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...