.” He sighs, “Looks like there’s another pony who needs cheering up, dammit. How in the Crystal Empire do you get a whole bunch of depressed Royal Guards and soldiers to have a laugh?”

“Same way the Lunar Guards cheer themselves up: apple cider,” I mess with him.

He looks at me in shock. “I’m sorry, what?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you and Skywalker have never gone to a pub at around eight o’clock in the evening and staggered out at sunrise. Every Lunar Guard has to do it at least once. It’s in the job description.”

“Well, not him,” he replies. “Since Old Sky was about twenty, maybe twenty one, he hasn’t dared to drink more than just a cup of wine or a small sip of vodka, apparently.”

“This has to be a joke of some kind.” For some reason, bat ponies have a huge drinking culture. Beer, ale and cider are the most popular favourites, and in places like Hollow Shades there are a lot of pubs. In Wishbone's old hut in the Everfree Village, there was maximum security on the small amount of rubbing alcohol that she kept for emergencies. Grogar knows what would’ve happened if somepony tried to drink it.

“Nope. Besides, I’m an ex-Solar Guard.” Well, that explains a few things.

“But then how did he survive being a Lunar Guard for so long?” I ask, still incredulous. “Being in charge of all those crazy bat ponies who don’t want to do anything other than drink cider and play poker all night?”

“Walk around,” the pegasus shrugs. “Enjoy the views, interact with Solar Guards that weren’t actually speciest, and maybe visit the Royal Gardens.”

“My Celestia. Apparently, I was a lot more of a rogue than he was.” I shake my head and smile.

“No, he was just very - what’s the word? Careful? No, it was more than that… He had a bit of a bad experience, I think, and decided he didn’t want it to happen again.”

“Fair enough.”

“Anyways, do you have any idea how I could, you know, get through to him?” he wonders.

“I think, just keep an eye on him for now, and I’ll make sure I look out for him as well,” I assure him. “If I get a chance to talk to him, I will, just to make sure everything’s ok.”

“Right… I just hope it isn’t too serious. I haven’t seen him act like this in a while. Not since - not since we thought Astral had died.”

The severity of the situation suddenly hits me. This is more than just a case of him not feeling himself - there’s something much deeper going on, and I’ll have to try and find out what.

We walk into the hospital building together, where we spot Radiant Hope. He nods at her, and she nods back before trotting off down the corridor with a smile on her face. I look at Hanzal, who struggles to keep a straight face.

"Is there a problem?" I ask, trying not to laugh.

He shakes his head. "No, Your Majesty.”

"Are you sure?"

“Yup.”

I try reading his mind, only to earn myself a sharp pain in my temples. Apparently whatever spell that Skywalker used to stop ponies reading his mind has been used on Hanzal too. He grins at me.

"Snap," I say. "Well, something must have made you want to laugh."

"You're here to check on everypony who got injured, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Follow me."

He leads me through the corridors with the plain white walls that smell of antiseptic, past hospital wards and nurses pushing trolleys and ponies waiting to speak to doctors. This place is like a maze, and I’m not exactly sure where I’m being led. Twice I begin to wonder if we’re lost, but I don’t make any comment.

Eventually, we reach the cafeteria on the second floor, and he opens the door. I look around the room in awe. Around forty ponies, changelings and yaks are in the room, talking and eating and enjoying themselves, and at one end there is an area with a raised platform and a ramp for those with more severe injuries to walk up to the stage.

“What’s this?” I ask in wonderment.

“So me and Sky decided we wanted to make a few ponies laugh, and this is what we thought of. I won’t spoil anything for you, but we’re doing a little performance. Just a bit of music and messing around on stage, nothing major.”

“How long did it take to convince Wishbone that this was a good idea?”

“Miss Sergeant Major? Took a while, but I think Hope talked her round. Once she realised that he’ll be sat down the entire time, she was a bit more relaxed. But honestly, in this hospital she’s like a whole other pony, bossing everypony about. She’s not happy about Sky getting up and walking around, but I’ve been trying to convince him to use a wheelchair.”

“Sounds like you’re stuck trying to negotiate between them,” I giggle.

He laughs. “You have no idea, Your Majesty.”

We find Skywalker near the front of the room and I sit down next to him. Surprisingly, he's on his own rather than spending time with his friends, and he doesn't seem to notice me.

"Sky, buddy?" Hanzal asks.

Skywalker looks at his best friend and smiles. "Hey, Hanz."

"Her Majesty's here."

"Hmm?" The Colonel turns to me. "Oh sorry, didn’t notice you, Ma’am.”

"It's ok," I tell him.

He glances at Hanzal, then looks back at me. "Did Hanzal here tell you about all of this?"

"Not much, to be honest."

Skywalker's smile grows wider and eyes Hanzal. "Ah, keeping it low, are we?” A chuckle comes. “Good one.”

Then, his head turns to me. “Rest assured, Ma’am. Might remind you of the ol’ times."

Ooh, goody. I'm excited now as well as curious. One thing that Celestia will never be able to deny is that bat ponies know how to have fun.

I hear a disturbance and look up at the stage, where a couple of Changelings and a pegasus are setting up a keyboard and a drum kit. Another unicorn carries two saxophones with his magic, whilst an earth pony is setting up a couple of guitars and Sweet little Lucky is placing violins on the remaining chairs, ready for the musicians.

"A concert?!" I say in surprise.

"Kind of, yeah." Hanzal answers. "Whilst Sky was busy walking around the hospital the other day, he found who the best musicians were."

I look at the bat pony, who nods in response. "Wishbone was too ‘hooves full’, so I took profit." He stops smiling and coughs a few times. "Listen, Ma'am…" he whispers, "both you and I know there's gonna be an attack on the Crystal Empire at some point. The troops gotta be in their best mood.”

Another cough gets him, this time more severe. “Putain de chance.” The stallion mutters before clearing his throat.

Neither Hanzal nor I can help but share a worried look for a brief moment. I must be sincere here, for a while I’ve struggled to ignore the cough and kept telling myself that it’s surely a temporary thing; yet, for some reason, it keeps going and getting worse as time goes by.

I'm not lying when I confess my concern about his health. Just as Hanzal does.

"So, what should we do?" I ask Skywalker.

"This ain't the best time or place to discuss battle tactics," he whispers, "but we'll need the Crystal Empire to be as secure as possible; Hanzal here has helped by organising the army while I was out of duty. In two days, I’ll go and supervise the digging of trenches around the perimeter."

"Um…" I say. Something tells me that really he should stay in the hospital, and maybe I should speak to somepony about his coughing too. "Are you sure about going out there so soon?"

"I have a responsibility now to protect those who live here. I won't let innocents lose lives just because of an old colt's health, Ma'am." He clears his throat again. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

I nod, hiding my fears behind a mask of calm and a smile. "Ok."

He looks up at a clock hanging on the wall, then looks at his friend. "Are you ready, Hanz?"

"Yup! Let's go make a few ponies smile."

Hanzal helps Skywalker to stand up, and they slowly walk up to the stage together. Once Skywalker is seated in front of a piano, Hanzal takes a few steps toward the front of the stage and nods at a few individuals around the room, who in turn join the two stallions on-stage. Lucky is also there, holding a miniature violin in her hooves.

What surprises me is seeing Hope joining the group, approaching at one of the two microphones. I'm surprised, and slightly annoyed. I'm not a good musician or a singer, and now I find out that Hope - the mare who once used to love my husband and who I already think is trying to win back his heart - is able to sing on stage in front of a crowd.

Oh, joy.

Hanzal taps the microphone in front of him, both to check that the spell to magnify his voice is working and to draw everypony's attention to the front of the room. Once everypony is silent, he begins to speak.

"Good evening, everyone," he says. "I'm delighted to be here today with all of you, and I'd like to thank both the hospital staff for helping us set up this event, and the musicians around me who've decided to join in. And the one pony who needs the biggest thank-you is none other than my good friend, Colonel Sky, because of his idea to hold this little concert of sorts."

There's a round of applause, and I join in. My eyes catch Skywalker’s reaction, which confuses me a bit: the Colonel doesn’t dare to look at the crowd, he just looks at the piano for several seconds before glancing and giving a quick nod, only to return to his previous position.

Once the applause dies down, Hanzal takes a step back from the microphone to allow another pony to take his place whilst he sits down and picks up one of the cellos. Then, without another word, the band begins to play.

A range of songs from many different music genres are played over the course of an hour - everything from classical music to jazz, blues and rock. Whilst I don't recognise any of the numbers - all of them having been written after Luna and I were banished - the majority of those in the room do, and there's a lot of singing and laughing. A few of the ponies with slightly more minor injuries even decide to start dancing at one point.

Unfortunately, the evening is over far too soon, but Hanzal steps forwards again just as the performance is drawing to a close.

"Right, fillies and gentlecolts, I'm afraid that we're down to the final act," he says.

The crowd gives a collective sigh.

"But don't worry, we're going to make it something to remember. Now, before we play the final song for tonight, let's give all of our amazing guest performers one last round of applause."

Everypony claps and cheers, and those standing on the stage all stand to take a bow, save Skywalker, who just nods and smiles to himself. Most of the ponies, changelings and yaks leave the stage, but Hanzal and Skywalker stay where they are. Hanzal picks up two saxophones that were left at the back of the stage until now and passes one of them to his friend. I hear excited whispers running through the room, then silence falls once more.

Once they each have their saxophones, both stallions get a bit of practice on the volume and tone of their instruments; afterward, I see them adjusting some parts and then settling into their seats for the final event.

The two friends nod in affirmation, then Hanzal begins with a short jazz-style saxophone solo, only for Skywalker to join him; more than a duo of saxophones, it seemed more like a battle of sorts, each of them showing off and trying to beat the other. As if both contestants were responding to each other with music, instead of words.

However, after a few minutes of each of them playing increasingly faster and more difficult solos, it reaches a point where this is no longer felt, but the situation is reversed again; they get on perfectly, complementing each other in what was left empty of the melody for each part.

In both I can see their faces, red as tomatoes, reflecting happiness and enjoyment that I haven't seen for days in the crazy duo. I don't realise it instantly, but with a little distraction from Hope - who is now sitting next to me - I feel my lips forming a smile; I decide not to erase it, because after all this moment is meant to be enjoyed.

There's a final round of applause and the show ends. Ponies walk up to the stage to help tidy up and put the musical instruments away, whilst Hanzal leads Skywalker - who’s breathing to recover oxygen - back to me and Hope, who guides him into a wheelchair.

"All of you were brilliant," I tell them, still smiling.

"Aww, it was nothing," Hope blushes. "I just joined in to help cheer everypony up. Laughter is one of the best medicines of all."

I swallow my pride and admit, "You were pretty amazing, though." She has a powerful singing voice - not what I expected from such a quiet and sensitive mare. But who am I kidding? This is the Crystal Empire. It's full of surprises.

"Your Majesty?" Skywalker asks.

I look at him.

"We just did this for fun and to entertain everyone.”

“Well,” I turn to look at all of the happy faces around us, "I think it worked."

As a group, we all walk back to Skywalker's hospital room. With help from both Hanzal and Radiant Hope he climbs into bed and wishes us all goodnight. Hope returns the kind gesture and trots away, and I do the same, walking down the corridor after her. But I stop as I hear Skywalker's voice.

"Hanz, buddy? Could you… could you close the door? There's a few things that I'd like to tell you and… I'd rather not tell anyone else about them just yet."

Hanzal closes the door, and I silently wonder whether to leave or find out what's bothering Skywalker. My curiosity gets the better of me, but I don't have to stand anywhere near the door to hear them; instead, I focus on my magic and let my bat ears do the rest.

At first, I struggle to understand what they're saying and the noise is muffled, but I tune in to the sound and I can hear the two stallions' voices crystal clear.

"Sky?" Hanzal asks. "What is it?"

"I… It's hard to explain. Give me a moment." I hear a sound like somepony rummaging through a drawer - probably in the bedside table I saw - and silence fills the room.

“You’re joking, right?"

An empty laugh escapes Skywalker. “I wish I were, buddy. But… those are the results.” His voice sounds serious and a little sad. “The doctor checked it three times. I got it.”

My stomach lurches. He has what?

Hanzal says, "And what are they going to do about it?"

“Nothing.” Skywalker answers.

"What?!"

“Don’t think bad about them,” the Colonel assures his friend. “It’s impossible to stop it, only hold it temporarily.”

"But - but - there has to be something they can do! You've survived everything thrown at you so far, so why not this?!"

“I’ve survived imminent death too many times, pal.” Skywalker comments. “Guess life was just too pissed with me.”

I can't believe what I'm hearing. Skywalker is… dying?!

"I - damn - damn you, Sky. I - I can't - you-"

"Please, stop. It happens to everyone eventually."

"But why you?!”

“Real question is: why not?” he replies. “Life’s unpredictable, cruel - yet fair. Everyone fades away, some of us sooner than others.”

"But why does it have to be something like this? With a heart attack or something like that, at least it's quick, but…” The pegasus halts. “Damn Celestia. I - I've known you for so long - you've been here for me-"

“And so you’ve been for me, Hanz.” There's the sound of rummaging through the drawer again, and Skywalker's violent coughing. "And… let's make sure it stays that way, until, well… then. I won't be going for a while, and I'm going to fight this for as long as possible."

There is a moment of silence. I take a moment to process this. I don't know what it is, but Skywalker's ill, and it's terminal. He's been through so much, and now this?! Life has been too cruel to him.

"Hanz, look at me.”

"Sky?"

"...Listen, it doesn’t matter what life throws at me, alright?” he begins. “It might’ve gotten me good this time, but… I ain’t letting this war end without me, bud. I want to see…” A cough interrupts him. “I… I want to see peace and true harmony rule the world. And I want you to prove to me that you’ll enjoy it, as well as the time we have left together. So, is that-” The Colonel clears his throat. “Does that sound okay to you? Will you stick around to look after me?"

"Yes," Hanzal answers. "Damn you, Sky. I'm upset, and I'm... furious, but oh Tartarus, yes."

"Good," Skywalker responds, “now, give me a hug, buddy.” Then the two of them share a small laugh.

I don't know what's happening exactly, but hearing them laugh is a good sign. I'm still trying to process the fact that Skywalker - who's only been in the Crystal Empire for such a short time - could be leaving soon, but at least the two of them have each other for now.

I hear the two of them saying goodnight to each other and Hanzal shuffling toward the door, so I teleport out of the hospital and take off into the night sky, flying back to the Crystal Castle. I don't know what Sombra will think of this, or whether I should even tell him, but there's a lot to think about.

Even more confusing were Skywalker's words after admitting that he was ill. There's a doubt in my mind, something that doesn't make sense to me. They're close friends, I know, but… I can't help but wonder if there's something else that they have yet to tell me about.

Author's Note

Something I will say is that I’m genuinely upset and sorry about the grim future for Skywalker. From the start, Bronie312 decided that he would eventually die. I protested about it, I was furious about it, but Bronie insisted.

~~The concession to this is that I get to ship Skywalker with whichever character I choose.~~

Bronie312: I would apologize, but I’ll be like Captain America: “No. I don’t think I will.”

Bronie!

Bronie312: Without your permission, I’ll begin bothering you in each Author’s Note.

Oh, Celestia...

Bronie312: Sunbutt.

Fine, Sunbutt.

Anywhoo, before certain ponies start getting out their popcorn buckets so they can watch us argue all day, I’m going to sign off and apologise once more for this chapter. I was on the verge of tears writing it, so I have no idea how all of you are going to react.

~ Angel and Bronie312

Chapter 24: Grand Royal Pain In The Flank

As I sit down for breakfast the next day, Shimmer the maid walks in with a frown on her face and about ten letters in her mouth. She puts them on the table in front of me and Sombra and says, “Sorry for bothering you, Your Majesties, but these just arrived.”

“It's fine,” I say to her as she scurries off. “Right, it looks like my job for today is speaking to the nobles.” There's ten letters from them - three of which have the same hoofwriting on the envelopes - and one with the official seal of Canterlot on it. “Ooh, I think Celestia's been in touch.”

There is a round of laughter from everypony gathered around the table.

“Moony?” Sombra asks, a huge grin on his face.

“No, I want to read it,” I protest.

“Read it aloud, then.”

I open it and my eyes scan the page. “Ok, maybe it isn't Celestia. This is from Blueblood, I think.”

“Gosh, I don't know if that's for better or worse,” Cozy comments.

“Dear Moonlight,” I read, “I am writing to warn you of dear Aunt Celestia's latest schemes to remove you and King Sombra from the Crystal Empire's throne.

“The first plan she has is to remove Luna from power in Equestria by sending her to the Crystal Empire and releasing faked documents about crimes that she hasn't committed. This was not Celestia's idea, but after hearing it from a friend she is considering it. Whilst I have told Luna not to leave Equestria for any reason, no matter how significant, she is desperate to see you and King Sombra again.” I feel ever so slightly guilty as I read those words.

“Right,” Sombra says slowly. “Continue.”

“Her second plan is to send as many Solar Guards to the Crystal Empire as she can possibly manage, and this time Lord Tirek will be sent with them. He has been promised freedom and a reward of millions of bits if he can steal your magical essence, and I have heard a few rumours here and there saying that he is actually able to take lives by stealing a pony's life force. I don't know if it is possible, but I don't want you to take any risks. Be careful.”

“Gee, why not state the obvious, Blueblood,” Cozy interrupts.

“Cozy, let her finish,” Wish tells her off. The filly crosses her forelegs, but winks at me to show that she's not really bothered.

“Celestia has also been speaking to the hippogriffs, and whilst I don't believe that they will get involved, I have laid out a few plans of my own in case they do. The Lord of Dragons, Torch, was interested to hear that you have a kingdom with a large quantity of crystals, and if you could put a few to the side for him and his dragons there is a possibility of them helping you should times get tough.

“I hope that you and your family in the Crystal Empire are safe and well, and I hope that we will be able to see each other again soon. Yours, Blueblood.”

“Well, it was nice of him to write,” Sombra mutters, “but we might be in a bit of a mess.”

“Gosh, Sombra. You sound like Blueblood now. What is it with everypony saying stuff that's blatantly obvious?!”

He shakes his head at Cozy and doesn’t answer.

“So, what do we do now?” I ask.

"Prepare the defences.” Skywalker suggests. Wishbone has confirmed that he has been released from hospital since his back is healing, but she said nothing about his other health issues. “Use whatever magic we can to protect the perimeter, then keep building the trenches we had in mind.”

He continues, “Also, speak to the Dragon Lord Torch if we can. And-” he's interrupted by a violent coughing fit. “And make sure the two of you stay out of danger. You can use magic to contact the dragons, but I can't allow you to travel outside of the Crystal Empire.”

I nod. “That's fine, as long as you take care of yourself too.”

He raises an eyebrow at me, and I immediately feel horrible. My big mouth.

“You really doubt me?” His tone is an exaggerated one, letting me know he’s joking. “That insults me, Your Majesty.”

“I know, but you should look after yourself. The last thing we need is for you to hurt yourself again.”

“Ma’am, are you our Queen or my mother?” he jokes, once again.

“I am the Queen, and I have a responsibility to care for everypony in my kingdom and to do my best for them. Even if I can't do any more than say a few kind words.”

He and I stare at each other for a few seconds, and I think he's realised that I know what's happening to him. Now I'm in trouble.

Moonlight? Sombra wonders.

“Ma'am?” Sky says, his tone changing to something more serious, and slightly worried.

“Yes?” I ask.

“I thought I knew you,” he says, and I gulp. “Yet, you keep surprising me as heck.” His head turns to Hanzal. “Seems like you finally got a competitor, buddy.”

A smile is drawn on the pegasus’s face. “Apparently so.”

A chuckle comes from the Colonel, yet another cough catches him off guard. This one being rather violent; he stands from his seat and glances at us. “Excuse me a-” He coughs, again. “...a moment.”

“Ok…”

I can't avoid looking at how the stallion walks away, presumably towards the bathroom. His pace is quite slow, yet I can notice he makes the most effort to get out of our sight. Hanzal doesn’t seem to resist and stands up to accompany his friend. As they leave, I don’t know if I should sigh with relief or become worried about him.

Sombra mutters, “Nothing happens in the Crystal Empire without me hearing about it. So could somepony please enlighten me as to what exactly is going on?”

I notice Hope and Wishbone look at each other, seemingly with no clue of what's happening. They haven’t been told yet. Immediately, Cozy shrugs in response to Sombra, same reaction from Swift. Then, I feel all eyes fall on me, the stares trying to reach my very soul for answers.

I can’t say a word.

“I've heard rumours,” I say. “But I'm not sure how much of it is true.”

“Well, tell us what you know, Mum, and then we can ask them when they're back,” Cozy suggests.

“It's not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Because… what I've heard is…”

“It's bad, isn't it?” She guesses.

I nod slowly.

“How bad?”

“I don't want to say, in case I'm wrong.” Except I already know that I'm not, which makes it worse.

I feel Sombra's hoof on my shoulder, and I look up at him. He smiles at me and I smile back, unsure what to say to him.

“I will speak to the Colonel once we have finished breakfast, and then we can go and speak to this ‘Grand Prince’ who keeps bothering us.”

“Ok.”

We finish our breakfast in silence - although really I've lost my appetite - and the two stallions return at long last. I watch Skywalker carefully as he's guided to his seat. I don't dare say a word, and quickly think of an excuse to leave the room. And the moment the door closes behind me, the questions begin.

Through the door, I listen to the conversation, and try to process some of what I hear. I hear the Colonel explain - or better said, give excuses for - his condition, assuring everypony in the room that it’s only a minor thing; I even consider throwing the door open and shouting at him when he says: “The doctors already gave me a syrup, the cough will be gone soon.”

To be honest, I’m shocked by the fact that Skywalker has just for the very first time lied to everypony here, and that Hanzal isn't arguing with him. It seems like such a stupid thing to do. When everypony finds out the truth, either because somepony like me says something about it or he becomes seriously ill, it's only going to hurt everyone twice as much. But if I say anything, somepony is going to ask how I found out, and whilst I could try to lie about it, I don't want to make the same mistakes, and Sombra can read my mind anyway.

I know what I'll do. I'll wait until I'm alone with Skywalker and Hanzal, and I'll confront them about it.

Once everypony finishes with breakfast and the kitchen staff rush into the room to clean up, Sombra and I make our way to a large house surrounded by an even bigger lawned garden on the outskirts of the city. The brick-built building stares down at us, and I wrinkle my nose in slight disgust at the banners hanging from the windowsills and the flags bearing the ancient family's crest. It's so… excessive. Ok, so I live in a castle, and I happen to be a queen, but I wouldn't be that fussed about moving back to the Everfree Village at the drop of a hat if I had to. I don't need everypony chanting my name and looking at me in awe to live comfortably.

We walk towards the small staircase to the green oak porch, and Sombra knocks at the - are those mahogany front doors?! How much money do these ponies have?!

A maid wearing a little black and white dress with a white bonnet answers the door and says timidly, “Oh, hello. If you could please come inside, the Grand Prince will be with you in just a minute.”

We follow her inside to an entrance hall with a row of wooden chairs lining one wall, another huge tapestry hanging above them, and several paintings on the other walls, along with a grandfather clock opposite me. The maid scurries off, presumably to inform the 'Grand Prince' of our ‘grand’ arrival in his ‘grand’ mansion, and that we are waiting in the ‘grand’ entrance hall with the ‘grand’ grandfather clock.

I haven't even met him and I already hate him.

I watch a full boring, miserable hour pass on the grandfather clock before another maid finally beckons us into the hall and leads us to a sitting room that's probably larger than the lounge at the Crystal Empire. The ceiling is high, with a huge golden chandelier hanging from it, and nearly every inch of the walls is covered in paintings, tapestries and banners of every kind, with golden brackets in between each one, holding candles to brighten the room a little more.

In the room there is a large dining table with ten chairs, and at the other end of the long room, two sofas. A stallion with a cream-white coat is relaxing on one of them, and he looks at the two of us with a look of what could be disdain on his ugly face.

“Well, I invited you, so I would appreciate it if you were to actually have a conversation with me,” he barks at us.

I look at Sombra, and I don't even need to ask him what he thinks of this stallion. We walk over to him, but all of a sudden he holds up a hoof for the two of us to stop. “Halt. Unless I give my explicit permission, no creature is allowed within ten paces of my being.”

“Sorry,” I say, feigning an apologetic look. “I didn’t realise.”

The ugly stallion ignores me completely and instead casts a scathing look in Sombra’s direction. “Sombra, is it?” he interrogates. “Perhaps you were not informed, I am sure you feel entitled to have all manner of sordid little customs in your own dwelling, but when among quality, I should remind you that it is appropriate to kennel your pets. Am I being straightforward enough?”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. He speaks in a more exaggerated posh noble accent than Celestia, and apparently, I am Sombra’s pet. I am being compared to a little mongrel trailing around after him, who does exactly as he says and just happens to yap at passers-by and snap at their hooves. Wonderful.

“She is my wife, Genelith-”

“Before we continue with this little assemblage I should remind you that I personally go by the name Grand Prince Genelith Burthelstune the Thirty-Eighth,” he interrupts. “Sovereign and inheritor of the noble cove of Ogchelle and the Hall of Fabricage, Master of the Order of the Twelve Beads and Scion of Most Ancient and Clearest Crystal Blood.”

“And you would do well to remember that I am King Sombra, that I am here with my wife, Queen Moonlight, and that we are the current rulers of the Crystal Empire.”

“Yes, yes, I am more than aware of who you are,” Burthelstune says impatiently, a slight edge in his voice. Apparently we aren't welcome here. Interesting. It's almost like a little piece of Canterlot merged with the Crystal Empire.

“Well, now that we’ve finished with introductions,” I say to smooth over the awkwardness, “how about we get down to doing something productive?”

The ugly stallion doesn’t even acknowledge me. Instead, he shuffles in his seat to make himself more comfortable and once again looks at Sombra with disdain.

“Now, Sombra, I would like you to justify why the Aurora City that my forefathers were the founders of has fallen into such extreme disrepair. Why are you focusing the entirety of your minimal attention span on messing around with your toy soldiers and pretending to go on a little conquest of the world when Equestria deserves nothing more than the occasional glower, and the Crystal Empire is in desperate need of assistance?”

Aurora City?

When the Crystal Empire was larger and more powerful than it is now, this was the capital. Some ponies referred to it as the Aurora City, or the City of Ice.

Oh. That makes sense. You learn something new every day.

“Sombra?” Burthelstune says. “Am I to be left here waiting all day?”

“Considering I wasted more than an hour waiting for you to ‘get yourself ready’ to speak to us, I would have thought you’d be a little more understanding.”

“If you were truly competent you would have taken advantage of that hour to prepare yourself so that you were able to string a sentence together, or at least prepare to admit defeat in a way that I could actually comprehend.”

“I thought I had planned everything out, but it appears I overestimated you.” How that is physically possible when I was previously aware of his lack of intelligence, I have no idea, he thinks to himself. “But allow me to explain this to you in simple terms. Since Aurora's return, ponies from Equestria have made numerous attempts on my life, and on the lives of my family, friends and royal advisors. Celestia refuses to rest until she has my head on a pike, and the same goes for my wife. Do you expect me to allow that to happen?”

“There are more diplomatic ways of reasoning with her.”

“Do you think we haven't tried?” I question him.

“If at first you don't succeed-” he tries to answer.

“Back to the matter at hoof,” Sombra intervenes. “As for what I have been doing about the Crystal Empire’s current state, government funding has not just been spent on the military as you wrongly assumed, but also on the housing industry, local hospitals and education.”

“And what are the foals being educated on? Are they aware of the great ponies who founded this nation?”

“They’re being educated on subjects that will actually help them when they are adults. How to read and write, arithmetic, a little on the arts and sciences, too. And yes, history. The true history, not the version that most foolish ponies see through Celestia’s rose-tinted spectacles.”

“In other words, the folly and fairytales that you use as rationalisation for your despicable and inexcusable acts.”

“Incorrect. I won’t try to rationalise or excuse anything I did in the past, but I won’t let the truth remain hidden forever, and neither will the others who have been betrayed. Also, we are at war, and I would like everypony in the Crystal Empire to know why.” Even if morons like yourself either can’t or won’t understand.

Once again, Burthelstune seems irritated and impatient. “I have already told you, there are easier ways of dealing with minor issues like threats from Equestria than sending those of clear crystal blood to war, Sombra.”

“It's impossible,” I sigh.

“Nothing can truly be impossible.” He still won’t look at me, but at least he actually answered me this time. Progress. Maybe I can get some information into his thick skull and succeed where Sombra has failed so far.

Trust me, my bat, it isn’t easy.

“I've tried to convince everypony, and ponies are beginning to listen, but Celestia is the one pony who I can say, hoof on heart, will never change her mind.”

He turns his big ugly face to me. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. It is a shame that you will never be able to understand.”

“Understand what?”

“The way that the world really works, child. I am sincerely apologetic that you will never be aware of how the noble Crystal Empire's political system operates, nor how each of us in the higher classes think and approach unique problems that a mare of your background could never even imagine encountering.” He sighs. “But such is the unfortunate way of life that you were born feral and have experienced nothing more than a life removed from civilised society, and therefore all of this is far above the maximum capacity and power of your innocent little mind. Please, do not concern yourself with issues that are not yours to contend with.”

I stare owlishly at him. Sunbutt, no, he didn't. And if he did just say what I think he just said, then there will be Tartarus to pay. “If all of that was to do with me being a bat pony-”

“What else would it be about?”

“Take that back,” I warn him. “That's not something that you want to be repeating when more and more bat ponies from Equestria are coming to the Crystal Empire for their own safety and I happen to be their leader.”

“More thestrals?” he says incredulously, and I try not to use dark magic on him then and there. A lot of ponies don’t realise that we find it really insulting to be called thestrals, although I’m sure that he’s saying this deliberately because he thinks he’s in charge around here.

He continues, “More cave-dwellers and woodland beasts?! This is supposed to be the most stunning city on Equis, not an enclosure for pests or a shelter for the homeless unemployable lowlifes of Equestria!” He scowls at Sombra. “If my ancestors knew that you were turning the safe haven created from their hard labour for the ponies of clear crystal blood into a zoo and importing these wild animals to wreak havoc upon the land-”

There is almost a small thump as Sombra's hoof collides with Burthelstune's jaw. The latter gives a yelp of pain and turns his head away, lifting his own hoof to the injured left side of his face.

“S-S-Sombra! Why, how d-d-dare you?!” he snarls.

I watch Sombra's face, his anger surging inside him, his gaze unforgiving. He is trying to hold back from causing any serious damage, and I hear him counting slowly from one to ten in his head to calm down and stop himself from doing anything stupid.

“Consider that a friendly warning, Burthelstune,” he spits. “Next time, I will not be so lenient. And be aware that an Equestrian newspaper company has been invited to work and operate in the Crystal Empire. If I so wish I can let slip a few little stories here and there.”

“I could easily do the same to you, Sombra. My name is known far and wide across Equis and ponies would quite happily support me if I were to remind them of your own little sins from the past. And as for the animal you brought with you in a feeble attempt to frighten me-”

I glower at him. Now he’s done it.

“What is it, thestral?!” Burthelstune snaps.

I open my mouth and run my tongue along the bottom of my top row of teeth. “Sombra?” I ask.

“Yes, little bat?”

I try to appear as calm as possible. “Could I, um, have a little conversation with the Grand Prince? Without you here, please,” I add, licking my lips. This is a little something that among the bat pony community is called The Blood Test. It's a trick to find out if ponies buy into the myths about us drinking blood and if they can tell that we're bluffing.

As it is, the Grand Prince Genelith Burthelstune fails The Blood Test on an astronomical scale. Revelation of the day: I don't really like seeing anyone suffer, but frightening the living daylights out of Burthelstune is a fun pastime. He bites his own lip and a few beads of sweat appear on his forehead. Then, when he speaks, gone is the Arrogant Noble Accent, replaced by the voice of a stuttering, snivelling coward.

“Now, n-now, um, Y-Your M-M-Majesties,” he tries to stop me. “I, um, there is n-no need for violence-”

For once, something that I agree with.

I take a few steps towards Burthelstune, noticing how he shrinks back in fear, only to trap himself further into the corner of the room. “If what you said about me is right, about me being a wild animal, that I can’t understand the way the world works because it’s too complicated, then how do you expect me to know what violence is? This isn’t violence, is it? I’ve not done anything yet.”

And I should hope that you don’t.

Stop panicking, I won’t. I’m just going to make sure that he doesn’t call me a vampire or a thestral again.

“I - uh - step b-back, I t-told you that no-creature is allowed n-n-near me, thestral!”

I take another step, and use my dark magic to extinguish all of the lights in the room. I talk to him quietly, hissing a little as I talk. “Genelith Burthelstune. You pretend to be a prince, but you hide inside your mansion, ignoring the outside world because it scares you, doesn’t it?”

“I - vampire, stop this nonse-”

“You think you know everything, and you act like it too. Ponies let you think what you want to think all the time, and nopony is brave enough to knock you off your high horse. But today is the day that that changes, and I’m going to be the one that changes it.”

Moonlight, Sombra tries to interrupt.

What? I’m not going to hurt him. I allow my dark magic to light up the room for a moment, once again running my tongue over my long pointed fangs. My wings flare outwards and I reach out with a hoof as if to hit him again whilst black crystals grow around us, completely trapping him.

“Quarter! I beg you, vampire, stop!” Burthelstune cries.

Moonlight, stop all of this at once and leave the pony alone.

The candles flicker back to life, and I turn to Sombra, raising an eyebrow. He removes the crystals that I made, then walks over to us and stands strategically between me and the cowardly prince, who is trying to recover his breath.

“L-Leave," he whispers. "This has g-gone on for l-long enough. Do what you will with the Crystal Empire, but I, Grand Prince Genelith Burthelstune the Thirty-Eighth, will personally ensure that despite your best efforts, the City of Aurora never falls to ruin. You know the w-way out. May our paths never cross again!”

Sombra teleports both of us outside, and he stares at me, his jaw slightly agape.

“What?” I say.

“I have never seen you do that before, and I should hope it never happens again. Even by my standards, that was completely unacceptable.”

“What did I do so wrong?”

“Moonlight,” Sombra says slowly, “what you did is you lost your temper and you threatened a civilian even after I told you to stop several times. Worse is the fact that you were threatening him in exactly the way that we are trying to tell everypony in the world that we do not act on a daily basis. If you wish to allow Celestia to continue ruling for another thousand years with her little cult of personality and lose this war due to a lack of anypony trusting in us, then you are going about it exactly the right way.”

The truth of his words sinks in. I am a fool. I didn’t think, and Burthelstune is one of the most respected of the nobility, and all it will take is for him to go blabbing to his friends and for them to speak to other ponies, and everything I’ve fought for goes down the drain in one fell swoop. Why? Why didn’t I think clearly?! I sink to my knees on the grass, sighing in defeat.

“I - I don't know what happened. I lost control. I'm sorry, Sombra.”

“You lost control?”

“I - he was getting on my nerves. No, more than that. He was insulting me, and you, and our friends, and I lost it. I - I had to do something.”

“Interesting…” He seems lost in thought for a moment, staring down at the ground.

"What's interesting?"

“Whilst I did give him a nice reminder of who is in charge and it was an excellent test of my patience, I wasn't the first one to snap at him, to lose control, as you said. I am not criticising you, so don't take this the wrong way. It's just… a little unusual, that's all.”

“It’s probably because I was worried about Skywalker earlier, so I was already agitated.”

“But why were you worried? He told me he was just ill and that he has been given medication.”

I can't look him in the eye.

"Moonlight?"

“H-he's lying.” I admit, still unsure about whether I should be saying this. “I overheard him and Hanzal talking yesterday and… Everything they said this morning… that was all lies. He's not getting better, it’s the opposite, he’s… dying.” The word hangs in the air for a moment. “He said that there was nothing the doctors could do.”

“And what is the ailment?” He asks.

“I don't know, but he said that there wasn't anything the doctors could do. He said it wouldn't be quick, but…”

Sombra shakes his head. “I can only use dark magic to help him if I know what is wrong.”

“Wait…” There might be some hope yet. “If he became an Umbrum-"

“It doesn't always work like that. If he were to die before the transformation was complete, then he would still be gone, and he would need to be taught how to control dark magic. Even then, there are some diseases that cannot be cured no matter what magic you try to use.”

I sigh, the last of my hope leaving me. I was only grasping at straws anyway.

“It will be fine, Moonlight.”

“No… it won’t, Sombra.” I whisper. “And you know it. Whilst nearly everypony you used to know is still alive, I've already lost a lot of friends and family. I've had a thousand years to get over that, but the thought of losing anypony, whether that’s you or Cozy or Wishbone or Skywalker or somepony else, it’s… unthinkable.”

He reaches out with a hoof to try to comfort me, but I shy away from him. I need to be left alone. “Please, Sombra, stop.”

“Moonlight, I-”

“Stop.”

A wave of magic flows through me, nearly knocking Sombra backwards, but he manages to hold his ground. A wall of crystals surrounds me, and I teleport out of it, taking off into the skies. He doesn't understand. Skywalker has become a close friend to me, and he's sacrificed so much, and I feel sorry for him because of everything that's happened with him and his sister. There's a part of me that wants both of them to be able to apologise and forgive each other, but if Skywalker is going to die then those scars will never heal.

And even though I didn't start their fight, I feel responsible for every single pony, every changeling, every living creature that I have the power to help. And all I keep doing is hurting everyone.

I should say sorry to Sombra, and to Skywalker and Hanzal for eavesdropping. I just need to work out what to say.

Chapter 25: Dread

Princess Celestia's POV

“Princess, there’s news from the Crystal Empire.”

This is a phrase that I have learned to hate with every fibre of my being. On those few occasions when I hear it, my ears fold back in annoyance and I scowl without meaning to. It is a habit that I must try to change, but I doubt I ever will until that vampire and her husband are removed from power.

I look down at the speaker, Astral Charm, who is holding what appears to be a newspaper under her wing. After everything I've done to stop that vampire in the Crystal Empire from spreading her filthy lies, she has still managed to find a way of manipulating the headlines in her favour.

“Astral, how bad is it?” I dare to ask her.

“Do you want a nice answer or an honest one?”

“Honest.”

“Alright, Princess. Buckin' horrific. She knows how to make us look like idiots.” She grabs the newspaper with her fangs, then lets go as I use a golden orb of magic to take it from her. I read the front page, my eyes growing wide with disbelief.

Harmony Magazine

**********************************

SHE SPEAKS AT LAST! QUEENIE'S HERE WITH A NEW BOMBSHELL ARTICLE - and Harmony's going to the Crystal Empire

There was much joyous celebration last night at the headquarters of Harmony Magazine as a parcel from the Crystal Queen Moonlight arrived on editor Rose Ink's desk. The package contained a newspaper article, a set of photographs and a touching letter addressed to the entire Harmony team, asking if we would like to be the first Equestrian newspaper company to work in the Crystal Empire since it disappeared over a thousand years ago.

“I've read enough already,” I mutter.

“Princess, this isn't even the worst of it. If you see what she wrote, you'll want to cook her.”

“What page is it?”

“Her article? Page four, I think.”

I turn to the aforementioned page number and stare hard at the photographs accompanying the text. Photographs of a village burned to the ground; of ponies with all manner of injuries hiding in a cave, some of them with their faces and cutie marks blanked out to protect their identities; more ponies, and changelings and yaks too, in an almost overflowing hospital waiting room; and finally, a large group of ponies, yaks and changelings in a hospital cafeteria, watching and listening to a small band playing music.

THE PONIES I TRUST: A TALE OF BRAVERY, BETRAYAL AND FAMILY BONDS

Take a look at the photographs on the opposite page if you haven't already. These images were captured by my adopted daughter, who turned twelve years old only a day before we were called to this scene of horror.

Do they shock you? Not many would say no. I'll say this now, though: it's one thing to look at pictures of a catastrophe like this, and another thing entirely to actually be there and see everything with your own eyes.

When you look at pictures or read about something, you don't have to smell the stench of despair and sickness, and hear ponies begging you to help them. To feel their pain and anguish as you find out the names of those that can't be saved.

Does it shock you to hear that the Crystal Empire had nothing to do with the destruction you can see? That actually, this village was burned to the ground, and its ponies' lives and livelihoods left to ruin by a group of ponies most of us trust more than anypony else? You can take to the streets and call for their blood, but they'll only cut you down just as quickly.

Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you: the Solar Guards. Or rather, those who work in the Crown Guard, or the Inner Circle as it's more commonly known.

Then again, in my not-so-dear Aunt Celestia's defence, there was a bit of miscommunication. She ordered for two or three ponies to be arrested. On what charges? Talking to me. Remember this in case I ever visit Equestria for a diplomatic meeting or any other reason: if you even acknowledge my presence, you could end up being charged with treason.

(I suppose I should clarify now that yes, I did travel to this village a few months ago, en route to the coast, and I stayed there for one night. Whilst I'll happily admit that I can be a magnet for trouble at times, I didn't think that staying there for such a short period of time could cause an issue serious enough for Celestia to send any Solar Guards there at all, let alone the Inner Circle guards.)

But back to the main topic of conversation. The guards arrived in the small hours, according to a witness who I am not going to name to protect his identity. He and a few others were woken up by the noise, and went to investigate, only for all of them to be arrested on the spot and led a short way away from the village by armed guards, whilst the rest of the Solar Guards swarmed the village, knocking on doors and trying to find any more perpetrators.

However, when nopony answered, my anonymous friend recalled hearing a guard say, “If they won't leave their houses, then we'll just have to force them to.”

“Astral?” I say slowly. “Did you… who gave the order to-”

“To fight fire with fire?” she suggests. Her deliberate choice of words is infuriating, but I decide on this occasion not to pull her up on it.

“...Yes.”

“I told them to get everypony out of those houses, and left it up to them to do their job,” she shrugs. “I didn't say anything about setting the place on fire.”

I roll my eyes, and continue reading.

The Solar Guards' not-so-brilliant plan to get everypony out of their houses was to burn them down. Several ponies lost their lives, and more would have done so, but they worked together, even going back into the burning buildings to rescue those who were trapped despite not having any protection from the flames, and only scarves to wrap around their muzzles to stop the smoke from affecting their lungs.

I only heard about all of this the next day, when I received a plea for help from the village mayor. I could see that the Crystal Empire, that myself and King Sombra, were the last hope that she and the rest of her village had, and we rescued as many ponies as we could.

Unfortunately, there were still a few who died either on the night of the fire or in the hospital at the Crystal Empire. The memorial hall was packed on the day of the funeral, filled with those who used to live in the village and the brave volunteers from the Crystal Army who chose to help out with the rescue operation. This is all that’s left of a community that once thrived: the survivors and their memories.

I made a small speech, but I didn't say what was in my heart. It wasn't appropriate at the time. But now? I think I can say what needs to be said.

I have questions to ask about why the Solar Guards had to act so violently, and why I am the first pony to tell anypony outside of the Crystal Empire about this. This happened seventeen days ago, and Celestia has yet to say a word about it.

I know that she is going to read this, and I now speak directly to her. Celestia, please, leave the innocent ponies and people of Equestria out of this war. None of this is their fault. They shouldn't suffer because of our disagreement.

I don't want to keep coming back to Equestria, sending the Crystal Soldiers to sort out incidents like this one, because I don't want ponies to keep dying. But if you look after your ponies properly, then I will look after mine and mind my own business. And maybe then we can move on and forget about this war altogether.

I resist the urge to spit on the floor and turn that newspaper into a pile of ashes. Innocent ponies?! They weren't innocent! And now, after corrupting the minds of all of those that lived in the Town of Starlight, she's trying to corrupt the rest of the world through asking a newspaper company to work with her. And why wasn't I told about this magazine publishing one of her articles until now?!

I need to do some damage control, tell the public the truth about the harsh realities of her lies and what she isn't telling them. I need to make sure Lulu doesn't do anything silly. I need to make sure that the public doesn't lose faith in me, and that they don't fall under the powerful influence of dark magic.

"Princess?" Astral says. "Are you ok?"

"I… I need to… Find Aurora for me."

She salutes and flies out of the throne room. Now I have several choices to make. Do I shut down that newspaper company and stop them from publishing in Equestria?

No, but you can ask that they don't publish certain stories.

What do I say to the public?

They need to know about Starlight Glimmer.

And the vampire herself?

Speak to her one last time, and then we'll attack the Crystal Empire.

Astral trots into the room, Aurora trailing behind her. I don't hesitate in flying down from my throne to the two mares, and I embrace Aurora, ignoring Astral as she grins and rolls her eyes.

"Aurora," I whisper.

"Yes, Celestia?"

I'm lost for words. Now that she's here I have no idea what to tell her. I want to tell somepony how I feel, but the feeling is indescribable. I'm angry and upset and fearful and confused and so many other things all at once, with so much going on inside my head that I almost feel numb. So instead of speaking, I simply lower my head and allow her to nuzzle me.

"Celestia? Was it… was it her? The Umbrum?"

I sigh and close my eyes, nodding.

"It'll be ok, Celestia," she comforts me. "We can still stop her. Lord Tirek and the Solar Guards have already left for the Crystal Empire, just like you asked. We can still win."

I open my eyes and smile sadly at her. She continues to comfort me, and I don't resist. I plant the softest kiss on her forehead and guide her closer to me with a wing. How odd that despite being the protector of Equestria, this sweet little mare is the one to protect me.

"Celestia, what should I do now?"

"Stay here with me." The words leave my lips before I even think about them.

"Ok." A simple word that means so much to me. I fold my wings back by my sides and hold my head high, my confidence returning. The guards are going to keep fighting, no matter what, and the vampire doesn't have anywhere near as many ponies in her 'army'. There might still be some hope yet.

Moonlight's POV

“Moonlight?” I hear Sombra call, and the bedroom door opens. Light floods the room and I slam my eyes shut just moments after opening them. Everything appears upside down, but I can tell that Sombra is smirking.

“Hello, little bat,” he chuckles. “Was the bed not comfortable enough?”

I unfurl my wings and fly down from my little roost to the ground, landing on all fours with ease. “I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd try something different.”

“Hanging upside down from the chandelier.” He shakes his head at me. "And did it help any?”

“Until you woke me up, it did,” I giggle.

He wraps a foreleg around me, pulling me close to him. “You seem much happier than you were earlier.”

“I guess I just needed to relax a little.”

“How much sleep did you get last night?”

I pause, trying to remember. “I was still up at two o'clock.”

“Two o'clock?!” He raises an eyebrow. “You need a better sleep schedule.”

“I shut my eyes and I feel like I've downed about five cups of coffee at once.” I sit down on the bed and stretch my forelegs, yawning. “This is probably the best sleep I've had in a while.”

“Are you going back to being nocturnal?”

“Maybe, but… why would that happen?” I ask, both to him and myself. “And why is it only happening to me?”

“I am not a medical professional. Perhaps you can ask the ‘bat expert’, Wishbone.”

“Now that is a terrible joke.”

“I know, but you are stressed and unable to sleep. You need to take your own advice and look after yourself, Moonlight,” he advises me. “I can tell you what to do, but I can't force you to make the right decisions. Well, I could, but I don’t particularly wish to do so.”

“I'll speak to her tomorrow.”

He shakes his head again, although this time he isn’t joking around. “No. Today. What is it with you and the Colonel not wanting to talk to doctors when you need to? Is it a bat pony problem?”

I smile, remembering Skywalker's quote. “We all have stubbornness issues.”

“Well, if you are tired, I'll leave you to get a little more sleep.” He turns around, about to leave.

“I'm awake now, though. And if I sleep now, I'll be up all night.” I walk towards him. When I reach him he gently caresses my face and our eyes meet. A million thoughts run through our minds and I realise that he cares about me more than words could express.

“Fair point. Your next job is to go to find Wishbone. Meanwhile, I have the job of looking at our expenses and how much money we have to invest in the Crystal Empire.”

“Finances.” Probably the least interesting part of our job. Sombra and I could employ extra staff to deal with that sort of stuff, and maybe we will if we end up being preoccupied by the war, but we prefer keeping an eye on everything ourselves. “I'll leave you to it. Love you, Sombra.”

"I love you too, little bat," he says as I fly down the corridors.

Hospital visits. Something I have never liked, but it looks like there's no avoiding it this time. I'm doing this for Sombra, Cozy Glow, my friends and for the Crystal Empire. If it wasn't for them and my royal duties, I would be staying as far away from the doctor's office as possible.

Let's get this nonsense over with.

Author's Note

Both Celestia and Moonlight have plenty on their minds at the moment...

~ Angel

Chapter 26: Best Wishes

I arrive at the hospital, and am glad to find that it is relatively quiet, a stark contrast to the last couple of weeks. No more interruptions, just peace and quiet.

At the same time, though, it feels a little empty. Not completely deserted, but… unusual, after the chaos I’ve grown used to. Most of the ponies I pass don’t speak to or even acknowledge me, and whilst I’m not here to be an attention-seeker, I feel out of place; there aren’t any close friends of mine here, except Wish, who could quite literally be anywhere in this huge empty building.

I find her in the hallway on her way to treat another patient, humming to herself as she walks. She sees me and says, “Hi, Moonlight!”

“Hi, Wish.” I reply. “Co- ...Could you and I talk when you have a break? Or should I book an appointment?”

“Appointment?” she snorts. “Don't be silly, Moonlight. We've known each other for long enough. I'm just about to go to the children's ward, but I'll be free after that.”

“Good. I'll come with you. Sombra says I'm not allowed to do anything else until this is sorted.”

We walk together up a flight of stairs. “So, what is it that's bothering you?”

“Sleep problems.”

“Oh Celestia, please don't,” she says.

I burst out laughing.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth, Moonlight.”

“I'm sorry, I can't help it. I don’t go looking for trouble, I swear.”

We reach the top of the staircase and walk out into the corridor. Wish leads me to the children's ward, and a nurse allows us inside.

I wait patiently for Wishbone out in the corridor between two hospital bays. Ponies smile at me as they pass, and I smile back, saying hello and how are you, and yes I'm fine, and to the young patients, “I hope you get well soon.”

Wishbone returns ten minutes later, beaming with happiness. When I ask her what has made her smile, she explains, “There's nothing quite like telling a sick foal and their parents that they're allowed to go home.”

She shows me the way to the office that she's been allocated since she started working here, and slides the sign on the door from “Vacant” to “Engaged” before we go in.

“So, sleep issues,” she says as she sits down in the plain black office chair at her desk. She picks up a notepad with yellow pages, a white quill and a pot of ink. Business time. “What's happening?”

“No more strange nightmares,” I assure her as I take a seat. “I just can't sleep at night, and I keep falling asleep during the day.”

She scribbles a few notes. “Anything else?”

“Those strange visions - although I haven't had one since the first of July - and stress, although I think you can understand why that’s an issue.”

“Has your magic been affected?”

“Um… Earlier, I lost control of it. I snapped at Sombra and I used magic by accident. And then there was that day when Celestia sent the… the necklace.” That was a fiasco.

She writes a few more notes. “Any other issues?”

“As far as I'm aware, that's it.”

“I already know you've been eating normally, because I have meals with you, so it shouldn't be down to nutrition…” she trails off. “It isn't anything to do with staying up during the day, either. It's actually completely fine once you've adjusted, so it shouldn't be affecting you because you've been ok for a few months. It could just be the stress of being the Queen, but I want to double check that there isn't anything else to worry about.”

“Right.”

She jumps up from her chair. “Stand up. I'm just going to do the usual medical exam.”

I stand up and walk slowly to the centre of the room, aware that she's watching me walk. I stop in the centre.

She marches over to me and taps a small spot somewhere on my spine, causing my wings to flare out by my sides on instinct. I don't know how she knows all of these tricks, but they work. She examines my left wing, opening and closing it whilst looking at the bones and the webbing, before doing the same to my right wing.

“Right, now I need you to lift your hooves one by one.”

She checks each of my legs, but finds nothing. Then she listens to my chest.

“Hmm, your heartbeat's a little off. Slightly irregular, and a bit too fast.”

“Is it anything to worry about?” I question her.

“At the moment, no, but you'll have to have it checked out on another day.”

I nod.

She continues with the medical exam. My eyesight and hearing are apparently perfect, and she doesn't find anything else wrong.

“So I'm free to go?” I say hopefully.

“Not quite.”

“Why, what are you-”

“Dream world.”

“Oh.” My face falls slightly. The old sticking point. I'm more than fine with Dreamwalkers now, it's just… old habits?

She sees the look on my face and giggles, “Don't worry, I'll wait until tonight before I bother you. But you'll have to stay away from King Sombra for a full hour before you go to bed, and you'll also need to stay at the hospital so that you can be monitored whilst you sleep.”

I stare at her. “It was never like this back in Everfree.”

“Well, there's more technology here, and I'll be able to find any problems a lot more easily now.”

“I - Celestiadammit, Wish.”

“I know, but I want to keep an eye on you.”

I'm annoyed, but I don't think I have much choice. She has a point.

“Well, as long as I know which ward I'm supposed to be on by tonight, I'll be fine. Thanks, Wish.”

She bites her lip and tries not to laugh.

“What?” I say.

“I was messing with you, but since you don't seem too bothered by the idea, I'll make sure that there's a room available for you tonight.”

“Dammit, Wish. Damn you.”

“See you at dinner.”

“I hate you sometimes.”

She hugs me, grinning from ear to ear. “You're my best friend too, Moonlight.”

A few hours later, I make my way to the sleep clinic. I'm still wide awake, though. How anypony is supposed to find out if anything is going wrong in my dreams, I don't know, but they'll probably use magic or something to help me sleep.

Wishbone is already there when I arrive. She takes me to an unoccupied room. There are two rooms that are connected to each other, one with just a single bed, and one set out like any other office with chairs, a desk, another bed and some sort of old-fashioned printer.

We walk together into the room with the bed, and I look up longingly at the crystal ceiling light. Wish grins at me.

“Have I finally convinced you?” she smirks.

“What?”

“Have you learned of the wonders of sleeping upside down?”

“No,” I fib. “I've already told you: I've always slept the normal way and I always will.”

“Liar,” she says almost playfully, teasing me like a foal.

“…Sombra told you, didn't he?”

“He did. Now, apparently whatever technology they have here hasn't been tested on ponies sleeping upside down, so you'll have to sleep the 'normal' way tonight.”

“See you in the morning, then.”

“Wait a minute.” She rummages through a chest of drawers that I didn't see before, then finds some stickers and a few wires sticking out of the wall that divides the two rooms. She attaches the stickers to the wires, and I grumble under my breath.

“I'm going to have to wear those all night, aren't I?”

She nods, then places them on my head in different spots. I climb into the bed and she smiles at me.

“Goodnight!” she says.

“Night,” I answer.

She pulls the curtains closed and leaves the room. As the door shuts, the crystal built into the ceiling begins to glow softly. I stare at it, and I feel myself growing increasingly tired. How does the Crystal Empire's hospitals have technology like this? How does it work? Surely they can't be using magic, since there were so few magic users here in the Crystal Empire before I arrived. So how do they-

The next thing I'm aware of is waking up in the Crystal Castle throne room, on the floor. I don't know why I'm here, but I am.

“Moonlight, my sweet little mare.” It's Sombra's voice.

I look up at him and nuzzle him as he returns the gesture.

“How are you?” He sits down next to me and strokes the back of my neck softly. Ooh, that feels good.

“I'm ok. You?”

“I am fine, Moonlight. More than fine.” He smiles sincerely. “I just wanted to check on you.”

I furrow my brow, aware of some faint buzzing noise in my ears. “I… what's going on?”

“Dream magic is complicated. I am trying to keep you occupied whilst Wishbone is busy running all manner of medical tests in the background.”

“Won't your magic affect the dream?”

“It won’t. Relax, my little bat.”

“Ok.” I pause to stretch my forelegs a little. “So, what should we do?”

“You can decide.”

I think of the Everfree and all of the things I love about the forest. The dream changes around us and we find ourselves in calm, still woodlands. The ground is soft and covered in a blanket of fallen leaves. Birds sing merrily in the background. Sombra takes a deep breath and sighs, laying down next to me.

“Sombra?” I ask.

“Yes?”

“Have you spoken to Skywalker or Hanzal?”

“No.” He glances at me. “They both have been rather busy with the trenches lately.”

“Good,” I say. “Because I… I think I'd like you to be there with me when I talk to them.”

"That's fine.”

“Thanks. I just… I don't know what I might do if I snap at them.”

“Nothing will happen, Moonlight,” he assures me.

“I know, I'm just worried about what will happen. I wasn't supposed to hear any of their conversation, but I…” I shrug, unsure. “I don’t know.”

“It will be fine, I promise.” He pulls me closer to him and gently kisses me. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure that nothing is too unpleasant.”

We stay there in silence for a few minutes, not needing to speak to each other. Even though this is only a dream, I can almost feel the cool fresh air of the forest filling my lungs. My mind wanders to the Everfree Village. How are the ponies who I left behind? I always felt like an outcast and never fitted in there properly, sure, but the bat ponies there are still ponies. They’re close to Celestia, and don’t have any protection from her other than the forest itself. It’s a miracle that they haven’t faced more nonsense from her before now.

I can sense the dream changing, although Sombra isn't doing anything to affect it. Instead, he seems slightly alarmed. He looks around, turning his ears this way and that, trying to find out what is happening.

“Sombra?”

“Moonlight, I-”

Everything fades to black before I find myself in the icy conditions of the Frozen North, surrounded by Crystal Army soldiers but with no sign of Sombra or Wishbone. The arctic wind howls in my ears, along with the battle cries of hundreds of soldiers. I look around and I can see Solar Guards charging towards us.

“Moonlight, are you there?” Sombra asks.

The battle rages around me, and I have to defend myself from several Solar Guards, using just my magic to hold them back before I have a chance to teleport away from them.

“Get out of the dream!” Wishbone shouts.

Then I hear a loud thud thud thud echoing through the landscape heading towards me. I see him: a huge red and grey centaur with glowing orange eyes. I find myself frozen with fear as he storms towards me.

“Sombra? Wish?!” I shout.

The centaur opens his mouth, and I feel a huge amount of raw, sharp pain in every part of my body. Purple and green dark magic appears to float through the air towards him as he inhales. He’s stealing my magic.

I continue to struggle, but it’s no use. He takes all of my magical power, and flexes his muscles as he grows even taller and stronger before my eyes. His eyes light up with delight, and I watch as a large ball of orange and black magic forms between the two large bull’s horns protruding from his head. The ball of magic flies towards me, and I try to move but I can’t and I-

I gasp and sit up straight in the hospital bed, dripping in a cold sweat. “Dammit,” I say angrily. “Celestia, damn you. Damn, damn, damn you Sunbutt. Rot in Tartarus where you belong.” There. That’s better.

Wish knocks on the door, then rushes inside. “Are you ok?”

“Um. Depends.”

She feels my forehead and takes off those horrible sticker things, throwing them in a yellow bin. “I think you have a fever, and ugh, you need a bath, too.” She looks at her now sweat-covered hoof with an expression of slight annoyance. “Now, why in Celestia’s name do you keep on surprising me?”

“You’re still young, so you haven’t seen everything the world has to offer. It takes a good thousand years for that to happen.”

She gives me a look that lets me know I’ve crossed the line with that joke.

“Ouch, somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” I giggle. “Or did you fall from the ceiling?”

“Do I have to get King Sombra to come here and explain for you how serious this is, or can you be a big filly and concentrate?” Her tone is condescending and I feel like a foal again.

“I’m listening,” I grunt.

“Well, I now know a little bit more about what’s going on inside your head, which makes a nice change.”

“Finally found the cause of my insanity, have you?”

“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that you were completely unhinged by your time trapped on the moon, but enough messing around. Your magic is… irregular. It’s not following the usual rules. Now, whether that’s down to the fact that you’re using dark magic or something else entirely, I don’t know, but it’s not normal for a bat pony, at least.”

“And what about what happened in the dream? The crazy centaur who drained my magic?”

“That was Lord Tirek.” She looks in the little bedside drawer and pulls out a thermometer. After cleaning it quickly with a beam of magic, she gives it to me and I hold it under my tongue for around thirty seconds. When I give it back to her, she mutters, “About a degree and a half over what you should be. Typical.”

“And why am I having nightmares about Tirek?”

“Celestia knows. But I was still in your dream when it changed, and I think I know what’s going on. Possibly.”

“The diagnosis?”

“A few things. First of all, stop eating chocolate before bed.”

“And you’re saying I’m the one acting like a foal here?” I say doubtfully.

“It’s a proven fact,” my friend explains as she walks between the two rooms, grabbing a notepad, quill and inkpot and scribbling down Sunbutt-knows-what at lightning speed. “I know you have a sweet tooth like the majority of bat ponies, but a drop of honey or syrup on your tongue will do fine, and it won’t disrupt your sleep. I might be wrong about this, and please tell me if I am, but you’re going to go a month without eating chocolate before bed to see if it makes a difference.”

“And what else?”

“The other thing that’s happening is that you’re using magic whilst you’re asleep.”

My jaw drops for a moment. “I… didn’t know that was even possible.”

“It’s possible, and it’s perfectly normal most of the time. But when somepony doesn’t know how to sit down and relax for a few minutes, it causes problems. King Sombra might have some way of stopping you from using your magic at night, but I’ll probably have to prescribe a day off for you to spend at the spa or something, knowing you.”

“I don’t have time for spa visits.” I fold my ears back. “Try telling Skywalker to go to the spa for a day. It’s not happening.”

“You’ll make time to go and do something relaxing for your health,” she insists. “I might have grown up in the Everfree Forest, and I might be the last pony you’d expect to tell you to do something like that, but I went to medical school at Hollow Shades and I know what I’m talking about. Plus, I care, Moonlight. This isn’t just doctor talk, I’m worried about you.”

Her golden eyes meet mine, and I see a flicker of sadness and pain in hers.

“Wish?”

Her head turns away for a moment, and her voice is barely a whisper. “I think you’ve always taken it for granted, but I care about you so much more than you realise.”

“...I’ve upset you, haven’t I?” I ask slowly.

“No, you’ve not done anything, it’s just… I’m not happy here,” she admits, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to me. “The Crystal Empire is nice, and I’ve enjoyed meeting so many other ponies, and I’ve learned a lot too, but… this is the longest I’ve spent away from the Everfree Forest in my life. Ever. I miss the trees and the sky, and the calm and quiet there.” She gives me a watery smile. “And maybe I still feel like King Sombra has stolen my best friend from me.”

Now she’s tugging at my heartstrings. I tell her, “Wish, you know you can sit down and talk to me at any time-”

“But I can’t, because either you’re running off on some crazy adventure or dealing with politics, or you’re just spending time with King Sombra or the Colonel or one of the others. I feel… Left out.”

I bite my lip. I’m not a good enough friend towards Wishbone; I never have been, even back before Sombra got involved. She tries so hard for me, too, and I always end up throwing it back in her face.

“I-I'm sorry, Wish.”

“It's ok.” She shuffles closer to me. “I understand.”

“No, I mean it. I need to do more for you, be a better friend.”

She and I sit together in silence for a few minutes. All of a sudden I feel so terrible. Friends are supposed to stick together, and I've broken that rule too many times to remember. She deserves better after all she's done for me.

She smiles at me and says, “You and me, and maybe Hope and Cozy, too. We'll have a mares' day out together, and not worry about anything else but having fun with each other. Deal?”

“Deal,” I say. “As long as I don't have to deal with Sunbutt or Tirek-”

She interrupts, “They can wait. If we don't sort out something now, it won't happen because you'll always be too busy.”

“It's complicated, Wish. I'm the Queen, I have royal duties.”

“You also have King Sombra,” she reminds me. “He’s ruled this place on his own before and he can do it again. It's one day, Moonlight. As crazy as our lives are, that one day can't make too much difference.”

“I don’t know, if I’d been at the spa on the day Nightmare Moon was banished-”

She holds me down with her magic, grabs a roll of bandages and wraps it around my muzzle faster than I can react. My eyes grow wide. Wish, like all ponies who grow up in the Everfree, is a very dangerous pony to be around sometimes.

“Well, you can also try staying quiet and not think too much about it,” she tells me.

I don’t dare to say a word - though that would be impossible for… obvious reasons - about it for a moment. She’s right, to be honest. I’ve been questioning every single thing I do in life, doubting about if what I do is right or not, stressing myself by overthinking stuff that doesn’t have to be paid too much attention.

I look at her with a disposed look, then nod in response.

She unwraps the bandages and leaves them on a desk, only to hug me. “We’ll find a time when both of us are free, and we’ll have a nice relaxing day together for once.”

“Ok.”

“Now get to sleep. You need it, Moonlight.” She smiles at me one last time and leaves the room. I roll over and fall asleep, and whilst I do so my dreams are peaceful. Watching over me the entire time in the dream world is a full, golden moon surrounded by stars.

Author's Note

Wishbone in Doctor Mode...

~ Angel

Chapter 28: Visit to the Trenches - Part 2

Something that I notice quickly is that in the trenches, everything seems to run like clockwork. I find myself shocked by how far the network of trenches actually reaches: it started off to the south of the city, but is slowly forming a line of defence that circles around the entire Crystal Empire.

Of course, everypony can only keep digging as long as there aren’t any distractions. Nopony has spotted any Solar Guards yet, but everyone is very aware of the fact that they could turn up at any point, leaving us all on edge.

Skywalker has apparently not stopped working even when sitting down for his “breaks” and been thinking about various scenarios. From what I’ve heard about the Solar Guards from him and other ex-Royal Guards, they have had a thousand years to develop their military tactics and technology - a luxury that the Crystal Empire just hasn’t had - but Equestria hasn’t used their time properly. So whilst we are still vastly outnumbered, the Changelings and our friends from Yakyakistan have given us an edge.

And oh Tartarus, Skywalker has taken advantage of this.

Half an hour has passed and my mind is still processing the neverending list of information that the Colonel has shared with me about the defences. Besides the multiple lines of trenches that encompasses the entire city, he also made sure to fortify those areas with some kind of concrete-made buildings that he called “bunkers”.

These are quite small, but they provide some extra protection to the soldiers posted on the surface, both against enemy troops and the harsh weather. The same formula has been carried out in the trenches, digging some underground rooms where the troops can sleep and interact with each other.

Also, the bat pony - along with Hanzal - have implemented some new kind of weaponry that has been placed along the first and second line of trenches; among these, there’s one in particular that caught my attention. The “Ballista,” he called it. Basically, it’s a big stationary weapon that shoots large arrows. What shocked me was the thought of how much destruction it could cause in battle. And bearing in mind how many of them there were…

Then, last but not least, I couldn’t help but notice how well-thought-out the organisation is between bunkers, ballistas, and trenches since they all help each other in different ways.

Skywalker doesn't seem to be showing any signs of nervousness, which was the main reason for my visit, so once I've had a look around I decide that it's probably best that I leave before any Solar Guards arrive. I make sure to tell him about the possibility of a War Council meeting, though.

“I agree with the idea of making a War Council-” He stops to clear his throat for a moment. Celestia, I hate to see him like this. “...so we can discuss war-related issues,” he says while digging an unfinished part of the trench. “But… there’s a problem with that.”

I raise an eyebrow as he stops digging, then gives me a glance before placing the shovel gently in the ground.

He walks up to me. “If all leaders and advisors of the entire alliance are in one single place, there’s a big risk of having Sunbutt know of this.” Skywalker explains. “Doesn’t matter how classified it remains, she’ll end up knowing about it. And-” A cough interrupts him. “...since that tyrant wishes many of us dead, won’t hesitate in taking revenge into her own hooves.”

“Um… when you say that she'll find out, no matter how classified,” I emphasise the last part. “is that because of somepony in the Crystal Empire telling her, or something else?” I ask.

He sighs and looks at the ground for an instant. “You never know when someone appears and ruins everything you’ve fought for.” Yet another cough gets him off guard, making the bat pony cover his mouth.

I open my mouth to say something when his voice interrupts me. “Listen, what I mean is…” He clears his throat once again. “The idea, itself, ain’t bad, it’s just the planning that doesn’t convince me.”

“The risk of having us all in one single place is worrying you,” I say, and he nods. “Then, how are we going to do this?”

“Well, there are many options you can make in life, Ma’am. This is one of them.” The Colonel comments. “The solutions to a dilemma like this are very diverse, unique I’d rather say. However, people must be wise and see all perspectives of every situation, take into consideration ideas, opinions, and suggestions. Encompass all the crucial elements and make a decision.”

“In fewer words,” He adds before taking a moment to think about the choice of words. The bat pony looks at me and continues. “Don’t be like the others. Believe it or not, I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of tenths, if not hundreds of insurgencies, rebellions, and revolutions, as well as how pathetic they were in separating their personal conflicts from the professional ones, thus provoking their own downfalls.”

He clears his throat to avoid coughing. “From my point of view, it is wiser to listen before acting. That is what I would do.”

A few moments of silence pass as he returns to digging the trench; however, the stallion hesitates on taking the shovel, for some reason, as he instead turns to me, before glancing at the ground and giving a small chuckle, and asks.

“Would you mind some coffee, Your Majesty?”

“Not a bad idea,” I say. “If you have any, that would be great, thanks.”

He smiles at me and proceeds to guide me back to the underground room. Once we’re inside, I finally pay attention to the interior. Not bad, to be honest, yet it isn’t some luxurious hotel; some clean beds, two tables at which the soldiers can sit and eat - even socialise a bit when there isn’t much to do - and some doors that, I suppose, lead to makeshift bathrooms.

As he walks towards a coffee maker, I take a seat on one of the tables. The room is empty save the two of us, leaving us in an awkward situation. Do I try to speak to him, or wait for him to make the first move? Do I admit that I essentially spied on him and Hanzal, and shatter that trust between us? Or do I try to forget that it ever happened? Or else wait for another time when Sombra is here to help?

“Milk, honey, sugar?” Thank Celestia.

“A drop of honey and that’s it,” I reply.

He seems slightly surprised; apparently, not many ponies can handle pure coffee like that. I would never dream of spoiling a good cup of coffee with a splash of milk, though.

Skywalker uses his magic to carry the cups over, setting them down on the table in front of us. He coughs again before sitting down, staring at his cup of coffee before taking a sip and giving a sigh of satisfaction.

“Good ol’ dad’s recipe,” he comments. “Nothing but the best.”

“You’ve added milk, though,” I say, laughing a little as I look down at my own cup.

He checks my cup, widening his eye as he realises the mistake he's made. The Colonel facehoofs at this. I giggle at his reaction as his hooves fall on the table.

“It’s okay,” I reassure him. “We all make mistakes.”

“Yeah, I know.” Skywalker replies. “It’s just… I actually thought the tenth cup would finally help me avoid committing such mistakes.”

Now it’s my turn to look shocked. Ten cups of coffee?! It only takes twenty five to kill a pony. My goodness, why doesn’t he just say something when he isn’t feeling ok?

“TEN?!” I say, shocked.

He nods as a tired, ironic smile draws on his face. “Eeyup.”

“Ok, after this one, you need to stop. And maybe actually tell me what’s on your mind.” I tell him forcefully. I know I said that I wanted Sombra with me, but I think it's a case of now or never, and I want to use the opportunity whilst I still have it. I continue, “Everypony knows there’s something wrong, but you and Hanzal have barely said anything over the last few days. And then when you’ve spoken to us, I don’t know why, but I feel like there’s more going on behind the scenes that you haven’t said anything about.”

He chuckles, “Finally! Someone who dares to step forward.”

I raise an eyebrow as my eyes blink a few times. He’s been… No, he wasn’t waiting for just any old pony to speak to him, or he wouldn’t have kept lying. He wanted to speak to me.

“Ma’am, you’ve taken so long and I have waited the same amount of time to see someone just. Just. Just step in and tell me that no one will take ‘no’ for an answer. You’re the… second person to speak to me about this, after Hanzal.” He gives a sad half-smile. “I had a feeling it would be you who spoke to me next. It doesn’t go unnoticed, how much you seem to worry whenever you look at me.”

“Thank you?” I say, a little taken aback.

“The thing that you’ve got to understand, Ma’am, is… I’m not exactly a young stallion in the prime of his life anymore-” he coughs. “-and, now, I’m not in the fittest of state, sincerely.”

“In what way?” I ask.

“In what other way, Ma’am?” he answers, gesturing at himself with a knowing look, and yet another cough gets him. “Dammit.”

“But… how bad is it? Isn’t there some… I don’t know, medical treatment or some sort of magic that can help?” I already know the answer, but I don’t want him to know that.

“Medical treatment?” he asks, then, for a couple of seconds, he doesn’t do more than just laugh at my question; however, a severe cough catches him off guard, forcing the bat pony to cover his mouth. The Colonel glances at me and wears a sarcastic smile. “Good one, Your Majesty. You should try comedy.”

I sigh. “Not even dark magic? If Sombra could somehow heal you, or you could become an Umbrum-”

“There’s a… there’s a problem with that, Your Majesty. What if I were to tell you that my health issues were- no, they weren’t caused by dark magic as such, but… dark magic contributed to them?”

“No,” I whisper. But how? Sombra and I don’t use dark magic to hurt ponies! I can’t actually think of an occasion when we could’ve accidentally done something to hurt him. And we’ve only used magic on Skywalker a few times whilst trying to read his mind. Usually it’s really difficult for anypony to do this because he’s used his own spell to stop us.

Wait… Didn’t Sombra say something about some of those spells being illegal in Equestria and dangerous? He did, which could only mean…

“You... used dark magic before?” I ask.

“Heh. I don’t mean to offend you, but it is quite an obvious thing now, I mean… none of my healing miracles happen just for the sake of it.” He gives another pause to… just stay in silence. “But yeah, you’re correct. Many of the group who left the Royal Guard a decade ago decided it would be best if… we stopped anyone with magic from trying to find out what we were hiding, in the event that we were captured.” He coughs once more, then continues with his explanation.

“At the time, dark magic seemed like the best option. A way to weaponise our own thoughts against attackers… of course I didn’t think twice about offering myself to learn those spells.” He pauses, looking at the cup, thoughtful. “...yet, I should have remembered about every action having its effect.”

I don’t quite understand how that dark magic could have caused so much harm if he learned to use it properly, but it seems to have affected him more severely than it did for me.

“Aside from that, I kind of had an idea that something would happen eventually, but I didn’t realise that it would be so… hard,” he says. “Perhaps individuals like yourself and King Sombra who use dark magic exclusively don’t have this issue - and perhaps you aren’t even aware of this - but… in most ponies, dark magic causes some form of decay. Everyone knows about what it does to your mind eventually, but it can also ruin your body.”

“And it’s reached your lungs.” I conclude.

He nods. “It had a helping hoof, though…”

“What do you mean?”

“I found out from the hospital about it just recently, but-” the Colonel clears his throat for a moment, then makes a gesture to the former that accompanies his words. “I’ve got TB.”

The two-letter word causes a million alarm bells to start ringing in my head. One of many illnesses that had the power to wipe out entire villages when I was a foal. I was lucky enough never to actually catch it, although I don’t think there was ever an epidemic at Hollow Shades.

“Contagious?” I ask immediately.

The stallion denies. “Nah… as soon as I understood what it was, I made sure to prevent anyone else from catching it. The Crystal Empire won’t have to deal with an epidemic on top of everything else.”

“I guess that’s a positive. But…” Whilst I’ve finally come to terms with this, I feel hollow inside. Numb. “I don’t want you to die,” I whisper.

He smirks at me. “It’s like asking Death itself to stop doing their job.” Another laughter, of course. But, this time, he keeps it short before remaining in silence, thoughtful. “...How do you think I feel with the prospects for my future?” he questions me.

I shrug, unsure how to answer the question. How would I feel if I knew I didn’t have long to live?

“Do you think my friends are going to be overall satisfied when I tell them?”

“No,” I say.

“Do you think Hanzal is pleased with this?”

“…No.”

“Then,” A hoof gestures at him. “What about me?”

I don’t give an answer; I don’t have to.

“Well, then. What I’ll say is, nobody lives forever. Some of us are just luckier than others.” He cracks a smile and says with mock annoyance, “Luna knows what you’ve done to deserve so much more time than everyone else.”

“Oh, you know, just tried to lead a few coup d'êtats. And one of them worked.”

He chuckles. “It sure did, Ma’am… sure bucking did.” Those last words impregnate inside me a strange feeling coming from them, would it be nuisance? Envy? Perhaps, though I’m not one to judge from how he acts; either way, he’s right on doing so, he… just isn’t right.

Despite that, I stand from my seat and approach him. We hug each other, sharing our joy and sadness knowing that the burdens we’ve been carrying with us have finally been lifted. Or so I believe.

“I’ve missed this,” he comments under his breath. “The feeling of someone caring for me, besides Hanzal, and just… willing to help regardless of what I say or how I act.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I reply sincerely. “But I need you to promise something. No more lies, ok?”

“I can do that… on one condition.”

“I’m listening.”

“...Doesn’t matter how cruel or painful, you must accept it.” He tells me, his eye revealing to me how direct and crude he is being about himself.

“Deal.” If it helps Skywalker, then it’s worth it.

“Thank you, Moonlight.”

I’m slightly stunned when he calls me by my actual name, breaking that professional barrier between us and treating me like an equal rather than his superior. I’m glad about it, though. It’s the way I wish everypony would treat me.

Chapter 29: Secrets No More

We travel back to the Crystal Castle after a while, along with Hanzal. Both stallions seem in much better spirits than earlier, which is a relief. I love seeing other ponies when they’re happy, and when the two of them are able to laugh and joke and smile it fills me up with joy inside.

When we reach the castle, surprise surprise, we bump into Wishbone, who gives me a look that translates roughly to ‘never run off like that again or I’ll convince your husband to lock you in the dungeon.’ This causes Hanzal and I to burst into laughter simultaneously, while Skywalker gives a quiet and tired chuckle.

“Moonlight, nopony knew where you were!” she cries, hugging me.

“Cozy did,” I answer back. “And so did these two. And Swift.”

“Sombra and I were panicking.”

“Oops. But surely Cozy told you about it?”

“King Sombra had to threaten to read her diary before she told us.”

I smirk, “What would she even write about in her diary?”

Wishbone does a perfect impression of the demon filly. “Gee, everypony, chill out! We’re alive, aren’t we?” It’s shocking how similar they sound. I didn’t even know that she could do that.

Or maybe she can’t. Rather, she can lip-sync, and Cozy is almost small enough to hide behind her. Almost. But that baby blue mane with the trademark oversized yellow bow gives her away.

The devil reveals herself from behind Wishbone, hovering next to her with her tiny wings beating furiously at her sides.

“Gosh, those Elements of Harmony ponies don’t half know how to complain,” she says. “Whilst I was running around trying to distract Wishbone earlier, I happened to whizz past their cells to hear them say something about wanting to talk. Oh, and they had this really stupid idea of how to escape. Told them it wouldn’t work, and I told some of the palace guards about their rubbishy plan too, but hey ho, they might be dumb enough to try.”

“The Bearers wanted to talk to us?” Skywalker asks. “That’s, uh… Convenient.”

All of us turn to him in confusion.

“It might not be a bad idea to have a conversation with them.” He comments. “However, I think we should discuss this with His Majesty first.”

“Ok,” I tell him. I focus on my magic, trying to work out where he might be and whether I can speak to him. Sombra? It’s me, Moonlight. Skywalker’s brain apparently works at a million miles an hour, and at the same time as talking to him about his illness he’s been thinking about other stuff too.

Myself, Swift Lightning and Radiant Hope are in the lounge, he responds. If you can make your way here, I am confident that as a group we can listen to his ideas, and remind ourselves that a key component of keeping each other safe is communication, my love.

Uh, we’ll be there in a minute.

Do not ignore me, Moonlight.

I do the opposite of what he says and tell the others that he’s waiting for us. We trot inside and up the stairs, talking a bit about everything and nothing. Cozy almost lost a game of chess to one of the palace guards who was off-duty. Wishbone’s been to-ing and fro-ing between the hospital and the castle, juggling multiple jobs at once. Apparently there is a letter from Sunbutt that nopony has dared to open - or perhaps Sombra wanted me to be there to watch my reaction. Who knows.

We reach the lounge. Hope is occupying an armchair and Swift is sitting on one sofa, whilst Sombra is relaxing on the other. I sit down next to him and we kiss as a way of greeting each other. Cozy tries to shove the two of us away from each other and squeezes herself in between us. The others settle down on other seats around the room and we all make ourselves comfortable.

“Now, as much as I wish this was merely a social gathering, I noticed that somepony wrote on The To-Do List Of Certain Doom that we need to have some sort of meeting.”

“Gee, I thought making that list was a good thing. But no, just go mess around like you always do, make fun of my hard work. And you think I’m the one who needs to grow up?” Cozy grumbles.

I roll my eyes and say, “I don’t think we’re all on the same page here, so I thought we should clear up some of the confusion.”

“Soooo… who’s going first?”

For reasons unknown, everypony turns to Skywalker.

“Now that you're making the decision for me, I've got half a mind to say no,” he grins. “But I should talk about the idea that occurred to me a while ago.” Why do I have the feeling he rhymed on purpose?

“And that is?” Cozy wonders.

“Before you complain about this,” he warns us, “I was thinking of going to pay a visit to those seven one day, perhaps give them something good to eat and talk about some stuff. You know, like a… uh… civilised chat.”

Cozy raises an eyebrow. “You mean, with the Element Bearers?”

“Yes.” He looks at Hanzal. “It's time for everyone to know the truth about… you know, those stolen documents, and I think that they should know first.”

Sombra, Cozy, Wishbone, Hanzal and I all raise our voices to protest, but he holds up a hoof to silence us. “Hold on. There is a method to my madness. I think it might be the key to convincing them to… keep an open mind. They already know that I won't lie to them, so they will listen.”

Sombra tells him, “I'm reluctant to allow prisoners to walk around the castle and the Crystal Empire. If they decide to start some sort of protest or attempt to escape-”

“I don’t mean to offend you, but where will they go?” Skywalker interrupts. “I’m asking you, Your Majesty, where will they go in the middle of a bucking blizzard that’s going on outside, being weakened for not having received the daily food that they deserve, and also having an entire army both inside and outside of the city? Where?” he demands. The look in his eye is fierce and full of determination. If he were in charge, then he probably would have dealt with the issue completely differently to the way that Sombra and I have, and probably treated the Element Bearers differently, but what were we supposed to do when they stormed into the castle intending to use their Elements on us?

Sombra takes a moment to process this, then nods in agreement. “You raise an interesting point. However, the two unicorns will have their magic bound and they will be accompanied by a group of guards at all times.”

“I doubt they’ll be as dumb as going to do anything stupid, Your Majesty,” the bat pony replies. “Yet, I agree on having to keep an eye on them.”

“Are all of us gonna be there?” Swift inquires. “Cause Ah'm kinda torn about this one. Ah don't wanna scare 'em outta their skin, but Ah think all of us got summat ter contribute, mahself included.”

Hanzal looks at Swift and smirks. “I might be going insane, but I actually agree with you.”

“Ah dunno if tha's fer better or worse,” Swift quips. “Kinda used ter disagreein' with yeh.”

“Well, does anypony disagree with the idea of messing with their heads later today?” Cozy suggests. “Gets it out of the way, doesn't it? Or do you need a few days to prepare a soliloquy?” She adds cheekily, “You know, they're more likely to listen if you sing rather than just talk to them-”

“Never in a thousand trips to the moon,” I say. “I can't sing and it annoys me when ponies burst into song for no reason.”

“Same here.” Skywalker joins.

“Aww, Muuuum, Skyyy-”

“We’re not singing, Cozy,” I tell her firmly.

She crosses her forelegs and grumbles in defeat, but the fact that she has a huge grin on her face tells me immediately that she’s just messing with me.

Skywalker clears his throat and we all turn to him, waiting expectantly for his opinion.

“I honestly wasn’t expecting that each of you agreed to talking with the Bearers this quickly,” he admits. He coughs a few times, and has to take a minute to compose himself afterwards. Apparently he notices me biting my lip. Whilst he doesn’t give me any cues, I know that everything he divulged earlier is between only the two of us at the moment.

“However, if everyone is in agreement… I see no reason why not to do it today, whilst there isn’t an army of Solar Guards to concern ourselves with.”

“Sure.” I jump up out of my seat. “Should somepony go and break the news to them, or should we leave it as a surprise?”

Everypony looks at each other. Somehow all of us are able to share our ideas without speaking or reading minds. Except for Skywalker.

He sighs, “I’ll go get them something to eat, at least for this occasion.” Then, he turns to Hanzal. “Oh, and Hanz?”

“Yeah?” the pegasus asks.

“Can you do me the favour of bringing the documents?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. I’d do it myself, but I have to work out how best to prepare my family’s lasagne.” He looks up. “And I’d suggest that anyone else wishing to speak to the Bearers thinks about this carefully as well. I wouldn’t like to see any of you treating each other disrespectfully.”

This confuses me for a moment. Wouldn’t we be more likely to treat them badly? But then I realise that the comment is directed at a few particular ponies, not the entire group: Swift, Hanzal, and maybe Cozy since she’s a little monster.

“...And I mean all of you,” the bat pony concludes.

I raise an eyebrow at him, but he only shakes his head in response. Probably he means that I should try to control my temper around those six mares and their dragon friend, but I still don’t see why he said ‘each other’ instead of ‘the Bearers’.

Then it dawns on me that Skywalker likes to treat everypony equally, and this is just an extension of that. I haven’t been able to treat the Element Bearers as equals since I met them - they were always the enemy from the start - but that might just be because of Luna. This time, when I speak to them, I’ll try to hold back from insulting them and treating them like dirt, but if they’re horrible to me first I won’t be so kind.

We all agree on a time to meet up ready to speak to the Bearers, then go our separate ways for the afternoon.

I have very little to do, so I take advantage of the free time to have a nice long nap. I have a pleasant dream about talking to Luna; not about the war or Celestia, just silly insignificant things. Different outfits that we like. Gossip from the streets of Canterlot. Manestyles and make-up. All the things that I don’t usually have the time to think about. Upon waking I feel oddly refreshed, as if it’s a new morning in spring.

I spend a moment or two deciding whether or not to put on my crown, then decide against it. I don’t exactly want to be rude to the Element Bearers. I want to talk to them sensibly, convince them to at least listen to me for once.

Everypony meets in the dungeon, a little way away from the cells where the seven of them are being held. The only pony who isn’t present is Hanzal, but I’m told that he is waiting upstairs and keeping an eye on those top-secret documents about Celestia.

We make our way to the cells, and I mentally prepare myself for the nonsense that I’m about to face. As we approach, I hear them talking to each other, then one of them happens to see us and says, “Oh Celestia, it’s them.” Ah, Twilight.

Cozy tries to walk ahead of the rest of us, but Skywalker tells her to stop. Apparently he already has a plan in his head for how he would like things to happen. Cozy sighs and allows him to step forwards and stand in front of the cells.

“Good evening, all of you,” says the Colonel. “Hope you had a decent meal today.”

“Ah’m assumin’ it was you who decided to do that fer us?” asks Applejack, gesturing to an empty plate next to her. “Thanks. It was good.”

He smiles at her in appreciation. “No need to thank me, it was the least I could do. Now, I would like to let you know that we’ve come here, not to make fun of you, but to talk with you…” He looks at Cozy in particular. “As politely as possible.”

“Oh, really?” Twilight snorts. “Well, maybe when you release us I’ll take you more seriously.”

“Miss Sparkle,” the stallion begins, “I would like you to-” A cough suddenly interrupts him for a moment. “...to understand that you’re prisoners of war. Each of you are here for crimes committed to our nation... However, I assure you, Ma’am, that I’m doing my best to avoid having you suffer from injustices.”

He nods at me, and I walk over, casting the spell to open their cells. I look at each of them in turn. Applejack is cautious but able to talk to us; Twilight, ever defiant and in support of Celestia; Rainbow Dash regarding me with a mixture of wariness and doubt; Rarity is just as defiant as Twilight, daring to turn her nose up in the air; Fluttershy looks like a startled rabbit; Pinkie Pie seemingly unfazed; and Spike the dragon completely unsure what to do.

“Before you ask,” I say, interrupting Twilight from attempting to talk, “we have a little something for the seven of you.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow says curiously. “Anything good?”

“Time away from the same four walls, and a chance to talk to us.”

Rainbow looks back at the rest of her friends, a little hesitant but smiling still. “Well, it’s not like we have anything better to do, so…”

“Okie-dokie!” chirrups Pinkie.

“Ah’m goin’ along,” Applejack tells her friends decisively. “An’ Twilight, Fluttershy, Rares, give ‘em a chance. Ah’ll be there ter tell you if they’re talkin’ rubbish an’ make sure they don’t mess with us.”

“Well, since you’re going, I suppose I should join you,” Rarity sighs. She smiles at Fluttershy, who returns the gesture and nods in agreement.

Twilight, however, crosses her forelegs defensively. “Well, the rest of you can go, but they aren’t going to be any different from the last few times that we’ve tried to talk to them.”

“Oh, trust me,” replies Skywalker. “If anything like that happens, I can just kick them out.”

“Really?”

He grins. “Probably not, but it won’t just be you and the King and Queen, if that’s any comfort.”

Spike the dragon rests a claw on Twilight’s shoulder, and she turns to him, waiting for an answer.

“Twilight, we should go with them. Everypony else is going to be there. What’s stopping you?”

“...I don’t know, Spike. I don’t know.”

Cozy trots over, an odd sort of smile on her face. She stands in front of Twilight and Spike’s cell, and I notice that she’s carrying two rings for unicorns’ horns to stop them from using magic, presumably one for Twilight and one for Rarity.

When she reaches the right cell, she tilts her head to one side and says, “Well, you’ve got nothing to lose, Sparkle.” She holds out a hoof for the mare. “Gee, nopony's saying anything about mind control or forcing you to help us, so what's the issue?”

“I… fine.” Twilight has finally given in. At long last, progress.

Skywalker makes sure that the two unicorns in the group put on the rings properly and the seven of them finally leave their cells, some of them more confidently and willingly than others. Fluttershy has to be coaxed out by Rainbow and Pinkie, and Rarity seems a little distrustful. I notice Wishbone and Twilight exchanging dirty looks from the moment they spot each other, but shake my head at Wish and she stops.

“So now what?” Rainbow says.

“If you may accompany me,” the Colonel gestures. “I would appreciate it very much.”

He turns towards the rest of us, and the group follows him. I wait for all of them to walk ahead of me and stay slightly behind them, just so that I can keep an eye on them. We walk in silence up the flights of stairs and down the corridors, past palace guards and servants, to the dining room.

What surprises me when we arrive, however, is seeing Hanzal sitting at the table with a large wooden box in front of him, and a mare helping him sort through various pieces of parchment and scrolls, all of them faded and yellowed with age: Starlight Glimmer.

Starlight and I hug each other on sight, completely forgetting about acting professionally around the Element Bearers. I can’t see their reactions, but they're probably a bit surprised by this.

All of us sit down around the table, and Sombra clears his throat, calling for everypony’s attention. We all turn to face him, and he begins to speak.

“Good evening, everypony. I am sure that our guests are wondering why they have been summoned here, but first of all I should introduce those of you who are unfamiliar to the Element Bearers.” He nods at each pony in turn as he says their names. “Tonight we are joined by Colonel Skywalker of the Crystal Army, his second-in-command, Captain Hanzal, Lieutenant Swift Lightning, my good friend Radiant Hope, and a good friend of Queen Moonlight, Starlight Glimmer.” Since they already know who Wishbone is, there’s no need to mention her, and she seems happy watching from a distance at the far end of the table.

“Gee, you’re forgetting somepony,” Cozy cuts across him, much to everypony’s amusement.

“Surely you are famous enough for your ridiculous antics and knack for causing trouble without me giving you a grand introduction?”

“Well, those seven over there, in case you haven’t realised, have been hanging around downstairs for a while, and this is the first time they’ve ever spoken to me.” She rolls her eyes. “Anywho, I am Princess Cozy Glow, the adopted daughter of King Sombra and Queen Moonlight, cause of the majority of petty disruptions in the Crystal Castle and master of the art of chess. There we are, we should all know who everypony is now.”

“Thank you, Cozy.” Sombra takes a moment to think about what to say next, then looks directly at the Element Bearers.

“Earlier today my friends and family here had a short discussion about current affairs and the relationship between the Crystal Empire and Equestria. It has been decided that the seven of you should be… enlightened somewhat on the reasons for our choices. Now, I don’t mean the usual stories about dear Celestia using the Elements of Harmony a bit too liberally in her youth. There is more to the story that even I haven’t been told about. You are fortunate enough to be among the first ponies to hear this.”

Sombra nods in Skywalker’s direction, and the bat pony coughs a few times before speaking.

“I wouldn’t exactly call them ‘fortunate’, Your Majesty-” He clears his throat. “but yeah, each and… every one of you here are the first to hear about the secret we’ve been keeping for these last few years.” He takes one scroll and stares hard at it with his one eye before looking at Sombra. “Aloud?”

“Aloud, please,” my husband answers. “Just to make things quicker.”

With his magic, the bat pony unrolls the first of what are vast amounts of classified documents - waiting to be finally revealed.

I wait for the first words, but nothing comes from Skywalker. His gaze remains fixed on the ancient text before him, reading it carefully with a look impossible to imitate. Seriousness, sadness, and insecurity are some of the words that could describe the stallion's prolonged silence.

Then, before I get his attention, the Colonel takes a deep breath as he closes his eye; later, he reopens it for once...

"Executive Order of the Royal Prime Minister, Onyx Justice, No. 5... Upon permission granted by Her Majesty, Princess Celestia Faust, the-" His voice is interrupted.

I watch him carefully and notice how he struggles to release the remaining words that document has kept in secret for so long.

"...the deliberated ‘search and capture’ of all members belonging to the self-proclaimed Lunar Rebel Army remnants is... a-authorised." He stops reading for an instant. "Signed and ratified on August 23rd, 1025."

“Rebels?” Twilight asks. “They would've been working for Nightmare Moon, though-” She gives me an accusatory glare.

“I was not involved in this,” I correct her. “And please don't say anything horrible about Luna.”

“Well, the thing I don't understand is why everypony is so worried about this when they were breaking the law. Anypony who does that has to expect some kind of punishment, don't they?”

“And what sort of punishment would you give ponies who were supposedly a part of the rebel group that helped Nightmare Moon?” Hanzal wonders.

“Well, I, um, I… I'd want to know if they were guilty or not first, and if they were then they'd probably have to spend a long time in prison. But not a prison like the one my friends and I have been kept in. Better food, better rooms and some chances for them to actually rebuild their lives once they're allowed out.”

“And what sort of punishment do you think they were given?”

“Well, I know that punishment used to be much harsher back then-”

“Golly, Sparkle. I thought you were Celestia's best student. But apparently at her school, you're only taught how to use your magic properly and not how to use your brain.”

Everypony stares at the speaker, flabbergasted. Whilst she is known for being a little devil, the insult came so suddenly and I can tell that it has caused a lot of damage that I now need to control and clear up.

“Cozy,” I scold her.

The demon filly shrugs at me almost placidly, and gestures in the air with her hooves as she speaks. “What, Mum? It's true. She knows that Sombra and the Crystal Empire disappeared into Sunbutt-knows-where for ages, and that you were hanging around on the moon for a thousand years, and that the Crystal Empire was banished even before that happened to you. Meaning both you and Sombra - no offence - are really old, and there won't be any fancy-schmancy ultra-modern prison building with everything Sparkle could ever dream of because it doesn't exist yet. So, somepony tell me, why is she so busy complaining if she knows why we do things the way we do them?”

Twilight opens her mouth to speak, but no sound leaves, and the rest of us remain silent; none of us have an argument that could actually work against the demon child’s infallible logic.

“Point proven. Rant over. You can continue.” Cozy gives me a satisfied smirk and leans backwards in her chair.

Twilight seems slightly stunned for a moment, and has to collect her thoughts. “Um. Well. As I was saying, it was a lot harsher back then, so, um, probably they had extended time in prison and had to pay heavy fines, but-”

“That ain't even the beginning of what happened to them,” Skywalker stops her mid-sentence. “They probably would've given anything for something as lenient as that.”

“Then what did happen to them?” Spike wonders. Fluttershy nods in agreement with Spike, signalling for Skywalker to continue.

The Colonel remains silent as an answer, then looks at the shy one with a serious, yet sad look. “...It depended on the role they played.” He finally responds. “Once they were captured, each member of the… militia received a punishment from Celestia’s government.”

“Like what?” Twilight questions.

“...The leaders and main figures were all publicly executed as an…” His eye looks down at the glass of water in front of him. “As an example of what would happen to those who dared to challenge the monarchy. After them, the rest were treated differently…” Then, an aura of his magic surrounds another document, which is levitated towards him. “Some were ‘luckier’ than others, only receiving small retaliation in exchange for cooperation.”

“An'... An' the unlucky ones?” Applejack dares to ask.

“Very diverse as well,” the bat pony responds. “But it always was inside the sphere of… bad endings.”

The room falls silent. I don't know what is worse: knowing what happened to the ringleaders, or not being told exactly what happened to the rest.

“Oh Celestia, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that,” Wishbone mutters.

“Nonsense,” Twilight whispers. “What a load of absolute nonsense. Celestia wouldn't do that. Never.” She raises her voice. “I’ve never seen her act cruelly towards anypony. She wouldn’t do this. She just wouldn’t.”

“Well, to give you an idea of what she would do…” Skywalker nods at Swift. “Do you mind if I tell Miss Sparkle here about our… story?”

“Ah don't see any reason why yeh can't,” Swift answers.

“Ok. Miss Sparkle, how old were you in 2008?”

“I was eight.”

“Meaning that neither Celestia nor your beloved brother would’ve told you about-” he coughs. “About me, or my other friends from the Royal Guard leaving. To give you a… a little idea of how cruel she can be…” He gestures to Swift. “Swift and a few others, including my own sister, were the ones given the unpleasant task of finding and executing me.”

“Who woulda known it'd be so hard?” Swift says jokingly.

“Mm-hmm,” Hanzal agrees, smirking. “You had one job, and you bucked it up.”

“Ah sure did.”

Wishbone interjects, “Business now, joking around later. Please, this is serious, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all.”

“Sorry, Wishbone.” Hanzal apologises. “Alright, Sky, carry on.”

“Thankfully it worked out in our favour, and having Swift here in the Crystal Empire has been… a welcome change from what I was used to,” Skywalker continues. “However, and as they say, nothing comes without a cost. Orphaned foals, parents losing their children, cousins finding themselves alone, friends suffering others’ sins… and siblings being torn apart forever.”

Those final words resonate deeply with me, even if I have always been an only child. That bond is something I never had, but to have it taken away must be a thousand times worse.

Applejack looks at Sky for a few long hard seconds, then at each of her friends in turn. “T-they ain't lying. All of this they're tellin' us is... true. The Princess never actually lied to us, Ah don't think, but she didn't tell us the truth either.”

Twilight’s look is incredulous. “No. I don’t believe any of this. She can’t be hiding all this, I need-”

A document thrown almost carelessly at the unicorn cuts across her voice. She immediately glares at Skywalker, who doesn’t have the document he was previously levitating with his magical aura. I notice this and eye the scroll now in front of Celestia’s ex-top student.

“See the official seal of Canterlot right at the top?” Hanzal asks her.

“I-”

“If you don’t believe any of us,” the Colonel deadpans, “then you’ll surely believe your own mentor’s words.”

Each of the six Element Bearers - and Spike too - take turns to look at the scroll. Deathly pale looks settle across their faces as they read.

“Royal Order No. 227... signed and ratified by Sunbutt herself.” Skywalker tells without even reading the paper. Perhaps he’s memorised it, but I can’t know for certain. “The Great and Powerful country of ours has been constantly at risk of falling into the hooves of spies and traitors countless times, some even coming from the most unexpected spheres of influence. Therefore, I - Princess Celestia Faust - hereby order the creation of a chain of counterintelligence and capturing key targets-” A cough interrupts him. “A-among these, those who are catalogued as traitors of the country must be captured and taken to Canterlot Castle's dungeons to be executed immediately; this order will be carried out in any of the aristocracy, high ranking officers, members of the nobility, and even royalty itself."

“...No exceptions allowed.” I hear Rarity whisper.

“Signed... and ratified on February 3rd, 1943.”

I think about what this means for me. Celestia probably never had any intention of letting me off the hook. At the beginning of this war, she probably kept asking me to return to Canterlot so she could get rid of me permanently.

I already knew that she never wanted Sombra to have a second chance, and that it’s a miracle that she was so lenient on Luna - although maybe she couldn’t do anything, since Luna’s an alicorn. Discord, being made of chaos itself, can’t actually die, which is why she didn’t do anything to him; plus, she probably knew that he could be ‘reformed’. As for Chrysalis… well, if she had been captured after the Canterlot invasion at the royal wedding...

“Twilight,” Rainbow says slowly. “I- I- I'm not about to turn my back on any of my friends and just switch sides like that... but this is exactly the sort of thing that all of us usually try to stop happening.”

“It's - it's horrible,” Fluttershy exclaims. She is still as quiet as ever, but the shock and anger in her shaky voice is noticeable.

An ironic laugh escapes from Skywalker’s mouth, accompanied by a small cough. “And this isn’t even the worst one. Far from it.”

“Well - well why did you even have these in the first place?!” Twilight snaps at him. “Top secret files? Why did you have them?”

“Swift's fault,” Hanzal answers simply.

“Huh?” Swift puzzles. “But Ah didn't have nothin’ ter do with all of yeh at the time!”

“I remember being with Sky and you bragging about your status in the Royal Guard giving you access to the restricted section of the Canterlot Archives. You also said something along the lines of it only being worthwhile visiting if we could actually read.”

Swift stutters, “You - Ah - fine, that does sound like summat Ah woulda said to yeh at the time. But let me tell all of yeh: Ah had no clue any of this was down there.”

“Nopony would be in the Royal Guard if everypony knew. In fact, Celestia wouldn't even be on the throne if the rest of the public knew about this.”

“And whilst we're here,” I add, “there's an even more recent example of what Celestia can do. Something that happened less than a month ago. Starlight?”

The mare, who has been silent the entire time, clears her throat, and stares straight at Twilight. The latter shifts uncomfortably in her seat, sensing Starlight’s anger and sorrow.

“I founded a village a few years ago,” Starlight says eventually. “A village where ponies could live and be treated equally. I did everything in my power to try and help them, and when I made mistakes I owned up to them and did what I could to fix things. I tried to bring a group of neglected ponies some sense of peace and harmony.

“But do you know what Celestia did when she found out about my mistakes, and the fact that King Sombra and Queen Moonlight happened to visit there once? The wonderful Princess who supposedly cares for everypony in Equestria and wants them to flourish?”

Twilight is unable to answer, frozen by that look of fury in Starlight’s cold blue eyes.

“She sent a group of Solar Guards there and the place was burned to the ground.”

The seven Element Bearers gasp, and I feel the memories flooding back all too vividly. The gruesome injuries, the stench of sudden disbelief, of extreme fear, of utter hopelessness at the situation. I try to focus on the here and now, but it’s hard.

Starlight continues, tears welling up in her eyes, “I lost a lot of friends in that fire. Too many. Mares, stallions, foals with every chance of success ahead of them.”

Twilight turns to me. “Why were you there? Why did you visit Equestria?”

“We were trying to travel to the Griffish Empire,” Sombra explains calmly. “Unfortunately, we were a little waylaid, and we had to turn back. Starlight was hospitable and offered us a place to stay. We were there for one night only.” It wasn’t in that exact order, but that’s pretty much what happened.

“And as far as guests go, they were pretty well-behaved,” Starlight adds. “And they more than returned the favour by rescuing everypony who survived the fire. If they hadn't come to help us… there probably wouldn't have been any survivors at all.”

“My oh my,” Rarity cries, turning to me and Sombra. “I never realised that you could be so… generous.”

“It was the right thing to do, and Starlight's a friend. Why wouldn't we help her out?” I say.

Twilight opens her mouth to comment, yet she’s interrupted.

“We also risked a lot there, you know.” Skywalker intervenes, then takes a sip from the glass of water in front of him. “Several of the troops under my command were… killed.” He looks down, slightly disappointed in himself. “And then…” He gestures to the scar in the neck. “I almost got murdered by an arrow right in the throat.”

“Wow,” Rainbow marvels. “And considering how many scrapes you've already been in, that was lucky.”

“Lucky?” The stallion questions without looking at the pegasus. “Ma’am, I would be lucky if my soldiers never died.”

“I… I didn't mean it like that. Sorry.” Her face falls slightly.

He nods. “It’s okay… no need to worry.” He coughs a few times and stares at a seemingly blank spot on the wall, frowning slightly. “I don't want to hold a grudge over what you thought was a harmless comment. I have... too many other things to worry about. Life feels just too short at times, huh?”

The room falls silent and I suddenly notice that the usually talkative Element Bearer has not said a word throughout the entire conversation. Pinkie Pie seems to be in a world of her own, staring into space. Her ears are flattened against her head, her smile that normally brightens the room is missing, and even her frizzy mane seems to be drooping. For some reason, I feel some sort of moral duty to check on her.

I stand up and walk over to her, giving her a sincere smile. “Hey, Pinkie Pie? Are you ok?”

She seems a little surprised that I’m asking about her, but manages to give me a broken answer. “I, uh… well, the thing is… I'm used to s-smiles and laughter a-and making p-ponies happy, and this is all very, uh… unhappy. And those poor foals…”

“By the time we arrived it was,” I gulp at the memory of that dead filly I happened to see as I arrived at the cave where everypony was hiding, “too late to do anything about it. But if I'd had a chance I would've helped all of them in a heartbeat.”

“Or so you say,” Twilight cuts across me.

Oh no. Twilight is being Twilight again, and I can’t stand it. If I don’t do something now, I’ll be going round in circles and arguing with her all night. “Hanzal, Swift, do me a favour and show Twilight Sparkle the way back to her cell.”

“What?!”

I don’t even look at her as I talk, but gesture in the air with my hooves. “I use dark magic, and I know a thing or two about being blinded by emotions. You're being so petty right now and not even bothering to listen to me just because you can't stand us criticising your princess.”

“It's not that-”

“Then what is it?” I challenge her. “I'm trying to be nice to you, and everypony here has been polite as well. We've allowed you out of your cell and told you the truth, Twilight.”

“Only to try and earn our trust, but I know it's all just mind games, deception and half-truths. There's got to be more going on, reasons why Celestia did what she did-”

“To have ponies killed?! There's no excuse.” My hoof lands on the table with some force as I shout at her.

“And have either you or King Sombra ever done something like that? I already know that the traitors you call your Royal Guards have been involved in killing ponies, but what about you?”

I look at Sombra, and the world around us seems to freeze for a moment. It's just me and just him. To tell or not to tell? Do we hide the truth, as Celestia has done for so long? Or reveal all and let the Element Bearers form their own opinions of us, knowing that this could all backfire in our faces?

There is no point in lying or avoiding the question. Young Applejack knows when somepony isn’t being honest. She will only warn the others and all of this effort will be for nothing.

If you say so, Sombra. But be careful what you say.

“I did,” Sombra concedes, lowering his head and closing his eyes once time begins to move forwards again. “Once. It is a mistake that has haunted me ever since.” His gaze turns cold and hard when he opens his beautiful red eyes again. “A mistake that you would have made without a second thought only months ago. And before you give me any of that nonsense about it being different, it truly isn’t.”

“Reading my mind isn’t going to earn my trust, Sombra.”

“I apologise. But Twilight Sparkle, I want you to consider everything that we have discussed this evening.” He looks at all of the Element Bearers in turn. “I think all of you should take the time to determine where your loyalties lie. To clarify, I do not expect them to lie with us at all at this present stage, but all of you must decide whether those loyalties lie with each other, or Celestia.

“Earlier today I actually received a letter from her, demanding your immediate release, and declaring that an army will arrive at the Crystal Empire within a week. If you were back in Equestria, would you fight with that army? And if so, is that for your own beliefs, or for Celestia? That is what I would like you to contemplate until a decision has been made concerning your futures.”

“Well, there goes all our hope of leaving this place,” Rarity grumbles under her breath.

“Maybe not, Miss Rarity. As I said, we have yet to discuss it.”

“I’m assuming that we will be staying here until I hear otherwise.” Cold, direct and to the point.

“Understandable. Now, I bid you all a good night, and I will ensure that the decision on your futures is made swiftly.” He stands up, signalling for everypony else to do the same.

Many of us make our own way outside of the dining room, towards wherever we please - except for the Bearers. Nonetheless, I realise somepony’s missing. I turn back at the table, my eyes catch Hanzal and Skywalker still sitting next to each other, enjoying their last glass of water in silence.

As Hanzal finishes his, the pegasus gets up from his chair and looks at his friend.

“I’ll be going now, Sky,” he tells. “Wanna come?”

The old stallion declines the invitation calmly. “I’m good, thanks. You're gonna visit Lucky, I presume?”

The green pony nods in response. “Yeah, got to check on her before I go to sleep.”

“I swear, that filly is practically your daughter.” The bat pony jokes, making me giggle. “...Tell her I said hi, okay?”

The young one nods and proceeds to hug his mentor, who reciprocates the gestures with no doubts. Then, wishes him a good night and trots towards me; as Hanzal reaches where I stand, he slows his pace until being next to me. His eyes take turns between me and Skywalker, only for him to end up smiling and gesturing at his friend.

I take this as a permission to go talk to the Colonel and, as the pegasus trots away once again, I approach him.

“Oh, hey, Your Majes-.” His sentence sees itself half-way interrupted by a pretty surprising cough that also takes me off guard. “Mannaggia la Marosca… Sorry for that.”

“Oh no, don’t worry, Skywa-”

“Just…” he interferes. “Call me Sky, to make it short.”

I nod at him. “Ok, Sky.” After a moment of silence, he stands up and walks next to me, but stops when being by my side. His head turns at me and half-smiles…

“Would ya like a walk, my lady?”

The question, or better said, proposition, takes me by surprise. I blink a few times as my mind processes his words, then a chuckle from the Colonel takes me out of my trance and I deadpan at him immediately. Of course, this was a joke. Thank goodness Sombra didn’t hear that, or I don’t know what would’ve happened.

“Ha, ha, very funny.” I say, not amused at all. “You should go to bed before you end up failing the comedy test.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” He replies tiredly, only for him to take off his beret and look at it with an odd look on his face, perhaps nostalgia. “When a recruit, I was called ‘Joker’ as some kind of derision about my dull comedy back then… I ended up adopting the nickname, you know, I actually liked it.”

I raise an eyebrow at his strange story. “Why are you telling me this?” I dare to wonder.

He smiles ironically. “I don’t know,” he shrugs casually. “Sometimes I’m the wisest being you’ll ever meet, others… I’m just as dumb as an oyster.”

I hold a giggle that almost takes me off guard. And he notices, joining in the laughter that finally escapes from my mouth.

We stay like this for several seconds, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, until a very severe cough takes the bat pony off guard and forces him to cover his mouth with a hoof; I instantly look at him a little worried, with his cough still going for a few seconds.

As he recomposes himself, I put a hoof on his shoulder in a way to show my support for him in this situation. Sky’s face draws a grateful smile at my act, nodding in appreciation before proceeding to walk towards the door; however, he stops and looks back at me, gesturing with his hoof if I’m going to accompany him.

I roll my eyes while a smile appears on my face and walk to his side.

As I reach the stallion, a question arises in my head. “So, where first, Colonel?”

“Well,” he says. “I guess we could take advantage of the weather.”

Chapter 30: Under The Starry Night

Twilight glares daggers at us as we walk back into the room, whilst the others just seem slightly nervous. I simply ignore the unicorn’s feeble attempts to fight back and act like she isn’t doing anything as I help Skywalker tidy away the documents. We had just come back from his room at the barracks, where I accompanied the Colonel and let him change clothes; he now wears another beret, slightly different, and black rather than red, besides having put on some casual shirt.

My eyes scan a few of the ponies - and dragon - inside, and I realise that some of them read some of the documents that contained information about things even worse than death. I try to filter the gruesome mental images from my mind and focus on the present.

“What are you doing here again?” Twilight snaps at me.

“Please don't speak to me like that. You're lucky I haven't asked the guards to take you back to the dungeon,” I sigh.

“Oh, how about you stop threatening us and actually do something about it?!” She takes off the ring around her horn and slams it down on the table, preparing to cast a spell.

I simply raise an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“Oh, you bet I am, you-”

I don't hesitate. As I focus on my magic a wall of dark crystals forms around her, and her friends jump away in panic. She tries to blast the crystals with her own magic, but it has no effect.

“Ma'am,” Skywalker says hesitantly. “Remember what we discussed.”

“I know, I know, but I need to get her to listen to me.”

“This ain't the way to speak to her, though.” He smiles at Fluttershy. “I'm sure some of us here would like to see some mutual kindness, you know.”

Fluttershy nods in response and smiles back, and Rainbow Dash steps forwards to wrap a foreleg around her friend and show her support.

I decide to let Twilight go and the cage of crystals disappears. Almost all of her friends rush towards her to comfort her, but I notice with curiosity that Applejack stays on the sidelines.

“AJ?” Rainbow calls her friend's name. “Are you ok?”

“Ah'm fine,” she says, adding, “Just thinking about some stuff.” She walks over to the wooden box containing those documents that detail all of Celestia's worst moments, and bites her lip.

“Ok, now I know something's wrong, AJ. Tell me.”

She lowers her head. “All this about the Princess has made me confused. There ain't no way anypony coulda faked all this. Woulda taken too much time an' effort, and Ah woulda been able ter tell if somepony 'ad faked 'em.”

Applejack looks up at me and Skywalker. “Ah decided that you... ain't all that bad, actually. Yeh've got yer reasons fer bein' bitter, an' Ah'm findin' it 'arder and 'arder ter disagree with yeh despite mah sense of pride.”

“Applejack!” Rarity cries. “You had better not be saying what I think you're saying, are you?”

The country mare looks at her friends apologetically. “Ah still love you guys as mah friends, an' Ah still want ter be a good friend, but… Ah got mah own opinions, an' Ah'm sticking to 'em. It wouldn't be honest if Ah just went along with everythin' you said an' never gave mah two bits to the conversation.”

“Applejack, no,” Twilight pleads. “This isn't the way. She's using dark magic-”

“Twilight, now, listen ter me.”

The unicorn finally shuts up. Applejack takes off her worn Stetson hat and holds it over her chest as she takes a deep breath, tears in her eyes. “The truth hurts sometimes, Ah know. But bein' lied to is worse. Ah'm sorry, but Ah made up mah mind.”

Skywalker and I share a look. Whilst it would be rude to say anything here, inside I'm celebrating a little. They're finally listening. One of the Element Bearers is finally listening.

The seven of them stare at each other, trying to deal with the emotions running through their systems. Twilight and Rarity seem the most horrified by this; Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie look like they have mixed feelings but don't want to cast her out of their circle of friends; and surprisingly, Rainbow Dash doesn't seem all that concerned.

She speaks up with a calm voice, as if Applejack had merely said she couldn't make it to their next social gathering. “Well, as long as you still wanna be friends and you aren't gonna go all dark magic crazy on us, that's cool. It's not like we have to talk about this all the time, so what's the big deal?”

“Exactly, Rainbow. Precise as mah granny's zap apple jam recipe.” She puts her hat back on.

“What - what's the big deal?!” shouts Rarity. “Whilst I am not overall pleased with Celestia, mixing with the ponies who have kept us prisoner here is just wrong.”

“Rares, Ah ain't gonna abandon you, or mah family fer that matter. But let me make mah own opinions at the least.” She turns to me and Skywalker. “Mah guess is yeh're in here for a reason, so yeh might wanna talk whilst the others ain't heckling yeh. Ah'm listening.” She sits back down at the table and relaxes a little.

Skywalker clears his throat quickly before he explains his idea. “This is… optional, to be honest, but I thought perhaps a few of you might like to go on a walk before I take you back to your cells.”

“Nope, I'm not going,” Twilight says immediately.

“Fine by me, Twilight,” I respond. “You do whatever makes you feel better.”

She glares at me - and so does Skywalker, because of how rude I’ve been - but I ignore them.

The Colonel sighs and looks back at the group, “Anyone else?”

“Well, Ah ain’t got a problem with that idea,” Applejack chips into the conversation. “Rainbow? Ah know yeh been complainin’ about how claustrophobic that place is.”

“Yeah, sure. Any excuse to get out.” She stretches her wings.

“Oh, that sounds nice,” Fluttershy agrees. “I’ll come with you.”

“Me too!” Pinkie adds.

Rarity somewhat politely declines the invitation. “No, I think I’ll stay behind with Twilight today. I’ve had more than enough drama for one evening, thank you very much.”

“Understandable,” Sky replies with a simple nod.

That just leaves Spike, who is completely at a loss as to what to do with himself. He glances from Twilight and Rarity to the rest of his friends, trying to make his mind up which group to go with.

“Spike?” Twilight whispers, trying to sway his opinion.

“I’ll… stay behind, I guess,” he grumbles.

“Oh, Spike, thank you!” Rarity says with relief, hugging him. He blushes a little and seems slightly happier with the idea now. Unfortunately, it looks like he won’t do anything without Twilight’s or Rarity’s approval, so I’m not likely to change his mind anytime soon.

Then, with a “see you later” from their friends, the Bearers that accompany us proceed to walk towards the room’s exit, as I do. But I notice that Skywalker isn’t moving; as I turn backwards, I see his eye locked on the trio that stays behind.

“I suggest you let your friend decide on his own for once,” he comments.

“You have no right to tell me or him what to do,” Twilight glares back.

“Neither do any of you with him,” he replies, making me blink in surprise. “He may be your assistant, your best friend…dammit, might even be like a son to you, I don’t know. But that doesn’t mean you should influence his decision making, ever.”

“And what do you know, mister?” Ms. Marshmallow politely wonders.

“I only know I know nothing.” Darn, that’s philosophical. “But I wonder if you know that he’s a living being and that he’s got rights and opinions to be respected.”

She opens her mouth to give some clever retort, then quickly decides against it. Twilight mutters, “You can go if you want to, Spike.”

“…Thanks,” the dragon says. He leaves the two unicorns alone and joins the others.

I nod at the guards stationed around the room, with Skywalker telling them to treat the “guests” fairly before marching towards Twilight and Rarity, whisking them away to the dungeons again. The rest of us are left standing in the room together, and I feel slightly awkward.

“Welp, time to go,” the bat pony next to me sighs.

I turn towards the Colonel as he walks away down the hallway, I catch up with him and so do the others.

“Aren’t we…” I hesitate for an instant. “Supposed to have some guards for the Bearers?”

Sky stops. “Oh, right… I- I had forgotten about that.” The stallion looks at the remaining Bearers and sighs. “I hope you understand the circumstances to make such a decision.”

Applejack nods. “Sure thing, partner. Ah don't see it as a problem.”

“Yeah, that's cool,” Rainbow affirms. Pinkie nods in agreement with a smile.

“Uh, umm… as long as they don’t yell at us.” Says Fluttershy.

“Nah, no need to worry, Ms. Shy.” He reassures her. “If they hurt you in any way, I’ll sure as heck yell at them back.” He lets out a chuckle for a moment before a rather violent cough gets him by surprise and forces the bat pony to cover his mouth. This scares the shy pegasus, who immediately recomposes and trots at him - instinctively, I presume - before I can even make a single step and places a hoof on his shoulder as a show of support while Skywalker keeps letting out what could be worthy oxygen from his lungs.

“Are you ok?” I ask with concern.

He manages to compose himself and nods at me. “Yeah, I’m… in my best possible.”

“Good.”

I notice both Applejack and Fluttershy giving us dubious looks, but she doesn’t say anything. We walk through the castle almost in silence, save for Pinkie and Spike the dragon nattering away to each other, and Skywalker asking a couple of guards to keep an eye on us.

As we leave the castle and walk onto the dais, something strange happens. The five Bearers all stare at the spot where the Crystal Heart used to be kept, as if a memory has been triggered in all of them. I don’t read their minds because I don’t want to intrude, but it raises a few questions.

“Back ter square one,” Applejack says, looking around at the Crystal Empire. “Ah gotta say, Ah’m surprised. It almost looks like nothing ever happened here.”

“It looks very pretty from here,” Fluttershy whispers. “All the buildings have different colour crystals, and the sky is clear, and I can see the sunset.”

I look up at the sky. To the west the sky is streaked with red and orange, the sun still burning brightly; but to the east the moon is rising and the sky is deep purple, lit up by hundreds of stars. Celestia and Luna are probably still busy with the evening routine. I, too, feel memories returning, of the day that Luna refused to lower the moon and turned to the darkness.

Maybe it isn’t too late to convince her to try again.

“I wish we were here simply to sit around and admire it,” Skywalker interrupts my train of thought, “but I was under the impression that we were going on a walk.”

“Oh.” He’s right, it’s not exactly a terrible night for a trot around the city.

The others all follow Skywalker, and I walk a little way behind, with Spike. The tiny purple dragon is having trouble keeping up, and I feel a little sorry for him. Then a thought occurs to me as I remember what Twilight always used to do to stop him from being left somewhere, and I stop for a moment before leaving the city centre, turning to him.

“Can I trust you not to set my ears on fire?” I ask him.

“I, uh, what now?”

“If I let you sit on my back so you don’t get left behind, are you going to do anything to hurt me, or can I trust you?”

“I - I guess. I mean, I wasn’t exactly thinking of trying to hurt you, so…”

I lower one of my wings to the floor and allow him to - for lack of a better word - climb on. It feels unusual, but not uncomfortable. He sits down and I fold my wing back by my side, helping to stop him from falling, and we set off again. I catch up with the others quickly, and they smile at the sight of the two of us.

“Someone looks happy,” Sky chuckles.

“I guess I’m in a generous mood today,” I say.

“It almost looks like the Element Bearers were supposed to have an extra member.”

“Ok, that’s pushing it a little.” I can speak to them sensibly now, but I still don’t like what they did to myself and Luna, or what they tried to do to Sombra. “Besides, there’s only six Elements of Harmony. What would I even do?”

“Good question,” Pinkie says, jumping alongside me. “And besides, all of us are connected to the Elements by our cutie marks, and I’m pretty sure that none of them look like a star with four points or the moon, so that probably means that you’re not supposed to be connected to the Elements of Harmony.”

“Luckily.” I mutter under my breath.

“How do you know that?” Sky questions her. “How do you know that the Elements are connected to your cutie marks?”

“Huh?” Rainbow wonders.

“Are they connected, Ms. Dash?” The Colonel stops walking for a moment. “I don’t recall that they were.”

“Well… I”

“I mean, I may be one that never cared for cutie marks.” Sky admits casually. “But even I know that’s-”

I hear a gasp from Pinkie. “Wait, what?! But don’t, like, ninety nine point nine nine nine nine percent of all ponies love their cutie marks? I thought it was a hundred, actually, but apparently I’ve just met somepony who doesn’t, which means that Twilight’s crazy mathematical equation was wrong! I’ll have to tell her.”

The Colonel shakes his head while chuckling to himself. Then, turns at us and says. “Nothing is completely supported by the people. Never.”

“There’s always some awkward pony like us who doesn’t agree,” I add.

“Really?” Rainbow says dubiously. “But they’re awesome!”

“Well, I never liked them,” the Colonel shrugs. “And I honestly can’t see how anyone can let those marks define who they are.”

“They’re pretty accurate, though. I’m fast, good at sports, and the Element of Loyalty. My cutie mark shows it all.”

“Yours is-” he coughs. “Yours is a rainbow in the shape of a lightning bolt. That shows your talent - in your case, that you are fast, quick to think and very agile. In no way does that cutie mark represent ‘Loyalty’. Besides, would you call that a talent?”

“I would agree with you, except that the Element of Loyalty is also in the shape of a lightning bol-”

“In no way does that mean you were ‘destined’ to be the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty,” he interjects. “From what I read - and trust me, I read a lot - the Elements all used to appear the same when used by Sunbutt and Princess Luna. When you used them, they adapted to their new Bearers’ cutie marks.” He stops to clear his throat. “And you know why? It isn’t because of your talent or the cutie mark, but your personality; if anyone would have had the exact same attitude and personality, then the Elements would have adapted to those users. Likewise, if you ever pass the responsibility onto others in future, the Elements will likely take a new form.”

“I... I guess that makes sense.”

“Trust me when I say that destiny is never written, you write your own destiny as life goes on… or someone else does it for you.”

All of us remain quiet at his words, processing them all as he keeps staring at each of the Bearers, only for him to let out a heavy sigh. “Never mind. To you, I’m surely just an old, crazy stallion.”

We walk in silence for a while, all the time being watched by the guards, who follow a few paces behind. As we all do so, I can hear the occasional whisper coming from the vanguard of our group, but when I turn in the said direction, all I can see is Skywalker. Still a little taken aback, I look around at the buildings that shine ocean blue and turquoise under the light of the moon, the same hues as the aurora that now brilliantly lights up the skies above. Dusk is here at long last, with no sign of the sun anywhere on the west horizon, but the moon is high in the sky and I can see the North Star - my star.

The one thing that the stars never give me, though, is answers. Always I end up with more questions that need to be asked, whether they’re personal or related to the wider world.

“And you, uh, Yer Majesty?” Applejack asks.

I turn to her. “Pardon?”

“What do you think about destiny an’ cutie marks an’ all that?”

I glance down at the purple star and silver crescent on my flank. “I… I don’t know, honestly. My cutie mark seems to mean something else every time I look at it.”

“No idea at all?”

“Well…” My mind drifts to a subject that I have tried not to think about since Wishbone confided in me that day. A child of two guardians of Equestria, standing on the border between light and dark? So many half-truths, and I don’t know what to believe. The mare in that prophecy could be anypony whose parents were in the Royal Guard or served Equestria, not necessarily me. It might not even be true for all I know. Once again, too many questions and not enough answers.

But either way, that’s private. If they ever go back to Canterlot they could tell Celestia, and I don’t want to lose Wishbone’s trust again after everything we’ve been through already. That’s strictly between us, and it should stay that way.

“No,” I say finally. “I don't think so.”

She scrunches her muzzle and I know she knows I've just told a lie, but she doesn't question it. “Fair enough.”

“Well, I still think it was destiny that we found the Elements and used them,” Rainbow tries to talk.

“And use them on ponies without giving them a second chance?” I say with annoyance that turns to anger. “To tear a mother and daughter apart, and destroy the life of a kind and caring stallion without even finding out what he was like for yourselves, without speaking to those who knew him?! After all of this, are you really going to use ‘destiny’ as your excuse for everything you’ve done?!”

The others stare at me in silence, stunned. I immediately regret saying all of it. She wasn’t trying to upset me. It was all a mistake. Why couldn’t I hold my tongue?!

I backtrack as I feel the tears well up in my eyes and the pang of guilt in my heart. “I - I’m sorry, ignore me. I didn’t mean to say any of that.”

“And I didn’t mean to upset you,” Rainbow apologises.

“No, it’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just took it the wrong way.”

“Ma’am-” Skywalker tries to talk to me.

“Don’t apologise. I’m sorry, I just need some time to think.”

Feeling ashamed of myself, I walk away from the rest of the group to be by myself. Even though I still have Spike to contend with, at least I’m alone with my own thoughts in my own headspace.

Why am I so stupid? Why do I never think about what I’m saying or doing before it happens? Why can’t I learn just to keep my mouth shut? If I keep on like this I’ll never convince them to switch sides and help me!

Spike manages to jump back down to the ground and runs back to the relative safety of the group with the others. I don’t listen to their conversations; I don’t particularly care if they’re talking about me or not. Now, all I want is to go back to the castle and be with Sombra.

I take a leap into the air and spread my wings. I glide above the rest of the group, the cool evening breeze doing most of the hard work for me. It feels good to have my mane blowing in my face, to be up above everypony else and be free.

“Your Majesty?” Skywalker calls after a while.

“It’s Moonlight to you,” I correct him. “We’ve been friends for long enough now.”

“Moonlight, then. The guards are here for a reason. Whilst it is…” he hesitates, “…unlikely that anything would happen to you, it’s not advisable to put yourself in harm’s way, and somewhere that the guards would be unable to intervene if the worst did happen.”

Unfortunately, he has a point. I allow the breeze to carry me back down to the ground and land on all four hooves with ease. Begrudgingly I allow the group to catch up and walk at the same pace as them.

I flinch as I feel a hoof resting on my shoulder: it’s Skywalker’s. As much as I know he means well, I can’t talk to anypony sensibly right now. It’s been a long day, and I’m beginning to realise how tired I am now. When I turn to look at his face, his smile is sincere, comprehensive, but I can’t return it. I shake my head, and he lowers his hoof back to the ground as his smile fades. I feel terrible, but I don’t want to accidentally lose my temper with somepony else.

We’re on our way back to the castle now. I look up at the large crystal structure. It is one of the last buildings to revert back to its original form, the way it looked before Sombra and I came along. I wish I knew why our magic left such a scar on the landscape, so that I could stop it from happening again, but until then the castle will have to stay the way it is.

The stars and the moon and the aurora shine in the deep purple sky above, and nothing changes as we walk past the shimmering crystal buildings in silence.

Moonlight, my little bat?

My ears prick upwards as if I had actually heard his voice. Probably this surprises the others, but I don’t bother looking behind me to check. Instead, I continue to read Sombra’s mind. Yes, my love?

Oh, thank Luna! I was worried for a moment. Where are you?

Outside.

Outside?! He echoes. With the threat of an imminent Solar Guard attack hanging over our heads?! Whatever are you doing outside at this time of night?

…Oops?

Yes, Moonlight. I’d say oops.

Sorry.

How far from the castle are you now?

I look up at the Crystal Castle and tell him, A couple of minutes’ walk away.

Good. Now, promise that you will come straight back to the castle and explain everything to me.

I nod, but then realise that he isn’t here with me and so he can't see me. So I reply, I’ll be there in a moment. I promise.

Thank you.

For the rest of the walk, nopony speaks to me verbally or through magic. There is barely a sound save for those of the breeze and our own hoofsteps. I find my gaze fixated on the moon again, and think of Luna. I really, really need to talk to her again, but I don’t know when. She has royal duties and responsibilities too, and Celestia’s there in the background making everything twice as hard.

Finally, we reach the dais, and trot inside the castle, followed of course by the guards. Once we are all inside, they take the Element Bearers back down to the dungeon after we all wish each other goodnight. This leaves just me and Skywalker on our own. There is a moment of silence as the stallion by my side keeps his gaze at nowhere in specific, lost in his own world and thoughts.

“We, ponies, are so blind… aren’t we?” he sighs.

“Indeed,” I hear Sombra’s voice, preventing me from answering. Both of us look around for the source of his voice. Finally, he materialises from the shadows and embraces me, leaving a gentle kiss on the top of my forehead. For an instant nopony else in the world exists. Just me, just him. The two of us, together.

“Moonlight, you shouldn’t run off like that,” he whispers. “Just after I spoke to you about running off to the trenches for hours earlier today.”

“Sorry, Sombra. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I understand.” He kisses me, this time on the lips.

“I’ll be off, then,” says Skywalker. He nods at us and turns around to leave, then stops and looks at Sombra. “Oh, and… Your Majesty, please don’t scold her for being a little rebellious. It isn’t her fault we left the castle. It’s mine.”

The stallions regard each other carefully for a moment, then Sombra nods. “That is fine, and fear not; I have no intention of punishing her.”

“I didn’t think you did. Good evening, both of you.”

“You too,” Sombra and I say together.

He gives us a wry smile. “Were it so easy.” He turns around and leaves, not daring to look back.

Sombra doesn’t let go of me for a while. He holds me close, and I lean against him, listening to the beating of his heart. His hoof runs through my mane, untangling all of the knots for me that were made when the wind was blowing outside. The moment seems to last for an eternity.

“Moonlight. You need to get some sleep now. Even I am tired, so you must be exhausted.”

“I am,” I say quietly.

He lifts my chin with a hoof so that my purple eyes meet his red ones. “You have had a difficult day. Even without reading your mind I can see it in your eyes.” He places his hoof down on the floor again. “But now is not the time to worry about these things that have troubled you all day. Now is the time to relax and sleep well,” he smiles. “Come with me now, I want to make sure that you aren’t awake all night again. I don’t want you to become unwell.”

I lean forwards and kiss him, then I follow him upstairs to bed, to a peaceful night of dreamless sleep, protected from all harm by the loving embrace of my guardian angel.

Author's Note

Bronie312 and I spent a long while working on this chapter. Seriously. We spent an entire evening writing and editing it, a good two or three hours all in all, only for a computer glitch to erase the second half of the chapter. We had to turn to coffee for the sake of our sanity afterwards and spend another evening recovering all of the lost progress. This is the result.

Message from Bronie312: Mmm… Coffee.

But anyways… both Bronie and I hope this isn’t too terrible after the old chapter was incinerated by the computer and Google Docs refusing to autosave. *sigh*

~ Angel and Bronie312

Chapter 31: Prelude

Colonel Skywalker’s POV

“The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue.”

Malala Yousafzai.

_ _ _

“Go fish,” I say.

The soldier before me silently groans as she picks another card from the tumult in the middle of the table. Meanwhile, I look outside at the blizzard as this one collides with the building we’re currently in before glancing back at my deck of cards, only for my eye to spot the cup that lies next to me.

I levitate it to my mouth, taking a sip from the delicious, flavorus, and relaxing hot chocolate. I enjoy it with a calm expression as a smile is drawn on my face. I love moments like this, short - yet very peaceful moments that help me collect my thoughts and allow me to ease up, even if it’s for a few seconds.

I lower my cup with my magic as I check on my cards once again, preparing for my move. The winning move.

I smirk to myself. Gotcha.

“Alert! Solar Guards on the horizon!”

As my ears peek at the sudden shout from afar, both me and the troop sitting before we look at each other in confusion, only for suddenly widening my eye as I realise the meaning of such loud words. I instantly rush out of the bunker, barely managing to pick up my crossbow without losing my balance.

As I come into the trench, I notice how several soldiers run to their battlestations in a hurry. With my eye wandering around my surroundings, I can see a pegasus mare flying at a quick pace towards me, landing right in front of me.

She salutes. “Colonel, sir.” I reciprocate the gesture, and she explains, “We’ve just located a few Solar Guards approaching our positions from the South. Orders?”

“Private, warn Hanzal and Swift,” I instruct her. “And please-” I cough, “tell Their Majesties as soon as you get the chance.”

“Of course, Colonel.” She nods and hurries off into the distance and I watch her leave.

A sigh leaves my mouth before taking flight towards the southern section of the trenches. I have no doubt that my fellow comrades will try to stop me from actually stepping out onto the front line, but even if I don’t actually fight I need to be aware of whatever happens there.

Some among the Crystal Army would most likely question why I use the word “fight,” and tell me that we have no idea what will happen until the Solar Guards arrive. They would try to claim that negotiating for peace is an option.

Heh. If only.

“Sky!” an all-too-familiar voice calls my name.

I look this way and that, searching for the green pegasus stallion amongst all of the others charging around the trenches. It takes me a minute to locate him, but I finally manage to and he rushes towards me.

“Hanz, buddy!” I shout as the two of us reach each other. He is carrying with him a small crossbow, one that can be reloaded quickly and easily. “I see you got sweet, little Amber with you, huh?”

He nods. “Got to make her shine at last… Darnit, I wasn’t really ready for this to kick off. I didn’t think they’d sort themselves out for another day or two.”

“Underestimation, the worst of enemies,” I say to no one in particular.

“I would say that insanely powerful angry gods and goddesses are worse,” he smirks, “but I get the idea.”

“Got an idea of how long until they arrive?” I wonder as we keep traveling through the snowy sky. Then, with a glance at my friend, I can see the slight pain on his face from each wingbeat and I grimace; I’ve always felt sorry for him and his wing.

“Dunno, maybe half an hour. Enough time to work out a plan - if you don’t have one already.”

I give him a look. “I’ve spent the last I can’t remember how many days planning for this, and you of all people…” I clear my throat, “you have seen the effort it has taken to make sure we’re successful.”

“And I have full confidence in you.”

I shake my head at him and smile. Now is not the time for laughing and joking around, but I won’t object to having Hanzal brighten the mood a little.

We make our way to a bunker near the front line, and - as we do so - I peek out at the horizon and see the small army marching towards us. Decisions, decisions. To wait a little longer, or to meet them head-on? Each has their own benefits and downfalls. If we wait too long, they could reach the trenches, but I don’t want to send everyone out there too quickly.

“Do you think the old Inner Circle is gonna be here?”

“I doubt it,” I reply. “They would never sacrifice so much for so little.”

“What if they arrive in a few days’ time? Would they do that?”

“Potentially, but again, not many Inner Circle guards are likely to arrive. The darn Sunbutt won’t put all of her eggs in one basket so easily.” I explain as my eyes look at the horizon in search of any Solar Guard that could be approaching us. My hope is that the Sunbutt refuses to send any of them here. If she does, then…

We’ll kill her, easy-peasy.

I push the thought out of my mind. Focus, I scold myself. Astral is the least of your concerns at the moment.

The two of us wait around in a trench by the front for a few minutes. A changeling near us watches the Solar Guards with a pair of binoculars. She bites her lip as she does so.

“Uh, Colonel? You might want to have a look at this.”

She passes me the binoculars and I look through them at the Solar Guards. My eye widens as a figure clad in golden Solar Guard armour passes by the small group of reconnaissance and stands in front of them, holding his head high in the air, blue mane blowing about in the wind…

I lower the binoculars, and find a sarcastic smile creeping onto my lips as I speak the first thoughts that come to mind.

“Oh Shining… you magnificent bastard.”

Moonlight’s POV

“Check!”

I glare down at the wooden chessboard on the coffee table in front of me, searching for a move to slow down my imminent defeat. Alas, I have empty hooves. My king is being chased to the edge of the board by two rooks. Sighing, I ever so gently tap my final chess piece and it falls over.

“I surrender,” I say, looking across the lounge at Cozy. “Princess Cozy Glow, I have no hope of ever beating you in a game of chess.”

“Bow down before the Princess!”

I grin at her. “Cheeky.”

“Eh, I had to try.”

A door opens, and none other than Sombra walks in, holding something with his magic. He cracks a small smile when he spots the chessboard.

“Cozy, you are relentless,” he exclaims.

“I work hard at it,” she answers back.

Sombra takes a seat next to me and passes me a couple of letters along with a slightly out-of-date copy of Harmony Magazine. Another article has taken centre stage, but there is a small box to one side of the main story with its own picture and details.

HARMONY

JOURNALISTS

BEGIN TREK TO

THE CRYSTAL

EMPIRE

Details on Page 8

“Oh?” I wonder.

“They arrived quite a while ago, actually, but only made it to the castle a few minutes ago. Two journalists, and a photographer.”

“Gee, what's going on? Speak to me, ponies! I exist!” Cozy grumbles. She flies across the room and squeezes herself between us on the sofa. I think she does that on purpose to annoy us. She stares at the front page for just a moment as she processes this, then she hugs me and I wrap a wing around her.

“Say goodbye, Sunbutt! Nopony's gonna like you after this!”

“I doubt they will,” Sombra agrees. “However, whilst this may test the loyalty of the vast majority of Equestrians to Celestia, it is inevitable that some will continue to fight on her side regardless. Perhaps monetary incentives will be involved, or promises of power, or just devout belief in her right to rule.”

“If she has a right to rule, then so does Mum,” Cozy protests, “but I guess some ponies in Equestria won't listen.”

“Well, should I go and meet them?” I ask.

“As long as you are prepared for an interview. You cannot expect them to come all of this way to sit around and do nothing. They will want only the best news and,” he sighs, “gossip.”

“What's wrong with gossip?” says Cozy.

“It can work in your favour or against you, depending on the circumstances. Be careful what you say to them, just in case.”

“Rightio!”

“I'll keep that in mind,” I tell him, smirking. “What happens in the castle, stays in the castle.”

“And what would you be referring to?”

“Everything, no matter how innocent - or not.”

He looks at me for a few seconds. “Right, Moony.”

We all stand up and leave the room together. Next stop: the throne room, apparently. As we approach the doors to the grand hall, I hear three unfamiliar voices in deep discussion, although everything they say is muffled and unclear.

“Big smiles, be happy, no mind control,” Cozy instructs, and then the doors open.

Three ponies are there, all wearing winter coats and boots, and with a large amount of equipment with them. One is a chestnut pegasus stallion, the second is an earth pony mare with a grey-white coat and a blue mane, and the last is a grey bat pony stallion. All three of them look at us and their faces light up.

“Your Majesties!” the mare squeals with delight. “How wonderful to meet you all!”

“Welcome to the Crystal Empire,” I smile.

The mare embraces me. “Queen Moonlight, thank you. It's honestly a pleasure to be here at last. My name is Silver Quill, and these ponies with me are Cookie,” she nods at the pegasus first, “and Apollo.” She gestures with a hoof to the bat pony.

She steps back, and I shake hooves with Cookie first. He says, “Thank you for inviting us here.”

“It was the least I could do,” I respond. “After everything you’ve done for me, for us, I had to do something for you.”

The bat pony stallion, Apollo, shakes my hoof, a sincere smile on his face. “We wouldn't have been able to do a thing without you, though. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to give our opinions without being ridiculed. You have helped us convince ponies to take us seriously.”

“I didn’t do it all alone, though.” I nod at Sombra. “Really, Sombra deserves most of the thank-yous.”

“Really?” he says, arching an eyebrow and grinning. “Is that a genuine show of appreciation, or are you just trying to flatter me whilst the press are here?”

We all laugh at that.

“It’s true,” I insist. “I'd still be in the Everfree Village without you.”

“The Everfree Village?” Silver asks. “Apollo said something about the place on our way here.”

“Tough old place - nothing to do with the ponies who live there, of course, but Celestia. You would expect her to do something to improve the place, look after the ponies there, but-”

“Gee, you're kidding, right?” Cozy interrupts. “You think she looked after me?”

“Cozy,” I warn her.

“Just saying, Mum.”

I wrap a wing around her and sigh, “It's ok, Cozy.” She nestles in by my side. The little devil has started treating me a lot nicer than she used to. I'm glad, to be honest. I feel closer to her.

“Tartarus,” Silver whispers. “A thousand years in Tartarus… for a foal.”

“Yuppers. But I’m alive.” She is so calm and casual about it that even I’m surprised.

I notice Sombra smiling at me and Cozy, but decide not to comment. Instead, I decide to move the conversation along a little. Maybe in the direction of something like a nice hot cup of coffee. “Should we go and talk somewhere that you can sit down? You haven’t had the easiest journey.”

“That would be brilliant, Your Majesty,” Apollo says appreciatively, nodding.

I turn to Sombra, who asks us to follow him, and tells them that they don’t have to bring their belongings with them; presumably, the castle staff will put them somewhere safe. We walk back to the lounge, and he quickly clears away the chessboard, something that Cozy clearly doesn’t approve of as a small frown appears on her face for a moment before she sits down again.

The three newcomers sit down and seem to relax instantly. Silver smiles to herself a little as she takes her seat.

“What shall it be first? Journalism, or our new temporary headquarters?”

“I guess we should think about both,” I answer. “There’s a new housing estate in the east of the city, and we made sure there would be some space for any extra guests. And I suppose if you’re looking for any extra material for the newspaper, there’s bound to be a few ponies who won’t mind talking to you.”

“That sounds perfect, thank you.”

“No problem.”

“And then there is the issue of when our Colonel will be able to make his speech to the Crystal Empire,” Sombra adds. “This is one of the main reasons why we decided to invite you - to help his message reach Equestria.”

I raise an eyebrow at Sombra. “Do you have any idea when it will actually go ahead? I’ve not spoken to him in a few days.”

“He mentioned tomorrow night. Provided there aren’t any distractions, I think it would be best to have it sooner rather than later.”

Silver Quill tilts her head to the side slightly. “By ‘distractions’, do you mean-”

“Solar Guards,” I say, only to hear a second, much more panicked voice joining in. I look around, and a Crystal Soldier is standing in front of us, panting and trying to get some air into her lungs.

“Solar Guards to the south,” she explains. “The Colonel told me to warn you.”

“Buck,” Cozy grouses.

“Are we in the way, Your Majesties?” says Apollo.

I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. The Crystal Empire’s in good hooves for now. We’ll be told if either of us are needed there.” I sigh, “I just hope that nothing happens to Sky.”

Colonel Skywalker’s POV

Silence.

Nothing, but the constant sound of the blizzard shouting its presence while the snow swirls around us; however, none blinks our breaths, we just look at each other with serious expressions, silent yet showing some kind of respect by doing it.

And so, here we stand. In the middle of what will be our next battlefield in the long black list of the military life that has defined us both. The white-coated unicorn, the young Captain of the Royal Guard, and current leader of the Solar Guard of Canterlot; then, before him, the orange-paled bat pony, the veteran ex-Colonel of the Royal Guard, previous leader of the Lunar Guard of Canterlot.

Shining Armour and Moonlight Skywalker.

I eye my surroundings, but still keep him in my line of sight. “I appreciate you respect the code, Captain,” I finally greet him.

“I’ve always tried to follow it, Colonel.”

“Glad to know that,” I admit. “I did so too, but I guess it was never meant to be.”

The other stallion tries not to laugh at that comment and keep some of his professionalism about him. “Apparently not.”

A sigh comes from my mouth before eyeing him. “Prepared much?”

“Only when I know how my sister is?” Dammit, he knows how to bargain.

“She’s alive, Shining. Alive and well,” I reply, coughing. “Don’t think I’m gonna transform into a monster just because Sunbutt says I am.”

“And the others?”

“Same with them,” I say. “Now, may I have my chance?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Alright,” the unicorn sighs. “Shoot.”

“Is she alive?” I ask in a serious tone.

“Astral?”

I nod slowly.

“Yes. She’s been looked after well by the Canterlot Hospital and she was accepted back into the Royal Guard, although she isn’t here today.”

Internally, I groan to myself. Typical. Damn our family's luck.

“And yes,” he continues, “we are prepared. I don’t like to give away much, but our forces have spent months preparing for this.”

I look back at him. “Then it is an even fight.”

“Even?”

Internally, a smirk forms. “You know me, I like challenges.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” he smiles, but it quickly fades away. “A lot is resting on my shoulders, and on the Solar Guards, you know.”

“So it does on ours, apprentice.”

“Yes, of course. How could I forget?” All of a sudden his tone is as icy as the roaring blizzard around us. “Success and glory… or mind control.”

“Failure,” I correct him. “I’m not mind controlled, neither is anyone whose lives depend on me.”

“I personally find that hard to believe.”

“Well, if you can make it into the Crystal Empire, maybe your eyes will finally open.”

A quiet nod, “...Maybe.” Then, he looks behind me, towards the trenches. A serious look reflected on his eyes as these examine the defences that stand ready for anything the Captain has to throw at us.

Another silence takes possession of the environment, making it heavy and making us feel uncomfortable with the presence of the other. Our gazes part and immediately intersect, causing a sigh to come out of my mouth.

“Good luck, Shining.”

“Good luck,” he echoes. “And... may the best leader win.”

We nod to each other, then each of us walk back in the direction of our own armies. Once or twice I look back just to check that I’m not being followed by anyone, but thankfully he isn’t using any underhanded tactics to gain an advantage. Mind, my opinion of him hasn’t changed.

However, my focus lies on something more important. Now, there will be no turning back.

Author's Note

“Oh Shining… you magnificent bastard.”

This line was written by Bronie… and is probably one of my favourite lines so far for the Colonel. :rainbowlaugh:

Bronie312: Aww… thanks. However, and this might be surprising, Shining's reveal was something we both had in mind without knowing it. Strange, right?

Eeyup, we read each other’s minds. Crazy.

~ Angel and Bronie312

Chapter 33: Aftermath - Part 2

Colonel Skywalker’s POV

“War is delightful to those who have had no experience of it.”

Desiderius Erasmus.

_ _ _

“Ugh. Blyat,” I grunt in annoyance.

My hooves remain on the ground as I try to recover my strength to stand once again for what feels like the hundredth time.

Heh.

I guess this is one of those moments of my life that would probably fall into that nearly infinite collection of times and situations that could be classed as ridiculous. Though, I’m not sure whether this is for better or worse, but... yet I really need to encounter a single living being.

I am completely in solitude, so I force myself to get up and crawl along at a snail’s pace back to the relative safety of the trenches, utterly surrounded by death and destruction of those who were stupid enough to follow two leaderships doomed to absolute chaos, death, and failure.

I fall into one of the multiple trenches that, so recently, highlighted life and tranquillity, but that now were nothing more than elongated graves of bodies, blood and more.

I remain in silence, without moving an inch, only taking heavy, stabbing puffs of air for what feels like an eternity; I get the temptation to stay there, wait until the cold kills me, after all… I would stop feeling any pain at some point. Nonetheless, deep inside I can’t help but get the need to keep moving, to try and, perhaps, find any signs of life, doesn't matter who it could be…

As I take a breath, I raise my sight up in front of me and find that I’m lying next to a Solar Guard, a unicorn mare with a light green coat and a bluish mane. Her gold eyes have glazed over, the wound to the left side of her neck, created by a sword, having long since bled out. Blood is smeared across her face as well, ruining what were once some beautiful features. Her lifeless form is already partially coated in layers of snow, slowly freezing the pool of blood around her.

An unnamed mare, one of many individuals who are already lost to this war.

A Solar Guard. A pony acting upon orders from Celestia, oblivious regarding what would be her fatal end. Supposedly, according to everything that I’ve believed over the last ten years, the enemy. But that doesn't fully sit right with me.

A twenty-something-year-old mare. A mare with parents, perhaps siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents. A mare old enough to have a partner, perhaps her own foals.

Heck, a bucking life, for sure.

Each of these relatives and family members have little idea of her fate, and will eventually have to confront the harshest of realities in war. She may have been working for the opposite side, but she still has family and friends waiting for the ominous news, and she still has had her future stolen from her at the wrong age. She, just like so many others, did not deserve this.

Celestia, you absolute demon.

“Well,” I sigh with difficulty. “She ain’t the only one.”

…Us, you mean?

I mentally avoid answering that as I stay on the ground for a few moments, not taking the eye off the victim that lies before me, all this while my body tries to gather as much strength as possible to, again, continue the next leg of my journey.

A breath, a bloody cough, another few breaths, slow and steady. Just like every tale of powerful countries begins. After all, the Griffish Empire wasn't built in a day.

With a gentle heads up to the cloudy sky, I notice how difficult it is for my being to keep track of time; I could’ve been walking for thirty minutes or a few hours and I wouldn’t even realise. Despite that, my front hooves take the initiative and provide a miraculous support for me to lift my heavy, beaten body; I lean against the nearest wooden-made wall, however, yet my strengths are enough to avoid falling on the ground once more. At least for now.

I glance back at the soldier, devoid of life and the slightest hope of returning to what once was, and I feel helpless. I can't help but know how that is for, not only me but everyone else. If I could cry, I wouldn't doubt it. Little would it matter if I did it for those whom - for so long - I called enemies.

That's the instant the urge to scream wrapped in loneliness and despair running through my frozen veins hits, wanting to curse myself, the goddesses, and anyone else I've ever met in my life; I'd enjoy showing the world my frustration and anger at my helplessness regarding this never-ending hell... but no.

I just stay quiet as I return my gaze back forward and see how far I am from my goal, beyond the fact of having gone through everything life has wanted to throw at me...

Even so, as Crimson says, slow progress is progress, and now the main trench is at sight.

So close... yet it may as well be a million miles away unless I can actually arrive there. Until then, I most surely will remain lost in this field of death, with the stench of blood still filling my nostrils, and constantly being reminded of the hundreds of deaths that, from now on, I’ll carry on my shoulders.

Clashes with Solar Guards. Survival situations. Fighting constantly for the basic resources and the ability to live. It hits me watching so many others lose their battles, on too many occasions, and having to pick up the shattered pieces after. Even before my friends and I defected from the Royal Guard, there were occasions when small arguments accelerated into something more severe. We all had to fight for our positions, promotions… our purposes. And then, some people took that fight more seriously than the rest. It formed grudges between some of us, grudges that have followed me across Equestria, all the way to the Crystal Empire, even.

Have we ever truly known peace?

I push the thought from my mind as I decide to get the small struggle over with. My body stops laying against the wall as I prepare to move on. One, two, three hooves down on the muddy ground, and with a tremendous effort, I manage to stay still.

I sigh in relief at this, ready to continue the journey; nevertheless, the instant I make the first step, I find myself in need to look back at the dead soldier. The moment I do, my eye fixes on hers, letting me appreciate one last time who was once a living being, lying lifeless on the ground for what could be an eternity.

I’d show my respect and salute if I could, but these damn wounds don’t let me.

With no other option, I give a small nod at her and proceed to walk towards the trench’s exit.

After that, some time goes by, just as the blizzard does. My sight constantly travels between the snowfield and the clouds that predominate the sea blue sky above. As I look at them, at times, it makes me feel heavier, at others, lighter; but, to me, a repentine doubt arises ad nauseam in my mind every time I pursue my mental organisation… How am I even alive?

I think carefully through it and focus on getting what is my so-longed answer, only to find that there is none to find, as always. But I just can’t stop ending up holding it. I mean, it doesn’t make sense for me to have survived due to my wounds and how painful these are. Something isn’t right. I shouldn’t even be able to move.

And until now you haven’t realised?

“Ugh. Shut.” I command between breaths.

All I’m saying is, perhaps it’s your miracle-healing thing. Sure, it isn’t going to repair your limb, but-

I immediately wince as I accidentally place pressure upon said limb; the sharp pain in my leg makes me instantly regret it. Yet again, I must stop walking to wait for the pain on it to dissipate. I look at my leg with a sore expression; out of all of my wounds at the moment, that one is probably the worst.

Well, be glad you can still feel the pain. It means it’s more likely to heal, and it won’t have to be amputated. Now, do you want to see your friends and family again or not?

That’s the million-bit question. At first, I proclaimed I was going through all this to find anyone who could be alive, to help those in need before myself and, for a while, it’s been like that to me… but now? I feel like the real reason isn’t that and I’ve been lying to myself the whole time.

So…?

“You-” I halt as I raise my leg once again and struggle to recover my pace. “...You know the answer.”

…Unsure, huh? Maybe we aren’t so different, after all.

No comment from me. I just stay in silence with the slight hope of making that stupid thing be quiet. I’m growing more and more fed up with having another voice inside my head the entire time; there’ll be a moment I’ll just hit my head against a wall, and bang it so hard repeatedly until it shuts… or my misery ends.

Our misery, you mean.

“Good one,” I mumble, another ironic smile drawn on my face.

As if I were joking.

I stop as the voice does. With myself waiting for a reply of the comment as my gaze wanders the surroundings in absolute silence, and the wind being the single sound that penetrates my ears and resounds in my mind.

I continue to stand still without saying a word for a couple more seconds to the point where I am convinced that the mental silence will be something more lasting; as I let out a sigh, it is greeted by an aggravated cough that manages to catch me off guard, causing me to cover my mouth with one of my hooves.

This last action nearly brings me down, but thankfully I find myself able to regain my balance before I crush my own side with my weight. However, I still feel the violence of the cough increasing greatly at my abrupt movement; it is then that I lean against the wall of a nearby bunker before I lose my balance again and allow my body to rest, sitting without a second thought in the filthy red snow.

Thought you wanted to keep moving or something. Get home, sort out our injuries, not die out here in the cold-

“For the love of the darn Goddesses, BE QUIET!” I finally shout. My patience reached its limit long ago and I’ve been holding back my anger as much as I could. And they know it.

Sorry, pal, but-

“We’re. NOT. pals.” I grit my teeths, not caring at all for the pain this act provokes.

Another cough manages to get me off guard as I try to recover the oxygen wasted on my rage. My breath… I can’t stop feeling it so heavy, so painful, yet considering it so much of a blessing to me as I attempt to keep myself alive; I should stand up, keep moving, and try to find someone- anyone that could need help… but I can’t.

As I try to get up several times, each time I sense less strength in my limbs; every occasion I fall makes me realise that my body no longer seems to respond to my commands and allows itself to remain on the ground, immobile and without showing any will to continue moving forward.

I notice how each breath is that fraction harder to take, a noticeable fraction more shallow. My heart is having to work harder still, and there is a pool of disgusting blood around me. The cold air is freezing me, inside and out. I should be trying to fight this, but the question is, can I? Is there enough fight actually left in me to do this?

It is then that the hard reality hits me. I have evaded this for so long. I still don’t quite believe it’s happening, and don’t want to admit it. But life is the way it is. I tried, I fought, but it was just not enough.

Don’t you dare-

I chuckle to myself, already convinced of having lost the little judgement I had left. “Whatever happens, I’m finding a way to shut you up. If this is it…” A cough reaches me as I try to retake some oxygen. My smile remains on my face. “...then so be it.”

Murderer.

“I was here first. You are a parasite. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I was always here, actually. But-

My consciousness decides to ignore him as fatigue takes over my exhausted body, making me feel a heaviness in my eyelids that I haven't felt in years. I keep smiling, but this time I try to make it be one of gratitude, for I was already longing for sleep, something I thought I’d never get back.

Then, with a last hoarse breath, I notice how everything becomes dark and the sound just... stops…

Author's Note

Hey, everypony!

After weeks of not having the time or motivation to write, I decided to just sit down and bash the keys on my laptop until something began to make somewhat coherent sense. I've had this chapter ready for a while, but I didn't want to release it until I was done writing Chapter 34, so I have at least 1 chapter that can be edited whilst I'm working on something else.

If anyone wants advice for dealing with writer's block, I'll tell you how to get writing again: just get it done. Don't tell yourself "this is rubbish" or "I need to write something amazing on the first try" or "this needs to make 100% perfect sense" because that's how you stop yourself from actually being creative. Do the editing nonsense afterwards. Oh, and don't do all of the editing yourself. If you're working alone, sometimes you can miss the obvious.

I'll admit, this chapter ends on a nasty cliffhanger, but don't worry, there will be an Aftermath - Part 3 published as soon as it's been edited properly. You'll find out what happens to Sky. Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.

See you all again soon,

~ Angel

Chapter 1: Fire Catches

Moonlight's POV

Before my eyes, Luna is engulfed in a bright white light. Within the orb, her silhouette changes, her wings becoming bat-like, her entire body becoming taller and stronger, her teeth forming fangs. When the light vanishes, her coat is a deep blue-black, her ethereal mane is blue and seemingly full of stars, and her pupils have turned into thin pinpricks. Nightmare Moon is back, and I am fearful for what is about to come.

Celestia, however, just laughs. "Luna, really? You know this doesn't work."

"I have to try, sister," Nightmare growls.

"You don't. You can listen to me, and I won't hurt you."

"Then leave Moonlight alone."

The two begin to fight, pacing back and forth, never taking to the air, but using a variety of spells against each other. Dangerous spells, things that can cause minor explosions, set anything on fire, cause major wounds and a lot of pain, spells that ricochet until they hit their target or a well-positioned magical shield. But Celestia uses a spell I don't recognise that makes Nightmare gasp in pain and fall to the floor. She saunters up to Nightmare whilst holding the Elements of Harmony in her magic. Before I can blink, Nightmare disappears and a bolt of rainbow lightning shoots up from the ground, travelling towards the moon fast enough to cause a Sonic Rainboom. I scream, but nopony can hear me.

Celestia turns to me next, and I prepare for the inevitable. She's wearing a necklace with a large ruby embedded in it, and for a moment I am mesmerised by the way it glows and how the hues shift from a deep reddish-pink to blood red to sunset orange before I pull my eyes away from it and focus on her. Rather than using the Elements, she says two Old Ponish words, and red lightning zigzags towards me-

"Snap out of it, Moonlight!" somepony says in the distance.

I look around the darkened room. A blanket of shadow magic blocks out the wisps of light trying to sneak past the curtains. The strong crystal walls bring a sense of comfort, and relief washes over me when I remember that nothing can get to me here. A unicorn stallion wearing silver and black armour and a red cloak is sitting next to me, looking down at me, his red eyes wide and filled with concern.

"Thanks," I say as I pull myself into a sitting position. "But I'm fine."

He raises his eyebrows. "Fine? You were shouting in your sleep. You were terrified. You and I both know that that is not fine. I, King Sombra, demand that you tell me the truth immediately before I get upset."

I grin. "And what if I say no?"

"Let me warn you: King Sombra shows mercy to nopony," he tells me sternly. His corneas are glowing green and giving off that purple mist that everypony associates with the most evil dark magic spells. "I can read your mind, find all of your worst fears, and use them against you. I can use spells whose names the ponies of Equestria fear to even speak. Or I can just use my own strength. One way or another I will find out the answer, so I'll give you another chance to tell me." He smiles, showing off those long pearly white fangs of his. Maybe others would find it intimidating, but I can tell that it's all an act, and smile back.

"Not going to work, Sombra. I know your tricks too well."

"My name is King Sombra, thank you very much. Do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

"The hard way."

"That's it. You asked for it." He leans forwards and kisses me. He's not going to hurt me at all, he just wants to mess around. "Now, what happened?"

"Just a bad dream."

He rolls his eyes. "I guessed that much. Since you aren't giving me any straight answers, I might as well find out what happened for myself." He casts a spell that makes me shiver for moment, but I know he's only trying to help. After a moment he says quietly, "I can see why that would make you scream. Why do you worry about things like that?"

"It's Sunbutt, only one of the most powerful ponies on the planet and a literal goddess. And she hates me. I have to worry."

He runs a hoof through my mane. "You don't, my queen. You have me. And if that is somehow not enough, you have friends. So stop worrying, get downstairs and have some breakfast."

"I'm not a morning pony."

"Up. Now. Make yourself look presentable, because Queen Chrysalis is visiting later. And make it quick, I'm hungry."

Sighing, I run a comb through my mane and place my silver tiara on the top of my head. I'm still not used to wearing it, but apparently I'm the Queen and I look extra 'posh' and 'regal' with it on. I don't really care about those things, but Sombra insists.

We trot down to the dining room, where we are greeted by several smiling faces: Radiant Hope, Wishbone Willow and Cozy Glow. Cozy, the demon, is hovering above Wishbone with a cream pie in her hooves.

"Ah ah ah, Cozy," I say.

"Gee, ruin all the fun, you do," she groans before turning around and lowering herself into her chair. The cream pie comes soaring over the back of the chair and straight for me. I catch it with my magic before it hits my face, and roll my eyes as I take a seat at the dining table.

"Hey, Moonlight, we've got something for you," Hope giggles as she slides a newspaper across the table for me to see. I read the article on the front page and soon I find myself grinning from ear to ear.

Equestrian Times

Saturday 18th June 2019

Outrage at Canterlot Castle as "traitor" Moonlight Shade weds Sombra

The Daughter of the Night is a curious little creature. For centuries she has been a threat, hiding from ponykind with Nightmare Moon, biding her time for a takeover bid. Now she has surfaced, and Canterlot Castle has confirmed that there is "no going back" for her. According to our sources, she has fully embraced her life in the Crystal Empire - and become its new queen.

The news was confirmed last night by Princess Celestia's aide Raven Inkwell that the Princess had received a letter about the shocking turn of events. The letter was written in Neighspherean language by the Daughter of the Night herself and stated that she and the Crystal Empire's tyrant king Sombra had the "full support" of their subjects. However, Princess Celestia herself said that she doubted the truth of that statement.

"Oh my goodness. This is comedy gold. Where did you get it from?"

Wish explains, "There was a note with it. It said, 'Enjoy this, and know that when I arrive in the Crystal Empire I'm on your side.' There was no name, but it had a drawing of a bat pony stallion at the bottom. He had a moustache and a ton of scars on his ears and face."

"Sounds like somepony has a secret admirer," Cozy giggles, much to Sombra's annoyance.

"Never say that in front of a mare's husband, Cozy," he warns.

"Why not? It's hilarious!"

"Cleanse thy tongue of thy sin with a fine bar of soap, or thou shalt find thyself in the deep pits of the Crystal Empire dungeons." I say in Old Ponish.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." She holds her tiny hooves in the air in surrender. "But gee, some ponies don't know how to take a joke. Worry about more important things like-"

"Post!" declares a guard as he gallops into the room, whilst another holds a parcel in his mouth.

"That," Cozy finishes, grinning.

I roll my eyes and lean over the table, reaching for a piece of toast, a butter knife and a pot of crystal berry jam. I cover the toast in jam and take a bite. The sharp sweet taste reminds me that I'm awake and that there's still a war between the Crystal Empire and Equestria. I groan when the parcel is placed on the table between myself and Sombra: it has the seal of the Royal Sisters on the top.

I cast a spell to find out what is inside, but I don't find much. "Two letters - one from Luna, the other from Sunbutt - oh, and there's something else inside. I think Luna's sent a wedding gift to us, Sombra."

"Open it, then."

I cast a spell and remove the wax seal. It turns out there are two letters inside. I remove both of them, but there is something still in the cardboard box. I turn it upside down and a beautiful gold necklace slides out and lands on the table. It has a large glowing ruby on the front of it, maybe a fire ruby. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as Sombra reaches over the table slightly to pick it up.

"Sombra, NO!"

There's a flash of light, and the next thing I know I'm on the floor and oh, who decided to make the entire castle out of crystals?!

"King Sombra? Queen Moonlight?"

I lift my head and nod at the guard calling our names. "I'm ok, don't worry." I scramble to my hooves and sprint across the room to where Sombra landed. "Sombra, are you ok?" I ask. No response. "Sombra?"

"Owww," he says. "I'm fine, but be a bit more careful next time."

I furrow my brow. "Be more careful? You were the one who touched the necklace!"

"I didn't."

"What the Tartarus do you mean? You touched the necklace and it made all that light appear and the next thing I knew I was on the floor!"

"Gee, listen to him," says Cozy from the other side of the table.

"Nopony did, Moonlight," Wish confirms.

"Then what knocked us all out of our seats and halfway across the floor?"

Hope and Cozy get up off the floor and trot over to us, and the looks on their faces tell me everything.

"What? You think I did this?!"

"My love," Sombra says.

I look down at him.

"Regular light magic is very easy for ponies to control. Dark magic is mostly instinctual. You probably have no recollection of this, but you just sent out a huge pulse of magic and it sent all of us flying across the room."

"But - but the necklace, it's - it's cursed! It was in my dream last night! Celestia - she was wearing it! She-"

"And that," he interrupts, "is why you're supposed to tell me about your nightmares."

I fall backwards onto my haunches as the realisation dawns on me. I did this. Not Celestia. Me. I could have severely injured somepony, or worse, Sombra or somepony else could have touched the necklace and then who knows what would have happened?

"Oh my Celestia," I breathe, swallowing back the tears. "I shouldn't have done that. I should have said something or-"

"Eh, it's fine," Cozy answers. "It's Sunbutt we should be blaming here. If she didn't send that necklace, I'll eat the ribbons in my mane. So stop worrying about horse crap and read those letters."

"Language," I tell her.

"And the annoying Moonlight we all know and love is back."

Everypony gets back up and the guards call some servants to help clean up the mess of spilt plates of food and cups of tea. Hope and Wishbone do some basic checks on all of us to make sure we haven't got concussions or something, but everypony seems to be fine. My tiara escaped unharmed also, which is a relief. Somepony fetches a small wooden box with DANGEROUS written on the lid and sides and Sombra carefully uses his magic to place the necklace inside.

"Moonlight was right," he says afterwards. "If anypony had touched it, it would have stopped their heart immediately. Thank goodness everypony's fine. Just, maybe don't use so much magic next time."

Wishbone checks the letters just to make sure that there isn't any sort of enchantments on them, then passes the one with Celestia's hoofwriting to me. Despite knowing that it can't physically hurt me, I'm cautious when I open the envelope and draw out the two slips of paper from within.

Dear Sombra and Moonlight,

I heard the news that the two of you are now husband and wife, but I am not writing to congratulate you on that. Unfortunately, that has been overshadowed by other issues, such as the relations between the Crystal Empire and Equestria.

You may notice that I am not addressing you by your titles. I wish to speak to you on a more personal level. Don't think about 'your' kingdom for a moment, because this is not about them. This is not about my own country, either. I am writing to you about the two of you and myself.

Power is a strange thing, and it appears you are both driven by it, never satisfied by what you are given and always taking more. Enslaving the Crystal Empire was not enough and you had to travel to Equestria to free criminals from Tartarus and use mind control on my subjects. My niece Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was even touched by a powerful dark magic curse and only just pulled through, and there are few individuals who could ans would have done such a thing. I am not blaming you directly, but it is suspicious.

The point is, the two of you have hurt me. I am not sure whether or not you intended to from the beginning, but you have succeeded in causing a great amount of pain. Power can do that to anycreature, and you chose to take power for the wrong reasons.

So take it. See what it does. It feels amazing in the beginning, but there will always be something missing: true friendship, where the other pony is not under the influence of mind control or doing exactly as you say; where there are more reasons to love a pony than infatuation.

Take the Crystal Empire and the power I have granted you, but know that it is not what you are looking for, and that using it for the wrong reasons can have severe consequences. Remember, this is about more than who is in charge of what territories. This is personal.

Yours,
Celestia.

I slam a hoof down on the table. "That absolute monster!" I screech. My wings flare outwards and I pant, my heart beating much faster than usual as dark magic courses through my veins. I can feel that odd purple mist forming around my eyes in a cloud of magic and hot tears. If I saw her now, I don't know what I would do, but I want to show her what pain really is.

Everypony in the room stares at me with shock and concern. Wish approaches me tentatively. "Moonlight, it's-"

"Next pony to say that it's all fine can go to Tartarus," I spit at her. "Celestia, she... She tried... She was going to..." I can't actually say the dreaded words.

"Listen, Moonlight, we understand." But she doesn't. None of them do. Sombra, maybe. But nopony else.

"You don't, Wish. You don't have a special somepony."

She reels back like I've hit her in the face. "That's per-"

"For Tartarus' sake, don't say that. Celestia said that, and you saw what she did with that necklace."

"Moonlight, you're worrying over nothing. I'm not trying to hurt you. None of us have even seen what's in that letter-"

I can't stand it a moment longer. "Silence," I say. The room goes dark as I use my magic to draw all the shadows in the room towards me, and make a wall around myself to block out the sights and sounds of everypony in the room trying to comfort me when they don't understand.

A hoof rests on my shoulder, and I look up at Sombra, in his Umbrum form. "Calm down," he says. "Nothing actually happened. Don't let your emotions consume you like I did."

I look into those red eyes, and my anger fades. He's probably just as shocked as I am, but not showing it. The wall of darkness around us disintegrates, and I look down at the floor, trying to avoid everypony's gaze.

"I'm sorry," is all I manage to say.

Sombra smiles warmly. "Apology accepted. Celestia just attempted to assassinate the two of us there, so your anger isn't unjustified. Now we have to dispose of this horrible necklace, and then we write back to her."

I shake my head.

"No? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Plenty," I tell him flatly. "Writing letters doesn't scare her. We need to try something else."

"And your suggestion is?"

I walk over to the table and glance at the newspaper. "Staying in the shadows is all well and good, but keeping a low profile doesn't scare her either."

"I see. Just be careful, Moonlight."

"Uh, hello?" says Cozy. "What are you on about?"

"Propaganda," I answer. "Sensationalism. Give ponies something to attach themselves to, and they won't let go. If somepony wrote a letter saying that they were going to visit the Crystal Empire, they're probably not the only one. If there's ponies in Equestria who agree with us, we can work with that. Reveal the truth, shatter the facade Celestia's put up around herself, turn her into a laughing stock, a fool. She's already told us that we can't go back and she's not going to give us a second chance, so why should we be nice to her? This is the only way forward now. That, and sending more guards to the border, because if Celestia's willing to do something like this, she'll have more guards on the way. Does anypony have any suggestions?"

There is pure golden silence and I love every second of it.

"Good," I say. "May the war of the newspapers begin."

Chapter 16: Liberandum

“Oh, Moonlight,” an unfamiliar voice calls my name.

“Who’s there?!” I ask.

“Hmm. Usually, I’d try to hide my identity from strangers, but you could use dark magic to find out the truth either way. You can call me Aurora.” A unicorn with a very light blue coat and a baby pink mane emerges from the shadows, her green eyes glinting in the dim light.

“Why are you here?”

“To help you, of course. You and I are very similar, you know, and I’ve recognised that you have been used by King Sombra. I’m here to help you see the truth.”

That’s it. She’s shattered my trust. I snap at her, “That’s a lie. Sombra loves me and cares for me. We’ve saved each other’s lives and we’d do it again.”

“Oh, I understand that you have your doubts. But give me just a few minutes and I will explain. I’ll need to use magic to show you some of your memories, but once I’ve done that I can explain how he’s used you over the last few months. Just give me a moment, Moonlight, and you’ll understand everything, I promise-”

“Gee, Mum! Wake up!”

I open my eyes and find myself staring at the ceiling in the lounge. I’m on the sofa that’s closest to the doors. Cozy is looking down at me with an anxious expression, nudging my face with her muzzle to try to wake me up.

“Hey, I’m awake.” I open my wings and wrap them around her.

“Golly, don’t do that, Mum! You scared me! Again!”

“I’m sorry.” I plant a small kiss on her forehead and she smiles. “How long was I out for?”

“Ten seconds. Not long enough for me to call somepony for help. What happened? Was it another one of those freaky psychic moments?”

“You can say that again. Some random unicorn trying to convince me that Sombra’s using me.” I pause. Not everything in the visions is real, but what if…

“So basically, Solar Guard horse crap.”

“Language!”

“Buck that. You know I’m right.”

She could be, but she was also friends with Sombra from a young age and wanted to help him take over the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago.

“Mum? Did you faint again, or are you just zoning out?”

“Sorry, Cozy, I-” I bury my head in my hooves. “It’s complicated.” I stretch out on the sofa and lie down on my back, still with my wings around Cozy. She looks slightly disgruntled, but doesn’t try to move away from me. I brush my mane out of my eyes and yawn.

“Is your headache gone, Mum?”

I nod. “Yes, but I’m tired.”

“You should stay here with me.”

“But I have to help Starlight and the others, and you don’t really think I’d let Sombra have all the fun annoying the Solar Guards, do you?”

“Gee, do what’s best for your health, Mum.”

I start getting annoyed. “I’m going to Equestria, Cozy. You can’t stop me.”

“Yes, I can.” She reaches under the sofa and brings out a pocket knife, holding the blade up to my neck. “I can stop you, and I can keep you quiet so you don’t go blabbing to Sombra. And nopony will have a clue because I’ll be able to charm my way out of any awkward conversations with the help of a little dark magic.” She grins menacingly.

“You sociopath.” I take the knife from her grasp with dark magic and place it on the coffee table. “Where did you find this?”

“Not telling you.”

I read her mind and find myself grinning. “I’m having words with Skywalker to make sure he keeps an eye on his stuff when you’re around.”

“Gee, ruin all of my fun, you do.” She wriggles away from me. “I’m off to tell Sombra that you had a vision.”

I sit up and my eyes grow wide. “Don’t tell Sombra, he’ll-”

“Tell me what, exactly?”

There’s a moment of silence. “Uh, nothing,” I say quickly.

Sombra strides into the room and looks at me. “I already know everything, and I am not letting you leave. You have been feeling ill all day, and now you have lost consciousness.” He points out. “We still don’t know the cause of these events, so it would be better if you stayed here and allowed Wishbone to keep an eye on you.”

“Is Hope going with you?”

“Yes, but why are you-”

I glare at him, hurt by this revelation. “Wherever you’re going, I’m going, and if you really want me to stay you can stay here with me.”

“Moonlight-”

“And I want Radiant Hope and Wishbone to move out. Especially Hope. They can come here for lunch and to talk about running the Crystal Empire, but they’ve lived in the castle for long enough. Those rooms they’re staying in are for guests, like Rutherford or Blueblood.”

“Why are you so desperate to see them go?”

“Because.”

“Why are you upset all of a sudden?”

“I just am, alright? I need to get away from the castle and spend some time with different ponies.”

“I see. Well, it is nearly one o’clock. Wishbone and Hope have finished packing the last few bags of food. I would like you to wear your armour and have your saddlebags packed in half an hour’s time.”

“Fine.” I leave the lounge and walk straight to our bedroom. I’m frustrated. Even though I’ve spoken to them about this before and asked them to remember how I feel, Sombra and Hope are still spending a lot of time together and it gets on my nerves. I know I shouldn’t be paranoid, but I can’t help it. They’ve known each other for a long time, and Hope isn’t the most trustworthy mare.

I reach our bedroom and walk into the dressing room. I take a long time putting on the suit of armour that Sombra had made specifically for me after we got engaged. It looks almost exactly like his, except the helmet covers my entire head and has had magic used on it so that I can communicate with him over long distances. I haven’t worn any of the armour in quite a while - I haven’t needed to until now - and I hesitate before putting on the helmet. Do I really want him to be able to read my mind from several miles away? Do I want him to know… that I’m losing some of my trust in him? I decide it’s probably for the best, and put the thing on.

As I leave the dressing room, I notice my tiara sitting on my bedside drawer. I stop again just to look at it for a few moments. I’m the Queen of the Crystal Empire. I’m an important pony with a lot of responsibility. I’ve got to stay strong for everypony else, and have faith in Sombra. I need to look after everypony, and stay focused on my task.

What is my task? Giving Celestia a piece of Tartarus.

When I reach the castle throne room, all eyes turn to me. I walk up the steps to the platform with the twin crystal thrones. Standing next to my throne are Wishbone,
Skywalker and Cozy. Sombra is sitting down, and he smiles at me as I walk past him. I’d smile back, but he wouldn’t be able to see either way. Next to him are Radiant Hope, Hanzal and Swift Lightning. There are about thirty ponies, all in the Crystal Guard, looking at me and waiting expectantly.

Your moment has arrived, my love. Think of what the Solar Guards did to those ponies and what Celestia has done, and tell them all what is in your heart.

I take off that stupid helment and place it on my throne. Then I take a deep breath and say, “I’m going to be frank with all of you here. I’m asking you to go into a war zone and risk your lives for a small village called the Town of Starlight with a population of less than a hundred ponies, and I don’t feel proud of myself. But I’m asking you to go out into this situation, and I’m going with all of you, because Celestia’s finally revealed her true colours, and she’s a bully. I’m sick and tired of her and her guards bullying others, especially those who can’t fight back.

“But we’re not just going to this village to fight Solar Guards. Causing trouble for Celestia won’t help the ponies who lost their homes, their belongings and their loved ones to fire last night. We’re going to be helping to rebuild the village, and the healers and doctors here will treat any ponies who were injured in last night’s attack.” I pause, a plan forming in my head. “I’ve only just thought of this, but I’m going to delegate some of the responsibility of leading this mission to Colonel Skywalker, if that’s ok.” I glance at him.

“It would be my pleasure, ma’am… I’d just like to know why.”

“You’re the one with better tactical knowledge here.” I turn to the others. “I need a few of the ponies here to help me gather some evidence; anything may be useful for us against Celestia. Everypony has a right to know about this.” My eyes fall on Cozy and Wishbone. “I’ll need somepony to find some cameras and a good supply of paper before we leave.”

“I can do it, Mum,” Cozy says immediately.

“Thank you,” I reply, smiling at her. I look back to the Crystal Guards. “The leader of the village we are going to visit is a pony who believes in equality and justice. When we travel there, I want all of us to bring justice for her and her ponies, and treat all of them the way we treat each other. As for the Solar Guards… If they surrender or if they’re injured, you can help them, but don’t trust them. If they try to hurt you, though, don’t show them any mercy. Are there any questions?”

Hesitating slightly, Swift takes a few steps forwards. “Ah, uh, Ah don’t know as Ah should be goin’ with yeh.”

“Why not?” I ask.

He looks at his fellow Crystal Guards for a moment. “Ah used ter be a Solar Guard, an’ Ah used ter hate the Crystal Empire an’ dark magic an’… all of this, really. Even called every bat pony Ah saw a vampire. Ah was taught that yeh weren’t normal ponies. But Ah’ve had a long time in jail to change mah mind, an’ you, Queen Moonlight,” he turns back to me and smiles, “yeh showed me yeh could be kind.”

His smile falters again. “Thing is, if Ah’m caught by mah old friends… Ah ain’t sure what they might think, whether the guards are bein’ controlled by magic or summat, or what they might do ter me ter ‘cure’ me.”

“Bucking selfish coward trying to save his own flank again,” Hanzal mutters.

A whisper in a silent room is very loud. A wave of shock travels through the room. Even Skywalker looks somewhat disappointed by his friend’s outburst and shakes his head a few times.

I simply tell Hanzal, “You’re not coming with us. You’re staying here.”

“But-”

“Can’t allow that, Your Majesty.” Skywalker intervenes.

“He’s causing trouble.” I look at him, surprised by his actions. “We can’t be fighting each other if we’re going into a war zone.”

“I understand that, but it still doesn’t give you the right to make drastic decisions, Ma’am.” The bat pony remarks. “Much less talking to my family like that.”

A sudden silence fills the room and everypony, including Hanzal, turns at him, shocked. My own eyes grow wide as soon as the word “family” comes into mind.

He called Hanzal his… family? I think.

Impressive, I must say. Sombra admits. Though it makes sense for how close they are… perhaps they consider themselves brothers?

We’ll have to find out later. I glance at him before looking back at the Colonel.

“Well, if he wants to help out here and not look like an idiot in front of his colleagues, you can tell him to swallow his pride and apologise to the Lieutenant.”

“He can apologise, and then both of them can stay behind.” The stallion glances at them, then at me. “I hate to point this out, but a major flaw in this plan of yours is that the Crystal Empire is being left without any means of defending itself.”

I remain silent for a few seconds, processing his observation of the plan and… it makes sense. How could I have been a fool and not think about that?

“Our army,” he continues, “has only just been founded and the soldiers aren’t prepared for any significant fight.”

Sombra interrupts, “The Crystal Empire will have the protection of the Changeling Kingdom whilst we are absent. However, you raise an interesting point, Colonel. Both of them should stay behind and keep training the troops for any possible attack, though they will have to learn to co-exist. Perhaps the reminder of an entire empire relying solely on them will empower the capacity to move past any issues they have with each other.”

Skywalker nods. “I would rather have none of our allies risk their safety for protecting our sovereignty, yet I agree with the last statement.” He turns at his partners. “Respect and tolerance are key for a united army. I would like you two to give an example.”

Hanzal and Swift glare at each other, then turn away, both stallions holding their heads high in the air. I can understand why they’re upset; it would be like me and Celestia spending an entire week together - something I am not about to try any time soon if I can help it. But Hanzal and Swift have a job to do.

“Ah’m not particularly happy with this, but Ah’ve gotta prove mahself here, an’ Ah know this ain’t like the Solar Guard. If he can hold his tongue, Ah can help out an’ keep this place shipshape.” Swift says, then glares at Skywalker. “Same with ye.”

“Fine,” Hanzal grunts.

The bat pony looks at the ground for a moment and bites his lip, then sighs. “We have a deal.”

I say to the three of them, “One more thing. You know more about the modern Royal Guards than almost anypony else here. All of you could save a lot of lives in battle if you can work together.”

Swift smiles, slightly embarrassed. “Yeh’ve got a point. Thanks, Yer Majesty.” Hanzal remains silent, but Skywalker gives a nod of understanding.

“No problem.” I reply, also smiling. “Are there any more questions?”

Silence.

“In that case, I think we’re all ready.”

Sombra stands up to address everypony. “All of the supplies that we are likely to need are already on the dais. Now all we need to do is transport them and ourselves to the village without being spotted. I have been in contact with the ponies whom we are visiting and we have agreed on a meeting place which is currently not occupied by the Solar Guards.”

“Good. I think there’s one more thing I should say, though.”

Sombra raises an eyebrow.

“Princess Amoré used to say that crystal ponies were like diamonds, that pressure wouldn’t break them but instead make them stronger, but I think that saying needs to be changed a little. It needs to include not just crystal ponies, but everyone who lives in the Crystal Empire.”

“Moonlight?” Sombra interrupts.

“Yes, my love?”

“If my memory of what Equestria and the Crystal Empire used to look like is correct, then what you just said could also be applied to the village we are about to visit.”

“Oh?”

He smirks, “The area where Starlight Glimmer’s town is located belongs to a large piece of land that corresponds to the Crystal Empire’s original sovereignty. Before, well, I needn’t say anything. We should all be aware of those events by this point.”

I find myself grinning. “Well, when we get there, we can ask the villagers if they’d like to rejoin the Crystal Empire, which would allow us to do a lot more to help them. Oh, and I can imagine there would be a few red faces in Canterlot too.”

That gets a round of laughter.

Once everypony is quiet, Sombra tells them, “We should be leaving. Starlight will be waiting. I will be taking groups of no more than ten at a time to a place I know of in the mountains near the village. If everypony could start to make their way to the dais outside, that is where we will start our journey.”

Everypony stands up, and I put back on that helmet, just in case we end up teleporting into the middle of a group of Solar Guards. We walk as a group down the stairs and out of the castle. A few Crystal Guards stand in the centre of the dais with Sombra, who asks Cozy and I to join him. The moment the two of us reach the centre, we are all surrounded by Sombra’s purple and green magic and the scenery around us changes.

We glance around at our new environment: mountains and cliffs wherever we look, but incredibly few plants. The sky is clear and the sun is considerably warmer than it is in the Crystal Empire.

I hear hoofsteps, and Starlight approaches us. Her purple and cyan mane is a complete mess and her eyes are tired, but she’s smiling nonetheless. Immediately, I run over to her and hug her. She hesitates slightly before returning the gesture.

“I’m so glad you came,” she says.

“I’m glad we can help you, Starlight.”

“Wow, you brought a lot of stuff with you.”

“There’s more.”

“Oh, thank you!” she cries. “The only problem is, the Solar Guards are still looking for us, and it’s not going to be easy moving all of this to the caverns.” She sighs, “They found out where we were staying and we had to make a run for it. Not ideal when everypony’s either tired, in pain or dealing with an empty stomach. But I couldn’t leave anypony behind.”

“Don’t worry. We can do this.” I look at Sombra. “You should go back and get the others. We’ll be able to carry all of this with magic.”

Starlight winces, “Not the best idea. That’s how they found out where we were last time. Too much magic in one area. They probably know that we’re here already.”

“Blyat.” Skywalker curses. “Looks like we’ll have to do this like the ol’ good times.”

“It’s fine.” She says. “There’s a shortcut through this cave here, and I’ve got somepony in there making sure it’s clear.”

“Good.” I look at Sombra and the others. “Everypony, this is Starlight Glimmer, founder of this town. She’s taking us to where the rest of her village is staying.” I turn back to her. “Lead the way, Starlight.”

She turns around and begins walking towards the mouth of a cave. Slowly, we all follow her, and I mentally prepare myself for the challenges we may have to face over the next few days.

Chapter 27: Visit to the Trenches - Part 1

I find my way back to the Crystal Castle the next morning. The hospital's canteen isn't that terrible, but there is no comparison between staying in the hospital and enjoying breakfast with my closest friends and family.

When I finally reach the dining room, I open the door to find almost everypony already there. They all look up and smile at me as I sit down, and the first thing Sombra does is plants a gentle kiss on my lips. I close my eyes for a moment and we read each other's minds.

Last night it was incredibly lonely without you.

It was only one night, though.

The longest night that I have endured in a long time.

I wrap a wing around him. Hey, it wasn't that bad.

Yes. It was. If Wishbone does that to us ever again-

She's going to, I almost burst out laughing.

Eos, have mercy.

I look around the table at everypony, and notice a certain three stallions are missing. “Where's Skywalker and the others?” I wonder aloud.

“Trenches,” Cozy answers. “Golly, I didn't realise Old Sky was that much of a perfectionist, but he said he wanted to ‘double check’ everything.”

“He's been out there since yesterday,” adds Hope, taking a sip from her cup. “Neither him nor Hanzal have returned, only Swift has. Though he left again half an hour ago.”

“Wow.” Those stallions never cease to amaze me. They just don’t stop.

Sombra tells me, “Really, I would like to go there myself, however-”

“Not a chance,” Wish interrupts. “The moment either you or Moonlight step out there, King Sombra, the Crystal Empire is in trouble. Moonlight had a dream about Tirek, so he'll be here. The last thing we need is for you to be injured in a fight against him - or the Solar Guards, for that matter.”

“I rest my case.”

I roll my eyes and smile at both of them before taking a sip of a nice warm cup of coffee. Bliss.

“Gee, Mum, did you hear me or did you just completely zone out?” Cozy grumbles.

“Huh?”

She shakes her head at me. “I said, how are you? Look, I might be a bucking rude pain in the flank, but you are my Mum, so I want to do something nice for you every once in a while.”

“I'm fine," I say.

“Sooooo…” she smiles, “frantic, insecure, neurotic and emotional?”

“Um, wait, what?! No!” I laugh.

“Well, give me a proper answer, then.”

“I'm ok. I actually managed to sleep last night, which was good, and I don't have anything to worry about at this single particular moment in time. Happy?”

“Yep, I’m good.”

We finish breakfast and I go to the lounge to look up at the To-Do List that Cozy has helpfully stuck to the wall. I cross off 'Tell the nobles to shut up' and look at the various other entries, grinning at her sense of humour.

Make sure the Crystal Army and the trenches are A-OK

~~Tell the nobles to shut up~~

Moan at Sunbutt one last time before the fun begins

Rescue Old Colonel Sky's besties from Equestria

~~Give special recognition to everypony who annoyed the Solar Guards back at Starlight's place~~

~~Stop sitting on our butts all day and get some crap done~~

Go back to Starlight's place and capture it when the Solar Guards leave

~~Finish doing taxes and other finance crap~~

~~Send awesome news article to Harmony Magazine~~

~~Get Harmony Magazine to start publishing in the Crystal Empire to annoy Sunbutt~~

Meet up with old Tirek and convince him NOT to steal our magic

Take over Equestria

Take over Equestria? This is typical Cozy talk, and something that I don’t plan on doing because I know I don’t need to. She may or may not have a point about Tirek, though. If we could speak to him-

“Yer Majesty?” a familiar voice speaks.

I turn around, startled by the sudden disturbance to the calm silence in the room. Swift Lightning approaches, smiling apologetically. “Hope Ah ain't stopping yeh from doing anythin' too important.”

“Hey, it's nothing,” I brush off his concerns. “How are you?”

“Ah'm good. Just thought Ah'd swing past ter talk. Ah ain't had a chance recently.”

“I know.”

He looks down at the ground. “Ah overheard summat in the barracks that Ah ain't real sure what ter think of.”

“Tell me about it,” I almost laugh. The irony would make Sunbutt crack a smile.

For a moment, he seems to be lost in thought, staring downwards and scraping a hoof against the floor. I begin to worry about what could be on his mind.

He hesitates, then asks me, “Mah marefriend Astral… she's alive, ain't she?”

“Uh-huh,” I confirm.

“She's back in the Solar Guards, ain't she?”

“…She is,” I have to admit.

“An' we're gonna be fighting on opposite sides now,” he concludes. “Ain't we?”

This time I find myself unable to answer him and have to turn away from him; the memory of what Astral Charm and Skywalker tried to do to each other returns with vivid detail. The sword fight, Skywalker's injuries, Astral's gruesome eye, and then her again holding that knife above Skywalker with a look of grim determination written on her face…

“Look at me.” It's a command, not a request, and a hint of his old self returns in the form of a glare.

I glance sideways at him.

“Ah still don't 'ave a clue what the bloody Tartarus is going on inside Sky's mind, but Ah… what Ah do know is that he's got some kinda grudge against the Princess. An' Astral's got a grudge against anythin' ter do with 'im, so she ain’t about ter switch sides.”

I take a moment to process this.

“Now Ah'm pretty grateful yeh didn't leave me ter rot in that cell, but… Ah love mah Astral. Ah ain't even kissed or dated another mare since we last saw each other, 'cause Ah love 'er too much. Thing is, she ain't gonna start listenin' ter anythin' nice anypony says about yeh, so…”

Swift's in a mess. As far as I can see, he has few options as to what to do with his life, and none of them are great.

If he fights on the front line and he's captured by the Solar Guards, he'll be punished. That punishment isn't going to be lenient, either. He'll probably go to trial in Canterlot and be executed by those who used to be his friends.

If he returns to Equestria to see Astral Charm, there will be some sort of inquiry about which side he's on. That could potentially also lead to him suffering an untimely death and a lot of pain - something I am not going to allow to happen.

If he stays here in the Crystal Empire, which is what I'd like him to do, he will be alive and safe… but unhappy, too. Whilst I don't want him to essentially make the same mistakes I did and potentially hurt a lot of other ponies, he should at least get to spend some time with his marefriend again. Even if said marefriend happens to be fighting on the opposite side.

But bringing Astral here isn't an option, either: it would only result in her and Skywalker killing each other. Naturally, it's the sibling argument that sends everything spiralling downhill.

“Oh.”

“Ah got a lot more sympathy for yeh now Ah'm stuck in yer horseshoes,” he grins. “Whatever Ah do, Ah'm stuck. At least you could actually do summat about it.”

“I couldn't, really,” I say without thinking. I add, “If I'm honest, I didn't know what I was doing half the time, and I still don't always know now. I just go along with things, and if something goes terribly wrong I do what I can to make it right.”

Wait… this might or might not be possible depending on how ruthless the Solar Guards end up being, but there was Skywalker's plan. To find locations across Equestria where somepony could cause disruptions to allow the Crystal Army to attack somewhere else. There was the promise to keep Skywalker's friends out of harm's way, so if we're going to risk so much to make sure they survive, why can't we find some way of helping Swift and Astral find somewhere quiet and out of the way?

It's risky. It's probably stupid. The likelihood is it wouldn't actually work from a tactical point of view. But it's something that I'll have to talk about with the others when I actually get a chance to speak to them all at once.

I grab a quill and ink, and I write a new entry on the To-Do List, aware of Swift watching me as I write.

Call a War Council Meeting with Crystal Army leaders, all advisers, Chrysalis, Rutherford, Torch, Luna and/or Blueblood

“Nope,” Swift interrupts.

“What's wrong? I-”

“Yeh gotta understand, Ah ain't popular as it is. A few ponies gonna have bones ter pick with me if yeh tell 'em what Ah've told yeh, about caring more about Astral than Ah do about them, even if you did the same fer His Majesty. And Sky…” he trails off. A mixture of emotions wash over him. Distrust, concern, guilt, hopelessness.

He looks back at me and says, “You ain't been told, 'ave yeh?”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Ah don't care what other ponies tell yeh, you should go out to the trenches. Speak ter Sky an' Hanzal. Ah might not always be on the best terms with either of 'em,” he smiles a little, “but Ah know sure as Tartarus when Sky's stressed an' about ter snap at somepony. Ah'd say he's about a day or two off of what Ah call the get outta mah sight before Ah make a nice size dent in yer skull stage. Somepony's gonna get hurt real bad.”

“Ouch,” is all I manage to say.

“Ah mean,” The Lieutenant adds. “Ah ain’t seen Skywalker this stressed since training! An’… let’s be sincere ‘ere, he ain’t the best at controlling his anxiety.”

I bite my lip. He has a point. Skywalker overcompensates, and although I haven’t seen him completely fall apart yet, it might be only a matter of time until it comes to that.

“I’ll talk to him at some point,” I promise. “If he has somepony to offload to, maybe he’ll be able to relax.”

Swift doesn’t look convinced. To be honest, he seems to be anything but. His look reveals that he knows this kind of situation too well, and is aware of the many ways it might end; I do so too. Despite the Colonel’s surprising honesty on most occasions, I acknowledge just how difficult it is to make him talk, instead of avoiding the questions.

I know what I’m talking about, since he has done that to me a couple of times now. Though he’s not a regular liar, despite what happened days ago, he somehow maintains himself inside the large sphere of honesty by just opting to not say a word; however, I’ve noticed how common this has become after the big reveal.

“Alright, Yer Majesty. Just… keep an eye on ’im for me.” He says. “We might hate each other's guts sometimes, but… he’s still Astral's brother.”

“I'll do what I can.”

“Thanks.” He gives me a small smile and walks away. “See yeh later.”

“I will.”

Later that day, I happen to encounter Cozy and I know that she’s done something she shouldn’t have. That huge smile on her face is not natural. She practically beams with happiness as she passes me in the corridor. I stop, stand right in her way and shake my head at her, waiting for an explanation.

“Gee, what, Mum?” she says casually.

“Why are you so happy all of a sudden?”

“Psst, don’t tell anpony, but I’ve sent Wishbone on a little wild goose chase for the fun of it. If you wanna go speak to Old Sky, now’s your chance.”

My jaw drops. First of all, how much trouble has she caused, and second, where on Equis did she learn to think ahead and trick other ponies like that?

“You can thank me later. Byeeeeee!” She skedaddles off before I have a chance to say anything else.

I don’t hesitate and get myself ready as quickly as possible. I go back to my room and fetch my battle armour just in case things happen to get nasty, although I’m not expecting the Solar Guards to be putting up a fight at the moment. Nopony interrupts me as I walk through the castle corridors. Probably they’re a little intimidated seeing me like this, but they should know by now that I’m not about to hurt them.

I enjoy the flight to the southern border of the Crystal Empire, the feel of the breeze rushing under my wings as I soar over the rooftops and the many different creatures below. Something that I have noticed about the huge city is that some buildings have returned to their original state - shining brightly in a range of dazzling colours - and others remain looking dreary or have only partially transformed. It’s odd to see the city like this, but I think it’s a positive sign. It shows that some ponies at least are managing to heal despite the situation.

When I do finally reach the edge of that huge protective shield around the Crystal Empire a good half-hour later, I hesitate. Should I have told Sombra about this before I left? Probably. Should I leave the Crystal Empire whilst knowing of the chaos outside? My common sense says no, but I’ll be fine. Hopefully.

I take that final step through the magical shield, and the temperature drops. I haven’t been out here in a while, and my Celestia, it’s cold. Currently there isn’t much snowfall, but the sky is a mixture of grey and white with no sign of the sun at all.

I can see a short distance away the first trenches, the ones closest to the city for reserve troops, medics and presumably the Crystal Army leaders. I can’t imagine that Skywalker would particularly want to be right on the front line in a situation like this. Maybe I’ll be able to find him somewhere nearby.

I walk slowly towards the trenches, and when I reach them and look around I find that everything is well-organised. Nopony is wasting any time or energy in preparing for the Solar Guards’ arrival. It looks like Celestia’s supposed army is going to have a rough few days.

“Your Majesty?” a voice asks.

I turn around and see Hanzal walking towards me, wearing a heavy uniform for winter.

“Hey, how are you?” I say.

“Not much different to the usual,” he shivers. “Other than the cold… but I'll live. At the end of last year Skywalker and I managed to get trapped in the Foal Mountain Range by an avalanche, so we know what it’s like.”

I try to imagine the two of them huddled together on snow-covered mountains with a large blanket wrapped around both of them to keep them warm and a small fire burning through the night. The scene in my head is heartwarming.

“Speaking of the Colonel,” I say, looking around us and snapping myself out of my daydreams. “Where is he?”

“On the frontline.” The pegasus answers. “Old Sky wanted to go and check on everycreature there. Though something tells me he’ll be digging the trench himself.”

“That sounds about right.” I honestly should’ve known better.

“Do they need us back at the castle?”

“No, it’s just…” I trail off. “Swift asked me to check on you both.”

Hanzal reacts pretty much the way I expected he would: raised eyebrows and a condescending tone. “Is he trying to spy on us, or just stirring up trouble like he always does?”

“Neither. He was worried about you both.”

“Well, tell him he doesn’t need to worry. We’re both perfectly fine and we don’t need his large nose in our business.”

Again, he’s lying to cover for Skywalker. This just gets better and better. How long are they going to keep this up for?!

I keep looking at him, not saying anything. He can’t see my face, so he has no idea what I’m thinking or if I’m reading his thoughts. His face remains the same, though. He’s a skilled liar, apparently, but not skilled enough. The problem is, I can’t find the right words to explain my feelings. The staring contest continues, then Hanzal opens his mouth to speak.

I hear somepony clearing their throat, to which both Hanzal and I turn to face an earth pony mare with a brown coat, wearing a Captain’s uniform. She bows in respect. “Your Majesty-”

“There’s more important things to worry about than royal titles,” I cut her off.

She nods. “Um, ok… Anyways, it’s good to see you here. Reassuring.”

“Thanks.”

The mare looks past me at Hanzal and reports, “All’s going good so far. Apparently there’s no sign of the Solar Guards at the front line. The trenches are all exactly the way the Colonel asked, as well.”

“Good to hear, Autumn.”

“Only thing is, apparently nopony’s actually seen the Colonel in a while.”

My ears prick upwards in alarm. “When was the last time anypony saw him?” I demand.

“I don’t know.”

Hanzal and I share a look. I can’t believe it. Why has nopony said anything about this until now?! If something has happened to him, if he’s been injured or captured by Solar Guards-

My internal monologue is interrupted by Hanzal saying, “He can’t have gone far. Probably he’s just been sitting somewhere out of the way of everypony else and not told anypony.” He seems to be trying to convince himself as well as Autumn and I.

“Keep me up to date,” I tell both of them.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Autumn responds, saluting.

Hanzal leads me through the maze of trenches, and I find myself surprised at exactly how much has been completed in such a short period of time. Various ponies and changelings wearing armour nod and salute as we cross paths, and we ask a few of them if they’ve seen him anywhere.

Eventually, we get an answer, and I’m surprised by what I hear.

“The Colonel? He’s just taking a coffee break,” a unicorn tells us. “Don’t blame him, either. He’s been busy digging trenches all day long.”

“I… excuse me?” Hanzal questions the stallion.

“It took a while to convince him to stop overworking, but he’s taking a proper break now. Perhaps he’s even had something decent to eat.”

I slap my armour-covered forehead with my hoof. “False alarm,” I sigh. “Where is he?”

The stallion takes us through a series of interconnected trenches to a little underground room of sorts, where we find the Colonel and a few changelings having a relaxed conversation while sitting on a table. They all look up and smile.

“Ma’am, welcome.” The bat pony greets me. “What brings you all the way down here?

“I-” Great. As much as I’m incredibly relieved to know that nothing serious has happened for once, this is a little bit ridiculous. “Nothing much.”

Author's Note

Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you... the anticlimax of the year. :rainbowlaugh:

~ Angel

Chapter 32: Aftermath - Part 1

Colonel Skywalker’s POV

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

Plato.
_ _ _

The feeling that runs through my mind is one of such deep terror that gnaws at my entire soul and leaves no trace of it; absolute dread quickens my heart rate as I feel my precious oxygen leaving my lungs and is replaced by what I sense is a dense cloud, drowning me.

I move frantically in search of air, salvation, but my body doesn't seem to respond. I do everything to avoid that end that I fear to reach so much. I try to open my eye, but I can't see anything - despite the great effort I'm putting in. All around is just a great expanse of silence, darkness, and emptiness.

Then, however, I’m able to sense something: the soft, miraculous touch of the cold snow-covered ground on one of my hooves. A light of hope sparks within me as a result and, taking advantage of this, I send all my strength to that one limb and try to drag myself out of wherever I am, moving as far as possible from the nightmare that wanted to condemn me to wander lifeless.

While I keep struggling, I feel an icy, cold, thin wind striking my face as this one comes out of whatever it was submerged into. It’s a painful one, but it certainly alleviates me as I’m finally allowed to gasp for air, coughing severely as a result of everything, and take a rest on the soft ground.

A cough. A breath. Another cough. Another breath. The pattern keeps going on while my mind can barely process anything. Nothing matters to me right now, save the precious air of life for which I find myself so desperate.

Even so, the sensation of what now I can distinguish is a strange liquid running down my entire face captures my attention as soon as the first drops enter my mouth; I try to think of a moment when I've tasted something so disgusting. The sharp, almost metallic flavor is one I'll certainly never forget in my life.

And one I haven’t forgotten either.

I spit out in a sudden reaction at the realisation of what my face is being covered by. Warm, fresh, repugnant blood that - at the scare - I don’t hesitate to wipe off.

As my hooves quickly remove the red liquid from my face, I find myself with the opportunity to enjoy the sweet, delightful feeling of freedom after what felt like an eternity of oppression.

I'd smile now, for it should be a moment of hope to me then, but... it just doesn't feel right.

And so, my eye carefully opens, as the scene before me greets my sight with... there is no word to describe it.

A brutal and merciless massacre is what my gaze glimpses. No matter where I look, I always find death itself plaguing what has now been transformed into a frozen sea of nothing. Scattered across the place are the soulless husks of those who used to be the people I fought both for and against - all of them now lost into oblivion, leaving behind this disgusting scene.

And the stench - oh, what a terrible stench.

I can't help but smell that nauseating stench of fresh blood, bodies, and gases produced by the battle itself; it is a reminder meant for me, and only me. Curse my impeccable nose.

I keep letting my sight wander through the entire place as I feel a new liquid run down my cheek, a softer one - but even more painful than the blood of my comrades coating me. As my vision searches for anything, my mind can’t help but think about everything… and an all-too-familiar song begins to replay in my head.

Equestria, the land I love,
A land of harmony...

Bullshit! That song is probably one of the worst to ever reach my ears. Harmony? Can anyone call this harmony?!

Those that are blind may.

That’s when nausea truly kicks in… and a torrent of the little that my stomach had not yet digested comes out of my mouth. It hurts, but I cannot hold it anymore. The sight and the stench are just too much for me.

I cough several times as I try to compose myself, I spit out all I can from my mouth. I don’t want to have such a dreadful taste on my tongue.

Then, after a few minutes, I finally dare myself to walk out of here. I move my two front hooves so that they are beneath me and able to support my body weight as I maneuver into a seated position, making it ever so slightly easier to stand up. Immediately, I focus all of my strength on pulling myself up off the ground. Damn Celestia, Luna, and the entirety of the Goddess family tree - it's not enough, and I take a tumble back to the muddy, snowy, blood-filled ditch.

I swear out loud. Not regretting any word that I shout to nobody in particular... though my enjoyment in case it would’ve been Celestia would be truer than any word I’ve spoken before in my gosh-darn life.

A moment of silence occurs. A hoarse sigh. And a look of mine up at the outside of the ditch. The place that I need to reach more than anything else.

Take two, then… right, buddy?

One hoof on the ground. Well, that’s a start. Two hooves on the ground. Good, now the next one. Three hooves on the ground. Almost there, tantalisingly close... But the fourth, it doesn't even move. At this, I look backward and notice how badly injured it is. The wound upon it is deep enough that I can see the displaced shards of bone emerging through the flesh and skin of my leg.

Broken.

...

I should yell in frustration, curse at everyone and everything in the entirety of Equis... but no. I find myself ironically smiling at this right before a chuckle proceeds to take its place, only for this one to be overshadowed by an uncontrollable burst into laughter.

It's official, I've become completely and utterly mad.

My laughter is cut short by a violent fit of coughing, and I take a minute to somewhat compose myself. The smell of the battlefield is still horrifying, but I inhale and exhale slowly, allowing some air to reach my lungs. I need it. To get out of this... Celestia-damn ditch, I need air. Although, getting out is going to be easier said than done.

“Tartarus,” I say to myself. “Oh, Tartarus.”

I try to imagine what my sister would think if she were to see me in this state. The likelihood is that she would laugh as hard as I did a moment ago, and ridicule me to Tartarus and back for ending up like this. I refuse, hoof on heart, to give her the satisfaction of my surrender. She still owes me for everything.

The thought gives me a small amount of motivation. Not because I care for what she thinks of me, but because I just want to smash her head with all the strength I have left… No, that ain’t a joke. I’m bucking serious.

The third time's the charm, as they say. I may only have three functioning legs, but that should be enough for me to keep my balance. I concentrate all of my strength on the three working limbs and successfully pull myself off the ground. Thank Luna for that.

Now for the more complicated part. Trying to walk with only three legs. This will certainly be a joy.

But there is the immortal question of where I intend to go if, or when, I find out how to actually do it. The obvious answer - to most people, at least - would be to return to the trenches. To have my wounds treated, to assure everyone that I am alive and well. To leave behind the scene of destruction and disgust before me, along with the danger of this place.

I have a slightly different answer to that question. Buck that. Remaining here is unpleasant at best and places my life in jeopardy at worst, but... there could be survivors, and I could certainly use the time to think.

I don’t hesitate to take a couple of steps, only to quite literally fall flat on my face. “Buck,” I swear to myself, hissing in pain. Back to square one, then. Three hooves on the ground, and stand...

Good, it works. However, walking is apparently going to be a much greater task for me and my body. I fall over once more, curse Astral, dust myself off, and try again.

Sighing, I take what might be my eleventh failed step, then another, only to spread my wings to keep my balance as I limp forwards. Somehow, that seems to make a difference. I do it again, just to check that it wasn’t a fluke. It works again. A smile creeps onto my lips. I can do this.

What was an immense task is suddenly possible, my goal within reach. I think a little bit of stubbornness helps from time to time, after all.

I look at my surroundings, choosing a direction. A route that doesn’t lead directly back to the trenches, but not any further into the centre of the battlefield either. It makes little difference to me which way I go; this short walk is still going to take much longer than it would ordinarily.

My thoughts wander to the battle itself as I try to recall the event. When looking at a body lying on the ground, I can’t help but realise how little I remember about the whole battle, with only the beginning of it being impregnated deep into my mind. It started off well, with the long-range weapons holding back the majority of the Solar Guards. Then… nothing.

This-… it just confuses me. Wh- Why can’t I remember anything else, and more importantly… What happened, then?

You sure you haven’t-

“Ugh, shut up.” I grunt in response.

As I look forward, a possibility arises in my head. Perhaps the battlefield holds a few clues. Where the soldiers fell, any damage to the surroundings. I notice little groups of the fallen, scattered across the landscape. And… craters. Debris flung across the wasteland, now slowly beginning to be covered by thin layers of snow. These could only have been created by explosions. But what caused them?

I bite my lip. There are very few things that could cause an explosion. As I meander through the river of bodies and blood, I run through the possibilities in my head. Not just to think of a possible answer to my questions, but also to keep my mind from focusing on the horrors around me or the pain surging through my body with every step I take.

The last time that I checked, Equestria had very little military technology that could cause explosions - certainly not anything like this - and the rate of technology advancements is not fast enough for them to develop a weapon like this. That’s one option off the table, definitely.

Myself and Their Majesties surely would have been informed by our sources inside Equestria if they were receiving military help from allies, making that possibility highly unlikely. This puzzles me a little. If they aren’t receiving help from anyone else, but they don’t actually have the capabilities to build a weapon themselves, that means it wasn’t a weapon at all. It was probably something else that wouldn’t be used ordinarily in this scenario.

I suddenly remember that whatever they used would leave some sort of trace. Shards of metal, things like that. As I carefully examine the edge of one crater, about five metres in diameter, I realise that there is nothing at all to suggest what the cause could have been. And that might actually be the key to solving this little puzzle.

Magic. That is the only thing that makes sense to me. Magic used in a destructive manner on a scale that I have never seen before. That even I haven't dared to plan or try in my tactics. However, with one question answered, another raises itself in my head.

What kind of magic is even capable of doing this? Advanced spells, or something else? It could be, but I can't be sure of anything nowadays.

I continue to wander through the freezing wasteland, the arctic weather beginning to become harsher, the snow falling thicker and faster than before. I have no intention of staying in one place when the conditions are like this.

As it becomes increasingly difficult to see I wander aimlessly in the general direction of our home’s trenches. I have to be careful that I don’t stand on anything… or anyone…

Moonlight’s POV

Everypony sits in silence in the small dreary underground bunker, barely even making eye contact and staring at the greyish walls. I came here as soon as I heard the news about the battle, to see if there was any way that I could help. Instead, I'm sitting here helplessly, desperately hoping that my worst fears are either confirmed or proven wrong. Anything is better than not knowing.

I want to go out there and look for any survivors, regardless of which side they are on. But I've been told by everypony that I have to stay here. That I'm more valuable than anypony else out there. That other ponies will try to find him. That he wouldn't want me to worry.

Maybe he wouldn't, but I'm worrying about Skywalker, anyway.

“Coffee?” Hanzal asks, standing up from his chair opposite me at the small table.

“No milk, no sugar, please,” I mutter.

“Gotcha.”

He walks over to another makeshift table where he starts making the cups of coffee. “Anypony else?”

“Tea, please,” Hope says quietly. “Milk, no sugar.”

“Milk, no sugar,” Hanzal echoes, sighing. All of a sudden he glares at the wall opposite him, as if he were insulted or angry, his one good wing flaring whilst the other remains by his side. He seems to have been hit the hardest by the news that Skywalker is missing in action. To be honest, I’m not surprised, considering how close they are. They’re as close as brothers, perhaps even closer.

He looks down at the ground and mutters, “Celestiadammit, Sky. Why’d you do this to us? Why?”

“It’s ok,” Hope tries to comfort him. “Even Autumn and Starlight are out there looking for him.”

“I know, but I keep thinking about the ‘what ifs’,” he replies, not daring to look at any of us. “He and I have been through so much together… and it’s just… if something’s happened… I won’t forgive myself.”

“Why not? This wasn’t your fault.”

“It is. I saw it all happen, I had the chance to help him and I-” He falls silent all of a sudden, too overwhelmed by emotion to continue.

I try to read his mind, only for a sharp pain in my temples to give me the not-so-gentle reminder that I can’t. Because of Skywalker. Because he took a risk to protect everypony running from Celestia with him.

“Your Majesty,” the pegasus looks forward, to nowhere in particular. “I-If you were to lose King Sombra… what would you do?”

The question is completely unexpected, but I try to answer it as honestly as possible. “I wouldn't know what to do. I'd probably be completely lost without him.”

“Lost… helpless…?” He wonders, then turns his head at me. Tears in his eyes. “Useless?”

I nod.

“Sky has been my mentor for… well, ever since I joined the Solar Guard, really.” His voice conveys his unease to us. “I was in my early twenties. I'm thirty six, now. Thirty six. That's a long time to have a best friend and a mentor to guide you. Without him, I - I don't know what I'll do.”

He walks over to us, carrying my cup of coffee and Hope's tea. He places those down on the table, then goes back to collect his own coffee. He looks down at the cup, hesitating, then decides to drink it. “To Sky,” he whispers under his breath before he takes the first sip.

Hope wraps her forelegs around him, to his surprise. The stallion looks up at her, eyebrows raised, but she only smiles back. She must know or understand something that I don't, because he nods and returns the smile.

I sigh and rest my head on the table. I don't like it when Hope knows something that I haven't been told about. She's not constantly hovering around Sombra trying to get his attention now, but she's still so… strange. There's something about her that I just can't put my hoof on, but it's unsettling.

I think about Skywalker, and wonder what he could be facing on that battlefield - if he's still alive. The actual fight is over, and both armies have retreated for now, but there could still be a few ponies walking around, and Celestia knows what might have been left behind.

A collection of memories stirs from a thousand years ago. Two battles, two weeks apart. Two weeks of a solar eclipse, of anarchy in Equestria, and Nightmare Moon's rule, before Celestia found the Elements of Harmony and the strength to fight Nightmare.

And me. The crazy train of thoughts that made me want to stop them both. The impulse that told me that none of what they were doing was right. I don't know why I thought that, why I chose to act, but it must have been for a reason.

Still, the fight between Celestia and Luna was bitter. It destroyed most of the Everfree Castle, and there were probably between fifty and a hundred fatalities. Even though I wasn’t involved in most of the battle, what little I do remember is unpleasant to think about.

I take a sip of the coffee, allowing it to wake me up a little. The warm liquid makes me feel slightly better as it travels down my throat, landing inside my empty stomach. Hope watches me, and I feel slightly uncomfortable, almost as if she’s trying to read my mind or stare into my soul.

“Hope, is there something bothering you?” I ask with a slight edge in my voice to let her know that I want her to leave me alone.

“Oh. I think I zoned out there,” she giggles slightly. “Sorry.”

I sigh and swallow another mouthful of coffee. “It’s fine.”

She loses her usual child-like smile. “Moonlight, if you do want to talk-”

“I’m fine for the moment, thanks.” Take the hint, girl.

She nods, slightly crestfallen, then turns to look at the door behind me as it creaks open. The earth pony Autumn walks in, a small frown on her muzzle. Hanzal sits up immediately, eagerly awaiting any news, good or bad. I do the same, hoping that there’s something positive to hear.

“No concrete news yet, sorry,” she reports, quickly dashing my hopes. “But Starlight Glimmer and Lieutenant Swift are out there looking for the Colonel.”

“I swear to Tartarus,” Hanzal grumbles, “as much as I want Sky to get back, if Swift finds him first…”

Autumn shakes her head, the corners of her lips turning upwards. “I know. It’s hard to swallow our pride after so long. But he’s on our side now.”

“Does that mean you’ve forgiven him?”

“He’s got a little way to go, but he’s redeeming himself.”

“...Slowly.”

The earth pony mare turns to me. “I wish there was more news for you, Your Majesty.”

“It’s ok,” I say. “It’s probably like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to find him. I just hope he’s ok.”

“Same here… I owe Sky a lot. He’s saved my life before now, on a couple of occasions.” She slides into a seat next to Hope.

This surprises me a little. “Really?”

“He has. He’s got some determination. Something makes him get up and keep fighting each day, although the darn Sunbutt knows better than I do what it actually is. He knows a lot about everything and everyone, but most ponies don’t really know about him or his thoughts.” I guess that makes me quite important, then, if he actually spoke to me.

Autumn smirks at Hanzal. “Apart from you, of course. Why does he speak to you and barely anypony else, huh?”

“We’re best friends, and he trusts me.” He takes a sip of his coffee.

“Friends,” she says with amusement.

Hanzal raises his eyebrows and nearly spits out his coffee, but manages to swallow it in time. “Excuse me?”

“What?” she laughs.

He sighs, “Never mind.”

Silence falls again, and I think about Sombra. Hanzal asked a good question - what would I do without him? We started off as enemies, then friends, then fell for each other within weeks, and everything just worked. Before the war started, there was always the option of running back to the Everfree, but I don’t think I’d get away with that now. I’d probably have to stay in charge of the Crystal Empire, do what I could to end the war as quickly as possible, and do my best to look after everypony.

Would I want that? To rule alone? No - and I don’t think I’d last that long. I’d have to give up power eventually because I wouldn’t be able to cope with all of the responsibilities on my own. Sure, at the moment I have a lot of ponies who can help, but being that pony who wears that crown is… not what I want. Not really. I never really thought things through, just acted in the moment, didn’t think about what all of that responsibility actually meant, and now I’m regretting it.

Being with Sombra, on the other hoof, is one of the best mistakes I’ve ever made. I’ve made new friends because of him, made old friendships stronger, and he just generally makes me happy. If only I could be happy with him in a world where we didn’t have to fight for the right to keep that happiness.

In a world where ponies like Sky didn’t have to die.

Author's Note

Hello! Bronie here, again, with some things to say… So, I know many of you expected to see a gigantic, incredible battle between the Crystal Army and the Solar Guard, but… let’s just say Angel and I are pretty bad at writing good fight scenes, so… we kind of preferred to do the aftermath of it. Hope you understand, see ya!

Well, we’re probably better than we give ourselves credit for, but… now isn't the time for the huge battle scene. But when the time does arrive… hoo boy…

~~Hey, remember I said that I’d negotiated the rights to ship Sky with anypony I choose?~~

Bronie: Don’t even dare to, it’s my character! Besides, We already had an agreement!

~ Angel & Bronie312